I got his voicemail again. “Snoopy, where the hell are you? You’re scaring us. Just… let us know you’re okay. Please?” I hung up again, guilt eating at me.
I turned back to the guys. “Okay, I was worried, now I’m scared. Where the hell is he?”
Miles pulled out his phone. “I’ll start calling the hospitals.”
I started bouncing on my toes, my chest tightening.
“Yeah, he’s usually at least texted by now.” Isaac shifted in his chair as he pulled out his phone. My phone rang. I was almost limp with relief. It was Ethan’s number.
Ethan
The pain faded back from soul crushing to simply crippling. My muscles unknotted, my body stopped seizing. Sweat poured off me as the world spun. You fuckers… A light flashed. Voices cackled.
Gasping, my head fell to the side. My cheek pressed against the cold metal surface. My heartbeat pounded in my ears as a tall scrap of fabric came into focus. Screams came from behind the curtain, echoing somewhere. Screams from more than one. I couldn’t see past the bright light that hung above. And I didn’t want to. The steady beep was racing, grounding me in my new hell.
I had stopped asking why they were doing this hours ago… I never got an answer. They’d just start another round.
“He may be the first to survive,” a familiar woman’s voice announced. Who… I racked my mind, trying to find the answer. Fingers bit into my face as the hand forced me to look up again. Brown hair, stunning face, and cold almost black eyes. That bitch from the Witches Council...
She examined my face and smiled. “He’s not completely through it, but he’s further along than the others ever reached.” She patted my face. “You may just live long enough to be given back to your girlfriend.”
Just kill me… Another figure hung something on the pole next to the table.
She grinned. “Oh, no, dear boy. We have something much better planned for you.”
Did I say that out loud? Did it matter?
Jadis turned to the other person. “Give him the rest in small doses and keep an eye on his vitals. We’re invested in this one now.”
“There isn’t much left,” a man’s voice answered. “If we give him more then he’ll be the last one.”
Jadis grinned down at me. “Do it.”
I tried to move only to burst into agony. Black dots danced across my vision. Let me pass out… I started to slip under.
“I will not bow. I will not break.” Lexie’s original singing voice broke through the darkness. I forced my eyes open. She couldn’t be here. No! I turned my head searching for her.
That tank top mother fucker held up my phone. “It’s the Necro, she’s calling again,” he announced turning to grin down at me. “She must be really worried.”
“Go to hell.” I bit through my teeth.
He chuckled as the phone went silent. He started going through my phone as another figure came to my other side. He pinned my arm. No… not again… The sharp prick of a needle. I watched as he injected the white ooze into my veins. No, no, no. My arm began to burn, the room grew twenty degrees hotter.
“Let’s call your girlfriend, shall we?” One of the fuckers said. My muscles began to tighten. No… I can’t. Not again…
“Ethan? Where the hell have you been? You scared the shit out of us.” Lexie’s worried, sweet, slightly rough voice brought me back from the dark pit I was slowly slipping into.
“Say hi to your girlfriend.” The phone was in in my face. The picture of her, big emerald eyes, red hair and black coat was a balm.
“Ethan?”
I wasn’t going to make it. And from the way my muscles were starting to jerk, I didn’t have long to say goodbye. “Run,” I rasped. “Get out...” A scalding, enormous wave crashed over me. The beeping grew frantic and uneven. My muscles seized, my body jerked. I screamed in agony as I was slammed back into the table.
“You’ll get what’s left of him when we’re done,” the fucker said but I was beyond caring. The others would keep her safe. I slid into darkness, grateful that I got to hear her voice one last time. If only I could talk to Isaac...
Lexie
Ethan’s scream was cut off as the call ended. My lungs seized, a heavy weight grew in my chest threatening to tear me apart. Asher tore the phone from my hand and put it to his ear.
“What do you want?” Asher snapped. I sank into the chair behind me.
“What’s going on?” Isaac leaned forward.
“They got him,” I breathed so low that no one but Asher heard.
“The council has Ethan,” Asher announced. Everyone cursed. Miles was quiet as he pulled out his phone.
“How do you know that?” Isaac snapped.
“He was screaming,” I said as I tried to get a deep breath.
Miles threw his phone down. “His GPS is off.” He surged to his feet and ran to the conference door. He pounded his fist on it, making the frame shake.
“What is it?” Bella snapped as she jerked the door open.
“The Witches Council has Ethan,” Miles announced.
I reached out to Isaac and took his hand. He was pale, and struggling to breath too. He gripped my hand tightly.
“What is going on?” Willow asked as she stepped out of the door and into the common room. Louis followed.
“Ethan was taken and is being tortured,” Asher announced loudly. “I think it’s safe to guess that it’s the Witches council.”
I met Isaac’s eyes a fear tore through me. His eyes were boiling. Isaac wanted blood. Ethan… his scream. There was so much pain in it… What the hell were they doing to him? My own gut-wrenching fear turned to anger and began to burn. Fury roared through me. I met Zeke’s eyes. He was already there. We were looking for blood.
“I understand you’re scared,” Willow said in a calm voice. “But we don’t know where they are hiding, and we can’t have everyone looking for one person.”
“Yes, you can. And you will,” I stated, my voice dead. I let go of Isaac and walked over to the group of leaders. “You will put everyone on this.”
Willow shook her head. “We can’t. There is more at stake here than just one person.”
Fire shot through my veins. I smiled. It wasn’t my nice smile. “Not a single soul will cross over until Ethan is with us, safe, alive and healthy.”
Bella nodded slightly. Willow’s eyes grew wide. Louis’s face was blank but his eyes were filled with approval.
“That’s my girl,” Zeke whispered under his breath as he joined us.
I held Willows gaze. “Put everyone on it.” I turned to Bella. “Get the shapeshifters too. Maybe they could smell him out.”
Bella didn’t even argue. “We’ll need something of his to find his scent.”
“Our stuff is still at the hotel,” I cursed.
“I’ll have them stop and pick up your guys’ stuff on their way here,” Bella offered. I nodded. She pulled out her phone and walked several feet away.
“You would really let the world be destroyed for one person?” Willow asked, incredulous.
“Yes.” I turned to Uma. “Is there any way to increase the number of people searching for him?”
Uma met Louis’s eyes. Louis sighed and turned to me. “The vampires. They’re fast and they can smell almost as well as a shifter. But they won’t do it for nothing.”
“Get me a meeting,” I said.
“They value blood, Lexie,” Louis warned.
“Get. Me. A. Meeting,” I repeated, my voice harder. He nodded, pulled out his phone and walked away.
I turned back to Willow who was just watching me. “I’d get going if I were you.”
“Alright,” Willow said, straightening to her full height before pointing at us. “But you and your boys will stay here until we find him. You’re too young to go gallivanting off into the night alone.”
“Fine,” I bit out. “Now, start making calls.”
Willow pulled her phone from her pocket and started going t
hrough her contacts.
I turned back to the guys. Isaac was shaking. Not caring that the others were there, I walked right into his arms and squeezed him tight. He clung to me. “We’ll get him back, I promise.”
“He can’t…” Isaac rasped.
“No matter what we have to do. We’ll get him back.” I squeezed him tighter and met Zeke’s gaze over his shoulder. He nodded. I turned to Miles and met his storming eyes. He nodded. I turned to Asher, his eyes were shadowed as I met them. He nodded. Even if it meant letting the world burn, we were getting Ethan back.
Chapter 14
July 14th, Sunday Evening.
Time moved at a crawl. Every second seemed like an hour, every minute an eternity. I don’t know how long it took for the shifters to arrive but it was more than enough time to wonder what was happening to Ethan. Everyone was silent until the shifters came through the door with our stuff. I almost tore the arm off one of them when I jerked Ethan’s bag away and tore it open. Bella explained as I pulled out Ethan’s shirts. When I found them, I stood and shoved one into the chest of each giant biker. One of them hissed at me like a large cat. Zeke moved up behind me. Ink chastised the hisser. Then they were out the door with Ethan’s scent.
Everyone sat back down in the armchairs. We were just waiting for the vampires now. My fingers wrung the fabric in my hands, spicy cologne filled my nose. I looked down. I was clutching one of Ethan’s shirts to me. I didn’t care, I clung to it and tried not to think about what was happening to him.
The vampires finally arrived just after nightfall. Bella came out the conference door with Willow, tucking her phone into her pocket. “They’re here.”
Willow straightened her shoulders. “Will you open the door for them? They won’t be able to knock.”
“Sure,” Bella sighed before she started walking across the room.
Willow came to stand next to me. “Do you understand what you’re doing?”
I met her eyes and nodded. “Uma and Louis filled me in.”
Willow nodded as Bella opened the door to several men and women waiting. They walked in with a strange grace that I’d normally associate with ballet dancers. A man with longish wavy brown hair and a lean build took the lead of the group. His silver eyes ran over the guys, then me. Something told me I was getting sized up for lunch.
The leader turned to Willow with a charming smile. “Mrs. Tibbons, how lovely to see you again. When was the last time we saw each other?”
Willow answered with a smile. “I believe I was twelve and it was the one and only magic users and vampire mixer, Samuel.”
He grinned, showing the tips of his fangs. “You were wearing a white dress with green lace, if I recall correctly.”
Willow shook her head, smiling. “Come into the meeting room, we have refreshments for you and yours. And we can get down to business.”
Samuel chuckled. “That won’t be necessary. We can do our business right here.”
Willow straightened her shoulders. “Alright, what do you want in exchange for helping to find this young man?”
Samuel smiled a big smile. “I want a taste of the Necro girl.”
I met his gaze and got to my feet. I wasn’t about to fuck around in a negotiation. “Fine.”
His eyes widened only for a fraction of a heartbeat. “You don’t understand the side effects.”
“I don’t care.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “If you help search, if we find him alive and if he survives. I’ll consent to a light feed from the wrist.”
Samuel raised an eyebrow, he eyed me. “Even if it’s not my people that find him, as long as the rest of your criteria is met?”
“I’ll hold up my end,” I answered.
“Deal.” He turned to the other vampires with him. “Find him.”
The vampires with Samuel left through the door immediately. Samuel watched me for several heartbeats before he bowed his head and walked out the door.
I sat back down in the armchair with Isaac and held Ethan’s shirt to me. We could get through this. I just needed to be patient. How could I be patient when Ethan is out there being tortured? I wanted to run, scream and pound something into submission until they gave him up. Then a lightbulb went off. “What does the orderly know?”
Bella leaned against Asher’s chair as she answered. “Nothing that would help find your friend. He was only supposed to watch and report back if someone came looking.”
I nodded then went back to staring at the large runed door. I could do this. I can be patient, I just need to distract myself. I took a deep breath. One, two, three…
Miles
I mentally cursed as my thirty-fourth attempt to turn on Ethan’s GPS remotely failed. There was nothing I could do. I checked on Lexie. She was still in her chair, staring at the door. Her fingers still rubbing Ethan’s shirt. Asher was just staring at the floor. Zeke was pacing, Isaac was staring at the door almost as much as Lexie. We had to find him.
High heels clicked across the wood floor in the silence of the room. Uma joined us. “Boys, I have something for you to do.” She announced. “Follow me.” She started toward a door that Louis had identified as the Alchemist’s lab. I turned back to Lexie. She was still watching that door. I didn’t want to leave her or Isaac and by the others’ hesitation, I wasn’t the only one.
Bella and Ink come over from where they had been talking. “We’ll stay with them,” she promised.
We got up and followed Uma, leaving Isaac and Lexie in her care. She led us into what looked like a small lab. A girl was there, mashing herbs with a mortar and pestle. She looked up with an irritation that disappeared when she saw us. The Alchemist was a girl around our age. Surprised, I eyed her. Long straight brown hair, a round face, pert nose and large light blue eyes. She eyed me back before turning to Uma.
“Lucy, these are Lexie’s friends. Zeke, Asher and Miles.” Uma introduced them.
“Hi.” She gave a small wave before turning to Uma. “What’s going on?”
“They have the Sight and are stuck in the middle of this mess,” she explained. “They need more options when fighting the council witches. The non-magical variety.”
Lucy grinned. “I can do that.”
“Nothing lethal,” Uma warned.
Her grin disappeared. “You just had to spoil my fun, didn’t you?”
“They’re each going to need a shield generator,” Uma added.
“So will Isaac, Ethan and Lexie,” Asher added.
“Lexie won’t, it won’t allow her to do what she does.” Uma waved her hand dismissively.
“You don’t really understand how she does things,” I countered.
Uma thought about it then nodded. “That’s true. Necromancer’s are a bit different.”
“It’s no biggie to make an extra generator,” Lucy said. “I’m just going to need some help putting them together.”
“Boys, please listen to Lucy and give her a hand,” Uma said before leaving.
We turned to Lucy.
She smiled as she went to the shelves to her right and pulled down a box. She returned to the workbench and opened it then held out a small clockwork device the size of a coin. “This is your basic shield generator.” She set it down on the table top and flipped on the overhead light.
I examined the small device. It had some clockwork components. A tiny opening, a tube surrounding a small center chamber with a latch, and another tube with a funnel on the other side. I flipped it over to find gears and springs showing. It was small and pretty nifty. “This is used with just clockwork?” I looked up in time to see her smother a smile.
“No,” she said then reached over and pointed at the small latch on the chamber. “You add several bits of protection herbs to the chamber and latch it shut.” She closed the small lid then turned the thing over and tapped a small toggle. “Every full rotation will give you an hour of power.” She turned it quickly twice. There was a low, barely there ticking. “Then you put it on and any spell
that hits you will change to kinetic energy. It’ll hurt but you’ll be alive.”
I picked up the little machine and looked at it closer. “I imagine you have to keep refilling the chamber with herbs?”
“Yes and no,” she said, pulling my attention back to her. She looked pleased with herself. “The shield really doesn’t kick in unless a spell or energy is thrown at you. So, unless you’ve been attacked, you don’t need to change out the herbs.”
“How does this work exactly?” I asked, curious. The guys muttered under their breath.
Her eyes lit up.
“I’m going to check on them,” Zeke muttered on his way to the door.
“But I need to know how you want to wear the generator?” Lucy called, her fingers wringing together.
“I’ll do his,” I said. With how small these parts were, I doubted Zeke could even manage to put it together. I kept checking out the little device. “Any requests?”
“No fucking jewelry,” he growled. “The last thing I need is to be working on an engine and deglove a finger.” Zeke left, letting the door close behind him.
Asher leaned against the table, looking over my shoulder.
“So, how does this work?” I asked again.
“Well, there’s a spell on the chamber that concentrates and multiplies energy. So, when the shield kicks on, a spark ignites and it slowly burns the herbs releasing the energy. The rest is simple clockwork.”
I looked up at her. “That works?”
She nodded. “Yep, as long as it’s on you and preferably touching your skin, it’ll work.”
“That’s ingenious,” I stated, my mind already running through ways to improve or expand on the design.
Secrets From the Grave Page 22