“How did he know?” Her fingers reached beneath her shirt for a necklace. “I thought this was supposed hide my magic. My aunt said it would.”
Her voice shook when she spoke, but all I could think about was why Rowena would want Ridley to hide her powers.
“Why did she make a necklace to hide your ability?” I asked.
Ridley dropped the necklace and took a sip of her cappuccino. My gaze zeroed in on the pendant. There was nothing about it that screamed it was a magical object capable of cloaking one’s powers. It looked like a normal necklace. A silver chain. Three black circular beads.
“Well, when you can see the other side, people seek you out. Especially those in the supernatural world. Not all humans believe in the other side, but most supernaturals do. I think it’s because we already know things often believed as fiction are real,” she said, her gaze never wavering from mine. “My aunt spelled this necklace to help mask my powers so no one tries to seek me out.” She glanced at her drink. “Doesn’t seem like it worked if this vampire was able to figure out what I am.”
“He didn’t know it was you exactly,” I clarified. “He only knew there was an anchor here in Mirror Lake. He said your powers were either weak, not fully tapped into, or being hidden by a talisman or spell. He’s not the one we’re concerned with, though. Lilith is. She’s felt you or something too. At least that’s what Arturo believes. He claims she wants you. To use you.”
“Great,” Ridley huffed. “Just what I wanted to hear.”
12
I felt as though I’d dumped a load of crazy onto Ridley’s shoulders, but there was still more to say. I took a sip of my drink, allowing her a second to process before I continued.
A new text came through on my cell.
Everything okay?
It was Eli.
Yeah, we’re fine. I’m giving her a second to soak in some things. — Mina
I set my cell on the table and glanced at Ridley. She exhaled a long breath. Her body remained rigid, and her face had grown pale.
Was she freaking out? I would be.
Her hand smoothed across her forehead. “Okay, let me get this straight. A crazy vampire is looking for me because I’m an anchor, or so some ancient vampire I’ve never met before says, and she wants me for something.”
“Yeah. Well, we don’t know for sure Lilith knows you’re the anchor. We’re only going off what Arturo said. He claimed she did, and that it changed the things she had planned to do while here in town.”
“But you believe him?” Ridley asked.
“I do.”
I didn’t know why. Arturo was creepy, but it was clear he knew Lilith well enough to know she would have figured out what and who Ridley was by now.
“How do you think either of them found out about me?” Ridley took a sip of her coffee. Her hand shook, but I pretended not to notice.
“Arturo didn’t name you. He only mentioned there was an anchor here. From his description, we were able to pinpoint the anchor as you.” I took a sip of my coffee. “I don’t know how he knew though. I mean, your aunt made you a necklace to hide your powers, one you clearly have been wearing. We don’t know what we’re dealing with when it comes to Arturo or Lilith.”
My wolf howled out a warning of caution. It reverberated through me.
“Vampires tend to have powers similar to witches, so there’s no telling if Lilith’s gift is to find things that are hidden, or if she can seek out people with special gifts.”
“That would make sense.”
It did. Especially the more I thought about it. Could that be why Arturo wanted Lilith back in his possession so desperately?
Ridley ran her fingers through her hair. “Okay, so let’s assume this Arturo guy is right, and Lilith knows what I am. Why would it matter to her I can connect to the other side? What does she want with me?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “Maybe there’s someone she wants you to contact.”
Ridley took a sip of her coffee, and we lapsed into silence.
I opened my mouth after a few minutes to continue saying what I needed to, but couldn’t find my voice. Instead, I stared at the people sitting in the lobby on comfy furniture reading fiction.
“Is there something else you wanted to tell me?” Ridley said.
I licked my lips and shifted my gaze to her. “Actually, there’s a lot more. I just don’t know where to start. Umm, I guess I’ll start with how I agreed to work with Arturo.”
Ridley’s eyes narrowed. “In what way?”
“To help him get Lilith,” I said. “The pack is also working with Julian Montevallo. His older brother, Roman, is with Lilith, like I said. Apparently, he has a bloodlust problem. When he drinks human blood he goes off the deep end and binges on it.”
“Don’t most vampires?”
I chuckled. “My thoughts exactly. This is excessive according to Julian and his sisters. Roman has an addiction. Which is why the Montevallos only drink animal blood. Julian compared Roman’s issue to someone being a severe alcoholic.”
“So, he’s the one behind the Midnight Reaper killings, then?”
I nodded. “Him and Lilith, as well as whatever little soldiers they’ve created and branded.”
“How does Lilith fit into all this? What do you know about her?” Ridley asked. Her sense of strength was back. She was no longer trapped by fear. Instead, she was attempting to gain as much knowledge of the situation as she could.
I took a sip of my coffee. It was bitter on my tongue. “She’s one of Roman’s old friends, according to the Montevallos. They think she may have gotten him to drink human blood. Apparently, she’s always been a bad influence on him.”
“Do Julian or his sisters know of a way to stop Roman? Can he be rehabilitated?”
“I’m guessing they know of a way. That’s part of why they’ve asked for the pack’s help in capturing him. They were worried when Arturo found Lilith, Roman would try to fight him.”
“Why would he fight for Lilith? Are Arturo and her a couple or something? Or Roman and her?”
I understood where her thoughts were going. She wondered if the three of them formed a love triangle.
“Arturo is Lilith’s creator. Roman is only a friend—that we know of. We’re not sure what’s going on between Arturo and Lilith, other than she escaped from him and he wants her back.” I paused, waiting for a woman nearing the coffee machine to get what she wanted and leave before I continued. Minutes passed. Once she was gone, I pressed forward. “I honestly don’t care what he wants to do with her or what his reasons for keeping her as his prisoner are; all I care about is getting her out of town.”
“I don’t want her hanging around either,” Ridley said. “Or Roman. Do you guys have a plan to catch either of them?”
My lips twisted into a smirk. She’d steered the conversation exactly where it needed to go.
“Not really,” I said, “but we do have an idea.”
“What?”
“We give Lilith what she wants.” The words clawed at my throat as I said them.
I knew what I was asking was a lot. I knew how terrifying being used as bait for some crazy ass vampires felt.
Still, I had to ask.
“You mean, me? As in you want to hand me over to her?” Ridley asked.
My stomach rolled. There was so much fear reflected in her features I knew there was no way she’d agree to help. It was asking too much.
I swallowed hard. “Sort of. We’d like to use you to lure Lilith and Roman out so we can capture them. You’d be bait.”
Ridley cringed.
“I know how scary it sounds, but we’ll be waiting on the sidelines. You won’t be alone. We don’t have a full plan crafted yet, but we’ll get one set in place if you decide to help us.”
She chewed her bottom lip. Time dragged on.
“You don’t have to give me an answer right this minute,” I said. “Maybe you should take today to think it through. You can get b
ack to me tomorrow. And, I’ll understand if you say no. We all will.” I tossed the words out meaning them wholeheartedly.
Ridley glanced at me.
“I’ll help. I’ll be bait,” she said.
I blinked. “You will?”
“If I’m what she wants, it makes sense to use me to lure her out so we can capture her. Roman too. I think it’s safer this way. It’s more on my terms, too. I don’t want her catching me off guard. Does that make sense?”
“It does.”
It made more sense than she knew. It was exactly how I’d felt when I offered myself up to go with Regina’s vampire goons so we had someone to take the place down from the inside.
“Okay,” she breathed. “When are you planning to work on a strategy for this?”
“How about tonight? Are you free?”
“I am now.” She grinned.
I loved that she still had a sense of humor. It said a lot about her.
“When do you want to come over? We’ll probably meet at my place to go over the details with the others tonight.”
“How about I head home and grab some stuff so I can spend the night at your place, if you don’t mind, that way we can talk it all out tonight and put it in action tomorrow?”
“Sure, that sounds great actually.” I reached for my cell. “Let me check with the others and make sure the coast is still clear before we head outside.”
“Others are here?”
“Yeah, we wanted to scope the place out. Make sure you were safe,” I said as I tapped out a text to Eli.
We’re getting ready to head out. Is everything still okay out there? — Mina
I took another sip of my coffee while I waited on Eli to reply. French vanilla cappuccino with three sugars wasn’t half bad, but it was still had a bitter edge to it. However, I found I could tolerate it.
“This coffee tastes pretty good,” I said.
“I know. I’m surprised.”
My cell vibrated with a new text.
Everything still looks good. I think we’re okay. Did Ridley agree to anything?
Yeah. She agreed to be our bait. — Mina
Good.
She’s heading to her house for her stuff, and then spending the night at our place so we can go over a plan together and implement it tomorrow. — Mina
Sounds good. Why don’t you ride with her to her place, just in case? We’ll follow until the trailer park and then head home to start coming up with a plan.
Okay. — Mina
“Care if I ride with you to your house?” I asked Ridley.
“No, it’s fine. In fact, I’d rather you were with me anyway. I don’t think I want to be alone right now. As much as I hate to say it, I’m a little freaked out Lilith is going to find me before all of this goes down.”
“Which is why we’re forming a plan tonight.”
She puffed her cheeks up with air. “Right. Let’s get out of here.”
I stood and tossed my coffee cup in the trash. Ridley did the same, and then the two of us headed toward the library exit.
13
As we pulled out of the library parking lot, Ridley turned on the radio. I glanced in the side mirror, watching as Dorian pulled out behind us following in his SUV. The knots in my stomach eased as we gained speed while turning out of the library. I’d been worried either Lilith, Roman, or one of their soldiers would ambush us on our way to her car. Thankfully, that hadn’t happened.
“Normally, I drive in silence. It gives me time to think about things, but right now silence and thinking don’t seem like a good idea,” she said with a slight chuckle. A pop song I’d heard a million times trickled through the speakers. “I hope you don’t mind this station. I could use something upbeat to listen to.”
I shook my head. “I don’t mind. It’s fine. And just so you know, you don’t have to go through with this if you don’t want to. I wouldn’t be mad if you decided it was too dangerous. None of us would.”
While that might not be the truth for everyone, it was for me.
“It is dangerous—trust me when I say that’s something my mind insists on reminding me—but me being bait makes sense. Besides, it’s time Mirror Lake had some peace. I know I haven’t lived here long, but I swear when I first moved here this place seemed dead. Nothing happened here.” The ghost of a smile twisted her lips. “I thought this place was boring. I’m learning that it’s not. As a matter of fact, I’d gladly take boring over this Midnight Reaper crap any day. There have been too many life-or-death instances in town lately. I’m glad I can help put an end to this.”
“There has been a lot of activity recently. Hopefully, once we get Lilith and Arturo out of town and capture Roman for the Montevallos things will calm down.”
“Hopefully,” Ridley said. “I think I’m going to grab some protection talismans from my aunt before we leave my house, just to be on the safe side.”
Her hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. Apparently, having the radio on wasn’t keeping her mind off things. It wasn’t working for me either.
“That’s a great idea.”
“Not that I don’t trust you guys to keep me safe. I just think I’d feel better if I had some form of backup,” she said.
“I understand. Do whatever you feel you need to. No one is going to judge you. I can promise you that. We’re all grateful you’re agreeing to help.”
“Thanks,” Ridley insisted. “You know, even if I wasn’t being offered up as bait, I would have helped. I don’t agree with what my aunt is doing. I think in situations like this the supernaturals in town should come together, not become divided. She shouldn’t be placing so much pressure on your pack to fix this. It’s not fair. We should be helping you. Not threatening you.”
“Maybe your aunt is scared. Maybe that’s why she threatened us.”
“Could be.” Ridley shrugged. Her grip on the steering wheel loosened. She was relaxing. “It’s funny because I’ve never thought of her as being scared of anything. She’s always such a strong, composed woman. A powerful witch.”
I glanced in the side mirror, making sure Eli and the others were still behind us.
“That’s how I feel about my Gran. I mean, I know she’s not a witch, but she’s a powerful werewolf who has witchy tendencies when it comes to herbal concoctions. I hated how scared she seemed when she learned I was offering myself up to Regina’s vampires to rescue our missing pack members. I know exactly where you’re coming from.”
“Yeah.” Ridley nodded. “I know you get it.”
Another song came on the radio as we drove. It was one I knew all the words to even though I didn’t like the song. I hummed the chorus as the words played through my mind. It served as a distraction until the hosts of the station came on to talk and play commercials.
I took the moment to ask Ridley something I’d always wondered.
“I know your family allows the Montevallo vampires inside Mirror Lake, but why no other vampires? I heard once it has something to do with vampires being able to compel witches easily. If that’s the case, why allow any in town at all?” I asked.
“That makes it sound like my aunt rules Mirror Lake, which we both know isn’t true.”
Ridley was right. No group of supernaturals was in control over the others. Not here. There were rules and alliances we all lived by to ensure peace and balance, but that was it.
“The whole Montevallo thing goes back further than my aunt,” Ridley said. “You sure you’ve never heard the story?”
She hung a right at the stop sign, and then continued on a narrow two-lane street.
“Nope,” I said.
“Well, it actually goes back to my great-great-aunt. I think. It might have been one more great added on. Anyway, the story is she fell in love with a vampire—a Montevallo vampire,” she said. She shifted her gaze from the road long enough to glance at me and wiggle her brows. “Julian to be exact.”
“What? No way.”
“Yep.”
> “Wow.” My interest was piqued. I tried to image the nerdy veterinarian vampire in love with anyone and couldn’t. “Continue.” I motioned for her to press forward with the story.
“So my however many greats aunt fell in love with him. Apparently, they were happy together—beautifully happy—but their happiness made someone else jealous. Another family of vampires lived in Mirror Lake at the time and among that group was a man. One who was madly in love with my great-great-great-aunt. She thought they were just friends, but he thought they were so much more. When she told him she and Julian were going to be married, he grew angry. So angry he compelled her to be with him and only him. It was something he’d sworn he would never do—use his ability on her. When Julian found out, he kidnapped my great-great-great-aunt and took her to a witch capable of breaking a vampire’s compulsion. What he didn’t know was this particular vampire’s compulsion had been two-fold.”
“Two-fold?”
Ridley nodded. “There was a hidden layer beneath the one making her love the other vampire, a layer that forced her to kill herself if she stopped loving him. It had been set in place so that if he couldn’t have her, no one could.”
Ridley paused at a four-way stop.
“That’s awful.”
“I know,” she said. “There was an epic battle between Julian and the other vampire. Julian won, of course. And afterward it was decreed between my family and the Montevallos that no other vampire was to set foot in Mirror Lake again.”
“That’s crazy. I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve heard this story.”
“It’s not something Julian probably enjoys remembering.” She started forward from the four-way stop. “There are more details. I just can’t remember them all. My cousin R—”
A loud crunch sounded behind us. Metal hitting metal. I jerked around in my seat to see what happened as Ridley slammed on her brakes.
Debris littered the street behind us, and there was a car I didn’t recognize in the middle of the four-way stop we’d passed through. Its hood was scrunched into the windshield.
But where was Dorian’s SUV?
Moon Revealed (Mirror Lake Wolves Book 6) Page 8