Silence passed through the phone. I pulled it away from my ear and glanced at the screen, thinking our connection had been dropped, but it hadn’t. The timer still ticked away, counting how long we’d been on the phone together.
“Oh, wow. That sounds pretty serious,” Ridley finally said.
“It is.”
“I’m sure my aunt would know of a spell that might help, but I don’t know what the cost would be.”
“As in how much money? That’s not the issue. I’m sure the pack can come up with whatever it is.” I hoped, anyway. None of us were rich. I mean, we did live in a trailer park. However, I was positive if we combined all of our resources we’d be able to come up with enough money to get Violet what she needed.
“No. I’m not talking about money. When it comes to magic, there’s always a cost, and nine times out of ten it has nothing to do with money.”
Unease pickled across my skin. I moved to sit on my bed and situated my back against the wall. “Oh. Okay, gotcha.”
“Can you tell me a little about the situation? Any details would help my aunt figure out the direction she needs to go with the spell, but it would also help me. There is a chance I might not have to go to her. I might be able to find something on my own that would help.”
“The girl is sixteen. She was abducted by someone and left for a couple days in a cage without access to silver,” I said, trying to be careful not to mention Drew’s name. I didn’t want to tell her any information that might cause my pack or myself any harm. The less she knew about that aspect, the better. “Do you know what the connection is between us and silver?” I didn’t know how much I needed to explain to her when it came to werewolves.
“I do. I studied up on the two most known creatures here before I moved. Your pack and the Montevallo family of vampires,” Ridley admitted. She was smart. I didn’t think that would’ve been something I would have thought to do. “How do you know her wolf has been severed? What are the signs and symptoms?”
“She’s not healing. She has a few bruises and cuts from when she was abducted that should’ve healed days ago but haven’t. They are fading but at a normal human rate. Same with her broken ankle. It should have already healed by now but hasn’t. When she was found, she was completely naked and devoid of her silver jewelry.”
Papers moving on her end of the phone caught my attention. Was she taking notes?
“Okay, I’ll look into it and see what I can find. I’ll get back to you tomorrow.”
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll let the others now I’ve got a kickass Caraway witch on it.”
“I don’t know about being kickass, but you can definitely say you have a Caraway witch on it,” Ridley insisted with a chuckle. “Talk to you soon.”
“Okay, thanks again,” I said before I hung up.
I left my room and started down the hall, passing Gracie and Winston along the way. She was talking to him like he was a baby and scratching behind his ears. The sight of the two of them had my lips curling into a small grin.
“Hey, where’s Gran?” I called back to her as I noticed Gran was no longer at the table.
“In the garden,” Gracie said.
I headed outside, eager to tell Gran that Ridley had agreed to help. She was where Gracie said she’d be. With her pruning shears in hand and a wicker basket at her side, Gran made her way around her small garden gathering clips of herbs.
“Need any help?” I asked as I stepped inside the fenced in area.
Gran shifted to face me. A skeptical gleam entered her eyes. I knew it was because it was rare I ever offered to help with anything garden related. “Why? Is there something you need to talk to me about, or do you need money?”
I always needed money, but that wasn’t what this was about. “I just got off the phone with Ridley Caraway. She’s going to help us find a way to bring Violet’s wolf back.”
“How?” Gran plucked a couple sprigs off a rosemary plant.
“She took some notes from me, and she said she’s going to see what she can find out for us. If she can’t find anything, she’ll involve her aunt,” I said as I glanced at the plant nearest me. Its leaves looked withered. “Have you watered your garden recently?”
Gran glanced at me. “Asks the girl who knows nothing about gardening.”
My cheeks heated. “Sorry. The plants just look like they could use some water. Their leaves seem wilted.”
“I watered them yesterday. We’re supposed to get rain over the next couple of days, and I didn’t want to water them too much, so they probably are thirsty.” Gran placed a hand on her hip, making it clear she didn’t like me criticizing her skills when it came to taking care of her own garden. “Continue with what Ridley plans to do.”
“That’s it,” I said with a shrug. “She said she’s going to look into it. If she can’t find anything out on her own, she’ll ask her aunt. She did say she’d have something to me by tomorrow, and it would probably come with a cost.”
“Of course, all magic does. I’ve told you this before.” She walked to the other side of her garden. “I wonder what it will be this time.”
“This time?” When was the last time we had asked the Caraway witches for help with anything?
“Of course,” Gran insisted. “The full moon ceremonies are hidden by their magic.”
“Right. I forgot about that.” The cost of that had been for us to keep vampires out of Mirror Lake with the exception of the Montevallo family. It was a steep price, one that cost us a lot of time and manpower. I was sure whatever they asked for next would be the same.
“The only way they’ll help us is if there’s something else they desire we can get them,” Gran said as she bent to focus on a basil plant. It looked as though something had chewed up its leaves.
I wondered what the Caraway witches would want from us this time. It didn’t seem as though there was much we could give.
Either way, Violet getting her wolf back would be worth it. I hoped whatever they did—whatever spell or potion they created—it could be easily duplicated because I had a feeling whenever we found Glenn we would need a second dose.
13
It was just starting to get dark when I made it to Eli’s place. Dorian was already there. He insisted we go over everything from our first trip to Peter’s again as well as anything I learned from Ridley. Also, he told us the plan he had crafted for the night and stressed numerous times how much he wanted us to stick to it.
“We know our point of entry is the basement window. It’s large enough for all of us to crawl through. This makes the whole situation one hundred times safer because we don’t have to travel through the house trying to find our way to the basement. It’s a straight shot. Which means there’s minimal risk you guys will screw up this situation,” Dorian said as he paced back and forth in Eli’s kitchen.
“We didn’t screw up the last time. We rescued Violet, or have you forgotten?” I snapped, hating the way he talked down to us. He was supposed to be our chaperone, yes, but nowhere in the description did it say he needed to be an asshole.
“A human was killed. I’d say that’s a pretty big screw-up.” Dorian’s eyes narrowed.
“Moving forward,” Eli said. He seemed as annoyed as I was Dorian kept bringing that night up.
“Right. One by one, we will enter the basement window. There didn’t seem to be any pets, but that’s something I’ll have to check tonight before we make a move.”
“What do you plan on doing if he does have a pet?” I asked with more attitude than was necessary. Apparently there was no better feeling than grilling Dorian.
He flashed me a wicked grin. “If it’s a cat, nothing. I doubt a cat would do anything to alert him we were there. If it’s a dog, I have a special treat for it.” He reached into the front pocket of his dark jeans and pulled out a Ziploc bag with two dog treats inside.
“What’s so special about them?” Eli asked.
“I purchased some dog tranquilizers and
slipped one into each. If he does have any dogs, they won’t be a problem for long. They’ll be sleeping like a baby in seconds.”
Well, at least he wasn’t going to hurt them. I hated to admit it, but Dorian’s idea was pretty good.
“I know we’re there to search for Glenn,” Eli said. “But, like I said before, I’d like to get my hands on the files I saw. I think we would be able to learn a lot from them.”
“The files are a top priority,” Dorian insisted. “We have to find out the inner workings of this situation.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I clapped my hands together. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
I didn’t want to hang around much longer. I was beginning to get antsy. I needed to know if Glenn was there. If he was, I was going to be so pissed at Dorian. I thought of what I’d say to him as the three of us piled into Eli’s truck and headed to Peter’s place.
We parked in the same space as before. This late at night, there seemed to be even less traffic than before, which was a good thing.
“Let’s shift and head to Peter’s the way we did earlier—by sticking to the woods that line the driveway. Be on alert this time, Peter could be home, and there’s a chance he might not be alone,” Dorian insisted as he walked to the end of the truck to take off his clothes again.
My heart dropped to my toes at the mention of Peter possibly not being alone. After the day he had, there was a good chance someone would be at his house, consoling him. It was another reason why we should’ve done this earlier. Screw Dorian and his well-thought-out plan. Sometimes going into things blind was the best way to handle them.
I pulled off my clothes and tossed them onto the seat of the truck. My gaze drifted to Eli. His muscles were tense, and his jaw was hard set. I didn’t think he liked having Dorian give him orders.
Once the three of us shifted, we started up the driveway by keeping to the woods like we had last time. Dorian had the bag of dog treats in his mouth. It crinkled with every step he took, causing him to make more noise than Eli and me. When Peter’s house came into view, I relaxed at the sight of only one vehicle in the driveway. Lights were on inside but only on the main floor. The upstairs was dark. This made me think he was still awake.
Dorian dropped the treat bag and sniffed the air. I knew he was searching for the scent of any pets Peter might have let out when he got home. I sniffed the air too, but didn’t pick up anything.
We were off to a smooth start it seemed. I was grateful.
The three of us rounded the house until we came to the basement window. Dim lighting cast through the space, but it wasn’t enough for me to think Peter was inside. It looked as though one of the machines had been turned on and was casting a glow through the room.
Eli pushed on the window with his snout. It popped open with ease. I held my breath as Eli leaped into the basement. Dorian went next. I hung around outside, staring in the window and listening. Eli’s green eyes locked with mine. They seemed to beckon me. I finally gave in and leaped through the window after them. Once I was inside, I headed for the cages. There were three, exactly like in Drew’s basement. Each of them seemed made of the same material. There was still a bucket in the corner, but instead of a blanket on the cold concrete floor, there were cots.
Glenn was lying on one.
He didn’t look as banged up as what Violet had when we first found her, but he still had seen better days. Bruises lined his inner elbows. Were they track marks? I was sure they weren’t self-inflicted, but he did look like a junkie. Peter must have been doing some heavy testing on him or keeping him drugged.
I couldn’t believe he’d been here the entire time. My insides burned with anger. Before I realized I was doing it, I’d pushed my wolf to the side and shifted back into human form.
“He’s been here the whole time,” I said in a hushed whisper as I took in the sight of Glenn. “We could have easily gotten him out earlier.”
A familiar charge zipped through the air as Eli shifted back as well.
“Glenn. Hey, buddy,” Eli said as he rushed to his cage. “We’re here for you.”
There was no response from him. I wondered if he’d been drugged with the same stuff Violet had when we’d rescued her. If so, it was going to make it ten times harder to get him out of here quietly. At least Dorian was here to help Eli carry his dead weight, because I wasn’t sure I would be much help getting him through the basement window.
Speaking of Dorian, where was he?
I glanced around, searching for him. He’d leapt through the window before me so I knew he was here somewhere. I spotted him near the basement window, gazing out as though he was making sure the coast was clear. I wasn’t sure when he’d done it, but at some point between entering the basement and now, Dorian had shifted back into his human form as well.
“We might want to get out of here in a minute,” Dorian said as though he could feel my heated gaze on him.
“Wasn’t that the plan all along?” I snapped. “Get in and get out as quickly as possible?”
I couldn’t stand to breathe the same air as him right now, let alone speak to him.
“Yeah, well.” Dorian shifted around to face me. The worried gleam in his eyes sent alarm nipping at my insides. “We’ve got company.”
“What do you mean?” Eli asked. He abandoned Glenn and headed for the basement window.
Headlights shifted through the room. Both Dorian and Eli jumped out of the way before the light could reach them. I remained still, frozen.
Someone was here. This was so not good.
“Two people. Both men. I’d say about six-foot-tall each,” Dorian whispered as he glanced out the window, carefully assessing the new people who had arrived. “Shit.”
“What?” I asked in a hushed whisper.
“Both of them are vampires,” Dorian answered.
Vampires? What the hell were vampires doing at Peter’s house?
“They don’t look like they’re from the Montevallo family either,” Eli added. “I’ve never seen these guys before.”
My heart raced inside my chest. The only thing I could think about was getting Glenn out of here. I jerked at the bars of his cage door, praying it wouldn’t be locked. The thing didn’t budge. I glanced around the metal shelving unit closest to me, searching for something I might be able to use to pick the lock with quickly. We had to get Glenn out of here. He had to come with us. There was no way I was going to leave him again.
“Help me find something to pick this lock with,” I insisted. Didn’t they understand we needed to move, we needed to act? We were here to rescue Glenn, not stare at vampires all night.
“No,” Dorian said. “As soon as they step into the house, we need to get the hell out of here.”
“What?” I snapped. I glanced over my shoulder at him. He couldn’t be serious. Glenn was right here. We needed to get him out. Who knew if we would have another chance? “No. We have to rescue him.”
Eli jumped into action and searched through the drawers to one of the stainless-steel tables. When he found something that looked sharp, he stepped to my side. “Watch out. Let me see if I can get it unlocked with this.”
I stepped out of Eli’s way, grateful he was at least on my side. He fiddled with the lock but didn’t seem to be having any luck.
“It’s too thick. I need something thinner,” Eli insisted as he threw what he’d been holding down and begin searching frantically for something else.
“We don’t have time for this,” Dorian insisted from where he stood at the window. “They just went inside. And from the looks on their faces, I’d say they aren’t happy to be here.”
“I’m not happy to be here either,” I snapped as I continued searching for anything that might help open the lock.
Loud footsteps sounded above us. All the breath left the room as the three of us froze, listening to where they were headed. My eyes zeroed in on the basement door at the top of the stairs. The sound of a key being shoved into t
he door floated through the air. A light flicked on, illuminating the stairs seconds before the door opened.
“We have to get out of here now,” Dorian whispered. The intensity behind his words sent goose bumps pickling across my skin. He was right. We need to get out now or else we risked being caught, but what about Glenn?
“Mina, come on,” Eli insisted. His fingers gripped my wrist and pulled me away from Glenn’s cage toward the open basement window.
Dorian had already slipped outside. He reached through the window for me. Between him and Eli, I barely had to climb out the basement myself. They hoisted me up and pulled me out with little effort on my part.
Footfalls echoed through the basement as more than one person descended the stairs.
“A little birdie told us your brother is no more,” a rough voice said.
“That’s right,” Peter answered. The tremor in his voice was audible. Either he hadn’t been expecting them, or he was scared shitless they were here. Maybe it was both.
“Why do you think that is?” the man with the deep, rough voice asked.
“It was an accident. He was drunk and fell down the stairs.”
“Come now,” the other vampire said. “You don’t believe that. Do you?”
Dorian reached out to help Eli out of the basement, but he didn’t accept it. Instead his gaze snapped to lock with mine. Something shifted through his eyes, but I wasn’t able to decipher what it was before he dashed away from the window.
What the hell was he doing? He needed to get out of there.
My gaze drifted to the stairs. A pair of dress shoes and black slacks caught my attention. Eli was almost out of time.
I opened my mouth to say something, but Dorian’s hand clamped over it. His hot breath warmed my ear as he shushed me quietly. My heart stalled out as I shifted my gaze back to Eli. He’d doubled back for the files stacked on one of the stainless-steel counters. When he passed them through the window, I grabbed them at the same time Dorian gripped Eli’s arms. In seconds, Eli was at my side and the window was closed securely behind him.
Moon Severed (Mirror Lake Wolves Book 3) Page 11