Maybe she would just go to the library and seek Gabriel’s help. He kept secrets. Or Colden. She didn’t want Peter knowing, but somehow she would have to explain how his car ended up upside down. And Seth knew.
“Take us to the library,” she told them, her voice wheezing.
“What?” Lance asked. “Why there?”
It took a few seconds for her to answer. “I don’t want my dad to know.”
When they finally reached the Manor, Lance rushed Melissa inside. Seth carefully helped Ava out of the vehicle and carried her through the heavy doors. The warmth poured over her.
She hoped it was late enough that most people were sleeping. They reached the library, and Ava didn’t see anyone at first, but then heard voices.
“Omigod.” Joss shot out of her chair and rushed toward her with Gabriel and Jeremy behind her. “What happened?”
“We found them like this,” Lance said. “Get Savina.”
Joss darted out the door.
“Peter’s with Valerie at the hospital,” Ava told Seth. She wondered if he could understand her since she was fading in and out.
His eyes widened. “What? Are they okay? Is Amanda there?”
Ava nodded. “You should go.”
“What about you?”
“I got her,” Gabriel said. He pried her fingers loose from Seth’s shirt and brought her closer to the fire next to Lance and Melissa. He slowly lowered himself to the floor with her in his arms. He smelled like juniper. “Are you okay?”
She shook her head and felt warm tears stream down her face.
Jeremy kneeled beside her. “Ava, what happened?”
She couldn’t answer. The images jumbled in her mind and all she saw were flashes of a man holding her down telling her it was her destiny to join them. And Trudy choking her. And the vision of her mother with Corbin.
Gabriel grasped her hand tight. “I’m right here.” His voice soothed her.
“Neither of your necklaces warned anyone of your trouble,” Jeremy said. “Did you not have time to react?”
“No.”
Savina and Colden ran into the room, and Savina kneeled next to them. “Ava,” she cried. “Melissa.”
“She’s unconscious,” Lance told Savina.
Joss, Jeremy, and Colden hovered over them, waiting anxiously.
Ava could barely see Savina move her hands over Melissa. She closed her eyes, hoping it would help bring Melissa back to consciousness. This was her fault. If she hadn’t punched Valerie. Or even gotten Peter involved in all of this. She wouldn’t have almost killed her best friend. She would never forgive herself.
Melissa coughed, and Ava let out a breath.
“What the hell?” Melissa asked.
“Take her upstairs,” Savina said. “She will be fine. Just needs some rest.”
“Is Ava okay?” she asked.
Savina nodded. “She’ll be fine.”
Lance picked her up and carried her out of the room.
Savina turned to Ava.
“She can’t breathe,” Gabriel said.
Joss chewed on her lip. “Her leg looks broken, too.”
Savina nodded. “Ava, this is going to hurt for a second, okay? Gabriel, hold her.”
He tightened his grip on Ava and Savina’s hands traveled over Ava’s ribcage. A sharp pain enveloped her and she cried out, but it subsided and she could breathe. She felt another pain in her leg, but nothing like the one in her ribs. Then, Savina healed all the cuts on her face, arms, and hands.
“What happened?” Colden asked.
Gabriel helped her into a sitting position.
“Trudy McVaine.”
Savina’s eyebrows wrinkled. “That is impossible. We’ve not seen or heard any Cimmerians since we killed Devon. Are you sure it was her?”
Ava’s temper flared. She was tired of no one believing her. “Trudy was hiding in Peter’s car. She was choking me, and then I crashed.” Ava didn’t want to mention the vision. She just needed time to process it.
“Why would Trudy try to kill Ava?” Joss asked.
“Were there any others?” Savina asked.
“Yes. A blond haired man. I killed him.”
“Did Trudy die?” Colden asked.
“No. She disappeared before I could fight her.”
Savina held a hard look in her green eyes. “Where did you crash?”
“A few miles from here.”
“Gabriel, you, Joss, and Jeremy go back to the sight and find Trudy. And get rid of the man’s body.”
“Are you going to be okay?” Gabriel asked. Concern shown in his blue eyes.
Ava nodded. “Yes. But can you all please promise not to tell anyone about this?”
Savina shook her head. “You can’t possibly be serious.”
“Please. I don’t want my dad to worry.” And she didn’t want anyone else seeing how vulnerable she’d been to have let Trudy play with her mind again. And escape for a second time.
You are not weak, Savina mind-spoke to Ava. “She’ll be fine,” she told Gabriel, Jeremy, and Joss. “Hurry and come back.”
They stood, joined hands, and a second later, they vanished.
“I let her get inside my mind,” Ava said.
Colden moved closer and helped her to her feet. “Did she give you an image?”
Ava hesitated. “She showed my mother with Corbin. Why can’t I block her?”
Colden’s thin eyebrows lifted in sympathy. “You couldn’t have known she was there.”
Savina shook her head. “They need more practice. You were angry about something a few hours ago. Did this affect your ability to block intruders from your mind?”
Ava met her eyes. She was angry. Why couldn’t Savina understand? “I thought it was over. That’s what you said, wasn’t it? That Trudy wouldn’t come back. I didn’t think to look inside Peter’s car for an invisible woman.” She heard the irritation in her voice.
Colden took her hand.
She drew a deep breath. “Sorry. I don’t mean to be snippy.”
“Get some rest, and we’ll discuss this tomorrow.” Savina made her way toward the door.
“Was my mother a Cimmerian?” Ava blurted, squeezing Colden’s hand.
Savina stopped, and slowly twisted her head back. “Trudy will make you see what she wants you to.”
“That’s not an answer. Why did you get angry with me for keeping secrets when you’re the queen of them?”
“Ava, I am here to protect you,” she said with a stern tone. The firm look in her eye told Ava to let it go. “A lot of the images that Trudy shows you aren’t real. She conjures them in her head and forces them in yours. You know this. As much as I think this is wrong, I will not tell your father about your accident. But I expect you to.” Savina walked out of the room.
Ava turned to Colden. “Why won’t she tell me anything? Why does everyone think I can’t handle things? I’m not a fragile little girl.”
He exhaled. “You must be hungry. I’ll heat up the shepherd’s pie that I made earlier.” He tugged on her hand, but she didn’t budge. When he looked back at her, she bit her quivering lip.
“Please tell me the truth. Was she a Cimmerian?”
His eyes softened. “Yes.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
BAD BLOOD
Everything spun around Ava and she clutched onto Colden for support. Her vision blurred and she held her breath.
Her mother was a Cimmerian.
The words churned like a tornado inside her head. Her intuition had been screaming that it was true, but hearing the confirmation disturbed her. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”
Colden steadied her. “I’m sorry. Savina didn’t want me to tell you.”
“Why?” She met his eyes.
“She wants to protect you.”
“How does keeping secrets protect me?”
“She’s afraid you will try to avenge your mother. But I knew from the moment you found out she was murdered, th
at was on your mind. She should have told you.”
“How is it even possible that she was a Cimmerian? Was she compelled? Does my dad know?”
“I don’t think he ever knew. This was a long time ago.”
“All this time, I thought my mother was good. Perfect. And now I feel like I don’t even know her.” The thought made Ava’s skin crawl. “So does this mean I’m going to become a Cimmerian? The reason why I’ve been having all these thoughts? I mean, when I went to the dance earlier, I was fine. But there are days when I don’t want to be around a single Ephemeral.”
“Ava, your mother was born a Cimmerian. That’s all she ever knew. But I’m afraid I’m not the best person to talk to about this.”
“Why?”
He gave her an apologetic look. “Because I don’t know everything. There’s a lot Savina keeps to herself.”
“That doesn’t make sense. You’re her brother.”
“I am, but I’m not as involved as you may think. Only to a certain degree. But this is my family. And I am happy.” He gave a little smile. “Let’s go eat.”
Ava let him take her to the kitchen and she sat at the long table. Seconds later, he brought out a white plate with a steaming shepherd’s pie. The rich aroma made Ava’s stomach growl. She ate every bite and already felt less cranky, but her mind was still chaotic. Her eyes were sensitive to touch and felt swollen from all the tears.
“Savina won’t tell me anything,” Ava said. “Would Aaron? I mean, did she just suddenly show up on your doorstep wishing to become good one day?”
“She came to us, seemingly abandoned.”
“Abandoned? Why would the Cimmerians abandon her?”
Colden lifted a shoulder. “Perhaps I can speak to Savina.”
“What good will that do? She didn’t talk then, she won’t now.”
“I can be persuasive. I’ll do my best.”
Ava nodded and hoped he could convince Savina to tell her everything. Or anything. Like why would the Cimmerians threaten death in order to get her to join them? “They mentioned Havok tonight. The guy said it was my destiny to be with them.”
Colden shook his head, and the muscles in his jaw twitched. “I can’t believe that vile woman tried to murder you.”
Ava flinched. She had never seen him so upset.
“And those Ephemerals.” Colden shook his head and wiped the sweat from his brow. He was becoming paler and looked as though he might be sick.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded, but winced in pain. “Havok doesn’t exist.” He seemed to struggle with breathing.
“Do you need me to get Savina?” she asked.
“No, I’m fine, dear. It’ll pass.”
Ava watched him for a moment. He wringed his hands and clenched his teeth. Ava felt completely helpless. Then, his breathing and color returned to normal, but she still watched him warily. “What was that?”
He shook his head and waved his hand. “It was nothing. Do not worry. Now, as for this Havok business, Devon called himself that, and he’s dead now. Perhaps Trudy and this man were taking out revenge.”
“Revenge for what? Killing Devon? What if they were the ones who burned Thomas’s house? Or made the Ephemerals do it?”
“I don’t know who burned Thomas’s house.”
“Do you think there will be another uprising?”
He took a moment, as if he searched for the words. “I don’t think so. The security in the Cruciari is tighter than it has ever been. They’re even building an electric wall around it. I just have a hard time believing an uprising would happen so soon after Devon died.”
“But you think it could happen again?”
“Revolutions have happened time and time again. It’s bound to occur. Savina was right. You all should practice more. It would do you some good.”
Ava nodded. “Colden, do you know who killed my mother? I saw her at the Cruciari and she claimed to be the one, but was it really her? Who is she?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t know.” He opened his mouth as if to add more, but then shook his head.
“What? What is it?”
“I should not tell you such things.”
“Like what?”
“Ava.” He warned.
“Please, Colden. I have to know the truth.”
He let out a conceding sigh. “You must keep this between us.”
Ava sat up straight. “Absolutely.”
“If Savina won’t give you answers, there are other ways of obtaining the information.”
“How?”
“There are ways of contacting those who aren’t with us.”
“What do you mean?”
Gabriel, Joss, and Jeremy came into the room with worried expressions. Colden stood.
“We couldn’t find Trudy,” Gabriel said.
“And the man Ava killed used to reside in the Cruciari,” Joss said.
Ava froze. She couldn’t believe this was happening all over again. How were these Cimmerians escaping again?
They were out for Ava’s blood, or something. She didn’t know what they wanted. Corbin and Devon wanted them to create the strongest army ever, but they were both dead. Did the Cimmerians still want to use the Elementals? Who was Havok?
And what had Colden meant she could talk to those who weren’t there? Did that mean talk to the dead, as in Necromancy? Ava couldn’t ask him because he took the news of Trudy to Savina.
The chair beside her pulled out from the table and someone sat down. She felt a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you okay?” She heard Gabriel ask.
“No.” She slid off her opal ring. The one her mother gave her. She stared at it. Why did she even wear it anymore? Her mother was a liar. A fake.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Joss asked.
Ava shook her head. She didn’t want to be around anyone. She made her way to her room and closed the door. She felt as if the walls would close in on her, and there was an ache in her chest. Ava moved across the room to the bed, and sank on its edge. She placed the opal ring in the first drawer of the nightstand. Why would she want a reminder of her bad blood?
She’d almost gotten her best friend killed. Punched her boyfriend’s friend in the face and broken her nose. Killed two Ephemerals. Having Cimmerian blood was no excuse and somehow she needed to figure out a way to block out the thoughts. She’d always known she was somewhat different from the rest of her coven. But was joining the Cimmerians really her destiny?
Caving into the tears, she closed the drawer and turned out the light.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
AN UNDERSTANDING
Ava turned over in the bed. The morning light tried to sneak past the curtains. She watched the room slowly brighten as time went on. She knew she couldn’t stay in bed all day, but she didn’t want to move.
Part of her wanted to know if Peter had even tried to call, but part of her was angry since he promised he would be back after taking Valerie to the hospital and never showed. Hadn’t Seth told him anything when he got there? She didn’t think Seth really cared much for her, but still. He would’ve said something to Peter. Was Peter so worried about precious Valerie?
Ava shouldn’t even worry about such trivial things. Her mother was a dark witch. But how dark could she have been if she didn’t kill her father? Or her. But she’d betrayed them. She’d lied to them. What else was there about her mother that she didn’t know? And her father was in the dark about all of it.
Ava sighed and sat up. She rubbed her swollen eyes and yawned. She hadn’t slept at all. How could she?
She wondered if Colden was feeling okay. She wanted to continue their talk from last night. Had he meant she could speak to a Necromancer about communicating with her mom? Maybe he knew where she could find one. At first the idea was laughable, but the more Ava thought about it, the more she wanted to try.
Her necklace glowed. Thomas had been worried about something all night long. But then again, they all
had been worried for some time, especially because of what happened the night before.
Her phone buzzed and she reluctantly looked at it. It was a text from Thomas asking the group to meet him at the cabin as soon as they could. What had happened? Had he found out who burned his house? Or were they going to take matters in their own hands?
She let him know she was on her way and then checked for any missed calls. There was one from Peter but not a single message, voice or text. She shook her head and clenched her teeth. How could he act so uncaring?
Ava pulled on some jeans and a sweater. Shoving her feet into her comfortable boots, not the stupid heels, she laced them up and opened the door.
She jumped.
Peter stood before her with guilt-laden eyes. “Hey,” he said.
“Hey.”
“Sorry I didn’t come back. It was late.”
“Yeah.” Ava crossed her arms.
“I tried calling last night.”
“Yeah. Once. And you didn’t even leave a message.”
“Why are you being like this?” he asked.
Was he serious? “Because you were with Valerie all night. She’s milking her minor injury for all it’s worth.”
Peter sighed. “Why are you so angry with her? I mean, what was that last night? You gave her a mild concussion and broke her nose.”
Well I suffered a broken leg, ribs, and I almost killed my friend. Oh, and I killed some guy. “Did you not hear what she said?”
“They’re just words, Ava. Why should you care what she says?”
“Why can’t you defend your girlfriend when someone says something like that? If anyone had ever said that about you, I would’ve given them a piece of my mind.”
“I think you did just that last night. And if someone had said that to me, I wouldn’t have cared. I would’ve gotten over it pretty quickly.”
She stared at him. “Is that why you’ve been struggling at school? Maybe I cared because there’s some truth to what she said.”
He dragged his hands down his face. “I’m not going through this again.”
Ava bit back a harsh response. Why was he so frustrated with her? He still hadn’t asked if she was okay from her accident. What was so special about Valerie? “Go through what? That she thinks I completely forced you into this and that I’ll kill you?”
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