“Belzus doesn’t work with the shadow mages,” I said. “He cares about this realm. Hell, he guards the graves to keep the world safe.”
“That’s what he says,” she murmured. “But that doesn’t mean it’s the truth.”
“Fae cannot lie,” Dorian cut in, his eyebrows furrowed. “While I agree that the fae are nasty beings, and we should avoid them if at all possible, Zoe is right about Belzus.”
“If you go to the fae, we can no longer help you,” Elder Andrew said, taking a step back. “Your quest to find the blade will have to be yours and yours alone.”
My face blanched. I couldn’t believe the bullshit I was hearing. “How can you do this? Again? A shadow mage is out there, ready to cut holes in the veil. Wagner is trying to make corporeal demons, and all three of our covens are down by countless numbers. We need each other. Going full Switzerland is no longer an option.”
“Our decision is final.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Anastasia stepped up to my side and placed a hand on my arm, squeezing tight. With surprise, I flicked my gaze her way. Her own face was stony, an exact replica of every other expression in the room. “The fae are to the Sun Coven what the vampires are to the Blood Coven. They can’t see past their centuries-long hatred in order to see the benefit of teaming up with your fae friend.”
“He’s not my—”
“The Daywalker is right,” Rachel said, cutting in. “We, as sun mages, are tasked with the responsibility of keeping the fae in check, of keeping them from harming humans. As innocent as your fae might seem, he isn’t. They lure humans into their realm and trap them there, feeding off of their emotions.”
“Times have changed,” Dorian said. “It’s been a long time since they’ve kidnapped anyone.”
“That we know of,” Rachel said, raising her eyebrows. “And just because they do not kidnap does not mean they still don’t take humans.”
“Willingly,” Anastasia said. “As hard as it is for you to believe, some humans enjoy having a taste of the supernatural.”
“I assume you’re talking about your so-called blood bags, the humans you feed from,” the Elder said with a frown. “We don’t approve of that either.”
“They come to us out of their own free will,” Anastasia said. “Just like the humans that are more than happy to take a little trip into the faerie realm. I hear it’s quite the experience.”
Rachel let out a disgusted cough and turned her back to us. “I’ve heard enough. We will not work with a fae. If that’s what you choose to do, then we will remain here and repair our base.”
“But—” I began, but Dorian stopped me with a single glance my way. We weren’t going to get through to them. They were as stuck in their ways as the Blood Coven was. When I’d first arrived here, I’d hoped that they were better, I’d hoped that they could break free from the past in order to do what was right for the future. But they were just like everyone else. If we were going to do this, we’d have to do it on our own.
Chapter 3
After the Elders had left the blade room to take stock of the damage outside, the four of us gathered in a circle while I flipped off the lights and cast the spell that would take us back to Boston. I aimed for the center of the cemetery. There’d be plenty of shadows there, and we didn’t have much time to lose. There was no telling where that blade was and how soon it would be used to cut a hole in the veil.
When the cemetery shimmered in before me, I let out an exhale of relief. Taking three others with me took its toll, and Dorian’s words had echoed in my mind. If I got it wrong, we could get lost or leave a part of us behind. There was still so much I didn’t know about my powers and so much I hadn’t practiced yet. When Grams had—
Shit. It had been days since I’d been home. Hell, at this point, it was close to a week. As far as Grams knew, I’d gone off to work one night and had never come back home. She must be worried out of her mind.
“What’s wrong?” Dorian asked, squeezing my shoulder from behind. The musky scent of him consumed me, and I leaned back against his chest with a sigh. Having his solid presence there soothed my nerves and calmed the roar that threatened to build in my chest. But it didn’t erase my own worry, not completely.
“Remember how our phones didn’t work when we got captured by those rebels? And then how we never took the phones with us to Scotland? Well, I’ve had no way to contact Grams. She’s probably freaking the fuck out by now. I know she’s used to me being gone all the time, but it’s been nearly a week since I’ve been back to the apartment. What if she got sick again? What if she—”
Dorian pulled me back against his chest and dropped his chin onto the top of my head. I breathed him in, an intoxicating mixture of magic, pine, and cloves. The scent of him was so familiar to me now. It was like going home. “We’ll go there straight after this. But remember, she knows that training can sometimes take you away for weeks at a time. She had to deal with your mother becoming an Enforcer as well.”
“Still, news must have reached her about the trouble with the rebels and the Sun Coven.”
“I doubt it,” Dorian said. “The council probably kept all that under wraps. I doubt they wanted the bone mages to know just how bad things had gotten. Of course, I’m sure everyone will find out soon enough.”
His arms enveloped me, strong and warm, despite the coolness of his skin. As an Unbound, Dorian always carried with him a permanent chill, and his skin sometimes felt like sheets of ice. That never stopped a fire from brewing within me every time we touched. Wrapped in his arms, I was an inferno.
“Honestly,” Anastasia said with disdain dripping from her words. “We came here to have a chat with Belzus, not watch you two bump uglies.”
“Bump uglies?” Laura asked with a laugh. “Is that what you call it?”
The vampire’s lips twisted into a wicked smile. “That’s only what I call it when straight people do it.”
In the dark, I could have sworn my best friend’s face turned the color of the Martian sky. She and the Daywalker had been exchanging blood for months. Every time I turned around, they were sneaking off for a private moment, and they’d been spending an increasing amount of time together. Laura hadn’t said, but I had a sneaking suspicion the two of them might share the same kind of bond Dorian and I did.
“Did someone call?” a cool voice rang out behind us. I’d recognize the lyrical, eerily-calm tone anywhere. With a deep breath, I turned toward the fae.
“Belzus,” I said quietly, meeting the glowing eyes of the fae. Today, he’d decided to forgo his usual illusion—one of an old and withered man in a billowing cloak—in favor of the real thing. He was tall and towering, and his skin glistened under the pale moonlight, the tips of his pointed ears shooting through the slick dark hair that curled around them.
“Zoe Bennett.” He smiled, and the entire graveyard seemed go brighter in an instant. “I’ve been expecting you.”
His words put me on edge as a sudden fresh wave of anger tore through me. The way he stood there all smug, like he was in on the biggest secret of the universe. I curled my hands into fists and narrowed my eyes. This fae had been pulling my puppet strings for far too long. It was time he stopped. Maybe the sun mages had been right. Maybe I couldn’t or shouldn’t trust this fae. There had to be a reason he’d done everything he had. And it was probably more sinister than I’d thought.
“Of course you were,” I said through clenched teeth. “This is all some elaborate game to you, isn’t it?”
“Game?” He raised his eyebrows. “No. More like a plan.”
“Getting dozens of mages killed was your plan?” Dorian raised his eyebrows.
“Killed?” Belzus frowned. “Where? When?”
“At the Sun Coven base in the desert,” I said. “Don’t tell me you didn’t know about that.”
Belzus’s frowned deepened. “I knew that they were being kept under siege. But did you not get the blood rune and end all that madness? Did
you not negotiate a peace?”
I barked out a laugh. “Not even close. I tried. Trust me, I tried. But my coven decided to take their pledge of peace and shove it up everyone’s asses. There was a huge battle. Tons of bone, sun, and blood mages died. And, so did plenty of rebels, since they decided to jump in with that weapon of yours.”
“Weapon?” Belzus asked. “They weren’t supposed to use the weapon against mages. That weapon was intended for the demons.”
“What?” Laura asked, stepping forward. “Well, regardless of what you intended, they already used it.”
Belzus furrowed his eyebrows. “This is not good. Not good at all.”
“If you weren’t aware of this, then I’m guessing you also weren’t aware that someone stole the Witch’s Blade,” Dorian said in a quiet voice.
“Wait,” Belzus hissed, his voice turning to ice. “The Witch’s Blade has been stolen?”
“Someone took it when we were all out there fighting each other,” I said. “And we believe it was a shadow mage.”
“Of course it was a shadow mage, you idiots!” Belzus threw up his hands and stalked to the nearest crypt before turning to stalk across the dewy grass again. His usually flawless face was twisted into anger, his eyes flashing with the kind of emotion I didn’t think faes could have. “That was meant for you, Zoe. It’s a dangerous weapon. How could you have let this happen?”
Frowning, I lobbed my own anger right back at him. “Well, maybe if you’d just come out and told me about the fucking blade and why you wanted me to go to the Sun Coven, then maybe things would have gone differently.”
“Lies,” Belzus said. “I know you, Zoe. I’ve been watching you for years. You like to think everything is your idea. You like to be in control. If I’d approached you and told you what to do, you would have thrown it right back in my face. You would have been suspicious of my intentions. And you never would have gone for it.”
“That’s not true. I—”
“The fae has a point,” Anastasia said. “And anyway, what’s done is done. I think our focus should be on how to get the blade back rather than on whose fault this is. Yes?”
I blinked at the vampire. Those words sounded so strange coming from her. Usually, she was all about plunging into situations fang-first. Not one for logic, peace, or patience. She’d rather throttle someone than give them a chance to explain. And I didn’t appreciate her taking Belzus’s side.
“You’re both way out of line here,” I said. “That’s not me at all. I listen to what Dorian says. I do what he asks.”
“Yeah, that’s not true,” Dorian said, quirking his lips. “You’re the most stubborn person I’ve ever met.”
At the look on my face, Dorian coughed into his hand. Classic stalling measure, because vampires don’t cough.
“But I agree with Anastasia,” Dorian continued. “We came here to ask you about the shadow mage who stole the blade, not argue amongst ourselves. Any idea who could have done such a thing?”
“I’m not sure how much help I can be. I know there is another shadow mage with an illusion over her mark.” Belzus frowned. “One of my fellow fae helped her with it. That’s all I know. I have never met her, though I’m guessing she cannot be trusted.” Belzus’s lips formed a straight, pale line. “Other shadow mages are not like you, Zoe. They make no effort to control their darkness. It consumes them to the point where it controls them. If one of them is now in control of the blade, then they intend to use it to destroy the veil.”
I shuddered. This was just what we needed. A mage controlled by darkness, unleashing demons upon this realm.
“Could she have teamed up with Ivan Wagner?” I asked. “Do you think she intends to control the demons?”
“That, I don’t know,” Belzus said. “But if I were you, I’d start with finding Wagner. Perhaps if you can, then you can find her as well. Try that tracking spell of yours.”
“I’ve tried it. About a hundred times.” I shrugged. “It turns up nothing. Every single damn time. The magical rope thingy doesn’t even appear.”
“Maybe that means he’s dead,” Anastasia said with a question-mark in her voice and her eyes.
“He’s likely blocking it,” Belzus said. “Just keep trying. There will be a moment when his mind is at ease, and he won’t be able to keep you out.”
“I can’t help but notice you’re using the word you instead of we.” A beat passed. “You aren’t going to come with us.”
“Things are changing. The air feels strange. I must stay here and guard my graves.”
“What about that fae who gave the witch her illusion?” Laura asked. “The least you could do is let us talk to him.”
The fae laughed, a light tinkling noise that somehow sounded harsh and melodic at the same time. “Oberon never leaves the faerie realm. And he certainly wouldn’t start now to talk to some mages and a vampire.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “He doesn’t have a graveyard to protect?”
“Not all of us take these assignments or care about what happens in the human realm,” Belzus said with a tight smile. “Oberon is one of them.”
“So, we’ll go to him. In the faerie realm.”
“Zoe, no—” Dorian said just as Anastasia belted out, “Fuck that shit.”
By my side, Laura swallowed hard but she nodded. “Zoe is right. If Oberon knows who this witch is, then we need to talk to him. It might be the only lead we have in tracking her down.”
“Oh god, we’re doomed,” Anastasia said, slumping against the nearest tree and staring up at the skies as if they could save her from a trip into the faerie realm, a place full of dangerous fae who used deception even more than the shadow mages.
Belzus smiled, but there was something about his expression that sent a shiver down my spine. “If you want to go into the faerie realm, then I will take you into the faerie realm. But it cannot be tonight. I need to guard my graves. Come back here at dawn and make sure you eat plenty at breakfast. You don’t want to taste any food in our realm or you might never be able to leave.”
Chapter 4
“This is a terrible idea,” Anastasia said as we huddled in another circle. Now that I could teleport anywhere in the world, I was going to use this spell as often as I could. Next stop: home. I needed to make sure Grams knew I was okay.
“Do you have any better ideas?” I snapped. “Oberon knows who the witch is. Without that information, we’ll just be stabbing in the dark.”
“Stabbing in the dark is something I assume a shadow mage is pretty good at,” she said, giving me a look.
With a quirk of my lips, I smiled at the vampire. “Don’t tell me a Daywalker is actually afraid of something. Is the faerie realm too dangerous for a blood-sucking vampire? Well, if you don’t want to go, you don’t have to go.”
“You must be insane if you think I’d let any of you go in there without me.” She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Me? Scared? I’m just trying to make sure you don’t get your heads lopped off.”
“Fae don’t lop people’s heads off.”
“They might as well,” Anastasia said.
When my apartment shimmered into view before me, everything appeared normal at first glance. The wards were still up around the perimeter, shimmering in the dark. Everything was quiet and calm. The back of my neck didn’t prickle in alarm. The only problem was—Grams wasn’t here.
“Grams?” I called out as I padded down the hallway to her bedroom. The door creaked as I pushed it open, but my eyes were met only with darkness. Her bed was made, and her slippers sat on their spot next to her closet. The curtains were pulled back from the windows, as if she’d left before the sun dipped below the horizon.
“She’s not here,” I said when I returned to the living room. “Bed’s empty but made. She must be running errands or something, though it’s not like her to go anywhere at night.” I moved toward the old landline that she insisted on keeping, despite my insistence that no one used those things anymore. For
once, I was glad to see it, because I hadn’t had time to replace my cell phone yet. “Let me try calling her.”
But when I dialed the number, a low buzzing erupted from the coffee table. She’d left her cell phone at home.
“Guys, I’m worried,” I said as I hung up the landline and cast a suspicious glance at her cell. “Why would she go out this late? And why would she leave her phone at home?”
“You know Grams,” Laura said. “She was never a big fan of cells. That’s why she kept the landline all these years. She probably went out for groceries and just forgot to take the phone with her.”
“Groceries?” I asked, arching an eyebrow. “This late at night?”
“That’s when I like to hunt for food,” Anastasia said with a smile.
“This isn’t funny, Anastasia,” I said.
“If you’re that worried, why don’t you try to track her?” Dorian asked, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “If there’s anyone on this planet you’d be able to find, it’s your grandmother.”
“Track her. Dorian, you’re a genius,” I said, grabbing my grimoire from my bag. Not that I needed the book to cast the spell. Something about having it in my hands made me feel more confident and capable in my magic, like I had something guiding me through all the unfamiliar sensations that came along with shadow powers. “Someone turn off the light.”
As I settled onto the floor, the lights flicked off. Suddenly, I was surrounded by my familiar shadows. They pulsed around me, drawn to my power just as much as I was drawn to them. I’d only just begun to embrace the darker side of my nature, and already the universe was responding to me in kind. I’d never felt this way when I’d practiced bone magic. The bones never sang to me. They never felt connected to my mind, the way my body felt connected to Dorian’s.
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