“What time is it?”
“Still light out.” I waved a hand at the walls around us. “Dark enough in here though, and it won’t be long before the sun sets.”
“No, it won’t,” Faris all but growled, raising the hairs on the back of my neck.
“Why not?”
“We’re right below the arctic circle. Land of the midnight sun.” He stretched his hands over his head, then looked at me. “We’re stuck here until the Harpies are rested.”
“Give us four hours,” Eve mumbled. “We won’t stop again until we hit the east coast.”
Four hours wasn’t that long. I flopped onto the straw and Alex lay beside me. “Rylee sad.”
No need to deny it. “Yes.”
“Track family. Feel the love.” His eyes searched mine and I dropped a hand on his head.
“What would I do without you, Alex?”
“Probably die.”
The laugh burst out of me, and surprisingly enough, Faris joined in. I glanced at him and saw the curl of gold around the blue of his eyes. That explained it. Best not to point out that Liam was coming to the surface again. I closed my eyes against the sudden yearning to have him hold me, ground me, and remind me that I was strong enough. I didn’t need him, but damn it was nice to have that rock to hang onto during the storms.
“You might as well sleep. We’ll keep watch,” Berget said. “Not like we need to sleep.”
Faris gave a grunt and wandered deeper into the barn.
“Faris,” I didn’t open my eyes, but his footsteps stopped. “You think your blood is still in my system?”
Before he answered, Alex sniffed my neck. “Still smell like stinking vampire.”
“Never mind.”
“Do you really want to take the chance?”
“I trust Alex. We’ll do an exchange at the next stop.”
The sounds of bodies settling into the hay were surprisingly comforting and I let the noises wash over me, taking away some of the building anxiety.
I took Alex’s suggestion to heart and sent out a thread for those I loved, and who loved me in return. My friends in the barn were easiest. Berget was worried for me, but otherwise quiet, calm, content. Happy. Sane.
Alex was a burning ball of love. My lips curled upward and I buried my nose into the ruff of his neck. Eve had the soft feel of someone fast asleep, without fear. I sent my Tracking farther, reaching out to the ones we’d left behind.
Doran. Safe, worried, but safe.
Calliope, the young unicorn I saved from Orion. She was bursting with excitement and what could only be described as joy.
Deanna and Will. Safe, strong.
Blaz. He was still with Deanna and Will, and they were flying. But he was fine and that eased my heart. I reached for India, the child who saw spirits, the first salvage with Liam. My heart stuttered. She had the pox, her life slowly slipping away, but she hadn’t given up. She was fighting for all she was worth.
Tentatively, I reached for Kyle, my hacker who’d helped me break into the FBI files, who’d helped me find missing kids for years.
His threads were empty. He was dead. I clutched Alex tighter to me, spun the threads of my family and loved ones around me. Those I could breathe in, and they gave me the strength I needed. I wished I could reach my daughter, Erik, and Coyote. The ones I’d left behind . . . somewhere safe.
Carefully, I sent the next thread. To Pamela. She was healthy, wide awake . . . and happy. My heart bucked against that and I turned my head away. No more. I could do this no more. The one I’d avoided was Faris.
One last thread, I sent toward him, touching on his emotions. Scared, the vampire was scared and uncertain. I almost sat up to see what was wrong. What the hell could scare him?
There was only one thing he was scared of that I knew about. Before I thought better of it, I sent a thread looking for my heart.
For Liam.
There, in the back of the barn his soul burned bright, a wash of love and strength rolling over me. A sigh slipped out of my lips and I relaxed into that familiarity, the strength of his love wrapping around me was almost as good as his arms. “Goodnight,” I whispered, and fell into oblivion.
Being stuck in a vampire wasn’t his idea of a good time. But it kept him close to Rylee and that was all that mattered.
“You can’t have her again,” Faris said softly.
You don’t know that. Maybe there is a way for me to come back.
The vampire slumped against a stack of hay bales, as far from the rest of the group as he could get. Liam knew he was freaked out. The fact that he knew was enough to set Faris off, so he kept his peace.
She isn’t going to fall in love with you.
“Then stop making me feel like she is the only thing I damn well live for,” he hissed.
Liam couldn’t shrug, couldn’t do anything other than peer deeper into the vampire’s mind. Not my fault. I was ready to move on, knowing I would see her on the other side at some point. You called me forward to use my abilities. This is karma.
Faris linked his hands behind his neck, fingers intertwined. “Don’t remind me.”
What are we going to do if my soul doesn’t leave when the veil opens? That question burned in his mind. As much as he wanted to stay with Rylee, the other side of the veil called to him, pulling at his soul.
“I don’t know. What I do know is the longer you’re here, the harder it is for me to think for myself. My thoughts are colored with your memories, my actions tinged with yours. I don’t know how long I will stay myself if you don’t leave.”
You mean you don’t know how long you will be an asshole without me tempering you?
“Survivor. That’s what I am. There are days it makes me an asshole, I’ll give you that. But you aren’t a survivor. You’re a martyr. And it lost you everything you ever loved. That’s the difference between you and me. I wouldn’t have given up my life; I would have found a way that didn’t involve breaking my woman’s heart into a million pieces.”
That stung more than he wanted to admit, and he retreated into the darkness that was the body he was stuck in.
He knew, at the time, it was the best decision he could have made. It kept Rylee and their daughter safe. What man wouldn’t have traded his life for them?
The answer was simple. The man whose body he now shared.
Faris shook his head. “You have no idea what you’ve done to her. No clue.”
That, though, was maybe the biggest lie of all. Liam did know. He could feel it in her soul, bound to his until the end of time. There was a crack in her that had healed over, and she was stronger than she’d ever been.
You don’t know her, you never did. That’s why she’ll never fall for you.
Faris didn’t answer and Liam went quiet. There was nothing left to say. For now, he was close to her. The vampire wouldn’t let anything happen to her. Not with Liam’s love for her coursing through his veins.
CHAPTER 12
Pamela
Yvette circled a large mansion, the gleaming white structure almost blinding in the bright summer sun. I shaded my eyes with one hand, hanging on to Peta with the other. “Frank, do you know where we are?”
He leaned around me and adjusted his glasses. “No. Other than somewhere on the east coast.”
Even I knew that much. The ocean stretched out to the left of Yvette, a beckoning blue roll of waves. “But where?”
“I don’t know.”
It does not matter where you are, puny witch. You go where the master says. You do what he says. You kill who he says. Yvette didn’t look back at us, just kept dropping in a circle until she landed on the green lawn of the mansion. Her claws dug deep furrows into the lush footing. Stiff from the long ride, I slid down her side. My feet hit the ground and I let out a strangled cry as the tingles raced up my legs. Peta leapt from my arms and sniffed around me as I struggled back to my feet, failing and ending up on my knees. At least the grass was soft and cushiony. My fee
t hurt like I’d stepped onto a thousand tiny hot tacks. Frank jumped down beside me, his face tightening with the pain I knew was dancing along his nerves. But he handled it better than I did.
He held out a hand to me. “Thanks.”
He didn’t let go, holding my fingers tight. “We okay?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
Without warning, Yvette let out a roar and launched into the air. Her wings flattened us. The whoosh of air from the downdraft sent all three of us tumbling through the air.
Frank ended up on top of me, protecting me with his body. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him against me. Afraid I would somehow lose him too. Peta clung to my jeans, her claw tips brushing against my skin as she yowled into the wind.
Yvette let out a rather nasty laugh, and I stared up at her belly, wishing I could blast her. Frank shifted his weight bringing his face in line with mine. Close enough to kiss. I blushed and pushed him off. We didn’t say anything, just stood for the second time, and looked around.
From the back of the house strode a figure I knew well. Her long brown hair was twisted into a careful chignon, a few tendrils escaping. As so often was the case, she wore a green dress that accented her bust and tiny waist, the color highlighting her emerald eyes.
“Milly!” I waved to her. It took everything I had not to run to her. I wanted to give something of a dignified approach, to look like the mature witch I wanted her to believe I was.
She drew close and smiled. “Hello, Pamela. Frank. And who is this?” She bent to get a good look at Peta.
The cat let out a hiss and bolted across the lawn. “Peta!” I called after her and took two steps.
Frank put a hand on my arm. “She’ll come back.”
The gray and white cat disappeared into a clump of bushes with bright pink flowers. It shouldn’t have hurt so much to see Peta gone, but the truth was she had wormed her way into my arms and heart quicker than I would have thought.
“Ah, we can find you another cat, Pamela. A familiar is a good thing to have, they can do so much for you.” Milly slid her arm over my shoulder and drew me against her side.
I nodded. “She was just a cat. Nothing special.” Why did I say that? Why had I just lied to Milly?
Frank let go of my hand as Milly steered me toward the big house. I cleared my throat as quietly as I could. “Milly, I have a question.”
“Of course. I’m going to teach you everything I know, so questions are to be expected.” She didn’t look at me, just stared straight ahead. We were on the back patio of the huge house, the paving stones carefully designed under our feet to look like moons and stars.
I cleared my throat a second time, nerves nipping at me. “Can you tell me again how Rylee betrayed you? I’d like to hear it again.”
Frank made a strangled sound behind us; I ignored him. I needed to be reminded why this was better for me. Because the minute my feet hit the ground, I was having second thoughts.
No, that wasn’t true. The moment Yvette had attacked my friends, I’d wondered if I made the right decision.
“Well”—Milly opened the double glass doors that led into the house—“it started when she said she was my friend, years ago. She said she would always stand by me, that I would always be like a sister to her. Then she started to drift away, going for days and weeks at a time without speaking to me. Only to call me when she needed help.” She waved a hand at a table set with food and drinks. I sat, Frank beside me.
Milly gave us a smile. “Rylee was always good at telling people what they wanted to hear. She can read them very well and sees into their hearts, she knows their deepest desires. That is the truth of a Tracker. She can sense emotions and feelings, you know.”
I nodded, reached out and took a scone. Breaking off a piece, I shoved it into my mouth, suddenly ravenous.
Milly leaned back in her chair and laced her hand under her chin. “She told me she would watch over my son until I could come for him. But when I reached out to her, she wouldn’t give him to me. Now she’s hidden him away and all I want is to see him, hold him again.”
Frank let out a soft snort. “What about the fact that Orion is your master? That doesn’t come into play at all?”
She lifted a hand and I tensed, thinking she was going to blast him. “Ah, young necromancer. Orion is trapped on the other side of the veil, is he not? That was what happened when the Wolf let his blood be spilled with the copper knife.”
The scone in my mouth seemed to turn to ash and I struggled to swallow. I didn’t realize Milly had known about the knife.
“I know how the veil works, Milly,” Frank said and I stared at him, seeing the man he would be. Strong, confident. Handsome. “Orion’s physical body is trapped, that’s true. But he could still be working through you. Depending on how deeply his ties to you go.”
Milly’s eyes flashed. I had to do something. Fast, if I wanted Frank to give Milly the time to prove she was a good person. “Do you have a spelling room?” I spit out the words along with a fair bit of scone.
“Yes, come.” She stood and swept from the room. I hurried after her, Frank didn’t follow. I looked over my shoulder and he shook his head. Nothing to be done for him. He would learn to trust Milly. All he needed was time.
I rushed down the hallway, the rich, woven carpet muffling my footsteps. I turned a corner to see a glimpse of her skirt as she turned another corner. Breaking into a run, I bolted after her.
Around the corner I went, and ran smack into a small figure holding a rag. I went flying and he let out a yelp as we hit the carpet together.
“At least it bees very padded,” he muttered, dusting himself off as he stood.
“Charlie?” I whispered, pushing myself to my hands and knees.
“Gods be praised, Pamela! Rylee’s sent yous to us, to save us!” He grabbed my face and kissed me on both cheeks.
“Save you, from Milly?”
“She’s turned us into servants. We’s has to wait on her hand and foot or she blasts us.”
I frowned at him. “That doesn’t sound like Milly.”
“What doesn’t sound like me?” She was there, stepping out a doorway to speak to me.
“Um. Charlie here.”
“Oh, the brownies. They’re upset because I took them out of their home. If I’d left them on the other side of the veil when it closed they would have been left to the demons roaming the levels there. But they don’t see it that way, do you?” She smiled sweetly and I knew she was being kind.
Charlie snorted. “Yes, mistress.”
To me, he gave a short nod. “Pamela. Not everything’s as it bees seeming.”
“I agree.” I lifted an eyebrow at him, dark thoughts roaming my mind like tendrils of smoke. “Some people don’t know how good they have it. They always want more than is due to them.”
His mouth dropped open and I strode toward Milly who had turned her smile on me. “Well said.”
“It’s the truth.” But a part of me quivered with sadness. Charlie had always been kind to me. I should have tried harder to be nice. No, he was lucky to have Milly save him. Like Frank, it was obvious that Charlie needed time to see how lucky he was.
She closed the door behind me as I stepped through. “Here is where I will train you. You will be the greatest, most powerful witch this world has ever seen.”
The pentagram etched into the floor made me take a step back, my body against the door, all my confidence fleeing. “A pentagram? Why?”
“The demons are coming, Pamela. Rylee will not be able to stop them. Which means those left behind have to be able to use their power against them. To know thy enemy is to be prepared to face them.”
I swallowed hard, bile rising fast in my throat. “You want me to call on a demon?”
“Yes.”
The world swam and I sank to my knees. “I don’t feel so well.” All I could see was the demons I’d faced on the other side of the veil. When Milly had protected me, and Rylee had ris
ked her life to pull me from Orion’s clutches. I put a hand to my head. How could I have forgotten that? The hordes of demons washing toward us, the flashes of light. The five of us, Rylee, Erik, Alex, Milly, and myself holding them back.
“Ah, Frank. Excellent timing. Take Pamela, third room on the right will be fine. We’ll begin as soon as you’ve rested.” Milly put a hand to my forehead and the memories faded. I let out a sigh and closed my eyes as Frank scooped me up.
The bob and weave of him walking, the sound of another door being shut and then I was laid onto a soft mattress.
“Pamela, we have to get out of here. This isn’t Milly, I’m sure it’s Orion using her. Hard. Worse than ever before. I didn’t know her well, but this isn’t her. Pamela!” His words were a wash over my ears and I kept my eyes closed.
I wasn’t wrong. Milly would help me. She would teach me like Rylee never could.
“You’ll see, Frank,” I murmured. “She’s going to show you.”
Frank shivered beside me, the motion going through the bed. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
CHAPTER 13
Rylee
Two days left before Orion made a break from his prison inside the veil. We were flying down the eastern coast of Canada, sometime after midnight and I was acutely aware we were running out of time.
“I have never been so happy to see the night sky,” Berget said, her chin against my back.
I laughed, though my heart wasn’t truly in it. “Yeah, the whole curtain thing worked, but I sure as shit wouldn’t have been able to handle it.”
She tightened her arms around me a little more, then started on the newest game we played to pass the time. “Do you remember when Dad tried to make spaghetti sauce and Mom was out at one of her lady parties? He was trying to make sure it was really good and put all sorts of things into it?”
I slapped my thigh with one hand. “Fuck, do you remember the raisins?”
She burst out laughing. “They soaked up all the moisture in the sauce and turned back into grapes.”
“That was the worst spaghetti sauce I’ve ever eaten.” I gave a mock shudder, laughing with her.
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