“You can’t open that. You’re not dressed,” Calder says, crouching to the floor to locate his pants amid the piles of discarded clothes.
I gasp in mock horror. “I’m not?” Ignoring his warning, I stride to the door and peek through the peephole. Even though the figure on the other side is slightly warped, with his nose looking larger than life, I recognize him instantly. “It’s Ryder.”
Silas props himself up on his elbow, his black hair sticking up at odd angles. “What’s your boss doing here so early?”
“Hasn’t he heard of a phone?” Poe grumbles darkly.
Another knock resounds on the door. “Just a minute,” I call, scurrying back across the room.
We all quickly sort through the clothes on the floor, tossing shirts and undergarments to the appropriate wearers and pulling items on as fast as we can. Even Silas hauls himself out of bed, despite staring longingly at his pillow as he dresses.
Calder opens the door as Ryder knocks for a third time. Ryder’s eyes widen when the door swings inward, but he quickly covers his surprise. He steps inside and casts a fleeting glance at the rumpled bed and the equally disheveled individuals standing around it before fixing his gaze on Calder.
“Another town’s been hit with euphorium,” Ryder says without preamble.
I press my hand to my stomach, positive the words have punched me in the gut. “What?”
An arm curves around me protectively and I glance over to see Silas, all traces of sleepiness evaporated from his face. As Poe moves in on my other side, he presses his warm hand to the small of my back. If only their presence was enough to keep this horrible news away.
“Where?” Taj asks, joining Calder.
“Restin, Nevada. It’s another town like Wisdom—although there’s a higher ratio of noms to supernaturals. We’re sending a team to help those affected to detox.” Ryder’s jaw works like he’s chewing on his next words.
The seconds seem to crawl by as I wait for the other shoe to drop, but I can’t do anything but watch. My mouth feels like it’s forgotten how to form words.
I’m positive a century has passed before Poe finally snaps, “Out with it already.”
Ryder’s shoulders slump as he exhales through his nostrils. “Some of Lillian’s men came back to Wisdom with more euphorium.”
Connie’s face flashes in my mind. “Is Ginger okay? Did they get to her?” The last update I heard was that Ginger had been released from the makeshift hospital the Front set up in the local high school. But that doesn’t mean Ginger is safe from the drug’s lingering effects.
“Our people stopped Lillian’s dealers before they reached too many people,” Ryder says, meeting my eyes. “And I didn’t see the name Ginger in the incident report, so your acquaintance and her daughter are probably fine.”
Silas narrows his eyes. “And yet I’m thinking there’s more to the story.”
Ryder nods, sending my stomach churning. What can be worse than Lillian’s henchmen returning to Wisdom?
“You said when the lemonade at the festival ran out, Lillian’s men said they’d be back, but that next time people would have to pay,” Ryder says. “It seems the price she’s set is blood.”
Calder’s mouth drops open. “Blood?”
Ryder nods. “It’s the reason they didn’t get to more people before our team stopped them—they had to take the time to draw blood before they’d hand over the euphorium.”
The information spins through my brain, but it doesn’t make sense. “Why would they want people to give their blood in exchange for drugs?”
Silas’ hand twitches against my arm. “Well, Lillian is a vampire.”
“I know that. But there have to be easier ways to get blood. Why go through stealing Mona’s stores of euphorium and lacing lemonade with it to get something she can probably get any number of ways?”
“Vampires don’t typically drink from other supernaturals,” Taj says gently, his tone letting me know this fact is nothing new to anyone else in the room. “Sometimes you’ll have supernaturals who allow vampires to feed off them because their bites give a rapturous high to the person being fed on. But it’s…” He shakes his head. “It’s a practice that’s rather looked down on. Most supernaturals would never willingly let a vampire feed from them—and there are laws prohibiting vampires from taking it by force or using compulsion to get it.”
I nod, even though the dots still aren’t connecting in my head. “But why go to all this trouble? Blood is blood, right?”
When the guys—including Ryder—exchange glances, I know there’s something else I don’t know.
“All blood will sustain a vampire,” Ryder concedes. “Even animal blood, in a pinch—although I’ve heard the taste makes it difficult to stomach. But blood from a supernatural is different because of the magic of our kinds. Feeding off a supernatural here or there isn’t going to have many long-term effects, but if a vampire is drinking magical blood regularly, they’re going to become more and more powerful. It’s part of why the laws are on the books in the first place.”
“The question is,” Silas says, “what’s Lillian’s end game? If she just wants blood for herself, there’s no reason to dose multiple towns.”
“Unless she expects to face resistance,” Ryder suggests. “The fact that she sent people to Restin and Wisdom in the same day might point to her knowing the Front was there.”
“Are the minions you picked up talking?” Poe asks.
Ryder shakes his head. “They’re low-level operatives. Besides, Lillian’s no fool. She knows how to compartmentalize information.” He sighs again. “I wish we had a sense of how much euphorium her crew got away with in Nashua.”
Poe snorts. “Fat lot of good that’ll do you.”
Taj tilts his head. “How do you mean?”
“The only reason we even know about that theft is we got lucky,” Poe explains. “The elders sent me there to investigate a possible breach of secrecy. There could be other production facilities that we don’t know about because the theft never pinged on our radar. If nom police are looking into things, they won’t be able to identify the magic in the euphorium.”
Ryder closes his eyes, blowing out a breath. When he opens them again, he’s pulling his phone from his front pocket. “I’ll start making calls.”
Despite the warmth and comfort provided by Silas and Poe, my insides twist with worry. If Poe is right, Lillian could have a massive store of euphorium by now. What’s worse, it’s possible she didn’t steal from other facilities. If she has enough detail about Mona’s operation, she could take things over through proper channels and no one would ever be the wiser.
As Ryder swipes at the screen of his phone, I step out of the protective circle of Silas’ arm. “By the time you figure out if there have been any more thefts at production facilities or labs or warehouses, who knows how many more people will be hooked on euphorium.”
Ryder freezes, looking up like he’s surprised I’m still here. “What do you suggest?”
I take in a breath and straighten my back, attempting to look as confident as possible. “We could go straight to the source. We could ask Mona Ward if there are other places we should be checking on.”
The dissent begins before the words are out of my mouth, with Poe, Silas, Calder, and Taj all pushing back on the idea.
But Ryder holds my gaze. “Mona’s in the wind. Besides, we can’t trust a woman like that. Even if you did have some kind of way to contact a highly dangerous wanted criminal—” His eyes flash to Calder and Taj for a brief moment. “—I would strongly caution against reaching out. When we bring Mona in, she’ll pay for her crimes. But right now, we’ve got too much going on to divert resources to tracking her down. With the elders out of commission and the bounty hunters in disarray and the Front dealing with this euphorium situation…” His gaze drops to the floor. “I’ll put calls out about more break-ins.”
“You might want to check the vampire angle, too,” Silas s
ays as Ryder turns toward the door.
“What do you mean?” Ryder asks.
Silas lifts a shoulder. “Seems to me if there’s a chance Lillian might start selling supernatural blood, she’ll need to reach out to the potential market.”
Ryder’s face scrunches for a moment before he begins to nod. “Good thinking.” He lifts his chin at Taj and Calder. “You two head that up, will you?”
“Of course,” Calder says.
I don’t speak until Ryder is out of the room with the door closed firmly behind him. “We’re not listening to him, right?”
“What do you mean?” Taj asks. “I think touching base with the vampire community is a great idea.”
I wave away his statement. “Yeah, I agree. I mean about Mona. We’re going to contact her, right?”
Taj, Calder, and Silas all exchange glances while Poe looks on with his brow knit.
“I don’t think that’s the greatest idea,” Calder says carefully. “You called it when she reached out to us before—Mona saw how powerful Lillian was, and she came to us to take Lillian down for her. Even if she had an idea where Lillian was before, we can’t trust that she’ll still be there after her position’s been compromised by Mona’s escape.”
I open my mouth to argue, but Taj cuts me off.
“It’s dangerous to contact her. You know that probably better than anyone.” He settles a hand on my shoulder. “For all we know, Mona is working with Lillian now. Maybe they realized it benefits them both to join forces.”
The idea of Mona teaming up with anyone—least of all a person whose powers rival her own—is laughable. I’m about to say so when Poe speaks.
“I know people like Mona,” he says quietly. “She can’t be trusted. Do you understand?”
A dozen arguments die in my throat. No matter what I say, they won’t agree to reaching out. And it isn’t as if I don’t know these things. I’m not saying we should invite Mona to join the Liberation Front—I just want to use her for whatever useful information she might have. But the guys won’t hear it.
I sigh as the truth of the situation settles around me. They’re being safe. Logical. And I should trust their judgment.
“Yeah, I understand.”
Except even as the words pass my lips, I can’t help wondering if they’re not entirely true.
Chapter Twenty
Taj
I’m worried about Bryn.
After our discussion about Mona and why we shouldn’t reach out to her for help, Bryn hasn’t brought the idea up again. But I’d bet just about anything the thought hasn’t strayed far from her mind. It’s in the closed, inward look in her eyes and the way she responds to direct questions only—and even then in monosyllabic replies.
The thing is, I don’t even think her idea is a bad one. If anyone has an idea how many euphorium labs there are in the country, it’s Mona. Sure, she may not have all the addresses memorized. She may not even know the cities these places are all in. I was in her organization long enough to know she’s more of a big-picture thinker than a details person. But it’s possible she could give us something to go on.
It’s also possible she could kidnap Bryn and force her into magical slavery again. And so long as there’s any chance of that, I’m not willing to risk reaching out. It would be one thing if we had manpower behind us to take Mona down and incarcerate her, but the fact is we don’t. Resources are spread too thin between Wisdom and Restin—not to mention a host of ongoing operations to save supernaturals enslaved or in captivity.
So I’m crossing my fingers our other leads pan out.
Silas volunteered to hit up a vampire bartender he has a rapport with to see if he’s heard any rumblings about what Lillian is up to. Calder went with him in case he runs into any trouble. That means Poe, Bryn, and I are following up with the only other vampire we know who might tell us something—Valor.
Our first stop is the Nightshade Motel, and as we walk into the shabby-but-clean lobby, a warm, happy feeling spreads through me. Although it’s not necessarily a place I’d like to stay in again, it will forever remind me of the first night Bryn and I shared together. As we approach the front desk, I sneak a glance out of the corner of my eye, but if she’s having similarly amorous memories, her expression gives nothing away.
A pretty young woman with her dark brown hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail smiles as we approach. “Can I help you?”
Poe returns her bright tone with a businesslike nod. “We’d like to speak to your boss, please.”
The girl, whose name tag reads Vivienne, frowns for a second before remembering her customer service smile. “I’m the day manager. I’m sure I can help you with whatever you need.”
I can’t help feeling a pang for this girl. She looks young, and I’m sure she’s used to people not taking her seriously because of that. “Under normal circumstances, I’m positive you could,” I say, injecting as much understanding into my tone as possible. “But for our purposes, we need to speak with Valor directly.”
Vivienne’s eyes crinkle. “Valor’s the owner, but he doesn’t spend much time here. Like I said: I’m the manager. He leaves day-to-day things to me.”
I offer a warm smile. “And it seems you’re doing a wonderful job. Do you know where we might find Valor? It really is an urgent matter.”
Vivienne studies us shrewdly for a long moment. “Who should I say needs to speak to him? I’ll see if he’s available for a meeting today.”
When we pull up to Valor’s house half an hour later, I’m sure we have the wrong place. Nothing about the long ranch on the acre of land says “vampire” to me. I tend to associate that particular brand of supernatural with run-down places straight out of a horror film or else luxury condos. There is no in-between in my mind. Until now.
There’s a luxury sedan in the driveway, and a familiar black four-door truck.
I elbow Bryn as I point to the truck. “Look familiar?”
The corners of her mouth twitch, but the smile doesn’t stick. “Do you think Sophie’s here? I’ve been wanting to thank her for the things she packed for me before we went to find Elowen.”
It’s the most she’s said in hours, and I can’t help smiling. With any luck, Valor will have the information we need, and Bryn will stop worrying about contacting Mona.
Poe pulls ahead and is the first to mount the porch stairs. His head swivels on his neck as if he’s surveying the area for signs of a possible attack. Which, I realize with a jolt, he is. Daya may have released him from the elders’ service, but his instincts are too ingrained to let go of.
No matter what, Poe will keep us safe. The knowledge hits me out of nowhere, along with a sense of peace. Now that he’s part of this unit—this family—this group of planets orbiting Bryn’s glorious star, his protection extends beyond her to all of us.
He brings his fist against the door so his knuckles rap against the metal part surrounding the glass pane. Moments later, the inner door swings open to reveal the woman Bryn wondered about moments before.
A mid-twenties cutie with long, wavy chocolate-brown hair greets us. Grinning broadly, she pushes open the screen door. “Come in, come in!”
Poe leads the way inside, nodding politely at the beaming woman as he passes. I step in next, and Sophie reaches out to give my upper arm a squeeze. But no sooner has Bryn crossed the threshold than Sophie pulls her into a tight hug like they’re best friends reunited after years apart.
“I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again,” Sophie says when she finally releases Bryn. “Did you get what you were looking for from Elowen?”
A genuine smile breaks across Bryn’s face. “Yes, we did. Thank you so much for all the spell supplies you packed for me. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them.”
Sophie lifts a shoulder. “I bet you would’ve figured it out.”
Poe takes advantage of the brief lull in their conversation. “Is Valor around?”
Sophie taps her forehead.
“Oh, of course! He’s in the kitchen. Over here.” She leads the way through the hallway to the kitchen. Every surface is clean enough to eat off of. I wonder which of them is the neat freak, or if it’s a group effort.
Valor looks much the same as I remember him—black hair, angular jaw, and skin smoother than porcelain—except today he’s wearing a blue apron over his charcoal slacks and lavender dress shirt as he stirs something in a large stock pot.
He glances over his shoulder and nods as we enter. “Welcome gentlemen—and lady. What can I assist you with today?”
I’m so busy staring at the vampire chef before me, it takes a nudge from Poe to remind me why we’re here. “We’re hoping you might be able to help us again. Just information this time.”
Valor rests his wooden spoon on the counter before turning to face us. “What kind of information?”
I swallow around a lump in my throat. Although Valor showed himself to be helpful and accommodating in our last encounter, it’s not lost on me that he’s a vampire, and those violet eyes are more than a little unnerving. Still, if such a kind soul as Sophie feels secure around the man, I can, too. “There’s a woman—a vampire—who we have reason to believe might be starting a supernatural blood business.”
Valor only tilts his head, his expression giving away nothing.
I swallow again. “Her plan is to get people—whole communities—hooked on a drug called euphorium and then demand blood in exchange for the next fix.”
“Euphorium.” Valor shakes his head. “Nasty stuff.” He leans against the counter behind him, crossing his arms over his chest. “I wish I could help, but, as you may have noticed, I’m not really running with vampire circles much nowadays.”
Sophie smiles as she crosses the room to him. He unfolds his arms before wrapping them around her, pulling her tight to his chest. “He’s too busy being a house-husband.”
He leans down and presses a kiss to her lips. A month ago, such a display of affection would have made me uncomfortable. But so much has changed in my own love life that the only thing I feel at their intimate embrace is happiness. They gaze at each other for a long moment when they break apart, and it takes a few seconds longer before they disentangle themselves from each other.
Rebel Witch Page 17