“Really? And what would that be?” Irritation built inside me. I didn’t have time for this.
My gaze drifted to Jed and the others who had offered to help search. It was clear they were wondering when I was going to get off the phone and help. I needed to put an end to this conversation.
“Two somethings actually,” Arturo said. Something about the way he spoke had me thinking he was enjoying stringing me along and being vague. “They seem to enjoy eating pie. Although the youngest—Jonas, I believe was his name—prefers to have his with chocolate milk while the older prefers white.”
I froze.
Arturo Albus had Jonas and Micah. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this. There was something sinister about him I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Still, the boys were at Rosemary’s Diner eating pie and drinking milk. The Midnight Reaper hadn’t gotten them. They weren’t trekking through the woods. They were safe. They were alive.
“How? When?” I asked, fumbling to create coherent sentences. What the hell were they doing there? With him?
Arturo chuckled as though my being taken by surprise was amusing. “I happened to be in the right place at the right time, I guess.”
My wolf didn’t believe it. She could sense something else in his tone—mischief, deceit, lies? Her worries had my heart hammering. What if he was planning to do something to the boys? Something horrible?
“I’ll be there in less than five minutes.” I hung up and turned back to the trailer park.
“Did somebody find them?” Jed asked as the others turned back with me.
“Yeah, someone did,” I said through gritted teeth. I didn’t have a good feeling about Arturo Albus being the one to do so. Something about it seemed fishy, like it was another way for him to get to me.
“You don’t seem too happy. Who found them? Where are they?” Jed asked. Apparently, the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. He was as good at noticing things I’d rather he didn’t as his brother was.
“Someone,” I said as I stepped over a fallen branch. “Someone I’m not sure they should be around. I’m going to go pick them up.”
“I’ll go with you,” he insisted.
I shook my head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll go alone. They’re at Rosemary’s Diner. They’re safe.”
They’re safe, I repeated to myself. If Pamela was there—I knew she was because she was pulling a double today and she’d given Arturo my number—the boys were fine. She’d fill them full of pie. Even so, I was still unsettled. I didn’t like Arturo Albus. I didn’t trust him.
My wolf felt the same.
I quickened my pace, ready to get to the boys as a thought came to me: What would Arturo want in exchange for finding them? If he wanted me to give him that interview and tell him everything I knew about what happened the night of my party, I’d deck him.
7
I pulled into the first parking space available outside Rosemary’s Diner. After cutting the engine, I ran my fingers through my hair. June had been ecstatic when I told her I knew where Jonas and Micah were. She’d wanted to come with me, but Gran could tell from my demeanor it would be best if I went alone. She offered to make June some tea, and I couldn’t have been more grateful.
For whatever reason, I didn’t feel it wise to introduce Arturo to anyone else from the pack.
As I headed toward the entrance of the diner, I spotted Jonas and Micah through the window. They were at a table off to the side with Arturo, eating pie and drinking milk while laughing. Arturo was laughing too until he felt my stare. His eyes locked with mine through the thick pane of glass, and his smile vanished.
Chills crept along my spine. How could he feel me? What was I missing about him?
My feet rooted in place as I held his stare. Something in his eyes called to me; it called to my wolf. He was of the supernatural world. I could sense it.
The corner of Arturo’s lips quirked into a smirk, and in that instant I knew what he was—a vampire.
My heart palpitated. Why hadn’t I been able to peg him as one before? And why did it seem as though he wanted me to know right now?
My lips pressed together.
There was something different about him, about his vampire status. He wasn’t like others I’d met. Not Julian or his sisters. Not Regina or her goons.
No, there was something far darker and ancient about him.
His eyes beckoned me to come to him, and suddenly my feet were moving forward.
“Hey, sugar,” Pamela said as I stepped inside. She rushed to me, blocking my view of Arturo and the boys. “I’m sorry for givin’ him your number. It’s just that he brought the boys in, and insisted he be able to call you himself. I don’t know why I didn’t just dial your number for him, but before I could think of it the numbers had been blurted out for him. Don’t be upset with me.”
“I’m not,” I said as my eyes sought Arturo out. Was it possible he had the gift of persuasion? It sure as hell felt like it. I swallowed hard. “Seriously. It’s okay. I’m glad the boys are all right. Their mom’s been looking for them. She’s pretty upset.”
“Well, the boys are fine,” Pamela insisted. “I gave them each a slice of pie and some milk.”
She’d basically rewarded them for their bad behavior, but I didn’t say so.
“Thanks.”
“I said it was on the house, but that guy insisted he pay for it.” Pamela nodded over her shoulder toward Arturo. “I took his money because it’ll keep Leon off my back. You know how much he hates givin’ away free food.”
“I know. Listen, let me talk with the boys and figure out what was going through their heads when they ran away.”
“Don’t be too hard on them, okay? They just lost their daddy. Take it easy on them. They’re obviously goin’ through a lot,” Pamela insisted.
My gaze drifted to them, and a pang of sympathy centered in my chest.
“I won’t be. I know they’re going through a lot,” I said.
My wolf nipped at me. She didn’t want me to feel too sorry for them. Everyone in their family—in the pack—was going through a lot. They had no excuse for running away and causing everyone to worry as much as they had, especially not their poor mom.
“Mina!” Jonas shouted when he spotted me. His face lit up, and his green eyes brightened. My hard demeanor softened. “Look! Mr. Albus bought us pie and chocolate milk!”
“I see that.” I paused at their table. “I hope you used your manners and said thank you.”
“We did,” Micah said as he shoved the rest of his pie into his mouth as though my presence meant I was here to take it away.
“Good.” My hand itched to pull out the chair across from Micah. I wanted to tell the boys what they’d done was wrong, but my wolf wanted me to remain standing.
“Have a seat. Join us. You can order anything you like. My treat.” Arturo scooted the chair beside him out for me.
I reached for it, and my wolf snapped at me. She was not okay with sitting beside him, but I did it anyway.
Once I’d situated myself in the chair, I glanced at Arturo. His eyes were fixed on me. I could tell there was something he wanted from me, but he didn’t want to say it in front of the boys. I reached into my pocket and pulled out two quarters. Jonas grinned. He knew what they were for.
“Here, why don’t you two go pick out a song on the jukebox,” I said as I held the shiny quarters out to them. It was one of the boys’ favorite things to do at the diner beside eat pie. They did it each time Eli brought them in.
This would give me a few minutes alone with Arturo.
“Impressive move,” he insisted once the boys had hurried away to the jukebox. He leaned his elbows on the tabletop. The sudden move made him closer to me than I cared for. “Honestly, I didn’t realize there was a jukebox in here.”
“No one ever uses it. People don’t take time to enjoy the ambiance of a place. They scarf their food down, pay their bill, and leave.” I leaned back in my chair to put distance betwe
en us again.
“Well said.” Another smirk twisted his face. His pearly white teeth became visible, and I found myself searching for any indication of fangs but found none. “A very adult viewpoint you have.”
“What do you want?” I asked, cutting right to the chase.
I didn’t want to chitchat with him. I wanted to figure out what he wanted from me, and then get the boys back to June.
“Not one to beat around the bush. I like that.” He reached for his coffee and took a sip. His movements were too fluid, too languid. How the hell had I missed he was a vampire before now? It was there staring me in the face, mocking me, the more I watched him. “I want to know everything you know about the night of your birthday. About Jane Hawker. Westley Vargas. About the Midnight Reaper. I know you know about vampires, Miss Ryan. I know this town harbors supernaturals even though not everyone is aware of it. Most importantly, I know what you are.”
My skin tingled as his words settled over me in a threatening way.
“I believe you can help me obtain what I want,” Arturo said. His voice was low but riddled with authority. Did he think he could come in here and intimidate me into doing whatever he wanted?
He had another thing coming.
I arched an eyebrow, trying to appear braver than I felt. My wolf paced. Arturo’s words had her even more uneasy than I was. Neither of us liked the fact he knew what we were before we had known what he was.
My thumb went to my silver moon ring. I spun it around absentmindedly as I continued to stare at him. Weakness was not something I was willing to show.
“And what might that be?” I asked.
“Lilith.”
He’d said the name as though I should know who he was referring to, but I had no idea.
“Who is Lilith?” I asked when he didn’t elaborate.
“The one responsible for the Midnight Reaper killings.”
All the air left my lungs in a rush. “How do you know?”
I swore if he said he knew because of his research I was going to reach across the table and slap him. Vampire or not.
“Because she’s mine. I created her.”
His words sent a chill down my spine and had my wolf begging me to run. She craved distance from him, but I needed to understand what he was trying to say, what he was asking.
“I am exactly what you think—a vampire, a monster, not someone to screw around with. I am not someone you want hanging around this little town of yours. That much I can guarantee you.” His eyes never wavered from mine. “And I will not be leaving until I have Lilith in my possession.”
I blinked. Talk about being straightforward.
“How can I help to make that happen?” I asked, keeping my eyes locked with his. What was it people always said? The enemy of my enemy is my friend? Maybe that was how I needed to view this situation.
“A meeting with your alpha is the first step. When is a good time?”
My mind stalled. What was I supposed to say? I needed to talk to Eli about all of this first. I couldn’t just blurt out a time and day. For all I knew, Arturo could be the Midnight Reaper.
This could all be a trap for our new alpha, for Eli.
The message written on his dad’s arm had said one down, and we still didn’t know what it meant. If I was sitting with the Midnight Reaper and taking out my pack happened to be his mission, I’d be handing Eli to him on a silver platter.
“Are you agreeing to help?” Arturo narrowed his eyes on me.
Words tumbled around in my mind, but none of them made it to my lips.
“If you agree to help me capture Lilith, I will not hurt you or your pack. In fact, there will be fewer casualties in Mirror Lake,” he said. “Trust me. I am your only option when it comes to getting rid of her. She is stronger than she appears and cunning. Do not underestimate her.”
Why would I? If she was the Midnight Reaper, it was crystal clear what she was capable of.
So then, did I really have a choice?
“Fine. I’ll help you.” The words forced their way past my lips, but it wasn’t because he’d willed them into existence.
It was because whoever this Lilith chick was, she was raining hell down on Mirror Lake, and working with Arturo might be the only way to stop her.
8
By the time I got back to the trailer park with the boys, Gran had June in a tea-induced coma. She wasn’t catatonic, but she’d slipped into a trance on her couch. It was clear from the stench of herbs floating through the air that Gran had gone with her strongest concoction to relieve June’s anxiety.
Cooper and Gracie were in the kitchen when the boys and I stepped into the trailer.
“There you are!” Cooper shouted as he rushed toward them. “Where the hell have you been? What were you thinking? Do you two know you about gave Mom a heart attack?” Spit flew from his mouth as he shouted at the boys.
While that had been my initial reaction too, anger wasn’t going to help the situation.
“They know what they did was wrong,” I said. “They understand how much they caused everyone to worry, especially your mom, and they won’t do it again. Right, boys?” I looked at each of them pointedly, but my gaze remained on Jonas longer.
I didn’t know why I suddenly felt the need to defend them and their actions, but I did. I didn’t want them punished for this. Yes, what they did was stupid, but they were kids. They didn’t know how to handle their emotions. They didn’t know how to not let them fuel their actions yet.
“We’re sorry,” Micah insisted. “It won’t happen again.”
“We promise,” Jonas chimed in.
“It better not. I don’t think Mom can handle it. Not with everything else going on,” Cooper growled.
His brows pinched together as a vein protruded from his neck. It was the first time I’d thought he looked older than thirteen. The sight of it had my chest aching. He should never look older than he was. No kid should. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the way life worked. Sometimes things happened that made us grow up faster than we should. It wasn’t fair, but it was life.
“I don’t think I can handle it either,” Cooper muttered. His features grew soft. “Don’t do it again.”
A sob spurred from Jonas. He rushed to Cooper and wrapped his tiny arms around his middle.
“I’m sorry, Cooper. It was my idea. I wanted to get the vampire who took Daddy from us. I wanted to hurt him like he did me, and Mom, and you, and the others. I wanted to hurt him so badly.”
Tears spilled from Jonas’s eyes. His face reddened, and his breathing became labored. My throat pinched with the threat of tears as I stared at him.
“I know you’re angry, but you can’t go running off like that,” Cooper insisted.
“I tried to tell him, but he wouldn’t listen,” Micah said. “I had to go with him. I couldn’t just let him go by himself. I know I should’ve called you or Tate, or even Eli, but there wasn’t time.”
“I was moving pretty fast,” Jonas insisted with a quirk of a smile twisting the corners of his lips.
The sight of it had us all laughing; the tension in the room eased.
Gran moved to Jonas. When she reached him, she dropped to her knees and spun him to face her. She reached out for his hands and clasped them in hers.
“You are a brave little boy. One day that bravery is going to serve you well, but for now you need to put it to use around here,” she said as she nodded to his family before nodding to the door. “Not out there. That time will come, but today is not that day. Eli and the others of the pack will take care of all that. All you need to focus on is this.” She placed his hand over his heart.
I knew what she was insinuating—that Jonas focus on his emotions. He needed to work through them instead of pointing fingers and directing his anger elsewhere. It was a tough lesson to learn, but at some point in our lives we all had to go through it.
Without anyone noticing, I slipped outside and headed to my car. Gran had this. I knew she
did. It was time I went home. I needed to talk to Eli. His truck was in our driveway. I parked beside it and cut the engine of my car. For a moment I sat there, staring into the woods behind our trailer. My mind was bombarded with too many thoughts. Lilith. Arturo Albus. My agreeing to help him capture Lilith, as well as agreeing to set up a meeting between him and Eli tonight.
God, Eli was going to be so pissed at me.
I was willing to risk his wrath though. This was important enough.
Arturo would be able to help get Lilith out of town. If she was anything like the woman who wielded the invisible razors, we were going to need as much help as we could get. Especially considering the Caraway witches were leaving the solution up to us.
I started up the front steps of our trailer. When I stepped inside silence greeted me. If I hadn’t known Eli had left at some point today, I would’ve thought he hadn’t moved an inch all day. He was still on the couch, staring at the map he’d created.
“Hey,” I said. Moonshine perked her head up to look at me from beside him on the couch. She hopped down and ran toward me, her tail wagging.
“Hey.” Eli didn’t look at me. Instead, his gaze remained fixed on the map.
“I take it you didn’t have any luck today?” I set my things on the kitchen counter, and then bent to scoop up Moonshine and give her some love.
“No. We didn’t find anything besides another body.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Officer Dan mentioned there are others from town who have been reported as missing too.”
My heart dropped to my stomach. In dealing with everything that had happened today, I’d forgotten another body had been found. I remembered Eli mentioned it was a twenty-something-year-old male.
“Any word on who the guy they found was yet?” I asked as I walked to the couch.
“Officer Dan said they IDed him as Henry Boulder. He just turned twenty-one a couple of weeks ago. He’d been drained of blood and tossed in the woods like garbage.”
All the breath left my lungs. My knees grew weak, and I moved to sit on the couch so they wouldn’t buckle. He was so young. So close to my age. I hugged Moonshine tighter. This had to stop. Lilith had to be taken down. There was no better time to tell Eli about Arturo than now.
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