“Searching your tiny town for Lilith will not help you catch her,” he insisted once he’d contained his laughter. “It may help you find her vicinity, but not her. This is all I myself have been able to do.”
Why? Did she have the power to make herself invisible or to cloak herself from us somehow? Maybe there was a rune for it.
“Do you have something else to suggest, then?” Eli asked. His teeth ground together. It was clear he didn’t like Arturo.
Arturo’s gaze darkened. “You’re going to need bait.”
Bait? My wolf growled at the mention of the word.
“It’s not going to be me this time,” I blurted.
While I had a strong sense of loyalty to my pack, that didn’t mean I was about to offer myself up as bait yet again for them. The Montevallos were the reason Lilith and Roman were here to begin with. If anything, one of them should serve as bait.
“No. Definitely not,” Eli agreed. “This time, I’ll be bait.”
My throat constricted, and my wolf howled out her disapproval of his offering. I opened my mouth to voice my displeasure with his decision, but Arturo laughed again pulling my attention to him.
“You as bait?” he managed to say. “Lilith doesn’t want you. Trust me when I say she has no desire for you or your blood.”
My brows pinched together.
“Who is she after? We saw her message on the previous alpha,” I said. “She’d written one down on him.”
“That message was from before,” Arturo insisted. He waved away my words with a flick of his wrist.
What did that mean?
“Before?” I pressed.
Arturo shifted his cold eyes to me. “Yes, before she realized there was an anchor here.”
An anchor? An anchor to what?
“The look on your faces tells me this is new information.” The ghost of a smile pricked at the corners of his mouth as he swept his gaze around the room.
“What’s an anchor?” Eli asked.
“A witch who has a connection to the other side,” Julian said. “Someone who can see through the veil.”
“I hadn’t realized there was one in Mirror Lake,” Ivette said. Wonder laced her words.
“Oh, there is.” Arturo adjusted his blazer as all sense of laughter leaked from him. “Although, the power emanating from this particular anchor is minimal. Either she is not aware of what she is, or her ability to contact the other side is weak. There could also be something dimming her gift. A talisman or spell set in place to do so perhaps.”
A weak witch. One who either had little power, or wasn’t aware of it at all. The words flipped through my mind until someone who fit the description perfectly entered.
Ridley.
“Find the anchor, use it as bait, get me Lilith, and this mess goes away,” Arturo insisted as he got to his feet. He strolled to the kitchen counter where he deposited a business card and then moved to the front door. “I’ve left you with enough to think about and given you more than enough information. I expect a well-crafted plan to be presented to me the next time we meet. If you choose to not inform me of your plan, then I expect Lilith to be handed over unharmed before the next full moon. If not, I can assure you all hell will break loose in Mirror Lake.” At that, Arturo let himself out.
“Anyone have any ideas as to who the anchor could be?” Julian asked. His eyes pinned me in place. He could sense I had a person in mind.
“Ridley Caraway,” Eli said before I could. “She’s a Caraway witch, but she’s known to have weaker powers than the rest of her family.”
Were Ridley’s powers weak, or were they something unknown? Were they being dulled by a piece of jewelry or a spell like Arturo had suggested? Why?
I tried to remember if Ridley wore jewelry, but couldn’t.
“We need to find her,” Octavia insisted. “And we need to do it before Lilith does.”
I licked my lips, not liking the fact that my friend was most likely in danger. My fingers reached for my cell. I scrolled through text messages until I found hers.
“What are you doing?” Eli asked.
“Sending her a text asking if we can meet for coffee or something,” I said. There was no way I would come right out and tell her what was going on via text. This was something I’d have to tell her in person. Even then, she might not believe me if she wasn’t aware of the power she might harness.
“Maybe you should invite her here,” Ivette suggested. “If we’ve already figured out she might be the anchor, there’s a chance Lilith might have also. With her being here, it would lead Lilith to us as well as Roman.”
I shook my head. “No. I’m not using Ridley as bait without her consent. She deserves to know what’s going on first.”
“Coffee it is, then,” Octavia insisted with snark. Her gaze dipped to her nails, and I let out a sigh.
I shifted my attention to my cell and tapped out a text to Ridley.
Hey, what are you up to? Want to meet for coffee or something? — Mina
I hit send and waited for her reply. It didn’t take long.
I’m at the community college. Apparently, there was a glitch in my application. They wanted me to come in to go over it with someone in person.
That was weird. School had already started. Wouldn’t this have been something they’d noticed earlier?
Another text came through.
I could probably meet with you after though. This shouldn’t take too long.
I tried to think of the nearest coffee shop to the campus. There wasn’t one, but there was a coffee bar inside the public library across the street. Maybe a coffee bar was the wrong term. It was a coffee machine and a couple of bistro tables tucked into a corner of the library near a vending machine.
Why don’t we meet at the library? We can grab coffee from the machine inside. — Mina
Sounds good. I’ve never had coffee from a machine before.
Neither had I. Coffee wasn’t really my thing. Tea was. However, I’d drink bad coffee for Ridley. She needed to know what was going on.
Knowledge was power and all that.
First time for everything. — Mina
It didn’t feel right to joke with her, not with the things we were soon to discuss, but I had to keep up pretenses.
So true. I’ll text you when I’m done here.
Okay. See you soon. — Mina
“Ridley is at the college, filling out paperwork. I’m meeting her at the library across the street. There’s a coffee machine inside and some tables. She’s supposed to text whenever she’s finished with her paperwork.”
“We should scope the campus out,” Eli insisted. “Make sure Lilith and Roman haven’t found Ridley as well.”
“Good idea,” Julian said.
Eli pulled out his cell. “I’m calling Dorian. I think we’re going to need backup.”
I nodded. Ridley’s safety had to be our top priority. She was my friend, and I’d be damned if I let anything bad happen to her.
11
The campus of the community college wasn’t big. It was basically one large building that looked as though it were a single story from the front. When you went around back, you could see there were two stories. Minimal landscaping, a small faculty parking lot, and an equally small student parking area was all there was.
Across the street was the Mirror Lake Public Library. It was a decent sized building made of tan bricks and a red metal roof. I’d only been inside a handful of times. Sadly, none of them were to check out books. Each time was to bring Gracie’s books back during the summer. Reading was all she did before she and Cooper became an item.
“We should split up,” Eli suggested. He popped the passenger door of Dorian’s SUV open and slipped out. “We’ll be able to cover more ground faster.”
“Let’s all exchange cell numbers,” Julian said as the rest of us filed out of Dorian’s SUV. “That way if we spot Lilith or Roman, we’ll be able to call one another and get to Ridley to prot
ect her before they do anything.”
A lump formed in my throat. I hated the idea of Lilith or Roman causing Ridley any harm.
“I’ll be across the street at the library, waiting for her to text me,” I said after giving out my number. “That way I’m alone when she sees me. I don’t want her to suspect anything. This is something I’m going to have to break to her gently, especially if she doesn’t know she’s an anchor.”
Eli nodded. “That’s probably for the best. We don’t want to scare her off. We’re going to need her help if we’re going to catch these two.”
“Should we split up into groups of two, or check out the campus individually?” Dorian asked. “Either works for me.”
Normally, he’d have told us what to do next, but ever since Eli had become alpha, Dorian had taken his place as second-in-command. He looked to Eli for answers now. As much as it seemed to go against his character, he was handling it well.
“I think splitting up would be for the best. The campus is small, which means we’ll be able to cover it in no time,” Eli said. “If you see someone suspicious or you recognize them, call or send a group text.”
“Which section should I take?” Julian asked.
“North, south, east, or west. Take your pick,” Eli insisted with a slight edge of irritation in his words. His features softened when he shifted to glance at me. “Be careful,” he said before pecking me on the lips.
My insides warmed. “You too.”
I started toward the library, not wanting to hear them go back and forth with who was going to search where. The machismo was grating on my last nerve.
My mind dipped back to thoughts of Ridley as I walked. She was an anchor to the other side. It was an odd thought. I couldn’t imagine how scary it must be for her to have that sort of power.
Ghosts were freaky.
Maybe she didn’t see the dearly departed, though. She’d never mentioned it before. Come to think of it, she’d only mentioned feeling things. Maybe her powers weren’t strong enough to actually see anything.
I would consider that a plus side.
I moved to sit on one of the black metal benches in front of the library and glanced at my phone. Ridley hadn’t sent a text yet. Nearly half an hour had passed since the last one. What all was she missing from her administration packet? Surely whatever it was it wouldn’t take much longer to fill out or correct.
A text came through from her as I thought this.
I’m done. Want to get that coffee?
Sure. I’m outside the library. — Mina
Awesome. Be there in a second.
I stared at the front entrance of the college. While I couldn’t see the others, I was able to spot Eli as he slipped around the back of the building. Since no one had sent a text to say they’d found Roman or Lilith, I assumed the two weren’t here.
The muscles of my neck relaxed.
The front door to the college opened, and Ridley strolled out. She adjusted her dark-framed glasses as she glanced across the street. I waved and flashed her a smile. It was fake, and I hoped she couldn’t tell. I didn’t like being the bearer of bad news, and this was the worst news I’d ever given anyone before—psychotic vampires were looking for her because of a power she might not know she had.
When Ridley returned my wave, movement behind her captured my attention. My body grew tense until I realized it was Ivette. She gave me a thumbs up, and then disappeared into the parking lot.
“Hey,” Ridley said once she was a few feet away from me. “Sorry that took so long. I honestly thought it would only take a few minutes. The way they made it sound on the phone it was only a couple of questions on my application that hadn’t gone through. When I got here, I realized an entire section of my registration hadn’t gone through due to a computer glitch. I swear I have the worst luck sometimes.”
My heart thumped harder in my chest. She had no idea.
“It’s okay. I haven’t been here long,” I said. I stood and walked with her to the library entrance.
“I forgot this place had a coffee bar inside,” Ridley said.
“It’s not something they promote I’m sure. Probably tells you a thing or two about how good the coffee actually is.” I attempted to chuckle, but it sounded strangled in my throat.
“We can always go somewhere else if you want. I can follow you,” she suggested.
“No,” I said quicker than I should. I didn’t have my car. I’d got here in Dorian’s SUV. “This is fine. I mean, we’re already here.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Okay.”
The sharp scent of cinnamon tickled my nose as we entered the library. On our way to the coffee bar, I was able to pinpoint where the smell was coming from. Multiple baskets of potpourri lined the nearest bookshelves.
“Apple cinnamon.” Ridley inhaled deeply. “One of my all-time favorite scents. Totally reminds me of fall. I hate all that pumpkin spice crap. Give me apple cinnamon any day.”
“Me too. I tried a pumpkin spice latte once and didn’t see what the big fuss was about.”
“I don’t know why people go crazy over those either, but you better watch who you say that to. To some, those are killing words.” She chuckled.
“You’re right.” I grinned.
The inside of the library was quiet, but that didn’t mean the place was deserted. People sat on leather sofas and chairs spread sporadically throughout the main lobby area. However, the coffee section was empty. I was glad. Space was tight, and I didn’t want anyone to overhear what we were about to discuss.
“So, how have things been for you lately besides this registration mix-up?” I stepped to the coffee machine.
“Good, but I get the impression that’s not what you’re here to talk about. You seem sort of on edge. What’s going on?”
Perceptive. She was always so damn perceptive.
“Everything okay with Eli?” she asked. “I mean, as okay as it can be considering?” Concern etched its way into her features.
“He’s doing okay.” I glanced at the machine. “What are you going to get?”
“I’m not sure. Do they have anything with vanilla?”
“A French vanilla cappuccino.”
“That will work.” She slipped her money in and pressed the corresponding buttons. “How are things coming along with finding the Midnight Reaper?” Ridley whispered. The machine made a noise as though it were heating water. “I’m sorry we weren’t able to keep the ward in place. I’m even sorrier my aunt isn’t willing to help as much as I think she should.”
I licked my lips. “We understand.” Sort of.
Would Rowena be willing to help if she learned who Lilith and Roman had their eyes set on now?
“Are you any closer to finding them? I know how important it is for your pack, especially since my aunt threatened to take away the safety spell on your running land during the full moon.”
My wolf nipped at my insides. She hated the reminder.
“Things are moving along. There’s, uh, been a new lead.” My words tumbled from my mouth.
“That’s good, right? I mean, I heard about the body that was found. Does that mean this is all getting ready to come to an end?” She reached for her French vanilla cappuccino.
“It’s good and bad.” I sank my teeth into my bottom lip. “And, it involves you actually.”
“Me? How?”
I slipped my money into the machine and pressed the buttons for the same drink as Ridley.
“Let me get my coffee, and then we can have a seat to talk.” I hated to sound cryptic, but I felt we should discuss this with her sitting. “I’ll explain everything then.”
Ridley moved to a nearby table and took a seat. She didn’t seem upset by what I’d said. Either she was good at handling supernatural occurrences, or she was good at hiding how much she was freaking out inside.
My cell chimed with a new text when the machine began to brew my drink. It was from Eli.
The coast looks clear. I d
on’t think they’re here. Maybe they don’t realize she’s who they’re looking for. We’ll be hanging out at Dorian’s SUV, waiting for you.
Okay. I’m going to break the news to her. — Mina
After I grabbed my coffee, I headed to where she was sitting. She adjusted her glasses and seemed to be looking anywhere besides me.
“Okay, um...you know I’m not one to beat around the bush. Maybe I’m not even the best person to be telling you this, but I’m going to come out and say it anyway,” I said. I situated myself across from her. She blew on her drink and lifted her gaze to me. “Have you ever heard of someone named Arturo Albus?”
Her brows pinched together. “No.”
“He’s a vampire witch hybrid of sorts who recently showed up in town. He’s here looking for Lilith.”
“Who’s Lilith?”
“She’s part of the Midnight Reaper vampires responsible for all of the killings. Roman Montevallo, the oldest brother in the Montevallo family, is part of that group as well.”
“So, what does this have to do with me?”
“You being in Mirror Lake changed something for Lilith.” I poured a sugar packet into my coffee and stirred. “At least I think it’s you. Do you know what powers you have? You’ve never actually said.”
Ridley blinked. Apparently, it wasn’t a question she’d been expecting. “I’ve already told you I get weird vibes from places and sometimes things. Mainly places where something horrible happened to someone, like a murder site or where an accidental death occurred. There’s a residue that’s left behind I can sense. I thought that was the extent of my powers until I begin to see things a few months ago. Things no one else can.”
The fine hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.
“It’s true, then,” I whispered. “You’re an anchor to the other side.”
Ridley’s eyes widened. She glanced around as though she were scared someone might have heard me. “How did you know?”
“It’s something Arturo said. He claimed there was an anchor in Mirror Lake.”
“How did he know?” Her fingers reached beneath her shirt for a necklace. “I thought this was supposed hide my magic. My aunt said it would.”
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