Regardless, Lilly Pendergrass and I were not friends.
Even so, I couldn’t imagine why Ridley would be there. Better yet, why Lilith would be.
“What is Ridley doin’ there? I don’t think she even knows Lilly,” Benji said.
“It appears the place is in the middle of nowhere, which has its benefits,” Arturo said. “Do either of you know how many people live on this farm? Are they human?”
Benji opened his mouth as though he were going to speak, but thought better of it. His eyes shifted to me. “I was goin’ to say yes to bein’ human, but after what you confirmed for me today, I’m not so sure anymore.”
“Human,” I said while holding his gaze. Relief trickled through his eyes, and I had a feeling it pertained to knowing there were still other humans in town besides him. “And honestly, I’m not sure how many people live there. I know Lilly’s parents do, but I think she left for college. I don’t remember if she had any siblings.”
“Humans will be easy for Lilith to compel if she uses her knowledge of runes, which I have no doubt she’s been using all along,” Arturo insisted. “I’m assuming the reason she hasn’t yet placed a rune on Ridley to hide her is because she’s intoxicated with the thought of seeing her sister again. Family always did mean everything to her. I’m quite sure that is why she sought out Roman as well.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“The two have known each other a long time. Best friends. Lovers,” Arturo insisted. There was a dark look reflected in his eyes as he said this. It was clear he didn’t like the thought of the two of them together.
Did he view Lilith as a lover? Was he obsessed with her?
“You should call Eli, don’t you think?” Arturo asked. “Fill him in.”
He was right. I pulled my cell out and dialed Eli. Now that we had Ridley’s location, we needed to get to her as soon as possible.
Eli answered on the second ring.
“Hey. Were you able to locate Ridley?” He asked the instant he answered his phone.
“Yeah, Benji had a couple of her things in his truck. I gave them to Arturo.”
“How did it go with Benji?”
I glanced at him, and then took a few steps toward the door to give myself a false sense of privacy. “As good as could be expected.”
“Good. We can talk to Ivette after all this is over and see if she’ll be willing to wipe Benji’s memory.”
“I think we should leave that to Ridley to decide. It’s not our place.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Eli said. “So, where is Ridley?”
“She’s at the Pendergrass farm.”
“Okay. I’ll gather up Dorian and some of the others. We’ll meet you there.”
“No,” Arturo insisted from the other side of the room. I could feel his eyes on me; it was how I knew he was talking to me. I glanced at him. “No,” he repeated.
“No, what?” I asked.
“Your pack will not head to the Pendergrass farm without crafting a plan first.” There was a bitter edge to his words. “You will tell Eli to wait. I will come to your home, and we’ll craft a plan together. I do not intend to lose Lilith now that I’ve found her.”
I pursed my lips together. “Arturo said—”
“I heard him,” Eli ground out. “Tell him I said fine. I’ll be waiting.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll see you in a few. Love you. There’s someone at the door,” Eli said before he hung up.
“Love you too,” I muttered to the dial tone. My attention shifted to Arturo. “Eli said he’ll be waiting.” I crammed my cell into my back pocket again. My gaze drifted to Benji. “Do you want me to take you back to your truck?”
“Hell no. The field can wait. I’m stickin’ this thing out. I want to help rescue Ridley.”
I’d expected as much.
“Okay, then let’s go.” I reached for the doorknob. As I did, my mind jumped to the last thing Eli said—there’s someone at the door.
Whoever it was, I hoped they didn’t bring us more bad news. I wasn’t sure how much more I could handle.
19
A familiar vehicle was parked in front of my trailer. I stared at the white SUV, knowing who it belonged to. My heart throbbed in my throat.
What was Rowena doing here? Had she learned about Ridley somehow?
My hands shook as I shifted into park. We’d been careful not to say anything to anyone so Ridley’s disappearance wouldn’t get back to Rowena. How had she found out? Had Officer Dan said something, or one of the other officers when cleaning up the accident?
No. That couldn’t be it. Ridley’s car wasn’t there. Lilith and Roman had taken it.
Rowena had to have found out somehow. I was willing to bet money it had something to do with her witchiness.
“Ridley’s aunt’s here.” Benji seemed shaken. “Great. Now I’m goin’ to be in a trailer with a bunch of werewolves, an ancient vampire, and a pissed off powerful witch. When did my life turn into the makings of a bad joke?”
I chuckled. Poor Benji. This situation was a lot to take in. He was handling it like a champ, though.
“I don’t like the idea of the Caraway witches being here. I was hoping they wouldn’t be involved any more than they already have been,” Arturo insisted. He slipped out of my backseat.
“I doubt Eli called Rowena. When I was on the phone with him, he said there was a knock at the door. He didn’t say who it was, but I don’t think he was expecting it to be her.” There was more bite to my words than was necessary, but I didn’t like Arturo being aggravated at Eli for Rowena’s presence when I didn’t think he had anything to do with it.
Rowena was a witch. She most likely had ways of knowing things that ran beyond logic. We’d been stupid to not say something about Ridley’s abduction to her right away. Who knew how she would retaliate.
On shaky legs, I led Benji and Arturo up the steps of my trailer. When we stepped inside, Rowena was on the couch. Her legs were crossed, and her face was serious. Dorian and Tate were there as well as Julian.
“Mina,” Rowena said by way of greeting as I entered my home. “I’m glad you’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you.”
My brows furrowed as the knots in my stomach grew to the size of melons.
“Why?” I asked.
She ignored my question and shifted her attention to Benji. “Hello. I see they let you in on what’s going on with Ridley. How nice of them.” Her tone was clipped. She was pissed and scared. Both emotions rippled off her in waves. “Hello, Mr. Albus. I was right to guess you would be involved in all of this. I only wish you had left Ridley out of it. I wish that all of you had.”
“It was never an option, I’m afraid,” Arturo said. His eyes fixed on Rowena.
She bounced her foot, her gaze never wavering from him. If looks could kill, Arturo would be dead.
Rowena shifted her heated gaze my way. “Mina, I did not come here to speak with Arturo; I came to speak with you. Tell me what happened to my niece.”
I opened my mouth and then closed it. How should I explain?
“Mina,” Rowena pressed. One of her perfectly arched eyebrows lifted.
“We figured out Ridley was an anchor. Arturo let us know Lilith was after her because of it. Apparently, she wants to contact her sister. I tried to get to Ridley first. We all did. We actually managed to, but on our way back from the library a random vampire Lilith and Roman created smashed into Dorian’s vehicle behind us. When Ridley and I pulled over to check on the others, they took her. They’d been waiting for us. They nabbed her while I was distracted.” The words rushed past my lips. Rowena’s gaze was a hell of a lot more intimidating than Gran’s. The faster I explained, the faster she’d stop staring at me like that.
But Rowena didn’t look away.
“Lilith wants Ridley to tap into the other side?” Rowena asked. Her body grew stiff.
“Yes,” I said.
“She can’t,�
� Rowena insisted. “Ridley cannot tap into the other side.”
“What do you mean she can’t?” Eli asked. He stepped forward and folded his arms over his solid chest. “As in Ridley doesn’t have the power, or because something horrible will happen if she does?”
Rowena licked her lips. “Ridley has the power, but she hasn’t been properly trained on how to use it. She’s a novice. If she taps into the other side, there’s a high risk she could make it unstable, which means those on the other side would be able to get through at will.”
“How’s that a bad thing?” Tate asked. “They’re just spirits. It’s not like they can hurt anyone.”
Rowena narrowed her gaze on him. “They can do more than you think, especially the malicious ones.”
Eli moved a hand over his jaw. It scratched over his stubble. “So, what you’re saying is we need to get to Ridley before she’s forced to tap into the other side.”
“Exactly,” Rowena said.
“What happens if we don’t? How will we know the other side is unstable?” Benji asked. It was a question I should have thought of but hadn’t. Maybe it was a good thing he was here after all. “I mean, what if she’s already been forced to tap into the other side and find this chick’s sister?”
Rowena’s brows knitted together, but her eyes softened. “Let’s hope it hasn’t come to that, for Ridley’s sake.”
A shiver slipped down my spine. From the look on her face and the emotions swirling around her, whatever might happen to Ridley if she made the other side unstable wasn’t going to be good.
“Will she die?” Benji asked in a whisper. In the silence of the trailer we all heard him though, especially Rowena.
“There’s a chance. Yes.”
Fear shined behind Rowena’s gaze. Eli shifted on his feet, and I noticed Rowena’s emotions were reflected in his features. It had to be because of his connection with Julian and his empathic powers. My gaze drifted to Julian to see if he felt something similar. He did, but it didn’t seem to be quite as strong as whatever Eli was feeling.
Guilt ate at my insides.
“How did you know she’d been abducted?” Dorian asked Rowena. “Were you tracking her?”
“No. I made Ridley a spelled necklace, a talisman, to help hide her gift from anyone who might seek her out. Anchors are rare. Finding one with even a small amount of power is a prize. Everyone knows with the right amount of determination and hard work even a witch born with a tiny amount of anchor power can be transformed into something great. I didn’t want anything like what’s happened to occur. It was because of that necklace I knew something was wrong. I felt when it was taken off.”
“Did she know that?” Dorian asked. “Did Ridley know you’d feel it?”
“She did,” Rowena insisted.
“Then there’s a good chance she took it off on her own. If she knew you were somehow connected to it, she could’ve taken it off to send a warning that she was in trouble to you,” Dorian said.
Relief trickled through me. A thought occurred to me.
“She wants you to help us,” I said, knowing it was true with every fiber of my being. “Her removing the necklace was her asking. So, will you?”
Rowena’s gaze drifted around the room, taking us all in. She smoothed a finger along her brow before she answered and forced herself into a standing position.
“Tell me what you would like me to do,” she said.
Nearly an hour later we had crafted a plan we each agreed on. It wouldn’t have happened so smoothly without Benji’s help. He knew the Pendergrass property better than any of us. Alec had taken him to their pond numerous times to fish. He also let us know their house was three-stories. There was also a barn and a couple of sheds crammed with farming equipment on the property too. Knowing this helped narrow down areas to search.
We’d chosen the barn and the house.
“I can assure you Lilith would not stay inside a barn of all things. She most definitely would have worked her way into the house,” Arturo insisted.
“I feel the same way about Roman. There’s no way he’d be staying in a barn all this time,” Julian chimed in.
“Okay, so the barn is out,” Eli said. “We focus on the house then.”
“I think our best bet would be to follow Benji from the pond to the house, taking the back way he mentioned,” Dorian said. “We could surround the house that way. Between all of us we should be able to get to Ridley before anything happens.” He glanced at Eli. I knew it was because for a split second he’d shifted into the role of taking charge of the planning stage again, even though he knew that was Eli’s responsibility now.
“Anyone have a weapon for me? Tips? Strategies?” Benji asked. He glanced around the room. “Is there a special way to kill a vampire, or am I supposed to go off what I’ve learned on TV over the years?”
“You’re not coming,” Dorian insisted without hesitation.
“To hell I’m not,” Benji spat. He took a step toward Dorian and puffed out his chest. “Ridley is my girl. I’ll be there to make sure she’s rescued safely whether you want me there or not.”
“Jesus, what is with humans and the hero complex?” Dorian ran a hand through his hair. “It’s like deja vu. Wasn’t I arguing about something similar with another idiot human guy not too long ago?”
Alec. He was talking about Alec. My lips twisted into a smirk.
“He’s coming,” Eli said. Authority rang through his voice loud and clear. “Like he said, Ridley is his girl, and there’s no way I’ll deny him the right to fight for her. He’s coming with us.”
Benji nodded at Eli, a thank-you without words.
“Fine, whatever,” Dorian insisted. “But mark my words, he’s going to get in the way or end up getting hurt.”
“Can you say the same about me? Because my magic lies in potions and spells,” Rowena said. “I don’t have magic in my fingertips. Will I get in the way too? Will I get hurt?”
Venom dripped from her words. It was clear she didn’t like Dorian’s disapproval of Benji coming along. He cared for her niece. It seemed as though that was all that mattered to her.
“No, I didn’t mean—”
“Good.” Rowena held up a hand to stop his flow of words. “Now let’s gather the supplies we need. My niece is waiting.”
“We’re not going anywhere yet,” Eli insisted.
Rowena glared at him. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I think it would be best if we waited until nightfall. We need some sort of coverage,” Eli said.
“Nightfall?” Rowena shrieked. “We can’t wait until nightfall. That’s too long. We need to go now.”
“He’s right,” Arturo chimed in. He’d remained mute while we crafted our plan. I assumed it was because the plan didn’t matter to him. All he cared about was getting his hands on Lilith again. “Nightfall will be best. Lilith will be expecting us to come now. If we wait until nightfall, there is a chance she may be distracted, which would allow us to get close.”
For him to get close was what he meant, but I let it slide.
“She would have already had Ridley tap into the other side by then.” Rowena clenched her hands into fists at her sides.
I was shocked by the sight of her anger. She was usually so calm and peaceful. I bet she could use some of her calming tea right about now.
“Exactly.” Arturo smirked. “Which is precisely why she will be distracted.”
Rowena looked as though she had something more to say but whatever it was, she released it from her body in the form of a long, slow exhale. Afterward, she gave a single nod of her head. With that, we knew what we would do.
We would wait until nightfall to rescue Ridley.
20
I’d never been to Lilly Pendergrass’s house before. There was nothing special about the place, but there was also no place for us to hide. The area surrounding the house was void of any trees or landscaping, which made the only place we could hide the cornfi
eld behind the house and to the right of the fishing pond.
This was where we stood, hidden in the thick, brittle stalks as we stared at the Pendergrass house. Ridley’s car was parked in the driveway. That was our first clue Arturo’s spell was right, and she was here. The second was the vampires circling the house like soldiers.
“Two,” Eli said in a low voice. “That’s all I’m seeing. Anyone else see more lookouts?”
“No,” both Dorian and Julian said at the same time.
“I can assure you there will be more inside,” Arturo said.
He was behind me and the others, making it clear he wasn’t willing to do any of the dirty work. I knew he would happily swoop in once Lilith was in sight though so he could apprehend her.
“Who are the vampires?” Tate asked. “The chick looks familiar.”
I squinted my eyes while looking at the male and female vampire circling the place.
“It’s Penny Lee and Mike Bailey,” Eli said. “Officer Dan mentioned they were missing.”
“Did he happen to tell you how many others went missing from town over the last couple days?” I asked, thinking it might be useful information.
“Three.” Eli’s eyes locked with mine. “Two males and one more female. Each of them in their late teens to early twenties, which means chances are they’re going to be in top physical shape. One of them was an underground MMA fighter.”
“Good to know.” My stomach tightened. A vampire with MMA skills? We were in over our heads big time. “So, who’s going to take out Penny and Mike?”
“I’m down for it,” Tate said. Excitement flashed in his green eyes. The kid thrived in situations like this. “I can take them both if you want me to.”
“Let’s not get overly confident,” Octavia insisted. She stepped forward, and again I was surprised she was even here. “I’ll take Penny; you take Mike.”
“Sounds good to me,” Tate said. He stripped out of his clothes, and the sensation of moon magic filtered through the air around him.
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