“Really?” She hesitated, and for a second I thought she might hang up. “Well, let me add to your list. Mom’s missing.”
The words hit my brain like a sledgehammer on a rail spike. “What did you say?” I turned away from the boys, and gave Cyn my full attention.
“She planned to go check on some things in New York, only she didn’t . . .”
“Yeah, when we talked, she told me she was headed to the city.” Beads of sweat ran down my back, cool and clammy, despite the heated confrontation earlier between Shade and Max. “She said she’d received an anonymous report on some kidnappings orchestrated by Francesca Rosencratz.”
“Goddamn!” Cyn dropped the phone, then quickly picked it back up. I held it away from my ear. “She told you that?”
“She told me Rosencratz was holding a witch’s familiar for ransom. Do you know anything about this? Where are you? What the hell is going on?” The floor and broken furniture started spinning around me. I had to slow down. Get control of this day before I totally lost it.
“I’m at the farmhouse. I’ve been waiting for her all afternoon. We were going to Manhattan together, but she didn’t show. I found her phone here a few minutes ago, which is how I know she called you. And she left her purse behind.”
“She never goes anywhere without that damn phone,” I said, my heart sinking like an iron anchor into the deep blue abyss. Had she been taken? Against her will? This was bad. Very. Very. Bad.
“I know. That’s why I’m calling. Some guys were poking around my apartment today.”
“Guys?”
“Yeah. Some creepy guys dressed as monks. They stuck out like flamingos in Alaska, and I got worried, so I came to check on Mom.”
“What about Miss Daisy? Did she say what happened to Mom?”
“I haven’t seen the cat. No one’s seen her, or Mom, and the police won’t let me file a report for twenty-four hours.”
“So, the first person you called was me?” I asked, incredulous.
“Look, I don’t give a shit about all that’s passed between us. I need you, and I need your monster-hunting skills. Will you come home? Please, Sam, come home and help me find her?”
The tone of Cyn’s voice crushed me. She’d never once used the word please with me that I could ever recall, not even when we were kids. “I’m leaving for the airport now.” I knew how hard it was for her to admit she needed me for anything, so I swallowed my stupid pride. There was no place for any of that here. If someone had hurt our mother in any way . . .
I squeezed Atlantis tight in my palm. Pulsing energy glowed from within the trident. “Plan to pick me up at JFK. I’ll text you the flight details.”
On the other end of the line, my big sister, the one who was always nettles and steel, broke down into tears. Her sobs made my heart go all gooey, and sister-like. Right now, it didn’t matter what our differences were. The only thing that mattered was family. Always. Forever. End of story. “Hey, Cyn?”
“Yeah?”
“We’ll find her. We’ll do this together.”
“I . . . I don’t know this time, Sam. I’ve never seen a witch turn against another witch like Francesca has turned against our mother. This wound runs deep between them.”
“You’re talking about what happened between them in high school, right?” My palms sprung with sweat. “No. Just stop. Francesca and Mom grew up together. They were friends all through high school, so that’s got to count for something. She wouldn’t hurt her. Right?”
“They were friends until you came along,” she said, a trace of old hatreds lining her words.
“How is it my fault? Their issues started when Mom stopped her from using black magic. I had nothing to do with it.”
Cyn laughed, but her tone held no humor. “It had everything to do with your father, though.”
When my dad chose my mom over Rosencratz, the woman had gone insane. Really, the only surprise was that Rosencratz had never pulled something like this shit before. When witches went off the reservation, all sorts of weird things happened. Demons were summoned. Droughts and plague became an issue. Wildfires burned rampant. Wicked black magic caused all sorts of mayhem, and it always put humans in danger.
It wasn’t something any witch I’d ever met wanted any part of. The witches I knew were peaceful souls, healers, working their magic for good.
But, damn it, I wasn’t a witch.
I was a demigod, a monster-hunter, and if it took my kind of magic and skills to end this, then so be it.
“On second thought, I don’t think it’s safe for you to come.” The flat tone in my sister’s voice startled me, and my heartbeat ramped up. “You realize she’s probably doing this to get to you, right? Francesca has always wanted your head on a spike. Your very existence is proof that Poseidon rejected her, that Mom messed up her plans.”
I let the warning wash over me. It was the definition of everything wrong with me and my family, and the chief reason I rarely went home for casual visits. It was the reason my mother sent me to the HWB—to shield me from Rosencratz.
Cyn blamed me for Rosencratz’s anger.
“But now the crazy witch is taking things out on Mom?”
“Hell hath no fury like an angry, scorned witch with access to magic she can manipulate into darkness,” Cyn said.
No wonder Cyn was furious with me. Suddenly, fury was the only thing I understood, and I clenched my trident’s staff so hard, my knuckles turned white. “You say she wants my head on a spike. Fine. I say we put our talents together, and see if we can flush Rosencratz out into the open. Then I’ll gladly give her the opportunity to take it.”
Chapter 7
Sam
“DID I HEAR your sister say Francesca Rosencratz?” Max demanded, grasping my arm, gently, but firmly.
I looked at the challenge in his turquoise eyes, and for a fleeting second, I wasn’t sure I liked his tone. How would I handle it if he went all alpha-male on me, and started demanding things?
That would never work. I’d always been the one who called the shots in our relationship, and I sure as hell wasn’t ready for that to change.
“Yes. I’m going to help Cyn find her,” I answered, pocketing my phone. I summoned Atlantis, watching it fade back into my left arm, and disappear with a snap of magic. “Cyn thinks Rosencratz has abducted Mom. Miss Daisy’s missing too, Max.”
“What?” His voice rose, filled with confusion.
I dashed to the hall closet and pulled out my gear bag where I kept everything I needed for hasty departures. In my line of work, one never knew what the next hour might demand. Max nodded, and took the bag for me, hefting it over his shoulder. It was a gentlemanly gesture, and damn potent. That I liked.
“Then I’m coming, too,” Max said. “No way in hell are you going to face a threat like that without me.”
I nodded. “Good plan.” Having Max at my side made total sense. Of course I wanted him to come along.
A high-keening crack of shattering ice drew our attention to the forgotten vampire popsicle. An arm came out first, and he shattered his fragile bonds. He kicked the rest of the ice away, and Shade burst free from my hoar-frost spell. “You’re not going to New York,” he said, shaking remnants of the frost from his head.
I paused, and glared up at him. “And who, exactly, do you think is gonna stop me?”
“I am,” he said, twisting to kick free of the rest of the ice sculpture.
Max turned on Shade and moved up into his face. “You don’t own her. And you don’t get to tell her where she can come and go. If our mothers are missing, we’re going to find them. Together.”
“At ease, Kitty Boy,” Shade said, holding up a hand to wave Max down.
“Don’t call me that.” Max sneered at him.
“The Hunters’
Watch has had this situation under surveillance for some time now. We have to talk about this.”
“What situation?” I asked, fisting my hands at my side, stepping closer to him. Had he been listening to us through the ice? Did he hear what I’d said to my sister?
“When’s the last time you talked to your mother?”
“This afternoon . . . why?” I gave the vampire my full attention. The hair on the back of my neck pricked to life and stood on end. Was he withholding information about my mother? And if so, why?
If he knew about what was going on with my family, why would he bait Max to shift?
“Helmina contacted us about a month ago regarding the diversion of funds from her covens for the Halloween-slash-Samhain festival in Central Park. She brought up the name Francesca Rosencratz, and notified us about her suspicions.”
“You knew?” I asked, grimacing with disbelief. I shoved my finger into his chest. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”
“It was on a need-to-know basis. Until tonight.” Shade pulled back from me. “This visit wasn’t just about the mermaid, or your little furry friend here. I came to tell you about our interest in Rosencratz.”
“Why would the HWB be interested in a witch with a vendetta against my mother?”
“I was just about to get into it with you when Kitty Boy here decided to show his ass.”
“Watch it, you undead Neanderthal. These claws work just fine on vampire skin.” Max extended his diamond-sharp claws, and flexed his fingertips.
“You’re under my command now, Kitty Ra-Ra. You stand down until I tell you what you can and can’t do with those claws.”
“Get this clear, you undead freak, I work for Sam, until she says otherwise. You want to test these claws out, just try to stand in our way.”
“Enough, you two,” I yelled with as much authority as my voice could muster. Both men looked my way. “The last thing I have time for is a pissing contest between two alpha males tonight. My mother’s missing!”
“She’s my number one priority. Helmina asked me not to tell you until she found out more about what Rosencratz is up to,” Shade confessed. “There appears to be evidence she’s working for someone who wants the HWB to go down. Someone with big money, and even bigger contacts.”
“You son of a bitch. This is my mother we’re talking about.” I curled a fist and slammed it against his leather-clad granite chest. “She’s been abducted, Shade!”
The vampire nodded, then he sighed. Oh, my God. He knew.
“You let me go out mermaid hunting when you knew my mother was in danger?” My face stung. I wanted to kill him.
“I just found out an hour ago. That’s why I came to see you myself.” He grasped my arms, firmly, gently, and his expression softened. “By this act, Francesca Rosencratz has escalated to a Supernatural Code Red. This kidnapping is the Hunters’ Watch Brigade’s first priority.”
I jerked back from him, hot tears burning my eyes. “I don’t understand what’s going on. How do you even know about this?” The HWB didn’t have any interest in my family. Did it? How could he have known?
“Rosencratz is after you, too.”
Max drew in a tight breath between his gritted jaws. “She’ll never touch her as long as I draw breath.”
“I was totally counting on that, Kitty Boy. Samantha, have you spoken to your father about this yet?” Shade asked.
I shook my head. Shade always asked me about my dad. Even though my mother told me my dad knew about Shade and the HWB, they’d never met.
“She’s been tailing you since you were born. Your mom sent you to us to protect you. Rosencratz won’t stop until she sees you dead.”
“Because of my dad . . .? Because Mom interfered in her plans to dupe him? But why now? Tell me what you know.”
“That’s why I’m here. And here’s everything you need to know.” He reached into his leather jacket pocket, pulled out a flash drive, and handed it to me. “I’ve got a full team on it right now, but they haven’t located her in New York City. Not yet. All the details point back to Provincetown. We think Rosencratz is holding her there.”
Shaken, I wheeled away, and stalked toward the door. Was this my fault? “Great. Some psycho witch has serious Fatal Attraction tendencies, and she’s acting like Glenn Close in the movie?” Thank goodness Max had shifted or I’d have to be worried about her boiling him in her cauldron.
Then I thought about Miss Daisy. Max’s mom, my mother’s feline familiar. Was she in danger too?
I shook off the harrowing images. Seriously pissed, now I was ready to kick some supernatural ass. “Come on, Max. We’ve got to get home.”
Shade moved to stop us. “Wait a damn minute. You can’t drive—that’ll take too long. You can’t fly commercial because Kitty Boy here doesn’t have any ID. Or shoes, for that matter. I’m working on his new identity, and his clothes, but for now, you both need to come with me.”
“What do you mean, come with you?” Max said. “Haven’t you created enough of a mess here tonight?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But I’ve got the HWB jet on standby at Key West International. It’s gonna take five hours, but we can be in Provincetown before sunrise. Now let’s go.”
I hesitated, trying to think things through. Did I want to be on an aircraft with these two tonight? Then again, what other choice did I have?
If Shade was willing to extend Hunters’ Watch Brigade’s services to help me find my mother, I couldn’t turn him down. He and his soldiers, my brothers in arms, were Mom’s best hope.
I snapped my head in an affirmative nod. “Okay. Let’s do it. I’ll tolerate just about anything as long as we find our mothers before anyone hurts them.” I jabbed my index finger between the both of them. “But you two have to swear—no fighting on the plane. You can explore your testosterone tendencies when this mission is over.”
That’s what this was now. A mission. And I intended to use every resource I could tap into to get my mother back safe.
Honestly, my mind was too fragmented to do all this alone anyway. I looked into Max’s hypnotic eyes. I’d always known he was going to shift one day. But now that he’d completed the transformation, were our days together numbered? How was I supposed to live without him?
Shade would offer him assignments—he was too valuable an asset not to. Max would take him up on it, and maybe learn how to use those fancy claws of his. And then he’d be gone. I swallowed hard as we walked out of the mansion on Shark Key, and headed toward the airport, Max and me in the Jeep, and Shade behind us on his Harley.
How could something so wonderful, and so awful, be part of the same event?
I reached for Max’s hand. As long as he stayed with me through this nightmare, as long as we found my mother and Miss Daisy, things might work out okay.
Whatever the future held, I was ready to get on with it. The big black HWB jet waited to sweep us onward with the first step of our new mission.
Chapter 8
Francesca
FRANCESCA ROSENCRATZ stared out over the nightline of Manhattan, past her reflection in the glass window of the skyscraper, and down onto Central Park. In exactly three days, her dreams would become a reality—Helmina Silverton dead, and her bastard daughter’s head a trophy for all the underling witches to see.
“What a waste,” she said to her reflection. “I could have made him happy. He could have made me a goddess.”
She adjusted her head so she could see her left profile, her best side. She turned when a knock sounded on her door, then crossed the contemporary suite’s camel-colored carpet, and opened the door to a handsome man, a vampire named Kristoff. For him, she smiled. “I see you’ve brought what I asked for. Do come in.”
The vampire strode inside the suite, his black silk Armani rustling around him. He was tall
, maybe six feet, and as handsome today as he was the first day she’d met him. Francesca followed Kristoff across the room. “Who would have thought taking up with the opposition all those years ago would have brought me so much joy later in life?”
“Opposition, alliance . . . aren’t we really all in this together, Francesca?”
“Not as long as the HWB keeps us apart.”
He held out his hand and offered her a carved ivory box. “You really don’t need this, my love. You’re beautiful just as you are.”
Easy for him to say. He never aged. Why was it so easy for men, anyway?
She took in a gasp, and seized the small box. Inside, she spied an amulet of soft green jade, in the shape of a dragon. It matched the color of her eyes. “How does it work?”
“Its ancient power lies inside. Turn around and let me put it on you.” He secured the golden chain over her head, and settled the jade dragon on her chest, just above her breasts.
“It looks like my familiar, Gesture.” He’d given her the dragon some years ago when she’d asked him to bring her something exotic.
“I chose it specifically for you. He’ll be drawn to it like a moth to a flame. When you’re ready to use its power, you simply flip open the top and pour out the elixir. Its endless supply of botanical serum should provide you with years of luxurious soft skin.”
The artifact was priceless. “Excellent.” She tried it, and smoothed the silky potion under her chin. The serum tingled, and her skin pulled tight. “I love it.”
Kristoff’s lips curved into a blazing smile. “Just one of your many prizes in trade for services rendered. Tell me you have what we want.”
She curled a finger at him, and he followed her over to the window. “Down there.” She gestured to the wide expanse of green that was the Great Lawn of Central Park. “That’s where it will happen. My men already have seven familiars in the forgotten basement of the Met. Helmina Silverton and her feline familiar are waiting there, too, in chains.”
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