“And that’s you?” Addison looked at me with wide eyes. “That’s why Taylor went into heat and started to change, because you’re this…this special kind of were?”
“I wouldn’t exactly call it special,” I growled, glaring at her. “There’s a reason they call it a fucking curse. It’s a hell of a thing but I never expected it to affect anyone but me. I didn’t even know about this damn prophecy until tonight.”
“So…what?” Gwendolyn said, frowning. “Is Celeste trying to get Taylor back for herself so she can control her—use her to run errands during the day or something?”
“I’m afraid not,” Corbin said shutting the book and straightening up. “Why should she want to get Taylor to do things during the daylight when she could do them herself?”
“But how—” Addison began and then stopped, turning pale. “Corbin, please, don’t say it.”
“I’m sorry, darling, but I have to—Celeste is going to try and get Taylor’s new powers for herself,” he said. “And the only way to do that will be to drain her and take her blood. All of her blood.”
“But that would kill her,” Gwendolyn objected. “I mean, if she was using a spell to take the life force as well.”
He nodded. “Undoubtedly. Exsanguination is fatal to young vampires. It takes us at least fifty to sixty years to toughen up enough to withstand such treatment and Taylor has only had a little over six.”
“Where is she?” I shot to my feet—I couldn’t sit there listening to them speculate anymore. “We have to get to her before that bitch, Celeste—before she…” I couldn’t make myself say it.
“Unless…unless she has already.” Gwendolyn looked sick. “Oh God, I never should have broken that bond. Never.”
“You can make it up to us now,” Corbin said practically. “Do you still have anything of Taylor’s? Hair or blood—anything you can do a finding spell with?”
“Of course!” She snapped her fingers and some color returned to her cheeks. “I’ll get it.” She hurried out of the room.
Addison looked up at Corbin. “And you really think…you don’t think it will be too late?” she whispered, her eyes filled with unshed tears.
He shook his head. “I believe the kind of power transfer ceremony Celeste will have to use will require a full moon at its zenith.”
“That’s not long,” I growled. Even inside I could feel the moon’s pull—she would be right overhead soon. If that was all Celeste was waiting for, we didn’t have much time.
“We will simply have to hope she is close,” Corbin said.
At that moment, Gwendolyn hurried back in.
“Okay, this is a quickie,” she said. “But the blood I have from her is fresh so it ought to be really accurate.”
“How accurate?” Addison asked.
“We ought to be able to pinpoint her exact location,” Gwendolyn said, unrolling a black towel with various magical implements in it. “Anyway, there are two different spots around Tampa I think Celeste would be likely to go for this kind of spell. The first is an abandoned train yard not far from here—it was placed on an old crossroads where criminals were hung hundreds of years ago. The second is a hill just outside the Seminole land near the casino. It was sacred to the Indians and it’s also where the local covens used to practice.”
“Wait a minute—you mean Boneyard Hill?” Addison asked.
“Uh-huh.” Gwendolyn nodded. She was doing something with a compass, a map and a small vial filled with what I assumed was Gwendolyn’s blood. “Why?”
“We investigated a homicide there last year,” she said faintly. “Well, Homicide did—the VAB was called in because the murder was so brutal they suspected vamp involvement.”
Corbin cleared his throat and frowned at her.
“There wasn’t though,” she went on. “It was just—a really awful crime scene. One of the worst I’ve seen.”
“The hill is cursed,” Gwendolyn said. “It’s seen too much bloodshed and violence and bad things keep happening there. That’s why the covens quit using it as a meeting spot. It’s a place of power but the wrong kind of power now.”
“And you think Celeste took Taylor there?” I asked impatiently. I was itching to be away, to be looking for Taylor. What if the damn finding spell took too long? What if we were too late to save her? Even though she’d divorced me for all intents and purposes, I couldn’t stand to lose her. The thought of her being hurt or killed nearly drove me out of my mind. I had to get to her.
“I know she did.” Gwendolyn looked up at us. “Boneyard Hill is your place. She’s there, all right, and according to this, she’s still alive.” She held out the compass. “It won’t point to one who has passed over,” she said. “Taylor is okay—at least for now.”
“Let’s go.” I was already heading for the door.
“We’re coming with you,” Addison was right behind me and Corbin behind her.
“Damn it, then I’m coming too.” Gwendolyn grabbed some things and followed us.
“You can stay here,” I snarled, still angry at her for breaking the bond. “You’ve done enough damage, witch.”
“I know I did, which is why I’m offering to come help,” she snapped back. “There’s some very dark magic involved here, Victor—you might need me.”
“All I need is someone to point me toward Celeste,” I growled and the brand on my back burned. “So I can rip her fucking throat out.”
Chapter Twenty-six—Taylor
“Chain her tightly—I don’t want to risk her getting away,” Celeste directed the two vampires handling me. They were new—not more than a couple of days born to darkness I estimated—and obviously still infatuated with her. One was blond with big blue eyes and the other was dark with big green eyes. Either one of them could have been walking the catwalk wearing the latest in male fashions. Celeste always did have an appetite for pretty people.
“Yes, Mistress,” they chorused, giving her adoring looks. One of them chained my wrists to the big old oak tree in the center of the flat hill we were on and the other made certain my ankles were secure.
From my vantage I could see the Hard Rock casino, owned by the Seminole Indian tribe, as well as the vast parking garage, which was almost as tall as the casino itself. The lights of the Hard Rock sign blazed red neon like a distant star I could never reach. The hill we were on was just through a back lot overgrown with underbrush at the back of the huge building, but I might as well have been on the moon. No one would find me here—no one would even think to come looking. I had never felt so lonely.
Celeste came to stand in front of me, a smirk on her red lipsticked mouth. The sight of her pulled me out of my morbid thoughts. The chains the other two vamps were using to secure me to the tree were silver—they burned my skin and drained my strength. Still, I was more concerned about the wicked looking dagger my old mistress had unsheathed.
She was making practice swipes and stabs with it, the thin, silver knife glittering in the moonlight. It looked a lot like the athame Gwendolyn had used the night before but the blade was longer and sharper and much more lethal looking.
“Is it sharp enough, do you think, Taylor?” she asked, catching me watching her. “The better to kill you with, my dear.” She was wearing a long flowing white robe that she probably imagined made her look more like a practitioner of ancient magic. Red and white roses were fixed in her hair and an elaborate choker made of antique jet and onyx beads encircled her slim white throat.
I had been forced to dress in a white gown too—presumably to complement Celeste’s look. It was a long, flowing thing that clung to me and whipped in the wind dramatically. It was also backless, which meant I could feel every inch of the oak’s rough bark digging into my skin.
“The circle of protection is complete,” Shadowlock said, coming up from the other side of the hill. In contrast to Celeste’s theatrical outfit, he was wearing faded blue jeans, worn boots and a plain dark blue button-down shirt. Though I had seen him numer
ous times, that was as much of him as I could describe. I had thought the night before it was just because he was sitting in the shadows but closer observation had convinced me there was something about him—some spell maybe—that kept me from seeing his face clearly. It was blurred—except for the white flash of his teeth when he smiled occasionally. I found it strange and unsettling to stare right at him and still not know what he looked like.
Clearly, Celeste wasn’t bothered by the strange face-obscuring spell.
“Did you do as I instructed and make sure Taylor’s boyfriend could get in?” she asked, smirking at me. “It’s going to be so amusing to put on a little show with him before I make him watch her die.”
You bitch, I wanted to say but I was wearing the silver gag and saying anything was impossible.
The warlock sighed. “Yeah, I’ve got it so that weres can come in but not leave. But I have to tell you, Ma’am—I think it’s a bad idea. A really, really bad idea.”
“Nonsense,” she snapped. “It perfect. That they should both have to see each other suffer before they die. It’s very Romeo and Juliet—don’t you think?”
“If I remember my English Lit correctly, Romeo and Juliet kill themselves. And they don’t get tortured and drained by a bitchy diva vampire before they die,” he rumbled.
Her eyes flashed. “Enough. Has it not occurred to you that you may regret these snide remarks when I have absorbed Taylor’s power and ascended to greatness?”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “And has it occurred to you that you might regret ignoring my professional advice about letting a Goddamn werewolf into a circle of power on the night of the full moon?”
“I have silver to bind him with and if he gets out of hand I can always use the silver brands to mark him,” she said. “Carl has them heating over the hot coals now.”
“Mmmph!” I struggled uselessly against the silver chains that bound me to the tree. It was bad enough that she was planning on making Victor watch me die but she couldn’t torture him too!
Celeste smirked at me. “Oh yes, Taylor darling, we’re all set up. And let me tell you, I think I’ll use those brands on your beloved dog whether I need to or not. It would be such a waste of effort, otherwise.” She turned to the warlock. “It was a real nuisance bringing one of those portable barbeque grills all this distance and getting it set up and hot enough to use.”
Shadowlock rolled his eyes. “Right. First world psychopath problems,” he muttered. “You know, if you were smart, you’d give up on this whole circus and just do the ceremony now. The moon is almost directly overhead—all you have to do is say the words, slit her throat and drink her blood. It’d be quicker, safer, and a whole hell of a lot more humane.”
“Humane? Whoever said I wanted to be humane?” she sneered.
Shadowlock gave her a long, steady look. “I guess you’d have to be human for that, wouldn’t you?” He shrugged. “Well, who knows—maybe he won’t even show up. With a broken blood-bond, he might not even be able to find her.”
I desperately hoped he was right. It was bad enough that I’d walked into a trap and let Celeste capture me—I didn’t need to drag Victor into this too. Please let him stay away, I prayed silently. Please don’t let him find me.
But Celeste’s next words dashed my hopes.
“He’ll find her, all right. He loves her. Besides, if he doesn’t pick up the scent on his own, I have two little helpers that are going to lure him into the snare.”
Just at that moment two large gray wolves came loping up the side of the hill. When they reached Celeste, they both began to writhe and change. Their bodies lengthened, their paws turned to hands and feet and their muzzles shortened into faces. Last of all, their fur disappeared and their eyes went from wolf gold to normal human colors. In less than a minute the wolves were gone and two naked people were standing there instead.
I recognized them at once—one was LeeAnn, looking smug, and the other was one of the men from the fight at the dance club. The one with the silver knuckles whose throat I had bitten, I thought. Neither one of them seemed the least discomforted to be completely nude.
“What the hell is this?” Shadowlock looked irritated. “How many people do you expect me to protect, Celeste? My magic is strong but it’s not infinite.”
“These are my wolves,” Celeste said loftily. “Tozer, here, has been with me from the start. He planted the trap I had you make on Victor’s land just where he would step in it. I needed a were to help mask my scent, you know.” She smiled at the male were. “And then dear little LeeAnn wanted in too when she found out Victor was cheating on her. She was the one I gave the whip to—the one I had you treat with the special potion.”
Shadowlock frowned. “Weres don’t usually work with vamps.”
“That’s what Daddy says,” LeeAnn said. “But sometimes you have to break the rules to get things done…don’t you think, Mr. Warlock? Maybe we should work together sometime.” She thrust her bare breasts out and cocked her hip to one side—a clear come-on.
He looked her up and down and shook his head.
“Sorry, honey—I’m not sure if you’re up on your rabies vaccines.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” LeeAnn snapped.
“It means you’re a little too slutty for your own good, dear,” Celeste said, eyeing her critically. “At least leave something to the imagination—go put on some clothes.”
“Why should I bother when we’re just going to change again in a minute?” LeeAnn said. “I mean, when Victor gets here.”
“I don’t think we should be here when he gets here,” the other wolf, Tozer, spoke up for the first time.
“And why not?” Celeste demanded. “Am I or am I not paying you for this?”
“Yes, of course, Mistress.” He bobbed his head in a nervous bow. “But back when I first got on your payroll, I didn’t know the guy you were after was cursed.”
“You’re all cursed,” Celeste said dismissively. “You turn into furry, drooling animals at the full moon. Honestly, it’s disgusting. Now get back down the hill and watch for Victor. He should be arriving at any moment.”
“That’s what we came to tell you,” LeeAnn said. “He’s here—him and a bunch of other people just pulled up behind the casino. They’re on their way.”
“A bunch of other people, hmm?” Celeste frowned and looked at Shadowlock who shrugged.
“They can’t get in unless they’re weres. And once they get in, they can’t get out again.”
“What do you mean, can’t get out again?” Tozer looked absolutely panicked. “You mean we’re going to be stuck on this hill with the cursed one?”
“Will you stop that ‘cursed one’ nonsense?” Celeste snapped. “You’re here with a three-star vampire and a very talented, if somewhat acerbic, warlock—your hairy hide will be just fine.”
LeeAnn cocked her head to one side.
“They’re coming—I hear them.” She looked at Celeste. “I get to help with the killing—right? I want that son of a bitch dead for what he did.” She glared at me. “And I want her to see me do it.”
My heart sank as Celeste laughed unpleasantly.
“My, my—you’re not exactly the forgiving kind, are you? Don’t worry, my dear, you’ll get your chance. As long as you remember that Taylor here is all mine.” She pointed the tip of the silver athame at me and smiled.
I just glared back—there was nothing else I could do. Overhead, the moon finally moved into position and I thought I could hear familiar voices coming from the bottom of the hill, drifting up on the cool night breeze.
Victor, I thought futilely. Please don’t come up here. Please turn around and save yourself.
But I could already hear him coming. We were both going to die here tonight, on top of this hill and I would never get a chance to tell him how sorry I was or how much I cared for him. How much I loved him.
It was too late.
* * * * *
Victor
We hit an invisible barrier at the bottom of the hill. At least—the others did but it took me a full minute to realize they weren’t with me anymore. I smelled Taylor’s scent, tinged with silver and blood, and the moon was bearing down on me like a huge silent weight, urging me to change. The brand at my back was burning and my vision was red with rage. To say I was a little distracted would be an understatement.
“Victor! Hey, Victor!” I finally heard Addison calling. I turned around and saw that she and Corbin and Gwendolyn were standing at the bottom of the hill. But they weren’t just standing there—they were leaning inward, almost like they were pressed against an invisible wall.
“What the hell?” I snarled, taking a step back toward them. “This isn’t a very good time for the three of you to practice your fucking mime impressions.”
“We’re not,” Addison said impatiently. “There’s some kind of barrier here—we can’t get through it.”
“It’s magic—dark magic and very strong.” Gwendolyn was actually doing the invisible wall thing, running her palms across the unseen barrier as though trying to discover its dimensions. She looked up. “I recognize the signature—whoever is casting this is the same person who cursed the trap. And probably the lash you were whipped with last night too.”
“Can you break it?” Corbin asked her.
“I can try.” She opened the huge purse she’d brought with her and began pulling out magical paraphernalia. “It’s going to take some time though.”
“Time is what we don’t have. They could be killing her now.” I turned to go again but Corbin called me back.
“This is a trap set specifically for you, Victor—you know it is,” he said quietly. “In all probability, you are going to your death.”
I nodded shortly. “Yeah. I don’t care about that.”
He looked at me thoughtfully. “I salute your courage, my friend. Try to hold out—we will be there to back you up as quickly as possible.” He looked down at Gwendolyn. “Hurry, witch.”
“Going as fast as I can,” she said tensely. “I’ve never felt this level of power before. It’s going to be incredibly hard to penetrate.”
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