Chapter 28
As soon as he crossed the border into Silvertail Ridge, he realized how much he hated the place. The animalistic vibe annoyed the shit out of him.
Still, he was willing to bet Neil and Genevieve were there. He needed to kill Neil and reclaim his daughter. To do that, he needed that damned dagger Evangeline took. He would take pleasure in killing her.
She would never be willing to help him again. Foolish girl was going to die, and he would claim the dagger.
Evangeline walked into the street and threw her hand up, stopping the car, the engine seizing and stopping. He shot out of the seat and marched for her.
He saw five men with her. The one he tracked down from the mountain was with her. Then he realized the Silver Council Magister and his lieutenant were there.
“Oh shit,” he muttered and tried to take a step back, but his feet were glued to the asphalt. “What are you doing?”
Her eyes blazed as she stalked to him. “You threw me in that cave. Were you hoping I’d find the dagger? Or did you hope I’d become Zariha’s next meal?”
“Both. And I want the dagger.”
She let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, now that’s classic. You think after putting me through hell, I should give you the dagger? Not happening. You can go to hell.”
“It was always meant to be mine.”
“I’m pretty sure Merova would say otherwise.”
“You’re saying she gave you the blade? You didn’t take it?”
“I didn’t want the damned dagger. I left without touching it, and she gave it to me anyway. And the way it appeared, I don’t think I could give it to you if I were stupid enough to want to.”
Throwing his hands out, he screamed a spell. Only his voice went quiet, the spell dying on his tongue.
“Stop right there, or I’ll give you to the Silver Council. Because really, in the long run, your answers never fucking matter, do they?”
“Of course they do.” He blinked, surprised he could talk, but not cast. “And how do you have magic?”
She snorted. “Nope, not answering a damned thing. You’re going to answer me.”
He sputtered, trying to figure out what the hell had happened to his daughter. And if she were a witch again, was she still a werewolf? Was that possible?
The slap came so fast he didn’t see Evangeline move. Pain spread across his face as his head whipped to the side, spraying blood.
“What did you plan to accomplish?” Evangeline demanded.
He blinked and gave her some version of the truth, from long ago. “I wanted you to gain your magic back. I wanted Genevieve to be better. If you had the dagger, you could fix both you and her. Or give it to me to fix everything for you.”
“You fix everything?” She snorted. “If you had the dagger, you would only want to make things change for you, no one else. And I don’t trust you for a damned second.”
“The dagger is the only way to stop Zariha.”
“Which I’ll do, without you.”
He scrambled for an excuse. “I knew you could reach it where Genevieve couldn’t. You were always the stronger of the two of you. Even without your magic.”
She balled up her fists and screamed as she paced away.
He tried to close the distance, but he was still frozen in place, unable to move.
“He’s not going to tell me anything. Take him to a cell. Maybe you can get a real answer out of him.”
The magister nodded, but then smiled. “We’ll take him to the Council, but come with us. And I’ll teach you something new.”
“Take him and come back for me. I need a few minutes.”
“You got it,” he answered.
The Magister and the lieutenant touched him. Then he was in a stark interrogation room.
In seconds he was chained to a metal chair. “Be a good boy and stay quiet. We won’t be long,” the lieutenant stated. Then the two mages were gone.
* * * *
Evangeline turned to Bran. “Be right back.” She zipped over to his house, touched both Genevieve and Neil, and took them back in a blink. She let them go and stepped back. “I’ll get answers from the asshole. Then we can figure out what’s going on. You two be safe.”
“Where is he?” Genevieve asked.
“At the Silver Council. No telling which headquarters, but he won’t get away from them.”
“Okay,” Genevieve whispered.
“Hit him for me. Seriously,” Neil requested.
“You got it. I’m sure I’ll need to hit the fucker more than once.”
She stepped outside and found Bran, Jay, and Tremaine.
Bran hurried to her. “You okay?”
“Will be after the bastard talks.”
“If he speaks,” Jay muttered. “What the fuck is wrong with him? I don’t see ever wanting to hurt your children like that.”
“Selfish fucking asshole. I wonder what my mother ever saw in him.”
Bran snorted. “Yeah, I wonder what the hell my mother saw in my father.”
Then she froze. She had to wonder what she saw in Jasper. Sure, there was some good in there, but damn it, she still remembered the fear that filled her the first time they met.
Shaking her head, she smiled. “Let’s not worry about that.”
Bran placed a kiss on her lips. “I love you, and I know this is right. I’ve had a dozen years to find a million things about you to love.”
She grinned. “I’ve done the same for you.”
“Thank God.”
There was a pop, and Tremaine asked, “You get him tied down?”
“He’s secure.” Robert looked at Evangeline. “I’m going to show you how to get to the Headquarters, into the room adjacent to the interrogation room. And I’m sending you by yourself.”
Bran shook his head, stepping next to her. “Oh no, I’m coming too.”
“Need me?” Jay asked.
“For this? Doubtful,” Preston answered. “Go home and avoid the dry heaving that will come with another ride.”
“If you make a move, wherever, let me know,” he told Evangeline.
“We will,” she promised.
Jay tipped his head and walked down the road.
Robert moved in front of her. “Touch my head.”
Taking a breath, she reached out and placed her fingers on his temple.
“Now close your eyes.”
She did.
“Follow your touch into my mind. Look at the image I show you.”
She focused on where her touch connected her to Robert and rode the instinct into his head. She saw the room in 3D.
“Now go there, and I’ll bring the rest of us.”
“Let me go with her,” Bran insisted.
She looked at him. “What if I mess up?”
“She’s right,” Preston said. “You could easily get stuck in furniture, a wall, anything, really. Let her try a place she’s never been to without you.”
He closed his eyes and grunted, “Fine.”
She stepped back and closed her eyes. Then she was there, in the room, looking through the window, which was likely a two-way mirror because she could plainly see her father, who was cursing up a storm.
The pop sent her spinning, right into Bran’s arms. “You made it just fine. Still, don’t see why I couldn’t come.”
She laughed softly. “Preston has a point. What if I miscalculated? You would have been hurt, or worse.”
He shook his head. “Whatever the case is, you’re gaining everyone’s talents, and you are mastering them instantly.”
“Still need practice.” She turned to Robert. “So, where are we?”
His brow arched. “Seattle. Which means you aren’t limited by distance. Most people are limited to within three to five miles. You went a few hundred.”
She blinked slowly and gripped Bran’s hand. “Uh…okay.”
“Don’t worry. As long as you have someone’s memory to go by, you can go anywhere you need to.”
“Yeah. Okay. Now what?” Gulping, she nodded.
“Want to do that with him? You can get your answers, regardless of what he thinks.”
“He’s not going to consent.”
Robert lifted a shoulder. “Doesn’t matter. He’s put you in the way of danger too many times. You need answers, and this will be the fastest way. I’ll show you how to navigate in his head.”
“All right, sure.” God, she was nervous.
Preston shook his head, rolling his eyes.
“Come on, you can see what’s there.” Robert prompted.
* * * *
As soon as they were out of the room, Bran turned to Tremaine. “Why is he teaching her all of this? She’s freaking out.”
“She’s got it,” Tremaine answered. “And really, if she has these abilities, you can get to the bottom of all of this, even if we aren’t there to help you along.”
“Is she really soaking up everyone’s abilities like a sponge?”
“Not exactly. She’s not stealing power from people, she’s just learning it. I’ve never seen anything like it, but Ceridwen assures me that every time Merova bestows a gift on one of her descendants, they gain this kind of ability. There have only been a few who she considered worthy.”
“Is that a blessing or a curse?” Bran asked.
“Depends on how she takes knowing she can learn to do pretty much anything.” Preston smiled, though. “I know someone who has the ability to do anything, and she’s very level-headed until you piss her off. I have a feeling Evangeline will be like Isa.”
“I hope that’s a good thing.”
“It is. I assure you.”
Tremaine patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. She’s in good hands, and I have a feeling she’s quite happy with where she is. Unless someone she cares about is in trouble, I doubt she’ll lose it. And even if she does, I doubt she’ll go too far.”
Bran nodded, his heart pounding in his chest as he watched the sneer on Evangeline’s face as she glared at her father.
Olivier blinked and cowered in the seat. “You won’t hurt me. You can’t!”
Her eyes narrowed. “No, but you will be judged, and we have the means to get something better than a confession out of you. And you can bet your ass we’ll do just that.”
“How?” He laughed hysterically. “What have I done but try to provide the best I could for you and your sister?”
“Bullshit. You sent me to the fucking Bloodfang, and when his son claimed me, you abandoned me.”
“You were mated.”
She shook her head. “You didn’t give a shit about me.”
Bran placed a hand on the glass. Damn, he wanted to comfort her. But she needed to do this.
“I did. I never expected one of the wolves to claim a witch. I never expected you to want to stay.”
“I didn’t have a damned choice. You have no fucking clue what I went through.”
“And now you’re with another filthy wolf.”
“Oh, don’t you start,” she snarled. “Bran is everything I want. He’s not Jasper, who I only met because you practically sold me to Killian. Bran loves me, and it’s more real than you ever felt for a single fucking person.”
Robert whispered something, and Bran wished like hell he knew what.
Sighing, Evangeline nodded. “Let’s get this over with. I have a feeling I’m going to hate him even more.”
He couldn’t imagine digging around someone else’s mind, much less someone who hurt his own daughters so badly. Later, Bran had every intention of doing what he could to soothe her and show her how much she was loved.