Chapter Twenty-two
The reunion
I didn’t say a word to my father as we drove toward the hotel where he and my mother were staying. Call it jitters or whatever, but I spent the whole ride biting my lips and fidgeting.
Once we were in the elevator, I started feeling hot and then sick, like I wanted to vomit. When the elevator stopped and I stepped out into the hallway, my father grabbed my hand gently. “Breathe, child. It’s just your mother.”
I nodded, and we continued to walk forward.
He took out a key card from his coat pocket.
My heartbeat overwhelmed me, and I took several deep breaths before I followed him inside.
The room smelled like flowers and faint perfume. It was dimly lit, and the bed hadn’t been touched. I heard the balcony door open, and I held my breath as my once catatonic mother stepped into the room.
Her brilliant smile crumbled my kneecaps and any resistance I might have tried to hold on to.
I ran to her, and she clutched me with a loud sob as we both fell to the floor and cried.
We wept together for lost time. For words unsaid and embraces like this one denied to us because of her mental state.
It wasn’t her fault. I couldn’t blame her, but I could not say the same for my father.
She held me in a tight embrace as she whispered, “I’m so sorry.” She kissed my head and forehead and then took my head in her hands to kiss my cheeks and eyes. “Jade, I love you so much. I’m so sorry for everything you’ve endured. So sorry for missing so much time and not being there to watch you grow into this beautiful woman.”
I couldn’t speak past the tears, but even if I could there’s nothing I could have said. I believed her, and I felt her sincerity pour into me the moment I walked in the room.
Once we calmed and dried our tears, we sat on the couch and I filled them in on everything. Including Seth and his disappearance.
When I finished, they exchanged a glance I did not like.
“What?” I asked.
My father sighed. “If they are virgins then it leads me to believe that the auction is involved.”
“The auction?” I quizzed.
He nodded. “Every year an auction is held and virgin girls – among other things – are sold for the right price. All the monsters come out to play that night.”
A shiver ran through me. “Sold to whom?”
He shrugged. “Vampires, witches…other wolf packs. Virgin blood is pure, Jade. It is very potent and much coveted. Imagine the best drug taking over and giving you the most euphoric high you’ve ever had. All monsters desire such blood.”
“And wolves?” I pushed.
“Other packs may buy virgins for bartering with witches or vampires. Some may make them as prizes…brides to their betas.”
I shook my head. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Sadly, no,” my father replied.
“Have you ever used this auction?”
“Alphas before me have, but I have personally never made a purchase. It is not my style.”
“So where is this auction?” I quizzed.
“The location changes. It is secret information.”
“How do we get it?” I pressed.
“We need to contact someone who participates, but they will not willingly surrender the location. We will have to use other methods,” my mother answered.
“Can I get it from them using my clairvoyance?”
“Most supernaturals know how to shield well enough to keep those like you out,” she replied. “But…” She stood up and rubbed her hands together. “Let us see if that is indeed what the case is regarding these girls.”
“Is there something else I don’t know about?” I asked.
She smiled gently. “All in due time, Jade.”
She went into the kitchen, and I turned toward my father. “What about Seth?”
“What about him?”
“Transylvania is your territory. You want me to believe you didn’t know he was there?”
He nodded. “You’re right. I smelled him the moment he entered my land. He had your scent all over him. If I could smell him others could too.”
“What others?”
“Others that wish to harm you, Jade. Others that would go to great lengths to get to you. They know you’d go searching, and they could use your connection to him to hurt you. To attach themselves to you and find you very quickly. You cannot do it alone.”
“I think I’ll do what I want. I’m grown.” I snapped. “Couldn’t you protect him?”
He sighed as if exasperated. “He was not mine to protect. Let us not quarrel now, Jade. One step at a time, please.”
My mother came back from the kitchen with a container of salt and four long, white candles in her hands. After lighting them and placing them in holders in four corners around herself and chanting something I couldn’t understand, she reached for me. “Come, Jade.”
I walked to her and once I was close enough, she opened the container and poured salt in a perfect circle around us. Again she chanted in a tongue I didn’t understand.
“For protection,” she answered my unspoken question.
I nodded.
She took my hands and squeezed them. “You have to let me in, Jade. I cannot penetrate your shields.”
“Am I that strong or are you that weak?” I asked.
She smiled. “You are strong because you have had lots of practice with your shields in place. I have not done any witchcraft in a long time. However, do not think of me as weak. I will make sure we break past the protection spells.” She winked and then closed her eyes.
I followed suit and closed mine too.
Moments later, I felt like I was spinning. Cold air rushed around me and whipped my hair around my face. The air got colder and colder until my lungs protested, and I gasped.
When I opened my eyes, we were on a mountain surrounded by snow and ice.
I spun around in circles and took in the breathtaking view. The valleys and mountain peaks were lightly dusted with white. The trees proudly held the snow on their sturdy branches.
“Where are we?” I questioned.
She took in a deep breath and then scanned the area. “Feels like home,” she said.
“Home?”
“Transylvania,” she answered. “I recognize these mountains.”
“Why are we here?” I took a few steps into the snow.
“I’m not sure. I can’t pinpoint the exact location but those western peaks are the Carpathians. The girls must be nearby.”
I welcomed a breath of the crisp air. I could taste the winter on my tongue and smell a fire somewhere nearby. I looked up to see smoke in the distance. “This way.” I told my mother.
She followed me through the dense snow. I could see a small house in the distance. It seemed to be in ruins, but I felt energy radiate from it. Someone had to be there.
When we got close enough, I crouched down to avoid being seen by the possible tenants. My mother helped me back up.
“We are not actually here, Jade. This is an illusion.”
“Okay.” I stood up and walked closer to the door. The girls had left their imprint here, but they were not in the house. It was empty.
I walked inside and leaned both palms on the cold stone wall. I felt the girls. Their fears and dread. They were hungry and tired. They were slapped around and taunted but not harmed badly. Whoever had them was not allowed to assault them too much. I could see them dressed in white dresses after they were scrubbed clean. Then the image changed. When I opened my eyes, we were no longer on a mountain. We were in a forest with vibrant colors, but the energy felt dark. The forest demanded attention as if it was starving and we were edible. Tree trunks and roots were webbed into the earth at impossible angles. The treetops were curving toward the ground instead of reaching for the sky. In the center of this forest was a perfectly round circle. Nothing grew there but grass. The edges of the circle seemed…burned. As if singed by flames. I wanted a closer look. I stepped forward, but my mother yelled and yanked me back.
We both fell and were instantly back in the hotel suite.
I panted as I looked at her, but she looked at my father with misty eyes. He nodded as if he understo od her distress.
“It’s not the auction is it, Carmen?”
She shook her head. “No. It is not.”