After I drank the tea, I left the shop as quickly as I could. I’d never seen Iona act like that. Goddamn it. Why did they have to be like this? I’d left for their own good. What I’d done, what I’d failed to do, had caused Dad’s death. They were all better off without me. Including Raven.

But every time I thought about breaking the bond, my heart ached. I was sure it was just the spell trying to do its job. But Twyla hadn’t been so sure. Maybe there was more to it than that. I’d loved Raven so much. I knew part of me always would. But I couldn’t curse someone I loved with…me. He deserved better. I had to cut him loose. I had to do it. Because I did love him.

Just the thought made my chest clench up like I might have a heart attack. It had been selfish to keep Raven attached to me like this for all these years. Iona had been right about that.

I felt the herbs working inside me. Most likely, it was just a precaution, but a precaution I needed to make. No one needed a pregnancy coming out of this mess. I didn’t even know if I ever wanted to have kids, let alone in the middle of a major life fuckup.

I got coffee from a drive-through place, a common occurrence in Oregon, and dialed Raven’s cell phone and waited for my coffee.

“Yes?” he said bitterly.

“Do you have time to go out to the vamp club this morning?”

He sighed heavily and didn’t say anything for a moment. “Vamps aren’t very active in the morning. We’re better off going at night.”

“I need to talk to the club’s owner. Stefan Cosev. Do you know the guy?”

“I know him. He keeps his club clean. Stefan should be around in the morning. He’s one of the few vamps in Portland with a daylight totem. He wears it in a ring on his pinkie.”

“That’s what I expected. What’s the address? I’ll meet you there.”

Raven texted me the address and I drove across town while sipping my coffee. The tea had made me a little drowsy, and I needed to wake up before I interrogated a vampire coven leader about another even more powerful vampire.

I found the location, at an old warehouse near downtown that had been converted into a dance club with loft apartments above. After parking, I pushed the car door open and climbed out, holding my hot coffee in my hand. Raven’s SUV was already parked out front, and I found him sitting in the cab.

I rapped my knuckles on the window and he rolled it down. “No coffee for me?” he accused.

“You didn’t say you wanted one,” I countered.

“You didn’t tell me you were getting any.” We stared at each other, grinding our teeth. The front door of the club opened and two massive human minions came walking out toward us.

“We’re closed,” they said.

Raven hopped out of his SUV and showed the men his badge. “I’m detective Hunter with the Portland PD. We’d like to ask a few questions. Is Stefan available?”

The older-looking bouncer growled and picked up a walkie-talkie, mumbling into it, out of ear shot. “Boss says okay. Follow me.”

We followed the bouncers into the cinderblock building. It was dark inside. The windows had all been bricked up. The only light came from dim, colorful lasers that stretched in long lines across the dance floor.

“He’s in his office,” the bouncer with the walkie-talkie said.

We went to the other end of the wide room and exited through a dark doorway. Following down a narrow hall, we turned and walked down a short flight of stairs. The bouncer unlocked a thick metal door that opened into an even darker room.

Pitch black except for a single lamp light on a wooden desk, we stood across the room from what could only be a vampire.

A man with pale white skin and preternatural good looks gazed up at us. His eyes glowed blue in the lamp light, and I could see the locks of black hair curling to his shoulders. His gaze went from Raven to me as he rose a pointing finger in my direction.

“Who are you?” he asked. His long slender finger pointed like a wand.

“Executioner Olivia Fanning,” I said, gripping my sword. “We need to ask you some questions about some missing girls.”

“Missing girls?” he looked at Raven, lowering his finger. His voice was soft like silky cream. So enticing. So mesmerizing. That’s how they always got you.

“Four college girls have gone missing over the last week. We know that they frequented this club. Groupies. Here are their pictures. Tell me if you recognize them.” He set the pictures down on the desk in front of Stefan, who lowered his gaze to examine the girls’ faces.

“I don’t know. These girls come and go. Perhaps they haven’t been coming very long. What makes you think it has anything to do with us?”

“The Council has reason to believe that there was vampire involvement,” I said.

“And please tell me, what reason do they have to believe this?”

“I’m sorry, that information is classified.”

Stefan pursed his lips and rose as if floating from his chair. He stood as tall as Raven, but had probably been shorter in life. Vamps always grew bigger and more beautiful when they turned.

“I’m not sure if I can help you any further, Miss…”

“Executioner Olivia Fanning,” I corrected him.

“Miss Fanning. But if you come back tonight, you can ask some of the regulars. Maybe they have seen these…groupies. But, if you will excuse me, it is time for me to sleep. It is well past sunrise.”

I turned away, striding out of the dark room and bounding up the steps with Raven on my heels. I didn’t stop until I came out into the light. After my encounter with Vincent, vampires just made my skin crawl. The way he insisted on calling me Miss Fanning instead of using my title, grr. He totally reminded me of Vincent.

Raven just stopped and looked at me when we got back to the cars. “Well, that went well,” he said, mocking me.

“It went fine,” I said.

“I know this guy. You have to play it cool.” He was right. I was used to going in and slicing heads off. I wasn’t really trained for talking.

“He said we could come back tonight.”

“Next time, let me do the talking.”

“You talk too much.”

He glared at me and I suppressed a smile. “I don’t know why I talk to you at all, Fanning,” he said, climbing into his car.

“Because you’re stuck with me, Hunter. Congratulations.”

This time he didn’t say anything, he just gave me a hurt glare and closed his door. I suddenly felt bad for saying it. God, why was I such a bitch to him? Iona’s words about hurting Raven played in my head.

I stepped back, unable to say I was sorry. Shit. I turned away as he drove out of the parking lot and stood there like an idiot. Why was I doing this? Why couldn’t I make a decision once and for all? Could I love him? Could I stay?

It didn’t make any sense to me to stay. I would end up hurting him eventually, like I had before, and like I was now. I turned back to watch his car pull out of the parking lot. His black eyes shone in the morning sunlight, his face expressionless.

A few minutes after he drove out of sight, as I was getting in my car, my cell phone pinged with a witch network text from Raven.

Tonight.

I sighed and rubbed my temple. Right. Tonight. We had a job to do. All this emotional crap had to wait. I was getting far too out of shape for what lay ahead. Today was as good a time as any to get a workout in.

I sent a quick text to Aster to ask if I could do my workout at her farm. In forty-five minutes I was out at her place, opening the trunk of my car. The gear the Council had dropped off for me was organized inside.

I grabbed the spelled gun with its wooden and silver bullets, and shoved it into the holster under my arm.

Aster said I could use the parcel I’d cleared for anything I needed, being far enough away from the house for me to shoot and slash without the fear of hurting anyone.

Trudging out to the field along the river, I checked my phone again, hoping there would be another message from Raven. What was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I just put this thing down? I wanted to believe that neither of us would have these feelings if we didn’t have the bond.

It was far too distracting to work with Raven, but there was no way around it. He was the one person who could help me with this. And the truth was, I needed his help. I’d failed facing Vincent before, and Raven knew the local vampires.

I couldn’t just drop into a known location and take him out. We had to actually find him. He was on the run, off the grid, and that was my fault. The Council had trusted me to locate him and bring him down. I wouldn’t fail this time.

Out in the field, I went through my training exercises. My practiced movements were solid and quick, my form impeccable. The Council’s added spell work did wonders for my stamina and strength as well as my agility. The power they gave me took me from an ordinary warrior witch to a killing machine.

I smiled and wondered what Raven would think if he could see me now. Would he be impressed with my moves? The moment of distraction made me miss the shot of the tree I’d been aiming at with my silver bullets. Damn.

This is why Executioners worked alone and didn’t have relationships. Killing wasn’t a game. It took razor sharp focus and perfect timing. Friends, lovers, and family just got in the way of that. I couldn’t have it. Not if I wanted to be an Executioner. There wasn’t room in my life for anything else.

Steeling my mind, I renewed my focus and moved through my exercises, jumping, kicking, and slashing my sword through the air. I shot my gun with perfect precision at my imaginary targets.

After an hour of intensive practice, I was breathing heavy and sweating. That was enough for today. I had to save some energy for tonight.

I shoved my sword into its scabbard and put my gun in the holster. Back at my car, Aster was there with a glass of lemonade in hand.

“Come inside, Olivia, and cool off.” I wiped my brow with the back of my hand and headed inside Aster’s farmhouse. She handed me the lemonade as I sat at her kitchen table.

Puma was bouncing up and down inside his playpen. I stared at him as I drank the sweet, tart lemonade. Narrowing my eyes, I thought about how much having a kid would destroy my life. Another reason to stay far away from Raven. He deserved someone who wanted to have kids. I didn’t. At least, I was pretty sure I didn’t.

Aster toddled about the kitchen, cooking chili. Her counter was covered in freshly canned fruits and veggies from the abundant harvest. Jars of dried fruit lined the shelves along the wall. She’d been busy.

She set a bowl in front of me and handed me a spoon. Sitting across from me with her own lunch, she smiled and scooped a bite.

“I guess I’m staying for lunch,” I muttered.

“There’s plenty. Eat up.”

Aster’s cooking was almost as good as my mom’s, so it wasn’t like she had to twist my arm. I’d worked up an appetite after my workout.

“So, Iona told me you stopped by the shop this morning.”

I dropped my spoon in my bowl and threw my head back with a moan. Looking her in the eye, I said, “I asked her not to tell anyone.”

“Well. We’re all concerned about Raven, Olivia. What are your intentions with him?”

“Why does everyone keep asking me that?”

“Because Raven is family and we care about him. We don’t want to see him go through what he did the last time you left.”

“I’m sorry. Okay? I’m sorry.”

“You and Raven are still bonded. What do you intend to do about that?”

“I don’t know.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know that either.”

“Are you staying, Olivia?”

“No. Probably not.”

“Then you need to let him go. We can call the coven to help break the bond. Then you can both be free.”

“I can’t talk about this anymore.” I stood, angry.

“Stop running away from this, Olivia. If you aren’t going to stay and be with him, then you need to let him go. What’s the issue?”

“I can’t explain it, Aster. I don’t understand why.”

“Do you still love him?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what comes from my feelings and what comes from the spell. What I do know is I can’t do this right now. I’ve got to get ready for tonight.”

I went to the door, but she caught me, her huge pregnant tummy pointing at me. “You do still love him,” she whispered.

“I told you. It’s the spell.”

“Bonding spells don’t work like that.”

“How do you know?”

“Because Bear and I have one.”

“But you love Bear. You don’t want to leave him.”

“Yes. But it doesn’t make me love him.”

I pulled my arm away from her grasp. I did still love Raven. That didn’t mean I could stay here with him. I couldn’t be the woman he needed. It wasn’t me.

“Maybe I do love him. Okay. Maybe I do. But I can’t stay here. I can’t give him what he needs. It isn’t fair for anyone.”

“I see. That’s why the bond won’t let you break it. You still love him.”

“You said it doesn’t work that way.”

“The bonding spell won’t let you break the bond if you still love each other. Jesus, Olivia, did you cast a spell before you even knew how it worked?”

“I was twenty-two.”

“Okay. But you’re twenty-seven years old now. You have to start dealing with the people in your life eventually.”

“Nice. Coming from my little sister, just perfect.”

“Don’t run away from this, Olivia. Maybe what you think you are isn’t what you really are.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because you still love Raven. That says something.”