Unraveled

She might never know.



You weren’t going to think like that, remember? Nothing else seemed relevant, though.



Mary Ann sighed. If she only had a day to live, she didn’t want to spend it doing this, she realized. Visiting a crypt. Searching for a possibly dead, possibly alive vampire king. Hunting witches. She wanted to be back in bed with Riley. She wanted to go home to her dad and hug him tight. Victoria had convinced him they’d interacted recently, but they hadn’t, and she missed him.



If Aden had made no progress with the witch, that’s what she was going to do. In that order.



“You’re not going to die tomorrow,” Riley said.



“How did you—never mind.” He’d read her aura again.



He stopped in the center of a large winding circle, placing his feet in…concrete grooves? He pulled her flush against him, his body heat seeping into her, and wrapped his arms around her, his chin resting atop her head.



When the ground began moving, she yelped, floundering.



“I’ve got you,” he said, gentling her. “We’ll descend and start spinning in just a few seconds. Just hold on to me.”



“Spinning?” She gulped, imagining the carnival rides she’d enjoyed as a child. But then, she’d been strapped into a seat.



“Slowly. Promise.”



She relaxed. And sure enough, they began to slowly spin and inch downward, into a wide chasm that formed even as the concrete or metal or whatever it was rearranged itself at their feet. The lower they went, the more the scent of dust and—her nose wrinkled—old pennies saturated the air.



“That smell… I would have bet… I can’t believe…human death,” Riley finally finished, grave. “And very recent.” He very gently, but very quickly moved Mary Ann behind him, but not before she saw the claws sliding from his nail-beds. He was preparing for attack. “It’s too late to get you topside, so when we reach the bottom, I’m going to push you against a wall. Do not move from that spot. Okay? You won’t be able to see, so you won’t know where to step.”



“But you will?” she asked on a trembling breath.



“Yes.”



The foundation jolted as they hit bottom, jarring her, and all that darkness Riley had promised enveloped her instantly. His strong hands gripped her waist and shoved her backward, until something hard and cold met her back. Then the comfort of his hands vanished, and she was left alone. With the darkness.



She heard the drip of water, the shuffle of feet, a frustrated curse from Riley. Several curses, actually, and her tremors intensified. Would Vlad, if he truly was alive, really attack a favored wolf? Would Tucker really ambush him? Tucker would never hurt Mary Ann, she was certain of that, but he’d always been a fighter, and that courtesy might not extend to her current boyfriend.



A scrape of stone against stone, followed by another curse from Riley, tugged her from her thoughts.



“He’s gone,” he croaked. “Vlad’s gone. Unless his body was snatched, which no one here would have done, he’s out there. And like Tucker told you, he’s probably planning to ruin Aden.”



TWENTY-EIGHT



ADEN GAVE HIMSELF A PEP talk as he tugged the witch, Jennifer, through the misty forest. This will work. Your friends will be saved. You’ll get through this just fine.



She was still blindfolded, her arms still tied behind her back, and demanding to know what he was doing with her. So far, he’d ignored her, but finally they were far enough away from the cabin that no one, even a wolf with supersonic hearing, would pick up on the conversation.



“What am I doing?” he responded, still chugging forward. “I’m letting you go.”



“I don’t believe you!” She stumbled over a twig, his grip the only thing holding her up. “Otherwise you’d cut the rope. I mean, really. Your Drainer used up most of my powers, so I’m pretty helpless now. You don’t have to worry about my casting a spell or anything like that.”



“You’ve said that before, about the Drainer, but as I told you, I don’t know what that is.”



She laughed without humor. “Whatever. Just untie me. Please. We’ll go our separate ways and pretend this never happened.”



As if. She’d never forget. Neither would he, for that matter.



Now or never, Caleb said, determined.



He’s right. This is the spot. Elijah sounded solemn. Something will happen here, I can feel it.



With a sigh, Aden stopped. Jennifer didn’t realize and bumped into him, stumbling backward. Once again, his grip prevented her from falling. For a moment, he just stood there, watching her, feeling her desperation. If he did this, there was no going back. You don’t want to go back. She would be on the loose, would want revenge against those who had wronged her.



But he might also be taken right into the lion’s den…



Steeling himself against the threat of magic, he removed her blindfold, quickly moved behind her and cut the ties with one of his daggers. Instantly, she whirled on him. Again, he steeled himself, expecting a spell, or, at the very least, a punch. Something. She merely backed away from him, blinking, frowning.



What would he do if she ran from him? Without taking him with her?



“Why did you do that?” she asked. “Did you think a nice deed would cause me to spill my guts and tell you about the meeting? Well, guess what? There won’t be a meeting. Not now. Not after everything that was done to me. Your friends are as good as dead, human.”



She tossed the words at him as if they were weapons.



Don’t listen to her, Elijah said.



He blinked in surprise. “You think they’ll be okay?”



“Didn’t I just tell you they wouldn’t?” she demanded.



I don’t want to lie to you, Ad, so don’t ask me that question. All you need to know is that she’s going to take you with her. That, I can promise you.



Like Aden could really leave that alone. “I have to ask. Will they be okay?”



“Why do you keep asking me that?” Jennifer snapped.



Ignore Elijah and beg the witch’s forgiveness, Caleb pleaded. If you’re nice to her, she’ll make sure there’s a meeting. I know it.



Don’t listen to him, Ad, Julian said. He’s too involved. Not objective.



Shut up! Caleb shouted, and it was the angriest Aden had ever heard him. I know what I’m talking about.



The conflicting advice, suggestions and demands razed his nerves to the breaking point. “Just tell me what you know, Elijah!”



“Who’s Elijah?”



A sigh. Do you remember when we were in that vampire meeting, and I told you about blood and death? When I said those things, I wasn’t talking about the attack you endured at the hands of the councilmen. I was talking about this, with the witches. And your friends…I saw them on the ground. All three of them. Mary Ann, Victoria and Riley, each splattered in red.



“No,” Aden said, shaking his head in denial. “No.”



“No, what? What’s going on?”



I didn’t tell you then because, like Caleb, you have no objectivity in this. You would have tried to alter things, and that would have made the situation worse for you.



“I don’t care about me! Only them.”



Jennifer said something else, but he couldn’t make out the words, was too focused on Elijah.



I know. But I care about you. I’ve always cared about you.



Yes. Yes, Caleb suddenly said, and there was joy in his tone. Finally.



You want them to die? Julian screeched.



No. Look.



Aden pulled himself from the hated, confusing conversation—he was shaking, breathing heavily, his heart beating savagely—only to realize he was now standing in a circle of witches. Shocked, he spun. They wore their ceremonial robes, their hands joined, the circle closing him in. Jennifer, he noticed, was grinning.



Elijah moaned.



“Well, Summoner, we meet again. Did you think we wouldn’t find you?” the blonde he recognized from last time said. The one from Jennifer’s memories. Marie. “We’ve merely been waiting for you to move your hostage from the cabin. There were too many wards there, preventing us from even stepping foot on the property.”



“Hello, witch. How did you find us?” he asked as calmly as he was able.



“Magic, naturally,” Marie said smugly. “Several times in the past few months, our friend acted strangely, completely unlike herself. And afterward, when I questioned her, she had no idea what I was talking about. She’d had these little blackouts, you see, and we began to fear she’d have them when we weren’t around to protect her. So we placed a tracking spell on her and disguised it as a ward.”



One of the “cosmetic” wards, he would guess. And added because he’d possessed her body. He’d done it to find the witches, so, mission accomplished. “Smart,” was all he said.



“Aren’t we, though? And now that I’ve assuaged your curiosity, answer a question for me.”



He gave a single nod. Now wasn’t the time to play hardball.



Caleb practically purred. Her voice…it’s so sweet.



“To whom were you speaking to a moment ago?”



For once, there was no reason to lie about the souls. “To the three souls in my head.”



Her brow puckered in confusion. “People live inside your head?”



Here was his opportunity. “Ask me anything and I’ll answer.” That would make this a meeting. Right? That would mean his friends—



The witch laughed. “I can guess what you’re thinking. You think this is our meeting. I’m afraid not, Summoner. A meeting must be officially called to order. And as Jennifer told you, we won’t be having our meeting. Not now. Your actions have revealed exactly whose side you’re on.”



“You will call a meeting to order!” he barked, stepping forward—until his feet glued themselves to the ground, preventing him from moving. What the—the answer slid into place. Stupid magic, he thought darkly.