“Let me take Camille.” Grady approached me, arms out.
“I’ve got her. Tell me what’s going on,” I whispered.
“This way.” Grady turned to face a doorway.
I followed him upstairs to a room in the back of the house, laid Camille on the sheets, and tucked the blanket around her. Back in the kitchen, I posed my question again.
Grady crossed his arms over his chest. “Helene is gone.”
“Gone where?”
“No, gone, gone.”
“Dead?” The word came out more forceful than I’d intended.
“She passed yesterday,” a man standing beside Grady told me.
“This is Abram, a dear friend of mine.” Grady pointed to the man. “I don’t understand. You gave her ten years.” He paced away and then back to me.
“No, she wouldn’t take them.” My lungs tightened in my chest as I realized she’d still be alive if I’d forced those years on her.
Grady threw his hands up. “Great, this is the time Helene picked to be unselfish.”
“You said you knew someone else who could do the spell, right?”
“It’s too risky to involve someone else now. That person is probably being watched anyway. Michael’s coven will know that we’ll try to remove the mark.”
I straightened my shoulders. “I can do it.”
“You’re a new witch. You won’t have the power, even if you could remember the incantations,” Chalondra proposed.
“I have a photographic memory. I can do the spell. If I need more power, I can channel you guys.”
“It’s risky,” Orm noted.
“I know I can do this,” I emphasized.
Chalondra shook her head. “If a tether breaks…”
“You said the tethers would be weaker because her magic is blocked.”
Orm paced away and back. “They should be.”
“And Camille can push them, that’s how I got the last of mine expelled.”
Grady stretched his arms. “She’ll need to be stable.”
“Then we get her stable and perform the spell.”
Janine yawned. “We should all get some rest.”
I took my pack to the room I’d laid Camille in and spread a blanket on the floor.
“Oh”—Janine jumped as she walked into the room—“I figured I’d stay with her.”
“I’m not leaving her.”
“Okay, well I’ll find another room.”
“You should find a good bed.”
“I will. Good night.” She backed out of the room.
I washed up in the bathroom and settled under my blankets. Feeling pressure on my shoulder, I turned to see Camille’s hand.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yes, you can rest easy. I’ll be right here.”
“Will you lay beside me?” She bit her lip.
My heart issued a thud, and my chest warmed with her words. “Of course.” I got up and lay on the blanket beside her.
“If I had my magic, I’d know if Alena and Hunter were okay.”
I wrapped my arm over her. “They’ll be good. They’re survivors.”
“I hope so.”
“I know so.”
“I missed you.”
Hugging her to me, I kissed her head. “I missed you too.”
She spun around and snuggled into my chest. I rested my arm over her waist, thinking I’d be in a heap of trouble if her dad came in. Feeling her chest rise and fall, knowing she was safe, made my heart swell with emotion. Relief spilled out with every breath, and I relaxed for the first time in weeks.
When I woke, light filled the space, and I jumped from the empty bed. Peeking at the sky, I noted the sun at its apex. I rinsed my mouth in the restroom and jogged to the kitchen. Orm, Chalondra, Janine, and Camille sat at the table eating.
“Did Grady and Tyler go to meet the others? Why didn’t you wake me?”
Janine got up and stirred the pot on the stove, spooning a portion into a dish. “You haven’t slept in days. Abram went with them. They needed two vehicles. Here.” She held the bowl out to me.
“Cars here are really little.” Camille’s voice sounded like the sweetest melody I ever heard.
“You look good.” I fought scooping her up and swinging her around, opting to rub her back as I slid in beside her. Noting the color in her cheeks had returned, I breathed another sigh of relief.
Her dark eyes found mine. “Chalondra and Orm were telling me how the brand is removed. I want to start this afternoon.”
“I think you should wait another day. Get stronger.”
“Every day we wait makes us sitting ducks. We have to get this finished sooner rather than later.” She held out her wrist.
Noting scars halfway up her arm, I ran my finger over them. “What are these?”
“Nothing.” She tugged her sleeve over the marks.
“What happened?” I insisted. “Did they hurt you?”
“No, I”—her eyes darted around the room—“made them to keep track of the days.”
“I’m so sorry.” My eyes pleaded her forgiveness. “You’re safe now. We have tons of protection. We don’t have to rush. What’s one more day? It’s going to take ten to get the tethers out anyway.” I returned to the stove, refilling my bowl.
“Mom said you did yours in five.”
“Because I am a crazy maniac. We’re not doing yours that way.”
“You should write everything out in case something happens,” Orm piped up.
“Like something happens to me?”
“Yes.” His eyes shifted to Chalondra.
My breath caught in my throat. “Are you a seer? Did you see something?” I set my bowl down.
“No, I only read where people have been, who they are.”
“Good.” I lifted a bite to my mouth and reclaimed my seat beside Camille.
I could have stared at her forever. My cheeks warmed when her eyes met mine. Wishing we could be alone, just for a day, I decided it would be selfish of me. Janine hadn’t seen her daughter in months. I’d only been apart from her for a couple of weeks, had only known her two months. How strange how one’s life could turn upside down in such a short time, I thought.
Finishing my soup, I helped clean the kitchen. As I approached Camille, Orm waved a notebook and pen in front of my face, redirecting me to the table.
“Fine,” I told him, “but I’m going upstairs to write.”
Chalondra crossed to the cupboard, reached in, and produced Helene’s box from inside. “I guess this is yours now.”
“I’ll be down when I finish.” I winked at Camille as I passed her.
An hour into my notes, I heard commotion in the kitchen and hurried down the stairs to see what was going on. Alena, Hunter, Dimitri, Aaron, Gabrielle, the doctor, and nurse followed Grady, Tyler, and Abram into the front room. Camille crossed the room to hug Alena, and my skin pricked. Why couldn’t I be happy, relieved that they were safe?
“So, the transfusion worked?” I asked.
“Looks like it,” Alena noted.
“Tell us everything.” I motioned for them to sit.
“They’ve had a long night. They already briefed us, so let them get cleaned up and get some rest,” Tyler suggested.
Thinking Tyler had upped his game a little, I helped the group get their belongings to rooms in the basement.
“Did you finish writing down the spell?” Orm asked as I rounded back to the main room.
“I’m almost done. So, do we have any news of survivors?” My eyes found Grady.
He reviewed what he knew, and we switched on the television. The media reported that a sinkhole had opened up in the location occupied by our former safe house. They didn’t find any bodies, guessed any killed were burned by the electrical fire. We figured those that survived had been captured by Michael’s coven.
“Fahim included?” I asked.
Tyler stood. “We assume. Alena and Hunter are taking it hard.”
“We should hold a memorial for Helene as well,” I told them.
“That’s a nice idea.” Camille joined us. “Alena was really close to Fahim.”
“You need to finish that spell.” Chalondra pointed at me. “Let us worry about remembering the dead.”
I took Camille’s hand. “Do you feel strong enough?”
“We can start tonight after dinner. You should rest up.” Orm pointed at Camille.
It only took another half hour to finish the document. Janine and Grady reviewed it, and then we presented it to Orm and Chalondra. After the evening meal, we cleared the dishes and gathered in the dining room. Lighting a candle for each life lost, Alena ended with Fahim’s. Dimitri and Aaron each shared how they’d met Fahim and become part of his family. It reminded me of my mother, and I wondered if she would ever know her real family. She’d adopted the people in the commune as her family, and I guessed they were as real as any for her.
Pushing the thoughts out of mind, I refocused on the task ahead. We moved to the bedroom Camille and I shared to prepare for the debranding. Grady, Janine, Orm, and Chalondra gathered to assist. I hated thinking about Camille being in so much pain. Even with her renewed energy, she looked frail, and I doubted they’d given her more than a full meal a day. She hadn’t mentioned her week in captivity save to describe the poison. I tried to think of it as little as possible. I knew it’d been the right decision to flee the compound, but thinking of her there alone still made my stomach turn.
“May I?” Orm asked, holding out a bottle of liquid. “Abram had some oils I played with a bit. She can’t ingest anything, but I think this will help with the pain.”
“You don’t have to ask that twice.” I took a step back, making space for Orm to stand beside Camille. He spread an oily liquid onto her arm, up to her shoulder, and across her chest.
I explained the process to Camille, and she lay down, arm outstretched and wrist up. Pulling the first stake from the box, I laid it on the matching character and began the incantation. I watched Camille’s face as it contorted. Her skin grew tight across her jaw seconds later, and I recognized the all-too-familiar stare of determination. Seeing the glowing tether lock onto the stake, I pulled it out an inch. Camille’s eyes squinted shut, and I steeled my resolve, knowing we had to get through the process to be free.
“Tell me how you deceived Miguel in the coven ceremony. Wouldn’t they know you were a vampire if they drank your blood?” she insisted while we waited between pulls on the tether.
“No.” I shook my head. “Later, another time.” The image of her birds danced through my head.
“Why?”
“Yes, how did you pull that off?” Grady asked.
“It’s not important,” I insisted.
Tyler crossed his arms over his chest. “Hmmm, a crack in his perfect armor.”
“I never claimed to be perfect.” At least my record of late had been clean.
“What happened to my birds? Did they ever sing again?”
Dang, I thought, the girl must read minds. “I couldn’t keep them in my room because I thought Miguel would be suspicious. They moved them in with the rest of the animals.”
“And they sang again?”
“Yes, they sang.”
Refocusing on the spell, I turned the fork again. Camille winced, drew in a breath, and pushed it out. Her pain seemed to be multitudes of times less severe than mine had been. Whether it was due to the reduced strength of the brand or Orm’s concoction was hard to tell, but I didn’t care.
The first tether released its hold in four hours. Camille lifted her wrist to examine it. “It’s not black anymore, thank you.” She wrapped her arms around my back. The feel of her arms around me conjured all my favorite memories of our times together: our hikes, the ice climb, our first kiss. I didn’t ever want to let her go.
A slap on the back brought me out of my stupor. “Nice job,” Grady commented. Camille’s hold on me loosened, and I straightened my back. Clearing my throat, I set to closing the box for the night.
“Do another one.” Camille held out her arm.
“It’s past midnight, you should rest. We’ll start early tomorrow.”
“Okay, but three tomorrow.” She held up three fingers.
“We’ll see.” I didn’t want to make any promises, knowing the pain increased with each mark removed.
As I had the night before, I lay down on a blanket on the floor while Camille changed in the bathroom.
“What are you doing down there?” she whispered, entering the room.
“I don’t want to crowd you.”
“Well, I don’t want to ever be without you again.” She tugged on my arm.
Sitting on the bed across from her, I tucked her hair behind her ear. “How are you feeling, really?”
“Tired, but otherwise fine.”
My lips formed a smile as her eyes met mine. “Good.”
“Why are you so worried? I’m feeling better every day. Do I not look better?”
“Every day has only been one day.”
“Well, it feels like a lifetime ago.”
“I’m glad. But I don’t want to stress your system.”
She leaned closer to me. “You’re not going to kiss me? It’s not because of my eyes, is it? I know they’re freaky.”
My face flamed with heat, and I cleared my throat. “Hmm, no, they actually don’t bother me that much.” I rubbed a finger down her cheek. “Your dad is in the room next door.”
“Behind a door and walls.” She leaned into me and brushed her lips to mine.
That was all I needed. My hand wound round her neck, and I pulled her face to me, pressing my lips to hers. When I finally needed a breath, I opened my eyes to see her biting her lip.
“That’s what I’ve been waiting for.” She gave me another quick kiss.
I let out a huge sigh. “I can’t believe it. You seem so much better.”
“I could feel a weight being lifted from my chest as you pulled the tether out.”
“I’m glad it’s going so easily for you.”
“Was yours really bad? I’m sorry.” Her eyes dropped to her lap.
“It’s not your fault. I would do it a hundred more times for you. You’re all that matters.”
“Don’t say that. What about your dad, mom, grandparents?”
“Okay”—I rolled my eyes—“a few more people. We should sleep.”
“Yes, I want to get an early start.” She stretched out beside me, and I lay down and wrapped my arm around her.
Lying close to her, I found it hard to fall asleep. With her better and the kiss, all I could think about was the feel of her lips on mine, her soft skin, her silky hair, the smell of honey that seemed to float from her pores. The thought turned a switch in my brain. I was thinking she smelled like honey, like something to eat? Why had I conjured that thought?
“Jude.” Camille’s voice brought me out of my spiral.
“Yes?”
“I was thinking I should drink your blood again.”
I reached over her and switched on the light. “Are you sure? I mean we didn’t really know what it meant before.”
She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I know, the way Dimitri said it made it sound so serious. But I trust you, and I love you. I mean we’re only seventeen, but—
I pressed my lips to hers. “I love you too. And yes, it’s a good idea, practically and otherwise.” Finding a knife in my pack, I sliced my wrist. “It may give you some extra strength too.” I held my arm up to her.
Taking my forearm in her hand, she put her mouth to my skin. After thirty seconds, she lifted her head, and her eyes met mine. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” I lifted my wrist, seeing the wound already clotting.
“Okay, now sleep.” She pressed her lips to mine briefly.
I lay down beside her. “Yes, sleep.”
“Jude.” Camille’s voice woke me. I opened my eyes to a dark room.
“What time is it?”
“Five, we’ve got to get moving on this brand. Everyone is stuck here till it’s gone.”
I sat up. “Okay, let’s begin.”
Dressing, I made my way downstairs for food. Camille, Grady, Tyler, Janine, Orm, and Chalondra already had plates in front of them.
“A lot of people up early,” I noted.
“Have to make sure you don’t mess this up.” Grady slapped me on the back.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I leaned against the counter and stuffed a piece of bread in my mouth.
“The eggs are hormone free,” Orm said, gathering his things and taking them to the sink.
“Good to know.” I grabbed three from the bowl and took his seat.
“Seriously, dude?” Tyler asked as I cracked an egg in my bowl.
“What? They’re eggs.”
“Raw? What? You on some, like, protein muscle program or something?”
“Never mind.” I shook my head and dipped the bread in the egg mixture.
Camille ran her hand along my back. “Vampires can’t eat processed food.”
“Oh.” Tyler’s eyes shifted between us.
After breakfast, the group climbed the stairs to our room, where I retrieved the box and prepared for removal of the second tether. The audience made me jumpy, and I asked Tyler and Grady to wait outside. Orm slathered her arm and chest with his pain-reducing concoction. Placing the second pin on the correct mark, I started the incantation. The removal proceeded as the last had, with Camille experiencing some tightness in her chest and arm. I marveled at how different our experiences were and thanked the stars she was spared the pain. With short breaks, we extracted three tethers out by midnight.
“With this schedule, the brand will be removed in two days,” Camille said as I lay down beside her.
“Yeah.” I hugged her to me.
She twisted to face me. “What? You don’t sound happy.”
“I’m glad it’s going so well.” I tucked her hair behind her ear.
“But you don’t expect it to continue?”
I shrugged. I wanted her to slow down, take some time to process and decompress. “I don’t know.”
“What’s wrong? This is good. We can move on to figuring out how to get the dagger back from Theron.”
“I guess.”
“What?” Her tone grew hard.
“You’ve been through a lot. You should take a break.”
“Where would I go? My place is with Alena and Hunter.”
My mind ticked through ways to make her see she could get some distance, perspective, take a rest. “Is your mom joining in this little party?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t thinking about her.”
“She almost lost both of her children. I know she’d like to spend some time with you.”
“Why are you trying to separate me from Alena and Hunter? Because you don’t like Alena? Because you’re worried about me getting hurt?”
“I just want to see you happy”—I took her hands—“happy and content, healthy and rested, before you rush into this all-consuming, saving-the-world gig.”
Tears formed in her eyes. “You think I’m weak? That I can’t handle it?”
“No.” I jostled her arms. “You are the strongest person I know. I don’t doubt that with your magic back you can do whatever you put your mind to. My reasons for wanting you to take some time away may be partially selfish.”
“Do you not want to be involved in this?”
“No, every cell of my body wants to be wherever you are. But”—I squeezed her hands—“what if that was on a sandy beach for a week, or visiting my grandparents?”
“In LA?”
“Yeah, it’s so warm and sunny.”
“I do like the sun.”
“So, you’ll consider it.”
“Maybe.” She bit her lip, and I kissed her.
“We should sleep.”
The next five tethers rolled up onto the bars as the first four had.
“Ahh,” Camille screamed as I touched the last form to the matching brand on her arm.
Grady ran into the room. “What did you do?”
“We knew this was the trickiest one,” I told them, trying to exude confidence. Inside my stomach turned seeing Camille wince from the strain of the tether.
“Picture the tether loosening with each heartbeat,” I instructed.
Closing my eyes, I began the incantation. When I opened them, the mark glowed blue. “This is good. Let’s begin.”
Reciting the words to the spell, I pulled the tether slowly.
“Don’t try any hero guy moves like you did with Helene,” Grady warned.
“I had magic. She doesn’t. Why don’t all of you focus your powers on loosening the tether?” I had no idea if it would work, but it got them off my back.
Five hours later, I’d wound at least a foot of the tether on the bar, but the strand grew thinner and thinner and the pressure in Camille’s chest larger and larger.
“Get Alena and Hunter,” I told Tyler.
When the two entered the room, I instructed them to take Camille’s hands and envision pushing the tether out.
“On three,” I nodded to them.
“You’re pulling this again?” Grady demanded.
“It worked last time.” I focused on the words to the spell and made small tugs on the rod holding the tether.
Camille started a scream and then chomped her jaws together. With her eyes shut tight, she yelled. “Now.”
Praying she knew what she was talking about, I tugged gently on the rod, testing to make sure there wasn’t too much resistance. Finding little, I pulled the rod away from her arm. When the end exited her wrist, the smooth blue tip of the tether danced below the bar. Stowing the rod in the box, I turned my attention to Camille. “That should be it. How do you feel?”
“Like someone ripped a rib out.” She lifted her head and let it fall to the pillow.
I squeezed her hand. “That’s good, I think.”
She lifted her wrist to her face. “The black marks are gone. It feels scarred like yours.” She ran her finger over her brand and then mine.
“Thank the spirits.” Grady grabbed me and hugged me to him. “You did it.”
“I told you I could.”
“Now we can do the chelation, and she’ll have her magic back, right?” Alena asked.
I looked at Orm. He lifted his shoulders. “In theory.” He shuffled out the door.
“Why does he do stuff like that?” Tyler stomped out.
“You should get some rest.” Janine hugged her daughter. “Let’s talk next steps tomorrow.”
The de-branding must have taken more of a toll on me than I realized because I slept like the dead and the sun was high in the sky when I woke. Jumping from the bed, I ran downstairs.
“Where’s Camille?”
Dimitri smacked me on the back. “Easy lover boy, she’s talking to her mom.”
“Did they start the chelation?”
“Not that I know of.”
Grabbing a plate, I loaded it with bread and eggs. Thinking I’d give a lot of money for a plate of sushi right then, I sat down at the table with Dimitri and Aaron.
“So, is there a plan?”
“Alena and Hunter have been conferencing with Anne. I think they’re almost ready to move,” Dimitri said.
“Is everyone going back to their safe house?”
“Looks like it, wherever that is. I don’t look forward to seeing Eden.”
“Eden is Fahim’s wife?” I confirmed.
“Fahim had a good life,” Aaron put in.
“Did someone say something about getting out of here?” Gabrielle sauntered into the room.
I liked Gabrielle even less than Alena and tried to analyze why. They both were obvious beauties. No one would ever not call them gorgeous. Why should I be prejudice against pretty people? Camille certainly fit in that category, although her beauty was subtler. Maybe it had to do with the way Alena and Gabrielle carried themselves, chin high and shoulders back as if they were superior. My mind jumped back to the last time I’d seen my mom. Her walk played through my head. Yes, she was stunning with long dark hair hanging to her waist. Even at forty, she could have passed for twenty. And despite her psychological issues, she held her chin high as if almost proud of her misgivings. Yes, I had terrible issues with women.
Janine entered the kitchen, and Camille followed behind. Seeing her wipe a tear from her cheek, I jumped up.