A blast of light shot through my vision, and everything went dark.
I woke to yelling.
“You almost killed that boy,” Janine shouted at Grady.
“That was seriously sick.” Tyler ran towards the restroom.
Looking to Helene, I saw her guide the last anchor with the tether wound round it into her special box.
“Is that all of it? Is it done?”
“That depends on how you feel.”
“I feel better.” I raised my torso. “Lighter, warmer.”
“Normal warm, or fever warm?”
“Normal.” I sat up straight.
Grady had corralled Janine to the corner of the room, and they spoke in hushed tones. I wondered if she worried about Camille undergoing the same process. At least when Camille’s brand would be extracted, she’d have time to take it slow. We’d figure out something for the pain. Wanting to give them privacy, I spun my legs to the floor. After a few seconds, I stood and, placing one foot before the other, made my way upstairs. In the bathroom, I started the shower. Letting the warm water roll over me, I thought through what needed to happen next.
I dressed and sat on the bed in a cross-legged yoga pose, relaxing all my muscles. If the barrier spell needed to be in place for a month or more, I wanted to get it right. Remembering the words and repeating them out loud, I secured Helene to the main and basement levels of the structure. I packed my one extra outfit in my backpack and headed downstairs.
“Someone’s ready to go,” Helene commented.
“If they could sense my tether, they might be able to locate us.”
Grady rubbed the back of his neck. “Didn’t think of that.”
“What will happen to me if they come once you’re gone?” Helene inquired.
“You’re safe. I spelled you inside this house and created a barrier spell. We’re the only witches that can get in.”
“Could you at least go get my cat for me?”
“No time.” My eyes landed on Grady. “You arranged food for her?”
“Yes, and I have the plane tickets.” He held his phone in the air.
“We should move then.”
Wringing her hands, Janine stood and faced me. “My head is still spinning from you almost dying. You know your heart stopped. You had no pulse an hour ago. Maybe we should have you checked out at a hospital.”
I crossed to my shoes. “I’m fine. We need to go. You’re ready, right?”
“Come on, Mom, I’ll help you with your bag.” Tyler slung a pack on his back and picked up her bag.
A horn sounded. “That’s us.” Grady lifted his backpack.
I spun to face Helene, wondering if I could ever repay her. “Thank you. You don’t know how much your help means to me. I’m sorry I have to leave you like this.”
“It was an honor. You get that girl and bring her to me. I will take care of her.”
“I will. Thank you again.” I offered my hand to her, but she wrapped her arms around me.
“God bless you, child.”
The flight took over thirteen hours, but I was grateful it was direct. When we landed, the sun had passed its apex but still hung high in the sky. As we exited the airport, I stopped and closed my eyes, face to the sun.
“Happy to be home?” Janine asked.
“Yes, and happy to see the sun.”
We took a cab to my family’s safe house in the middle of the city. As we rode, I checked behind us to make sure we weren’t being followed. I directed the cabby to stop a few blocks from the residence.
“The city of angels. It’s good to be back,” Grady commented as we walked.
“Any significance for witches there?” I asked.
“It’s beautiful here. The vampires flocked here, and so did we.” He shrugged as I led them down the alley to a flight of stairs.
At the bottom, a thumb print and retinal scanner checked my identity, and the outer door opened. It slid shut behind us.
Tyler’s scanned the space. “Wow, this place is—”
“Smart,” Grady supplied.
“Oh, my heavens.” Nan’s hands went to her cheeks as Pop opened the door. “What did they do to you? You look so thin.”
“Nothing some home-cooked meals can’t fix.” I wrapped my arms around her, giving her a good squeeze.
“Let them in, dear.” Pop stepped to one side of the hall. “You guys must be exhausted. Come on in.” He ushered everyone to the main room.
After introductions, they showed us to our bunks.
“Only two rooms, but we had some extra beds brought in.” Pop opened the door to a room with bunk beds on two of the walls.
“The bathroom is down the hall.” Nan switched on the light. “Blankets and towels in the closet.”
“Thank you.” Janine set her bag beside one of the bunks.
We stowed our luggage and met in the main hall.
“Eager to get to work, eh?” Pop asked.
“We slept on the plane. Time is crucial.” I turned over my arm. “It took a week to get this off. We have to find these two special witches as soon as possible.”
Pop sat down on one of the sofas. “Well, how can I help?”
“Do you have connections? Witches you trust? Have you heard any rumors about anything out of the ordinary?”
“We’ve kept to ourselves for a long time. I wouldn’t know where to start.”
“Do you recognize the name Chalondra? She is a seer and posed as a fortune teller at a bookstore owned by vampires.”
“Chalondra?” Pop looked to Nan.
“She’s very old, survived the Salem witch trials,” I supplied.
“All of us new world witches that are still around did.” Pop chuckled.
“If we find the vampires she was friends with, maybe they’ll lead us to someone who knows where she is. Their leader is Fahim. He owned the bookstore. He’s the oldest vampire in the area.”
I grabbed the laptop from the desk and started a search for independent bookstores. Finding a website listing locally owned shops, I typed in Los Angeles and specified a ten-mile radius. The search produced twenty, but ruling out children’s and campus bookstores brought the count to fourteen.
“We can knock this out in a day if we split up.” I sent the document to the printer.
Grady shook his head. “We’re not splitting up. It’s too dangerous. It’s risky to be out at all.”
“We wore these special bracelets in Iceland. They blocked our magic. If we used those, we could wear hats and be anybody.” Clicking through several websites, I found a local store that carried the stone bracelets. “There’s a store that’s not far.”
Pop tapped his knuckles on the coffee table. “We have a delivery guy. He can get you anything you need in half a day. But, unregistered vampires are dangerous blokes.”
“I can handle a vampire or two. Here.” I wrote down what we needed from the jewelry shop. “Can you give the delivery guy this information? Maybe we can knock at least four off the list tomorrow.”
“You all have to be tired and hungry. Why don’t you freshen up, and I’ll make some dinner?” Nan rose to her feet.
The others retired to the sleeping quarters, but I followed Nan and Pop to the kitchen.
“You should go see your mom before you disappear again,” Nan told me, opening the fridge.
“Did you tell her I was coming back? I’m not sure I can spare the time right now. I guess I could give her a call.”
“You know she doesn’t like to use technology.”
I leaned in close to them as they started to prep for the meal. “I know what she is,” I whispered.
“Well, then you know what challenges she faces.” Pop set six steaks on a grilling pan.
“I’m not sure I fully understand, but at least I get it a little more.”
Nan grabbed a pot from the cabinet. “They don’t know?”
“It’s complicated. Grady’s parents were killed by a group…” I let the words hang in the air.
“Well, it’s your story. We will honor that.” Pop closed the oven and picked up a couple of potatoes. “You need a coven though.”
“I was hoping I could join yours.”
Pop stopped chopping midway through the potato and set the knife on the countertop. “I’d be honored.”
We stood in a circle in the middle of the kitchen. Pop, then Nan, made a slice on their palms, and I followed suit. Letting the blood pool in a bowl, we took turns drinking. Pop recited the coven-binding incantation, and my chest surged with warmth.
“Thank you.” I hugged Nan and then Pop.
“I’m guessing it was a little different when they initiated you into Michael’s coven.” Pop went back to cutting the potatoes.
“It felt like a cold block of lead hung around my neck. I can’t fathom how Dad did it.” I found a pot and started to fill it with water.
Nan wound her arm around my shoulders. “He was protecting you.”
I’d never felt Dad thought about me in any decision he made. It always seemed like everything he did, he did for himself. Perhaps Nan was right. I prayed Dad hadn’t aligned himself with Sonia. Shaking off the thoughts, I pitched in, helping prep the vegetables and sear the steaks. Nan baked fresh bread, and the smell of the home-cooked meal reminded me how safe I felt with them.
As we sat in the living room after the meal, the lethargy from filling our stomachs getting the best of us, Pop spoke up. “So, you guys know anything about fighting vampires?”
“Who said anything about fighting vampires?” Janine stuffed her hands under her legs.
“Well, you’re going looking for them. They usually run in packs.” Pop moved to the front of his seat.
Tyler leaned forward. “Okay, so how do we fight vampires?”
“You do not.” Grady pointed at him. “You run, and Jude and I will fight them if things go south. Strong vampires have the power to rip your head from your shoulders, and their venom will incapacitate you in seconds.”
“Of course, vampires really have fangs and venom. Is there anything pop culture got wrong?” Tyler stood and paced to the wall.
“The sparkly thing.” Nan laughed.
“They’re fast and beguiling. Can never be too careful around them.” Pop put in.
“All I have to do is burst every blood vessel in their brain, swing a hatchet across their neck, run a post through a chest. Witch, one. Vampire, zero.” I crossed to stand beside Tyler.
“Until they heal. Plus—” Grady started.
Janine stood. “I can’t listen to this anymore.”
“Would you like a glass of wine, dear?” Nan asked.
“That would be wonderful.”
I pushed off the bookcase I’d been leaning on. “Tomorrow we’ll start with the list of bookstores. I need a workout.”
Heading to our sleeping quarters, I grabbed my clothes and changed. It’d been a week since I’d done any cardio, and I needed to be in shape. The bunker included a small room with a treadmill and a couple of weight machines, and I jogged until I couldn’t any more.
I rose early to run and lift before the others woke. After I showered, I made my way to the kitchen.
“I have eggs just the way you like them.” Nan held a plate out to me.
I kissed her cheek. “Thanks for hosting all of us.”
The eggs made me think of Camille and how she’d always save some for me when she had breakfast duty. I sat down at the table opposite Pop.
“The delivery man said he’d have your order by noon.”
“Great, thanks.”
I hated waiting. After a few hours of training with Tyler, I grew tired of sparring and retreated to the workout room again. When the bell rang, I ran to the entryway.
Pop shooed me away. “You get out of here.”
As soon as he closed the door, I approached again.
“Here you go.” He handed me the bag.
“Okay.” I turned to the group, who’d assembled in the hall behind me. “Wear one on each arm. Let’s get some lunch and head out.” I fit my bracelets in my pockets and handed the bag to Grady.
“You guys need to shower. You reek of magic.” Pop pointed at us as we sat around the table. “Nan has a special soap that will mask your odor.”
After eating, we cleaned up using Nan’s special oils soap and met at the entrance.
“Please be careful.” Janine straightened Tyler’s hat on his head.
Grady pulled on the oversized jacket he borrowed from Pop. “We’re finding a bookstore. It will be fine.”
Dressed in ball caps and wind breakers, we hailed a cab and gave the driver the address for the first bookstore. I longed to feel the warmth of the sun on my skin but sufficed to stare at the bright ball in the sky. As soon as we exited the vehicle, I knew it wasn’t the right store.
“This isn’t the one. There’s a coffee shop in front, we’re looking for a bar in the back.” I spun to tell the cabbie to stay put, but he sped away. “And we have no cab.”
“The next address isn’t far. Let’s walk.” Grady pointed east.
Not far ended up being a mile and took us twenty-five minutes with having to wait on the crossing signals. Frustrated, I stood in front of the next candidate. Seeing a lot of low-priced trinkets in the front, I huffed. “This isn’t it.”
“Just puts us closer to finding the right one,” Grady said and lifted his arm to hail a cab.
The next two took us an hour to get to, and with six o’clock approaching, we’d run out of open-store-hour time.
“We can still keep going and come back during store hours if we find the right one.” Grady pointed at the list.
“That’s a waste of time,” I snapped. “Let’s start again tomorrow.” I walked to the street, motioning for a cab. It’d been easier to not think about Camille the week in Italy with Helene. We’d been making ground, but since then we were spinning our wheels. Being lucid had me replaying every second of my decision to leave her in the tunnel.
The second day was a cookie cutter of the first, with us making it to eight bookstores and coming up goose eggs on finding Fahim’s.
“We’ve still got two more,” Grady said over dinner.
Leaving my plate half full, I pushed back from the table.
“He isn’t much on optimism, is he?” I heard Tyler comment as I made my way down the hall.
They didn’t get it. Every day I spent away from her, the hole in my chest grew. If one of my buddies had admitted he felt something like that, I would’ve told him he was going soft and to man up. I re-read Camille’s account of her visions, waiting for my food to settle enough to get in a workout.
The next morning, we set out before ten again. The space of the second shop on the list was empty, completely gutted. Approaching the door, I cupped my hands around my eyes to peer in.
“It’s not dusty.” I jiggled the handle.
“You planning on breaking and entering?” Tyler asked.
“I wasn’t until you said that.”
“Wait, there’s a number for a leasing agent.” Grady slipped his phone from his pocket and started dialing.
I took the device from him, waiting for an answer. When a Brad Smith introduced himself, I inquired about the former leaser. “They’ve been gone for about three months.”
“Can you give me a name?”
“If you want to know the history of the space—”
“Do you know a name?” I insisted.
“I never talked to the tenant directly, only to their lawyer. I could give you that number.”
“Thanks.” I waited while he pulled up the information and thanked him again once he’d given me the number.
Dialing the lawyer’s office, I knocked my hand on my thigh. “Coolidge and Frees, law firm,” a female voiced answered.
“Can I speak to Doug Coolidge, please?” I paced away from Grady and Tyler.
Doug picked up the call, and I inquired about the tenant. He told me the couple had grown older and couldn’t keep the shop, but he wasn’t at liberty to give me a name or any contact information.
“If you’re interested in the shop you should call the leasing agent,” he continued.
“Thanks.” I ended the call. “He’s not at liberty to give me any information.” I swatted the air with my fist.
“It’s a pretty derelict neighborhood, maybe we could snoop around, see if anyone knows anything,” Grady walked towards the end of the block. Approaching the alley, he turned to Tyler. “Stay behind us. Watch our backs.”
The back door was locked up tight, and I entertained showing off my strength and popping the lock. Before I could suggest it, Grady pointed down the lane to a couple of men gathered around a metal trashcan.
“Let’s ask around.”
The group of men claimed to not recognize Fahim’s name but pointed down the street to an empty building. Passing the remains of one burned structure, we entered a brick building through a door halfway off its frame.
“Stay outside.” Grady pointed at Tyler.
I slid my bracelets into my pockets and motioned for Grady to do the same. A few people lay passed out in the first room, and we made our way through the next few. A creak from above caught my attention. Pointing upstairs, I ascended to the second floor.
Three men sat around a table playing cards. The biggest one set his hand on the table. “Well, what have we here? Couple of dudes looking for some drugs? Pretty brave coming all the way up here. Or maybe you’re already high.”
“We’re just looking for some friends.” I flexed my fists.
“Well, unless you see any skirts in here, we don’t roll like that.”
“No, a guy owned a bookstore a block down. You know him?”
“Maybe I do, who’s asking?”
“We’re friends of Ivy. I held out a card with my number on it. If you know Fahim, Aaron, or Dimitri, could you pass my number along?”
Before I knew it, he pinned my arm to my back and slammed my face against the wall. “You guys smell kinda nice. Maybe you got some money.”
I blasted him with a jolt of electricity that sent him flying to the opposite wall. Spinning to face him, I focused on the blood vessels in his head, popping them one by one.
He hissed and held his temples between his palms. “Damn witches.”
His partner charged, and I lifted my arm, sending a blast of air his way. It propelled him to the ceiling, and he fell like a lead bullet.
“Like I said, if you know Fahim or his friends, please pass along my number. It’s very important.” I walked to the stairs.
Grady huffed after me. “I’m not turning my back on these guys.”
“Fine.” My adrenaline had gotten the best of me, and my ears were ringing. Right then, if another being approached me, I doubted they would escape with their lives.
“What happened? Did you find someone who knew them?” Tyler asked as we exited the house.
“Don’t know.” I slipped the bracelets onto my wrists again and hurried to the end of the alley.
With the extra energy coursing through my body, I could’ve walked the five miles back to the safe house. Instead I raised my hand in the air. It wasn’t two minutes before a cab stopped in front of us.
“So, what do you think?” Tyler asked again once we were inside the vehicle.
“Not now.”
Back at the house, I shed my hat and jacket and stomped to the bedroom. Changing clothes, I made my way to the workout room.
“That was some pretty strong magic.” Grady appeared on the treadmill beside me my fourth mile in.
I smashed the stop button on the treadmill and turned to face him. “I told you I could hold my own.”
“Is it under control?”
“As long as you’re on my good side.” I blotted my face with a towel. My phone buzzed, and I retrieved it from the shelf. “Hello?”
“We have Ivy.”
“You’re kidding?” I rolled my eyes thinking the guy had a death wish.
“No. We can get her back to you for a price.”
“You’re an idiot. What, you didn’t get enough roughing up today? You need more?”
“You can’t find me.” The line went dead.
“Ahhh!” I punched the air. Taking deep breaths, I faced Grady. “We’re at a dead end. We need to do something different. I’m going to shower. Let’s meet in the living room to brainstorm in fifteen minutes.”
“There’s got to be someone else in here.” I slammed Camille’s document onto the coffee table. “What about Anne. How can we find her?”
“Who’s Anne again?” Tyler’s brow furrowed.
I fought lashing out at him. “Alena’s mother.”
“Do we have more information about her? She would be local, right?” Pop asked.
“The vampires called her Queen and referred to Alena as Princess. She has enough resources to hide Alena and Hunter away in a day’s notice. She lived in a penthouse with a ton of guards,” I supplied.
“Did she stay with Alena and Hunter?” Grady asked.
Before I could answer, Pop fired another question. “Do we have a last name?”
“No, she didn’t stay with them. She couldn’t because of her position. Her last name is Scott.”
“Could it be?” Nan asked, looking to Pop.
“I think it is.” He turned to face me. “Anne Scott is the Vampire Chancellor. Her human name is the same. She keeps an investment company as cover.” Pop picked up the laptop. “Here.” He swung it to face me. “This is where she lives.”
“Can we just go there and ask to see her?” Tyler asked.
“I can’t believe we wasted two days.” I got up and paced to the wall.
Grady joined me. “We need to figure out how to prove we are who we say we are.”
Picking up my laptop, I tapped on the screen, bringing up the pictures from the Iceland trip in the account synced to my phone. “I have these.” I spun the screen to show the group.
“There’s Camille.” Janine’s eyes filled with tears. “Do you mind if I look through them?”
“No.” I handed her the device.
Tyler and Grady looked over her shoulder as she scrolled through the pictures.
“You sure do have a lot of pictures of my sister.”
My face flushed, and I looked to the floor. When Janine handed the tablet back, the picture on the screen was the one we’d taken from the summit before I’d showed her my magic. Before she’d made me cut myself to prove I wasn’t a vampire.
“Do Alena and Hunter know what Camille looks like now?” Tyler asked.
“No, but we have this.” I leaned over and picked up Camille’s document.
“What time are we leaving for the vampire chick’s place?” Tyler asked as he poured a cup of coffee and sat down for breakfast.
“As soon as everyone has eaten. No need to waste time.” I grabbed my plate and took it to the sink.
“You better check your attitude.” Grady pointed at Tyler. “It needs to be all respect today, got it?”
“I still can’t believe we’re talking about vampires like they’re real.”
“They are. Very real.” Grady lifted his coffee mug to his mouth.
“You should wash with that soap again.” Pop swung the dishrag he’d been using over his shoulder.
“How do we smell to vampires?” Tyler asked.
“I was told by a vampire friend once that we smell of honey,” Grady said.
It was an interesting statement, and I thought about how Camille smelled of flowers even when she sweated. I shook my head to clear my mind of the thought.
“You guys are making me more nervous.” Janine crossed to the sink and rinsed her plate.
Grady followed her. “This isn’t any different than what we’ve been doing for the last two days. Probably safer because Anne couldn’t have three dead witches and a civilian in her foyer. Those heathens yesterday probably wouldn’t have thought twice about ending us if we’d been weaker.”
“You mean if I hadn’t roughed them up.” I pointed at Grady.
“What heathens? You didn’t tell me about any incidences.” She turned to face Grady.
“I didn’t want to worry you. You don’t have to come. Maybe you shouldn’t.”
“Are you kidding? Who is the best person to convince a woman to help? A mother. Anne’s a mother. I’m a mother. I’m going.” Janine loaded her plate in the dishwasher and strode out of the room.
Grady looked at Tyler. “Well, I guess your mother is definitely going.”
“She’s tough. She can handle it.” Tyler stuffed a bit of bread in his mouth.
Tyler, Grady, and I dressed in the jackets and ball caps, pulling them low over our foreheads. We decided Tyler and I would travel in one car and Grady and Janine in another. Grady and Janine left a few minutes before us, planning to walk a few blocks to get a cab. Our two groups would be dropped off at separate addresses not far from Anne’s building. I guessed I should start to think of her as Ms. Scott at least, as it may have been a better way to address the Vampire Chancellor.
“This bracelet drives me nuts.” Tyler spun the rocks on his wrist as I hailed a cab.
“Small price to pay for not getting picked off. Thanatos has a residence in LA.”
“Who is Thanatos again?”
“High Priest of the witches. He heads the coven holding Camille. A locator spell with Camille’s blood would find you and Grady in two seconds.”
“That’s reassuring.” Tyler rolled his eyes and looked out the window.
“Let’s keep our heads down and get this over with.” I opened the door for him when the vehicle stopped in front of us.
Tyler’s leg bounced on the ride, and I fought telling him to calm down. When the cab stopped, I paid the driver with cash. Stepping onto the sidewalk, I looked to the sky, grateful for the sunlight. It felt like a bittersweet emotion as I wondered how Camille was doing, and I refocused on our task.
We met Camille’s parents in front of Anne Scott’s building.
“I think you should ask for Ms. Scott, Janine,” Grady said.
“You’re kidding?”
“No.”
“Okay, here we go.” Sliding my bracelets off, I motioned for Grady to do the same.
The lobby seemed like a normal place and the attendant smelled like a human. He stood and greeted us as we approached the desk.
“Good morning, how can I help you?” the man asked.
“We’d like to see Ms. Scott,” Janine told him.
“Do you have an appointment?” He tapped the keyboard in front of him. “Ms. Scott didn’t indicate she expected guests this morning.” His eyes darted between the four of us.
“We’re friends from out of town. It was kind of a spur-of-the-minute trip. Could we use the phone to call up? Our cell phone battery died,” Janine told him.
“All of your phones died?”
“We lost our chargers,” Grady indicated.
“I will call up. Who should I say is here?”
“Ivy’s family,” I told him.
“Ivy’s family?” He looked between the four of us again. “Okay.” He lifted the phone from the cradle and pushed a couple of numbers. “Ivy’s family is here to see Ms. Scott,” he said into the receiver.
Lines grew on his face as he listened to the other party. I looked behind us to see two of the elevator’s lights indicating the cars were headed down.
Two elevators headed our way, I transferred the thought to Grady. He nodded his head slightly.
“Okay, thank you.” The attendant put the receiver back in its place. He looked up to us. “Ms. Scott’s assistant will be with you shortly.” He cleared his throat and rubbed his hands. His eyes cut to the elevators to our left.
I turned to see two elevator doors open and four tall, broad-shouldered men step out of each. Their smell hit me, and the hairs on my arm stood on end. I replaced the word men with vampires in my mind. Stepping towards the one in the lead, I held out my hand.
“Hi, I’m a friend of Ivy’s. This is her family. We were hoping to see Ms. Scott.”
The vampire stopped in front of me, ignoring my outstretched palm. “Come this way.” He cocked his head to the elevator, and the other seven vampires fanned out, surrounding our group.
“Have a nice day.” The attendant called from the desk as we followed the lead guard into the elevator. Inside, three additional guards joined us. We stood shoulder to shoulder as the car ascended.
The elevator stopped one short of the top floor. Not the penthouse. I spoke telepathically to Grady who blinked, I guessed in confirmation.
We exited the elevator to an empty hall. “This way.” The head guard led us down the corridor with the other seven guards trailing us. A couple of doors from the end, he stopped, put the key in the lock, and motioned for us to enter. Inside, a narrow hallway was lined with doors. He passed us, unlocking one of the doors, turning on the lights and ushering us inside.
The room was empty, save a mirror on the wall, which I assumed to be a one-way glass. Video cameras mounted near the ceiling in each corner.
“So,” the lead guard spun to face us, “you wish to see Ms. Scott about someone named Ivy?”
“Yes,” I answered. “This is her mother, father, and brother.”
“And Ivy is?”
“A friend of Ms. Scott’s daughter.”
“Ms. Scott’s daughter?”
“Violet. Or Alena, I guess.”
Janine stepped to my side. “Please, they have my daughter.”
“Who has your daughter?” the guard inquired.
“A coven of witches in Italy.”
“Witches? In Italy? Assuming witches to be real, why would Miss Scott have any concern for witch business?”
I cleared my throat. “Yes, assuming witches to be real, we believe Miss Scott can help us rescue Ivy from this coven’s compound.”
“And you know where this compound is?”
“Yes, I escaped from there a week ago.”
“And you are?”
“A friend, as I said.”
“I’m Ivy’s father, this is her mother and brother.” Grady spoke for the first time.
“I’m assuming you have proof of your relationships with Ivy?”
I held up my wrist, where the brand had been. “I escaped Michael’s coven and had the brand removed.” Slipping my phone from my pocket, I scrolled through pictures of Camille and me in Iceland. “This is Ivy. Her real name is Camille.”
“Camille Thornton,” Grady put in. “I am Grady, this is my son, Tyler, and wife, Janine.”
“You are Ivy’s, or Camille’s, mother?” The guard pointed to Janine.
Janine clutched her hands in front of her. “Yes.”
The guard spun to look up at one of the cameras and then put his hand to a device, tucked in his ear. “One moment. We’ll be back.”
The guards filed out of the room.
“Is this good or bad?” Tyler asked.
“I have no clue.” Grady paced from one side of the room to the other. “You all have your passports, right?”
We nodded in succession as he looked to each of us.
“I’m surprised they didn’t frisk us,” Tyler said.
“They’re vampires. They’re so fast they can subdue you in a second.” Grady walked to the mirror.
“You know I’m strong enough to take out a vampire.” I peered into the mirror, wondering if someone was on the other side.
“Eight of them?”
“Good point.” I tapped on the glass.
An hour later we were still waiting.
“What are they waiting for?” Tyler paced the room.
Grady slid to the floor. “A seer maybe?”
“Probably,” I supplied, looking up into the camera opposite me.
“What’s a seer?” Tyler asked.
“Someone who can read minds,” Grady supplied.
I turned to face the mirror. “I have information about Ivy. I’m her herald. My birthday is March twenty-first. I met Camille, or Ivy, at a camp in Iceland. She was lured there by a member of Michael’s coven, Dr. Miguel Antos. We discovered we were witches and went with him to Sardinia. He trained us and was going to initiate us into the coven.” I held my wrist up. “This is Michael’s brand. I had it removed in Italy by a witch named Helene after I escaped. I belong to my family’s coven now. I was in the compound on the winter solstice when they were performing some type of ritual with the sword. That is where I last saw Camille.”
“How did you get out?” a male voice asked.
Hating retelling the story, I took a deep breath. “Camille wanted to watch the ritual. I went to free her father.” I pointed to Grady. “When I returned, she was gone. All the guards were running towards the center of the compound, and we snuck out using a cloaking spell.”
There was silence for a few minutes. “If you are a herald, why would you leave Camille behind?”
“I wouldn’t have done her any good locked up.”
“We will be in touch,” the voice indicated.
Again, we waited over an hour more.
There was a click at the door, and the lead guard entered with three additional guards and an older woman.
“She is a seer. Give her your hand.” He pointed to me.
I held out my arm, and she took my hand. Her skin was soft and thin like Helene’s, and I wondered how old she was.
“He is telling the truth.” She nodded and stepped in front of Grady.
One by one, she took their hands and confirmed that we had no covert motives.
“We’ll be back.” The guard escorted the seer out.
“When?” Tyler hit his leg and paced across the room.
“They’re trying to figure out what to do,” Grady said.
“Could you have been followed?” came a male’s voice from the speaker.
“No.” I slipped my bracelet from my pocket. “We wore these bracelets. They block magic. We arrived in LA two days ago. We stayed at my grandparent’s safe house and came here by cab this morning. We spent the last two days looking for Fahim’s bookstore. We believe we found it empty.” I slid Camille’s document from my jacket pocket. “This is Camille’s account of her visions of Alena and Hunter.” I pressed it to the mirror.
Over another hour passed. Along with the shuffling of heavy feet, I heard heels click along the hall outside. We stood as the guards entered with a petite, dark-haired lady.
She moved to the front of their group and held out her hand to me. “I’m Anne Scott. It’s nice to meet you…”
“Jude,” I supplied.
She smiled and nodded. “Jude.” She shook Janine’s, Tyler’s, and Grady’s hands, and they introduced themselves. “Thank you for coming,” Anne continued. “We would like to help you rescue Camille.” Reaching out, she squeezed Janine’s arm. “I’m sorry for the wait. We were trying to arrange your transportation. I assume you have your passports with you?”
“Where are we going?” Tyler insisted.
“That is a good question. We would like to move you to our secure compound where you can help plan Camille’s rescue.”
“Where is that?” Janine asked.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose that information.”
“I’m assuming we don’t have a choice at this point,” Grady said to her.
She smiled and folded her arms across her waist. “You came to me for help.” Spinning on her heels, she walked from the room, leaving us with the four guards.