Mary Ann was currently protected against death by physical injury and mind control. To bypass those, the witches would have towhat? Cause mental injury through some kind of trickery? He wasnt sure how theyd pull something like that off.
How many others were nearby? Had they seen Mary Ann already? They obviously hadnt attacked her. Determined to discover the truth, he drew closer to them.
The boy will have to be taken care of, as well, Marie said on a sigh.
What boy? Him? Or someone else? Jealousy sparked.
Hes done nothing wrong, Jennifer said.
Doesnt matter. Hes powerful. Hell be trouble, Marie replied.
Powerful could mean Aden but could also mean Riley. However, the done nothing wrong part eliminated them both. Rileys jealousy sprouted wings with razored tips and flew through his entire body.
Marie continued, We cant risk his coming after us. He could do serious damage. Especially if he decides to aid the other one, the new king. And since Aden has Tyson stuck inside him
I know. Fear coated Jennifers voice.
Tyson? One of the souls BD? Before Death.
Riley made a mental note to tell Aden, see if the name sparked a memory in a soul. He stopped when he reached the front doors of an apartment building. One of the crumbling, rundown ones. The witches were inside, their auras practically crackling beyond the bricks. So badly he wanted to charge through the building, biting and chewing the magic wielders to pieces. Threaten Mary Ann and hurt. That was the lesson they needed to learn. But he was without wards. His wolf skin couldnt hold them. The witches could cast a thousand different spellsdeath, destruction, painand he would be helpless.
That was why wolves never challenged witches without a vampire by their side.
A low growl slipped from him. He hated walking away from a fight, but he did it. He clomped back into the shadows and saw the motel across the streetand the four telling auras inside it. Those auras crackled, glitter swirling in a rainbow of colors.
Fairies.
They were here, too. Dread slithered through him. His ears twitched as he honed in, listened.
reach her before the witches, someone was saying. Female. Possibly Brendal, the fairy whod tried to mind-control Aden into doing as she wanted. A princess, and the dead and ghostly Thomass determined sister. Shes mine.
Yes, princess.
Oh, yes. That was Brendal.
Riley sped into action, Mary Anns scent strengthening the moment he reached the Charleston Motel. The sign underneath read Weekly Rapes Available. Nice. Someone had screwed with the letters.
Would Mary Ann have gone inside such a dilapidated facility? Doing so was completely out of character for someone known as a Goody Two-shoes. (And what the hell did that mean, anyway? Why were shoes considered good?) She might have, though, simply to throw off whoever was following her.
And the witches and fairies had seen her. No question of that now. Why else would they be here, talking about her?
As his anticipation and concern returned, strengthened, he raced across the street. Headlights washed over him, a car horn blared, tires squealed. Shoulda looked both ways, he supposed, jumping out of the way. The motel doors opened from the outside, rather than from an inner hallway. His favorite. He sniffed each one until he caught another whiff of Mary Ann.
The instant he did, his blood heated with all kinds of gooey emotions only girls were supposed to feel. She was here.
He shifted to his human form, naked and suddenly cold, picked the lock, shifted back to his wolf form, settled his mouth around the knob and gave a little twist. Or tried to. No movement, which meant shed done more than lock it. Good. Not that any kind of rigging would stop the witches, the fae or him.
Rather than shift back to his human form and undo her handiworkperhaps waking Mary Ann and giving her time to run, hide or call the boy the witches had mentionedRiley slammed into the door with all his considerable wolf weight. Hinges snapped, and wood shards rained.
He remained there in the entrance, taking stock. First thing he noticed: there was someone on the floor, sitting up, glaring. Tucker Harbor. Second thing: someone on the bed, sitting up, gasping. Mary Ann. That fall of dark hair, her aura the dark red of fear, the blue of hope.
In an instant he knew. Tucker was the boy. The powerful, supposedly done-nothing-wrong boy.
In a blink, the scene changed. No longer was anyone on the floor. No longer was the person on the bed gasping at him with a combination of fear and hope.
Now, there were two people on the bedand they were having sex.
Another growl left him, this one as savage and lethal as a dagger. Probably cutting much deeper. Hed already decided to kill Tucker, but now he was going to make it hurt.
Riley shifteduncaring that he was nakedand closed the door as best he could. With the damage to the hinges, he could only prop the fake wood against the opening. Then he turned and crossed his arms over his chest.
I know what youre doing, you bastard, and you can stop. Illusions. This was an illusion, and he knew it soul deep. Neither person on the bed, so lost to pleasure, cast any kind of aura.
Riley, Mary Ann said on a raspy breath.
The sound of his name on those lips affected him. His blood heated another degree and not with fury.
Tucker, she said next, pleasure giving way to irritation. Stop, or Ill stab you.
A funny threat, coming from her, but effective. Tucker dropped the illusion, and once again Riley saw that Tucker was on the floor and Mary Ann was on the bed.
She looked away from Riley, even as she tossed him a sheet, a hot blush staining her cheeks. For fricks sake, Riley, cover yourself. Tuckers here.
Had she just said for fricks sake? And, if he didnt obey? He wanted to ask but didnt. He caught the sheet and wound the material around his waist, tucking in the end to ensure it stayed put. He recrossed his arms over his chest. Im sure Tuckers already come to grips with the fact that everyone he encounters is bigger than he is, so dont worry that hell slip into a shame spiral and kill himself. Just start talking. Before I start maiming. Whats going on?
Cant you tell? Tucker asked, smug enough to boil Rileys good intentions. Were dating again, and shes playing hard to get.
Riley ran his tongue over his teeth. Not another word out of you, demon. Mary Ann? Shed ditched him to go on the run with her cheating, evil ex. Riley had never been more stunnedor more pissed. Youve got witches across the street, fairies here in this building, and both are planning your execution. You can either tell me whats going on now, or tell me after I kill Tucker.
She gulped. Now is fine.
Good choice. Man, she was beautiful. Not just quietly pretty, he realized, but drop-dead beautiful. And, yeah, maybe the fact that hed missed her so much was responsible for the change, but just then she was perfect in every way. Except for the ex. Tucker was an accessory that would not go with any of Mary Anns outfits.
Tucker stood. He wore a T-shirt and a pair of boxers. Both would look so much nicer torn to ribbons. Along with his skin. You want a piece of me, wolf? Then come and get it. Cause your girlfriend sure did earlier.
Another gasp left Mary Ann. You are such a liar! Ive changed my mind, Riley. We can talk after you kill him, she added primly.
He flashed a grin. Until he heard wolf is back! What should we do? The speaker was Jennifer. Through magic, they could watch anyone at any time. Why the hell hadnt he thought of that?
The slaughter will have to wait, he said. Grab your stuff. We need to leave. The witches are watching you. And he needed to do something to stop them.
Okay. Yes. She was pale and trembling as she unfolded from the bed, but her bag was already packed, the same backpack shed left home with, so the moment she slid her feet into her tennis shoes, she was ready.
They were racing into the night a second later.
Tucker, the bastard, followed them. Youll need me, he said, smug again. If you want to succeed.
Like you did such a good job before, Riley snapped.
Shes alive, isnt she?
No arguing with that.
Zip it, both of you, Mary Ann said, exasperated. We can yell and threaten each other when were safe.
He heard her unspoken question: Would they ever be safe? Truly safe? He wanted to reply but zipped his lips as ordered and shifted back to wolf form, the sheet falling away.
Hed make sure she was safe. Whatever he had to do, hed make sure.
NINE
WHEN ADEN FINISHED PLAYING fetch with the beasts, he asked them to return to their hosts. They snorted and groused, but ultimately they obeyed, wanting so badly to please him. After that, he ordered his people to go about their business and no oneno onewas to disturb him.
After that, he spent a few hours walking the grounds (pristine), the house (immaculate), listening to gossip (boring) and ignoring the councilmen, who obeyed his edict to leave him alone but who purposely cast their voices his way as they argued about his future marriage plans (not gonna happen).
They also discussed his coronation ceremony having been canceled because hed been missing, and then picked a new date, agreeing they could have everything ready in a week. Which, miracle of miracles, was nearly the same date as the ceremony theyd canceled, but whatever.
He was king, and he didnt need a coronation to feel the part. Nor did the people need a coronation to follow him. Not after theyd seen what he could do with their beasts.
And nownow he was weary. He found a shirt, pulled it on and spent the rest of the night in the throne room, the power wafting from the wards woven into the carpet quieting the buzzing in his head, comforting him but not reassuring him. At least no one tried to enter, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
He wondered where Victoria was and what she was doing. Fine. He didnt care about either. He just wanted to know who she was doing whatever it was with and kill the guy.
Victoria was his girlfriend. Right? So, warning other males away with violence was his prerogative. Right?
He massaged the back of his neck. Something is wrong with you, Riley had said. Victoria had agreed, and now Aden did as well. He was uncaring, cold and murderous, his emotions dying before they had a chance to grow, his thoughts traveling dark, dangerous paths he didnt understand.
More than that, he knew things he shouldnt. Like the names, faults and strengths of vampires hed never met. Like how blowing the golden horn would summon his allies. Or Vlads. He knew his way around this home. Every secret passage, every forgotten hidey-hole. And his desire to start a war with anyone and everyone who opposed his rule? That topped the list of weird.
He had become someone else.
How was he supposed to fight this when part of him actually liked the changes?
By the time the sun rose, he hadnt yet come up with a decent answer. He was tired, but still too restless to try and sleep. Good thing, too. Being vulnerable in a nest of vipers wasnt wise. On top of that, his meds were wearing off, and the souls were murmuring inside his head. Nothing distinguishable yet but enough to assure him they were with him still.
He was relievedhe supposed.
Mostly, he was hungry. Not for pancakes or cereal or even a bagel, but for blood from a living host. Something else he should care about but didnt. All he wanted was to feed. And he wanted to do it before the souls woke completely and decided to comment about his new eating habits. Although they might understand and accept, considering what theyd witnessed inside the cave.
He stood, his bones creaking from the hours of disuse, and finally strode out of the throne room. He waited, expectant, but the buzzing never started up again.
Two wolves stood sentry at the double doors, one the pure white of a snowflake, the other a rainbow of golds. They followed him as he walked, not even trying to hide their purpose.
Nathan and Maxwell, Rileys brothers. Undoubtedly his new guards. Hed met them before, so it wasnt strange that he knew them. They were good guys, if a bit irreverent.
One of his feet knocked into the other. See? Those werent his thoughts. Nathan and Maxwell were good guys, yeah, but Aden had never considered them irreverent before.
Younger vampires wandered in every direction, blood-slaves trailing behind them, worship glazing their eyes. That could have been me. In the cave, hed craved Victorias bite more than anything in the world. Had wanted to bite her even more than that.
The way his gums throbbed and his teeth ached in a sudden chorus of oh, please, now, he still wanted to bite her. Her, and no one else. And he could do so. He was her king. He would bite her. He had only to find her.
Or not, he realized next. Thats what minions were for.
Minions? Really?
Maybemaybe the only way to fight this strange new part of himself was to do the opposite of what it wanted. He nodded. That made sense. The first hurdle, of course, was Victoria. He yearned to feed from her, therefore he couldnt feed from her. The second hurdle would be telling her they couldnt spend any more time together.
Telling her would require seeing her. A tingle of anticipation swept through him. Deep down, in the part of himself that he did know and did understand, he would cut off an arm to see her.
Take me to Victoria, he commanded the wolves. There would be no sending minions. Not for this.
Nathans ears perked up. Maxwell chomped his teeth at him. Then the pair of them bounded in front of him, a silent demand for him to follow. He did and soon found himself in the backyard. The sun was brighter than usual, and despite the chill in the air, he experienced a rush of burning bristles against his skin. Not enough to send him back inside but just enough to annoy him.
Aden? Is that you? an unsure male voice asked. Julian, alert at last.
Aden should have been happythe soul sounded like himself and hadnt changed like Aden. Yes, he should have been. Its me, he said, and the wolves stopped to look back at him. He waved them forward.
Comprehension dawned in their gazes, and they obeyed. Aden wished he could think his replies to the souls, but his inner voice was always lost in the chaos.
Dude! The uncertainty fell away. Were back with Aden, Julian whooped happily. Are we here to stay, E? Come on, Great Oracle of Doom, and help a guy out. Tell me what I want to hear.
Silence.
Elijah must still be sleeping. Caleb, too. Lazy bums.
The wolves stopped, their spines stiffening, their hair standing on end. They looked around, growling at Aden followed their line of vision through the surrounding forestnothing but air. Did they sense a threat he couldnt see? He waited, but no one stepped from the trees, and not a single leaf swayed from nearby motion. Had some of hisor Vladsallies arrived yet? Would they even come?
The horn was bespelled and had been for over a thousand years, ever since several vampire factions had agreed to aid each other whenever necessary. And yet, not one of those factions had ever used their horn. Would they remember what the summons meant? Would they care?
The growling intensified a split second before a woman danced her way into the metal circle that designated the crypt. Aden was hypnotized by her. She wore a black robe like all the vampires here, but a hood draped her head, concealing her features. Still, he could see the long length of hair, black as night and cascading like a waterfall over her shoulder.
The wolves didnt stop growling, but they didnt attack her. They must have been as transfixed as he was.
Twirling, twirling, mesmerizing.
There was something familiar about her, something that lit Aden up inside, even as it dragged him down. Whoever she was, she raised the same emotions Mary Ann did. An urge to hug, followed by a need to run.
Maxwell, Nathan, he said.
They quieted as they looked over their furry shoulders.
Using minions wasnt a bad idea, really. Bring Victoria to me, he said absently.
We should stay with you. Nathans voice echoed inside his head. Theres danger here, my king.
Wolves could speak into the minds of those around them. Something Riley had done to him before, so he wasnt startled. And neither was Julian, who probably couldnt hear the new voice. From this woman? No. Now go get Victoria and bring her to me.
They shared a confused look before nodding and clomping off.
He sat down, right there, in front of the circle, watching the woman. She didnt seem to notice him. Her graceful, twirling steps never faltered. Twirling, twirling, a ballerina on ice, her arms outstretched, one leg lifted behind her and bent. Twirling and twirling.
Who was she?
A cough inside his head. Hello, Aden, Elijah finally said, then yawned. How are you feeling?
Fine. Kind of.
So are we here to stay or what? Julian demanded, practically jumping up and down.
Idont know, the psychic replied.
O-kay. That was a first.
Explain yourself, please, Julian huffed. Elijah sighed. I just woke up. Do we have to do the heavy stuff
Explain, explain, explain!
You are such a child. But fine. Adens path has been altered so much lately, I can no longer see a clear future for him. He was supposed to die, and that was supposed to be the end of us all. But he didnt, we didnt, and now I cant see what lies ahead.
Perhaps that was a good thing.
That better not mean were going to die soon. Really die, I mean, Julian replied, and if hed had a body he would have been pacing. Or that were gonna wake up back inside the vamp. I like her and everything, when shes not going for our jugular, but come on. A guy needs to be a guy.
Nothing wrong with the vamp, Caleb said, piping up for the first time. Like Elijah, he yawned. No offense, Aden, but shes hotter than you.
A milk jug is hotter than our Ad, Julian said with a snicker.
Caleb snorted. Buuurn.
Good. The gangs all here.
Why dont you sound happy? Julian asked, pouting now. More important questionwhy didnt you laugh at my amazing joke?
And why are you socold inside? Caleb asked. Seriously, its like a meat locker in here.
Meat locker? When his skin felt molten? Im fine. And I dont know.
I might. What do you remember about your last hour inside that cave with Victoria? Elijah asked. Think for a minute, okay, then you can go back to doing whatever it is youre doing.
Why do you want to know?
Please. Just do what I told you.
Not an answer, but fine. Whatever. All right. Arguing required too much energy. So he thought about it, replaying the events through his head. Hed just bitten Victoria. Just drank from her. Shed just bitten and drunk from him. That hadnt been enough for either of them. Theyd fought, tossing each other around like rag dolls, both lost to a hunger that never seemed to be satisfied.
The dancing woman laughed, and Aden wanted to look at her, to see her face softened by humor, but forced himself to concentrate, thinking backback. The cave. Victoria. The fighting had stopped, and theyd faced off. Shedglowed. Yes, he remembered now. A glorious golden glow had seeped from her pores, so bright he hadnt been able to look at her. Seeing it, Chompers had gone crazy inside his head, wanting out, desperate to protect him, sensing a predator far stronger than himself was about to be unleashed.
Then, Chompers had gotten his wish. Hed emerged from Adens body, solidified into dragon form and attacked. Aden had shouted, racing forward, afraid for his girl, willing to throw himself in front of Victoria to save her from being clamped between those too-strong jaws. Only, Victoria had stretched out her hands. The glow had lanced away from her body and into Chompers, knocking him backward, pinning him to the cave wall.
Victoria had turned her attention to Aden. Again the glow had lanced from her, then slammed into him. He, too, had been thrown backward, pinned on the opposite side, as far away from Chompers as possible. She had closed the distance between them.
Her eyes, usually blue, had then been filled with lavender ice chips and devoid of any emotion. Shed looked him over from head to toe, taking his measure.
A pause. Aden had tried to breathe, couldnt breathe. The energy, or whatever shed thrown at him, had been tightening its hold on him, shoving his ribs into his lungs, piercing the membrane. Pain had shot through him.
Victoria, Aden had gasped out.
Shed blinked at him, as if shed heard him but hadnt quite understood him. Victoria.
Shed opened her mouth to speak. Had spoken. Hed heard the words. Or should have. The sounds shed made, theyd been
Enough! Elijah shouted inside Adens head, drowning out everything else.
Aden sucked in a breath, suddenly back in the present, the past fading, gone.
Thats enough, Elijah said again, calm this time.
You wanted me to think back, Aden said, confused. I did. You should have let the scene play until the end. He wanted to know what Victoria had saidand who had been speaking through her. Because that had not been her voice. Too raw, too guttural. Too animalistic.
What are you talking about? What scene? I didnt see anything, Julian groused.
Me, either, Caleb said. What happened?
Nothing, Elijah lied. Leave it alone, Aden. You saw all that you needed to see. Frankly, I didnt expect you to remember that much.
Another lie? Elijah never lied. What was going on? Then why did you have me think back?
I just wanted you to know that Victoria didnt hurt you on purpose.
Was that why hed been wondering if he even liked her? Because of something shed done in the cave? Something he couldnt remember? Or hadnt yet remembered.
He pursed his lips. His past was there, all of it, every memory accessible, but those memories werent the main focus of his mind. He had to actively consider somethinglike what had happened in the cavebefore the event crystallized.
After all the blood exchanges, Victoria left pieces of herself inside you. Her past, her thoughts and desires. Or rather, former thoughts and desires. They seem like yours now.
That cant be right. Earlier I wondered if I even liked her.
And once upon a time, she didnt like herself.
I want to kill her father. She loved her father.
Shes wanted to harm him many times over the past few decades. He wasnt always nice to her, you know. But Aden? Youre still here, too. The desire to harm him could very well spring from deep inside you.
Pieces of Victorias psyche. Inside him. Driving him, changing him. Right or wrong? True or false? How do you know this?
Im all-knowing, remember? The self-deprecating tone held a layer of truth and dread. Not anymore. Remember?
The dancing woman stopped, laughed, such a tinkling soundhe loved that sound, hated that soundand pushed back her hood to look directly at him. Her face was lovely, delicate and hauntingly sweet.
There you are, my darling. What are you doing, sitting so far away? Come and dance with me.
Darling? Oh, yes, he knew her. Should know her, but still couldnt quite place her. His brain kept getting caught up on the words mother and exasperating. She wasnt his motherwas she?and he wasnt sure why she exasperated him.
I dont know how to dance, he told her.
Ill take the blame, I swear.
He blinked in confusion. She wanted to take the blame for his lack of skill?
If you get up and dance right now, Ill never forgive you, Caleb said. Youll look like an idiot, and in turn make us look like idiots.
Youre unwillingness to groove surprises me, C-man. Julian chuckled. Flailing around would probably look like some kind of mating ritual, luring the ladies. Or something.
Aden. Dude. If youre thinking about dancing, you should just get up and dance. Calebs abrupt switch was almost comical. Its all about the bump and grind.
Another tinkling laugh, and the woman pulled her hood back up. Very well, my darling, be that way. Ill dance on my own. The twirling started up again. But youre missing out, I promise you.
Aden. The pureness of Victorias voice captured his attention. You summoned me?
He forced himself to look up. She stood just off to the side, the wolves flanking her. The sun framed her, creating an angelic halo around her. Shed pulled her dark hair into a ponytail and wore a black robe, as usual, only this one boasted long sleeves and a coarser, thicker material. She lookedhuman, so beautifully human, her cheeks and nose a bright pink, her eyes watering from the cold.
Do you know that woman? He motioned to whereshe was gone. The dancing female had spun her way out of the backyard.
Who? Victoria asked.
Never mind. The scent of her hit him, as sweet as she looked. Gums, throbbing. Teeth, aching. Mouth, watering.
And wouldnt you know it? The buzzing returned to his head, followed by a muted cry. The same muted cry hed heard last night. Small, almost whining. Grumbling for attention. Like a newborn baby.
What was that? Julian demanded.
Probably just echoes from before, in the cave, he said, the words slurred. God. His tongue felt as big as a golf ball. His gaze latched onto Victorias thumping pulse. Mmm.
What? Victoria asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
This is dangerous, Elijah said. Look away from her. You cant drink from her. What if you become addicted to her again?
Or worse, what if theres another switch and we end up back inside her? Julians fear was palpable.
Am I the only one with a sense of adventure? Caleb asked. Do it! Drink her!
Ignore him. Drink from someone else, Elijah com manded.
ButAden didnt want to drink from anyone else, even though his stomach was twisting painfully, even though hed decided to send Victoria away.
His hunger must have overridden his good sense because he now wanted to keep her with him. And what he wanted, he got. Always. Sighing, he stood and held out his hand, another plaintive cry resounding in his head before he could speak.
Seriously, what is that? Julians fear gave way to irritation. Caleb, are you acting like a brat again, pretending to be a baby?
You know I hold my breath to get what I want. I dont whine.
Uh, hate to break it to you, but you dont have any breath, Elijah said.
And yet it works for me. Why would I change my methods?
Aden tuned them out as best he could. Walk with me, he said to Victoria. She hadnt taken his hand, was merely peering down at it, unsure.
Hope flickered in her blue, blue eyes as she glanced up. Really?
As I was saying earlier, you do like her, Elijah said, voice pushing through his mental blocks. Dont forget that. Any negative feelings toward her are not your own. Okay? Yes?
Why the insistence?
Victoria placed her hand in his, and ignoring the souls was no longer an issue. The princess became his sole focus.
Her scent did more than envelop him, it invaded him, consumed him, and his mouth watered a little more. Just then, he really liked her. Her softness, her warmthnot hot, not anymore, but warm and sweet. Hereverything.
Scout ahead and make sure well be alone, he commanded the wolves before leading Victoria out of the backyard and into the forest. They bounded in front of him and soon disappeared. No howls of warning were forthcoming, so he continued on.
What he would do with Victoria, well, he wasnt sure about that, either. But they would find out together. For better or worse.
TEN
WAS THIS WALK FOR business or pleasure?
Victoria strolled hand in hand with Aden for a long while, just as theyd done before The Incident, as she was now calling their last minutes in the cave, silentif she didnt count the now-constant, though gradually quieting, roaring in the back of her headmoving farther and farther away from the mansion. And protection.