“By firing him?”
“Now, now, Selene, don’t be so judgmental. I didn’tfirehim—I encouraged him to take a break for his mental health like any good boss would have done.” His fake concern makes my skin crawl.
“To what end?”
“The humans who raised him are dead. He has no friends. I could have played with him for an entire year before anyone noticed he was missing. Then, when the year was up, I would have forced him to confess to his crimes. Imagine thescandal. The investigative reporter writing articles on The Raven turns out to be the villain behind it all.” Gleefully, he claps his hands. “Once the world turned on him, he’d take his own life to escape justice. The perfect ending to the story.”
“Why did you commit the other murders? Did you intend to frame him all along?” I ask, knowing Jared will want to know.
“No.” Corbin looks chagrined. “Even though I didn’t think Jared was her son, I could still see her in him. The constant reminder of her betrayal got the best of me,” he says like he’s admitting to snagging an extra biscuit instead of confessing to multiple murders. “I needed an outlet for my frustration, and thehumans I killed all deserved it. They thought they were better than me—bumping into me on the street, getting my coffee order wrong. Those insignificant worms should have bowed before me!”
“Then why take Jared? If he wasn’t the one you were looking for, why decide to kill him?”
He shrugs. “Boredom. I’d waited years for my revenge. I decided if I couldn’t have the real thing, then a convincing substitute would have to do. Imagine my surprise when I saw the amulet and realised Jared was the one I’d been searching for all along.” His laughter is tinged with mania. “When his mother wore it, there was always still a faint trace of her magical signature. I never considered it could be strong enough to hide her son’s signature completely, and, until I took him, I’d never noticed Jared wearing it.” He sighs, shaking his head. “His shirts and ties always kept the amulet hidden. I could have saved myself so much time if I’d approved the office’s request for casual Fridays.”
He’s completely unhinged, but at least I’ve got some answers for my mate. Time to wrap this up before Corbin tires of waiting for Jared and just kills me. Now to figure out how to get him close enough for my plan to work. Deliberately antagonising the unstable serial killer doesn’t seem like the best idea, but it’s the only one I’ve got.Forgive me Jared.
“That’s right.” I laugh, and Corbin’s dark eyes narrow. “You got scared of a little necklace and ran away.”
“I did not,” he seethes.
I keep laughing, and he backhands me so hard my head whips to the side. Tasting the blood from my split lip, I grin. Almost close enough. “You screwed up. Couldn’t kill him, couldn’t frame him.”
“He wasn’t supposed to leave. He didn’t know about supernaturals. How was I supposed to know he would move to asanctuary town?” Corbin towers over me. Almost close enough, but I’m only going to get one shot at this.
“I’m not surprised you failed—you couldn’t even get your mate to love you.” That does it.
Corbin lunges forward, and I slam my hands onto either side of his head, using his coat button to link us and pull him into a vision of my making. I have his little nightmare trick to thank for the idea. Corbin screams, trapped in the darkness of his own mind, knees buckling and slamming onto the floor with a crack. Blood drips from my nose with the effort of forcing the vision, but I can’t let go yet. Black spots drift before my eyes, but just as I’m worried my half-baked escape plan is about to fail, Corbin passes out, his head smacking into the floor with a heavy thud.
My head feels like it’s being cleaved apart, but I push through the pain. I’ve never forced a vision on someone before—honestly, I wasn’t sure I could—and I’ve got no clue how long Corbin will be out for.
Hastily, I struggle with the ropes binding my ankles, warily glancing at Corbin’s prone form every few seconds. When the rope falls to the ground, I sob with relief. Stumbling to my feet, I stagger towards the barn doors—I need to get out of here.
I’ve almost made it, my fingers brushing over the wooden plank barring the door, when sharp claws dig into my shoulder, yanking me backwards.
“No!” My scream is infused with terror and frustration. I was so close. This can’t be how it ends.
“You bitch,” Corbin snarls. He’s lost control of his shift, and black feathered wings have sprouted from his back.
I ram an elbow into his gut and stomp on his foot, grateful for my chunky boots. Corbin yowls in pain, losing his grip on me. The forced vision must have weakened him—usually a witch wouldn’t stand a chance against a demon in a battle of physical strength. Our struggle has brought us further away from thedoor, and I know I won’t make it out if I try to run again. I have to fight.
Scanning the barn for anything I can use against him, the corners of my mouth lift in a wicked grin when I spot an axe peeking out from beneath a tarp. Racing towards it, I cry out triumphantly when my hands wrap around the handle.
“Get back here!” Corbin shouts, chasing me.
Whirling to face him, I raise the axe high above my head. Putting all of my strength behind the movement, I swing. Corbin’s eyes widen in shock, then a pained scream erupts from his throat. The blade of my axe is lodged in his left wing. Holding tight to the handle, I kick Corbin in the chest, knocking him to the ground and dislodging the axe in one swift move. The blood splatter hits my face, but I don’t let that deter me. Panting with exertion, I stand over him. Sweat beads on my forehead, and I swing the axe once more, putting my full bodyweight behind it. This time it cuts right through his wing, lodging in the wooden floorboards beneath.
The barn doors crash open right as Corbin wails in agony.
Jared and Garrett stand in the broken-in doorway panting, their eyes widening in shock as they take in Corbin bleeding and pinned to the ground.
“Uh, we’re here to rescue you?”
Chapter 29
Jared
“Uh, we’re here to rescue you?” I announce dumbly, the words sounding more like a question as I watch Selene wipe crimson blood splatter from her face.
