Has fate changed? If so, what else will?
I need to speak with Her.
Also, for the record, wasn’t a fan of Sloane throwing my name and past around. My history—it’s…well, best left behind us.
Where nothing hurts.
Fifty-Seven
RYDER
Through the hazeof heartbreak and horror, of bloodshed and burning, another voice slices through. A long and drawn-out sigh before a mumble.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake. You two are gonna go ’round in circles at this rate.”
Archer suddenly throws a spell at his mother and sister, tossing them both into the far wall. Instantly unconscious, they fall to the ground, limp—something I was beginning to question the possibility of, given Sloane’s strength.
Another flick of magick releases our paws from the earth, and Xander and Holly dart for Conan’s body while I head to Carina’s side,needingto feel her in my arms, to ensure she’s alright. To lick away her grief and remind her she’s still cared for. That her new magick means nothing to me.
She doesn’t react to my arms circling her waist, nor when I pull her against me to breathe her in. Her natural scent of water and nature is tangled with dirt and death.
Safe.
Her hair, black now and tainted by Darkness, is soft against my cheek. No matter the colour, it’s the same. She’s still her.
Nearby, Archer checks his family’s pulses. “Mom is strong, so that took all of my energy. It won’t keep them down for long, which means you need to leave right away.”
Carina drags her red-ringed eyes away from Conan’s body to look at Archer with all the distaste a warlock who’s helping us doesn’t deserve. Her lips pull back into a snarl I now attribute to her DNA, and it’s when her gaze finally lifts that I notice what I didn’t earlier: the purple of her eyes is a shade darker than normal.
“You couldn’t have done that sooner? Before—” She stabs a finger at Conan’s body, wincing with what words won’t come. “Before people got hurt.”
“I’m sorry,” he says around deep breaths. “I had to stay out of it for as long as possible, until it became necessary to step in. But we don’t have time to argue. I mean it. You need to leave immediately.”
Not giving us the chance to argue, he casts a spell at Conan to levitate him. Holly grips his limp hand, and the two follow Archer out the door. I shove Carina after her, and Xander takes up the rear.
Archer leads the way through the underground hallways to a staircase that eventually takes us into the main part of this strange house that’s nothing like Carina’s. We reach a set of double doors entwined with those fucking vines that chained me down below. Archer pushes them open to a vastly different view than we approached earlier with.
“That”—he points ahead—“is the direction you’ll need to take back west. Stay away from town unless battling an entire coven is on your to-do list.”
He runs with us to the edge of his property, where the grass meets the forest and where we shifted to human form earlier. From there, he lowers Conan’s body to the ground and turns to speak with Carina.
“After they shift, spell their clothes to create a larger piece. It’ll make carrying him easier.” From her, he looks at me, chewing on his lip ring. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. Mom will wake soon, but I’ll attempt to hit her with the same spell and keep her knocked out for longer. It’ll give you guys more time to get away.”
“Won’t she come after me?” Carina asks tonelessly, darkening eyes as flat as this whole situation.
“You’re Dark, which is her first goal. At this point, I assume she’ll hold off until Wynter is turned and then come for you. It won’t be a pretty fight for anyone, especially those who’ll defend you.” His head tilts in my direction.
Damn fucking right I’ll protect her.
“She’ll gather the entire coven, vampires, and probably even hire soldiers from the Angeli Telluris, if I had to guess. She’ll do anything to get the four of you together. If I can get you word, I vow on Hecate, I will. I’ll attempt to do for Wynter what I’ve done for you…hopefully before she turns.” He hesitates, cupping the back of his neck before making whatever decision he was debating, and snatches her hand. Ignoring my warning noises, he traces a fingertip down her palm, over the lines. “Mom was right about magick being a balance. No matter what happens, you are still you. You have your elemental magick, and there’s a reason for that.”
“Hecate will hate?—”
“Hecate doesn’t turn away from us.Weturn from Her, by choice, but Carina, listen to me.” He drops her hand to instead grab her shoulders, bending to line their faces up. “Ihave not. Believe me or don’t, but I still pray to Her for guidance. Mom and Addie, however, have given Her up.”
Silence falls as they stare at each other. It feels intimate, and my instincts demand I break it up, but I don’t. Archer did more for her today than I have.
“Come with us,” she urges, but he’s already shaking his head.
