Still, at the top of the stairs, we listen. And we wait.
The house is huge, but long, rectangular. A network of halls and dead ends. Lily doesn't know the house like I do, but she memorized a map I drew in the dirty stone with my bloody finger, so she knows where to go when we have to separate.
But I will keep her with me as long as I can. When the silence stretches, and the full moon is ten minutes from its highest point—when I hear Pierre open the back door near the greenhouse, we press on to the main floor.
The magic is less clawing up here, there are no barriers to break through. The biggest obstacle will be the one surrounding the house, but I'll save that worry for later. Another thing I didn'ttell Lily—I don't have much of a plan for that. It should fall when Deidre dies, but if I don't manage to kill her…
"You got rid of her?" Pierre says on the phone.
The man on the other line says gruffly, "Threw her into the woods before I hit the border. I'm an hour from the safe house now."
"But did you kill her?" Pierre asks through gritted teeth.
"Look, what do you want me to say? An alpha that powerful—the chains fall off and I'm a dead man. I got rid of her. She doesn't know where the safe house is, we lost her back in the States. She's not following us this far, don't matter how good her senses are."
I can practically feel Pierre's frustration, which makes me grin. Whatever inconvenience, minor or colossal, whatever grates on Pierre's psyche, I fucking savor. "So, no, you did not kill her."
"Look, I got the omega. That was the plan, right? Job well done then. I'll expect payment in my account before I leave here. And don't even think about screwing me on this, or I'll just kill the girl and be done with it."
Fingers tapping. Huffs, more heavy sighs. Then, "There, payment sent. But do not leave until we arrive. Deidre has spent over twenty years preparing for this. You have no idea how much money and time has gone into this girl."
My teeth grind when I think about Mona's pseudo-father. Paulie fucking Gresser. I wish I could kill him again. He'd been working for Deidre her entire life. She's been all alone. And now she is again.
Where is Grayson? And Orion? Are they dead?
What could have pulled them from their mate to allow her to get captured?
Pierre and the witch finish their conversation, and while he's distracted, with the moon's power drawing closer, we creepdown the hall. When we come to the crossroads, I lean into Lily's ear.
"Remember. Down that hall, to the left. She has magic, she can sense when you're close. But she can't hear or smell you, not like we can. If you're quick—"
"I know. I can do this. Kill her if the opportunity arises, otherwise, just get your blood off her neck, then run back to you."
I grip her shoulder. "That's right. In and out. Be quick. Be decisive."
Lily's eyes water, and I wish there was more I could say or do, but… Instead, I grunt, "Don't get killed. You'll get out of here. I promise."
"We both will," she smiles, and it's so genuine, it feels like a stab in my heart.
Because, as it turns out, I'm not going anywhere.
It's resignation, I feel. Not panic or worry that I'll be trapped here longer, or what Deidre can do to me.
No.
They have my fucking omega.
And now, nothing else matters. Not me, not my freedom.
The plan remains the same. Mostly. I follow the hallway down until I scent Pierre. He's talking to himself under his breath. Giving himself a pep talk, readying himself to gather his mistress.
Pierre doesn't have the power to control blood magic. And he isn't prepared with herbs to spell me. I would be able to scent them. So when I turn the corner and find him staring at his hands, my lips turn up into a violent grin.
"Hello, lover."
His head snaps up. I wait—only a single beat. And that's all the warning he gets.
It's not even for his benefit. I just really needed him to feel that moment of panic before I tear him to shreds.
