“I don’t care what you can smell!” I step between him and the oak tree. “This is witch territory. Our magic. Our problem.”
Marcus moves faster than I can track with my eyes, appearing beside the tree trunk. His nostrils flare as he runs his fingers over the bark. “There’s something else here. Beyond the dark magic signature.”
“Get away from there!” I raise my hands, sparks crackling between my fingers.
“Blood,” he says quietly, showing me his fingertips. There’s a faint reddish smear. He raises them to his face, nostrils flaring. “And it’s vampire…not your grandmother’s. Lucien was injured when he took her.”
I hate to admit it, but that’s information I wouldn’t have picked up. Still… “That doesn’t mean we need your help.”
“Kara—” he begins, his eyes locking onto mine.
“I think it’s time we acknowledge that we’re facing a common enemy here,” Darick interjects. He’s positioned himself between Marcus and me, which is probably a good thing.
“Darick’s right.” Mia steps forward. “We combined our strengths to get Soren out of that vampire hell. We need to put our heads together to figure this out, too.”
“What do you propose?” Dad asks. He doesn’t look entirely convinced, but I can feel that he’s softening toward the idea of working with the vampires. Which makes my jaw tighten.
Mia turns to him. “If Marcus can pick up a trail, then I can go after Lucien and—”
“No!” Soren’s voice is like a whip-crack. As one, we swivel to face him. The vampire’s usually calm expression is dark with tension. “No, Mia. It can’t be you.”
“What?” My sister’s brow furrows. “I’m the obvious choice, love. My powers will—”
“Your power will kill you,” he says. When Mia opens her mouth to object, he adds, “And who knows how many others you might harm if you lose control.”
“No, I wouldn’t…” She trails off.
“It’s true, Mimi.” Dad turns to face her. “Your own magic is formidable, but the dark power has already taken hold.”
“But I’m stronger now with vampire blood in me,” she says. I scowl at the thought of that. My own sister is now one of them. A vampire-witch. If she wasn’t my own flesh and blood, I’d be tempted to call her an abomination.
Get a grip, Kara. She’s your sister.
“Mia, I can’t guarantee that your vampire strength will save you,” says Soren. “If the darkness takes over, you could be dangerous. I saw what happened in that church. Can you tell me that there was a single moment when you could control it?”
Mia casts her eyes downward. “No.” Her voice is small. “You…you’re probably right. I might hurt someone.”
“If anyone should go, it should be me,” Rowan pipes up. I shoot a look at her, then exchange glances with Mia.
“Hey! What’s that about?” Rowan looks from me to our sister and then back again. “My magic has changed.”
“I know it has, Ro,” I tell her, “but you’re still so new to it. And it’s strong. If it’s misdirected, it could be a disaster.”
“You might accidentally fry someone beyond redemption this time,” Darick says drily.
Rowan looks sheepish. “That wasonetime. And I didn’t kill you outright. Besides, Gran’s been teaching me how to…” She trails off at the mention of Gran’s name.
“None of this is a solution, girls,” Mom speaks for the first time. “I’m not having any of you rushing out to confront a madman. Your father and I have a better chance than any of you of taking him down.” She presses her lips together. “And we won’t do it.”
“What?” I stare at her. “Why not?”
“Because the time for hair-brained schemes is over,” says Dad.
“The coven conclave is finally ready to act,” Dad says, looking grim. “Lucien’s dark magic has left traces even they can’t ignore anymore. We need to call both councils together – the Blood Assembly and the Conclave. Get everyone in one room to deal with this.”
I snort. “Right, because that’s worked so well in the past. When was the last time either council actually accomplished anything?”
“She’s right,” Rowan adds. “They’ll just sit around debating while Lucien does whatever he wants.”
