Henry smiled as Eduard pushed to his feet. “I don’t know.”
Eduard searched his face, and then turned to look for the others.
“Where’s Sawyer?”
“He wasn’t feeling well. Magdalen walked him back up to the cottage.”
Augustus stood as well. “Were his guards with him?”
“Yes,” Henry said. “I’m sure he’s fine—”
“Trust your instincts, young mage. Go get your mate. I’ll alert security and clear the beach.”
Eduard grabbed Henry’s hands and pulled him toward the path to the cottage. By the time they reached it, Andvari and Draco were already there. The air chilled around Henry suddenly growing so cold he stumbled. “Get to Sawyer. Now.”
Draco shifted, morphing into his dragon from one moment to the next. Andvari took off at a run, moving faster than Henry could track. Eduard shifted as well, but stayed beside Henry long enough for Henry to clamber onto his back. Then they were in the sky, soaring through the air toward the cottage.
They saw the vampire guards at the edge of the path behind the house. They were both dead, their heads sliced cleanly from their bodies. Andvari stood beside them, his breath coming in gasps as he searched the area. Eduard circled low, his eagle eyes hunting. Draco had flown higher and was searching the surrounding area as well. Henry’s magic was still open, and he looked for any sign that anything out of the ordinary had happened. It had only been a few minutes. How could the guards be dead and Sawyer gone?
Sawyer
One minute, Sawyer was walking up the path from the beach, praying he made it to the bathroom in time, and the next he felt a shooting pain in his head and… nothing. He woke with a groan and looked around the small room with one eye barely open. His head was killing him and he knew without a doubt that he was about to be sick. Luckily, he could see a small bathroom in front of him and he ran for it, barely getting his head over the toilet before he lost what was left of his dinner.
The only good thing was that his stomach was no longer cramping, especially now that he’d emptied it. He took a second to become aware of his surroundings and realized he was on a boat. He could tell they were moving fast through the water, the bouncing doing nothing to help either his stomach or his splitting headache.
He heard footsteps and looked around the room desperately for some sort of weapon, but there was nothing more than a pillow. He grabbed it, because if nothing else, he could use it to deflect a weapon if he was lucky, and stood at the far side of the room. When the door opened, Magdalen appeared with a sweet smile on her face. “You woke up! I thought I hit you harder than that. Oh, well, you must be resilient. It makes sense.”
“Magdalen? What’s going on?”
“Sweetie, I know you were able to convince everyone else that you’re special, but we both know better, don’t we? You’re a charlatan and if my cousin and uncle are too caught in your spell to free themselves then it becomes my duty to do it for them. Don’t you see? You didn’t fool us all, Sawyer. I’ve saved the other guardians as well. Once you’re dead, well, I’ll be able to take my rightful place as the heir to the griffin line. Eduard will surely give it to me after this, if for gratitude than no other reason!”
She really believed what she was saying. “Magdalen, you need to let me go. Eduard isn’t going to be happy about this.”
“I know, but he’ll come around. I’m more worried about your dragon friend, but I called in a few favors and I think we’ll be able to stay hidden long enough that he won’t be able to find us. And if he does, I have a plan for that as well. Oh, Sawyer, you’ve truly challenged me. I only had a few days to fix this. I honestly thought it would take longer for Uncle Augustus to fall prey to your charms, but you really must have something, huh?”
“I’m the chosen one, Magdalen. That’s something.”
She scoffed. “Sawyer, you really aren’t going to be able to fool me. A human cannot be the chosen one. What a ridiculous notion. I can’t believe the others fell prey to your scam, but then, we all are very desperate. I’m sure Eduard is feeling the pressure more than any of us as the heir. But, see, desperate times call for desperate measures, as they say, and I found a way to fix our little problem with youanda way to find my mate and have an heir of my own. It’s so neat and tidy.”
“Magdalen—”
“Sawyer, do shut up. I just came to let you know that you shouldn’t leave this room. I’ll be very angry if you do. There are guards and you will be punished. They have their orders. I would like to present you to Tiamat without injury, but as long as you’re alive, I don’t honestly think it’ll matter that much.”
Before Sawyer could protest again, she left the room, closing the door firmly behind her. He racked his brain for memories of Tiamat. The name was familiar and he knew he’d read it in one of the many books he’d studied since he first stepped into the supernatural world. He thought back on Magdalen’s words and suddenly he remembered. Tiamat was one of the old goddesses, one that had lost her place once the mother goddess took over. She was a fertility goddess.
“Okay, think, Sawyer.”
If he remembered correctly, people used to offer sacrifices to Tiamat in order to receive blessings in the form of children. And since Magdalen desperately wanted an heir, it seemed like his memory hadn’t failed him. Now he just had to figure out what to do about it. Magdalen could have been lying when she said she had guards. She was a griffin and strong enough to get him to the boat without help. They’d been on an island so it wasn’t like boats weren’t all over the place. And he hated thinking that any more of Eduard’s relatives had a part in this. It seemed like she wanted Tiamat’s blessing all to herself.
Sawyer opened the door a crack and didn’t see anyone. He stuck his head out slowly but only saw stairs leading above deck. He crept out and slowly made his way up the stairs. The hatch door was closed, so he turned the knob slowly, carefully, and then pushed it open a fraction of an inch. Still nothing.
The boat was moving at an alarming speed and they were bouncing on the waves hard enough to make Sawyer’s still aching head spin. He held on through a rough patch then pushed the door open further. He dropped into a crouch, as Andvari had taught him, but still didn’t see anyone. But someone saw him. He heard a screech, and then footsteps behind him. The boat hit another wave, and he lost his balance. While he scrambled to find something to hold onto, a nimble footed guard ran across the deck and tackled him. He hit the floor with a crashing of limbs and his head hit the deck again. And all he saw was black.
When Sawyer next woke, he was no longer on the boat, but instead in a musty cabin. He could hear waves crashing nearby, so he knew they were still on the coast. It was fully dark outside, though, so it must have been hours since he was first taken. He tried not to panic over that realization. His guardians would find him. All he had to do was hold on until they did. In the meantime, he took stock of his injuries. His head was throbbing, an ice pick in the eye kind of hurt that made him wonder if he had a concussion. His wrist was aching, probably wrenched when he’d fallen on the boat. Not that he could move it very far to test his theory. He was tied to a chair, his wrists attached to the arms and his ankles to the legs.
After tugging experimentally on the bindings, Sawyer quickly realized he wasn’t getting out of them. Not that he would have had time anyway. The door opened and Magdalen walked inside followed by two burly looking guys with shaved heads. So those were her promised guards. He’d only caught a glimpse of the one who tackled him on the boat before he lost consciousness.
“Oh good, you’re awake. I was worried we’d run out of time. I’d like you to meet Frey and Sol. They’re part of Tiamat’s cult and will be handling the sacrifice portion of tonight’s events. They have quite a bit of prep work to do to you, Sawyer, and I’m afraid it isn’t going to be pleasant, but know that once this is over, you’ll have helped my people continue our line. I’m sure it’s not much consolation, but I do hope it gives you some comfort.”
