Demetrius huffed and rolled his eyes.“If you have nothingother than a request I’m not going to grant, I’ll be going now.”He sneered atsomething over Hawkyn’s shoulder.“This place is claustrophobic.”
It absolutely was, but there was no way Hawkyn was going toadmit that to Demetrius.
“Really?I hadn’t noticed.”He moved to block hishalf-brother’s path to the Summoning Stone.“There’s one more thing.I want toknow if Jason Drayger’s Fate Line has been altered.”
Demetrius’ dark brow punched down in an angry V.“Are youplanning tocold-cockme like you did Jacob?”
“Depends on how much you piss me off.”Hawkyn’s handclenched as if it had a mind of its own and remembered the feel of crunchinginto Jacob’s perfect nose.“Come on.Just...give me this.Remember when youwere earthbound, worried about your Primori?Imagine how much more effectiveyou could have been if you’d knownwhether or notyourcharges were on the right course.We should all have access to thatinformation, don’t you think?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” Demetrius said, his tonesofter than it had been before.Even his expression had lost itsetched-in-stone seriousness as his gaze turned inward.“This is the way thingshave always been done.But...”Demetrius looked around and, apparentlysatisfied that no one was within hearing distance, he turned back to Hawkyn.“No, your Primori’s Fate Line is intact.I checked on it before I came.”
Shock filtered its way through Hawkyn’s system.It was goodnews, but baffling.He’d truly thought that his interference in Aurora’sabduction had changed the future.Apparently not.Sohad Aurora been fated to be captured butescapeevenwithout Hawkyn’s help?Or would she simply have escaped without seriouslyinjuring Drayger in the parking lot if he hadn’t been there?
And what did they do now?
ChapterTwelve
Aurora was in awe of everything around her, includingLilliana and Suzanne.Suzanne was so...normal.She was upbeat, friendly, andhad a passion for cooking and fashion magazines.Lilliana, an angel born andraised in Heaven, was smart, thoughtful, and mated to the Grim Reaper himself.
At thatparticular revelation,Aurora had choked on the tea and cinnamon chip scones Suzanne had brought her.And, for the record, the scones were incredible.Hawkyn’s sister had even beennice enough to put a couple in a box along with other homemade pastries forAurora to take to the Hotel Hell room Suzanne had set her up with.
The room was simple and small, more like a college dorm thana hotel room.There was a single bed, a small desk, and a tiny bathroom, butthe TV was nice and there was even a computer, on which she’d spent the lasthalf hour while she waited for Hawkyn.
The revelation that Drayger couldtrackherhad stuck with her, engaging her curiosity as much as it terrifiedher.She was a Wytch, and, while she liked topretendshe was basically human, she wasn’t.She had powers and skills she couldn’tdeny, and when a supernatural force was used against her, her instinct to fightback roared to the surface.If Drayger was using a spell to find her,surelyshe could use one to counter it.
She just had to find one.
Fortunately, in a private, secure corner of the Internet,Wytches gathered to share tips, tricks, and instructions for performing varioustasks such as protectingone’s selffrom psychos whocould find you after tasting your blood.And according to a user namedWytches_Float, all she needed to do was tasteDrayger’sblood whilehaving sex.
Hard pass on that one.
Another user, HocusPocus, claimed that turning a drop ofDrayger’s blood into iron would render him unable to use his tracking ability.Naturally, he didn’t include instructions on how to perform such a feat.Notthat she had a way of collecting Drayger’s blood.And really, if she could gethis blood, why wouldn’t she just kill him?
Probably because Hawkyn was protecting the bastard.
Lilliana and Suzanne had explained the reason, which madesense in a lot of ways, but none of them made her feel any better.
“Most of the people we protect are decent folks,” Suzannehad said.“But unfortunately, evil people sometimes play a role in theadvancement of humanity.Change often comes from tragedy or from evil, even ifit isn’t obvious at thetime.”
“Really?”Aurora had asked, her skepticism flag flying high.“Such as?”
“Wars are responsible for a lot of medical, industrial, andtechnological advancements,” she’d said.
“And,” Lilliana had added,“sometimes the good that comes from evil doesn’t happen on a large scale.Anevil person or an evil act caneffectchange in lawsor individuals, individuals who will then go on to do great things.Or maybeeven just make a difference in their own lives and those around them.We don’thave to like evil, but thereisa place for it.Trust that there’s aplan.Someday, you’ll see.”
“Have you seen it?This plan?”Aurora asked, and a light hadsuddenly shone in Lilliana’s eyes, an ethereal glow that had captivated her,surrounded her in a blanket of Heavenly warmth.
“I have.I don’t know the future, but I do know that whatseems random is not.Everything, from a rude remark a customer makes to awaiter, to a plane crash happens for a reason.”
Great.But Aurora wasn’t going to hold herbreathwaiting for the reason for her abduction to becomeclear.Nor was she going to sit around and let Drayger get hold of her again,no matter how important to humanity’s future her death might be.
A tap on the door startled her, and thinking it was Hawkyn,she opened it eagerly.But instead, there was a pretty red-haired femalestanding there with a clipboard and a small basket full of toiletries.
“Hi,” she said brightly.“I’m Cataclysm, but you can call meCat.I’m in charge of guest housing and hospitality.”She handed Aurora thebasket.“A lot of people who stay here come unprepared, so I put together someitems you might need.”
This is so weird.
When Cat nodded, Aurora realized she’d spoken out loud.“Areyou new to the supernatural world or Sheoul-gra?”
