“She controlled you before. How do we know she can’t do that again?” Blake asked.
“She can only control you if she’s able to trap you in one of her binding spells. I didn’t see symbols when we entered that area, but as soon as we crossed the boundary, she had control of us and took nearly all our blood,” Josiah said. “As much as I hate to admit it, you saved us.”
“What do the symbols mean that she uses?” Blake asked.
Josiah shrugged. “I don’t know. She never told me, and I never asked. When I first met her, she promised to help me become immortal, and she kept that promise,” he said. “I never tried to find her after that.”
“You really didn’t care who you had to kill or who would be hurt for your choices,” Blake said. “Marlon did nothing to you to deserve your betrayal.”
“Was it so wrong of me to want more than the shitty life I’d been given?” Josiah yelled.
I kicked at the dirt and paced in front of him. Memories of the times I’d spent hiding from the sun just to go to him at dusk raced through my mind. I thought he loved me the way I loved him, and I thought even if he wasn’t my mate we could have a lifetime together. But Josiah wasn’t the innocent man I thought he was, and there was never a future for us. “You took what you wanted without regard for anyone but yourself.”
Josiah narrowed his eyes, and I could see how much he wanted to defend his actions, but none of that mattered. I felt nothing for him and wondered why I ever had. He wasn’t anything special, and he was obviously selfish. Somehow, all those years ago, I didn’t see any of that. As he stared at me, his eyes softened, and he looked away. “I’m sorry,” he finally whispered. “I know it doesn’t matter now, but I never wanted to see you tortured the way you were.”
Blake settled his hand on my back, drawing my attention away from where my hand was again clamped around Josiah’s neck. “It’s not worth it,” he whispered.
I spun around and pulled him into my arms, where he fit so perfectly when he buried his face in my neck. “I love you, and you’re right. None of this matters.” Still holding Blake in my arms, I turned to face Josiah. “You and your mate will help us destroy her.”
“He’s not my—” Josiah stopped when the other vampire brushed his hand against his arm. Mark’s eyes were full of hurt and confusion. Josiah tried to cover his hand with his own as the fight finally left him. “I’m sorry. I never wanted you to be involved in any of this. I swear I only changed you because you were going to die,” Josiah pleaded. But Mark looked unmoved.
“How do I know you didn’t cause me to fall that day?” Mark asked, and his face contorted in pain at the memory.
“I swear, I heard your rope snap and arrived in time to see you fall, but I had nothing to do with it,” Josiah said.
“What happened?” Blake asked, because no way in hell I would admit I wanted to know too.
“He was climbing a mountain,” Josiah said, and a hint of pride filled his eyes when he looked at Mark.
“You’re a mountain climber?” Blake asked.
Mark looked past me and at Blake. I resisted the urge to put myself between the two of them. Neither of them were fighters and if Josiah tried to move an inch toward Blake, I would end him. “I was free climbing on Mt. Hood. It was at the end of a beautiful day, and everything was going great. I was close to the summit and was about to tie off and switch my safety line to a different piton.” His eyes were not focused on any of us, as he replayed what had happened in his mind. “I tested it, but as I made my way across the rock ledge, a piece gave way.” He met myeyes then, and I knew Josiah hadn’t caused him to die.
“The safety line failed,” Blake said.
Mark nodded. “It was an old piton. I shouldn’t have trusted it, but it seemed solid.”
“Until it wasn’t,” Josiah said, and brushed the back of his fingers across Mark’s hand. “He landed on a boulder near the bottom. When I found him, he was nearly dead, but his heart still beat just enough to spread my blood.”
“He didn’t murder me, he saved me,” Mark said.
Elias cleared his throat before he stepped closer to Josiah. “You’re going to help us destroy her.” He shot me a glance and a quick nod, telling me Mark wasn’t lying.
“Like hell I am. The witch won’t care if you force me. She’ll only care about who is there, and she will destroy us all.” He tried to pull Mark to his side, and even I could see how desperately he tried to hold his hand. “We were leaving when she caught us.”For the first time since I’d been freed from the prison he’d created, I believed him. But it wasn’t enough.
“We have to help them,” Mark said.
“No, you don’t—”
“Josiah, there is so much I don’t understand about being a vampire, but the witch will never stop draining more of us. We can’t let that happen. Unless she’s found another source, she should be low on power. Now might be our only chance,” Mark said.
Josiah stared at him for a full minute before finally nodding his head. “At the first sign Mark is in danger, we’re out of there,” he said.
“Deal. Now let’s go to the cabin before the sun rises,” I said and after we untied Josiah and Mark, I took Blake’s hand. Elias walked near my other side while Josiah and Mark slowly followed behind.
“Maybe he’s not all bad,” Blake murmured.
“He is. But he cares about his mate. There is nothing as strong as the need to make sure your mate survives,” I said, shocking myself.
