“No, check your private email. The one we made for the Christmas surprise,” Valerie said in my defense.
“I—” I’d barely had gotten a word out when the van screeched to a stop behind us. At the same time, Maz stepped out into the side alley.
Crap.
“Why does she have Ruby from House of Thorns?” Valerie asked.
I glared at my former mentor. “Because Maz was keeping her hostage.”
Maz’s face registered the slightest alarm at my new supernatural appearance before becoming a mask of calm. “You poor lost soul,” she said to me. “You are so mad at my decision to kick you out based on your fornication with the undead that you would burn our building down?”
The hunters around her gasped.
“Aspen wouldn’t do that,” Valerie told them all.
Bless you, Val.
I chewed my lip.
I saw what Maz was doing. She wouldn’t fight me in front of them and blow her cover, and if I took her head off right now, the hunters would gang up and kill me.
“Let’s go!” Liv growled behind me from the open van doors.
“She burned House of Thorns!” I yelled, while backing into the van. “She kidnapped Ruby, hoping to lure me out.”
Maz clicked her tongue, shaking her head. “Sweet child, we will pray for you and these lies that drip from your tongue so easily.”
“But I saw her jump out the window with Ruby,” Anthony muttered.
“Check your emails!” I said as I was yanked into the van by Liv. “I would never betray you guys!” Those were my last words as I fell into Liv’s lap and the door slammed shut, the tires squealing on our escape.
“The nursery!” I yelped, looking back out the window. We were in the side alley, not the main frontage of the building, but I needed to know that they’d made it out.
“All the kids got out. We saw them when we circled the block,” Liv assured me.
I collapsed in relief, but couldn’t enjoy it fully. Maz had everyone under a spell, and she’d kept her cool so well I wasn’t sure anyone was going to believe the email I’d sent. Technically, it could all be made up. I could have written that note from Sterling and made up the rest with a good computer program. The depression of that fully sank into my bones.
Ruby reached across the van and grasped my arm, pulling me from my thoughts. “Thank you for getting me out.” Her team was hugging her and smiling ear to ear, but I just couldn’t find the happiness. I wouldn’t until Maz was dead and every single breeder was free.
‘Hello, my love. Maz has just called in a complaint to the Magical Creature Council about a vampire attack. Where are you right now?’Luka’s voice held amusement, but I knew we would have to play this off if we wanted his hands clean for the truth witch.
That evil witch Maz. Of course she would go running to the council the second I was gone. She was trying to do anything in her power to unseat Luka or throw me in jail.
‘So you know that thing you forbade me to do?’
‘Yes?’he replied knowingly.
‘I did it,’I confessed.
‘How dare you go against my word!’he shouted, jarring me.‘Anyone hurt?’His voice was back to calm.
Now I wasn’t sure if he was kidding or not.‘No.’
‘Good. See you at home soon. The truth witch will be waiting.’
Frick, already? I wasn’t sure I was ready to see her, but I guessed it was better that she got in my head now and get it over with.
“What’s up? You’ve got that look you get when you’re talking to Luka,” Liv asked as the van barreled down the highway toward the Idaho border.
