Chapter 24
Karrick
Professor Blackwood, thanks to their position, was able to let Lila and I into the library after hours.
Together the three of us snuck down into the basement where I let them to the far end of a dead-end hallway.
As soon as we reached the far wall, I lifted my hairy knuckles to knock, the sound echoing through the silent building almost too loudly.
“What is this?” Professor Blackwood asked, her eyes sharp even in the dark. “I can sense magic here, but I’m not sure what it is.”
“It smells like werewolf,” Lila commented. “What are we doing here, Karrick? Where are your friends?”
I didn’t get a chance to answer her before the wall suddenly swung inward, revealing a large chamber stuffed with comfortable furniture beyond.
There in the doorway was Atlas, his golden eyes shining in the dim light.
Behind him I could see a shorter man with blonde hair that I’d met before.
It was his mate, Caden. But beyond them was another pair.
One of them was Wild, a fae that was attacked around the same time I was by Damien Cromwell.
But the man beside him I didn’t recognize, although I could feel the magic pouring off of him. He was definitely a witch.
“Karrick,” Atlas said, gesturing for me to come inside. “And Professor Blackwood.” He turned to Lila, his body stiffening. “And I don’t think I know you, vampire.”
“Oh, don’t say it like that,” Lila replied, pushing her way past him. “Our kind haven’t been at war for at least a century. Don’t get your tail in a knot.”
“This is Lila,” I answered, all three of us inside the room now. “She is friends with Phoenix… my… mate.”
Atlas’s eyebrows shot up at my words. “Is he really your mate?” His golden eyes narrowed as he studied me more carefully. “That explains why you’re so stressed. I can smell it rolling off of you.”
“I need your help,” I said, struggling to keep my voice steady. My claws kept extending and retracting involuntarily as waves of panic washed over me. “Phoenix is gone. We think his parents took him. They’re part of the Purity Front.”
Wild stepped forward, his ginger hair catching the light like flames. “Why do they keep doing this?” His usually playful expression had hardened into something dangerous. “Those assholes never learn when to quit.”
“They tethered their own son,” Professor Blackwood explained, her voice calm but urgent.
“And I helped Mr. Emberwood remove it by swapping it onto a golem. Then we reversed their memory modification magic.” She looked up at the man standing next to Wild.
“I thought the golem would keep him safe, Mr. Thorne. I did everything I could think of to keep him hidden.”
The witch beside Wild shook his head. “Tethering spells are dark magic. Using them on your own child...” He shook his head in disgust before turning to me. “You said his last name was Emberwood?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Phoenix Emberwood.”
Mr. Thorne didn’t look happy about that piece of information.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “They’re part of the Purity Front.
I can remember seeing them at my parent’s parties while I was growing up.
I think I remember a little firebug of a witch with them too, although they usually kept him close to their side. ”
“That’s Phoenix!” I nearly shouted. “You know him?”
“Not really,” the man said. “I just met him a few times in passing. We exchanged pleasantries, but nothing else. Purity Front parties are for the adults, and the kids are supposed to stay silent.” He took a step forward, holding out his hand. “I’m Elias by the way. Elias Thorne.”
I shook his hand. “Do you know where the Emberwoods live?”
“Yep. They’ve lived in the same mansion for the past six or seven years. It’s not far from my parent’s house, actually.” He glanced over at Wild, his eyes filled with worry. “Their house is warded up the ass. It’s gonna be hard as hell to get in there.”
“We’ve taken down Purity Front leaders before,” Wild replied, his voice full of bloodlust. “We can do it again.”
“I can’t be involved,” Professor Blackwood interjected.
“My position at the academy is precarious as it is. There’s several in the witch community calling for my resignation, among other things.
” She shook her head. “I need to be around in case there are other students like Phoenix that need help. If I go with you this time… I might not have a position to come back to.”
Atlas nodded. “We understand.”
“You four are more than capable anyway,” she added with a glance to Lila and I.
“They are bonded in a tetrad. There is nothing stronger in this dimension or beyond. If anyone can get you into the Emberwood Estate, it’ll be these four.
” She looked back to the others. “Now, I must go. Do you need me to leave the library open?”
“No,” Caden replied. “We have another way out.”
“Alright.” She headed for the door, pausing only for a moment in the threshold. “Good luck.”
As soon as Professor Blackwood left, I started pacing the room, my claws digging into my palms. The pain helped keep me grounded, but just barely. Every second we wasted felt like torture.
“So what’s the plan?” I growled, looking at Atlas. “We need to move fast. If they’ve already taken him back to the estate, they could be running again—”
“Slow down, big guy,” Wild interrupted, hopping onto one of the plush armchairs and crossing his legs beneath him. “Rushing in half-cocked is how people get killed.”
I whirled on him, a snarl building in my throat. “Every minute we wait is another minute Phoenix is with those monsters!”
“I understand,” Elias said, his voice calm and measured. “But Wild is right. The Emberwood Estate isn’t just some house we can break into. It’s a fortress.”
“I don’t care how many wards they have,” I snapped, my tusks extending slightly as my control slipped. Sparks flew from my fingertips. “I’ll tear through them with my bare hands if I have to.”
Atlas stepped between us, his golden eyes flashing with authority. “Karrick. Breathe.”
I wanted to argue, but something in his voice, that commanding presence of an Alpha I respected, made me take a deep breath. My chest heaved as I struggled to contain the beast clawing at my insides and the magic that threatened to burst free.
“The Emberwoods aren’t just any witches,” Elias continued, watching me carefully. “They’re old money, old power. Their estate has been in the family for generations, and each generation has added their own protections.”
“What kind of protections are we talking about?” Lila asked, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
Elias ran a hand through his dark hair. “Blood wards, detection spells, containment hexes. Not to mention the physical security. Golems, enchanted weapons, and more besides.”
“Can you get us through them?” I asked, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice.
“Maybe,” Elias said, but he didn’t sound confident. “My family has similar protections. I know the theory behind most of them, but each family has their own unique variations.”
Wild sprang to his feet with fae-like grace. “That’s where I come in, darling.” He winked at me. “Fae magic works differently than witch magic. Sometimes we can slip through the cracks they don’t even know exist.” He gave me a wink. “Kinda like cockroaches, but way sexier.”
“Right…,” Elias said, shaking his head. “The Purity Front is nothing if not predictable in their paranoia. That means we can expect them to be overcautious and with regular patrols.”
Caden, who had been quietly observing until now, stepped forward. “We’ll need a distraction. Something to draw their attention away from the house for a moment to allow Wild to slip inside.”
“Ooh, I love slipping inside,” Wild chuckled.
“I can help with the distraction,” Lila added, holding in her laughter. “Vampires make excellent distractions. Especially when they’ve been actively surveying the Purity Front for decades.”
Atlas nodded slowly, a plan forming. “Alright. Well, there’s no time to waste. We’ll have to go tonight. But we’ll have to make the jump from the mansion.”
“Mansion?” I asked, looking up at my old roommate. “Like your parent’s house?”
Atlas just grinned. “Nope. We’ve got something way better now. And nearly impossible to track.”
My ears perked up, and I felt the first spark of hope I’d had all night. “Better? What do you mean better?”
“We’ll show you,” Caden said with a mysterious smile. “But first, we need to gather some supplies. Elias, what will you need for breaking through their wards?”
Elias was already mentally cataloguing what we’d need.
“Salt, silver dust, rowan wood if we can find it. Maybe some protective amulets. I think I have a couple back at the house.” He paused, looking uncomfortable.
“And... well, I hate to say it, but we might need something of Phoenix’s.
Something personal that carries his magical signature. ”
My heart clenched. “I don’t have anything like that.” We’d been so careful to keep our relationship secret that we’d never exchanged personal items.
“I might,” Lila said quietly. “I found his scarf while we were looking for him. The one with the little pumpkins on it that he wore to the game tonight.”
The memory of seeing Phoenix in the stands in his adorable scarf, so proud of his new clothes and so excited to watch me play, hit me like a physical blow. I had to grip the back of a chair to keep from doubling over.
“That’ll work,” Elias said gently, clearly sensing my distress. “Personal items hold powerful connections, even if they haven’t been around long.”
“Alright,” Atlas said, taking charge again. “We better get back to the mansion then and get what we need.”
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked, following Atlas and Caden toward what looked like a solid stone wall.
Atlas pressed his palm against a seemingly random stone, and the wall shimmered and dissolved, revealing a narrow tunnel. “Somewhere nobody would never think to look for you,” he said over his shoulder as we stepped into the passage.
The tunnel was longer than I expected, sloping gently upward. Our footsteps echoed in the darkness, and I could smell fresh warm air ahead. When we finally emerged, I found myself staring at something that made my jaw drop.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
We were standing in what had to be the most beautiful mansion I’d ever seen, but it wasn’t like the stuffy, oppressive estates I’d seen in textbooks.
This place felt alive, warm, and welcoming despite its obvious grandeur.
Moonlight streamed through massive windows, illuminating rich wood and stone that seemed to pulse with their own inner light.
“Welcome to our house,” Caden said with obvious pride. “Elias’s grandmother built it with her triad, and we’ve inherited it. There are more wards here than I could ever count.”
I turned in a slow circle, taking it all in. “This is incredible. How is it hidden?”
“It’s in the middle of the Veil,” Atlas explained. “We’re literally on an island in the middle of the river of death.” He pointed up to the windows where the moon and stars shone. “The windows are an illusion to make things seem more like home. Outside it’s just gray and endless.”
“The Purity Front did manage to break in last year,” Wild added as he stepped into the house behind us. “Well… we let them in so we could corner them. They did not have a good time.”
I turned to Atlas. “They broke in? Why?”
“To kill us, of course,” he said nonchalantly. “But after Damien Cromwell, they didn’t pose too much of a challenge.”
“And now the mansion answers to us,” Elias added, his hand lacing with Wild’s.
“Our magic is part of it. But make sure you stick close to us. The ethereal servants are helpful, but the house changes constantly. Getting lost here would be a bad idea.” He made a nervous glance over at Caden.
“I’m not completely sure we’ve removed all the booby traps yet. ”
“Booby traps?” I repeated, feeling my pulse quicken. “What kind of booby traps?”
“Oh, you know,” Wild said with an airy wave of his hand, “the usual death-trap stuff. Floors that fall away into bottomless pits, walls that crush you, poison darts. Very Indiana Jones.”
“He’s exaggerating,” Elias said quickly, shooting his mate a warning look. “Mostly.”
I didn’t have time to worry about possible death traps. Every second we spent here was another second Phoenix was in danger. My claws extended again, digging into my palms as I struggled to maintain control.
“Can we please focus?” I growled, my voice rough with barely contained panic. “We need to get to the Emberwood Estate now.”
Atlas placed a heavy hand on my shoulder, his golden eyes meeting mine. “We will. But rushing in unprepared will only make things worse. Give us five minutes to gather what we need.”
I wanted to argue, but the rational part of my brain, the part that wasn’t consumed with terror for Phoenix, knew he was right. I nodded stiffly, my entire body tense as I watched them part ways to gather supplies.
Atlas disappeared for a few minutes, leaving just Lila and I in the entrance hall. I stood silent, gritting my teeth in an attempt to keep myself calm. It was taking every ounce of strength I had not to let my anger control me or let the magic burst out of my body.
“It’s gonna be all right, you know?” Lila said, her small hand coming to rest on my forearm. “We’re going to get him back.”
The gentleness in her voice nearly broke me. Suddenly my chest wasn’t filled with anger but was tight with sorrow. Tears threatened at the corners of my eyes as I turned away from her.
“He must be so scared…”
“He won’t be for long,” she replied. “We’ll get him out of that house and free of his parents forever. And the two of you are going to live a long, happy life together.”
I glanced back at her, my eyes burning. “Do you promise?”
She nodded confidently. “I promise.”
A small grin spread over my lips, but I was still terrified.
“Oh, and Karrick,” she added, catching my gaze.
“I know you’re holding back right now, that you’re trying to be strong.
You’re doing the same thing all Beastkin are taught to do, to bottle it all up so you don’t hurt anyone.
But do me a favor.” She leaned closer, her eyes burning with dark flames.
“When we get in that house, you let that beast free.”
I nodded, feeling the fire already burning in the pit of my stomach. Phoenix had been stolen away from me and regardless of who they were, his parents were going to fucking pay.