Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Enzo
“Prepare to land,” Pascal announced over the intercom.
I leaned my head back against the leather headrest and exhaled for what felt like the first time in hours. “Finally.”
Dimitri leaned forward, all restless energy and coiled tension. “Time to get my brother back. I hope this Prince Killian is as attached to his mate as we think he is.”
Angelo glanced at him. “If not, there are other ways I can persuade him.”
Brutal. Painful. Deadly.
Through the tinted window, the Louisiana bayou had given way to Colorado’s rugged landscape.
Pine trees and golden aspens stretched endlessly across the mountainsides, replacing the oak trees draped in Spanish moss and blooming magnolias I’d left behind.
The air here would be thin and crisp, nothing like the thick humidity that clung to New Orleans like a second skin.
Everything about this place was the opposite of home—and the opposite of wherever Joy was trapped. While she suffered in the fucking Elder Dimension, I was in pristine mountain wilderness. The contrast was wrong, like I was abandoning her for a vacation.
Dimitri stirred in his seat beside me, checking his watch. “How long until we reach the Hollows?”
“Two hours by car.” Angelo replied, closing his laptop. “We can’t fly—not when we need to transport the prisoners back. Stefan will have them ready.”
Dimitri cracked his neck. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and the mighty prince will give us some of his precious blood.”
“I doubt it,” I mumbled. “Killian’s not known for his generosity.”
I gripped the armrest tighter, watching the Rocky Mountains rise like ancient sentinels in the distance. Soon we’d have Prince Killian’s blood. Soon we’d tear down those wards.
We had to.
The plane landed smoothly on the tarmac and Pascal taxied it toward the private FBO terminal, away from the commercial aviation area.
We descended the stairs onto the tarmac. Pascal emerged behind us, pulling off his headset. “I’ve arranged for a black Escalade. It’s parked in the executive lot with the keys inside.”
“I can drive,” I said, already knowing the answer.
Angelo shot me a look. “You’re wound too tight. Dimitri drives.”
Frustration burned through me. Dimitri would be careful, methodical—exactly what I didn’t need right now. But arguing would waste more time than his cautious driving.
Dimitri shrugged. “Fine by me. I needed something to do with my hands anyway.” He was already moving away, his restless energy practically vibrating off him. “Then let’s not waste any more time.”
I inhaled the sweet scent of pine and a cold wind brushed over my face. Definitely colder here than in New Orleans.
The black Escalade waited for us just like Pascal had said.
Dimitri opened the back door for Angelo. “Your Majesty.”
“Shut up, asshole.” Angelo glared at him as he slid into the back seat.
I opened the other door and slid next to him.
Dimitri got into the front seat. “Hollows, here we come.”
Angelo tapped him at the shoulder. “Do you even know how to get there?”
Dimitri grinned as he winked in the review mirror. “I will once you give me the address—Your Highness.”
“Check your phone,” Angelo said. “I just sent you the coordinates.”
Dimitri glanced at his phone and input the numbers into the Escalade’s GPS. He pulled away from the curb and we headed away from the airport.
Fucking two hours. I thought about telling Angelo that I would fly there and wait for them, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to be calm, especially if Prince Killian was acting like a dick. He was infamous for that.
None of us spoke for about an hour. I kept thinking about Joy and what was happening to her. Where was she? If Ari let anything happen to her in that dimension, I’d rip him apart slowly—very slowly.
If I ever got the chance. The bastard was in another dimension, untouchable. My hands curled into fists.
I rubbed the bridge of my nose. What if he kept her there forever? I had to find a way to open that portal and bring her home.
Angelo’s phone rang, and I jumped.
He answered curtly. “Yeah, Keir?”
His expression darkened as he listened. “When?... How close did she get?... No, don’t try to get her out yet. Wait until we get back, damn it.”
I growled. “What the hell happened?”
He stuffed his phone into his jacket. “Alice was captured by the vines.”
Damn it! “How? No one was supposed to go near the cathedral.”
Angelo drummed his fingers impatiently on his knee. “She said she could hear Rose calling out to her in agony. Thought she could help with their magical connection.”
I slammed my fist against the car door hard enough to make the metal buckle. “Then the spell won’t work.”
Dimitri glanced at Angelo in the rearview mirror. “Please tell me Tinker Bell can still work the spell without Alice.”
Angelo exhaled sharply through his nose. “She’s not sure. She thinks she can do it alone, but if she does, she’s only got one shot.”
“Why?” The word came out strangled, like someone was choking me.
“Because the spell will drain her magic and she won’t be able to try again for another twenty-four hours.” His face turned grim. “If it fails, we’re fucked. Joy, Valentin, Rose, Alice—all of them will be lost.”
The silence that followed was suffocating. Twenty-four hours. In twenty-four hours, there might not be anything left to save.
All of our carefully laid plans were crumbling to dust in my hands.
Unlike Angelo and Serenity, I didn’t have a psychic connection to Joy.
Angelo could feel Serenity’s presence, sense when she was afraid or hurt.
If something happened to her, he’d know instantly.
But me? I had nothing. No thread connecting us across dimensions, no whisper in my mind.
I had no way of knowing if she was alive, suffering, or already lost. The unknown was eating me alive, gnawing at my sanity with every mile that passed.
Dimitri finally pulled into the driveway that led to the Hollows. It was a place I had narrowly escaped—in fact, we all did. Our crimes were many, but not against the supernatural community.
The black sedan crested a rise, and the Hollows came into view.
I stared out the tinted window, my chest tightening as its pale stone walls rose like bleached bones against a storm-gray sky. The central keep loomed in the distance, flanked by four octagonal towers that seemed to pierce the clouds.
Beside me, Angelo sat utterly still, a dark silhouette of power and control.
Even without looking at him, I could feel the tension radiating off him, sharp and dangerous. In the front seat, Dimitri’s hands tightened on the wheel, his knuckles pale as he guided us down the winding road toward the fortress.
Unlike the weathered black stones of old human prisons, the Hollows gleamed with an unnatural whiteness that made my eyes ache, like the walls had been scrubbed clean of life—and mercy.
Medieval architecture clashed with modern technology: ancient arrow slits glowed with eerie, shifting light, while grotesque gargoyles crouched alongside gleaming security cameras.
The crenellated walls weren’t just for show. Even from the car, I could feel the hum of containment spells, a low vibration under my skin that grew heavier with every passing second. The closer we drew, the thicker the air became, until each breath was like inhaling magic-laced smoke.
A moat circled the prison, but instead of water, it churned with silvery mist. The vapor swirled and writhed as though it had a mind of its own, never quite touching the ground.
For a heartbeat, I swore I saw a face within it—hollow eyes and a gaping mouth—but then it was gone, leaving only the shifting fog.
The elaborate metal gates opened and Dimitri drove through, gravel crunching under the tires as we approached the main house.
Every second felt like an hour. What if Stefan said no?
What if Killian refused to cooperate even with Kara’s life on the line?
What if we were already too late—if Joy was already dead and we were wasting time on impossible negotiations?
My hands curled into fists so tight my nails bit into my palms. Everything hinged on Stefan’s decision.
Angelo finally spoke, his voice a quiet blade in the oppressive silence.
“Remember this, Enzo. Once those gates close behind you…” His dark eyes flicked toward me, unreadable. “…there’s no getting out.”
The words settled over me like a shroud. My chest tightened, my throat suddenly dry.
Dimitri snorted, breaking the tension. “Well that’s not ominous at all,” he drawled, his smirk snapping back into place. “You sure you don’t want to throw in a thunderclap for dramatic effect?”
Angelo’s head turned slowly, his stare sharp enough to flay skin.
Dimitri only grinned wider, unbothered. “What? Somebody had to say it.”
The front doors opened and Stefan Gabor, the headmaster and warden, of the Hollows, came down the steps.
I tensed despite myself. He had on his usual long black duster jacket, no shirt underneath, and black jeans.
His dark hair fell past his shoulders, blending into the coat’s shadows.
Below, actual shadows rippled around his boots like living serpents, the same way they moved around Joy.
Just like Joy’s. My chest tightened. She had this same power—this same darkness that could protect her. I should have told her that before she left. Should have made her believe in herself the way I believed in her.
Dimitri parked in front of the steps then glanced in the rearview mirror. “Hope you’re ready for this.”
I wasn’t sure who he was speaking too, but I answered his question silently—hell no.
If Stefan tried to stop me from getting to Joy, I’d go through him. Reaper or not, immortal or not—I’d find a way to put him down. Nothing was keeping me from her.
Dimitri got out and moved to open Angelo’s door, but I was already out of the car, positioning myself between my king and any potential threats. Guards were posted alongside the walls, but no one made any aggressive moves toward us.
I nodded then Angelo emerged, power radiating from him like heat from a forge. Stefan bowed slightly. “Welcome, Angelo Santi. I’ve been expecting you.”
He didn’t acknowledge Dimitri or me; obviously we weren’t as important as Angelo.
Stefan definitely liked to surround himself with power. Made sense, considering Michael the Archangel was a close personal friend.
He turned and headed up the stairs, not looking to see if we would follow. “Come, follow me. Anton is waiting for us in my office.”
I gritted my jaw, not wanting to listen to Anton plead for us not to take Kara and Killian. Anton always did this—defended people because he believed everyone deserved a second chance, even killers. But they were murderers. Why the hell did he care?
Dimitri and I walked on either side of Angelo as Stefan led us into the main building. We crossed into a large marble entryway. Two hallways led down toward iron doors I assumed were where the cells were, cells I never wanted to see.
Stefan opened the door that led into a large office where Anton Lange sat in a chair. He didn’t have his usual Legacy robes on. Instead, he was wearing a dark blue suit with a pink tie, his long brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He looked like a lawyer going to court.
Shit. This wasn’t going to be a casual negotiation. We were going to have a fucking fight on our hands.
Anton focused on Angelo. “Angelo, it’s been a long time.”
Angelo nodded as he slid into a leather chair next to him. “Anton.” His voice was cold and formal.
I took position on one side of Angelo and Dimitri the other, like two sentinels flanking our king.
Anton looked at me and cast his gaze over me. “Enzo DiSalvo, you look well.”
A fucking lie. But I was done with the niceties. “We’re here to take Kara and Killian.”
“Yes, I know. There’s something you should know. Kara Khan is pregnant.”