CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO || JEREMY
“ I sensed it the very moment you cast the spell,” Godric explained, hours later. It had taken everyone a long time to realize Thierry wasn’t in danger—and longer still to actually listen to what Godric was trying to tell us. “Magnus is freed from his bonds.”
We were back in Seattle, on the second floor of vampire headquarters.
Thierry had called the space “the green room,” and it wasn’t hard to see why.
The space featured dark green walls and carpet and a highly polished black table in the center, surrounded by hunter-green leather chairs.
The effect was like stepping into a forest at night.
“Who is Magnus?” Nathaniel asked, frowning at Godric. His hands were steepled, chin resting on his fingertips.
He sat at one end of the table with Ethan, Pierce, and James.
Poppy and Simone were across from Thierry and me.
Godric was at the far end. At his request, Quinn and Derek had joined us as well, seated next to Thierry.
Quinn kept shooting Godric nervous looks, as if he expected the ancient vampire to lunge for Derek at any second.
He hardly seemed to notice the other mortals in the room.
Danny and Michael had stayed home with Rico—though they’d have their hands full guarding him from his supposed true mate, if that was indeed what Godric turned out to be. Rico seemed less affected than Godric—for now. But it was only a matter of time before fate had its way with both of them.
“Magnus is our maker,” Godric said, giving my vampire a meaningful look. “He is the one who pursued Thierry for many centuries.”
“Oh.” Nathaniel looked stunned. He turned to Thierry. “I thought he was dead.”
Godric grimaced. “I should have killed him while he was trapped. But I believed it just and right that he rot in darkness for all he had done. That was a mistake—one that’s already cost many innocent lives.”
“What do you mean?” Simone asked sharply.
Instead of answering, Godric looked hard at Quinn. “Who turned you, young one?”
Quinn blanched. “I don’t remember. It’s just… blank.”
“Are you certain?” Godric pressed, his dark eyes locking with Quinn’s. “You remember nothing?”
Derek’s hand tightened on Quinn’s. He glared daggers at Godric. “He said he doesn’t.”
Godric smiled—not nastily, but it was unsettling all the same. “Oh, but he does.” His gaze held Quinn’s. “Don’t you? You remember everything.”
The power rolling off him wasn’t like Simone’s tsunami. Godric’s was a scalpel—precise, subtle, impossible to resist.
Quinn blinked, eyes widening as realization struck. No one else seemed to notice, but because I had, Thierry did too, sensing it through the bond. He shot Godric a dark look.
“I was walking home from work. And then there was a man…” Quinn drew in a shuddery breath. “He freaked me out. He appeared out of nowhere, like magic. He was fast. Then he grabbed me and bit me.” His voice dropped to a horrified whisper. “It hurt.”
“You don’t need to relive this,” Derek said firmly.
Quinn blinked again, then met his mate’s gaze. “No. If it helps, I want to try.”
Derek squeezed his hand. “I’m right here. If it’s too much, stop. Deal?”
Quinn nodded, flashing him a trembling smile.
Thierry had gone utterly still beside me. I felt his resistance, and his dawning horror.
Whatever happens next, we’re facing it together, I assured him.
Thierry nodded sharply but didn’t meet my eyes.
“And when you woke up?” Godric pressed.
“He was still there. We were in the woods. And I was so hungry .” Quinn’s voice went flat.
“He told me how to change people. To make them like me. Then he told me to feed. He didn’t look evil.
But he was. He thought it was funny when I said I didn’t want to hurt anyone.
He told me to go back to the gas station where I worked… ”
Quinn grimaced, gaze dropping. He had been responsible for all the destruction, then.
“What did he look like?” Thierry asked sharply. “Did he give you a name?”
“No. But his eyes were weird,” Quinn said, brows furrowing. “Silver. And his hair was pale blond. Almost grayish.”
“Ash blond,” Thierry murmured, sounding like he’d seen a ghost. “And tall?”
Quinn nodded.
“Magnus came to Rookwood,” Godric said quietly. “He turned the town. He talked about doing it for years while we were together. I always managed to talk him out of it. But not now.”
“Why?” Ethan asked, incredulous. “Why Rookwood?”
“It was a message,” Godric said flatly. “A calling card. That he was nearby. That he knew exactly where I was.” He paused. “I’ve been living in Northern California for some years now. Fifty miles from Rookwood.”
“Why not just kill you, if he knew where to find you?” I demanded.
“Because I betrayed him,” Godric said. When his dark eyes met mine, they were heavy with guilt. And grief. “He does not want me dead. Not yet. He wants me to suffer first.”
“We’ll contain him again,” Poppy said quickly. “I know half a dozen spells that would—”
“One of the first things Magnus did was find a descendant of the witches who cursed him. A powerful witch. She placed him under layers of protection. He’s immune to magic now,” Godric said. “And I do not know where he is.”
“No witch would ever do that,” Poppy hissed, scandalized. “No way.”
“He left her no choice,” Godric said darkly.
“If that’s true, how do you know?” Simone asked skeptically. “How would you know what he did to protect himself?”
“Because the witch herself told me,” Godric said softly. “Once I knew Magnus was free, I went to see for myself. I prayed I was wrong.” He paused. “Magnus didn’t leave her alive afterward. Nor her descendants. The entire town was gone—he spared no one. But her spirit remained.”
Wait. Can Godric speak to the dead?
It wouldn’t surprise me, Thierry said through the bond, catching my thought. He has many gifts. When he was human, they drove him half-mad.
“That’s preposterous,” Nathaniel said, sounding shaken. “No vampire would risk exposure like that. They wouldn’t wipe out an entire town. Certainly not two towns.”
“No,” Thierry said dully. “Nathaniel, you don’t understand. He would. Magnus would. He’d think it amusing if mortals knew vampires existed. He’d want them afraid of him. He’d get off on the rush of power.”
“I cleaned up his mess,” Godric said gravely, nodding. “But yes. That is what we’re dealing with. That is what this spell unleashed.”
“I’ll help you,” Thierry said. “I’ll help you destroy him. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
Godric nodded. “We have no choice. He isn’t what he once was. His time in the tomb—I believe it drove him mad. The witch said he talked to himself. That he often made no sense. He frightened her.”
I opened my mouth, ready to tell Thierry that whatever he faced, I’d face it with him. But before I could, my phone rang.
Every pair of eyes turned toward me.
“Forgot to silence it,” I muttered, pulling it out. Lindsey. I gave Thierry a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”
I hit end, sending the call to voicemail.
“So,” Ethan said slowly, “we need a game plan. I can break the protections on this guy—if I can get close enough. But first we need to find him.”
“No!” Nathaniel exclaimed, horrified. “That’s far too dangerous!”
“This is what my gifts are for,” Ethan replied calmly. “To undo magic used by terrible people. To shield others from consequences. My gifts are meant to right wrongs. You know that.”
“A small vial of your blood would work just as well,” Nathaniel snapped. “There is no way I’m letting you put yourself at risk—”
My phone rang again.
Lindsey. Again.
I frowned, finger hovering over end —until a cold feeling gr gripped me. Lindsey wouldn’t interrupt unless it was life-or-death.
“Answer it,” Thierry said softly, looking even paler than usual.
With every eye on me, I hit accept and lifted the phone.
“It’s the bleeds,” Lindsey said without preamble. “They’ve started again. The monsters are back in Crescent Springs, Jeremy. And we need you.”