Chapter 24
ROWEN
No one can deny Prodigy is beautiful at night. Neon sigils crawl across buildings like living graffiti and wards shimmer faintly over doorways. Even the air smells charged—like static and spice with faint copper undertones.
I fist my hands when we pass what remains of The Iris—just bits of charred broken bricks. No evidence of Rip’s cruelty. They won’t get away with it. They will pay.
Kaine leads in a matte-black sedan with tinted windows. Grant, Forest and I are in the middle of the caravan, with Ivy, Evan, and Sage in the car behind us. Forest opens the intercom system between our cars so we can talk while following Kaine.
“Do you believe him?” Sage asks.
“About what?”
“About Trivanka no longer being with Foxx.”
Grant scoffs. “I believe he believes it. For all we know, the coven could’ve spread out for a while.”
Forest nods, eyes out the window. “I agree. Even if she did leave, Foxx wouldn’t let her go easily.”
“We all know Foxx is good at two things: manipulating people and hiding,” Grant says. “If Trivanka isn’t working with Foxx anymore, we need to assume he still has eyes on her, even if she doesn’t think there is.”
“So, expect an ambush?” Sage says.
“Expect anything. Be alert. And don’t forget. Kaine only does things for himself, so don’t expect him to save you if you’re compromised.”
“That vamp saved my life,” Evan says.
“Only because he wanted answers,” Grant mutters. “I promise you, Ev, he doesn’t give two shits about us.”
He’s not wrong. Kaine seems loyal to no one except Willow. He could turn on us just to get nearer to Foxx. It’s what he wants—revenge for his family.
The city thins as we head south. The evidence of magic dims, and with it, its strength. Thick cracks run up some buildings, and even the streetlights seem less bright, powered only by simple electricity.
Kaine finally turns down a narrow road that follows the river. The Fisherman’s Rest sits near the bend—a squat, three-story building with peeling paint and a buzzing red vacancy sign. Beyond it, past the docks, the river is swollen and dark.
It’s shady as hell, just like Kaine said.
We park two blocks away, hidden behind a row of abandoned warehouses. Everyone piles out. The air is cold enough to sting.
My wolf claws at me, begging to be let out, but I can’t shift. Not if I want to communicate with the vampires. I shake my arms out, trying to loosen up.
Kaine strides over, spinning his keys on a keyring. “I’m sure you saw the hotel on the drive in?”
We all nod.
“Trivanka has been staying on the second floor, top right corner. It’s a single-row unit, so no back rooms to worry about.”
Grant shoves his hands in his pockets. “Didn’t look like anyone was there.”
“I promise you, she’s there.”
Willow folds her arms over her chest. “We’ve only seen her come outside once, and that was to meet a delivery service for blood.”
Sage mutters under his breath.
“What was that?” Grant asks.
“I said, it’s a miracle she didn’t just eat the delivery driver.”
Ivy snorts a laugh.
Forest straightens. “We’ll confirm she’s there, then we’ll leave.”
“Why don’t we just go in?” I say incredulously. “We’re right here, and we came all this way—”
“—to scout the place,” he cuts in with a pointed glare.“Not to fight. We’re not starting something without a plan.”
Kaine’s lips twist, clearly amused. “Sounds like your wolf’s itchin’ for a fight, Rowen.”
I growl. He has no idea how close I am to shifting. “One more word and I’ll bite your pretty little head off.”
“Ooh, fiesty.”
“Should we shift?” Ivy asks.
“No, it’ll be less conspicuous if we stay in this form,” Forest says. “Let’s split up into groups of three, but remember, we’re only observing tonight.”
All the shifters dip their heads at the command.
Sage zips his coat. “Let’s go.”
We spread out down the street, staying behind buildings or parked cars. Water laps against the docks to drown our footsteps, and humidity clings to my skin. The air smells like rust and salt, thick enough to choke on.
Frustration bubbles in me. To be this close and not talk to Trivanka is making me want to rip someone’s throat out. I need answers, and I need them bad.
Kaine leads Ivy and I down the narrow alley between two corrugated warehouses. His footsteps barely make a sound against the cracked pavement. Ivy shivers beside me, her thick coat brushing the wet walls of the warehouse.
When we reach the corner, we all turn to peer across the street. There it is. The hotel.
My inner wolf snarls.
We dash across the road, hiding in a tall grassy area. Kaine lifts a hand, signaling silence. He points to the window on the second floor.
“In there.”
I squint up where shadows move across the curtained window. My nails grow, thickening on instinct. “We need to get closer.”
Kaine shoots me an amused look. “Your alpha said to observe, pup.”
“I’m not your—”
“Quiet! Both of you!” Ivy hisses.
On the other side of the parking lot, Jericho, Evan, and Willow duck behind the trash area. Sage, Grant and Forest must be taking the front.
Kaine looks in both directions, then gestures for us to follow.
Ivy holds me back. “Ro, wait.”
“We need to confirm it’s her.”
My sister is clearly torn. Getting any closer could risk us being seen, if not by Trivanka than someone else. I pull my arm away and follow Kaine.
We cut across the cracked pavement and duck behind a truck. Peeking over the hood, I can see through a slice of curtain into the woman’s room. Inside, the light flickers against the wall.
My heart jolts when I see someone pacing. Their movements are too smooth, too quiet to be human.
“Is it her?” Ivy whispers.
Kaine rolls his eyes. “I’ve already told you. It’s her.”
My jaw clenches. All I know about the woman is she has blond hair and wings. My wolf stirs, restless and hungry for revenge. This woman hurt my mate. Possibly fed from him. Kept him prisoner. Every second I stand here feels like a betrayal.
I lean forward, trying to get a clearer angle, and Ivy’s hand clamps around my arm. “Don’t.”
“I have to know, Ivy.”
Shouts ring out from the other side of the building, and a second later, the crash of glass shattering echoes through the night. We all snap our heads in that direction.
“They’re under attack,” Kaine says.
I fist my hands. “Shit!”
Grant’s voice hits me in the chest as he shouts for someone to run. Ivy takes off, and for a second, I debate if I should go with her. My pack needs me. But Tobias does too.
Light spills out onto the tiny back patio of the vampire’s room. A woman steps out, blond hair spilling over her shoulders. She grips the railing as she looks around, fear etched into her pale features.
Kaine’s voice is deadly. “That’s her.”
I’m moving before I can think. Clothes shred as I launch myself off the sedan. She screams, and I hear metal on metal as she vaults the railing. We hit the parking lot in a tumble, fangs bared.
Kaine steps out from behind the truck, arms sweeping.
With a single motion, water claws up from the river, knocking us both off our feet.
The shock of it forces me to shift. I cough and grab for the woman.
Her nails cut into my shoulder. Pain sears, and my right arm trembles when I move; adrenaline keeps me going.
She races through the parking lot toward the side of the building. I shift and lunge after her. Blood slicks my fur.
A second swell of water roars up from the river. I slam into the side of the building, feet scrambling for purchase. For one terrifying moment, I have no idea which way is up, then the surface breaks and I gasp for air.
When I turn around, Trivanka is hovering in the air with two ropes of water around her ankles. Kaine snaps his wrist. Her wings shatter with a crisp, glassy sound, scattering ruby-like pieces across the asphalt. The woman cries out in pain.
The cords of water snake around her legs, torso, then chest. Trivanka flails, but Kaine’s hold never wavers.
I trot over to them, favoring my right leg.
“Let me go!” she screams again.
Kaine gags her, making her cough and gasp for air.
“Tell me where he is,” Kaine says in a deceptively calm tone.
“Wh-who?” she rasps.
Kaine and I both snarl, my paws digging against the hard pavement.
“Foxx! Tell us where Foxx is!” Kaine says.
Footsteps thunder behind us. Grant appears first in wolf form, followed by Sage and Forest. Blood scents the air.
“We need to go,” Sage snaps. “Someone called the police.”
“Where’s everyone else?”
“At the cars or burning the bodies.”
Kaine drags the woman behind us as we rush to the far end of the parking lot. Lights flash in the distance.
Sage curses. “We’ll never make it.”
“Neither will my ropes. They’ll thin out the further away from the river we get.”
“There!” Sage points to a large storage unit behind a building.
We all run toward it, and with one swift kick, the lock shatters. We all step in. Forest uses his phone as a flashlight. Surprisingly, the unit is only half full of boxes and a spare set of tires.
The shed creaks in the wind, salt air leaking through the cracks. Kaine stands in the center of it, his shirt dripping as he tries to wipe his wet hair away from his face.
The water around Trivanka never wavers. It seems to be alive, spinning and twisting around her arms and legs like translucent chains. I was impressed when he did the same thing to Evan.
Impressed, but terrified.
Kaine lowers her to the ground, forcing her to kneel and stare at the puddle on the floor.
Forest crosses his arms. “You know why we’re here.”
Trivanka’s lips twitch. “No.”
“Tell us where Foxx is.”
She gulps for air. “I don’t know.”
“Did you leave him?”
Her shoulders shake, whether from the cold or fear, I can’t be sure. “I h-had to.”
“Why?” Forest asks.
“I couldn’t do it anymore. I didn’t want to be a part of it.”
“A part of what? What is he doing?”
She doesn’t answer.
Kaine tightens the rope, making her scream.
I bare my teeth. We need her to be quiet.
Trivanka slams her eyes closed. “It’s not what you think.”
“What’s not?”
“The c-coven. It’s not about Foxx anymore.”
“We already know Orem is in charge. The question is, what is he doing? What’s his plan?” Forest asks.
“Is Foxx still with Orem?” Kaine asks, as if that’s the only thing he cares about.
“Y-yes.” She cowers under his force, knees biting into the asphalt. “They’re binding humans and vampires. Creating some kind of shadow bond.”
I snarl. Shadow bond? What does that even mean? How can I save Tobias from it?
“What does the bond do?”
“I don’t know.”
“Stop lying!” Kaine gags her with water until she chokes, white foam pouring from her lips.
“We need her alive, Kaine,” Sage says.
He backs off.
Her voice is weak. “The first experiment didn’t work the way he wanted. The guy didn’t… he didn’t respond or something. Orem s-said it wasn’t strong enough. He wanted to kill him, but—”
Rage burns through me as I lunge for her. Forest grips my flank and pulls me back. I nearly yelp from the pain in my shoulder.
“You said first one. Is there another?”
“Y-yes. I heard he tried again.”
Sirens sound in the distance, echoing off the metal sheeting.
Sage steps closer. “Just one?”
Trivanka tries to lift her head, but Kaine forces it back down. She seems stunned that we would already know about the marks.
She nods weakly.
“Who is it? Who is the human bonded to?” Forest tries.
When she doesn’t reply, the water around her ankles sputters as if boiling. Kaine’s patience is running out. “Answer the question!”
“I don’t know—please!”
Kaine kneels before her. “Where is he?”
“I don’t know. I swear. They’re in the city, but I don’t know where. I got away.”
“You’re a fool if you believe that. Foxx never lets his people go,” Sage says. “He had two vampires watching you! They nearly killed us tonight.”
Trivanka whimpers, but doesn’t seem surprised. “P-please, just let me go.”
Lights flicker between the gaps in the shed.
Sage looks through a small tear in the metal. “They’re here.”
Something in Kaine fractures, like the calm before the surge. The ropes tighten as he gets to his feet like the water knows what’s coming before we do. “Last chance. Tell us where Foxx is.”
“I told you, I don’t know!”
“Kaine—”
Forest’s warning is too late.
The crack echoes in my bones—water collapsing, air leaving lungs. Her body slumps. Dead. Something in me tears loose with her. I can’t look at her anymore. Bile rises in my throat.
I want to tear Kaine apart, but my paws are frozen in place. This wasn’t an interrogation. This was murder.
Grant shifts and slams Kaine against the wall, pressing his forearm into his throat. “You idiot! We could’ve gotten more information!”
“She didn’t have any.”
“You don’t know that!”
Kane bares his fangs, raising his hands as two cords of water twine around Grant’s arms.
“Enough, Grant. It’s done.” Forest pulls him off.
Grant shoves Kaine one last time.
Kaine shakes it off, stepping out of the shed without another word. I hear him call to Willow outside. “Let’s go.”
Grant points after him, cheeks red with anger. “He’s going to kill one of us next. Mark my words.”
“Enough!” Forest’s alpha power makes my fur bristle.“We have other things to worry about now. Sage, go find Jericho. Tell him we need him to burn one more body.”
Sage doesn’t look at the body as he leaves the room, head bowed.
Grant punches the wall one more time, gaze locked on the dead woman. “All that for fucking nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing,” Forest says. “We know what they’re doing.”
“Yeah, shadow bond? What the hell is that?” Grant snaps.
“Taren might know. We also know there’s another bonded human somewhere.”
“Yeah, but to who?”
Forest hesitates, shaking his head at the dead woman. “My guess? Foxx.”
My gaze returns to Trivanka. She doesn’t look like a monster anymore. Just a broken thing that finally stopped fighting.
I turn and leave the room, my shoulder still burning from the cut. I need to shift again to heal, but I’m too damn tired. I wanted answers, and all I got was more questions.
When I see my sister and the others behind a building, I hobble over to them. We make our way to the car to wait for Jericho. It takes five minutes for him to dry the woman’s body enough to burn her. Each second feels like an eternity.
Exhausted and heavy with unanswered questions, my mind drifts back to Tobias. All I want to do is get home to him now.
Get home and never leave him ever again.