Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Angelo
Serenity’s scream shattered the silence, turning my worst nightmare into a reality.
I spun away from our bedroom window where I’d been watching the predawn darkness and rushed to the bed. I shook her gently, my hands on her shoulders. “Wake up, tesoro. Wake up. You’re dreaming.”
Her eyes flew open, wild with terror, unseeing for a moment. “Noelle! He has her!” She tried to sit up, thrashing against the sheets.
“Vex!” She gasped the name like a curse. “He came into the nursery. He took her. He just—he just took her from my arms—“
“Serenity.” I cupped her face, forcing her to focus on me. “You’re still pregnant. Feel.” I guided her hands to her swollen belly. “Our daughter is right here. Right here with you.”
Her hands moved frantically over her stomach, searching, desperate.
“Thank God—the baby kicked.” Serenity let out a choked sob of relief.
Everything in me unwound when I felt the movement beneath her palms—our daughter, alive and well, exactly where she was supposed to be.
The approaching dawn cast gray light through the window, illuminating her frightened face. Tears streaked her cheeks, her hair was wild, her nightgown damp with sweat.
“Angelo... I saw him. I saw Vex. He was so real. Looked like he was in his twenties. He had golden eyes and long black hair and he just... he walked through our wards like they were nothing. He opened the window in the nursery and took her right out of my arms.” Her breath came in gasps, panic rising again.
“I couldn’t move. I couldn’t protect her.
I tried to scream for you but no sound would come out. I was frozen and he just took her—”
She burst into tears, her whole body shaking with sobs that broke my heart into pieces.
I pulled her into my arms, holding her as tightly as I dared with her belly between us. “You’re safe,” I murmured into her hair, though the words felt hollow. “He didn’t break the wards. It was a dream. Just a dream.”
But even as I said it, dread swirled in my gut.
Because demons like Vex didn’t just appear in nightmares by accident.
She wiped her tears. “Angelo, I know when he wants to sacrifice her.”
“When?”
“He said the Full Cold Moon. What date is that?”
A specific date. That meant a deadline—time to prepare, but also a ticking clock. We had until then to fortify our defenses, to find Vex, to figure out how to stop him. Or we had until then before he made his move.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.
” I kissed her forehead, then got up from the bed.
I hated leaving her like this—still shaking, still terrified from the nightmare.
Every instinct screamed to stay, to hold her until the fear left her eyes.
But I had to find out when Vex was coming so I could stop him—before it was too late.
I threw open the door, nearly tearing it off its hinges. “Prudence!”
But it wasn’t just Prudence who stumbled out of her bedroom—Dimitri and Enzo did too.
Enzo scanned the hallway. “Problems?”
Prudence hurried down the hall. “What’s wrong?”
I clasped Prudence’s arm tight and yanked her toward me. “When is the Full Cold Moon?”
Her eyes widened. “December fifteenth. Why?”
I released her abruptly, but I didn’t take my eyes off her. “Serenity had dream about Vex. He said the sacrifice was supposed to be during the Full Cold Moon.”
Prudence rubbed her arm where I had grabbed her. I should have apologized but there was something about her, something that made me not trust her.
Maybe I was wrong. But my instincts had proven to be right.
Prudence gave me a tight smile. “Often when you’re pregnant, it can bring on strange dreams, dreams that don’t make any sense.”
I looked at Enzo. His jaw was set, eyes hard and focused—pure enforcer.
He was already calculating threats, planning responses.
“We have a description. She said he’s young-looking, maybe early twenties, black hair, and gold eyes.
Send word out to everyone. I want eyes on the streets looking for him. ”
Dimitri, who’d been standing with his arms crossed, dropped them and straightened. “Hold on. Gold eyes? Like actual glowing gold, or are we talking hazel-with-good-lighting gold?”
“Does it matter?” I snapped.
“Well, yeah, actually. Because if we’re looking for every attractive twenty-something with dark hair in New Orleans, we’re going to be here all week.
” He held up his hands at my glare. “I’m just saying—this is the French Quarter.
That describes half the vampires, a quarter of the witches, and at least three bartenders on Bourbon Street. We need to be specific.”
“Glowing gold,” I said through gritted teeth. “Unnatural. Demonic.”
“There we go. Much better.” Dimitri’s smirk faded into something more serious.
“Though I gotta say—if he’s powerful enough to appear in her dreams and make plants die with his presence, he’s not going to be subtle about it.
A demon that cocky doesn’t hide. He wants to be seen.
” He glanced at the others. “Which means he’s either already here and watching us, or he’s close enough that it doesn’t matter. Either way, we’re running out of time.”
I dragged my fingers through my hair, frustration building into rage. “Prudence, when is Tinker Bell due back from Goody? And why the hell haven’t any of my men been able to get hold of her? Lorenzo’s tried. Enzo’s tried. No one can reach her.”
Prudence shifted uncomfortably, not quite meeting my eyes.
“I’m not sure why she’s not responding. She mentioned she’d be back in about a week.
” She paused, as if uncertain. “I think after the conference she planned to go camping. Something about needing to reconnect with nature after being around so many witches.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” The words exploded out of me. “One of our witches is camping—off the grid, unreachable—while Vex is building an army to steal my daughter? And you’re just now telling me this?”
“I’m…I’m sorry.”
Dimitri straightened from where he’d been leaning, his eyebrow arching skeptically. “Camping? In December? In Massachusetts?” He looked around at the rest of us. “What is she trying to do, cosplay as a polar bear? Because I’m pretty sure even witches can get hypothermia.”
“It does seem odd,” Enzo said carefully, his enforcer instincts clearly pinging. “Tinker Bell isn’t the outdoorsy type. She barely tolerates the humidity here.”
He was right. Tinker Bell complained constantly about bugs, heat, and anything that messed up her hair. The idea of her voluntarily going camping was absurd.
My gaze shifted back to Prudence. She was still avoiding my eyes. First her strange behavior during the scrying spell. Then the tea that was ‘too sweet.’ Now Tinker Bell conveniently unreachable right when we needed the wards reinforced.
The suspicion that had been simmering in my gut ignited into something hotter.
“And her phone?” I pressed, my eyes locked on Prudence. She swallowed hard, her fingers twitching at her sides. “Her magical communication? There’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to reach her unless—“
Unless someone was blocking it.
The thought crystallized with cold certainty. I looked at Prudence more closely. She was nervous again—that same telltale racing heartbeat I’d noticed earlier.
“Unless what?” Prudence asked, but there was something in her voice. A careful control that felt practiced, rehearsed.
“Unless someone doesn’t want her contacted,” I said slowly, watching her face for any reaction.
“Vex must be doing it.” The words came too quickly, tumbling out before I’d even finished speaking. “He must be blocking her somehow. He must be afraid of her power.”
There it was. The lie. She’d answered too fast, too defensively—like she’d had the excuse ready before I even asked the question.
I shook my head, watching her face carefully. “I doubt a demon powerful enough to walk through the Shadowfen Coven’s wards is afraid of any witch. Even one as powerful as Tinker Bell.”
“Angelo!” Serenity’s voice called from behind me.
I was across the room in a heartbeat.
“Wait,” Prudence said behind me. “You might be totally wrong about this. Serenity just had a nightmare. You might be sending your men on a wild goose chase based on a dream.”
I paused in the doorway and looked back at her. The way she said it—dismissive, almost desperate to stop us from acting—made something cold settle in my chest.
“Enzo,” I said without taking my eyes off Prudence. “Spread the word about Serenity’s description. Young, early twenties, long black hair, glowing gold eyes. Every contact we have needs to be looking for him.”
“On it.” Enzo headed down the hallway.
“Better a wild goose chase than my daughter dead,” I said quietly to Prudence, then turned and strode toward Serenity.
But I filed away her reaction. Her too-quick dismissal. Her desperate attempt to stop us from searching.
Something wasn’t right. And I was going to find out what.
I entered the bedroom and found Serenity sitting up on the bed, her back against the headboard, both hands resting protectively on her belly. Her face was still pale, her eyes red from crying.
“Are you sending out Dimitri and Enzo to look for Vex?”
I sat beside her on the bed, the mattress dipping under my weight. “Yes.”
She glanced toward the open door, then back at me, biting her lip. “I heard what Prudence said. Maybe... maybe it was just a bad dream. Maybe I’m being paranoid and—”
“Stop.” I picked up her trembling hand, enclosing it in both of mine.
Her skin was cold despite the warmth of the room.
“I trust your dreams, Serenity.” I reached up with one hand and pushed a damp lock of blonde hair back from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear.
“Just like I trust in you. If you saw him, if you felt him—then he was there in some way. Demons don’t just randomly appear in nightmares. ”
“But what if I’m wrong?” Her lower lip quivered. “What if I’m sending your men out there for nothing? What if—“
“Then we’re cautious for no reason. And I can live with that.” I cupped her face, making her look at me. “But if you’re right and we do nothing? I can’t live with that, tesoro. I won’t take that risk. Not with you. Not with our daughter.”
Elena entered the room with a tray bearing a teapot and cup. She had on a robe, and her white hair fell loose over her shoulders rather than pulled up in her usual bun. “I heard what happened, ma chérie. I made some tea for you.”
That was fast. Elena must have already been in the kitchen when Serenity screamed.
“Thank you, Elena.” Serenity managed a weak smile.
Elena poured the steaming tea from the pot into the cup and handed it to Serenity. “Here, drink this. It will help settle your nerves after such a terrible nightmare.”
Serenity brought the cup to her nose and sniffed cautiously. “Peppermint?”
“Oui. Prudence said peppermint would help calm your nerves after a nightmare like that.”
I stiffened. Prudence talked with Elena already? How did Prudence get downstairs so fast? She’d been right outside this bedroom just moments ago when I’d left to check on Serenity.
“Prudence told you this?” I demanded. “When?”
“Yesterday, when we were discussing what might help Serenity rest better.” Elena smiled warmly. “She is so thoughtful, that one. Always prepared.” Something eager flashed in her eyes, too bright, too insistent. “Drink up, Serenity. You’ll feel much better.”
Serenity lifted the cup to her lips and sipped the tea. “Elena, maybe you could make this a little less sweet.”
I took the cup from Serenity’s hands before Serenity could drink any more. Something about this felt wrong. I brought it to my nose and inhaled deeply. It smelled exactly like the concoction Prudence had given her before—that same overpowering peppermint trying to mask something bitter underneath.
“What’s in this? Is this Prudence’s tea?” I looked at Elena sharply.
“No.” Elena’s smile didn’t waver. “This is my own recipe. It should calm your nerves. Is there something wrong, Angelo?”
I shrugged. “No, as long as it is your recipe.”
Serenity reached over and took the cup back from me.
“Good. I love your tea. It won’t make me drowsy—I don’t want to have any more demon dreams.” She took several small swallows, then made a face.
“But maybe you could make a new batch later, Elena? Without quite so much honey. It’s almost too sweet. ”
“Mais oui, of course, ma chérie.” Elena nodded, but she didn’t move. She stood there, watching, waiting as Serenity lifted the cup and drained the last of the tea.
Serenity handed her the empty cup. “Thank you. I already feel better.”
“Bon.” Elena’s smile widened as she took the cup and placed it carefully on the tray as if it were precious. “Rest now. Both of you.”
She picked up the tray and left the room quickly, her footsteps almost hurried as they faded down the hallway.
I stared at the closed door, that uneasy feeling still churning in my gut.
Something wasn’t right.