Chapter 16
“What have you done?” Rafe exploded, anger coursing through his veins.
“Greyson’s done what’s best,” Ilsbeth shot back at him. Wearing a dark purple leather jacket and pants, her white hair had been braided down her back. She shoved a spellbook into her backpack.
“Don’t you have that thing memorized?” The vampire asked her, wearing an annoyed expression.
“I can’t take any chances. My sister is absolutely diabolical. Even I do not face these types of things. With my recovery…it was difficult. I must be prepared.”
“How do you know Sebastian won’t bite her?” Rafe asked, his mind still on Skylar. “I don’t like the way he looked at her.”
“Kinda like the way I do, wolf?” Dominique shot him a wry smile.
“Yeah, exactly like that. I don’t like it.
” When Rafe returned from running, he’d found Greyson had flashed Skylar back to her parents’ home in Port Townsend.
He’d known it would be difficult, breaking the vampire meant breaking their bond.
Though he hadn’t craved blood, the hunger for Skylar simmered deep in his soul.
“She’s your human…” Ilsbeth shrugged. “Was your human. She’ll be fine. Safe and sound with her very lovely parents. Don’t worry about it.”
“Ilsbeth’s right,” Greyson agreed. “He’s not gonna bite her. Sebastian is an asshole but he’s every bit as strong as me, and he’ll keep them safe. Zyaire is coming for you, not her.”
“She saw you today. She broke my wards. I’ll give her that. But that thing she sent. That apparition? Ha! Child’s play for even a novice witch.”
“I’m ready for this to be over. I’ve got my life back.” Rafe patted his chest, grateful to be in his own skin, to be free of the vampire.
“Pop your fangs,” Greyson demanded, confronting him.
Rafe closed his eyes and concentrated, calling on his magick. His wolf howled in response, claiming his rightful place. “Yeah, no. Nothing. It’s gone.”
“You sure? No blood cravings?” Greyson waved a glass of blood in front of his face.
“Nothing. I’m good.” Rafe waved him away and looked to Ilsbeth. “I’ll admit. That moment you set my ass on fire? I did have my doubts. I’ll give it to you. You’re a good witch.”
“Blasphemy! Hold your tongue, dog! I have a reputation to uphold.” Ilsbeth remained focused on her task, zipping her bag closed.
“I feel amazing. I feel like…me.” Rafe sighed and looked in a tall rectangular mirror in the parlor. “Thank the Goddess.”
In truth he’d never felt better in his life. He’d done hard time the past couple of years, but the bitter pill, living through the fire spell, shifting into his beast…it had been nearly the best day of his life.
But the yearning for Skylar lingered in his heart. It had only been hours since he’d last seen her, yet he craved her smile, to feel her in his arms again. Though no vampire magick remained in his body, the bond for the human woman still simmered.
“So, about this bond that the vampire had with the human? There wouldn’t happen to be any, I don’t know what you’d call it, um, side effects,” Rafe asked.
“What do you mean?” Ilsbeth slid off her reading glasses and glared at him, her words slow and deliberate. “You said you don’t have fangs. You don’t thirst for her blood anymore, do you?”
“No, no, it’s just, I’m worried about her. I, uh, I want to see her.” I love her. “I’m just feeling sort of…I don’t know if I really feel any different with respects to you know…wanting her. Not for blood.” Rafe grimaced. Awkward. “You know what I’m talking about?”
“Well, I don’t know about feelings. I mean you tell me?” Ilsbeth stared at him deadpan. “Come on now. You’ve bedded a human or two. She’s not the first.”
“What? No. Maybe. Look, I just thought once I came out of the spell…” He shrugged. “You know. I thought the bond would be broken. That it would feel broken.”
“The bond is broken. You’re a mongrel again. Happy?” Greyson rolled his eyes.
“Fuck off,” Rafe shot back at him.
“The bond is broken. It is done.” Ilsbeth sighed. “Any remnant feelings are meaningless.”
“Feelings aren’t meaningless,” Rafe countered.
“You know what a feeling is, right? A feeling is something you have when you actually care about someone. Surely the High Priestess is capable of feelings?” Greyson asked, wearing an amused expression.
“Do not test me, vampire!” Ilsbeth pointed her finger at him. “Feelings get you into trouble. Feelings are irrelevant. Rafe, you’re a wolf now. Behave like one and start focusing on what’s next.”
“Yeah. Sure. I’m sure it’s broken. Because I’m a wolf. I’m good.” Rafe’s words didn’t convince him it was true. “I just thought I’d feel different.”
“There is no bond. You’re officially single, Alpha.” Dominique shot him a flirty smile. “I’m up for a ride after this shit is done.”
“What?” Rafe shook his head.
“Okay. The human can come as long as I get to feed. All’s fair in love and war, so they say,” she joked.
“Skylar is off limits to you. Forever.” Rafe adjusted the straps on his vest.
“Try not to ruin your outfit this time,” Thorn instructed. “You’re lucky I had my tailor make two. This tan coloring suits you well. You’ll blend with the desert. Fits you like a glove. You look as good as an ice cream cone in Hell.”
“Knock it off. You guys are killin’ me. Besides, I’m not available,” Rafe reminded them, his mind on Skylar.
“But you are, Alpha,” Ilsbeth corrected.
“Not true. I have a mate out there,” he argued, confused by his pervasive thoughts about his lovely human.
“Not yet,” Dominique noted.
“Come on, everyone. Ilsbeth’s right. We need to focus.” Rafe crossed the room, accepting a tall glass of sweet tea from Henri. “Let’s review what we’re doing here.”
“Vegas. We’re going far away from the city, deep in the desert. My guess is she has some kind of portal opening there. She needs privacy. And so do we,” Ilsbeth began.
“How do you know she’ll be there?”
“She’ll have no choice. I’m going to summon her.” Ilsbeth turned, her expression somber. “I don’t know how much power she has but after today’s little display clearly she can find you.”
“Rumor in Hell is she’s constructed some kind of a domicile within the rocks,” Thorn added.
Rafe’s instincts were warning him not to trust all of what the High Priestess told him, especially after the midday barbeque she’d ignited. “She’s in another realm?”
“Whispers among the fae say she’s hidden with dark magick. Like her sister, she’s quite clever and apparently has planned her escape for some time. But what else could hidden mean if it’s not another realm? That’s for you to find out, Alpha,” Thorn explained as he reached for his teacup.
“She’s clever. Patient. It’s been years since I bound her.
She will surely have infected others.” Ilsbeth’s face drained of color.
“The is only one thing that can bind her. It’s the Hellfire you brought back with the spell.
They will come for her, and I plan to drag her back into the realm where I sent her.
She must inhale it, take it with her. It must be intimate. ”
“I’m a wolf. How exactly is this supposed to work with a witch?” Rafe asked, his mind churning. “Greyson could flash to her.”
“It will be challenging. By now she’s created protection spells against each of us. But she wants to kill you, so in order to do so, she’ll need to get close to you to work her magick.”
“Does she have any weaknesses?” Rafe asked.
“The obvious is silver. She’s susceptible to its poison at this point, I imagine.
” Ilsbeth crossed the room, leaning on the hearth.
“It’s all speculation at this point. Today she waited until I was inside to show her face.
Sure, she’s confident enough to intimidate, to try to steal your human.
But to face me? That would have been the true test. But ah, she wasn’t ready.
I suspect she’s saving her magick for the final battle she intends on having. ”
“She’ll attempt to bind you,” Greyson told her.
“Perhaps. She can try. She wants to kill Rafe to hurt me, but you?” Ilsbeth laughed and pointed to Greyson. “I’m thinking torture first. Perhaps a guillotine.”
“She’ll have to catch my ass first,” Greyson grumbled.
“Do not engage with her. You caused this mess,” Ilsbeth scolded. “Thorn will watch for demons. Hellhounds. Tears in the realm. I will distract her, allowing Rafe to get close.”
“Okay, then. Is everyone ready to get this shit show on the road? Send this bitch back to her cage?” Rafe clapped his hands together, anxious to defeat Zyaire. This was the final task and then he’d start his life anew.
“Let’s do it,” Greyson agreed.
“Hey, I almost forgot. Let me check with Kenji. He can help with the zombie things. Just in case.” Rafe crossed the room and dug his cell phone out of his pocket. As he slid the pad of his finger across the glass, it buzzed out loud, vibrating in his hand. Skylar.
His heart pounded in his chest, his wolf howled in anticipation. Rafe turned away, concealing his excitement. Fuck, he shouldn’t want this human, but he did. “Skylar. You, okay?”
“Rafe?” A familiar voice asked. Patty.
“They took her,” she cried.
“What happened?” Anger shot through Rafe, his jaw clenched tight. He tapped on the speaker so everyone could hear.
“Skylar’s gone.”
“I’m gonna find her. It’s gonna be okay.” Rafe looked to Greyson who pointed to his own phone. Sebastian.
“We were home. She was only out for a minute to feed the birds. Sebastian was in here too. He and Dad had been playing the piano. I was right there when it happened. I was standing on the back steps outside with her. And then this thing…this woman was at the edge of the cliff. One minute Sky was feeding the birds. It happened so quickly. We went running to her. Then they were…gone.”