Chapter 33 Trish
Trish
I didn’t know how I’d ignored my intuition all these years because my gut screamed at me now to hurry up. Even my wolf was strangely on board, quiet as she lent me her strength and speed.
I’m not a heartless beast.
Never said you were.
I flew through the tents, chasing the scream that was cut short, and hearing nothing more than the pounding of my feet as I ran straight into the worship tent full of statues, where I came to a screeching halt.
The pews held room for at least a hundred witches and warlocks. Though they weren’t all full, and more people were still coming inside, that wasn’t what stopped me in my tracks.
On the star-shaped dais, gagged and bound, Calla looked at me, screaming with her eyes. Her wolves were nowhere to be seen, and she tugged uselessly against the restraints when she saw me. They must’ve been magic-infused to hold her that way.
Beside her, smiling like he was expecting my arrival, was Vincent.
My wolf growled as I stalked forward, moving slowly as if caught in the quicksand of a dream.
Because this wasn’t real. Maybe I’d slipped into the drug tent again, or this was the lingering effects of numerous orgasms last night.
There was no possible reality where this could be happening. It had to be a joke.
But Calla wasn’t laughing.
The terror in her eyes was real.
And the attendees gathered weren’t smiling. Nope. Their heads were turned down, refusing to meet my gaze, as I raised my hands, inching to the front of the pews.
“Tisiphone, so glad you could join us this morning.” Vincent’s deep voice amplified throughout the massive tent. “Tell me, did that poor little Alpha grow a thicker skin this time around?”
Let me out so I can kill him.
I swallowed down her anger. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play coy with me, witch.” Vincent’s tone lost its amused edge. “I see everything. And I always know where you are.”
Creepy. I kept inching forward, trying to appear non-threatening with my hands in the air. “I figured as much. So… What’s… um… going on?”
Calla’s muffled screams sounded somewhere between, “I’m tied up, you idiot,” and “I’m going to murder you after I get to him.”
Just speculating, but that seemed about right.
“Quiet.” Vincent silenced Calla by placing a gold-hilted knife to her throat. Her panicked gaze flew to me.
“Whoa, now!” I cried, taking another cautious step closer. “Hang on a second.”
Why was everyone just sitting here watching this happen? Would they attack me if I went after Vincent? I risked another glance at the pews, but everyone’s heads were still lowered as if they were praying.
Told you it was really was a cult.
“This wasn’t what I was expecting when you said you were building an army to save witches,” I tried for sarcasm as my nerves went haywire.
Vincent smirked. “That’s because you’re a blind, spoiled, naive little girl.”
Tell him to say that again, my wolf growled.
That’s what I wanted him to believe, wasn’t it? What I wanted them all to think.
“You can enlighten me. We’re all in this war effort together.” I blinked with doe eyes. “I was serious when I said I wanted to help.”
Help him right off a cliff.
His gaze narrowed. “How can you help when you still think building an army of witches will solve this?”
Isn’t that your plan?
The look of confusion on my face only made him grin harder. “You, and the lot of you out there, can’t even see that attacking one human city will alert the rest, putting the very same witches and warlocks we hope to save in jeopardy when the purists find out our motives.”
From the murmurs in the pews, I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t thought of that. But I didn’t point it out because he was still holding the knife.
“That’s why this is your army and we’re trusting you to lead,” I stroked his ego as I stepped closer to the dais. “But I don’t see how Calla being on this sacrificial altar solves anything.”
She glared at me.
Definitely thinking murder.
“Then you haven’t been paying attention.
” Vincent pulled the knife from Calla’s throat and waved it toward the statues.
“For far too long, the balance of power has been disrupted in our world. Humans suppressing magic. Wolves in full control. The gods didn’t create the world this way, and they are rightfully angry. ”
“Amen,” the congregation muttered as one.
Oh crap. I jolted, looking at the pews again. Everyone was watching us now. Eager, on the edge of their seats. Dare I say, blood thirsty. Double crap.
I turned back to the real threat.
Vincent smiled down at me. “And I intend to give them what they want.”
I yelped as his fist threaded into my hair and dragged me up onto the stage, pretending that my wolf wasn’t seconds away from tearing through my skin and ripping his throat out.
Just say the word.
Not until I know what we’re up against.
“What is it they want?” It took everything in me not to struggle, even as Vincent wrapped his arm around my waist, pinning me to his side.
This close to Calla, I could smell the wolfsbane on her. If she’d been drugged, no wonder she couldn’t fight off the restraints. It was all my fault. I shouldn’t have left her alone with him.
“Blood.” Vincent winked at me, like I was in on the sick joke.
“But blood magic has a mind of its own.” I shook my head frantically, stalling as I tried to think about how to get Calla down and us both out of here.
I had enough information to last me a lifetime.
“It’s dangerous. You can’t control the spell once it’s in motion, and you can’t do anything to reverse it. ”
I don’t think this guy listens to reason.
“Who says I want to?” Vincent turned to address the congregation.
“Believers and stewards of the old ways, today is the day we end this. Your patience is well-served. The blood from the most powerful among us will be the key to ushering in a new era of magic. It’s time to change the power dynamics of this world. ”
“Wait a second.” But I needed at least a minute to catch up. Jaxon was right. Vincent just wanted power. Is that why he’d gathered the strongest witches here? So he had a buffet to choose from?
“You can’t… Blood magic is…” I tried to think of what Gram had taught me, and came up short. We didn’t practice dark magic like that in my woods. “You can’t take Calla’s lifeforce without her permission.”
Calla mumbled her clear lack of permission through the cloth over her mouth.
“No?” he asked. “I thought she was no one to you. What do you care about taking her blood?”
I refused to look at Calla, even when I heard her whine. “I might not care,” I lied, hopefully convincingly, “but my Aunt Kera is close to Alpha Uki of Amarock, and they’ll both go to war with you over Calla’s death.”
Yes, I was pulling the badass aunt card.
And no, I didn’t care what anyone thought. Whatever got us out of this mess in one piece was my current plan.
“Silly wolf.” Vincent smiled at me with all his teeth. “Do you think some backwoods, small pack bitch really frightens me?”
She should.
I frowned. “Then why…”
“Why what?” he chuckled. “Why bring you here? Wine you and dine you? Treat you like you were special?”
I swallowed, suddenly feeling small.
“Because I can.” His face was a mask of cruelty as the congregation began to chant a mixture of dead languages I didn’t know and didn’t care to stick around to find out.
Let’s go with plan B.
My claws extended, but Vincent moved fast, slashing the golden knife across Calla’s bound wrist. She screamed again. I lunged, teeth bared as my bones began to crack and rearrange.
A gust of wind blew me backwards, and I crashed into a golden statue, slamming against my breaking spine. I yelped, mid-change, and slumped to the floor as the wind howled in my ears.
Peering up through the wind blurring the tears in my eyes, I watched Calla’s blood flow into a jeweled trough at Vincent’s feet.
Then he turned his sights on me.
I can fight this. My wolf surged forward, trying to finish the shift.
No. I held her back. I need to get close enough to use my magic.
I had to touch him. But the wind was relentless, and somehow he’d channeled it just to hold me down. The breeze blew through the pews of onlookers, but I was the only one punished by it.
I scrambled for purchase, looking for something to grab hold of, when Vincent’s shiny black shoes filled my field of vision.
I lay still. Come on, step closer.
Pain sliced through my arm as the knife bit into it, and then my blood flowed with Calla’s running through the trough at the foot of the stage.
The wind died down. But my heart pounded in my ears. Calla’s screams echoed through the tent, still muffled by the cloth. The chanting grew louder as our blood flowed. I cradled my arm to my chest, rolling over as Vincent held the knife in the air, chanting louder than the rest and then…
Nothing happened.
The chants died down. My front was soaked with my own blood as I climbed to shaky legs. Warlocks in black rushed the stage as Vincent spit a chain of curses.
“Take them away.” He wiped the blood off the knife with a cloth, turning his back to us.
As if we were nothing. Like he hadn’t just sliced us open, and spilled our blood. I let the guards manhandle me, making sure they released Calla and also dragged her away.
We went out the back of the tent, hidden by the surrounding canvas structures, and were quickly led into a utility room in another tent.
To a waiting cage.
Too late, I realized my mistake in not fighting harder to get free. I was so worried about them hurting Calla, that I didn’t realize the cage was made of silver until we were locked inside.
The essence of it burned, and my wolf whined, as I slumped to the floor, lifting Calla into my heavy arms.
Weakly, she turned to glare at me. “What took you so damn long?”