Unraveled

THIRTEEN

VICTORIA TELEPORTED EVERYONE to where the witch was being held. First Mary Ann, who begged to be left behind rather than be “thrown across the world like a rag doll.” Then Riley. Finally, only Aden remained. When she reached out to take his hand, he stepped back, out of range. His shredded knee screamed in protest, but he allowed no hint of his pain to show.

“I want to talk to you first,” he said.

Talk? Kiss her first, then talk! Caleb beseeched.

Give the boy some breathing room, Elijah countered.

Aden would have thanked him for supporting his cause, but the psychic finished with: So he can tell her about Dr. Hennessy.

Hell, no. There was a mood-killer for sure, and they had more important issues at the moment. Dating issues.

“We’re not safe here,” she said.

Behind him, amid the trees, a wolf howled. Nathan. Letting him know he and Victoria were, in fact, properly guarded? That there were no dead bodies nearby? He hoped so, but if not, if the howl was to send him running because other corpses would soon rise, he wouldn’t have cared. This was too important. He’d fight anyone or thing for the opportunity to finally hash this out with Victoria.

“We’ll be fine.”

“Well, there isn’t time for this,” she said then, waving her fingers at him to motion him closer.

I’m with Caleb. Kiss her, Julian piped up.

Stubborn, Aden leaned against a tree trunk and crossed his arms over his chest. The movement, slight though it was, shot another bolt of white-hot agony through his knee. He’d been bitten by a corpse, something that had happened a thousand times before, so he knew this was only the beginning. This corpse had been a goblin, sure, but corpse saliva, no matter its source, was always the same. Poison. And even now, that poison was working through him, burning him.

Tomorrow, he’d wish he were dead. Again.

He almost laughed. Would he ever catch a break?

“Aden.” Victoria’s voice snapped him from his morbid thoughts.

“Of course there’s time for us to talk. The others will be questioning the witch, so we aren’t needed for that.”

Her eyes narrowed, and she raised her chin. “Fine. We’ll talk. Why don’t I start?” She crossed her arms, too. Golden moonlight poured over her, illuminating her flawless skin. Her electric blues pierced him, and those bad-girl lips beckoned him. No wonder the boys wanted him to kiss her first and talk later. Beautiful.

“Tell me about your date with my sister,” she commanded.

Ouch. Should have expected her to start there, he thought. “I wouldn’t call it a date. We talked about possible changes to benefit your people. Like pink being the new black. Then we talked about you.” Or would have, if the goblin hadn’t busted in. “About how much I…love you.” There. He’d said it. Said the words. If ever there was a time to tell her, it was now. He didn’t want her worried or unsure about his feelings. “You’re brave and caring and you see me as an equal, not a hindrance. I just feel better when I’m with you. Better about myself, about everything.”

Her mouth dropped open. “You love me?”

“Yes. I do. I love you,” he repeated. “You don’t have to say it back. I’ll understand if you aren’t there yet.” Yeah, he would understand—but he sure wouldn’t like it.

Her expression softened, and she gazed down at her feet, hands twisting together. There was now a rosy flush to her cheeks. Was she embarrassed by his confession, or had she fed recently? If so, who had she taken from?

Jealousy was a fist inside his chest. You have to get over that, he told himself. She’s a vampire. That’s what she has to do to survive.

“I…I love you, too, Aden.”

Thank God. Every bit of the jealousy drained. She loved him. She really loved him. “Say it again.” No one had ever loved him before. No one.

“I love you, too. So much. You’re strong and loyal and you understand me better than I think I understand myself. So yes, I love you,” she said again.

He would never get tired of those words.

“And because I love you so much,” she said softly, “I have to tell you that the other girls will not allow you to simply talk to them. Or rather, their fathers won’t. You’ll have to romance them. The girls, not their fathers. God, I’m making a mess of this. What I’m trying to say is, there’s no way around it. You have to date them properly.”

“No. I don’t. I can refuse to see them.” Simple as that. He loved her, and she loved him.

Nope, he would never get tired of those words.

“You can’t. I told you. That will cause problems. Violent problems.”

“I don’t care. You’re more important.”

Her lashes rose, and for a moment, there was hope in her eyes. But then she blanked her features, showing him more of that emptiness. Emptiness he despised. “Actually, I’m not. For all intents and purposes, you’re king now. You’re the one who’s important to my people.”

Was that what her father had raised her to believe? That the king was the only one who mattered? Aden wanted to kill the bastard all over again.

Again? As if a second slaying would be possible?

He frowned. “Look, I don’t have a lot of time, Victoria, and I don’t want to waste it arguing with you. Especially now.”

She ran her tongue over her too-sharp teeth. “That’s what I said, but then you said we had—”

“I meant alive,” he interjected. “Not tonight.”

The reminder sobered her. She knew about Elijah’s prediction; she knew his life would end all too soon. “Oh.”

“Your people will need a new king, anyway, and I’ll find them one.” Like Riley, maybe. The vampires were willing to let Aden, a human, lead them. So why not a werewolf—a werewolf they already deferred to? He nodded, liking the thought. A lot. It was a perfect plan, really. Except…once again the thought of giving up the title…angered him, and that made no sense

He forced his mind to center on the matter at hand. He’d fought for this moment; he couldn’t allow himself to become distracted and ruin it. “Like I said, I don’t want to spend what time I have left arguing with you. And I don’t want to spend it being shut out for reasons I don’t understand.”

She stood there, silent, watching him, searching for…what? He didn’t know. Finally, she sighed. “What do you want to know? I’ll talk, I’ll explain.”

“What are you feeling right now? About me dating those other girls?” Caleb laughed. Dude! You sound like a girl, wanting to share your feelings and stuff. Dating 101, Julian told the soul. Sound like a girl and get the girl. Where have you been? I thought you were supposed to be the expert.

Her arms fell to her sides, and she wiped her palms against her thighs. “Well, I’m…furious.”

With him? “You don’t sound furious. You don’t look furious.”

Her chin lifted yet another notch. “I’m bottling my feelings, Stephanie says.”

“So unbottle. You’ll feel better, I promise.” Oh, gag. He must have channeled one of his many doctors.

She shook her head violently, dark hair doing that dancing thing around her shoulders. “That’s too dangerous.”

“For who?”

“You.”

“Try me.” Unless… “The monster inside you…”

Now she gulped, backed two steps away. “What about it?”

“Do you think that monster will hurt me if you unbottle? Is that it?”

“No. I have the wards,” she said, but her tone lacked conviction. “Anyway, I take no chances with my beast. None of us do.”

“So every vampire has a beast?”

“Yes.”

“And over the years, a few vampires have lost control of theirs?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s…awful. The damage is…there are no words to describe the horrors that occur.”

So. One mystery was solved at least. Despite her protest and her assurance, her fear clearly stemmed from what she thought that enigmatic monster would do to him. “Tell me about these beasts. About why you’re so afraid—and why I should be, too.”

Chin, another notch higher. Any more and she’d be staring at the stars. “Are you sure you want to know?”

Because she assumed they wouldn’t be able to be together once he did? Silly girl. There was only one way to prove her wrong. “Yes. I’m sure.”

“Very well, then. We are not shifters, like the wolves. We do not change into another form.” Her tone was cold and flat. “But the monster does come out of us, a separate entity, and the longer that entity is out of our bodies, the more solid its own body becomes. And as its body solidifies, the tether that once leashed it to us withers and dies.”

“Wouldn’t that help you, though? Getting rid of the beast?”

“Help us?” She laughed without humor, and it was not a pretty sound. “No. As it solidifies, it strengthens, and we become targets of what used to be our darker half. They blame us for trapping them inside our bodies, after all. Actually, no one is safe. And you should know, my beast has been pounding at my head since I met you, louder every time we’re together, wanting out.”

Good—and horrifying—to know. But he wasn’t going to let fear stop him from getting through to Victoria, from proving he could handle anything she dished out. Even if that meant acting like Prince Charming and slaying her dragon. Literally.

“Does this beast talk to you?” he asked.

“No. Usually he’s quiet, and he never uses words. Not like you and I do, at least, but he roars sometimes, and when I’m hungry, I can feel his thirst for blood. We’ve been very hungry lately.”

Aden’s mind whirled. How had the vampires obtained these creatures inside them? Most likely, Victoria had been born with hers. She was the product of a vampire union rather than a human transformed by tainted blood like her father and some of his followers had been.

A transformation no one else had been able to make over the years.

Were the beasts why they’d changed—and survived that change—when others over the centuries had not?

“Did I scare you into silence?” Victoria asked coolly.

“Hardly.” They were so much more alike than even he had realized. She knew what it was like to battle noise inside her head. She knew what it was like to fear losing control. “We need to get one thing straight, though.”

She blinked over at him, surprised. He’d never used such a fierce tone with her.

Was he really going to do this? Was he really going to take this route?

She’d helped him accept himself. He would help her do the same. So yes, he was.

“Am I your king?” he demanded to know. For the moment, anyway.

Caleb whooped with excitement. Oh, baby, I am loving this.

Careful or her monster’s gonna eat you, Julian warned. Got the 411 on that, E?

Sorry, I’m blank.

Victoria’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Yes. You know you are.”

“And you have to do whatever I tell you to do? Right?”

“Yes.” The word was gritted, as if pulled through a meat grinder. Clearly, she knew what he planned to say next.

“So, as your king, I command you to unbottle your feelings. Here. Now. Let them out.”

At first, she gave no reaction. Then she said, “You’ll regret that order.” Then, shockingly, she screamed. Long and loud, so loud he was sure his eardrums were bleeding, but he didn’t allow himself to cringe. He didn’t want to discourage her.

When she quieted, she was panting. She scanned her surroundings with wild eyes before marching to a large, round boulder and lifting it in her arms as if it weighed no more than a feather. A second later, that boulder was hurtling through the forest and slamming into a tree trunk. That tree cracked in half, the top falling and slamming into the ground.

Aden remained silent, but, uh, maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea. Someone—probably Dan—would hear the noise and come gunning. No way Aden could explain this.

My God, Julian said. Such strength…

I’m thinking, I don’t know, run like hell, Caleb said. Just a suggestion to, I don’t know, save our lives.

Elijah was as silent as Aden.

Scowling, Victoria turned to the tree in front of her and punched. “I can’t save you.” Punched again. “You’re going to die. To leave me. Those girls…they’re beautiful and smart, and what if you like them better? You say you love me now, but you haven’t spent time with the others yet. They could charm you. They’re more…human than I am. Or what if they hurt you? I’ll have to kill them. I will kill them. You’re mine!”

“You’re right about one thing. I’m yours. I’m not going to change my mind about that. I don’t care how charming they are, how human they act. I love you.”

Either she didn’t hear him or she didn’t believe him. The punches never slowed. This tree split just like the other, the top half crumbling to the ground. Then, glowing blue eyes finally focused on Aden.

Aden, listen to me, man. Run. Please. It was the first time Caleb had ever begged. What if she turns all that anger to your man business? We could lose our favorite body part!

Victoria’s panting intensified, air sawing in and out of her mouth, probably burning her lungs. She stepped toward him, slowly, menacingly. Her hands weren’t cut or bleeding from the jagged bark, he noticed. They weren’t even bruised.

“Aden,” she growled in a voice he didn’t recognize. It was layered, as if two people were speaking at once. Raspy. Enraged. Powerful. Her beast?

He kept his expression blank, but couldn’t stop cold fingers of dread from creeping down his spine. He’d asked for this, had commanded it. He had to take the bad with the good. “Yes?” If she wanted to break him in half, just like the trees, he’d let her. He wouldn’t fight back because he wouldn’t risk hurting her.

“You should not have demanded this.” One menacing step, two, she continued to approach him. Closer…closer still…

His eyes widened. Was that…could it be…? It was; it had to be. She was halfway to him, and there was something rising above her shoulders. Something monstrous. He gulped. There was a glittery outline of wings stretching from Victoria’s back, and over her head, he spied a long snout with big nostrils, black scales and eyes he’d see in his nightmares for years to come. Fire swirled in those eyes. Orange-gold flames that crackled with the promise of a painful death.

The demon reached for Aden, claws outstretched. Not in a threatening manner, he realized with shock, but in…supplication? Surely not.

Still. Aden expected to be cut down the moment Victoria reached him. What he didn’t expect was for his girlfriend to grab his wrist and jerk him into the heat of her body. Breath pushed from his nose as the world around him faded, as his feet lost their solid anchor, as his mind scrambled for an explanation. What was happening?

A car suddenly materialized around him. He was at the wheel, Victoria beside him in the passenger seat. She was still panting, and over and over the beast, which was still perched over her shoulders, reached for him, those claws whooshing through air.

What would happen if the creature solidified, as she’d warned?

“Uh, I think your wards have worn off,” Aden said, the souls inside him shouting with concern.

Without a word, Victoria removed her shirt, her bra, leaving her bare from the waist up. Aden’s jaw dropped. Dear God. Over her heart were two tiny swirling black and red tattoos his eyes could have traced forever. Caleb fainted.

Elijah and Julian merely gasped.

“No. They’re still there.” Her voice was still layered. “Now, kiss me,” she commanded, climbing over the console and fitting herself in his lap. Tight squeeze, with the wheel at her back, but he loved it. Her knees pressed against his waist, and her hands tangled in his hair, her nails cutting into his scalp.

Her lips smashed into his, and her tongue, which he welcomed wholeheartedly, thrust inside his mouth. Hot, branding. He wound his arms around her, flattening his palms against her shoulders, trailing them down her spine. So much heat… Her skin was as hot as her tongue, and he wanted to be burned.

On and on the kiss continued, until his every breath was filled with her. Until her taste—cherries, of all things—was all that he knew. Until she was purring, her sweet little moans blending with his groans. The windows on the car had long since fogged.

Elijah and Julian were blessedly quiet, offering no “helpful” advice about how to make this more enjoyable for her, not telling him everything he was doing wrong. They were probably as awed as he was. Just as lost.

“Are you thirsty?” he managed to say when she kissed her way along his jaw, his neck, stopping to lick his hammering pulse. He opened his eyes, and realized the beast was no longer visible.

“No.” Another lick of his pulse.

Tendrils of his jealousy returned. “Who’d you drink from?”

“No one. I’ve been drinking from bags.”

The tension drained from him. Sweet, sweet girl. She knew how much he hated her lips—her wonderful, soft, pleasure-giving lips—on anyone else. “Can’t taste as good as fresh blood.”

“Doesn’t.” The word was slurred.

“So start drinking from me.” Please.

“Want to know you’re with me because you love me, not because you’re addicted to my bite.”

Well, he couldn’t fault her for that. Being desired for who you were, not what you could do, was a rare and wonderful thing. He knew because he’d experienced the other side of that coin. Throughout his life, he’d been discarded for what he could do, the person he was never taken into account.

“More kissing,” she said.

Like he’d argue with that. Their lips met again, and he lost himself again, hands roaming, exploring. Hers did the same, and he thought this was, perhaps, his first true taste of heaven.

All too soon she pulled back, still panting, lips glistening, ending the kiss. “I-I’m calm now. I can feel my beast inside me. We should stop.”

Aden’s head fell against the seat rest as he stared up at her. Each of his pulse points was hammering wildly. His blood was molten in his veins, blistering everything it touched, and his lungs had long since smoldered to ash.

“You kissed me to calm down?” he asked.

She gave a hesitant nod.

Part of him wanted to be angry. The other part of him was just happy this had happened. “Well, we need to unbottle you more often,” he said, trying to lighten the mood.

A laugh escaped her, and she covered her mouth with her hand, as if she couldn’t believe she’d found humor in such a horrifying topic.

He didn’t care. His chest puffed with pride. He’d done that. He’d made her laugh again, just as he’d hoped. That’s what he wanted more of, just as much as the kiss.

“So why did you teleport us to this car?” he asked with a wave of his hand. “We don’t need it, do we?”

“Riley and I always keep one nearby, just in case, but no, we won’t need it. I wanted a little privacy.”

“Smart.” He reached up and cupped her face. “Don’t shut me out again. Okay? I think I proved I can handle your beast.”

“I won’t.” She fisted his T-shirt, expression darkening, and his heart jumped up to meet her touch. “But, Aden, you will have to date those girls to keep the peace, and that will make me angry.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t tell me that. I like your anger.”

Another tinkling laugh filled the car. “Be serious.”

“I am. I’m not your father. I don’t want you to be afraid to express your thoughts and feelings. Besides, I’m not afraid of your beast.” In fact, a part of him still thought the beast had actually liked him, wanting to stroke him—or be stroked by him. Which was crazy. “And listen. You have my vow. I won’t do anything with those vampires. You’re the only one I want.”

She traced a hot fingertip down the slope of his nose. “How are you so wonderful, Haden Stone?”

He liked the sound of his full name on Victoria’s lips. “You’re the wonderful one. Now get dressed and we’ll join Riley. He’s probably worried about you.”

She rolled her eyes as she climbed back into the passenger seat and tugged on her shirt. “His concern is for you nowadays.”

The loss of her weight, her heat and the sight of her bare skin left him moaning. Intense concentration was the only thing that kept him talking. “Riley needs a good ass-kicking and if he isn’t careful, I’ll give it to him.”

“Please. You like him. You know you do.”

At last Caleb woke up. What happened? What’d I miss?

Dude. You missed the Holy Grail of Babe Land. Awe layered Julian’s voice. I never wanted to leave.

Caleb whimpered.

Aden experienced another tendril of jealousy. “Guys, please. She’s mine.”

“The souls?” Victoria asked with a smile.

He nodded.

“I’ve been thinking,” she said, tapping her chin with a blunt-tipped fingernail painted silver. Well, not silver, but with the same metal as her opal ring. That way, she could dip a finger into the je la nune without injuring herself. “The wards I have keep my monster at bay. What if we tattooed you with wards? That might keep the souls quiet.”

For a moment, just a moment, he was tempted. Having Victoria all to himself, kissing her like that, without any interference, every time…

The souls immediately began to protest.

“No,” he said. “Thanks for the offer, but I like them and don’t want to hurt them.”

They calmed, but only slightly.

Maybe it’s time for a new girlfriend, Elijah huffed.

Victoria began tapping her chin again. “Perhaps, then, we will ward you against the witches. We can’t protect you from all their spells—you don’t have enough skin for that many tattoos—but we could cover the basics, the most dangerous. Mary Ann, too. No one can be warded against a spell that’s already been cast, of course, but after the meeting, when the death magic has worn off, we can ward her against another death spell. Until then, it will be wise to protect her from other curses.”

Dan would throw a fit if Aden came home covered in tattoos. And Mary Ann’s dad would probably have a heart attack if she inked anything, even something as innocent as a rose, into her flesh. “We’ll think about it. So why aren’t you warded against spells? Why isn’t Riley?” He reached out and linked their fingers.

“Some vampires are, but we aren’t around the witches enough to concern ourselves, really. For the most part, they avoid us and we avoid them. Wolves, though, can’t be warded. Their animal form doesn’t hold the ink, so it’s a waste. The moment they shift, their wards fade. I suppose we could ward Riley against certain spells for the meeting since he’ll be in human form. Knowing him, he’ll insist on going with you.”

He lifted her hand, kissed her wrist. “I don’t understand why Riley doesn’t just take over the vampire clan. He’d make an excellent king.”

And…there it was. The spark of anger that always accompanied talk about crowning a new king. Seriously. What the hell?

“The wolves have more loyalty than any other race. The need to guard is ingrained in them.”

“Well, leading is just another form of guarding. We’ll talk about that later, though. Let’s guard him for once. What do you think?” He was fighting the urge to jerk her back into his lap. If they stayed here, he would kiss her again. Guaranteed. “That witch is probably giving him fits.”

Victoria nodded and a moment later, the world around him disappeared.

A DESERTED CABIN, miles from town. From anything. Filled only with wolves, a vampire and weapons. Well, and also a blindfolded witch who was tied to a chair in the center of an otherwise empty bedroom. Not Marie, Mary Ann had realized upon first arriving. This witch’s hair was too short and too dark a blond. She wasn’t sure if that relieved her or disturbed her.

Riley had immediately begun his interrogation, and it had gone something like this:

Riley: Where is the meeting between your kind and Aden Stone supposed to take place?

Witch: Go suck yourself.

Riley: Maybe later. Meeting?

Witch: Enjoy death.

Riley: I have once already. Now, decide to talk or lose a body part.

Witch: May I recommend a finger?

Riley: Sure. After I take one of your very necessary hands.

Witch: Look, you mangy mutt. The elders will be here any day now. They had planned on contacting you. After this, well, I’m sure your invitation will be lost in the mail.

At that, frustration had filled the room. Guilt had filled Mary Ann. This had been her idea, but it had done more harm than good.

The same futile exchange was repeated three more times.

“Let me try,” Lauren finally said, moving behind the witch and placing her hands on the girl’s shoulders. Her fangs were longer than they’d been a moment ago, and there was such hunger in her eyes it actually hurt Mary Ann. In that moment, she was willing to hold out her arm and let the vampire go to town. No one should be that hungry.

But then she recalled Victoria’s words. Words uttered only yesterday, though an eternity seemed to have passed since then. Witch blood was like a drug to vampires. Once Lauren tasted the witch, there would be no pulling her off. And then Victoria, whenever she arrived—where was she? What was she doing?—would probably join the feasting.

“I’ll only nip her,” Lauren said, words now slurred. “Only take a little. She’ll start talking then. Swear.”

“No!” Riley shouted, and Mary Ann thought she saw the witch recoil.

That’s when Victoria and Aden at last appeared. Both were flushed, their lips swollen and red, glistening.

Ah. They’d been kissing.

Unlike Mary Ann and Riley, she thought sadly. They’d barely spoken since their argument in the cleaning closet. As a matter of fact, they’d hardly even looked at each other.

He’d paid more attention to Lauren in the half hour they’d been here than he had to Mary Ann, so she was almost afraid he liked the ever-growing distance between them. And oh, that burned. Lauren was utterly strong and completely self-assured. Helped that she was weighed down with weapons and clearly knew how to use them. She was fierce and brave, reliable, well able to take care of herself. Unlike Mary Ann.

Had she lost Riley already? Anger and helplessness, sadness and sorrow mixed together and filled her up. With the rise in her emotions, a warm, sweet breeze drifted to her. In and out she breathed, that breeze floating to her lungs, seeping into her veins, soothing every part of her. Just like that night in town, just like this morning with Marie, she welcomed the sensation. So good. And the taste…like candy. Sugar-coated, sparkling, fizzing.

Riley told Aden and Victoria what had been happening while forcing Lauren to move away from the witch.

“Use your voice on her,” Aden suggested to Victoria. “You know, the powerful one.” Then, “Shut up, Caleb! I’m not kidding. Her shirt stays on.”

Who was— Ah. One of the souls. Who did Caleb want to strip?

“Voiced commands don’t work on witches,” Victoria replied. She moved into Aden’s side, snuggling close, as if she couldn’t bear to be separated from him. “Their magic prevents it.”

Magic. Yes. That’s what she tasted, Mary Ann realized. Magic equaled power, and it was a heady sense of power that surged through her. She closed her eyes and savored. Felt more of that warmth, more of that sweetness, both consuming her.

She didn’t need Riley, she thought. This. This was all she needed. It nourished. It completed. It didn’t change its stupid mind.

How she was soaking that magic in, she didn’t know and she didn’t care. Just as long as she never stopped, she’d be happy.

“Fine, I’ll ask, but after that you have to simmer down,” Aden said with a sigh. Was he still talking to Victoria? Or to one of the souls? “Did you once know a guy named Caleb?” He focused on the witch.

“No,” the bound girl replied, flippant. “Should I have?”

“Did you once know a guy who could possess other bodies? A guy who died a little over sixteen years ago?”

A pause, laden with tension. “Who are you? The boy who summoned us? Don’t deny it, I can feel the pull of you. Why do you want to know about the possessor?”

Aden suddenly looked both excited and nervous. “So you did know him?”

“I didn’t say that,” she snapped. “Now tell me what I want to know!”

“First, let’s get a few of your facts straight. The summoning was an accident. I didn’t mean—”

Before he could finish his sentence, the witch growled, and that growl was far more intimidating than any sound the shifters had made. “Is it you who’s feeding off my magic right now? Tell me! I demand to know! And I demand you stop this instant, or the moment I’m free I’ll curse the skin from your bones. Do you hear me? Stop!”

Everyone in the room stilled. Someone gasped in horror.

“Feeding off your magic?” Lauren said with a frown. “No one would dare. There are no Drainers among us, witch. We would have killed the offender already.” Drainers? Killed?

Feeding—the same word Marie had used. Not muting, but feeding. Sucking like a vaccum.

Mary Ann chewed at her bottom lip. Not me. Can’t be me. But…that warmth, that sweetness. That magic, filling her up, consuming her. If it’s me, they’ll want to kill me? Why?

Shaking now, she backed up a step and hit a solid wall. She turned, eyes wide, only to realize Riley stood behind her. When had he moved? She’d never seen him leave Lauren’s side. He was frowning fiercely, practically vibrating with fury. At her? Because he thought she was a…a Drainer? She could barely even consider the word. Whatever a—whatever that was, vampires killed them and witches hated them. So, no, Mary Ann couldn’t be one. She just couldn’t.

“Victoria,” Riley said, his voice tight. His steely gaze never left Mary Ann—a gaze he’d never leveled on her before. A gaze he usually reserved for those who wronged the people he loved. “See if you can reason with the witch. Mary Ann and I are in need of a break.” He didn’t give Mary Ann a chance to protest. He simply grabbed her wrist and dragged her outside.