As innocently as I could, I opened the door to my bedroom. Edward, who had left to find "real clothes," had been right. The muffled sound of simulated gunshots could be heard from Kaden's room.
Before my knuckles hit his door, I gave myself another look. I'd already confirmed there were no visible wounds. The bruises, which were almost gone now, were hidden now that the silk shorts had been traded for dark leggings. I squared my shoulders and knocked on Kaden's door.
The gunshot sounds paused and the door opened. "They here?" He asked, ducking his head out into the hall.
"Uh, no. Later. I was wondering if you wanted to go get food in the meantime? We still have a few hours." My voice sounded unusually awkward. Immediately suspicious, I thought. But Kaden's expression didn't change and he simply nodded, dropping his wireless headphones at his desk with a quick goodbye to his online friends.
"You should ask Nadine if she wants to go. Ain't seen her in awhile," He said as we made our way out of the apartment and down the street to my car. The drizzle had already coated the glossy blue exterior with thick beads of rain.
He was right. Though I'd texted her two days ago with a weak thanks, I was still ghosting her. Guilt filtered through and I grabbed my phone, shooting her a quick text to meet us at Moon River, a local pub we often went to for some after-work shit talking and drinks.
Part of me hoped she would decline to avoid the off chance she'd become wrapped up in this situation, collateral damage that we'd been able to evade so far. Before we even pulled off into the street, a soft ting alerted me to a new message. I glanced down. Of course she'd accepted.
I peered into the grey of the afternoon, praying for just a few more hours of normalcy.
It only took about 15 minutes with traffic for us to find a parking spot close enough, another eight to make up the difference on foot between our spot and the pub.
As we walked the few blocks to get there, Kaden and I both seemed on edge. The sun was almost entirely blocked by the storm brewing, save for the pale grey glow that leaked through the clouds. It meant plenty of shade to go around and my nerves were wound up. We couldn't survey every face in the crowd to know that we were safe.
To be honest, I wasn't sure what we would do if one of the newborns did make an appearance.
Rounding the corner, we saw Nadine waiting for us at the entrance to Moon River. She looked as bright as ever, like walking sunshine. Catching sight of us, she waved excitedly, stretching her arms high above her head as she did so.
It was infectious and Kaden and I both relaxed. "Hey, y'all!" she yelled, throwing her arms around our necks when we got to her. She pulled back quick, gripping my arms and giving me a quick once over. Satisfied that I was, indeed, still alive, she gave my arm a whop. "How could you bail like that? Randy's pissed. I tried to cover as best I could but, girl…" She shook her head, likely imagining the fire and brimstone that awaited me.
Feigning confidence, I waved her concern away. "Ain't nobody worried about Randy's ass."
The three of us entered the place and the hostess sat us at a tall booth facing the entrance and took our drink orders. Three waters, a martini, a long island, and a margarita—heavy on the pour for all of them.
I picked up my phone, ready to text Edward to see if they were coming, when I realized I didn't even have his number. Inviting three vampires who didn't eat food felt a little pointless but there was a part of me that hoped that Alice and Jasper would come too.
Nadine sighed, dropping her head on my shoulder. "I missed you. Work's been so boring without you," she lamented.
"I missed you too."
"So what's been going on? I haven't seen you in class either," Nadine accused, turning her attention on my brother.
We glanced at each other. More lies. "Sorry," I started. "There was a, uh, a death in the family so we all rushed to be there for our uncle." Nadine didn't think much of my hesitation, likely chalking it up to grief. Kaden cut his eyes at my cover story.
We didn't even have an uncle, at least not technically. Our father, wherever he was now, was an only child and our mother's only sibling was Auntie Jordan. Jordan's husband had split not long after Halle had been born, and remarried some woman who wasn't working the roots—a plain Jane who, though we didn't like to admit it, was actually an okay person. Still, we didn't claim Terry anymore than he claimed us.
Nadine's face crumpled. "Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that."
Kaden cleared his throat. "It's okay. We weren't that close to them, but it's been hard on the family."
At that moment, the waiter slid over to our table. "What can I get for you?" The question was clearly directed at Nadine, who gave him her signature look. A small blush tinted the apples of his cheeks and, as he remembered there were more people at the table, he sheepishly looked over at us, too.
He was definitely her type. Blonde haired and bearded. I shook my head and went first, opting for the bayou shrimp ravioli. As the others ordered, I hazarded a glance to the entrance. Maybe Edward had decided to hunt after all. Or maybe Alice and Jasper were lecturing him on why it wasn't a good idea to be canoodling with another human.
I came back to the conversation just in time to see the waiter leave, but not before he winked at Nadine. She giggled. "What happened to Tyler?" I asked, grinning.
She rolled her eyes. "Well, if you texted back once in a while, you'd know he was back on his bullshit."
Eager to change the subject to something that wasn't boys, Kaden chimed in, asking what he'd missed in class. How surreal all of this felt. Just two weeks ago, we'd done almost this exact same thing.
The waiter returned with our drinks. Nadine held up her martini. "What should we cheers to?"
"Passing midterms?" Kaden offered.
"Still having a job on Monday?" I shot back.
Nadine snorted. "Well, we can definitely claim it. Same thing, right?"
As our glasses clinked, Nadine sipped and whistled appreciatively. "Oh wow," she said. "They must be getting ready to film a movie or something, 'cause Savannah don't make 'em like that."
I followed her line of sight back to the entrance and smiled. He actually came. Edward walked in, unaware of how quickly he grabbed the attention of half the room.
Nadine had been right, of course, Savannah did not make 'em like that, but part of me didn't like the fact she'd said it.
He found me immediately, his face breaking out into a smile.
"Good lord," Nadine breathed, dazzled. "Is he coming over here? Do y'all know him?"
Kaden looked over his shoulder to see what the fuss was about and sighed, cutting his eyes at me. "Yeah, that's D's friend."
I stiffened at the accusation in his tone, afraid to know just how much Kaden knew.
Nadine gawked. "Like, 'friend,' or like friend friend?" She asked under her breath as Edward approached our booth. Kaden waited for the answer, concerned.
"May I?" Edward interrupted, gesturing to the empty seat next to him.
Not wanting to look like an ass, Kaden nodded and Edward sat across from me.
"Nadine, Edward. Edward, this is my best friend Nadine."
"It's nice to meet you," Edward responded. "My apologies for being late. Had a few things to wrap up first." I felt his gold eyes piercing me and saw Kaden's brooding. At this moment, I wanted nothing more than to have the waiter come back to break the tension.
As if on cue, the waiter slid back up the table to take Edward's drink order. He didn't have one and the waiter turned his attention to us. "How are we doing?"
After a brief flirtation, Nadine ordered four shots of something I didn't quite catch. I was too busy obsessing over the shift in Edward's mood.
Alice and Jasper? I asked, unable to make eye contact with him.
They decided to do a loop around your family's property to be on the safe side. He said quietly.
At the mention of them, my mind turned to my family. Halle and her bravery. JT and his quickness to protect us all without question. The elders who had only heard of stories of vampires yet were willing to accept it and fight it the best way they knew how, for me. I thought of Kaden who, even before this vampire mess, was always right there to either protect me or roast me, depending on the situation. He always accepted whatever bullshit I had going on without fail.
I imagined them all as the crazed, newborn vampires that had huddled around Halle when she was kidnapped, their bright red eyes violent with bloodlust. My chest tightened.
Yet, here I was, biding my time over good food and margaritas. I might have cursed Maria and her shield, but I had no idea if it had worked. Even if it had, that would only weaken them. She still had a small army of vampires at her command. And for what? Territory? It seemed so...barbaric, so...animal. If only we could find a way to exploit their savagery…
"Helloo, earth to Daisy!" Nadine said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. The waiter was back with our shots and food. A waitress was behind him with the rest of the plates.
Nadine slid everyone a lime-and-salt rimmed glass. Instinctively, I reached to grab Edward's too. He stopped me.
Nadine raised her eyebrows at us before holding up her glass. The four of us clinked shot glasses, tapped them to the table, and knocked 'em back.
I hissed at the burn of what I assumed was more tequila. I thought you said you didn't drink, I thought to him, rubbing my chest as the warmth spread through it.
He grimaced. It doesn't do anything for me. But I have the ability to, yes.
Are you mad at me? I asked him, finally understanding the sudden bite in his tone.
Edward was silent and I sighed, licking the salt from the shot glass rim.
Is it because Kaden called you my "friend"? That seemed a little petty to me.
He sat back in the booth and toyed with the shot glass. I reached out, trying to get a read on his thoughts. He was cycling through this morning's events, buoyed by a steady undercurrent of confusion and a bruised ego. Is that your friendship?
I chanced a look over at Kaden, whose body was angled slightly away from Edward. Would he snitch? The truth would come out eventually. I chewed slowly, unable to really enjoy the meal. Kaden had always been supportive, no matter what. Would it change if he knew the truth?
My mind flashed back to Edward's. To him, it was the proper thing to do. He felt like he'd already compromised too many of his values and wasn't keen on abandoning them entirely. Part of me bristled, offended. His thoughts softened, remembering this was a wildly different time.
You really wanna do this? Right now? In front of my brother?
Well, if it meant that much to him. I swallowed and cleared my throat. "Hey, guys," I started. "So, Edward isn't just my...friend. He's—"
Kaden coughed, choking on his tea. "I'll be right back." He slipped out of the booth and stalked angrily toward the bathroom.
"Friend friend?" Nadine finished with a laugh. "Oh, please. You're cute, he's cute. Y'all been making eyes at each other this whole time. Might as well bone already."
I coughed, choking on a ravioli. This had been a grave mistake, I thought, as Nadine's eyes widened, shifting between Edward and I. Her mouth formed an "O." Gods, I hoped she wasn't trying to paint a mental picture.
She cackled. "Oooooo, way to go Daisy! I didn't know you were down with the swirl. And he's tall too! Tell me, it's like climbing a tree, huh?"
I buried my face in my hands as the blood rushed to my head. Good lord, who raised this woman?
Edward laughed at my embarrassment but given his delicate sensibilities, I imagined that he would be blushing too if he could. If Nadine only knew that there was a much bigger difference between us than the color of our skin and something so trivial as height.
Oh, gods, I'm so sorry. I swear she's got some home training.
At least the truth was out now. At least, to the people it could be trusted with. I didn't have to read Edward's mind to know he was satisfied. Proud, even, and it was hard to be angry at that.
Kaden came back to the table and found us like that, Nadine wiping her eyes as she cackled. Me, my face and neck flushed, and Edward trying to hide the laughter by looking away. "What did I miss?" Kaden asked, feigning ignorance.
"Oh, just that your sister—" I gave Nadine a quick kick under the table, "choked on a shrimp."
My eyes widened at her double entendre. Edward glowered, Kaden glared, and I coughed, fanning myself. I took a long drink of my margarita. As far as I was concerned, Edward had nothing to worry about in that department. My mind briefly turned to his apparent sexual prowess and my head tilted to the side. Were vampires naturally good at everything or was he lying about his...virtue?
Excuse me? Edward shot back, insulted.
I decided I didn't want to know. At least, not right now anyhow. Something in Edward's expression said he didn't want me to know either. He was blocking me but I skimmed a strange emotion off the top. Was Edward being bashful?
As for Kaden...Well...If he wanted to pretend he was clueless...
"I'm okay," I assured Kaden as he looked at me, concern in his brown eyes. I took another big swig of my drink and let the feeling settle over me.
Thankfully, the bartender had actually blessed us with a heavy pour and I liked it. Especially now.
Teasing aside, I was thankful for Nadine's interruption. What would I have even called Edward? "Friend friend," didn't seem to fit the bill, I thought. But "dating" and "boyfriend" seemed both insufficient and overstated at the same time.
I liked him and he liked me. Occasionally we'd spoon in the shower. Risk each other's lives, save each other's lives. Maybe do a little light blood play. He knew my secrets, I knew his secrets. Oh, and we had spent the better part of the morning wrapped up in an ecstasy so potent, it was bordering supernatural...which, considering the telepathy, vampirism, and witchcraft...
Even more shocking, all of that had happened in about three or four days.
When you put it like that, Edward said, his laughter like music in my head. It's almost like it's fated. He winked and my heart exploded.
I flagged down the waiter, miming another shot. He nodded and came back fairly quickly considering how busy the place was tonight.
I took Edward's and mine this time. Good lord.
Nadine checked the time and sighed. "Whelp, I'm pulling a double tomorrow so I should probably head out. Thanks for drinks. See you tomorrow, lady. Nice meeting you, Edward," she cooed and left the three of us there in awkward silence.
The mood shifted immediately. I wanted to see if I could reach into Kaden's mind just to peek, to know if he would tell the others, but I was afraid he would catch something in mine that would make it worse. Auntie Jordan would be understanding. If this truly was fate, she might have already seen it. Yvonne...would be disappointed, afraid, but would resign herself to praying for me. JT might snap. For him, it was one thing to work with a vampire to save our family. Even before Halle's kidnapping, the disgust he held for them was intense after hearing elder Robert's recounting. He didn't like anything that would put his loved ones in danger. To him, Edward was a danger and the elders would feel the same.
But, really, what could any of them do?
"Maybe we should go too," I said finally. The waiter returned with the check and Edward immediately gave him his card, keeping his eyes on me. "As nice as this is, I can't help but feel like we're running out of time."
Kaden nodded. "I'll text the others to meet us at the apartment. Yvonne should be getting ready to come over anyway." We both glanced at Edward's arm, a moment of disbelief at Yvonne's skill. Kaden slid his phone out of his pocket and headed for the door first.
"Does he know?" I asked once he was out of earshot, taking Edward's hand as he politely helped me down from the booth. I reached into my wallet and pulled out some cash, leaving it on the table before Edward could. "Thank you for dinner. The tip is the least I could do."
With Kaden looking in the opposite direction, Edward leaned down to kiss my forehead. Thank you, he thought, attempting to mask how much confessing had meant to him. "He already suspected something after you insisted on being alone with me the night we officially met, though he couldn't determine the reasoning. At first, he thought it was because of my kind's...evolutionary advantages...He's mostly concerned we're getting too friendly, too fast and isn't sure if he should tell the others or not."
Edward shook his head at my worried expression. He won't, of course. You may be a coven—even related—to the others, but his loyalty lies with you first.
That was comforting at least. Kaden stayed in front of us as we walked to the parking garage. Edward and I stayed just a few steps behind him, walking so close our hands occasionally brushed against each other.
The atmosphere in the car was tense. Kaden narrowed his eyes at me in the rear view mirror. I knew that I'd have some explaining to do as soon as everyone left. And that was fair.
I'd never kept secrets from my brother and to do so now, even something as seemingly harmless as this, could make things worse.
My palms were a little sweaty having so many faces staring up at me. The apartment also seemed that much smaller. Instead of six people, there were now nine as Auntie Jordan, Halle, JT, and Yvonne occupied the couch.
I was thankful for the margarita and shots earlier. While I wasn't all that tipsy, the alcohol had helped take some of the edge off. On our way back to the apartment, Alice had called Edward with a promising vision. She had finally been able to catch a glimpse of Maria where she hadn't before. While the images had been nothing but blurs, I was hopeful.
It meant that whomever had been shielding her was weaker now and unable to protect Maria's movements. It meant that the curse was starting to work.
I glanced over at the box in the corner of the room that contained the cursed artifacts. Moving them here had been an insurance policy to keep them from falling into the wrong hands.
"The attack two days ago gave me a glimpse of Maria's army," I started, taking a seat on the arm of the chair my brother sat in. "It's small, maybe 10 or so. But, like Jasper told us, they're almost savage; bound by their bloodlust. Which means they're temperamental and easily manipulated."
Jasper nodded with my assessment so far, having actually seen them in person.
"Right now, we can assume that Maria and her shield are weaker since Alice can see her when she wasn't able to before. Even if it's only a little bit. Right now, our first obstacle is that small army of hers. Yesterday, Edward, Alice, and Jasper led them on a wild goose chase away from Halle and their camp by manipulating their thoughts and their emotions."
The three vampires nodded. Good, good. The small bubble of hope that Alice's vision had given me was starting to grow.
"Earlier at the bar, I was thinking...what if instead of manipulating their thoughts and emotions to get them to go on some wild goose chase, why don't we get them to turn on each other?"
Jasper nodded his head again. "It isn't a bad plan but it would require us to be in closer proximity to them for an extended period of time. They'd smell us coming before we even got the chance."
Having been a major in the army, of course he was right. I racked my brain of all the occult knowledge I had. Until recently, however, it was mostly for everyday problems like money, love, health. The locator spell that had helped find Halle had been adapted from that time I lost my keys. It had been a miracle that it had even worked.
Yvonne seemed to know more advanced magic though. "Yvonne, you led the ritual for us to channel our ancestral power and it worked. Would you be able to modify it to increase their powers?"
She went to the oversized bag she brought with her and pulled out a thick, weathered looking book. She spread it out on the kitchen island and motioned for me to join her. I obliged and gasped when I realized what it was. "This is Ma Ada's grimoire!"
She smiled and patted the top of my head. "JT said you were looking for it the night things got crazy." Yvonne flipped to a page in the back of the book. "This is the only ritual that matched the severity of our problem. It isn't a perfect fit so we tweaked the wording a little, but the parts are all the same."
I scanned over the weathered page. In the top, in Ma Ada's wiry script, were the words To Choose a Matriarch. I froze, looking over at her. Yvonne said nothing and turned her attention back to the ingredients. I tried to do the same. "If we design a new sigil and swap the ashes for something of theirs…"
"Sigils?" Jasper asked, recalling how frequently we'd used them the past few days.
Yvonne nodded. "Yes, they're important in our family's magic. Daisy and Halle both are rather skilled at using them it seems."
I winked at Halle and she beamed. "Think of them as a symbol of the action you want to happen. It gives you a way to focus your energy. Instead of working only with the sheer force of our will, we condense that desire down into a series of shapes that keep us focused in our work. It's kinda like...GPS? You plug in your destination and the map keeps you on track."
Jasper stood up and cautiously made his way to stand by us. "You think this will help us expand our reach. Like a signal boost."
Yvonne and I nodded. "In theory. Of course, the closer you are, the more effective it's going to be, but his should make it so that you can cast a wider net."
Jasper cast a look at Alice. "This could work. Edward and I can keep a safer distance, planting seeds of doubt and mistrust so that it builds."
"By the time you're ready to attack, the newborns will be ticking time bombs." Edward piped up, moving to stand next to me. His hand rested absently on the small of my back, a feeling I tried not to focus on.
JT and Kaden joined us at the kitchen island and looked at the page of the grimoire. Their eyes widened at the spell's original intent too, casting a curious glance between Yvonne and I.
"We have most of these supplies here in the closet," Kaden said. "But we're going to need something of yours that has sentimental value. Unless you want to donate a lock of your hair. That seems to be the easiest personal effect to get from vampires."
I flinched, thinking of Edward and Jasper being attacked by the newborns. I wondered if they would have been attacked if I hadn't asked for those personal artifacts. Like a hug, a blanket of reassurance wrapped around me. I smiled appreciatively at Jasper and looked over at Alice who still seemed concerned. She was going to be just as integral to this as her mate and brother.
"We're going to need to boost Alice's visions as well, but I don't think we'll need to do a full ritual with that. Auntie Jordan is also a seer," I told her. Jordan nodded and gave Alice's shoulder an awkward but polite squeeze as she stood to join the circle around our kitchen island. Alice followed.
"My visions are only of things that are destined," Auntie Jordan said, her husky voice a little more subdued than usual. "Things that can't be changed."
Alice nodded. "And I see the possibilities. A path isn't crystal clear until the person I'm focusing on makes a decision but, between the two of us, we should be able to see anything that comes your way."
"I have a tea that I use to make my visions easier to interpret. It may help clear up those possibilities." She paused. "But, since the only nourishment that works on y'all is blood, I don't know how effective it will be."
"What if you steeped the herbs in blood?" I asked. There was a collective, disgusted shudder that echoed through our huddle and I rolled my eyes. "This ain't meant to taste good, y'all. It's meant to be effective. Like cough medicine. Just pinch your nose and shoot that shit back. Blood is basically your food and your water, right? Nutrition-wise, the herbs won't do anything for you. But magically, they may still pack a punch."
Alice grimaced but nodded. "It suppose it couldn't hurt." She paused. "Right?"
"This might take care of the newborns but what about Maria and her shield?" Jasper questioned with a look down at me. "Don't underestimate her. Even weakened, she's smart. Calculated. Worst of all, she has no moral code."
I nodded. I figured as much when she used a defenseless child as bait. "Hopefully, we can take out her shield first now that we know what he looks like...When Edward told me of your run-in with that newborn, I didn't think much of it. But then Halle was attacked immediately after. It didn't add up."
"That's a big assumption to make, D." JT chimed in.
Edward nodded reluctantly. "JT is right. I was able to get inside his head. A shield would be completely cut off from me."
My head tilted as I contemplated this information. I shook my head and closed my eyes, visualizing walls around my mind, blocking my thoughts from him. "What do you hear?" I asked him.
He concentrated, his eyes narrowing when my thoughts weren't immediately accessible. I flashed him a grin and let the walls come down. "That's different," he responded, a little miffed.
"Fine," I said. "Can you guys shield your minds real quick?" I asked my family. They nodded and Edward frowned as half the room was cut off from his mind. "Anyone who works with spirits or magic in general first has to learn how to shield their mind from psychic attacks. Most of the time, we don't bother to do it but we can get by when we need to. If this vampire's entire ability is shielding, it must come naturally to them, right? If he's any good, he'd be able to not only cover Maria but uncover himself."
"Let's say this newborn is the shield," Jasper yielded. "We'll need to take him out regardless. We should still have a contingency plan in case it turns out we're wrong."
"What about how they were able to get Halle to walk off the property by herself?" JT asked, glancing back into the living room at his little sister, who had found the remote and was flipping through channels. "You thought they may have someone like Edward, too."
I looked over at my little cousin. "I still stand by that. Halle wouldn't walk off by herself and, since she hadn't been initiated yet, she was an easy target. We have a pretty good idea of what we're dealing with now so, if we all keep our shields up, we shouldn't have an issue there. The problem then is that our only form of communication—telepathy—is cut off."
My head was starting to hurt from all of the possibilities that we couldn't account for. A pang of sympathy toward Alice twisted in my gut. If this was her everyday existence, I couldn't imagine how she maintained her sanity. Though, she had also been alive a lot longer than I had, and I imagined she also had more experience with life or death situations.
Edward shook his head. "Not necessarily. We have two telepaths right now and Jasper's empathic abilities are similar, they just require more interpretation. When you first performed the ritual, you, Kaden, and JT were linked telepathically."
"Yvonne too," I added.
He nodded. "What are the odds that could happen again?"
Yvonne looked down at the spell she'd used. "I'm not sure. That ritual had unexpected consequences. Daisy is able to channel most if not all of our ancestral power now, and I'm not sure if she can lend it out. Who knows what will happen if we repeat it."
"When Halle channeled me, she was able to use some of my power," I reminded them. "But that took a lot of concentration. I don't know that I can maintain that and fight at the same time."
"Wait." Kaden interrupted. "D's going to be super jacked during this, right? All we need is to re-establish the link to her and the power will flow to us naturally, no focus required. The night we went to capture Edward, our power started waning as soon as we stepped off the family land. But each time she went all She-Hulk, it came back."
"It's worth a shot. If we strike sooner rather than later, we may be able to catch them off guard. For now though, we're going to need all the time we have tonight to prepare," I said, giving another look at the grimoire page.
"Tomorrow then?" Jasper double-checked. There was an uneasy silence that fell on the room as we all exchanged worried glances. I was already in hot shit with my boss and, if I died or got hurt, it wouldn't be like I could come in anyway. If it wasn't now, then when? If we struck during the day, that might even help us. But this decision couldn't rest just with me.
I wouldn't jeopardize my family, or my coven, twice. JT, the one I'd been the most worried about, was the first to nod his head. If he thought we could pull this off tomorrow, then I could back him. The others nodded, though some more reluctant than others. I met Jasper's eyes. It was settled then. "Tomorrow."
But for now, our first course of action would need to be juicing the Cullens up and re-establishing the link between Kaden, JT, and I. While we tested everything out, Jordan, Halle, and Yvonne would need to prepare the protective magic. We'd need all the help we could get and as far as we knew, Maria didn't know where Kaden and I lived. This would be a safer headquarters for them for the time being.
Bleakly, I thought, as harrowing as this was, it was the perfect learning style for Halle now that she was an initiate. I only wished it didn't need to be life or death.
Kaden went to the closet in the hall to pull out the supplies listed in the grimoire. I took an empty mason jar from the cupboard and passed it to Alice. "I can run down to the butcher for pig's blood or, if you want…"
"No, thank you," she chirped quickly, recalling our last experience with pig's blood. She smiled. Genuinely. Thank you, she thought to me. I knew she meant more than just helping her with her visions. I'll be back soon. There are plenty of deer around here.
I watched her disappear and my brother and cousin move the living room furniture against the walls to clear the floor. Halle watched too, interested from her new perch atop the dining room table. Jordan shuffled around my kitchen, looking for the right herbs. Yvonne busied herself designing sigils.
Jasper, Edward, and I were left at the kitchen island in a smaller huddle. "What will you do about Maria?" Jasper asked again. This was a good question.
"If she's already weakened from my curse, she still won't be able to keep anything she feeds on down." It had come out of my mouth somewhere between a question and statement. I had to believe that Alice's ability to see Maria now meant something. Something good.
"True, we are weaker without blood in our system but we're also more desperate, more prone to violence," Jasper corrected. "And she's already unpredictable as it is."
"Not anymore. Between Alice's visions, your empathy, and our telepathy, we should be able to predict her movements when it comes down to it. Especially when her shield is taken out. My worry is that to kill her myself, I'm going to have to get those hexed shackles on her. You three will be busy killing the newborns that are leftover after we get them to attack each other. That just leaves us. Even jacked up, we never actually got to test whether we could kill a vampire." I shot an apologetic look at Edward who only nodded in acceptance. My fingers drummed against the countertop as I mulled over my choices.
As it was, the plan relied heavily on the success of Jasper's and Edward's manipulations...and a lot of circumstantial evidence. Something gnawed at my mind, the same kind of gut feeling I'd had the day I thought Edward was going to attack me.
There had to be something we could do that was more concrete, something that could guarantee us an advantage. That could make Maria an easier target.
I went over to the hall closet and peered inside. Beneath the shelves with spare towels and sheets, we kept a tall and narrow set of drawers that held as many spell supplies as we could fit. I flipped the light on, looking at what materials were left over.
There were jars of red clay dirt from the crossroads, coffin nails, and animal bones we'd found while hiking. Tiny tea lights and votive candles, taper candles of every color….crystals of every color, tumbled and raw. But nothing that immediately stuck out as useful.
Then it hit me. I clapped my hands together with a laugh. Of course. I felt the whisper of a hearty laugh in my ear and knew Ma Ada agreed with my new plan. That's if it would work.
But for it to work, I was going to need Spanish moss and oak wood. The way the moss tangled in the twigs and branches of a tree, it tangled the thoughts of whoever was dumb enough to cross you. That's what I'd been trying to remember back at Ellis Square, but Ma Ada had known. She had stepped in. If I could recreate what she'd done, Kaden or JT could slap the shackles on her and the Cullens could tear her apart.
I closed my eyes and tried to take myself back to the clearing where Halle had been held hostage. I saw the dirt patch, the huddle of vamps, Maria and her sneering face. I tried to look beyond the vampires and the old house, to the forest. Would what I need already be there?
The dense forest was made mostly of tall pine trees...but there, to the left of the house where the newborns called home, was a towering oak. It was bare of any moss though.
Coming back to the present, I poked my head out of the closet and caught Edward's eye. To my surprise, he laughed. Jasper quirked an eyebrow.
"What's going on?" Kaden asked, suspicious.
I smiled wide at him. "I'll explain when we get back, but if it works..." I trailed off, not wanting to jinx it. I ran to my room to put on my sneakers and to grab a jacket from my closet. I paused. The last thing I wanted was red bugs all over my arms. I grabbed a pair of winter gloves and my old, empty backpack. A little would go a long way if I channeled enough power, but I wanted to err on the side of caution.
Edward was waiting for me at the front door. We stepped out into the hall. After making sure the door was shut, he knelt low enough for me to hop on his back. I slid my arms through the backpack straps.
"Okay," I said, latching my arms and legs around him. "I'm ready."
He grinned and we were off, blurs on the dark street. Moss shouldn't be too hard to find around here, he thought to me. It really was just about everywhere. Just a few blocks away, a one-way street gave us what we needed. Because he was faster, Edward took the backpack and made quick work filling it to the brim.
While he harvested, I sent a silent prayer to the spirits of the land here to thank them, hoping my apology would be enough to avoid making them mad. Land spirits sometimes got a little vexed when people took things without asking. But, I hoped that they, too, were on our side.
Edward slid my arms through the backpack and tossed me onto his back. I huffed. Faster than it had taken us to get there, we were back. He stopped just outside the door to my apartment. I exhaled, leaning against the wall to catch my breath.
"That is going to take some getting used to," I panted as I let my head drop back against the wall, hoping the world would soon stop spinning. He grinned at my breathlessness, leaning in to tuck the curls behind my ears.
"We've come full circle," he said, nodding to the bag on my back.
"It makes sense. Kind of poetic in a way." I grinned up at him. Gods, he was so handsome. He offered a crooked smile before leaning to kiss me. In the back of my head, I understood that I wouldn't see him tonight. Not with half of my family taking refuge in my apartment.
Once the rituals and preparation were complete, he would probably go back to the hotel with Alice and Jasper. For now, he was here. With me.
I leaned into his kiss, standing on my tiptoes to make it easy.
Someone cleared their throat and I panicked, attempting to step out of the cage of Edward's arms but he stopped me, looking to his left with mild exasperation. "Yes, Alice?"
Alice stood next to us, a tight-lipped smile on her face and a jar of blood in her hands. It must be painful. Still, she took the opportunity to tease. "This looks...cozy."
Alice winked and my eyes widened at the meaning hidden in her words. She trilled a laugh that even made my heart skip a beat. I could see why Jasper couldn't take his eyes off of her.
"Please, Alice," Edward sighed. Wait, what was I embarrassed for?
She grinned and shook the mason jar at me. "Got your deer blood. You're not gonna poison it, are you?"
It took a second for me to realize she was joking again. I gave her a droll look before opening the door to the apartment. "Of course not."
Edward deftly removed my backpack, then carried it and the jar of animal blood into the house. He left Alice and I on the landing, but not before I caught his tense expression. When he shut the door, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me.
Alice was hugging me. Me, who she seemed to hate just yesterday. "I don't know if it's because you changed your mind or he changed his, his future is less certain now," she whispered in my ear.
I thought back to Edward's confession. "I couldn't have done too much. We haven't known each other long."
Alice stepped back and nodded. "True, but with you, I think...I hope he's realizing that he isn't a monster...isn't responsible for what happened. I don't really care how slow or fast it takes, as long as it happens. You're good for him."
We stood there for a moment in silence. I was floored, delighted, and even a little sad for Alice. For Edward. And for Bella, too, though I didn't know her. She couldn't have wanted for things to turn out this way. For a second, I imagined myself in her shoes. Before James, she probably saw herself with Edward for eternity, one day being as perfectly immortal as the rest of the Cullens. Belonging, happily, with this family that cared so much for her. Powerful. Equal. Cherished.
My chest and throat tightened and I looked away from Alice's intense gold eyes, afraid of what she might find in mine. Afraid of what Edward might be overhearing in both of our thoughts. I didn't know what to do with this information any more than I knew how to save him—assuming I lived past tomorrow.
"We're back!" I called as I opened the door into the war room my apartment had become. Jasper and Edward were removing their shoes, walking toward the intricate symbol system drawn in chalk on the floor.
Kaden and JT were busy placing candles and fireproof bowls deliberately around the sigil. Yvonne was at the head of the marking, eyes closed in deep meditation and her arms reaching up toward the sky. Calling down Spirit.
Jordan and Halle were busy in the kitchen, measuring six different herbs and spooning them into a tea strainer. Alice went to help her, casting one final look toward me, and I joined my brother.
"Just in time," Kaden said, clapping me on the back. There was a lot unspoken there but I appreciated his confidence more than he knew. "We need you here," he pointed at the end of the sigil, directly across from Yvonne.
I was to be her counterpart. I nodded, kneeling on the floor and closing my eyes.
Reaching out to connect with Yvonne's mind was easier now that I'd gotten comfortable with this new power. Together, the two of us called on the elements and Spirit, and all the conjurers in our line who had come before us. Hundreds of them stood before us in our mind's eye, some known, some not. Idly, I wondered again why my mother never came forward like this.
Ma Ada stepped to the forefront, elegant as ever in her all white garb. She beamed with pride at us, and we both felt her hand on our shoulders.
As if knowing, my eyes began to sting as an overwhelming sense of love washed over me. "What you accomplish tomorrow will not only save our line," Ma Ada prophesied. "If you succeed, no evil such as that vampire hussy will step foot on this land."
Yvonne and I choked out a laugh. Ma Ada had become more fiery in death. "Are you ready?" She asked the boys out loud. They chorused a quiet affirmation and I felt Edward and Jasper step into the circle.
Without bidding, the candles on the floor were alight, the soft crackle of their wicks the only sound in the room besides our quiet chanting.
There was a soft clank of items dropping into metal bowls—Kaden and JT collecting the personal effects from Edward and Jasper, I imagined. This won't hurt, will it? I heard Edward ask absently.
I gave him a quick smile. Yvonne and I slowly stood, our bodies swaying in unison. This would be easier with the pulse of the rest of the coven drumming around us, but we would need to make do.
But, I could hear my heartbeat. Yvonne's too. They thrummed, perfectly in sync. The air began to thicken and shift around us. I heard the shuffle as Kaden and JT rose to their feet, their heartbeats joining ours.
The sound grew louder, the tempo increasing. We started to move, circling the vampires in a clockwise fashion. Yvonne, Kaden, JT and I were locked in the same inspired movement as we had been last week, the same chants of a foreign but familiar tongue spilling in a breathy chorus from our lips so quickly I couldn't make sense of them.
I didn't know how much time had passed, but our furious dance began to slow as a tendril of heat pulled itself from my body, leaving my insides cold.
Though Kaden, JT, and I were still reciting the same chant, Yvonne's words changed. Her voice was louder and deeper, the words intentional. Now that the words were slower, I recognized it was the language Ma Ada had used occasionally in her spells. I wasn't versed enough to pinpoint it, and the only words I could recognize were "Jasper," and "Edward"—the only words spoken in English.
Yvonne stomped her foot on the floor.
I felt the movement vibrate through the floorboards and travel up my feet. My knees buckled, my body kneeling forcefully without my consent. My hands fell into a vice grip around Edward's and Jasper's legs. I couldn't open my eyes but I felt them both jolt and grunt. Their bodies stiffened as some of our magic flowed out of me and through them.
Someone gasped and the air stirred around me. It must have been Alice.
"Asé," Yvonne breathed. Kaden, JT, and I echoed her words to seal the spell and slowly opened our eyes. "Quickly," Yvonne motioned for us to stand and step in closer. The four of us linked hands and a shock flowed through my arms.
More heat left my body, my arms and hands freezing over from the inside. Kaden, JT, and Yvonne's heads snapped up to the ceiling, their eyes glowing a blinding gold. As quickly as it had happened, the glowing stopped, the atmosphere returned to normal, and the candles extinguished themselves with a hiss.
I inhaled, my eyes widening to bring the world back into focus. Our hands dropped to our sides and my arms and chest began to thaw. They looked over me, their brown irises mottled with gold.
Can you hear me? I called out, steadying myself.
Yes, their voices echoed in my head.
While Kaden and JT worked with Edward and Jasper to test their abilities, Yvonne collapsed into an armchair, exhausted.
I moved over to her, my hand coming to rest on her forehead to check her temperature. She was only slightly warm. She smiled at me. "I'm okay, D," she assured, patting my arm. "This is all just a lot more than I'm used to, that's all."
That wasn't the full story and, though all of our thoughts were connected, I felt the wall she had erected to keep a part of her mind hidden. We locked eyes for a moment before she looked away. Something was wrong, but as much as I wanted answers, Yvonne wasn't ready to give them. I could respect that. There were things I didn't want known yet too. Even I had a wall up, shielding part of myself from the others.
She waved me on and her eyes drifted shut for a moment. She wanted rest.
I turned to find Alice, who was helping Jasper to his feet. Both Jasper and Edward seemed wound up, almost jittery. "We'll be back," they chorused. "We need to make sure this worked."
How do you feel? I asked Edward, worried. He grinned excitedly.
Invincible, he answered before he and his brother vanished.
I turned to Alice, ignoring the questioning look from JT who had heard and felt the exchange between Edward and I. The curiosity. The concern. The...whatever it was between us.
"Are you ready?" I asked her.
She nodded, standing up from where she had crouched to tend to Jasper. "I doubt I'm the first to say this," she said, her voice tinged with an emotion I didn't quite understand. "But your family is very impressive."
I smiled as we made our way into the kitchen. "Thank you."
She shook her head. "Before we came here, I spoke with our father, Carlisle. I was worried about the vision I had, of what I thought was Edward being sacrificed." She gave us an apologetic look. "But, what was strange is that our father has been alive for over half a millenia and even he was at a loss."
I exchanged looks with my family. We knew other conjurers, stretching from the Gulf all the way up and through Appalachia, the coast, and the Lowcountry. But, if her family didn't know of others besides us, it wasn't our place to say. It was an unspoken rule that you didn't go running your mouth about other people's business, at least...not when it came to this.
Alice's slender hands curved around the mug Jordan slid her way, her nose wrinkling. "While we have had run-ins with one pack of shapeshifters in the northwest a very long time ago, even they have died out. Aside from the shapeshifters, we've never known another species that could match our strength."
"What are you saying, Alice?"
There was a concern there that didn't match where I thought this conversation was headed.
"The southern vampire covens may squabble over territorial lines, but Maria isn't the only one of our kind that collects powerful or promising people to join her." She eyed the warm liquid in her mug warily. "If we don't succeed in killing every last vampire in Maria's army tomorrow, word will spread. Fast. And there may be more who look for you."
My blood froze at the implication. Just when I thought this mission was starting to seem possible…Ma Ada's words played back through my mind, through all of our minds.
If you succeed, no evil...will step foot on this land.
Had this been what she'd meant?
Alice brought the mug to her lips and downed it quickly, grimacing at the bitter taste of Jordan's herbs.
I turned my attention to Auntie Jordan. "Have you seen anything we need to know about?" I questioned. The others had moved closer.
I didn't miss how she glanced behind us at Yvonne, almost for help, but she had fallen asleep in the armchair. Auntie Jordan shook her head. "I've only seen as far as the battle tomorrow. If everything goes to plan, it looks like it will all be okay." Her words came out careful, practiced, like she knew this question was coming.
I glanced back at Alice, whose eyes were far off, seeing timelines play out at lightning speed. She blinked and nodded, but something unspoken past between them.
I didn't like going in without all the pieces. I reached out, trying to see what they were hiding in their minds. I only saw darkness.
My eyes narrowed as I tried to push my way in. We needed the full picture. If someone was hurt because of their secrets, that blood would be on their hands.
"Fine," I snapped, realizing that whatever was in Auntie Jordan's tonic was also protecting them from intrusion. "I just hope whatever the two of you have seen doesn't get us killed."
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