Chapter 27

Iblinked. She couldn't be serious. "Like… the country?"

"We flew you in this morning," Ice said.

My insides tumbled. "You mean you kidnapped me."

"We had no choice. Your power is dangerous," Anya replied, her voice rising.

"Dangerous?" I spat, taking a step toward them. "You came after me. You're the ones who broke into my apartment and stole all my drawings. Not to mention trashed the place."

"Your things are over there." Ice motioned to a small desk in the far corner.

An ounce of relief seeped into my belly when I spotted a stack of papers sitting on top of the desk. But giving me back my drawings was hardly an olive branch. "What do you want from me?"

"The Shadow Knights will decide what to do with you once the Sisterhood has a chance to question you about your involvement with Luther and the Hive."

I tilted my head. The Shadow Knights will decide what happens to me?

"I don't know who you think I am, but you have this all wrong. I don't even know who Luther or the Hive are. What I do know is that I need to get back home to New York City. My friends are in danger and you keeping me here is only making matters worse."

Ice's eyes softened. "I'm sorry, Avery. I understand this is all new to you, and you're probably scared, but you can't leave."

"You can't keep me prisoner here."

Anya took a step toward me, and I instinctively put up my palms as if anticipating danger. I made some type of hand gesture with my fingers, trying to mimic what I'd seen Shadow do with his hands when we were attacked. My lips twitched when I felt a ribbon of energy uncoil from my hands. Ha, this wasn't so hard. But as amusement danced in my veins, the slight distortion of air caused by my spell died without even disturbing a strand of hair on Anya's head.

The woman's eyes flashed with a hint of arrogant satisfaction. "While on the premises, your powers are contained," Anya said. "I advise you to cooperate. Things will go a lot quicker and easier for you."

My stomach hollowed out. "Contained?"

Clasping her hands behind her back, Anya took in a heavy breath, annoyance crinkling the lines around her lips. "Dulled, if you will. Only temporarily until we understand who you are." Taking a closer step, she eyed my hands. "You'll need to work on your seal components. That attempt at a spell was quite pitiful, I'm afraid."

"You dampened my powers. Maybe you should ask Kane how he enjoyed the pitiful spell I cast on the rooftop."

The angles of her cheekbones sharpened, a spark of anger igniting in her eyes. "Foolish girl. That spectacle wasn't a spell but merely reactionary magic. Careless if not callous, if you ask me. You could've injured innocent people. Perhaps even killed someone. You should feel shame for what you did, not pride."

I swallowed thickly. Her rebuke hit me square in the chest. She was right. I could've hurt innocent people. But I didn't need her to remind me of that, especially when they'd been the ones hunting me, forcing me to use my damn power to protect myself.

Their hardened gazes and terse lips told me these vampires wouldn't care about explanations. They'd call them excuses, as if I posed the danger, not the other way around.

If I was going to get any answers, it wouldn't be from them. I looked back toward the desk, my drawings stacked in neat piles.

My answers were buried in the past. In my visions.

Squaring my shoulders, I asked, "Is he here?"

"Who?" Ice asked.

Only one person would be able to tell me what I needed to know. Lifting my chin, I tried to mask the anxiety wrapping around my neck, but I was barely able to swallow. "Kane," I croaked, then cleared my throat. "If I'm to be his captive, then I would like to speak to him."

"Hmm," Anya said, her expression alight with intrigue. "Ice?"

"I'll speak with him," she replied, her gaze roaming mine as if wanting to decipher some buried secret. "Can't promise he'll come."

Anya pointed to the back of the bedroom. "Washroom is back there. Please clean up. Fresh clothes are on top of the vanity. We also brought you something light to eat."

As if I had an appetite.

A migraine had begun to build behind my eyelids. Soon, I would be a crumpled mess on the floor.

Ice left the room, but Anya stopped at the door and looked back. "This room is heavily warded."

With a hand on my hip, I pivoted toward her. "So, don't try to escape, is that what you're telling me?"

"You may not want to accept your fate, Avery. But it's been written long before your flesh came into existence. We each have our roles to play."

"What's yours?" I asked.

She smiled. "To show you the signs."

When she closed the door, several clicks echoed through the hard wood. Warded or not, it was clear they weren't taking chances with me. I didn't even bother turning the knob. When had I ever used a door to escape anyway? Head pounding, I hurried to the windows, but as soon as I pulled the heavy curtains aside, my lungs deflated like punctured balloons.

Metal shutters. Hmm. Vampires were either allergic to the sun like in folktales and they didn't want to risk anyone pulling back the curtains, or they'd gone a tad overboard with their security to keep me from running.

Either way, I was royally screwed.

A knock sounded at the door, and I gasped as I turned around, my chest nearly bursting. I froze for a heartbeat then chuckled at myself for getting scared. Not like I'd been caught trying to escape… even if I had been plotting it.

There was a second knock, this one louder and stronger.

Shit. Could it be him? Ice said she didn't think he'd come.

The third knock wasn't asking for permission. Before I could utter a single word, the locks on the door unlatched. Puffing my chest, I held my breath as the knob turned and the door opened a crack.

"May I?" said a deep, gruffy voice.

"Please."

All the atoms in my body went haywire when Kane stepped through. Felt like I had turned into a Geiger Counter, and Kane into a radioactive power plant on legs.

Two very long, muscular legs. The man was dressed in a pair of faded jeans that sat low on his narrow waist but hugged him in all the right places—all the right places. I rushed to raise my gaze when I realized I'd been inappropriately staring for too long, but was immediately struck by how equally distracting his black T-shirt was as it accentuated the slabs of thick muscle covering his chest and arms. Lord have mercy. I'd never seen shoulders that wide. And his hands… they looked like they could crush skulls.

I had run into him twice already in very unfortunate circumstances, but having him standing before me like this? My thoughts evaporated. I had to remind myself he was not just any man; he was a vampire, and a very dangerous one at that.

Was it fear that made my blood rush? Excitement? Fascination? Maybe a bit of anger at having been taken from my home that made my heart pound like thousands of animals on a stampede?

All of the above.

But also, he was Kane. Azrael's brother. The knight I'd seen in my dreams stalk through the halls of his castle. The vampire I'd seen drop to his knees in agony after sentencing his brother to an eternity in a coffin. The man I'd seen smile so brilliantly at a royal ball when he spotted the woman he loved across the dance floor.

He'd been living in my dreams for years, only to be made flesh like a storybook fantasy come to life. Except, the real version of him was a hundred times more alluring and frightening. I'd never forget the utter terror that gripped my bones when we'd locked gazes at Requiem. When he'd made me feel like a gazelle about to be taken down by a lion. When he'd chased after me on that rooftop and inside my building, sparking not just utter fear but fascination at how unreal it was to see him in the flesh. And now, he was also the man who held me captive in some mansion that seemed to double as my prison. This was all just too unreal.

A part of me was so anxious to touch him, as if I still couldn't believe he was standing before me in the actual flesh, that I took a small step forward, but immediately stopped myself. My instincts reminded me this man was a predator and that I shouldn't let my guard down. Yet, no matter how much I tried to draw up the image of the monster at the club, I couldn't help the pull I had to this perfect stranger who had no idea I'd been dreaming about him for as long as I could remember.

His face twisted with impatience, and I realized I'd been staring at him like a total mute. I cleared the knot in my throat. "Thank you for coming to see me."

"Something you wish to ask me, Miss Jaxon?" His grave voice reverberated through me. I swallowed deeply. No one called me Miss Jaxon, except the director of the Winslow Home. I hated that it made me feel like a reprimanded schoolgirl.

"You can just call Avery."

He stared at me in silence, clearly waiting for more, but the depth of his blue eyes put me off balance, and I blanked out for a second.

"Avery," he uttered, his stern voice making my spine tighten and knocking me back into this world. "My time is valuable."

Shit. The way my name rolled off his lips made my insides quiver. Maybe I should've let him call me Miss Jaxon—at least it would've been less jarring. Pulling on the hem of my sweater, I said, "Straight to the point, then."

Arms still crossed, he offered me a curt nod, a lock of his golden mane falling over his brow.

"Why did you kidnap me?"

He worked his jaw, taking a moment to respond. "A few days ago, my brother Azrael escaped from his prison, aided by his son Luther." He paused, as if measuring my reaction to his statement. When I said nothing, he continued, "That escape coincided with a magical energy spike that came from your apartment. Inside, we discovered countless drawings of my people and depictions of our past. Most importantly, a drawing of my castle up in flames—the same castle raided by Luther and where Azrael was entombed."

Stunned, all I could do was stare.

Uncrossing his arms, he stepped closer, and my pulse quickened. He clearly did not know how much space he took up, and how commanding those sharp blue eyes of his were. "You were found inside Luther's club Saturday night, and later, the Hive came looking for you at your apartment. So, tell me, Avery, why do you think I kidnapped you?"

I blinked, repeating everything he'd said inside my head. It was hard arguing with his logic given everything Shadow said about a feud between the witches and the vampires. From his perspective, it looked like I had something to do with Azrael's escape, but before Requiem, I'd never even met him, well, except in my dreams—or at least, my most recent one.

This was all one fucked-up misunderstanding. But then, how could I explain the portraits? I still couldn't believe how or why I'd been dreaming about these two vampire brothers for years.

"When you piece everything together like that," I said, taking a slow step back. "I can see why you'd think that I'm working with this Luther guy. But trust me when I tell you I had nothing to do with your brother's escape."

"Trust you? After you tried to crush my brain?" He cocked an eyebrow, that gaze of his making me shiver.

"You came after me!"

"I was trying to keep Luther's men from taking you."

"How was I supposed to know that when you came barging at me on that rooftop, right after looking at me like I was some juicy steak at that club? Can you blame me for trying to defend myself? Look, I don't know what you think is going on, but I can assure you I'm not who you think I am."

He placed his hands on his waist and narrowed his eyes. "Are you not the Spirit Marked?"

I sucked in a deep breath. Shadow had warned me about others being after my power. I had no idea what he'd do with that information.

"Miss Jaxon? It's a simple answer."

I straightened my back and crossed my arms. "It's Avery. And why should I answer that question? All you've done is show me what you're willing to do to get what you want, even if that includes drugging and kidnapping innocent women."

A rumble vibrated in his chest, lips curling in a snarl. My knees wobbled as images of the beast I'd seen in the club flashed in my head. I expected his eyes to turn red and fangs to poke beneath his lips, but all he did was flare his nostrils—several times—as if trying to hold himself back from becoming that monster.

I couldn't deny the small thrill ran the length of my back. A part of me feared what that monster could do to me, but another part of me—a part I had no clue existed—purred at the thought.

"When it comes to protecting my own," his voice was gruff, eyes darkening to an inky blue, "rest assured I will do everything in my power to ensure their safety. And yes, that includes kidnapping the witch who tried to kill me and my men. I know your kind, Miss Jaxon," he gritted, purposefully refusing to use my name. "And you can't be easily trusted. Until I know the truth behind those drawings and why Luther and the Hive are interested in you, you're not leaving this manor."

My heart landed in my stomach. "You can't keep me prisoner here. My friends need me."

As he walked toward the door, he turned his head over his massive shoulder. "Then it would be in your best interest to ready yourself for the Sisterhood. They will be here shortly. Please clean up and dress appropriately for dinner. I will not have them think I'm not treating you well."

"You can't order me around like I'm some child."

He checked his watch before exiting the room. "Dinner is in thirty minutes."

I ran toward the door and growled the instant he locked it. Banging on it, I yelled, "I'm not going to dinner. I'm not even hungry."

My complaints were met with the heavy sound of his boots thudding on the hardwood floor as he walked away. I huffed, placing my back against the door and sliding to the floor. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I bit down on my teeth. Who the hell did he think he was? Ordering me around to clean up and get dressed for some absurd dinner party as if I was some dumb princess in his mighty castle.

Did he really think I would so easily follow his commands?

Shadow and CJ were in danger. I had no time to worry about dinner parties, especially any party where he was the host. Pompous ass.

That witch had threatened to hurt my friends; meanwhile, I was halfway across the globe, stuck in some manor with a bunch of moody vampires. I had no clue how to get myself back to New York—I didn't even have a passport or money. They said we were in Scotland, but they may as well have taken me to Finland. Made no difference. I was far from home.

A bubble of anxiety built up in my chest and suddenly, the air became too thick to breathe. I jumped to my feet, heart racing, hands sweaty. I paced, biting my nails. The thought of being trapped inside this room made my entire body tremble. Not to mention the headache birthed by the dream-walk was thumping at my temples at full throttle, rendering me incapable of thought.

I sat at the edge of the bed and took several deep breaths.

Drawing. I needed to draw. It was the only way I could calm the unsettling energy vibrating through me. I had to calm down so I could think, so I could come up with a plan to escape.

Rushing toward the desk, I heaved a sigh of relief when I spotted the pencil case they'd left me along with blank paper. It didn't take long for my mind to refocus. Sitting down, the instant I wrapped my fingers around one of the pencils, the throbbing in my head began to ease.

I blew a long and steady breath, letting the images of my dream-walk piece themselves back together inside my head.

The palace ballroom. The prince in his royal garb. The woman in the burgundy cloak. As my hand flew across the paper, the images came to life as if I was back there again. Who were these people? Why were they important? Then I thought back to my first dream-walk into that forest, when I'd witnessed the two queens talk about a child, a bastard child. The mage, the prince… That was them.

I gasped. They'd been in love, and they'd had a daughter. A child who Keryth's mother, Queen Amarenthia, believed needed to be sacrificed to open some portal. As I outlined Rayne's features, shadowing her eyes, her lips, my heart stopped, and I tumbled off the chair. Standing, I peered at the picture again and my mouth dried up.

Rayne was me. I was Rayne.

No. That couldn't be. This had to be a mistake. I'd manifested a self-portrait because I'd dream-walked into that vision, reliving her memory—that had to be the explanation. It was the only thing that made sense.

Chest heaving, I stood about two feet away from the desk, almost afraid to get close to my drawing. What did all this mean? Why did I keep getting thrust into these visions, these memories? This was too much. I needed answers or I was going to drive myself mad.

I was about to crumple the drawing when my attention was snagged by the sound of spinning metal gears coming from behind the heavy curtains.

What in the world?

Cautiously stepping toward the large curtains, I pulled them back and my jaw dropped. The metal shutters had retracted and the only thing staring back at me was a ginormous, floor-to-ceiling cathedral-like window, and behind the thick panes, a full moon cradled by a sea of stars.

But it wasn't a window precisely, but a set of glass doors that led to a balcony.

I looked around the room, checking every corner for hidden cameras. They had to be watching me. Why else allow me access to a balcony?

But I couldn't find any evidence of surveillance equipment.

Fuck it. I didn't care if they were watching or not. Pulling on the ornate metal latches, I gasped as I was hit by an icy gust of wind. Holy trinity, it was almost as cold as back home. Approaching the railing, I realized why these vampires didn't care about giving me access to the balcony. I was about three stories up inside some mega stone mansion.

Quite literally, I was a prisoner inside a tower.

It didn't matter whether I could escape or not. Beyond the house all that awaited me was a dark forest. The naked branches swayed in the wintry air, the clacking sound sending shivers down my back. I wondered if perhaps I could command the wind to sweep me off this balcony and carry me safely to the ground.

But then what? Where would I go?

I shook my head. This wasn't me. When did I shy away from running? What was I truly afraid of?

Peering back down over the railing, a string pulled in my gut when I spotted a red fox sitting on the lawn, staring up at me.

It cocked its head, ears twitching. Something about the way it looked at me made my skin prickle. It reminded me of…

Shadow. That's how he'd looked at me when he first crashed through my window, as if he already knew me.

Shadow mentioned other guardians would show. Could this fox be another elemental spirit?

"Are you my guardian?" I asked in a loud, whispery voice, half cringing to myself for talking to a fox.

Why couldn't these spirits just show up in human form?

Standing on all fours, it let out a soft bark, followed by a whine.

It understood me. As a smile spread across my face, the fox took off running into the woods, puncturing the bubble of hope inside my chest.

Thanks for nothing, foxy.

Turning from the railing, I resigned myself to my fate, just as Anya had so aptly put it. Maybe my only way out of this mess was to meet with the Sisterhood. Someone had to listen to me, someone had to understand I wasn't a part of this witchy-vamp feud. But as I went to close the doors, a yelp sounded from below.

I rushed to the railing. The fox had returned. It whined and ran toward the woods, then back again.

I knew it!

The smile that stretched across my face made my cheeks hurt. But my joy was short-lived. "No-can-do, little buddy," I said to the fox. "I have no way of climbing down. Unless you have a magical ladder, I'm stuck up here."

Then a thought sprouted in my head. I ran back to the room and searched for something sharp—scissors or maybe even my dagger. I knew how to make a ladder out of sheets and curtains if I could just find something to cut the material with.

After searching every drawer, I returned to the balcony empty handed. Damn vampires had not only taken my pendant but Erelldyl as well.

I'd have to find a way to get my things back from them, but right now, finding a way down from this tower was more important.

"Can you help me out?" I asked the fox. "My powers are dampened here."

It barked, but it sounded more like a screaming child being tortured. What the hell? I didn't know foxes could make that sound. That wasn't going to help me. If anything, someone was going to hear that and come looking. "Stop that," I said. But it only barked louder, as if trying to get me to understand.

"I don't speak fox," I replied, my lips tight. It cocked its head and this time I was able to discern what it wanted me to do. I looked to the side of the house, and along the right wall was a thick carpet of ivy that stretched the entire height of the manor.

You clever fox.

I had no way of knowing if it could support my weight, but I had to try. Tugging on a few vines, I prayed to my lucky stars and climbed over the railing. The cold wind whipped against my hair, but I was so high on adrenaline, I could barely feel the sting of the icy gale. Gripping on tightly, I dug my fingers into the vines, my naked feet tangling into the leaves and roots as well.

I probably should have looked for shoes before deciding to follow a fox into the woods. Too late now.

Little by little, I began my descent, careful not to look down. I couldn't believe this was working. It was almost too easy. And right when I thought those words, the vines gave way under my hands and ripped.

Shit. I slipped down the side of the house, screaming as I braced for impact, but my foot snagged on a vine, stopping my fall. I grunted in pain. Dangling about two feet from the ground, I twisted around until the vines broke and I landed flat on my back with another grunt.

That was going to bruise.

The fox licked my face, encouraging me to get up. There was urgency in its movements. I looked around, half expecting to find vampires dressed as soldiers racing to recapture me. There was no one. But that didn't mean they weren't on their way. I needed to get to my feet no matter how much everything ached from that fall.

When I managed to stand, the fox spun in place then took off toward the woods.

"Wait up!" I called out, limping after it, but the fox didn't make it into the forest. Out of nowhere, a flying net fell over the fox, snaring it. It yelped in pain and the sound reminded me of the groan Shadow gave when those iron shackles were placed on him.

"No," I shouted as I dragged my feet toward the fox. It whimpered under what appeared to be a net made of iron mesh.

"Avery Marie Jaxon, that's quite enough," a female voice shouted behind me.

The sound of that voice made every limb in my body turn to stone. I swallowed, but there was no saliva in my mouth. I knew that voice. Knew it like the sound of my own heartbeat.

Trembling, I slowly pivoted toward the person who'd uttered those words. Cascading to her shoulders, hair the color of honey gleamed under the light of the moon. Covered in a white cloak, she took a couple of steps toward me and the air in my lungs turned to smoke.

My mouth parted, but I couldn't utter the word that sat on my tongue.

Her lips thinned as if disappointed in me, and it was like being yanked through time. At that moment, I was transported fourteen years into the past.

To when my nightmares began.

Lips quivering, I couldn't hold back my tears and I fell to my knees in disbelief. I looked up at the woman who had showered me with love, who'd made all my boo-boos disappear. Who'd read me stories and tucked me into bed. Who taught me to dance through fields of daffodils and introduced me to the beauty of the universe.

Here was the woman I'd worshiped my entire life, even long after her death.

Except, this woman, my mother, wasn't dead.

And as I gazed into her amber eyes, I prayed for the one thing I never thought I would. That this was all a dream. Because if it wasn't, and she was in fact my mother and I'd been lied to all these years, then I knew I would not survive this night.

What happened next becamea total fog. Vampire men grabbed me by the arms and dragged me back inside the manor, shoving me back into my room. They didn't bother closing the shutters, probably because they knew I wouldn't dare try to escape again. Truth was, I didn't have the strength to do so. Didn't have the will or heart. In one breath my world had shattered more than I ever thought possible. All the lies, all the pain, all the loneliness. For what?

Who did that to their child? How could she so coldly let me believe she was dead all these years? How could she allow those people to put me in those homes? Allowed those people to treat me like I was an unwanted child, a burden to society. One of the lost souls who no one would mourn if they died. Who no one called on their birthday or invited over on Thanksgiving. Who no one bothered to kiss goodnight or good morning.

Who no one loved.

And what about my father? Was he alive also? The thought that he could've allowed this to happen to me…I'd been his little princess. He couldn't…wouldn't. But what if they'd both survived that accident and had left me there in the middle of the wreck?

I couldn't stand the pain. It was too much. Too goddamn much.

Curled into a fetal position on my massive bed, I held onto my hand—the one where a new mark had branded itself onto me. When the room began to feel like I was in the middle of the Mohave desert at noon and the wallpaper began to bubble and peel off from the wall, I had an inkling as to why.

The more my anger boiled, the hotter the temperature in the room rose. But I didn't care. The heat felt amazing. Soon, it would incinerate through me, through this fucking castle, and everyone in it, too.