5. Kenrid

Iforced myself to breathe as we drove down the two-lane highway, following the directions Jonah had given us. We'd met with the shifter only forty-eight hours ago, but it'd been seven days since Jonah had seen Lorna. Seven more days for Conrad to torture and break the other half of my soul.

As soon as Nathan had awakened that evening, we'd packed our stuff in Elliott's truck and hit the road. I would've insisted on leaving earlier, but we needed a plan to bring Lorna home. We couldn't assume we'd be able to put her on a plane, so Elliott and I suffered through the thirty-hour drive. Damon and Nathan flew into a small airport about an hour from our destination, where we picked them up.

We were nearly there. Worry, dread, and guilt swirled in my gut. It was all my fault that she'd been taken. There were so many things I should've done to reassure her about my wards. I shouldn't have let myself get distracted by the wolves at our meeting. I never should have ignored my phone when she called.

I'd done it all wrong and now feared the price we'd all have to pay.

Elliott's truck pulled into the overgrown parking lot of what looked like an abandoned hotel or maybe a large bed and breakfast. Tall light poles illuminated the area just enough to showcase the aging building and a dozen or so cars in the lot. It wasn't what we'd initially expected.

Conrad's vampire kiss employed several non-vampires to keep the estate during the day, but they seemed to be gone. We'd even assumed we'd encounter a few vampires once the sun set, but no one showed themselves.

"Didn't Jonah say there would be guards?" I asked.

"Yeah," Elliott replied. "Can you sense anyone?"

I rolled down my window and let my magic drift on the slight breeze. I couldn't sense a single magical signature on the grounds.

"Nothing," I said. "The hotel is covered by a ward. If they're inside, I can't feel them."

Elliott pulled up to the front door and put the truck in park. We waited for several minutes, but when no one came out to greet us, a pool of dread settled in my stomach.

"What if they took Lorna and moved to another location?" I asked.

Elliott and Damon both growled. Nathan stared at the front of the hotel.

"Can you take down the ward, Kenrid?" our boss asked.

"I can try," I offered. I wouldn't know until I put my hands on it.

"Alright." Nathan opened the front passenger door. "We'll watch your back."

We piled out of the truck, and I let my magic stretch farther, just in case I missed something. I couldn't feel a single supernatural creature. But I could feel the ward around the hotel. It encompassed the entire building, keeping unwanted guests from even reaching the front door.

"Stay here," I warned. "The ward butts right up against the parking lot."

Stepping forward, I extended my hands until my palms were mere inches from the barrier. My magic specialization let me see most spells and how they were woven. The more talented magic users could hide their weaves, but that wasn't the case here.

It looked like Conrad purchased a mid-grade ward to protect his home. Which was stupid. Even if his kiss couldn't afford to maintain the large estate, they should've found the money to protect it. He was the vampire master of the entire region, so how did he not have the funds?

More likely, this was a secondary location selected specifically for its isolation. We were in the middle of the Vermont countryside. The nearest town was at least an hour away. The realization only made me more certain that Lorna wasn't here.

Time to find out for sure. I let my magic mingle with the spell's thread. As soon as I found the end, I tugged. It unraveled way too easily. Yes, I was extremely talented, but that was too simple.

"The ward was a joke," I said, dropping my hands as the ward fell. "Even a low-rated witch could've unraveled it in seconds."

"Then we proceed with even more caution," Nathan said, striding past me to the front door.

He didn't bother to knock. He pushed on the levered handle, and the door swung open. It wasn't even locked. Elliott and Damon shrugged, then followed Nathan inside.

So much for caution.

I hurried after them, nearly slamming into Damon's back just through the threshold.

The smell of blood made my stomach turn over several times. I pressed my hand over my mouth and stepped around Damon's massive form. Nothing could've prepared me for the sight in front of us.

I'd seen the results of a dhampir massacre before, but I'd never cared for anyone involved. Until today. Bloodied bodies lay scattered among the groups of chairs. Some of them had to still be alive. Vampires turned to dust when they permanently died.

I followed the trail of carnage with my eyes until I reached Lorna. Blood and gore covered every inch of her. Had my magic not been calling to her, I wouldn't have recognized the creature sprawled out on a loveseat with a bloody vampire draped across her legs.

Conrad Roane might have been alive but just barely. It looked like she opened every vein on his arms and neck. Strips of his shirt fell in shreds across his chest and abdomen, revealing deep cuts that hadn't healed, probably because he'd lost too much blood. His body couldn't recover fast enough.

The creature cradling his head in her hands looked up and finally noticed us. A pair of black eyes scanned our group and landed on Nathan. The longing in her gaze sent shivers down my spine. She was a predator, and Nathan would be her prey.

"Nathan, you need to leave," I whispered. "You and Damon, both."

My boss nodded and nudged Damon's side. "We'll find some gas to use as an accelerant. No one can know what happened here."

When Damon didn't move, I glanced up at him. He didn't normally express emotion, but today he wore his agony clearly.

"I promised her this wouldn't happen," Damon said. "I've failed my mate."

"This was not your fault, man," Elliott argued, pushing his friend toward the door. "Go find something to burn this shit to the ground."

The vampire and the demon both left, leaving the wolf and fae to deal with the dhampir.

"Are they coming back?" the dhampir asked, her voice sounding harsh and emotionless. It was definitely not Lorna.

"That depends on you," I replied, not moving from my spot. "We need to have Lorna back in control."

She tilted her head as if she found me interesting. "She's not strong enough to deal with what we've done," the dhampir replied.

She pushed Conrad to the floor and stood. His head bounced on the planked wood, but he didn't react. He was too close to death.

My eyes moved back to Lorna, drawn to her like a moth to the flame. The woman I cared for wasn't there, just the dhampir's hollow eyes and emotionless face.

I could swear she was still wearing the same clothes I'd seen her in almost three weeks before. My heart ached for the woman trapped by the dhampir. She'd been caged by Conrad and was now caged again, this time within her own beautiful mind.

"Why don't we let her decide," I suggested, extending my hands to the side with my palms down. I worried she'd try to run or worse. If she attacked, I wasn't sure I could hurt her, but I needed to be prepared regardless. "You do realize that Lorna is your only hope to live, right?"

The dhampir looked around the room at the carnage and death she caused. "They were starving us. They gave Lorna one disgusting sandwich a day." Her gaze landed on the master vampire at her feet and sneered. "She caged me in her mind and told me I couldn't have his blood. He left it for us every third day, but she wouldn't let me have it."

She kicked the vampire. He groaned, but it didn't hide the sound of breaking bones. Clearly, she'd exchanged blood with at least one of the vampires. One single kick wouldn't have that much impact unless she had enhanced her strength by sharing blood.

Her hatred for the vampire at her feet flared with a surge of magic. I could see it in her eyes and the curl of her lip. She would kill him, and I wasn't sure I wanted to stop her. She had every right to dole out justice.

"Don't," Elliott growled. "Kenrid's right. If you want to live, you need to give Lorna a chance to heal from this. We'll help you and even protect you, but not if you destroy her." He pointed at the dying vampires around us. "You know her heart. She will carry the guilt of each death. It will destroy you both."

The dhampir stepped away from Conrad and hugged herself. When the fabric of her shirt stretched across her shoulders, equal amounts of anger and sadness gripped me. I could see the outline of every bone. Elliott must have seen it, too. His low growl hit me like a brick. It hurt to see her like this.

"You would protect me, even after this?" she asked, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I know what you said about the others, how they were hunted and killed."

Elliott took a step forward. I reached for his arm, but he jerked out of my grasp, so I followed him. He could probably out-muscle her, but I knew he didn't want to.

"When I was young, I had no control over my wolf," he said. The tension in his shoulders told me this would not be an easy story for him to tell. "I spent two months locked in my wolf's head. He controlled everything I did, everything I ate, where I slept, what I killed."

He stopped a few feet from the dhampir. She looked up at him. Her eyes weren't quite as black as they had been, and I sincerely hoped she was letting go.

"One night, my wolf found a small den with four fox kits," he whispered. "The parents must have been out hunting or some shit. I still don't know. My wolf saw the pups as an easy dinner." He swallowed hard before continuing. "They were shifters, not foxes. I killed an entire litter and didn't realize what I'd done until the parents came to my pack looking for vengeance."

A flash of hazel flickered in the dhampir's eyes, and she reached a shaking hand toward Elliott. He didn't move; he just watched her. She jerked her arm back at the last moment.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I ran," he replied. "I was young and stupid and thought I knew more than my elders. That family deserved justice, and I ran." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced over his shoulder at me. "Nathan found me and gave me a chance to make it right. He told me I couldn't change my wolf, only make peace with him."

Elliott turned his attention back to the dhampir. "You and Lorna need to make peace. If you don't, we can't protect you."

The dhampir turned her back on us and fell to her knees. Her body twitched several times before a long, mournful cry escaped. I hoped she'd released Lorna.

Elliott had her in his arms moments later, pressing her face against his chest.

"There's a duffle bag in the back of my truck," he said, his eyes shimmering with anger and his wolf barely under the surface.

I nodded, watching him stroll to the nearest guest room and kick open the door. I raced across the foyer and ran into Damon and Nathan on the porch.

"Is she okay?" Damon asked, flexing his clawed hands. He'd released his demon.

"No, but I don't think she's having any murderous thoughts right now," I replied. "Elliott took her to one of the guest rooms, probably to wash away some of the blood."

I noticed several gas cans lining the walk and realized they were ready to torch the place.

"Are we leaving any alive?" I asked. I knew we couldn't, but I didn't want to be the one making that decision.

Jonah was right. We couldn't let this get out. If any of the vampires here escaped, the entire supernatural world would know about Lorna. No one would be able to protect her.

"No," Nathan replied. "I'll kill the rest so we have time to search for the video Elliott's buddy talked about. Then we'll burn it."

I felt bad for the vampires who lost their lives to this madness. They didn't ask their master to harbor a dhampir. Had they even known what she was before she decided to put them on the menu?

Nathan and Damon disappeared into the lobby, and I jogged to the truck to pick up clean clothes for Lorna. They probably belonged to Elliott and would be way too big, but it was for the best. We could wrap her in his scent and maybe keep her from dining on Nathan or Damon on the way back to civilization.