2. Chapter 2

2

Chapter 2

Rowan

I n the shock after my announcement, Gran comes to my rescue.

"I know this must come as a shock." Her hand is still on my shoulder. "And clearly, there's a lot to discuss."

My eyes wander to where my father has just turned his attention. There's a pair of men's black briefs tossed haphazardly near the bedroom door. Understanding dawns on his face. Mom looks as if she's been struck dumb.

Shit.

"A lot to discuss? A lot??" Dad blusters. "I'd say there's more than a lot! What the hell did you—?"

"Lake!" Gran's voice is sharp. "Now is not the time for browbeating. Rowan is in shock." She squeezes my shoulder. "I'd like you to give her a moment to compose herself. Then we will meet you back at the house, where we will explain everything."

"But, Mother, I think—" Dad looks like his head is about to explode.

"Don't make me repeat myself, son." Gran's jaw tightens, and my father exhales a long breath. I can see him resigning himself to the fact that there's no point in arguing with her.

"Fine," he huffs. "Five minutes." He turns on his heel with Mom in tow, still speechless. This isn't like my mother, but then again, this whole mess is out of our wheelhouse. Thankfully, Poppy has the good grace not to poke fun at me for a change. When she discreetly hops on the ledge and disappears out the window, I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Are you alright, darling?" Gran asks once we're alone.

I shake my head. How could I be alright? "I don't think I can do this, Gran."

"Well, I suggest you dig deep, Rowan, because this is only the start of it. But I'll be with you. Every step of the way." She reaches for my hand. "Let's start by getting you dressed."

I glance down at my robe and pull a face. Then I look at the door to my bedroom. The last thing I want is to go back there.

It has to be done.

As if reading my mind, Gran makes a tutting sound. "Come along, girl! There's no time for this now." She puts her hands on my shoulders and scoots me in the direction of my closet.

Pulling in a deep breath, I raise my chin and pull out a pair of jeans, a white T-shirt, and my favorite sneakers. Gran goes back to tidying my room as I get dressed. I hadn't noticed until now that my curtains are singed.

"Ready?" she asks as I lace up my shoes. I stand and nod, then follow her out of my cottage, my mind reeling from what just happened. The weight of Darick's death makes each step feel like I'm wading through molasses. As we approach the family home, my nerves are frayed to breaking point.

Inside, the tension hangs over the room like a cloud. Mom, Dad, and Kara are already there, their faces set in grim lines. I avoid their eyes, focusing instead on the intricate pattern of the living room rug.

"What in the name of all that's magical is going on?" Dad gets straight to the point; his voice is sharp and demanding. I flinch at his tone, feeling like a little girl again, caught doing something I shouldn't.

Which is exactly what happened, you idiot!

Gran steps up, her presence commanding as always. "Lake, calm yourself. We'll explain everything, but first, everyone needs to take a breath."

I chance a glance at Kara. I can practically see the gears turning in her head. She's always been quick to put pieces together; she's going to work it out.

"Rowan?" Mom's voice is soft, concerned. "We need to know what's going on. Please…help us understand."

My head spins as I try to figure out where to begin. "It was an accident," I say, knowing it's not the right place to start. "He had photos, and I got so angry that I didn't—"

"Photos?" Dad interrupts. "Rowan, you're not making sense. Why the hell was there a vampire in your bedroom?"

He knows the answer. I'm guessing he just doesn't want to believe it.

I freeze. "It…I…he…"

Shit.

"Rowan formed a connection with Lord Darick Drake," Gran says bluntly.

Dad shoots to his feet. "Drake? The vampire elder?" he barks out. "Are you telling me that—?"

"I said we all need to take a breath, son." Gran fixes him with a look. She waits for him to sit before continuing. "Recently, Rowan found strange thoughts intruding into her mind. It turned out that she shared a connection with Lord Drake. She was understandably confused."

"Connection? What kind of—" Kara begins but is cut off by our father.

"I don't see how that led to what we just walked into." Dad turns to me. I've never seen him so upset. My father is the most kind and loving man I know. But I guess that any father might change his attitude after learning that his daughter's been sleeping with the enemy. And then killed him.

Deal with this, Rowan. Stop being a coward.

I can't let Gran take on my problems. I pull in yet another deep breath and stand again. I just fried a thousand-year-old vampire, for God's sake. I'm more than capable of facing up to my parents.

All eyes are on me, expectant and worried.

"I need to explain something," I begin. My voice is rough, so I clear my throat. "Like Gran said, it started with these strange thoughts in my head. At first, I thought I was going crazy, but then I realized…they weren't my thoughts at all." I pause, gathering courage. "They belonged to a vampire."

Dad's face darkens at the word, but I press on before he can interrupt.

"We had this weird psychic connection. I didn't understand it, and neither did he. We met to try to figure it out, and things got…complicated."

"Complicated?" Dad scoffs. Gran silences him with a look.

I can see the disapproval in his eyes, but I can't stop now. I have to get to the important part.

"But that's not why I…why I…" I can't bring myself to say it…that I killed him. "Tonight, Darick was at my cottage. We were talking, and then his phone buzzed. There was a message with photos attached."

I swallow hard, my throat tight. "They were photos of Mia."

Mom lets out a strangled gasp, clasping a hand to her throat. Kara leaps to her feet, her eyes blazing. Dad looks like he's been physically struck.

"Mia?" Mom's voice is hoarse, disbelieving. " Our Mia?"

I nod, tears welling up in my eyes. I blink them away. "She was alive in the photos. But she looked…scared. And there was blood—" I stop, hating the vision it brings to my mind. I force myself to continue, "When I saw those photos, I just…I lost control. My magic…it just exploded out of me. I didn't mean to, but I…I killed him."

"Shit," Kara whispers. "Holy shit!" She looks up at me. "Where are these photos? Can we see them?"

I shake my head, gnawing on my lip. "They…they disappeared with Darick's phone when he…when he turned to ash."

Mom slumps back into her chair. "Our Mia…she might be alive?" Her voice trembles.

Dad rushes to her side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. But his eyes are fixed on me, flaring with a mix of emotions I can't quite decipher. "Rowan, what exactly was Darick's connection to Mia? How did he get those photos? Was he involved in her disappearance?"

The questions come rapid-fire, but I don't have answers. How can I explain something I don't understand myself?

"I…I don't know," I stammer, feeling utterly helpless. "We never talked about Mia. I had no idea he might actually be involved until I saw those photos."

Dad's jaw clenches, frustration evident in every line of his face. "But surely you must have suspected something? Why else would you be…involved with a vampire?"

Before I can respond, Gran interjects. "Lake," she says, her voice firm but gentle, "I think we need to take a step back and look at this situation more carefully." She turns to address the whole room, her eyes lingering on each of us in turn. "Rowan's connection to Darick Drake was unusual, to say the least. It wasn't just a simple attraction or a foolish dalliance."

I flinch as she says this. Right now, I'm feeling more than foolish. I feel like a traitor to my own kind. But I need them to know that there was more to it. "He gave me magic," I blurt. All eyes turn to me. "I told him he could…could drink from me because my magic was stronger afterward."

At the mention of him drinking from me, Mom makes a little sound of distress.

"I'm sorry, Mom," I try to keep my voice steady. "I did it because I wanted to find Mia. I wanted to make the circle stronger."

"Oh, Rowan." She sighs out the words.

Dad's face is still hard, though. "This proves it," he says, his voice tense. "The vampires were behind Mia's abduction all along. We need to take this information to the Conclave immediately."

My stomach twists into knots at the thought of facing them, though I know I must. "You're right," I acknowledge. I should have known there'd be consequences for my actions. Now, it's time to deal with them.

Dad's pacing the room with nervous energy. "We can't waste any more time. Every moment we delay could put Mia in more danger."

I feel the weight of everyone's eyes on me. But all I can think about is Darick's face in those final moments – the shock, the pain, the betrayal. But now, something else has just occurred to me.

I may have destroyed our only lead to finding Mia.

"I think I may have made a mistake," I say cautiously.

Dad whirls to face me. "You think? " he barks, then scoffs. "When did that occur to you? Before or after you had him in your bed?"

"Lake!" Mom's voice is sharp.

"I shouldn't have killed him," I say. "I shouldn't have lost control."

Dad's expression is incredulous. "Killing him is probably the only part of this thing that makes any sense, Rowan. Drake took her!"

I shake my head, frustration and guilt waging war inside me. "But what if he had information? He could have helped us."

It's probably something I should have thought of before I turned him into a pile of dust.

"What?" Dad scoffs. "Helped us? You're talking about a vampire, dammit. Rowan, wake up!"

I watch as Kara's eyes dart between Dad and me. She takes a deep breath, and I brace myself for whatever she's about to say.

"Dad, wait," Kara interjects. "Rowan might have a point. We don't know how Darick got those photos. What if…what if he could have helped? This could have been our chance to find Mia."

Our first chance in a year. Maybe our only chance…

By killing Darick, I might have destroyed any hope we had of finding my sister. I sink back onto the couch, my head in my hands.

"Oh God," I whisper. "What have I done?"

Gran is beside me in an instant, her touch comforting but doing little to ease the crushing weight of my guilt.

"Rowan, dear," she says softly, "don't blame yourself. You were acting on instinct, protecting yourself and your family. Any of us would have done the same in your position."

I look up at her, tears stinging my eyes. "But what if he was our only lead? What if we never find Mia because of me?"

Dad scoffs, his face twisted with disbelief. "You're all crazy if you think we could ever trust a vampire," he spits out. "Rowan, I still need to know more about your…relationship with this Darick. How long has this been going on? What exactly—"

"Lake," Mom interrupts again. "Now isn't the time for this."

I glance at Mom, expecting to see understanding in her eyes. Instead, I catch a flicker of disappointment before she masks it with concern. It's subtle, but it's there, and it cuts deep.

"I'm sorry," I whisper, my voice cracking. "I should never have gotten close to him. I betrayed all of you; I know that now. I just…I wanted so badly to be useful, to find Mia, to be a real witch…a real Blackwood."

"He gave you magic…" Kara's voice is contemplative. "That's why you were suddenly more powerful."

I nod, fighting that familiar feeling of failure. Everyone else in my family was born with it. Me? I had to resort to feeding a vampire.

It makes me feel ill. Because beneath it all, I-

I enjoyed it.

No! I clench my hands into fists to the point that my fingernails bite through my skin. The time for self-recrimination is over.

"I thought I was doing the right thing," I say. "I just…" My throat works as I swallow hard. "I just missed her so much. And when the Circles kept failing because I couldn't keep the link strong, it felt like…it felt like I was the reason she was still out there. Afraid. Suffering."

"No, Rowan!" Mom's eyes are wide, filled with hurt. "No, that could never be your fault."

"I know, Mom. But it felt that way. So when I thought I'd found a way to bring her home, I jumped at it. I know that was a mistake." I gnaw on my lip. "I'm so sorry."

Dad's shoulders sag a little. "Ro-Ro…" He sighs, then rubs his forehead. "What are we going to do with you, my angel?"

I give a little shake of my head. "We'll worry about that later. Right now, I think we should be looking at ways to find Mia. We know she's alive…and I have magic, Dad! Strong magic." I think of the surge of power that swept from me, the flames surrounding Darick. It's sickening, but I can't deny the strength I felt at that moment.

Dad frowns. "First, we have to share this information with the Conclave. They have to be advised before it reaches the vampires. They may think this was some sort of revenge attack and retaliate."

I stare at him, aghast. The last thing I want to do is spark a war.

"I'm with Rowan on this," Kara interjects. "We need to find Mia. We can't just—"

"It would be foolish to think we could go out after her on our own when we don't know what we're up against," Mom interrupts. "Lake, you're right. We must reach out to the coven leaders."

"But, Mom—" Kara begins, but Dad drowns out her voice is drowned.

"Your mother and I need to step in here," he says firmly. "We've all seen what happens when things get out of control." He gives me a pointed look.

"I don't think that's fair," I object. "If I'd known—"

"Rowan—" Mom starts.

Suddenly, Gran's voice cuts through the noise, silencing everyone. "Enough," she says. "The Conclave must be informed, yes. But there's more at play here than meets the eye."

I look up, startled by the gravity in her voice.

"There are ancient forces at work," Gran continues, her eyes sweeping across the room. "This connection between Rowan and Darick, Mia's abduction…they might be more intertwined than we realize."

The room falls silent, everyone stunned by Gran's words. I frown. What does she mean by "ancient forces"?

After a moment, Dad clears his throat. "You're right, Mother. We need to approach this carefully. We'll go to the Conclave, but we'll also consider how this impacts our family."

As everyone nods in agreement, I feel a strange combination of emotions churning inside me. Determination to find Mia burns bright, but it's tempered by a creeping dread at the thought of facing the consequences of my actions. When I see Gran reaching for her phone to make the call that will gather the leaders of the covens, I feel sick to my stomach. I look away as she speaks into the phone.

"It's done," she says after a brief conversation spoken in hushed, urgent tones. "They'll see us immediately. Seraphina is gathering the others at once."

Time to face the music.

I steel myself as we start preparing to leave for the Conclave meeting. As I grab my jacket, Kara pulls me aside, her eyes intense.

"We're going to find her, Ro," she whispers, squeezing my arm. "And I want to know everything about this connection with Darick. I have a feeling it's important."

I nod, grateful for her support despite everything. As we head out the door, Gran catches my eye, giving me a significant look that hints at revelations to come. I swallow hard, wondering what secrets she's keeping.