Chapter 8

Carrow

The ether spun me through space. My stomach heaved, a byproduct of the ride and the nerves that raced through me.

Please let us be in time.

I couldn't bear for there to be another abduction. And not another one of the hilarious, spunky witches who were my new friends.

The ether spit us out into the cool night air at the edge of the Witches' Guild square. It was the closest I could get, and the abandoned, weed-filled space separated us from the crazy Witches' Guild tower. The abandoned shops were silent at our back, and the moon rose high behind the tower where the witches lived.

The square structure was built of wood and beige plaster, with dark oak staircases winding around the exterior. It leaned slightly to the left, with a pointed roof that looked like a witch's hat. Green smoke belched from the many chimneys. Magic sparked all around, but my gaze was drawn to the great blue bonfire rising from an old stone well at the side of the property.

A woman danced around it, her pale limbs gleaming in the moonlight. Dark feathers decorated her body, and midnight smoke snaked around her ankles. She chanted something that I couldn't hear.

"It's Coraline," Mac said. She began to scream Coraline's name, but the witch clearly didn't hear her. She just kept dancing and chanting, in some kind of trance. "Why the hell is she outside alone with kidnappings going on?"

"The witches had no reason to think they'd be targeted twice."

From behind, I heard Eve's voice. She was shouting frantically, and I turned, spotting my Fae friend flying low to the ground, yelling into a cell phone.

She was still trying to contact the witches.

I spun back to Coraline and sprinted toward her, Grey and Mac at my side. From behind, I could hear a voice shriek out of the cell phone that Eve still held.

The witches knew.

At that moment, the main door burst open and four witches spilled out onto the landing. Mary, along with two that I didn't recognize. They sprinted down the rickety, winding staircase that led to the ground.

Just as they reached it, a man appeared right out of thin air, only fifteen feet from Coraline.

We were still eighty feet away, and the witches weren't much closer.

Coraline, still in the grip of a magical trance that had turned her eyes into inky pools of midnight that I could see even from this distance, didn't even notice him. He grabbed her from behind, and she shrieked.

The bonfire died immediately, as if her magic had been severed.

"Electo liquernum," Mary shouted, her voice carrying over the sound of Coraline's scream. She waved her hand, and sparkling water surged up from the well. It slammed into the kidnapper, nearly driving him away from Coraline.

She stumbled backward, breaking his grip on her arm, but he flung out his hand and the water splashed back into the well. He reached for Coraline, but Eve's lightning slammed into him.

He barely even flinched, instead reaching out and grabbing Coraline before she could run away. He yanked her to him, pulling her against his chest as he reached for his pocket.

No.

We couldn't let him get to his second transport charm.

Beside me, silver flashed as Mac hurled a dagger at him. The blade struck him in the arm that reached for his pocket, and he howled, spinning backward.

We were almost to him. Only thirty feet away. Grey, with his incredible speed, was even closer.

The kidnapper didn't even bother to remove the steel that lodged in his flesh. Instead, he raised his impaled arm and waved it, dark magic flashing on the air. It smelled of sewage and crawled across my skin like spiders.

Thousands of knives appeared in the air, floating between us and him. The blades pointed toward us, glinting evilly in the moonlight.

One of the witches shrieked her rage. They were nearly to their sister, but the blades stood in their way. The witch on the far left—one that I didn't recognize—waved her hand and conjured a tornado. The other witches raised their hands and directed their magic toward the whirling wind, helping their coven member.

The tornado tore through the blades, sucking them up and pulling them away.

Grey was nearly there. He made his move, sprinting toward the kidnapper, who was once again reaching for his pocket. He grabbed the man by the arm and tore him away from Coraline, who stumbled forward. She appeared dazed, as if the kidnapper's touch had addled her mind and magic.

I reached her, grabbing her to pull her farther away.

The kidnapper roared, a massive burst of magic exploding out from him. Grey was blasted backward, thrown fifteen feet across the lawn. The blast slammed into me as well, nearly pulverizing my insides.

I almost went to my knees, but managed to keep my grip on Coraline, who almost seemed sedated by the villain's touch.

The bastard surged for us, and I shoved him back hard.

The contact blasted through me, sending an image into my mind, burning it behind my eyes.

A twisted serpent design, ornate and unfamiliar.

Crimson red filled my vision, along with the screams and shouts of war. The smell of blood. The taste of dirt.

The kidnapper reached for us again, slamming a hand into me that felt like touching a live wire. Electric shock blasted me backward, my vision temporarily blind. Panic flared as I lost my grip on Coraline and flew through the air, slamming into the ground.

One quick shriek sounded, and I scrambled upright, my vision still bleary. Through hazy eyes, I caught sight of Coraline disappearing into a cloud of orange smoke, her witch sisters only inches away from grabbing her.

Shit.

The orange cloud disappeared entirely, and I ran for it, desperate to get a hint of where the bastard had taken my friend.

I plowed through the line of confused witches, stumbling to a halt in the space where the cloud had just been. I used all of my magic to try to get an idea of where they'd gone, but nothing came.

It was as if they'd never been there at all.

My heart thundered in my ears, and adrenaline weakened my knees.

"We're too late." My words escaped on a whisper.

"What the hell just happened?" Mary demanded, her pink hair flowing in waves down her back. Ire flashed in her magenta eyes. "Did you know there would be a second abduction?"

"No." Horror turned my stomach. "Not until just five minutes ago." Damn, this guilt burned. We should have been quicker at the casino. If only I'd won my hands a little faster. If only we'd avoided the bar all together.

Mary waved her hands. "More details, Sherlock. Because we've been trying to find Beth and have had no luck."

"We haven't figured out where she is yet," I said.

"Well, figure it out faster," Mary snapped.

"Rudeness is not necessary." Grey stepped between me and the witches, his posture protective. "Carrow is doing everything she can to help your friend and the other victims. You should be thanking her, not criticizing."

I pressed a hand to his back. "It's all right."

"It's not." His voice was firm and restrained, as if he were holding himself back for my sake.

The witches glowered at him, but they nodded.

"Come." Mary waved a hand for us to follow her into the Witches' Guild tower. "Let's go inside and discuss this. I want to know what you've found."

"Of course." I nodded.

"Are they going to kill her?" Mary asked. "Have you learned that, at least?"

"I don't think so. Not yet. Not soon." God, it was all so confusing. "Not until they've accomplished their goal, at least."

"Which is?" Mary asked.

"Inside," Grey reminded.

"Yeah, yeah." Mary hurried toward the tower, racing up the rickety steps toward the main door.

We followed, and I shot Grey a grateful look. He was carefully looking ahead, not making eye contact with me, which was for the best.

Jeeves, the staid butler, waited for us at the door. His expression was bland, and his lips pursed as we walked by him. Normally, he might make a snide comment to Mac about not thieving, but he was able to read the room and kept his mouth shut this time.

Mary led us down the narrow, dark hallway toward a room I'd never entered. The entire place was a jungle. As soon as I stepped in, the air grew more humid. Crickets sang through the dim space, their chorus nearly deafening.

In front of me, Mary's shoulders seemed to relax.

The plant-filled room was clearly her happy place, though I had a hard time understanding why.

The plants that covered the walls all had fangs. They were like crazy magical versions of Venus Fly Traps, or something out of that old movie, the Little Shop of Horrors.

Two massive couches filled the space, facing each other but separated by a dark, gleaming pool of water. A glass table sat over the pool, giving a clear view of the frogs that sat on the huge lily pads.

In the corner, an enormous alligator yawned.

Mary threw herself onto the couch, gripping the bridge of her nose with one hand. "We've had no luck tracking Beth. Tell me you've found something."

The other witches joined her on the same couch, and my group took the one that faced them. Grey stayed standing, leaving room for Mac, Eve, and myself. There was technically room for him, but I could tell he was trying to maintain his distance.

It was the only smart thing, even though I wanted to be near him. It was a terrible idea, and our bond was broken, yet the desire was strong.

I leaned forward. "We've learned that the kidnappers have taken people with specific magical skills. So they must want them for something, and until that thing is done, they must be alive."

"Them?" Mary asked. "How many?"

I leaned toward the witches. "There have been four kidnappings in Guild City recently. Five, with Coraline."

"What?" Shock flashed in Mary's eyes. "That's more than we thought."

As I told them everything we'd learned from Anton, more witches piled into the room. They perched on windowsills and leaned against the walls as the flesh-eating plants stroked their hair. Over a dozen of them sat around the pond, their eyes riveted on me.

"Anton the Deceiver?" Mary nearly spit on the name. "That bastard."

"He's not the one behind it all," I said. "But we don't know who is."

"Whoever it is, he's going after supernaturals with particular gifts, right?" Mary asked.

"And there's a symbol connected to him," I said, only now remembering the image that had blasted into my head when I'd shoved the kidnapper. "Could I have pen and paper, please?"

"Sure." Mary waved a hand. As if he'd been hovering nearby with the supplies at the ready, Jeeves appeared.

He handed me parchment and old pen, and I leaned down and sketched out the design on the paper. My hand shook as I remembered the flashing red that had flared in my mind. It had been the exact shade of blood, and the sounds had been those of war.

I'd seen the same thing in the alley where Beth had been abducted. It had to do with the kidnappings—somehow linking me to them—but I had no idea how.

I forced my mind back on the symbol I'd seen. It came easily from memory, the lines flowing from my mind to my hand. Soon, the scrolled image was sketched out, the snakes twisting around each other in a complicated knot.

I held it up and showed the witches. "Does anyone recognize this?"

Everyone shook their head, and I frowned, looking between Mac, Eve, and Grey. None of them said anything, and I turned back to Mary.

"You should go to Seraphia's library. She might have something for you," she said. "In the meantime, we're going to work on tracking charms. No way in hell we're letting that bastard keep Beth and Coraline."

"We'll get them back," I promised.

"Keep us updated," Mary said. "We'll work on this from our end, and you go at it from yours. Any leads and we let each other know."

I nodded and stood. My friends joined me, and we left the witches' creepy room, dodging the women crowding the floor. Half of them glared at us, as if we'd been the ones to abduct Beth and Coraline. I ignored them. It wasn't that different than Police College, honestly.

The night was cool and dark as we stepped out onto the rickety stairs that led to the ground. Moonlight illuminated the weedy yard and the well where Coraline had been dancing.

"It all happened so fast," I murmured.

"Anton has powerful employees," Grey said. "Though that was unusual. Whoever is hiring him is paying a pretty penny to get that kind of service."

"I've never seen anything like it," Eve said as she typed into her phone. She caught sight of my questioning glance. "Calling Seraphia and seeing if she can let us into the library right now."

The phone rang, the tinny sound echoing across the night as we descended the rickety stairs. It went straight to voice mail—the pre-recorded option, not a personalized one by Seraphia.

Eve tried four more times on the way home, but the librarian never picked up.

"That's strange," Eve said. "Seraphia and I have been hanging out quite a bit lately, and she always picks up."

"Even at this hour?" I asked, noticing that the Devil was walking alongside us, his phone pressed to his ear.

Eve nodded. "I called once about this infomercial I thought she'd like. It was hilarious. She picked up at 2am."

"Do you think she's okay?" Worry echoed in Mac's voice. "She hasn't been abducted, has she?"

I nodded. "Doubtful. Anton would have told us if there was a job out for her."

"Unless it was just hired," Eve said.

"It's only been thirty minutes since we saw him last. He couldn't coordinate that quickly, not when his Concetta in Guild City needs to find him a suitable target," the Devil said.

"We'll try tomorrow morning. We need sleep anyway. Just a bit." Surprise flickered through me when I realized that we had already reached my street. I looked at Grey. "Your place is that way."

He nodded. "Just wanted to make sure there was no trouble on the way back."

"Thanks." I studiously kept my gaze on my green door instead of on him. The savory scent of kebabs wafted from the shop next door, and my stomach grumbled.

As if he'd read my mind, Berat stepped out of the shop, a pile of takeout containers in his hands. He raised them and smiled at us.

I stopped in front of him. "What's all this? We didn't place an order."

Berat nodded at Grey. "The Devil did."

"You sure eat a lot," Mac said.

The smallest smile quirked the corner of Grey's mouth. "It's for you. It's been a long day."

Holy crap, he had gotten me food.

"There's one for Cordelia as well," he said.

As soon as her name was called, the raccoon appeared, her masked gaze riveted to the stack of glass takeout containers. A toothy grin stretched across her face.

"You can't do things like that," I blurted.

His gaze flicked to mine. So did everyone else's.

Heat flooded my cheeks. "I mean, we're supposed to maintain our distance." And doing thoughtful things like making sure I have dinner is a surefire way to get me to fall even harder for you.

I didn't say the last bit, though.

"Of course." His voice was slightly stiff, but there was a knowing gleam in his dark eyes. He stepped backward, clearly about to head home. "I am going to set spies on Anton's casino. And I'll search for his contact here—the one who finds the kidnapping victims. I will alert you if I learn anything new."

"Thank you."

He turned and walked away, his huge form graceful as he strode down the street. The moonlight gleamed around him, making him appear otherworldly. Something pinched in my chest as I watched him walk away, and I turned to Berat.

He handed over the containers, and I took them. "Thank you."

He nodded, his eyes dark with confusion, then disappeared back into the restaurant, which appeared to be closed. Of course it was closed at this late hour, but nothing was really closed if Grey wanted something.

Silently, our group walked up the stairs to my flat. Normally, Cordelia would be literally jumping with joy at the sight of the kebabs, all but climbing my legs.

Even she was silent.

I walked into my flat and handed out the food.

Mac took it but didn't open it. Instead, she just stared at me. "I don't think your bond is really broken."

I sighed. "It is. I can feel it. I swear to God, it was like a wire snapped. It is broken."

"But there's still something between you," she said.

"I care for him. Like, really care for him. It's emotions, not some magical bond."

"And he cares for you," Eve said.

"Yeah." The word rushed out of me, and I collapsed on the couch. "I think we were maybe a bit too late in breaking the bond."

"You'll just have to stay away from each other," Mac said.

"You're right." I leaned my head back on the couch. "I'm not in love with him or anything. It's just that I like him. And I can't help it."

"Well, try," Mac said. "Because your lives depend on it."

* * *

That night, I dreamed. Maybe it was the kebabs that I'd scarfed down, or maybe it was the fact that I'd seen Grey right before bed.

But I couldn't help it.

He appeared in my dreams, tall and strong, and so very present.

So present that it almost didn't feel like a dream at all. I was in my bed, just like in the real world. It was his presence I felt first, powerful and comforting. I opened my eyes, spotting him on the other side of the room, standing in the doorway.

His posture was hesitant, his expression unsure.

I sat upright, dragging the quilt over my ratty old T-shirt. It was one of Beatrix's that I'd never let go of, but it was in such bad shape I only wore it to bed.

The moonlight cut through the windows, gleaming pale white on his face and bare chest. He wore only a pair of sleep pants, a dark silky material that hung low on his hips, giving the most perfect view of the muscles that arrowed downward. Despite his massive size and ridiculously sculpted body, the light almost made him appear angelic, which was insane for a man rightfully called The Devil.

"Are you really here?" I asked.

"I'm not sure." He raised his hand, inspecting it curiously. "I was just in my bed."

Had I really conjured him? Or was this just the best dream ever?

He looked so amazing standing in the moonlight that I wanted to believe I was dreaming. Of course I was dreaming. It was insane to think otherwise. I didn't have that kind of power.

And all I wanted in the world was him.

I beckoned to him, determined to enjoy the dream for all it was worth. It would be gone in the morning, and all I would have was memories. Memories of an act that had never happened—not truly, at least—but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy it. Anyway, Dream Me didn't need to be totally rational and wise.