Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Nova

I break the seal with shaky hands, slide the letter out and take a deep breath before I begin reading it aloud.

Nova-Scotia,

You need to run.

He knows I am after him and he has your mother!

You are not safe, my dear, and need to flee before he returns. I will come to you as soon as I can and explain everything.

Forgive me for not protecting her, I had a choice to make.

She forced me to make it. When all is revealed you will know who you are.

Run, my sweet girl.

“My mom,” I choke out as I flick my gaze to Waylen. I unlock the car and climb inside, finding my phone in the console and immediately dial my mom. It rings so many times I fear she won’t pick up until she does.

“Oh my God, Mom. I have been so worried?—.”

“Your mother isn’t in right now, Nova.” I sit ramrod straight in my chair at the sound of Thomas’ voice. It doesn’t hold that kind edge to it anymore, he sounds almost sinister. Waylen lays his hand on top of my shoulder offering me his silent support. He shoots me a look, encouraging me to play along and not make a scene.

“O-oh, hi, Thomas.”

“Hello, dear. Your mother is occupied at the moment. I shall endeavor to get her to return your call when she can.”

I take a deep breath. “What time do you and Mom get in tomorrow?”

“Oh, she didn’t tell you? She hasn’t been feeling like herself lately and has chosen to spend a few extra days here relaxing. I am leaving shortly to head home.” I open my mouth to protest but he pushes on. “You and I shall have a chat when I return home, I don’t like people snooping through my things, Nova, and I definitely don’t like unwanted guests visiting my home in the middle of the night.” My blood turns to ice in my veins, but before anything more can be said he ends the call. I turn to Waylen with wide, fear-filled eyes.

“He knows.”

“What?”

I reach out and grip his arms. “Waylen, he knows about my finding the file and searching the house. He knows about my masked man.”

“Your masked man?”

I ignore his questions. I start the car and take off toward the cemetery. I hope my hunch is right about where I find the Filthy Few because now more than ever I need their help and it just turns out that two horns is in as much shit as I am. Thomas must have cameras in the house. My stomach churns at the knowledge that he has seen me naked and being fucked. I want to hurl but I force myself to swallow the bile and drive faster, I know my mom is in danger. I felt it earlier but brushed off the feeling, thinking I was being a baby but it turns out, my gut was right all along.

The moment I park the car in the empty lot and we step out, I get the eerie sense we are being watched. A shudder rolls through me as I spin around and take in my surroundings. When I see nothing, I reach into the side of my door and pull the card out. Waylen comes to my side and turns on his phone's torch so I can read the inscription on the note two horns left me the first night he broke into my room.

Where they rest for eternal life is where a favor is asked.

The stone with the head is where you will be led.

Be certain of the favor you ask, we will not offer a second.

The debt will be collected when the favor is complete.

A favor asked is a debt owed.

“The stone with the head,” I mutter as I look around trying to find said stone.

“Ah, Nova.” I look to Waylen to see his gaze is focused across to the other side of the cemetery. I see four little lanterns that are clearly lighting a path. I swallow audibly and nod, toss the card back in the car and interlace my fingers with Waylen’s as we cross the lot.

I can hear a freaking owl hooting in the trees and it only adds to my escalating fear. I don’t like being here at night but something tells me if I came during the day I wouldn’t find who I was looking for. Waylen’s hold on my hand tightens as we near the first lantern, I can feel how clammy my hand is in his but he says nothing. I look around at the headstones and sadness washes over me at the sight of them, they are covered in moss and look weathered. Clearly their loved ones have forgotten about them and left them in their past.

When we reach the third lantern my heart begins to pound inside my chest, I can see the fourth lantern in the distance but it stands alone. As we draw near I dart my gaze around looking for any sign of life. Waylen pulls me to a stop and angles his body slightly in front of mine to shield me from something or someone. I peer around his shoulder, standing at the edge of the woods are four masked men not three like I expected. The newcomer's mask is brown and unlike the others who have horns on their masks this one doesn’t, but it doesn’t diminish the vicious look he exudes.

My attention is pulled to two horns when he shifts, taking a single step forward, showing he’s the ringleader of this crew. I run my gaze over him and I can tell from the way he is standing with his fists clenched at his sides that he doesn’t like how Waylen is hiding me from him, so I shift forward and stand beside him.

“The path has been followed, your favor may be asked,” the guy with the right horn says as he comes to stand beside two horns. I dart my gaze between the two of them, something doesn’t feel right. I can’t explain what it is but something in the pit of my stomach is telling me that if I do this, my life is going to change forever and I don’t know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

“Before anything happens I want assurances?—”

Two horns speaks cutting Waylen off. “You do not speak!” he roars. I reel back in fright. Waylen wraps his arm around my shoulders and draws me into his side, the move sparks something inside two horns. He stalks toward us but before he can get to us, the other three hold him back.

“Enough!” no horns shouts, silencing everyone. My heart is thudding in my chest and I’m struggling to control myself. Part of me wants to run but the other part, the dark sinister part of me wants to run to two horns and promise that Waylen and I are just friends and this isn’t what it looks like. I can tell that his friends have no idea that he and I have been fucking and it’s easy to see that if they knew, this little meeting wouldn’t be happening. “A favor asked is a debt owed.”

“I know,” I whisper.

“The debt must be paid in full,” Left horn emphasizes.

I nod then exhale. “I understand.”

“The favor is granted no matter the sacrifice. When the favor is complete you will pay the debt,” no horns says, eyeing me with disdain.

“What is the debt?” Waylen asks. All four of them turn their attention to my best friend, a sudden urge to protect him spurs me into action. I dart in front of him and look directly at two horns, imploring him with my eyes to believe me.

“I will pay the price and repay the debt in full when my favor is complete but no harm is to come to my friend, okay?” The four of them share a look. Three of them grunt their agreement but two horns doesn’t move or even says a word. Resigned to my fate and knowing I have no other choice, I need to find my mom and figure out who the fuck I am and what Thomas is up to.

“Ask your favor,” two horns demands.

I dart my tongue out to moisten my lips and try to word this as best as I can because what I have to ask is more than a single favor. I decide to be honest and pray that they can help me, if not, I am royally fucked. The thought of not being able to get my mom back scares me beyond belief. If anything was to happen to her… I don’t know what I would do. I know without needing it to be confirmed that my mom is in danger because of me, it’s not a coincidence that from the moment I moved here that I have been getting letters from a long lost relative and these masked men have been hunting me

“Can you guarantee that what I am about to ask is going to be something you can achieve?” The four of them shake their heads and in unison they come toward us, leaving a foot of space between us and them. I feel so small and insignificant in front of these guys. To Waylen’s credit, he doesn’t back down or cower away.

“No favor asked is too much,” right horn answers.

“A favor asked is a debt owed,” no horns adds.

“We don’t play by the normal rules others do, your favor will be granted in full,” left horn says, even with the voice distorters I can feel the conviction in each of their vows.

“Ask your favor,” Two horns grits out.

“I need you to help me find my mom and take down Thomas Valerian.” For a moment no one speaks, not a sound is made except for the wildlife in the wood. I begin to gnaw on my bottom lip, worried that they are going to deny me.

“What is the reason for this favor?” right horn asks.

“Is that a requirement that you must know the reason?” Waylen volleys back. When two horns attempts to step forward, I place my hand flat against his chest, halting his movements. I can feel the gazes of his three friends on us but ignore them as I focus on him. I lift my head and meet his angry gaze, the blue of his eyes is shrouded in darkness.

“Thomas has taken my mother out of town. He called me earlier and said she wasn’t coming home with him and Nexus.” He cocks his head to the side, not picking up what I’m putting down so I push on. “He knows I have been snooping through the house and he also knows… I have a guest every night.” At my declaration I see his eyes narrow into slits.

“Why were you snooping through his house?” no horns asks.

I keep my gaze on two horns as I answer. “I’ve been getting letters from a relative I didn’t know existed. I found proof that Thomas is a part of something called Haven Saints and I think… I think he covered up the deaths of my friend’s parents.”

Everything happens so fast I don’t have time to prepare for what is happening, one second we are standing there and in the next two of the masked guys rush Waylen and tackle him to the ground, then two horns has a hand around my throat and I’m slammed against the tombstone hard enough to knock the air out of my lungs as he and right horn get in my face. I’m trying to drag in air but failing thanks to the grip he has on me. I spy Waylen out of the corner of my eye struggling to fight off the two who are pinning him to the ground. I scream out as no horns punches him in the face knocking him out.

“Stop!” I scream.

“Shut the fuck up, witch, and answer me!” I shake my head and stare back at two horns with tears trailing down my cheeks. Through the haze of everything I must have missed his question so he asks again, “What proof do you have?”

My fighter instincts kick in replacing the fear I felt. “Tell me something, lover , why would you care so much about the deaths of Virgil Hatchett and Edmund Tempest?” I don’t wait for a response, I strike out and smack the mask from his face and instantly a sob tears free of me at the sight before me. Betrayal stings like a bitch, a part of me I guess always knew deep down but seeing it and knowing my suspicions were real are different.