Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

W e exited the store and got into the SUV as Cass got a text on her phone. "Shit."

"What is it?"

"Dimitri is riling the natives. The clan is losing confidence in Rene. A blind man can see he will be incapacitated soon. Val isn't sure it is safe to treat him at the mansion."

I swore under my breath. "There is a small stove in the store. Let me... ask Deanna to leave, and I will prepare the antidote here. Can you make arrangements to have Rene brought here while I tell Deanna she is lending me the store for an hour? Just come a minute or two after she leaves."

Cass nodded. "That works. Get rid of your ex-partner. I may lose my shit if I confront her."

The interior light flashed on as I opened the door. "I figured."

The door slammed shut before I returned to the store with my supplies. The door chimed as I entered, and Deanna rushed to the front.

"Do you need something else?" she asked.

"Yeah. The store. You will give me an hour alone to make what I need, and I will lock up when I am done."

She looked like she wanted to argue, but her fingers moved to the black apron with the logo for Powerful Petals on the front. "Of course. I am almost done with the arrangements. I can grab a coffee and a bagel before I come back."

There was a small pang of regret as she mentioned the coffee. We had been getting that same breakfast order for over fifteen years. "Good idea."

Deanna put her apron on the counter and left through the front door as I made my way to the back. We used the stove for cooking our own meals, mostly. It was old, but it worked, and I put a silver pot on the burner before placing all the ingredients I would need on the small counter beside it.

I was so engrossed in my work I barely noticed the click of the back door and I didn't look up as a figure joined me in the room. "Are they on their way?"

In the quiet haven of my former flower shop, I continued the delicate dance of blending herbs for an antidote. Every additive gave me a sense of purpose with the goal of saving Rene and preventing a war. The earthy aroma of potted plants and recent blooms centered me and reminded me of the countless hours I had spent in this oasis. With the fragrant promise of healing, my fingers worked deftly to create the life-saving antidote.

I was about to turn and find out why Cass hadn't answered me when an unexpected jolt ripped into my neck. The sharp sting shattered my tranquil resolve as my hand flew to the source of the pain. I blinked as my fingers closed around a tiny, barbed object. I pulled it out, as confusion and shock replaced my bubble of tranquility.

Panic bloomed in my chest as I stumbled back with a wildfire of emotions coursing through me. This pain was unlike anything I had experienced before. It was like a thunderbolt into my bloodstream and my vision wavered before I grabbed the corner of the table we used to create our arrangements at the store. Who did this to me?

My eyes lifted, before my gaze locked onto a man I had never seen before. While he was a stranger, I recognized his black military gear. He had once been a PSO officer, but had agreed to work for Brigid. Obviously, he wasn't part of the attack back at the mansion, but that spiteful witch seemed to have an army at her disposal, and it was clear who her main target was. His aura radiated danger, a stark contrast to the delicate flowers surrounding me. I understood his motives, but I needed to stay alive long enough to help Rene. Cass was coming. I just had to hold on.

The searing pain in my neck was moving through my bloodstream, a pulsating reminder that I had let down my guard. I clenched my fists, willing myself to stay strong in the force of the odds against me.

The antidote I was crafting was all but forgotten, as a fierce resolve took root within me. This man had tried to catch me off guard, but I was no victim. I was powerful, and he was about to understand the consequences of an attack on me.

I raised my hands and called on the well of power coursing through me. Electrified whips of light exploded from my fingers, arcing toward him like tendrils of lightning. He dropped the dart gun and bolted back out the back room door before Cass ran in.

"What happened?" she asked.

I pointed to the dart on the ground. "I think it's Dark Dahlia."

Cass picked up the dart and smelled it. "It is. But there is something else I don't recognize."

I had figured as much, but I hadn't wanted to scare her. Rene was the first priority. He needed to survive. "Is he on his way?"

Cass frowned as she stared at the dart. "Yes. He will be here in a few minutes. Do you need help with the antidote?"

I pointed at the plants on the counter beside the stove. "Put all those in the pot. I want to see if I can purge whatever poison he hit me with."

Cass began to place the petals and leaves I had collected from the shop into the pot as I focused on the fire burning through my blood. I could almost see the dark particles infecting the cells around them and when I realized there was no way to stop the infection, I did the same thing Rene did to stall his death. I slowed my blood flow to the brink of death and my limbs became heavy and my fingertips numb.

It would be difficult to keep my poisoning from Rene for long, but I had to complete the antidote before he found out the truth.

I made my way to the stove as Cass put the last of the ingredients in. "That's good. I am going to do a binding spell to increase potency. This antidote borders on alchemy. The wood chips and various elements go beyond the realm of a mere potion." I touched the handle of the pot and sent a surge of power into the contents. They flickered before returning to a dark brown, warm elixir.

The front door chimed, and Cass sucked in a breath.

"What is it?"

"Constantine," she whispered. There was a whisper of fear, and I knew she feared no man in a fight. Rene's oldest friend scared her on another level, and I turned as he helped Rene into the room.

The overseer was weaker than ever, and Cass helped Constantine place him in the wooden chair in the storeroom.

My gaze moved from Rene's ashen skin to the man helping him get comfortable in the chair.

Constantine's face was stern, as if his anger were barely leashed. His stern angular features held an ageless allure, despite the rugged lines etched into his forehead. The pale- yellow color of his eyes reminded me of a cat and hinted at the countless years he had endured. His chiseled jawline exuded his determination to see Rene returned to his former health, and he dared anyone who opposed his mission with each graceful movement.

He had several weapons clipped to his belt, but my gaze continued to wander back to his eyes.

"Wow," I whispered.

Cass grunted. "Don't gawk. He has an ego the size of Russia as it is."

I held my hand out to him. "I'm Raven. It is a pleasure to meet you. Sorry for... gawking. You have the most unusual eyes I have ever seen. Beautiful though."

Constantine bowed slightly after he pulled his arm from supporting Rene. He shook my hand and glanced at Cassara. "The pleasure is mine, Raven. Do not mind Cassara. She is under the misconception I am here to encroach on her territory."

Cass ran her tongue over an extended fang. "Why are you here?"

Rene crouched. "I asked him to come. There has been a contingency in place for hundreds of years. Constantine and the warriors are it. They will assume control of the clans until a leader they respect is put in power and ensure that none of the clan members go rogue during the reselection process. Their administration is temporary but necessary."

Cass froze. "You will impose military law on the clans?"

Constantine looked her over slowly. "That is the human term for it, yes."

"I'm nobody's bitch, Constantine. Especially yours."

Constantine arched an eyebrow. "I have never sought to be your... boss. The years have made you even more judgmental. I had hoped your time as Rene's personal advisor would soften some of your prejudices."

Cass continued to stir the elixir in the pot as I tramped down the nausea in my stomach. "Is it bubbling yet, Cass?" I asked.

"Just starting to, now."

"Just another minute or two, then. How are you feeling, Rene? Can you push the antidote through your bloodstream? It has to get to all the affected tissue."

Rene nodded, but there were distinct cracks in his ashen skin. "Constantine knows what to do to protect you both. You will stand by his side, Cassara. Promise me."

Cassara's eyes lowered, but I could see the stiffness in her neck as she nodded. "Of course."

I moved to the pot and took over for Cassara. The thickness was like molasses and the exact consistency I needed, so I poured it into a mug from the counter with a picture of a kitten on it.

I passed the mug to Rene. "Drink it while it is warm. It will mix with your blood easier if it doesn't cool."

Rene gulped the liquid down and made a gagging noise. "That is vile."

Cass put her hands on her hips. "Not as vile as death. Don't be such a baby."

Constantine grunted. "You have not changed a bit."

She cocked her head toward him. "Did you honestly think I would?"

Constantine shrugged. "Not really, but I have always enjoyed a challenge."

Rene held up his hand as the rigid limb started to change color. The process wasn't instant, but his true skin color began to emerge in patches, and I assumed the same was happening all over his body.

Constantine stared at the transformation in wonder. "You did it."

I grabbed the edge of the stove when my head began to spin.

Rene stood. "Raven, what is it?"

Cass grabbed the dart from the counter. "She was shot with this before she made the potion. Brigid has many more acolytes than the ones we already arrested."

Rene took the dart from Cassara and smelled it. "Dark Dahlia, Belladonna, and turmeric. This is witch sickness personified. The Dark Dahlia ensures your vampire metabolism can't fight back."

Cass glanced at me. "Witch sickness? What is that?"

Constantine looked like a thundercloud on steroids, but it was nothing compared to the devastation on Rene's face. The warrior rubbed his chin.

"Vampires were restricted from creating this poison after the accords. It has fallen out of disuse. Few even know this exists or how to make it."

Cass grabbed my arm. "I thought you were going to purge it. Why are you still sick?"

"The combination is a death sentence. She may have been able to purge one of the poisons, but turmeric is a natural blood thinner and reduces the potency of her magic while the poisons kill her."

Cass glanced between the men and me. I knew what she would ask and the answer. "Fix it."

Rene ran his hand through his hair. He was returning to his handsome self by the second. "There is no cure for witch sickness. I cannot believe Brigid would use such a potion. It almost destroyed the coven in ancient times."

Cassara grabbed her chest as if her heart was about to explode. "No. We can't lose her. She is a vampire, too. Why isn't she bouncing back?"

Constantine stared at me. "She is empowered. Vampire or not, she cannot change what she is."

Cass shook her head. "There has to be a way. She found a cure for you. We have to find one for her."

Constantine's eyes flickered. "There is no cure. Her only chance is to bond with Rene and take his blood. This is a choice only she can make. Once he has purged the compound from his blood, and if she agrees, we should prepare. The full moon is tomorrow night. She must stay alive until we can bind them.

Rene stepped up to me, and I allowed him to support my weight. "Bond with me, Raven, do not condemn me to an eternity alone. I beg you to hold on. Just one day of pain and I promise to make every day after, worth it."