Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21

P aige's eyes went wide as she spotted men with weapons pressing toward them from all sides, and Ivy, her hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips, standing on the path from the house.

"Oh, great." Paige searched for an escape route.

Devon raised his hands in the air. Dewey tried to dart into the tree, but one of the men discharged his weapon. A net shot from it and entangled the tiny dragon. He fought to free himself, but the man reeled him in with a harsh chuckle.

"Find Turner!" Ivy shouted.

"Fat chance. I'm invisible, bi–" Paige began when someone bumped into her. She slammed her heel down on his instep before darting away.

"Find her!" Ivy shouted. "She's using some form of cloaking!"

The men whipped glasses from their belts and donned them.

"Run, Paige! Get out of here and get help!" Devon yelled, earning him a crack on the head with the butt of a pistol.

"No, she isn't," Dewey snarked. "She's accidentally invisible thanks to a serum I made. We have no idea how to reverse it, so she may just be invisible forever and your stupid little glasses won't work."

"Gag the dragon," Ivy groaned, "and find Paige Turner. When you do, bring her to me. Put Devon in the isolation cell until he comes to his senses."

Paige scrambled further from the fray as the men swept their gazes around the lawn. Two of the thugs wrangled Dewey and Devon back toward the mansion.

Her heart pounded as one of the men looked directly at her. She stumbled back a step before he shifted his gaze. He hadn't been able to see her. Even with his spectacles, she'd remained invisible.

She sprinted across the lawn away from them and crouched behind a row of hedges. She needed a minute to think. What should she do?

Should she get as far away from the mansion as she could and seek help? Or should she stay and try to free her friends?

Paige shifted her weight from foot to foot as she parsed through the options. What could she do alone?

She took a step toward the open gate leading to a long, winding road. She would get help. She would come back for them.

That was the smart thing to do.

Her stomach flip-flopped as she reached the opening. The men still searched the yard for her with their glasses, still unable to see her.

Coming back into this house would be harder once they'd secured the premises. With half of her security goons out here on the lawn, Paige stood a better chance heading inside now and trying to spring Dewey and Devon.

"What would Drucinda do?" Paige whispered to herself.

She shook her head and balled her hands into fists. Drucinda would never walk away from a fight. And she'd never leave her friends behind.

Paige whirled around and faced the large house looming in front of her. She'd rescue Devon and Dewey. She wasn't leaving this property until they all could.

With a determined stride, Paige bypassed the guards sweeping the lawn and approaching the doors. She glanced over her shoulder before she slipped inside and eased the door closed.

I hope I can find my way back to the dungeon .

She crept down the hall and peered into another. Which way?

Panic set in as hall after hall and door after door all looked alike. Dizzy with disorientation, she ducked into another corridor, then another, then another.

"What would Drucinda do? Not get lost trying to rescue her friends, that's what," Paige murmured. "I'm an idiot. Why did I come back in here?"

Voices sounded from another hall, startling her. She raced toward the nearest door and slipped inside, leaving it open a crack to eye the hallway.

Footsteps thudded toward her along with the click of high heels.

"Ivy," Paige growled with a clenched fist.

The woman swept past her hiding spot as she chattered to the guard. "Find that idiot, Turner. How she manages to continue to elude us is beyond me. But if you don't find her, you will all be looking for new jobs."

Paige wrinkled her nose at the woman's ire.

"Scratch that. You will all be dead at my hand. See that she is found and put her in the dungeon."

"Yes, m'lady. And the dragon and Mr. LeBlanc?"

Paige rolled her eyes at the hierarchical term used for the woman .

"Leave Devon where he is in the isolation tank. He needs time to think about his situation. As for the dragon, put him in the Chamber of Shadows." Ivy cracked her knuckles. "I'm going to rip him apart, scale by scale."

The man bobbed his head before he hurried away to deal with the situation.

Paige's features pinched. Where was the Chamber of Shadows? Maybe she should tail Ivy so she could rescue Dewey before the Venompire tore him to shreds.

She bobbed her head up and down at her own plan as she hurried down the hall toward the pretty blonde.

The woman sashayed her way toward a set of stairs, wrapping her long fingers around the railing as she climbed them.

Paige hurried behind her. Would she be able to tell if she turned visible again? The last thing she needed was a confrontation with Ivy. The woman had nearly killed her the last time they'd met.

She tromped up the stairs behind the vampy Venompire. Before she reached the top, the woman spun around, her eyes searching the space as her perfectly shaped eyebrows pinched together.

Her jaw clenched and her eyes narrowed. Paige froze where she was, afraid to move a muscle. Ivy spun on her heel and continued down the hall. Paige hurried to keep up with her, tiptoeing. Perhaps her footsteps had drawn attention earlier.

She pressed her lips together. That would be just her luck. Despite being invisible, she'd get caught because her footfalls were too heavy.

"Stupid," she murmured under her breath.

Ivy whipped around again, and Paige winced, biting her tongue before she hissed another curse word.

The woman gave a final glance around before she continued on her way, snaking through the halls toward a set of double doors.

She pushed them open with one easy motion and stalked into the room. Paige hurried to follow her through the still-open doors.

Ivy stalked across the room to a decanter of clear liquid and poured herself a large drink. She sipped it as she crossed to an armchair and dropped into it.

A figure appeared at the doors as Ivy licked her lips and set the drink on the side table. Paige recognized the form of Ivy's mother.

"Well?" the woman asked.

Ivy sighed and clicked her tongue. "Paige Turner continues to give us problems."

After pouring herself a drink, the woman slammed the decanter down. "How can that be?"

Ivy shook her head before it thudded against the high back of the chair. "It defies all logic."

Paige wrinkled her nose. Defied all logic?

"She is a bumbling fool with zero magical talent."

"You are underestimating her," Ivy's mother answered.

Paige bobbed her head up and down. Right.

"I am not," Ivy answered. "You misunderstand me. We all know what she is, but she has no idea how to use anything. Neither did her mother."

Paige's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Reed. What did this woman know about her mother? Did she know where she was?

"That means nothing. All she needs is one spark. If you're having this much trouble with her now, imagine if she discovers how to wield her powers."

Paige stared down at her hands with a frown. What powers? She waved her hands around in the air to see if she could conjure any magic. Nothing happened .

Her grimace deepened as the conversation continued across the room.

Ivy rolled her eyes. "She will not learn how to wield anything. She is a moron."

"Ivy, I have told you time and again not to underestimate your enemy. You do it constantly. You pushed Devon away with your antics, and now you continue to antagonize the Turner girl."

Ivy clicked her tongue and sighed. "I know what I'm doing, Mother. I have everything under control. Devon is on the verge of seeing the error of his ways, and Paige Turner will soon be destroyed. I've captured her little dragon friend. Once he's dead, she will be left devastated and reeling. Giving me the perfect opportunity to strike."

Ivy curled her fingers into a fist and slammed it against her other palm.

Her mother ran a finger down the woman's flexed jaw. "Just be careful not to underestimate her. Dumb luck can be more powerful than you think. And all she needs is a bit of time to discover her true self and become an even larger threat than she already is."

"I won't let that happen."

"See that you don't. And do try to make something work with Devon. I raised you to be a princess. I'd hate for all my hard work to go to waste."

"I have that handled, too. It's all under control, Mother."

"See that it is," her mother answered before finishing off her drink and setting the glass on the tray. With a cool glance at her daughter, she strode from the room.

Ivy sucked in a deep breath and swallowed the last sip of her drink before she strode to the decanter and poured herself another. "Yes, Mother, I have it all under control."

She took another drink before she spun to lean against the drink cart. "Don't I, Paige? "

Paige's heart skipped a beat. She shuffled her way toward the mirror hanging above the vanity and glanced inside. No reflection. She wiped away the bead of sweat on her brow. Ivy was bluffing. She couldn't see her.

"You think I'm bluffing, but I'm not. I know you're here."

Paige resisted the urge to shout, "prove it." The woman was baiting her, and she didn't plan on falling for it. What she needed was a way to disable Ivy, then search the place for Dewey and Devon. Or perhaps she should let Ivy lead her to them.

No, that wouldn't work. It may be too late then. She'd then have to disable the woman in a new spot and she may miss her opportunity.

"Come on, Paige. There's no sense in hiding. Come out, come out, wherever you are." The woman sang as she stalked toward the center of the room.

Scratch that. She needed to get out of the room now just in case the woman stumbled upon her before she could strike.

With her heart in her throat, she crept to the door as silently as possible. Before she could step into the hall, the doors whooshed shut in front of her.

"That's right, Paige. You see, I can tell you're here."

Paige froze, her eyes wide as her heart thudded loud enough to drown out other sounds in the room. Could Ivy see her? Was it a Venompire trait, or was she losing her invisibility?

She twisted to face the woman, her hands balled tightly and ready for a fight. She'd have to defend herself.

She spotted Ivy's gaze sliding around the room. Her pulse slowed a little. She couldn't see her. She may be able to sense her, but she still couldn't see her.

Paige had to use that to her advantage. She had a chance to disable the woman and escape while she remained invisible. She had to use it.

She scanned the space in search of a weapon. Would smacking her over the head do anything? When she attacked Devon, it didn't phase him. Were Venompires also impervious to assaults?

It didn't matter, she had to try. But with what? She spotted a fireplace poker across the room and hurried toward it.

Before she could lift it from the holder, she stopped. Would Ivy spot her when she lifted the weapon? Would the poker be floating around the room?

Paige shook her head. It didn't matter. She had to strike now. She grabbed the poker and whipped around to find Ivy sneering at her.

Before she could swing, Ivy grabbed her arm and wiggled her eyebrows. "Looks like your luck just ran out."