Because why wouldn’t we chase a floating strand of light into the forest in the middle of the night while hunting down my psychopathic ex-mate?
I wish I could say it sounded like the setup to a really bad joke. But really, this was beginning to feel more like the opening scene of a horror movie.
With a collective breath, we stepped into the forest. Branches immediately clawed at me as we moved, their snaggy little arms tugging at my clothes and hair. I batted them away from my face and made a mental note to never enter these woods again.
“Just how big are these woods anyway?” I muttered as I pulled my foot out of something wet and murky.
“Big enough,” Lucien said. “They encircle the whole town and act as a natural buffer to keep people out. There are charms and spells to keep Eternity Falls hidden from human eyes, but the woods provide a barrier from wayward paranormals.”
After what felt like an eternity, we finally broke through the tree line, only to find the strand of light leading us toward the center of town.
I fixed my hair with a sigh. So, we could have taken the car after all. Was this just Selene’s way of messing with us?
Shaking my head, we pressed forward, passing all the closed shops, and heading right toward the clock tower. The light strand paused in front of it, giving us a moment to take in its ominous presence. It still pulsed crimson and had been since the night of the break-in.
Lucien stared at it, his jaw tight, then continued onward without a word.
Ricky and I shared a shrug. Hopefully, we would resolve this entire mess tonight and the clock tower would return to normal. Of course, resolving this mess meant killing Trystan, and that still didn’t sit well with me. But I couldn’t focus on that right now.
I chased after Lucien and the thread. It wound past the tower’s base and into a nearby back alley, just past the café, the library, the antique store, right toward…
My bar.
I froze. So did Lucien.
Surely, Trystan wouldn’t be here. At my bar. That was ballsy in a way I’d never imagined him. But he wasn’t in his right mind, was he?
Before I could take a step toward the door, the thread darted left and continued down the street.
I exhaled a relieved breath and followed. It floated half a block down, away from my bar and The Crimson Veil, before spiraling to a stop in front of a squat, nondescript brick house tucked behind the hardware store. The kind of place no one looked at twice. A dim light flickered in the upstairs window, but that was it. No sign of life beyond that.
“Gods,” I breathed. “He’s here. Has he been here the entire time? Watching me? Who lives here?”
“Ella Black,” Ricky murmured. “She’s a witch. Nowhere near as powerful as a Ravenspell. But powerful enough to help Trystan. She mostly specializes in potions, draughts, libido boosters, that sort of thing. She’s harmless. Or so I thought.”
Lucien growled under his breath, eyes fixed on the house like he was already contemplating how to tear it down, brick by brick.
I touched his arm. “We don’t know for sure if she’s involved.”
He unleashed his stare on me. “Trystan used magic. This is a witch’s house. It’s safe to say she’s involved.”
I couldn’t argue that.
The thread wobbled one more time before it blinked out of existence, like it had never been here at all.
“Are you sure about this, Izzy?” Ricky asked. “Lucien and I can handle this. There’s no reason for you to see any of this.”
For a moment, I wavered. I could let them handle this—let them end Trystan without me. But that didn’t feel right. I may not have loved Trystan at the end, but I had once. I’d trusted him, built a life with him. Yes, he’d obliterated that life and showed me his true colors, but he deserved more than a brutal end by two men he’d never met.
I forced myself to swallow past the lump in my throat and shook my head. “I need to be in there. It should be me who…ends this madness.”
Ricky gave a slow nod, and if I wasn’t mistaken, a touch of admiration shone in his eyes. “Then let’s end it. Fast. So we can get back to Thorne.”
Lucien and Ricky took a collective step forward.
“Wait—wait!” I squeaked, jumping in front of them. “How about telling me the plan first?”
“I’m planning on kicking the door down and setting fire to whatever’s inside,” Lucien said, entirely too calm.
