It was a lie.
Petre hesitated, then drank the blood slowly, his eyes closing as he savored every last drop. It barely made a dent in his hunger. He was so depleted that even the small amount left a slight flush to his cheeks.
The vampire took a bracing breath and handed back the flask with a solemn nod of thanks. When the man turned to leave, Atlas grabbed the pack of supplies on his back and held it out. “Our contributions for the meal.”
The man narrowed his eyes suspiciously, clearly not trusting them, but he couldn’t turn down the offer for food. He clutched it to his chest as he left.
Morgan glanced at Petre, her mind working through everything they saw. “You don’t kill to drink.”
He shook his head, then sighed. “It’s getting harder and harder to control some of the younger ones. We try to live in harmony here. We need each other to survive. If a vampire kills, there must be consequences. None of us can survive without the other.”
He acted so honorable that she couldn’t piece together what bothered her. “So if you’re not craven killers without a conscience, who would set a trap to keep you imprisoned, waiting for you to die?”
Atlas gave a pained groan at her crass words, but Petre didn’t take offense, seeming more contemplative. “I don’t think it started off that way. The neighboring lands decided they didn’t want vampires in their community, so they planted the vines as a deterrent to keep us out.
“The vines were supposed to just create a barrier and prevent us from crossing, but something in the soil infected the plant.Instead of a barrier, it traps anyone in the forest that it touches, marking them as food.”
Morgan didn’t ask if they’d tried to leave. If it had been possible, they would already be gone. “So the only way you can get out is if the vines were destroyed.”
Petre gave a sharp bark of laughter. “The whole forest is infected. It would be impossible to clear it.”
“Fire?” Atlas tipped his head in curiosity, and Morgan slowly sat up as an idea began to stir.
Petre grimaced and shook his head. “We tried that, but the plants smother it before it can spread.”
Morgan rubbed her fingers against her mouth as she mentally went over her risky plan. “Has anyone tried magic on the vines?”
Petre winced at the memory and nodded. “It pisses it off.”
“Which means it affects it.” A grin curled the edges of her mouth, and Caedmon’s eyes narrowed.
He leaned toward her, his yellow eyes bright with curiosity. “You have an idea.”
She couldn’t help but grin back. “A really bad, dangerous one. Are you in?”
His smile widened, his beast peering back at her. His voice was husky when he replied, “Those are the best kind.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
ATLAS
As darkness began to fall, Atlas kept close to Morgan. Her plan was as dangerous as it was brilliant. Though Petre wanted them to wait until morning, when the vines fell dormant, Atlas didn’t want the vegetation anywhere near Morgan when it woke hungry.
Everyone gathered behind them, armed with stone spears and torches, their hope almost painful. More than a few wore a determined expression, like this was their last chance. If they didn’t make it, they would die trying.
Morgan took a deep breath, her beautiful hair curling wildly around her as she called her magic, and her soul just lit up like a beacon. The bow of the gods appeared in her hands, and when she pulled back on the drawstring, a smoky black arrow formed. Then her eyes narrowed in concentration until the tip began to glow with hellfire.
Morgan used the fluorescent goo to create a special rune that would target and burn the parasite only.
She shot Atlas and Caedmon a wink. “Ready?”
Caedmon was armed with two massive swords, his only job to guard Morgan. The man was pissed that Morgan was smack dab in the center of danger yet again. Atlas and the others hadwarned him what to expect, but the elf thought he could challenge fate and keep their mate in a protective cocoon, sheltered from the outside world.
The poor man was just beginning to realize that Morgan was a lodestone—her actions were what shaped the future. Through her courage and will alone, she was carving out a better future for the supernatural race.
They couldn’t stop fate.
All they could do was protect her as best they could and love her with all their might.
