She waved a hand. “Not much. A few witches and a human in the yard, movement in the big house?—”
“A human?” Aurora interrupted.
Viv nodded. “He was talking with a younger witch.”
But the Thornfields didn’t work with humans. “Maybe the Nightingales are here after all, and they brought someone.” Although Aurora would have sworn they were as anti-human as her uncle.
“Whatever.” Viv rolled her eyes. “Humans don’t matter. How are we getting to your uncle? Any guesses where he might be?”
“He could be anywhere on the compound.”
“Wait.” Gia tugged on Aurora. “You weren’t in the crypt. Does that mean your family believes you died or not? If we find your uncle without being detected, maybe we can take him by surprise before he has a chance to fight.”
Aurora led Gia and Viv toward the main buildings as she considered. “They could have put me in the ground outside the cemetery for disgracing them by killing myself, rather than doing my duty. Meaning yeah, they believed I died.”
Gia made a savage growling sound. “They’re fucking horrible. No compassion, even when they thought you took your own life.”
“I know, babe. But the other option is worse.”
Gia’s steps faltered. “What do you mean?”
Aurora clutched Gia tight. “They might have buried me, knowing my soul would reenter my body, and I’d die trapped underground, unable to get out.”
The color drained from Gia’s dirt-smeared face.
“Either way, they aren’t expecting you,” Viv said, all business and no emotion.
Aurora nodded to the vampire, glad to brush past the horror of what might have happened. Dwelling wouldn’t do any good right now.
“I’ll stay out of sight. Silent backup.” Viv zipped into the trees and disappeared.
“Ready?” Aurora asked.
“Let’s do this.” Gia gripped both Aurora’s hands in hers and sank her teeth into her lower lip, worrying at the flesh until it bloomed red with blood.
Aurora leaned in on reflex and licked the drops from Gia’s plush lip, dipping her tongue inside her mouth for good measure. Gia hummed, sucking Aurora’s lip into her mouth, then bit her hard, tantalizingly sucking her flesh. Aurora’s stomach tightened.
Gia pulled away, breathless. “You can have all my power. Let me do this for you. There’s nothing I want more.”
Aurora kissed her, putting all her feelings into each brush of their lips. “Together then.”
TWENTY-THREE
AURORA
They pickedtheir way through the forest, giving the cemetery a wide berth. Aurora paused. A faint voice carried through the trees, but she couldn’t make out who it was. As she debated detouring to investigate, everything went silent.
A scream cut through the air, then cut off. Seemed Viv worked fast.
“What if that was your uncle?” Gia whispered as they reached the first of the outbuildings.
“He wouldn’t creep around the woods himself.” Aurora ushered Gia past a shed on the edge of the forest, and the main house came into view on the opposite side of the field. “What’s the point of having underlings if you don’t send them to do everything for you?”
“True. Franco would have done the same. It’s creepy how similar they—” Gia gasped, her eyes going wide as she froze in place.
“Gia!” Aurora caught her as she fell, her body a heavy, dead weight in Aurora’s arms.
The crunch of leaves underfoot sent Aurora’s heart thundering. Someone was behind her. Aurora checked Gia’s pulse,finding it slow but strong beneath her fingers. It must have been a stunning spell.
