Iwoke to the sound of my watch buzzing on the nightstand. Gabriel was curled around me, and Sebastian was nowhere to be seen. Fumbling my first attempt, I managed to grab my watch on the second try and answered the call.
“Eva, thank the gods.” Braxton sounded breathless, like he had been running.
I sat bolt upright in bed. “What happened?”
“There’s something here. In Willowvale. I’ll admit I never fully understood all this business aboutthe darkness,but I’m pretty sure this is it.”
My stomach sank. “Where exactly? Is anyone hurt?”
“It’s Harry. He went inside of it.”
“Shit.” I threw back the covers. Gabriel was already sitting up beside me. “Where?”
“Eva, it sprang up in my mom’s house. She got out okay, but—”
“We’ll be there soon,” I promised, hopping as I struggled into my jeans. “Just don’t let anyone else go near it.”
Following my lead, Gabriel was already getting dressed. “Where?” he asked simply, strapping on his sword.
“Willowvale. Braxton’s mom’s house.”
Gabriel looked a question at me, but I couldn’t take the time to explain. My stomach churned. The darkness that had followed Crispin’s path into the elven realm had gone to his favorite place as a child. And now the darkness here had gone to mine. Braxton’s entire pack was in danger because they had taken me in and showered me with kindness and a feeling of family. This seemed like one hell of a way to repay them.
I tugged on my boots, then flung open the bedroom door to find Sebastian just about to enter. “What happened?” he asked.
I shook my head. “No time. We have to get to Willowvale.” I held out my hands to both him and Gabriel, spotting Ringo perking up on the couch. The sun was just starting to rise.
We all turned at the distant, muffled sound of arguing. Someone was down the stairs, outside the hidden doorway. Several someones. I would have just left them there, but I recognized Crispin’s voice. Lowering my hands, I jogged past the kitchen and down the stairs, flinging yet another door open.
The arguments cut off, and everyone turned toward me abruptly. Crispin, Mistral, Penelope, Varian, and Isadora.
“No time for questions,” I said. “We have to get to Willowvale.”
Varian fumed, “I have waited—”
I held up a hand, cutting him off. “Do you have any more vortices?”
He bared his teeth, but answered, “Yes.”
“Good.” I glanced at everyone else as I instructed, “Grab them and anyone who can help. The darkness came through in Willowvale. If there are going to beanymore pathways, then everyone needs to help out.” I looked at Penelope as I said the last.
She wrinkled her nose, but nodded. I held out my hands to the guys just as Ringo made it down the stairs and scurried upmy leg. “Bring everyone you can,” I repeated, then each of the guys were holding onto me, and away we went.
We toucheddown amidst a pack of werewolves. Several of them jumped back while Braxton ran toward us, a hand lifted to keep anyone from attacking. Theresa’s house, the place where I had spent so much time after my father passed away, was now nothing but a swirling black vortex.
There were several hands on me holding me back, but I was too overwhelmed to note who they belonged to. I trembled as I looked at the darkness. It was like a portal but much larger, and black as pitch instead of silvery or opalescent. Was this what my great grandfather had wanted? Was this swirling darkness here to suck up all the magic that was never supposed to be on earth?
I shook myself when I realized Braxton had been speaking. His eyes were wide, and it was unsettling seeing a hulking werewolf look like a scared little boy. The other wolves had all stepped far back, but if their pack leader had gone into that swirling darkness, they weren’t going anywhere until they knew there was no chance of saving him.
Braxton repeated himself. “One of the kids got too close and Harry ran in to pull him back. It was like the thing grew dark tentacles to wrap around him and pull him in.”
I stood frozen to the spot, not knowing what to do or say. I had promised I would keep the darkness away from earth, and I had failed. It wasn’t just sentient. It was smarter than us.
I started to lift my hands, but Sebastian grabbed my wrist. “Don’t even think about it.”
“We don’t have any other options,” I hissed.
Crispin had gently grabbed my other wrist and was lowering my hand. “It seems contained for the moment. We can take time to figure this out. Maybe Marcie—”
