“Oh my God. I can’t believe you confessed just like that,” Tish replies.
“You already know the biggest secret, and I, technically, didn’t reveal that. Sophie guessed. Therefore, Lucca can’t really blame me for blabbering.”
“That’s true.” Sophie turns to me. “So what else is there?”
Here it goes. I might be making the biggest mistake of my life. “Lucca and Vivi are in Ellnesari.”
There’s a moment of silence, which isn’t a surprise. That revelation was a doozy.
“How?” Sophie asks. “The portals have been sealed for centuries.”
“The High Witch and Solomon were able to create one. Lucca, Vivi, and our friends crossed it to rescue Miranda and Rikkon, who were kidnapped by a crazy-ass Nightingale.”
I can sense they have more questions for me, but we’ve arrived at Bloodstone Institute, and it’ll take hours to cover everything that’s happened to my friends.
Isadora drove to the back of the institute, so that means we’re entering the place via the creepy cemetery again. Fantastic.
“I’ll tell you everything later. We shouldn’t keep the High Witch waiting.”
SOPHIE
My mind is reeling as I process all the information Vaughn dumped on us. No wonder he was tight-lipped. From the discovery that Lucca is dating a Nightingale to them traveling to Ellnesari on a rescue mission, I don’t know what piece of information is bigger. Probably the latter. If there’s a way to open portals to the land of Nightingales, then maybe we can find a cure for my mother’s disease and stop the rest of the vampire population from needing to hibernate.
I’m sure all those considerations have crossed Lucca’s mind, but until he returns, there’s no way to know what they’replanning to do. But I can’t think about that now. I need to focus on the situation at hand and try to not screw up.
I’m responsible for weakening the wards. I came looking for Madeleine under my father’s orders, not stopping to question if it was a good idea. I realized it was a mistake when I saw the deranged specter in person, but not before she clawed me and broke free.
The High Witch is waiting for us at the entrance of the old cemetery, but she sees Tish in my arms and stiffens. “You can’t bring your familiar.”
“Why not?”
“The spell I must perform will require a lot of from both of us, and I’ll need your undivided attention. You can’t worry about your familiar’s safety.”
“She doesn’t need to worry about me. I can take care of myself,” Tish argues.
“It’s nonnegotiable.”
“What about him?” Tish nods at Vaughn.
“Oh, I’m going.” He stands straighter, glaring at Isadora. “Try to stop me.”
The woman lifts an eyebrow. “Being in love has given you some gumption, boy.”
I watch Vaughn’s face turn a deep shade of red, but he doesn’t deny it. My heart does a somersault inside my chest. The knowledge makes me happy, but how can he be in love with me already? That’s exponentially fast.
Like you aren’t in love with him too, Sophie.
“I’ve always had gumption. You just failed to see.”
She clasps her hands in front of her and sighs. “You can come. Sophie might need to feed.”
Vaughn turns to me, his eyes burning with yearning. “Whatever she needs.”
His words seem to carry an extra meaning, and they make me blush. I focus on petting Tish before setting her on the ground. “We’ll be back soon.”
I hope.
“Don’t worry about me. Be safe in there.”
