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Lucianna gently unfolds herself from Overmaster Descallia’s arms. “Willow saved me from being taken by the shifter, but they were too quick and caught her from behind. She’s been taken by them, to no doubt wherever they’re holding all the other witches.”
Raven hiccups softly as she sobs, still looking at me with accusing eyes. “If you hadn’t taken her wand away, she could have kept them from taking her captive. You took the only real ability for her to defend herself away from her when she needed it the most.”
My mind swirls, processing her accusations, trying to put the pieces flying in multiple directions into some sort of context after what Raven just said.
Lucianna tries to smooth things over. “These shifters are not like any that we’ve ever dealt with before. They’re faster, they leap higher and longer, and they disappeared with her right before our very eyes. I’m so sorry, Campania. There was nothing we could do, or we would have done it to prevent them from taking Willow.” I’m trying to connect with her. She’s gifted with powers of sight like most witches, but we need a connection. I’m trying to find one.”
Overmaster pulls her into his arms, while Embry takes it all in, unusually quiet as she absorbs what just happened and probably her and Lucianna’s inability to fight it off like they originally thought they could.
There’s only one way to deal with this, and to fight magic with magic we need the witches by our side.Descallia and Lucianna both know what I’m thinking without saying a word out loud and give nods of approval. I look to the only one with a strong enough connection to our lifelong enemy to make that request. “Raven, we need Devora’s help. Can you take us to the witches or bring her here?”
Chapter22
Willow
The wolveshalf drag me for a short distance and then in an instant the whole world is black. We’re floating in a sea of swirling clouds for I don’t know how long before we arrive at a stone villa set high above the sea. A light comes on in the lower level, and the door opens. A red eyed vampire with descended fangs leers at me from underneath a mop of dark wavy hair. He glares at my captures. “I send you to bring me the future queen and you bring me a witch!”
“She used her magic to get Descallia’s mate free from our hold. The only thing we could do was to bring the witch. One of the vampires took her wand, so at least she was all-out of tricks.” He snickers to another of the shifters standing beside him. “More witches, more juice.”
The vampire lets out a deep growl that causes the hackles on the wolves’ backs to stand on their very end. “Incompetence at every turn! I sent you for Lucianna and you bring me another half-baked witch. Get her into the back room, and be quick about it. Are you sure you weren’t followed?”
The shifter laughs, but it’s a nervous shrilly sound that sends fear racing down my spine. “Not a chance. We used the witch’s magic and disappeared with her. There’s no way the vampires could have tracked our scent or followed us here. We need more juice, though. I could tell ours was draining; we barely had enough to disappear and to get here with the extra baggage in tow.”
The vampire’s eyes sear into mine. “Put her with the others and have one of the witches recharge everyone, but do it quickly. Then I want you and your men to tell me everything that happened because one way or another we need Descallia’s mate if anything is to work. I will not accept failure; do I make myself understood?” he roars.
The shifter simpers under the wrath of the hulking vampire, causing my stomach to roll with angst. “Come on, boys, let’s go have some fun.” He tugs my arm, pulling me through a large marble stone living space, down the hall, and opens a door leading into a darkened space. I barely stay on my feet as he tosses me into the room, snatches one of the witches, and closes the door just as quick.
My eyes adjusting to the dark, keen vision outlining the boards that are nailed over the windows not allowing the light of the moon tonight or daylight of any sort through. Five of my sisters sit in various positions along the wall, their only comfort each other, a queen-sized mattress strewn on the floor, some blankets, and pillows.
I kneel onto the blanket with them, squinting, recognizing two by their names. “Alda and Mable. I’m Willow, from the academy. Well, I used to be from there. How did you end up here? Everyone’s been looking for you, but the shifters are using the magic you give them to disappear and get here without leaving a scent or other trail for anyone to follow.”
Mable sits up, straightening against the wall. “A witch has to be helping them. The wolf leader zapped us with some sort of spell; electricity came right out of his fingertips. He froze all of us and brought us here after taking our wands and necklaces. We’re not skilled enough to conjure things without our wands. We’ve barely even reached a level of competence using it. You were farther ahead at the academy than us.”
The others nod. “I’m Sable, and this is Velma, and Bella is the one they took to the room. If it’s like other times, it won’t be long before she’s back because none of us are going to risk the wrath of that vampire down the hall.”
My eyebrows knit still processing what Mable said. “The story I heard was that you’re giving them magic, but you said it was a different witch?”
Her eyes shift down with sadness. “We are now. The other witch must not be around because they keep coming in to get recharged by one of us. The witch they just took, that’s what they’re going to do, make her give them magic.”
I fight through the fear because we will find a way out, no matter the way. “They took my bauble too. I don’t know the witch they just took. How is she giving the shifters magic without a wand?”
Mable looks at our sisters and then back at me. “They kept our wands. They take us to a room by ourselves and then give us our wand. They threaten the lives of the others if we don’t do exactly as they say. Otherwise, we would have used it to send them to a fiery hell instead of giving them what they want. We’re never going to get out of here. We’ll be slaves of the shifters forever.”
I sit up straight on the mattress, fury at the position the monster down the hall and the shiesty shifters have put my sisters in. “No, you most certainly will not. We’re going to wait until Bella gets back and then we’re going to get the hell out of here. Don’t say a word when they come back in. I want you to act like you normally do when they return. Okay?”
Mable looks to Velma, Sable, Alda, and sucks in a breath. “Ready, girls?” They all give a quick nod, although I can feel the fear racing through their bodies from here.
My chest tightens for the situation they and my friends still stuck in some warehouse or other such destitute place are faring while I’ve been out playing toesies with the vampire who put them there in the first place. I look to each of them, one at a time. “There’s nothing to be afraid of. We’ll get you back to the academy. If it’s the last thing that I do, I promise that I will.”
A creak on one of the floorboards down the hall alerts us to the return of Bella and the shifter. I slide over on the mattress, so I have a nice clean view of whoever comes through that door. Whatever we do, it has to be quick if this shifter and his friends just got charged with magic from one of the witch’s wands. If what they say about skill is true, the magic will not be any challenge for the likes of me, but I don’t want to put it to the test with our lives on the line either. I put my fingers to my lips as I pull my trusty wand from my shorty boot.
Mable’s eyes go wide, and all the witches eyes swirl with their glee. Anything is possible when you have a wand in the hands of a skilled witch who knows exactly how to use it and wants nothing more than to make these shiesty shifters and rogue vampire bastards pay.
The minute the doorknob turns, I wait with my heart pounding in my chest. Until that very moment when I know for certain that he’s the only one touching that knob. I give my wand one shake, sending a jolt of electricity through the system, at the same time forcing duct tape around his mouth. “Drag him in here, girls,” I whisper hiss, but they need no further encouragement, all too happy to wrangle the half dead shifter into the room. I shake the wand again, to ensure he’s chained to the wall just in case the jolt wasn’t enough to completely subdue him. Another shake and a quickly said reversal chant ensure any magic he’s been given has been eliminated from his skill.
One down and many, many more to go. My mind swirls as we head down the hall toward the voices of the vampire I’ll never forget, and I’m guessing more recharged shifters. It’s either take them all on with only one good wand, find the wands first and then take them on, or disappear and save ourselves and my friends, and then go back to the academy to forget this thing between the shifters and vampires doesn’t exist and that we weren’t dragged into the middle of it.
The vision of Lucianna and her bright green eyes floats through my mind.“We’re coming for you, Willow. You are not alone. I’ll never forget what you did.”
