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“It’s one of the dungeons in Westcott’s compound,” says Calla.
“Westcott put her—”
“No, no. Well, he knows about it.” Calla clears her throat, her voice thick with emotion. “She caught on to Popi being in my place a few weeks ago.Sheput her there. They won’t hurt her. They just don’t want her in their way.”
The figure in the corner—Mom—shifts. She’s curled into a ball, her arms wrapped around her legs like she’s trying to keep warm. I’ve never seen her look so small, so young…sohelpless.A pang erupts in my stomach as I realize that’s exactly what she is. She sacrificed her magic for me, and now she can’t even fight back. She’d gone to Westcott thinking she’d be safe there, that it was the only place she’d be safe.
Calla waves her hand again, and the image disappears.
“How did you learn how to do this?” I ask. In appearance it might look like scrying, but we’re not watching potential futures or vague messages. This is happening now.
“Everyone here does.” She glances at me out of the corner of her eye. “How else would they keep an eye on their Mirrors—that’s what they call us. Our decisions shape their lives. Guess I can’t blame them for wanting a heads-up. I turned this place upside down when I first got here. Popi keeps all of her books and materials in the basement.”
A shiver rolls through me. How many times have people on this side watched me without me knowing? Even if it was me watching, or a version of me, it feels undeniably invasive.
A familiar room emerges next, and my stomach bottoms out. Reid is sitting at the foot of his bed, arms braced on his thighs, hands clasped together.
And V sits behind him, her legs on either side of him as she rubs his shoulders. Her lips are moving, so they must be talking.
My breath quickens as I search every inch of Reid’s face, his body language. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but he looks…comfortable. At ease.
Like he thinks he’s with me.
I stop with my face inches from the image, feeling physically ill from seeing V touch him. How can he not feel that’s not me? I can’t feel the bond at all on this side. He must feel that something’s off. He’s more in tune with his vampire senses than I’ve ever been. If what Calla said is true, he should at least be able to tell V’s heart isn’t beating. Unless she found some way to cover it up.
But does he really not…can he really not tell?
“Valerie,” Calla says quietly.
I snap out of it and take a step back, then another.He’s still alive.V hasn’t hurt him. That’s what matters. There’s no room for my stupid pride right now.
“They should be able to tell she doesn’t have a heartbeat, right?”
“Possibly. Unless she took measures to cover that up. I saw spells to mimic a regular pulse in the books downstairs.”
“Can you show me Cam and Adrienne?”
If the alchemists haven’t started yet, then they should still be waiting outside the boundaries of Westcott’s compound. But Cam was expecting me to give them the go-ahead once it was time. How long will he wait before he realizes something is wrong? Knowing Cam, he won’t wait long.
The next image is so bright from the snow on the ground that it burns my eyes. A wolf paces into view, mostly hidden within the trees, but he keeps poking his head into the open like he’s looking for something.
“Where’s Adrienne?” I whisper.
Calla shakes her head, squinting just as hard at the image as I am. “I…don’t know.”
“What do you mean,you don’t know? Find her.”
“I’m…trying.” Calla’s face contorts as she says it, like the effort of the spell is starting to physically pain her.
A loud knock on the front door reverberates through the house, and the image in front of us disappears altogether as Calla loses her concentration.
“Are you expecting visitors?” I ask dryly, but the concern that burrows itself between her brows stops me from saying anything else.
She holds up a finger to stay quiet as she pads toward the door and peers through the peephole. A sharp intake of breath is her only reaction, but she keeps looking outside for several moments as if waiting for something.
Finally, she opens the door—
—and reveals Westcott standing on the other side.
