AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Does he say why?”
“No, but I daresay he will when they get here. They’re about twenty minutes away.”
“Which means they’re currently outside of the reservation,” Aiden said. “That’s quite a distance for the two of them to have run.”
“They might have used a spell to enhance their speed,” Belle said. “The vampires certainly were.”
“Which explains why none of us could catch the bastards.”
His voice was grim, and I glanced at him. “You got the one running at me—I heard her scream and smelled the blood.”
He nodded. “It wasn’t any old vampire, either, but Maelle’s daughter. Looked the spitting image of her.”
Meaning it was a good thing Aidenhadn’tkilled her.
“How badly was she injured?” Belle asked. “Because if we collect her blood and can keep it viable long enough, Liz might be able to track her.”
“One step ahead of you.”
He pulled out a glove that contained wet, dark-looking soil. Though the blood was no longer fresh, dark energy still echoed from it.
I glanced at Belle. “Could you wrap a containment spell around the glove? I need to deal with our captured vamps before I can try and run a trace on Jaqueline.”
“No, you need to rest and regain your strength before you tackle it.” Belle accepted the glove with a nod of thanks. “You will also drink several strength and revitalization potions. I’ll even make them palatable for a change.”
“Gee, thanks.”
It was wryly said, and her cheeks dimpled. “Don’t ever say I don’t look after my witch.”
I snorted, and we continued on, the soft caress of the containment spell Belle was creating a sharp contrast to the deeper pulsing of the protection circle that shimmered through the trees up ahead. It appeared to have been secured onto spell stones to enhance its stability, though how the hell Eli and Belle had managed that at such short notice—
Not me, Belle cut in silently.Eli. I was too busy batting away spell arrows.
That she could only strengthened the belief that both attacks had been nothing more than a distraction. Belle might be classed as an extraordinarily strong Sarr witch these days, but that still placed her just below mid-range on the witchy power scale. She should never have been able to combat the dedicated attacks of a dark witch. Not if they’d truly intended harm.
Thatsurely meant I’d been the target all along.
Was that why Marie had sent Jaqueline after me, rather than any of her other vampires? While I had no doubt she wanted to taste the power in my blood, she’d also know that, had I managed to kill Jaqueline, Maelle’s wrath would hit me. Hard. The aftermath of such a battle would weaken us both and leave Marie in a sweet position to take the survivor out.
And her plan might have succeeded if not for Aiden.
Eli stepped through the barrier and walked toward us. His face was drawn, and weariness rode every movement. “Aiden, your mother wants to know if it’s safe for everyone to return home.”
Meaning, if I was reading the annoyance in his expression correctly, that she wasdemandingrather than asking.
“I’ll go deal with her.” He glanced at me. “You still intending to question the vamps?”
I nodded. “I’ve this vague feeling Marie will prevent them from talking once she realizes we’ve captured them.”
Howshe did that all depended on whether these vamps were her fledglings or simply solo vampires drawn into her coven or whatever the hell else she might be calling it these days. I doubted she could long-range kill the latter, but given how intimately linked a maker was to their fledgling, it was more than possible that she could erase them.
“I’ll send Jaz over to record the interview, then,” Aiden said. “Just… be careful.”
“Always.”
It was my standard answer to such a request. He smiled and brushed a finger down my cheek—a caress that spoke to my heart—then turned and followed Eli back through the shield.
Belle and I continued on. Our first captured vampire was ten or so meters ahead, though we couldn’t immediately see him thanks to the thick cluster of trees between him and us. As we moved around them, the wind stirred, the smell hit, and, oh lord, it wasvile. I clamped a hand over my nose, but the scent clung to my throat, and my stomach stirred in warning.
