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You’re not invincible. Someone might get lucky.
Good thing she had blocked their connection and couldn’t feel the marks her words left in his heart.
If that’s your wish, do it yourself.
Silence.
Was his death her true desire? In all these centuries, he had never given up hope. Hope that she would return. That she would understand the depth of his love. He would give her the world. Or burn it down, whatever she wanted.
Maybe it was his time to go to ground and let her live the life she should’ve had.
As long as she was alive, he would stay aground.
Until she was no more.
A sharp ache pierced his chest. And if she were dead, why would he even rise? There was no point in living if Gabby was gone.
There had to be another way.
Felix spent the rest of the silent drive planning his next move. There was the unknown of the kidnapped vampires. The Tournament. Jiaren. Before he could win Gabby back, he had to ensure their survival first.
They followed Ahmed’s instructions once they arrived at Joshua National Tree Park. At this time of night, the park was empty. Nikolas pulled the car off the main road and cut through the park itself. They drove past numerous Joshua trees with their single trunks reaching various heights before the trunks branched out and ended with green spiky leaves at the tip.
Nikolas stopped the car next to two such trees, and they filed out of the car.
“This is where you lost her?” Nikolas gestured to the general area. Stark desert landscape surrounded them, with the Joshua trees rising tall over the dry shrubs and large rock formations in the distance.
“Yes, past those two trees, her scent is gone.”
Nikolas and Gabby went to where Ahmed indicated and then split in opposite directions. Though Felix had never met Maria and didn’t recognize her scent, he searched the area in a wide circle as well. The first time, he sensed nothing unusual. He took his time during the second lap, only to feel something off next to the trees, like the air was wetter, more humid.
With his naked eye, he saw nothing out of the ordinary. The landscape of the Joshua trees, along with the scattering of greens and cacti, looked normal, but something felt off.
When they regrouped a few minutes later, he was the first one to speak. “It has to be magic.”
“I think you’re right,” Nikolas said. “It’s the only way for a scent to disappear like this.”
“Why would witches kidnap vampires?” Ahmed asked. Despite the dark circles under his eyes, he was more grounded, calmer today.
“Who knows what witches are thinking?” Felix wandered to where the barrier was and traced his hand over the air. It was a good spell, the magic so light as to be invisible. “We’ll need a witch to find Maria. I assume you have covens in your territory?”
Witches and vampires had a complicated relationship. Unlike the shifters, who claimed their land exclusively for the packs, it was normal for witches and vampires to co-exist within the same territory. Witches based their covens in cities where their members could find employment. As long as vampires didn’t feed on a member of the coven and the coven cast no spells over any vampires, their two kinds left each other alone.
Several covens operated in Eden’s territory, and Felix’s relationship with them was cordial, though not outright friendly. He’d bought the illusion spell from the coven in Dallas. Since Haven’s territory spanned all of California and Arizona, he doubted there was not even one coven.
“Yes,” Nikolas sighed. “Let me make some calls.”
Perhaps because he’d been standing next to the barrier, or because he was always aware of Gabby, he sensed the disturbance before a vampire appeared out of thin air.
No, not out of nowhere, but from the other side of the unseen barrier.
Felix shoved Gabby away and kicked the snarling vampire in the chest. The vampire went flying and disappeared. Then four more burst from behind the barrier, their eyes red with crazed hunger, their fangs bared. Hair matted and skin drawn tight against their bones, they looked like they’d woken up from a century underground.
And they were fast. Faster than they should be in their condition.
Felix’s insides froze when he recognized Alfred. What was his third in command doing here? Alfred’s clothes were torn, dirt caked on his skin and hair. No sign remained of his dignified, sophisticated friend, only hunger and violence.
“That’s Joey!” Gabby shouted and rushed toward another one of their attackers.
