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“It was gone.” Destiny lifted her hands in a helpless motion. “I think it must have sunk back into the earth.”
Peri nodded, but she knew damned well the magic didn’t just disappear. Not when it had absorbed the power of twelve witches. But it was obvious that Destiny didn’t know what had happened to it, and she didn’t want to reveal her concern in front of Valen.
This was mage business. The last thing she wanted was more interference from the vampires.
“Did you call the police?” she instead asked.
Destiny’s lips parted, but it took her a few seconds to settle on her answer. “I placed an anonymous tip that something bad had happened at Wisdom Ranch.”
Peri studied the witch with raised brows. “The cops don’t know you were a witness?”
Destiny was instantly on the defense as she started backing toward the open door.
“Look, I just want to get out of here and forget everything about this place. I was packing the last of my things when I heard you drive in.”
“Why hide in the loft?”
Destiny continued to back away, her movements awkward, as if she was close to total collapse. And she probably was. It was doubtful that she’d managed to sleep since she witnessed her family murdered in front of her.
“I assumed you were cops. Or reporters. I didn’t want to answer awkward questions. They’d already searched the barn so I didn’t think they’d look in here again.” She paused as she reached the door, her expression one of genuine regret. “I’m sorry about your mom and I’m sorry for what happened to you in the past. This has all been a terrible mistake.”
There was a harsh sincerity in her voice as she turned to leave.
Peri frowned. “Where are you going?”
“Home. I should never have left.”
With a muffled sob, the woman fled the barn. Peri took a step forward, but before she could follow, Valen was already moving.
“I need to wipe her memory of us,” he said, fading into the darkness until he was no more than a shadow. “Wait here.”
His cool power brushed over her and Peri shivered as he passed by to disappear into the night. She was on the pointof following—she didn’t take orders from a leech—when she realized that he’d left her mother’s treasure box in the middle of the floor.
With a sigh, she moved to scoop it into her arms.
Chapter 5
Valen silently followed the witch as she entered the bunkhouse and moved toward the stack of suitcases on a long, wooden bench. She hadn’t lied about her desire to pack up and leave the ranch, but that didn’t mean Valen trusted anything else that she’d told them.
Closing the door behind him, Valen whispered her name. “Destiny.”
“Who’s there?”
The woman whipped around, her eyes wide with fear. Valen moved with a speed impossible for her to detect, pressing his fingers against her forehead. Instantly her muscles relaxed and her expression eased as he gained command of her mind.
Swiftly, he managed to remove the memories of the past hour, and at the same time searched for clues about Peri’s mother and the death of the coven. It wasn’t a simple matter of plucking out the information he desired. Memories weren’t like a movie that played in one smooth direction. They were disjointed and fuzzy and biased by the person’s ability or inability to accept the truth, even when it was in front of them.
At last concluding that she’d revealed everything she knew about the strange magic that had killed the other witches, he led her to a nearby bunk and urged her to lie down before putting her to sleep. She would wake in a couple of hours with no lasting effects.
Leaving the bunkhouse, he made a thorough search of the rest of the compound to make sure he hadn’t overlooked any stray intruders or surveillance equipment. Cameras couldn’t detect his presence, but they would capture Peri’s image.
At last satisfied he’d erased any indication of their presence at the ranch, he headed back to the barn. He was passing the large firepit when he was suddenly certain that there was something lurking just out of sight.
He halted, searching for the source of his unease.
There was nothing. No movement, no scent, no prickle of heat.
Unable to determine what was stirring his instincts, Valen continued into the barn. The sooner he removed Peri from the cursed place the better.
