“I’ll get us close enough to walk there, but not so close we can’t get out quickly.”
I nodded. “Good enough.”
CHAPTER 16
SIERRA
The two Salvatore safe houses we scoped were clearly occupied by Maroni’s men. We crept nearby but not close enough to trigger any wards, and had our magic muted, just in case they had extended the ward boundaries.
Muting our magic wasn’t hard for the guys—since I’d destroyed the Unconsecrated within them, they weren’t quite as powerful as they’d been before—something I knew was worrying them. It worried me as well, but I assured them I still felt the blessings of their other ancestors who hadn’t given up, and that they would return to full health in time.
Meanwhile, I was strong enough for all of us, but needed their knowledge to prop up areas where I was weak. I had learned and absorbed immeasurable amounts of knowledge and power from the Reapers and Mazarin, but their knowledge of the modern world was not as strong. And the guys had made up many of their own spells to suit their needs as young people living in this age.
What none of knew how to do, however, was to deal with the fallout of Warners’ deception. I still didn’t fully know who knew what, when, but it didn’t matter anymore. The end result was the same, regardless.
We scattered awkwardly across the room of a run-down motel on the outskirts of the city. I sat on the lone chair by a tiny desk, twisting the old-fashioned phone cord between my fingers. I desperately wanted to call and check on my mother and Ethan, but it was past midnight.
Across from me, the guys were two each on the double beds. It hurt my heart to look at them, knowing things would never be the same among the four of us again. I almost went back to wishing I’d never met them, which was how I’d felt at the beginning of the school year.
A pulse of heat from the raven’s skull necklace reminded me how impossible that was. As did a pulse of heat between my thighs at the sight of those four big men sprawled over the beds, each one so gorgeous in his own way.
I gave my head a little shake to push that thought far away. It came with so much baggage that my stomach cramped.
“So, what’s next?” Riley asked, his broad shoulders touching Enzo’s as they sat against the headboard, their long, muscular legs stretched out in front of them.
My shoulders slumped. Gee, I was hoping you’d tell me.
It wasn’t likely anyone would think to look for us here, but we were also dealing with some of the world’s most powerful evil witches and wizards – not to mention a demon now on their side. It was probably just a matter of time before they caught up with us, so we needed a plan to attack first.
“You need some rest,” Enzo said, interrupting my thoughts. “The rest of us can take turns keeping watch.”
“I’ll go first,” Heath volunteered.
“No, you also need to sleep.” Torin pushed him back when Heath tried to rise. “The rest of us have had longer to deal with the aftermath of the reaping. I’ll stay up with Salvatore. You and Riley can nap here, and—” he glanced my way— “Sierra can take the other bed.”
He motioned for Riley to take his place next to Heath, and it was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears.
“I’ll go check the perimeter of the building. You stay here and watch over them,” Enzo told Torin.
Tor nodded softly, and my breath caught at the look that passed between them.
When did that happen?
I had clearly missed some things while I was away, but I was glad to see their relationship improved. And in the middle of all this fucking mess, I felt a little twitch of desire as my mind immediately went to imagining those two together, naked and sweaty. All those golden muscles and huge dicks going at it.
They’d never even so much as caressed one another, even when they’d taken me at the same time. Hell, I doubted they’ve ever even shaken hands before, much less looked at one another with soft, “kiss me, fuck me” eyes like they just did. Something had changed, and I wanted to know what it was – enjoy what it was – but it would have to wait.
The moment we stepped onto the school property, I knew something was terribly wrong. The air reeked of blood and death, and my heart hammered in my chest as we made our way through the eerily quiet forest surrounding the school. I had expected a confrontation with Carlo’s henchmen, but what we found was far beyond anything I could have imagined.
As we rounded the corner, the horrifying scene unfolded before us. Bodies lay strewn across the ground, their lifeless eyes staring into oblivion. The metallic scent of blood filled my nostrils, making bile rise in my throat. Fear clawed at me, but I pushed it back, refusing to let it consume me.
Still, my stomach roiled. It was like reliving the aftermath of the joust, only this time, the dead weren’t just students, but other adults. The failed aftermath of the coven’s attempt to take down Carlo.
I glanced at my guys. Riley’s and Torin’s faces were pale and their eyes wild. I feared—and I suspected they did too—that we might find their parents among the bodies on the ground.
How could this have happened? We’d only been at the motel a short time. Had the remaining coven members planned this without telling us? They must have. I blinked back hot tears and vowed to avenge every innocent life lost there.
“Stay close,” Enzo whispered as he gripped my hand tightly. His dark eyes darted around, searching for any sign of danger. “And keep watch for alligators.”
I gasped. “So, Apollo wasn’t lying?”
“What?” It was a collective question from all the guys.
“You knew?” Tor asked, sounding betrayed.
“A...Apollo,” my voice broke a little as a sharp stab of pain went through me remembering him and his sister. “He told me to watch out for the alligators. I thought he was joking.”
Enzo snarled. “He just let everyone walk around out there without telling anybody?”
I agreed with is sentiment, but we needed to keep going. I didn’t think I could take much more of seeing all those bodies.
“Let’s finish this,” I whispered, my voice steadier than I would have expected.
“Sierra, you focus on finding Anna,” Torin instructed, his icy blue hardened, and I nodded.
That was our plan, so far as we had one. Take the demon from Anna, get her out of there, and take out as many of Maroni’s men as possible. If we got lucky, we might find and destroy him too.
