The Bone Coven Chronicles: The Complete Series Read online

  Shit.

  Now they knew exactly where I was.

  Without another look back, I whirled on my heels and ran toward the mouth of the alley, my eyes locked on the blinking red light ahead. If I could just make it that far, I would be out in the open, and maybe they wouldn’t risk humans seeing a magical attack. Maybe. These guys operated by their own rules. That much was clear. I couldn’t be sure they’d hold back for any reason at all.

  My feet moved. Fast. No real thought behind it. Just the instinct to run.

  “Stop!” The Enforcer yelled, and I twisted my head to look over my shoulder.

  His eyes were wild and dark, and power radiated off his body. He held up a hand, a swirling rune sliding across his palm, one that sparked with red.

  That only made my legs move faster. Anyone who pointed a rune at me was someone I needed to get the hell away from ASAP.

  I swerved around the first corner, back into the bright lights of the main street. There was some distance between us now, but the men would be right behind me soon. They were fast. Faster than me. Not to mention the Enforcer had a spell aimed right at my back.

  I didn’t want to die today.

  Squeezing my dagger, I forced myself forward. I flew through a construction site, kicking up gravel as my legs sliced through the air. My eyes watered from the foggy night. My chest blazed with my pounding heart. I heard something crash behind me, but I didn’t dare turn around. All I could do was keep going, running as fast as I could toward the coven’s safe house, though I didn’t want to lead them straight there.

  I needed to lose them. Fast.

  An alley. Just up ahead. It was all I could focus on, my eyes blurring, my feet burning, and my lungs aching inside.

  I careened into it, shoving sagging cardboard boxes out of my way. My boots knocked against takeout boxes and metal cans. The crumpling sounded like fireworks in the eerie silence. When the footsteps didn’t follow, I paused and turned around while my breath heaved from my lungs.

  They hadn’t followed. Yet. But they would figure out fast where I’d gone.

  There was a fence at the end of the alley, leading to goddess knew where. But it was the only shot I had at escape. Climb up and over before they found me, and I could duck into whatever waited for me on the other side.

  But just as I turned toward it, the men stopped at the mouth of the alley, spotting me in an instant.

  Blood rushed into my ears, and a cry of fear lodged in my throat.

  Run, run, run!

  Heavy pounding sounded from behind me as I ran the length of the alley.

  I cursed, reached up, and grabbed the top of the fence. The metal dug into my palms as I pulled myself up and over. I dropped down into shadows, swallowing my scream when I spotted them halfway down the alley. Before I knew what I was doing, I gripped my dagger and shot out my hand. The electric sizzle of magic exploded from my fingers. Black tendrils raced toward the Enforcer and slammed right into his chest.

  My eyes burned as I watched him fall. I had no idea what I’d done, but it had saved my ass. For now.

  I spun on my feet and ran.

  Chapter 18

  The safe house was located just off of Highway 93 in a single-story motel that had a marquee advertising rooms for rent by the hour. Overgrown hedges lined the parking lot, and the motel sign flickered in time with the pounding of my heart. If Dorian hadn’t told me that this was where the council had headed for the night, I never would have guessed it on my own. Nothing about this place hinted of magic or of supernatural wars. It was far too mundane, far too depressing. It was nothing like the coven headquarters in Cambridge that sparkled from chandeliers and glasses of fine wine.

  I walked down a row of identical paint-chipped doors until I came to room number nine. With a deep breath, I knocked on the door and waited. Several moments passed before I heard shuffling on the other side.

  “Zoe Bennett. State your business here.”

  It was the Summoner’s gravelly voice, muted through the door. I couldn’t help but sigh in relief. Some of the council members truly had gotten away from the fight. No one had found them just yet, despite the fact that Vincent—and maybe Dorian as well—was working against them. It might have been several miles away from my home, but I’d managed to get here before it was too late.

  “I have some information about one of your Enforcers that I believe you’d like to know. There’s a traitor in your ranks. I hate to say it, but your location has been compromised.”

  No need to beat around the bush.

  “A traitor?” The Magister’s smooth-as-silk voice replaced the Summoner’s. Clearly, I’d gotten his attention. “You can’t mean Dorian Kostas, can you? The man has been with us for years. Summoner Salvatore personally fought beside him in the war. He would never betray us.”

  “I’m talking about someone else, but he might be working against you, too. Dorian is a vampire.” I glanced over my shoulder when I heard a bottle crash from somewhere nearby. Probably someone staying at the motel who’d had too much cheap liquor to drink, but I didn’t want to risk being out in the open like this for much longer. “Another one of your Enforcers is working against you. If you’ll let me inside, I’ll explain everything.”

  Several moments passed before I received an answer. My skin crawled as I waited, the light breeze swooping across the back of my neck. Even though nothing was setting off my intuition here, I was still very much on edge. At the end of the row, two men were camped outside their room in plastic chairs, passing back and forth a bottle hidden inside a paper bag. They kept glancing my way, probably wondering if I was here to rent a room for an hour.

  “Please, come inside,” the Magister finally answered. A second later, the door cracked open, signaling my entry into their safe house.

  “Now, tell us about this Enforcer,” Summoner Salvatore said as he settled into a chair across from me. Even though it was metal and cracking in the middle, he still managed to come across stern and regal as he steepled his fingers underneath his chin. There was an ocean of knowledge and experience in his eyes that I hadn’t noticed the first time we’d met. I’d been too distracted by clearing my name to pay much attention to the men who led the coven.

  He had a certain kind of presence that most warlocks only dreamed of. His entire body brimmed with power, though there was something restrained about it, too. Like every move he made actually meant something. I glanced at the Magister, who sat beside his second-in-command, his long yellow fingernails tapping out a beat on his knee. Even he didn’t hold that kind of power, which probably pissed him off. He was rumored to be the most powerful bone warlock alive, but I was starting to think that wasn’t the case.

  “You mean Dorian?” I asked, glancing around at the motel room. Three single beds took up the dim space, sagging under thin blankets and lumpy pillows. Mildew permeated the air, and the scent of stale cigarette smoke drifted through the walls. Surely they couldn’t be living here. This place was a dump. “I hate to break it to you guys, but he’s a vampire. I don’t know exactly what his stake is in all of this, but he may have told the Daywalkers about your location.”

  Summoner Salvatore shook his head, flickering his fingers in dismissal. “No, dear. We’ve known about Dorian’s past for years. He’s an Unbound and wants nothing more than to serve his coven. Tell us about the other Enforcer. The traitor you spoke of.”

  Frowning, I stared at the Summoner. That certainly wasn’t what I’d been expecting. All this time, the council had known about Dorian’s true nature? My heart squeezed, half in guilt and half in hope. Summoner Salvatore had called him an Unbound, backing up Dorian’s story. Could he possibly be the man he said he was? Had I made a massive mistake?

  Blinking my eyes, I shook myself out of those thoughts. I needed to focus on what was important right now, not wonder about the trustworthiness of an infuriating vampire warlock.

  “Your Lead Enforcer. His name is Vincent, I think.” I shifted on the metal chair
and pressed my lips together tight, remembering the way he’d thrown me into the trunk of his car. “The one who caught me at the morgue.”

  The Magister frowned and glanced at the Summoner. “You’re right. He’s the leader of our Enforcers. I find it difficult to believe he would turn on us.”

  “Well, I don’t know the guy, but I was shocked myself.”

  “Hmm,” the Summoner said, dropping his voice into a whisper as he met the Magister’s troubled gaze. “It’s odd, don’t you think?”

  “Oh, yes.” The Magister patted the Summoner’s hand, his face etched in lines that looked out of place on his smooth, unblemished skin. “It is most certainly odd.”

  “What’s odd?” I asked, glancing from one to the other. It was as if they were speaking their own language, and I couldn’t translate their words for shit. Not to mention that I could barely hear them over the rhythmic thumping coming from the room next door. Someone in this motel was having fun. Just not me.

  “You’re pointing a finger at the man who arrested you, my dear.” Leon Dupont raised his eyebrows and shot me a chilly smile. “One might wonder if there’s an ulterior motive for your accusations.”

  My cheeks flamed, and I tightened my hands into fists. “You can’t be serious. I’ve come all this way in order to help you. Hell, I put my own fucking life at risk.”

  The Magister flinched before dropping his voice to a whisper. “I told you she had temper issues.”

  “Temper issues?” I threw up my hands and stood from the rattling chair. “You know what? Nevermind. I’ve said what I came here to say, and if you don’t want to believe me, that’s on you.”

  I turned to go, but the Summoner cleared his throat. “I find it odd, but I don’t share the same concerns as my Magister, Miss Bennett. Sit back down.”

  I wanted nothing more than to storm out of this run-down, reeking place, but his voice compelled me to stay. Quietly, I eased back into the chair and met his gaze, unblinking.

  “Good.” He leaned forward. “Now, tell me what brought you to this conclusion about Vincent. Do you have some proof to back up your claims?”

  “No proof. I’ve come only with a testimony of what I saw, but I will swear on the goddess if you’d like.”

  “Just tell me what it is you saw, dear.”

  With a nod, I explained to the council why I’d followed the man into the alley and what I’d seen. The Magister’s face darkened with every passing beat until his entire expression hardened into steel. Clearly, he’d had no idea Vincent had been working with the vampires or trying to find a book to enhance his powers.

  The Summoner stood, lacing his hands behind his back as he began to pace around the room. The other council members stepped aside to let him pass, exchanging looks of shock. “Thank you, Zoe, for bringing this information to us. It’s quite illuminating and explains why the vampires descended upon us the way they did after all this time of peace.”

  “Don’t be an idiot. You can’t possibly believe her.” The Magister moved in front of the Summoner to stop his pacing on the threadbare carpet. They stared into each other’s eyes, their hard expressions highlighted by the flickering bulb overhead. Tension thickened the air like the humid feeling just before a storm. Another checkmark in the unexpected column. There were unresolved issues between these two men, and this situation was only making matters worse.

  “Oh, come on, Leon,” the Summoner finally said. “It’s like you have some kind of prejudice against the girl. Get your head out of your ass and take a look at what’s happening to your coven.”

  The Magister pulled his spine up straight, and electricity sparked in the air. “I pray to the goddess that you are not questioning my authority. Address me in the proper way. Don’t forget that you can be dismissed from my side just as easily as my previous Summoner.”

  I sucked in a sharp breath as I watched the exchange. While there were very few laws governing our coven, there were rules—both spoken and unspoken ones—that we followed all the same. The leader must always be addressed by his title, just like any queen or king. And he must be shown utmost respect at all times.

  The Summoner gave the Magister a long and silent stare before descending into a half-bow, his face devoid of all emotion. “Of course, Magister. A mere slip. I won’t let it happen again.”

  Our leader’s body relaxed, and the electricity vanished just as quickly as it had come. “An easy mistake. Now, I’m going to have to insist my views are heard.” The Magister pointed a fingernail my way. “She is adept in deceit. I would warn against taking any story of hers at face value.”

  I opened my mouth to argue but let it fall shut when I caught a sharp glint in the corner of Leon Dupont’s eye. If it was out of line for the Summoner to show disrespect to the Magister, it sure as hell was out of line for me to do so toward either of them. I was just an untrained witch, after all. I meant nothing in the grand scheme of things.

  But I still couldn’t let this continue on. “Listen. I know you don’t trust me, and frankly, I wouldn’t either if I were you. Use the information however you see fit. I just wouldn’t stick around here for long. The Enforcer knows where this safe house is, and he seems hellbent on the vampires taking you all out. Surely you have somewhere else you could go. A safer safe house? One that no one at all knows about. And maybe one that doesn’t stink of wet dog.”

  The Summoner frowned, locking eyes with the Magister. “There is that other location, Magister. But if something were to happen and we were needed by our coven, the Enforcers wouldn’t know how to get in touch with us.”

  “True, but the leaders need to be protected.” The Magister gave the other man a nod. “Make the arrangements. Rally the men who are staying in the other rooms. We’ll leave immediately.”

  The Summoner half-bowed and disappeared from the room. For the first time in awhile, I tasted the sweet tang of relief. A lot of things had gone wrong in the past few days, but at least I’d managed to convince the council to go somewhere safe. With a deep breath, I stood and moved toward the window. I peered through the threadbare curtain, watching the Summoner go door to door and gather his men. It looked as if there were only about eight in total, but eight lives saved was better than zero.

  “My Summoner doesn’t agree with me sometimes, as you’ve seen,” Leon Dupont said from behind me. “He believes we should stay and fight rather than run. At headquarters, I could have sworn you felt the same. Why is your tune different now?”

  “These are two very different situations.” I turned and met his gaze. He looked different here in the tattered surroundings of the motel room. Less commanding, less polished, less powerful. He looked like a man in way over his head, and the only way out was through a grimy bathroom window that reeked of grout.

  “How so?” he asked. “They both involve vampire attacks.”

  “At the headquarters,” I said, “the entire council was together, and there were Enforcers in the building. Combined, you probably would have won.”

  “Perhaps.” He moved to the thin table by the door and lifted one of the daggers left there by his men. He held it up, letting the light glint off the blade. “Or perhaps every last one of us would have fallen, and the coven would be left without their leaders.”

  Leaders who did nothing.

  “Oh, I know what you’re thinking. You don’t believe we do enough for our coven members.” The Magister tapped his forehead with the dagger’s end. “Your thoughts and emotions are reflected across your face. You may be good at trickery in some regards, but you aren’t very good at hiding how you feel.”

  “Gee, thanks.” I frowned. “And no, I don’t think everyone would have fallen. I think we would have won. Unfortunately, now there’s only a few of you here in this safe house. And there’s a shit ton of them. In order to survive this fight, you’ve got to run.”

  “And what are you going to do?” He chose another dagger from the table and leaned against the wall, rubbing the two weapons together as i
f he were sharpening the blades. The sharp sound sent a sliver of unease down my spine. Why was the Summoner taking so long? “You’re on their radar now, whether you’d like to admit it or not.”

  “I…” My eyes drifted toward the curtain. Through the thin material, shadows shifted just outside the door. Was it the council members or was it someone—or something—else?

  The door cracked open, and the Summoner returned from outside. His face was grim and serious, but the council members were all by his side. I blew out a hot breath, glad to end this strange and tense moment with the Magister. He might be my leader, but he seriously creeped me out.

  “Ah, Summoner Salvatore.” The Magister’s voice held an edge to it as he placed the daggers back onto the table. “Are we all ready to go?”

  “Yes, Magister.” The Summoner’s eyes caught on the dagger before he shot a sharp glance at me, cocking his head as if he wanted to ask me a question. “Be sure to stick by my side as we leave, Miss Bennett. Just in case.”

  “Alright, men,” the Magister said with a clap. “Unfortunately, our time here has come to an end. Our lives are in danger once again, and we need to move to a more secure safe house, one no vampire could ever find. Let’s go.”

  “Magister,” one of the council members said, stepping forward with a bow. “Do you not think it’s time for us to face our enemies and fight? Hiding seems, forgive me for saying, cowardly. How can we truly protect our coven if we run every time we come up against a threat?”

  The Magister frowned, his body rippling with tension. “How can we protect our coven if we’re dead?”

  The council member shot a quick glance at the Summoner, who gave him a grave nod. Interesting. They’d clearly been comparing notes, and they were very much of the same mind. And, I had to admit, they did have a point. Running away didn’t seem like the right answer, but there weren’t any other options. They were outnumbered. They were on the run. There wasn’t much else they could do.