The Bone Coven Chronicles: The Complete Series Page 21

  “What’s going on? Has something happened?”

  Laura and I launched into the story at once, our words spilling on top of each other. Even though we still had no idea where Vincent had gone, we had more information about his motives and intentions than we ever had before. When we’d finally said all we could, Dorian frowned and stalked to his desk, snatching the scanned page from the stack.

  His eyes flew across the words, his expression darkening. “I don’t suppose you two managed to translate the Latin here, did you?”

  Laura and I glanced at each other. Could Dorian read it, just like I’d suspected?

  “That’s what I thought.” He threw the paper onto the pile and dropped his head back to stare up at the ceiling, his vein pulsing in his thick neck. “There’s a warning in there, because magic like this always comes with a price. In this case, Vincent is not only binding demons to himself. He’s weakening the veil between realms.”

  Chapter 27

  “He’s weakening the veil between realms?” Suddenly, I felt like I needed to sit. This was far worse than I’d thought. Vincent had not only kicked off a feud with the vampires, but he was risking everything our coven had fought for in the demon war, that so many mages had died for. The veil had weakened then, too, and demons had threatened to pour into our world. They would have destroyed humanity as we knew it.

  And we almost weren’t able to stop it.

  We needed to find Vincent and fast. Not only to save my Grams but to save the entire world.

  “Laura,” I said, jerking my thumb at the curtain separating the living room from the bedroom. “Would you mind checking on Grams?”

  “What, now?” She furrowed her eyebrows. “Right after Dorian has dropped this massive bombshell about the fucking demon apocalypse?”

  “Please.” My gaze caught hers, and understanding flashed between us. She could see in my eyes what I was truly asking. I needed a moment alone with Dorian. Even though she didn’t know why and even though the timing sucked ass, she just gave a nod and walked away. No longer did I crave the bag of food Dorian had brought back for us. I couldn’t be hungry now, not when I was hiding something so important from my best friend.

  Dorian strode toward the window and perched on the cracked ledge, his gaze firmly locked on anything other than my face. “What is it that you want to ask me, Zoe?”

  “Would you help me read some Latin?” I kept my voice low and quiet, but I didn’t hold back the urgency that I felt deep down in my gut. Dorian sounded tired and defeated, but I wouldn’t let him give up. Not when we’d come so far. We knew what we were working against now, and all we needed was to track a man down by using my shadow magic. And this time, I wouldn’t let it take control of my body and my mind. I would be the one in control instead.

  Dorian shifted toward me and met my gaze for the first time since we’d left Vincent’s house. The emotion swirling in his eyes wasn’t the anger I’d expected. It was something else. A mixture of pain, sadness, and dread. Had I really made him feel that terrible? Had my deceit really hurt him that much? We’d only known each other for a few days, after all.

  “You have a grimoire you’d like me to take a look at, don’t you?” He gave a nod and held out a hand. “Let me see it.”

  I pressed the book into his hand and flipped to the page with the Seek spell. “I think this one is for finding people, but I haven’t been able to use it because I have no idea what it says on the page. If it really can track down Vincent, then I can find him for us. Get his blood. Stop him from weakening the veil even more.”

  His eyes grew even sadder as he scanned the words. “You’re right. That’s what this is for.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?” I asked. “Why do you look like you’ve just lost your dog?”

  “Because, Zoe.” He reached out a hand and squeezed my shoulder, and his touch sent shivers of anticipation and excitement through my veins. The vampire blood clearly hadn’t left my system yet… “You’re strong, but I saw what that magic did to you. I don’t want you to have to do that again. I wish I could be the one to save the world for you. What fucking good am I with my immortality and strength if I can’t do anything other than watch on while you destroy your soul to stop this man? A man that I led to you, unknowingly.”

  So, that was what this was about. He’d gone from anger to guilt while he’d been out grabbing breakfast, now blaming himself instead of me. He saw himself as some kind of white knight who could ride in to save the day. But I didn’t want a white knight. I just wanted a friend and a partner. Someone who wouldn’t judge me for being me.

  “I want to do this,” I said, meeting his solemn eyes. “Will you help me?”

  After a long and silent moment, Dorian gave a nod. “Of course.”

  Long, slow claps snapped through the quiet moment. With a sharp intake of breath, I whirled toward the window. A cluster of vampires stood on the streets outside, the clouds overhead obscuring the morning sun. They stood in a sharp V formation, the man in front clapping his hands while forming his bloodied lips into a patronizing smile.

  “What a lovely moment. An Unbound vampire and a Shadow. Who would have thought?” His expression suddenly darkened. “I’m here to offer you a trade.”

  Dorian stood from the window ledge and fisted his hands, his muscles rippling with tense anger. “Christian. You are not welcome here.”

  Laura bustled out from behind the curtain, stopping short when she saw the vampires lurking just outside. Her cheeks went pink, and her hand flew to her throat. “What’s happening? Can they get in?”

  “Of course not,” I snapped, turning toward the leader of the vampires. “He can stand out there for as long as he fucking wants, but he can’t come inside unless we invite him. And that sure as hell is not happening.”

  “Perhaps not.” Christian Dogaru twisted toward Anastasia and Georgina, the two women vampires who flanked his sides. “Girls, please hand me the young man.”

  The young man? My breath caught in my throat. No. It couldn’t be.

  From within the group of vampires, the shivering form of Nathan Whitman stumbled forward. Overhead, the sky split with lightning, casting an eerie light on his bruised face. He fell to his knees, and the sound of breaking bone crunched loud. My muscles went tight, and I swallowed down the moan that bubbled up in my throat. What the hell had they done to him?

  I was halfway out the window before Dorian grabbed my waist and held me back. Tears burned my eyes, and my vision turned red. They couldn’t do this. He was just an innocent human, one who had done nothing but try to make the world a better place.

  “Now that I have your attention.” Christian’s red lips spread wide. Had he been feeding on Nathan? Was that his blood on his teeth? “I would like to propose a trade. We want the girl. Give her to us, and this young man can go free.”

  No. My mind reeled from his words. Exchange Laura for Nathan. There was no way in hell I would ever do such a thing. Laura was part of my family, even if not by blood. She’d always been by my side for as long as I could remember. She was my best friend, my soul sister. I would never give her up, not even for eternal life. But I couldn’t just stand here and watch them kill Nathan.

  They’d created an impossible situation, and they knew it.

  Tears burned my eyes, and I had to hiss my words to get them out. “Why are you doing this? The Magister is dead. You got your revenge.”

  Christian clucked his tongue. “He was only part of the problem. Someone else in your coven was involved. Since we don’t know who, this is the solution we have determined. It’s more than fair. We lost four blood bags, and we’re only demanding one in exchange. We’ll even let your human friend here live. Just give us the unmarked witch.”

  They only wanted Laura because they didn’t know the identity of the person who made the hits. An idea sparked in my mind. A dangerous one. One that Dorian probably wouldn’t let me try. But I was done taking shit from vampires, and I’d do whatever I cou
ld to protect Laura, even if it meant putting my own life on the line.

  Steeling myself, I raised my voice so that my words could not be misunderstood. “I need to show you something. I’m coming out there.”

  “Zoe,” Dorian said sharply before grabbing my wrist. “What the hell are you doing?”

  I took a deep breath and pulled my arm out of his grasp. The last time he’d held me like this, he hadn’t let go. This time, he actually backed down. “I have an idea. Just trust me, okay? I know you think I’m an untrained witch who needs your protection, and I kind of am. But this is something I can do on my own. I can handle it. Okay?”

  With a deep sigh, he shook his head, but he made no move to stop me as I went around the room, grabbing documents. Proof that what I had to say was true. My dagger was at my back, strong and cool against my skin. If they attacked me, I wouldn’t be fast enough to use it, but it was comforting nonetheless.

  Outside, I met the vampires in the street. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning flashed. I met their eyes, keeping myself focused on what I needed to say. If I glanced at Nathan, I might not stay strong enough to get through this exchange.

  “I have to say I’m intrigued,” Christian said, his teeth even more red up close. “What is it you want to say to me, Zoe Bennett?”

  “I know the identity of your assassin.”

  A murmur went through the vampires. Christian raised his eyebrows, lifting up his hand for the others to quieten down. “Now that certainly is interesting, my dear. Do continue.”

  “Vincent, the Lead Enforcer of the coven. He’s been playing both sides,” I said, pushing the documents into the vampire leader’s hands. “He’s been using the humans you drink from as sacrifices to bind demons to himself. All the while it sounds like he’s been telling you to attack the council. Am I right?”

  Christian’s face hardened, and he nodded. “Yes, that’s the warlock who told us your Magister had ordered the deaths. You’re telling me that he killed our blood bags?”

  “I’m afraid so,” I said.

  The murmurs of the vampires grew louder, their expressions turning harsh and angry. They began to shift around me, circling me like I was prey. But even though my heart trembled in my chest, I wasn’t going to stop now. I wasn’t the one who had angered them. Vincent was. If I could just make them see reason, we could all get out of this alive.

  “This spell,” I continued as I pointed at the Latin on the page, “has a price though. It weakens the veil between realms. And I’m sure we can both agree that we don’t want that to happen.”

  Christian Dogaru threw the documents down with disgust, his eyes turning a vicious shade of red. “What is it you’re after here, witch? What’s the point of all of this?”

  “I propose a new trade.” My voice trembled, but I forced myself to continue. “Give us Nathan, and I’ll give you Vincent.”

  Christian raised his eyebrows. “You have this warlock? The one who killed our food?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Forget this. Either it’s the unmarked witch or it’s nothing at all.” With a roll of his eyes, Christian turned to go, but I reached out a hand to stop him. From behind me, Dorian’s voice punctuated the air, full of fear and alarm. Touching a vampire? Probably not a great idea. But I couldn’t let him walk away now.

  “Wait,” I said. “I know a spell that can track him. Let Nathan go, and I’ll find him, bring him to you, and then this debt between us can be fully paid.”

  Christian eyed me with doubt and suspicion, but I could tell that he was weighing my words with interest. “You would track him anyway. You would stop him from weakening the veil.”

  “Wouldn’t you?” I asked. “You don’t want the demons here any more than we do.”

  For a moment, I didn’t think he would agree. He seemed far too intent on causing the most damage he could, and that meant taking Laura from us instead of a warlock we had no feelings for but hate. Maybe things had changed over the years. Maybe the vampires weren’t opposed to demons as much as they had been in the past. Maybe they wanted the veil to weaken, for the dark creatures to storm into this world.

  But after several long moments, Christian Dogaru nodded. “You have twenty-four hours. If you haven’t brought him to us by then, we’ll be back for the unmarked witch.”

  Chapter 28

  “Step one,” Dorian said as he paced back and forth with the ancient grimoire open to the Seek spell’s page, the weathered papers fluttering as he moved. “We need to turn out all the lights.”

  “Easy enough.” I rolled back my shoulders and bounced on my feet, shaking off the last remnants of nerves. The vampires were gone, Laura was patching Nathan up in the bathroom, and we were about to track down the shittiest warlock in all of America.

  I flicked off the lights and motioned for Dorian to proceed.

  “Step two,” he said. “Sit in the shadows, close your eyes, and speak his name.”

  I nodded. “Got it. Is that it?”

  Dorian lifted his eyes from the book and stared across the room. It was difficult to read his expression in the darkness, but it was impossible to miss the way his hands trembled as he closed the book. “Step three. Be careful. This spell somehow leads you straight to him, and anything that happens to you in this form is permanent.”

  My heart thumped hard. “In this form?”

  “Your mind separates from your physical body,” he said in a strained voice. “So, you’ll be here, but you’ll also be there, wherever he is.”

  Well, that sounded suitably disturbing for a shadow spell. And dangerous. Unfortunately, we had no other choice at this point. It was do or die time, and I wasn’t about to let anyone do the latter.

  I settled onto the floor and closed my eyes, centering my mind as best I could. Since I’d never done a spell like this before, I didn’t quite know what to expect. When my shadow magic had taken control against the demons, it had ripped from my hands without any thought needed from me. This was different. Intentional. And a hell of a lot calmer.

  “Vincent,” I whispered the name into the shadows.

  A storm of shivers shook through my body, spreading across every inch of my skin. The floor underneath me trembled, and the sound of wind whipped around my ears. Slowly, I opened my eyes and blinked at the swirling reds, greens, yellows, and blues rolling across my vision. The desk, the walls, and the window looked smudged and distant.

  In the middle of it all, a dark cord shimmered, stretched out, and disappeared beyond my line of sight. Before I could lose my nerve, I reached out and tugged.

  The world spun around me, my body tossing and turning like I was caught in a blender. Sights whipped by me faster than I could register. I was out on the street outside of Dorian’s apartment. And then I was outside of Blue Moon Tavern. And then I was streaming past the crumbling remains of Vincent’s house.

  My senses ramped up into overdrive as my strange, new form throttled closer and closer to a shadowy shimmering cloud on the horizon. It was the size of a jet plane and fluttering like a curtain in the wind. And it was like nothing I had ever seen in my life.

  I hurtled straight into it, and electricity sparked all around me. Up no longer felt up, and down no longer felt down. I felt as if I’d fallen into a black hole with nothing surrounding me but black upon black.

  Until suddenly, my boots hit the hard ground and a dim light shot through the haze surrounding me. A light wind whistled through the empty expanse, and a chill sunk deep into my bones. It stank of staleness here, like the waiting room of a hospital. Like something was dying.

  What the hell was this place? Some kind of cavern underneath the ground? Swallowing hard, I gazed around me, my eyes catching on a form shifting through the shadows. And it was coming straight for me.

  “Zoe Bennett,” the cool voice said, sending a new storm of goosebumps across my skin. The shadows parted, revealing Enforcer Vincent, dressed in a suit and tie. “I have to admit, I’m impressed you were able to f
ollow me here.”

  “Where the hell is here?” I flinched when the shadows began to shift around us, pushing in close before pulling away again.

  “How did you get here if you don’t know what it is?” He gave me a quizzical look. “You’re in the demon realm.”

  The demon realm. Dread twisted in my gut, and I took several steps back, sudden realization crashing over me like wave after wave after wave. The shadows around us weren’t shadows. They were creatures of darkness, waiting for the right moment to pounce. I’d walked straight into their world without even the slightest bit of defense. Would my magic even work here? And in my astral form?

  “Right. Of course. And these demons here, they’re bound to you?” I asked, forcing myself to focus on the plan and not on my fear. With my heart thrumming in my neck, I stepped forward, erasing the distance between us. Just keep him talking, long enough to get close, I reminded myself. I could do that. I’d done it a million times before in my cons.

  “Smart girl,” he said, flashing me a smile. “I’m impressed you were able to figure out what I’m doing. But from the judgement flashing on your face, I’m guessing you didn’t bother to understand why.”

  Cocking my head, I took another step forward. “Can’t say that I did.”

  “I understand how strange this might sound to you, but I’m not doing it for myself. Binding them means I control them. It prevents them from feeding on their own free will. Whenever they want to. This is the only way to keep humans safe.”

  Wow, this guy was delusional. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Plus, he totally believed every word he said. He really thought this was the best way to help humans, that he was doing what he had to in order to save the world.

  “But you’re killing people in order to bind demons,” I said. “How does that make it any different?”