Page 5 of Wicked Fate

This was it. I would catch her and finally get some damn answers for both Ryker and me.

Just as her scent thickened, faint murmurs from ahead reached me.

I slowed and strained to hear over my own breaths and the thumping of my pulse. The overly sweet scent of not just Raven but several others carried toward me on the wind.

More vampires.

A twig snapped, and I froze, not wanting them to hear me. I edged into the growing shadows, holding my breath as the vampires’ voices grew clearer and my pulse calmed.

“…the hell are you doing here?” a woman’s sharp voice spat.

I’d recognize that voice anywhere—Lucinda. One of vampire queen Ambrosia’s head guards.

My breath lodged in my throat. This must be where the vampires had disappeared to, and the last thing we needed was Ryker and the others showing up when we could easily be captured and killed.

Knowing this would make Briar and Ryker panic, I swallowed and linked with my sister,Don’t come any closer. Raven found the other vampires.

Her panic surged through the bond like wildfire.Are you safe?

Yes, I’m staying still and listening.I needed to provide her some sort of assurance before Ryker decided to go rogue and “rescue” me. I’d no doubt hear all about how I was reckless and shouldn’t have gone off on my own.

“I was outed,” Raven answered tensely.

The words shouldn’t have stung. Shouldn’t have meant anything after what she’d done. But something about hearing her say it aloud… it hit deeper. Like a blade twisted into the wounds in my heart that I hadn’t realized were still bleeding. I wished I could see her body language and face so her no-doubt smug look would erase the awful gut-numbing torture, but I couldn’t risk them detecting me.

“How were yououted?” Lucinda shot back.

I could imagine her wrinkling her nose and tossing her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Raven spat, “Becauseyoudidn’t get all the dead vampires out of the clearing.”

“So what? The bitch ran off after shooting at us. She’s gotta be dead.” Martin’s condescending voice rose higher at the end, like the thought of my death made him joyful. At least he’d never hidden his disdain from us.

“You’ve been huddled out here the entire time, and no one informed you that she’s still alive.” Raven snorted. “She returned to the clearing and saw a shadow. The Blackwood witch was able to remove the cloaking in front of everyone there.”

“Simon,” Bella croaked. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

Simon.

No.

There had to be another vampire with that name—it couldn’t be the one I’d helped escape from Ryker.

“Oh, I’msorry.” Simon gritted out. “But her life isn’t nearly as important as them finding a way to block us from killing them despite being invisible. I’m pretty fucking sure that’s more important right now.”

I exhaled and hung my head. It most definitely was the same vampire. Ryker had said Simon had information we needed. If I could go back in time and not interfere, I would without hesitation. I’d been so wrong not to trust Ryker back then.

“We don’t have time for this,” Raven snapped. “They’re close. I bought us what time I could, but it’s over. We need to go—now.”

A low snarl built in my chest, but I swallowed it down.

She knew we were on her trail. She’d claimed her involvement wasn’t what it seemed, but here I was, hiding in the shadows and listening to the truth.

She was a fucking coward.

“Wait.” A male vampire’s voice cut through the air like a blade.

Every part of me stilled, and every muscle tensed.

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