Page 45 of Midnight Reign
Ignatius nods. “And once she’s more tangible, we might be able to find a way to banish her for good.”
“Anything to get her out of my head,” Adelaide says, getting on board with the plan quicker than I expected.
I study her face, searching for any sign of doubt or fear. But all I see is determination, tinged with a hint of desperation. It’s a look I understand all too well.
“Okay,” I say, taking a deep breath. “If we’re going to do this, we need to be prepared. We have no idea what might happen when we bring Crimson closer to the surface.”
Zephyr nods. “We’ll need to set up some kind of containment spell. Something to keep her from fully manifesting or taking control of Addy.”
“I might be able to help with that,” Zaiah offers, his white eyes unfocused as he seems to search through his vast djinn knowledge. “There are ancient binding rituals that could be adapted for this purpose.”
“And we’ll need to protect the stone circle somehow,” Ignatius says.
Addy, who’s been quiet during this exchange, suddenly speaks up. “What about Orby? Could he help us somehow?”
We all turn to look at the small, pulsing orb that’s been hovering near Addy since we entered the room. It seems to glow brighter at the mention of its name.
“Orby’s connected to you in ways we don’t fully understand. We need to figure out what his deal is first,” I point out cautiously.
Zephyr steps closer to Orby, studying it intently. “I don’t know if it’s helping or hindering.”
“Me either, at this point,” Addy mutters, only to have the orb zoom to her and bob about angrily.
“I’m guessing he wants you to believe in him,” I snicker, glad of the tension reliever as Addy laughs.
“Guess so. But he isn’t making it easy.”
“There’s one thing we need to consider,” Zaiah says. “What do we do if we successfully separate Crimson from Addy? We can’t just let an ancient, powerful vampire loose in the world.”
The room falls silent as we contemplate this. It’s a sobering thought, one that brings home the true danger of what we’re attempting.
No one gets any further as an alarm blares out. “What now?” I snap, going to the broken window to peer out.
Addy joins me, still covered in blood, the wound on her neck, just about fully healed. “What is it?” she asks.
“Everyone back to your rooms. We need to perform a headcount.”
Blackthorn’s voice comes over the loudspeaker, and I exchange a worried glance with Adelaide. “We’ll have to leave you.”
She nods stoically. “I’ll be fine. That bitch is gone. For now.”
I nod reluctantly, not wanting to leave Addy alone after what just happened. But we don’t have much choice with the alarm blaring.
“We’ll be back as soon as we can,” I tell her, cupping her face gently. “Stay safe.”
She gives me a weak smile. “I will. Now go, before you get in trouble.”
The others and I leave her room the same way we came. As I fly back to my room, I sense more than trouble brewing. Something big is happening at MistHallow. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out it’s connected to everything we’ve learned tonight.
We have woken the Guardians, pissed off a powerful mind-controlling vamp and now this. The staff are hurrying about anxiously, making it clear, something bad is happening.
We can only hope whatever it is, doesn’t hurt Adelaide further while we are gone.
19
ADELAIDE
I watch the guys leave,my heart heavy with fear and something else that feels too much like anticipation. As soon as they’re gone, I slump against the wall, the adrenaline fading and leaving me weak and shaky. The alarm continues to blare, its shrill cry a constant reminder of the chaos unfolding around us.
