Page 40 of Witch Untold
Did we honestly look so young? I mean maybe Bramble, but not the rest of us. “Leo, this isn’t a joke.”
His smile fell. “Enough. Now get out of here. Get back to your hotel and we’ll say no more about it.”
I caught movement over his shoulder. A dark mass against the northern lights. “Oh, fuck!” I pushed past him. “They’re here.”
“Twenty minutes out, if that,” Sloane assessed.
Figures were moving fast, a line of black against the horizon getting closer and closer.
Leo turned to follow our gazes and his mouth popped open. “What the—”
I grabbed his arm, forcing him to face me. “Get back to the station, issue that alert, get as many people away from the edge of town as you can. Do it. Now.”
This time he didn’t argue.
Chapter Thirteen
Jasper
It isn’t long before the bloodsuckers are back. I know because I’m pinned to the fucking wall by an invisible force. Again.
Conah and Elijah seem a little recovered and I’m feeling stronger, but I’m not delusional enough to think we can force our way out of this cell.
I need to talk to them. Figure out what they’re so afraid of. What’s their real reason for wanting Cora’s blood.
The smoke coalesces into Mircea and Radu. They’ve changed into form-fitting black clothes. They look cleaner. Less gaunt. Stronger.
“You take the warlock and I’ll take the demon.” Mircea’s lip curls in disgust around the worddemon.
Radu grabs hold of Elijah, who rears back and headbutts the vampire in the face. Radu releases him with a yelp, hand going up to cover his bloody nose. “Oh, you’ll pay for that.” He lunges.
“Stop!” My voice is a whiplash that renders both vampires momentarily immobile.
They stare at me in shock, probably because I’ve dared to demand anything of them.
I seize the moment. “Tell us what you want? What are you afraid of and why is Cora’s blood so important?”
“We don’t have to tell you anything,” Radu sneers.
But Mircea’s eyes narrow. He’s considering it, so I focus on him. Radu might bark and bite, but Mircea is the one in charge.
“We might be able to help,” Conah adds.
Mircea blinks and looks away. I’ve lost him. Fuck.
“Drink up, Radu,” he says coolly. “We have a witch to retrieve.” He slides a glance my way, and there’s no mistaking the smug glint in his eyes.
They’re going after Cora. They’re fueling up to get her. Panic rakes at my chest but my tone is calm and even. “You gave her six weeks.”
“Things have changed.” Mircea grabs hold of Conah’s nape like a lover preparing to deliver a kiss. The reaper glares at him and the vampire graces him with a cold, dead smile. “If it’s any consolation, your blood will save many humans. That is, after all, your primary goal, is it not? The protection of humanity?”
He sayshumanityas if it’s a dirty word. As if it’s a taint in his mouth. His fangs elongate and Conah hisses, his own fangs pushing out of his gums in a feral response.
Mircea’s eye twitches. “Ah, yes. I forget what you are. Demons that drink blood. I suppose being fed on is derogatory for your kind?”
He doesn’t wait for a response before sinking his canines into Conah’s neck. Helplessness brings rage, and the need to lash out washes over me, but the fact that I can’t act on it brings lava to life in my belly.
The door shakes and the cell echoes with the thump of a fist.
