Page 80 of Thicker than Water
Fury rises in my chest, but I push it down. I can’t respond like that. She isn’t my Amara. She betrayed me. Those feelings have no place anymore.
I scowl at the hawk. “That’s none of my concern. Why don’t you go tell your precious High Priestess to rescue her?”
The familiar hangs his head. “I did. You know Lavinia Nox. She’s focused on defending Hemlock Haven. And even if she had the resources to send her witches to Silverlake City, they don’t know how to handle Cedric, or the vampire mafia.”
He’s right. The witches are powerful, but they’ll be at a disadvantage against Lazarus in his own territory.
My voice vibrates deeply in the still winter air. “How could the Hecate witches abandon one of their own? It’s dishonourable…”
“Lavinia is blinded by her feud with your Creator. She won’t be distracted by anything else. She said Amara could take care of herself. That she’s one of the strongest fighters among the witches.”
He flies up in the air, hovering closer to me. His voice takes on a sharp, desperate edge. “But Lavinia didn’t see Amara when she was captured. She was weakened, and Cedric managed to surprise her.”
There’s a flicker of guilt in my stomach. She was weakened because I drank from her. Her power flows through my veins now, leaving her helpless.
Why would Cedric take her? Could he have known she’s a witch? Lazarus’s gang has no feud with the witches.
But no…of course. My brother’s words come back to me now. He said he would take what I loved most. And it was no secret that Amara and I were intimate, that I was closer to her than I’ve ever been to a living human…toanyone. He must have taken her to get back at me.
My chest aches and I turn away from the bird, processing this new information.
I try to be logical…but all I can do is picture Amara, alone, tied up in Lazarus’s mansion headquarters, at the mercy of Cedric and his gang. She was weak after I drank from her, and then I kicked her out of the hotel in the middle of the night. It’s enough to weaken even a powerful witch.
An icy fear runs through me. What might Cedric do to her? Especially if he knows how much I care for her. He wouldn’t simply kill her. He’s a sadist, and Lazarus is even worse.
There’s a sound, from deep under the mountain. Many footsteps echo through the stone. Tudor and Oana will return any moment, possibly with the Arundel wolves.
I don’t have time to chase after some witch spy who betrayed me. I owe her nothing. I have to stand with my Creator. To abandon him would be my certain ruin.
“Go back to your Hecate witches,” I tell the hawk bitterly. “There’s nothing I can do for her.”
“I called upon you for a reason, Celine…”
“What reason is that?”
He narrows his sharp, beady eyes.
“How do you think I found you, in these dark woods, when even Lavinia can’t discern your plans? I am a gift from Hecate, andshesent me to find you, to bring you this message.”
A light snow has begun to fall. He ruffles the snowflakes from his wings.
“Only you can save Amara, Celine.”
My voice is quiet, but clear. “And why would I do that?”
“Because…she trusts you, Celine. I have no idea why, but she does.”
I watch the snow fall upon the hard forest floor. It’s so beautiful. Untouched. Pure.
I was like that once. But not anymore. I can’t escape the things that have happened to me. I can’t forget the things I’ve done.
But she knew that. She knew that, and yet…
“Celine!” Tudor’s voice rings through the clearing. It startles the hawk, who gives me one final look before disappearing into the thick woods.
Tudor and Oana emerge from the opening in the mountain, followed by a crew of bedraggled wolf shifters, all in their human forms. Tudor is practically glowing with anticipation, eager to finally strike the first blow against the witches. Oana looks similarly inspired, her signature red cape blowing elegantly behind her. Even the shifters, despite their long imprisonment, seem engaged and ready to fight, their limbs itching to shift.
I recognize Leander Arundel, the Alpha of the pack. He stands fiercely by my Creator. “The Arundel wolves owe you a great debt, Tudor Thornblade. And we will fight to the last wolf. This battle means more to us than you could imagine. My two young pups are at Elmwood, and my niece. We’re all they have left. My sister was killed during the conflict with the panther shifters. I’ll never forget her sacrifice.”
