Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
“The Order can be set in their ways,” Antonio says and sets a bag of weapons down. Leo leads us into the dining room, which looks very much like a cafeteria. I’ve sat at this long table many times, listening to the older Order members discussing complicated hunts, going over rules and a game plan.
“I’m guessing you already know there’s a rumor going around you’re into sisters,” Leo starts, looking at Antonio snuggly.
“Yes,” Antonio replies flatly. “We’re handling it.”
Leo raises his eyebrows, silently questioning Antonio saying “we”. “Of course, those photos are being circulated in our circle, too. No one thinks you and Wren are bumping nasties, but the rumor you’re a vampire seems much more plausible because Antonio Russo, the Order’s golden boy, would never be seen parading around with the Malus vampires.”
I put the bag of spell supplies on the table. “What did you say in response?”
“Nothing yet,” Leo says. “By some miracle, I've been able to avoid it. That’s partly why I chose to stay in tonight.”
Antonio gives him a look. “I’m sure Patrick being in town had nothing to do with it.”
“It was a good cover.”
“Is that all it is?” Now it’s my turn to stare at Leo dubiously.
He looks me straight in the eyes. “Yes.”
“Wren,” Xavier says softly and I nod, knowing I need to get to work. We set up for the spell and I hold a cross necklace that belongs to Vivian. It was a Mother’s Day gift from Larissa years ago, and she wore it any day she wasn’t on a hunt.
I clear my mind, take a breath, and focus on the spell. Everything is laid out and ready. Picking up the necklace, I close my eyes and chant.
“Ad te clamo. Te ipsum revela. Ostende mihi locum tuum. Ad te clamo. Te ipsum revela. Ostende mihi locum tuum.”
The herbs vibrate, moving fast this time. We put out a map of the whole USA, not sure where Vivian would be. From there, we’ll narrow it down. They gather in a spot in central North Carolina.
“She’s still here?” I ask and then wait as Devon and Zeke quickly transfer things to a map of North Carolina. I need to give Devon credit for being so thorough and prepared with all the maps.
I repeat the entire process again, and the herbs move into place.
“The Seely Castle?” Devon questions, looking at the map. “She’s at the Seely Castle right here in Asheville?”
“Fred Seely was a big supporter of the Order,” Antonio explains. “He supported the actual cause of hunters protecting humanity, and it was because of his donations that there are so many hunters in this area today.”
“Huh,” I say, learning something new. I’m sure it was taught to me at some point but didn’t seem important enough to remember. “Why would Vivian be there though?”
“She’s not at Overlook Castle,” Antonio goes on. “But she’s on the grounds. There’s a carriage house kept out of the public eye that has been offered as a safe house for hunters for the last hundred years or so.”
“If she’s there, she’s probably in hiding,” Leo says with a nod and then looks up.
I lower my hand, letting the little cross fall to the table. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”
Chapter
Thirty-Two
We load into two cars and head toward Sealy Castle. Knowing we couldn’t get in unnoticed by simply driving up and parking, we came up with a plan to park along the road and walk through the woods. Antonio has never been to the carriage house, but he’s heard it talked about enough to have a good general idea of how to find it. He grabbed several hunter journals from the office before we left, remembering passages that mentioned the carriage house—small details about its location, the way the path curved, how the trees grew denser the closer you got.
We’re not far from it, but the drive still feels like it takes forever. No one talks much. The air in the car feels too tight, too heavy, like we’re all holding our breath without realizing it. Every minute that passes is another minute Vivian could be getting closer to succeeding.
Following the plan we came up with on the way—which, if I’m being honest, isn’t much of a plan other than find Vivian and ask her, not so politely, what the fuck—we park along the side of the road, engines cutting off one after another, plunging us into a silence that feels louder than the drive. Gravel crunches under our shoes as we step out. The woods loom ahead, thick and shadowed even in daylight.
“Remember,” Antonio tells us as we start heading into the woods, “we have no idea how many people are with Vivian right now. We should try to subdue any hunters rather than kill them if possible.”