R aven chased after Ember. She darted out the club doors onto Second Avenue, moving nimbly through the crowds. Fane rushed alongside him, cursing under her breath.
“Ember, wait. Wait, damn it. Quit being so damn wangsty!”
Ember glanced back over her shoulder, pure fury on her face, lips moving rapidly. Raven felt the spell she cast hit him like a wall of bricks. Damn, that girl was getting good at shielding. But he was better. He tuned out all the other surrounding noise, thoughts, emotions, fears and read her. Even on the go like this, he could drowse, listen to her thoughts. His extensive practice was paying off. After working and loving together for so long, they were attuned, like a stereophonic radio station. He could dial into her mind with ease now.
He felt her as they moved away from the crowds, down by the river. She was furious, he could sense that. And scared.
Riverfront Park was dark tonight, people milling about, the homeless reveling in the crowds. A row of mounted patrol, their horses’ flanks weary with inactivity, were on duty at the bridge to the Titans’ stadium, keeping people somewhat under control.
Ember scooted down to the log fort astride the Cumberland River-the first structure in Nashville, built back when the city was still called Nashboro and the insurgent Cherokee fought the newly arrived settlers for their land. The original structure dated to 1779; a perfect replica had been painstakingly built in 1962. It was supposed to be locked after hours, but Raven had found a way in, and assumed Ember was heading there. They’d practiced down here last month, when they needed the full moon’s glow off the river for a spell’s efficacy.
Ember slipped through the loose boards on the edge of the fort. Raven and Fane followed her in.
Though light shimmered above them, the inside of the structure was dark, cool. Raven felt Fane shiver next to him, drew her close for a moment to warm her. The minute he let his mind move toward Fane, the connection with Ember was broken. He heard movement in the black, then the world exploded into a million colors. He fell to the ground, hands on his crotch.
He heard a low moaning, didn’t realize it was coming from his own throat. Pressure at his back now, Fane hissing like a furious cat.
“Christ, Ember. Did you really need to knee him in the balls? Grow up, why don’t you? Hurting Raven isn’t going to fix the situation. You’ve been all Gothier-than-thou the past couple of weeks anyway. What’s your fucking problem?”
She knelt next to Raven, pulled his head into her lap. Ember appeared in the edge of his peripheral vision, swimming in and out of focus. She’d dropped her shield, was sending off powerful negativity, sharp as knives.
Fane brushed a lock of black hair off Raven’s forehead. “It wasn’t Raven’s fault. Your stupid brother couldn’t keep his hands off perfect little Mandy. Xander went over there to fuck her. How were we supposed to know she’d share her stash with him? I thought you said he didn’t do X.”
Ember came right to Fane’s face, words biting through her gritted teeth. “He doesn’t. And that’s not what happened-you know it isn’t. He was there when you arrived, and you forced him. You killed him. And then you cut him up like all the rest. How could you? How could you? He’s my brother! And you two are out celebrating. I can’t believe you’d do this to me. To us!”
Raven was still nonsensical. Damn, that hurt. Fane shifted him to the right, and some of the pressure started to leak away.
“Ember, you have to get a grip. Right now. Where’s Thorn?”
The smaller girl shuffled her feet uncertainly. “I have no idea.”
“What do you mean, you have no idea?”
“He was supposed to sneak into my house. My parents took off and went to Mandy’s when they heard. I called him and he never answered.”
Raven was finally starting to feel better. At least, he didn’t think he was going to throw up anymore. He struggled into a sitting position, leaning on Fane for support. His voice was laced with pain, but the authority was there.
“Ember. How did you get downtown if Thorn didn’t bring you?”
“I took the bus. There were plenty of people headed down-I blended right in.”
“Where are your parents now?”
“I don’t know. I split when they did.”
“We need to get you home. They’re going to notice you’re gone and get worried. You weren’t supposed to leave until they went to sleep.”
“In case you forgot, you murdered my brother tonight, you stupid prick. I doubt they’re going to be doing much sleeping. I fixed my bed, my room. They won’t look. They never do.”
“You need to go home.”
“Fuck that, Raven. I don’t have to do everything you command. I want to know why you included Xander in your plan.”
Raven’s fury started to build in turn. He forgot the soreness in his groin, stood so he towered over Ember. He grabbed her by the upper shoulders and gave her a powerful shake, the anger boiling in his gut. “I told you. I had no control over that. He’s the one that was there. He’s the one who interjected himself into the plan. Get off my back, now, or there will be consequences. Do you understand?”
She didn’t respond.
“Do you understand?” he roared.
Ember was silent for a moment, pulled away from his grasp. He let her go. She turned her back. He could see her breathing deeply, felt a calm steal over them. Good. He had her back. Losing control of his coven could be disastrous, especially now.
He turned to Fane, seeking her eyes in the gloom. She glowed in the darkness, and he saw her teeth flash in a smile. He answered with his own, reset his center and turned back to Ember.
“Ember, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you would be this upset. It was unavoidable. And we need to go now, before someone hears us fighting.”
Ember’s shoulders began to shake. She whirled back around and snarled at Raven, sharp little teeth bared.
“I don’t believe you. I think you murdered Xander because you wanted to, not by accident. Do you hear me, you freak? I think you did it on purpose. And I won’t let you get away with it, Raven. I break with you and Fane. I break with you. I break with you.”
She darted out into the night, her sobs trailing behind her.
Waning Crescent Moon Twenty-five Percent of Full Hallowmas
(All Saints’ Day)
Thirteen
Quantico, Virginia November 1 7:00 a.m.
“H ey, Reever, it’s Baldwin. Again. I’m here waiting for you. Where are you, buddy? Don’t really want to go into this hearing without you. Call me, okay?”
Baldwin hung up and stashed his phone in his pocket. He should have just defended himself. He was licensed to practice in Virginia, had passed the bar there years ago. He’d gotten his J.D. at George Washington. Of course, that’s what led him directly to the FBI, and Garrett Woods. Maybe if he hadn’t wanted to be a medical ethicist, he wouldn’t be in this situation now.
He could call Taylor. She’d certainly be sympathetic, take his mind off the situation. But she was knee-deep in her own murder investigation. He decided not to bother her. Too many bad memories were going to get dredged up-just having Taylor in his head would sully her.
How did it all end up here? All the years he spent working so hard to protect the innocent, to help his fellow law enforcement officers, to make a name in the FBI, to recover from his own personal trauma…was it all going to be for naught? Would he be summarily thrown out of his position at the FBI? It would be ironic, considering how
