Unraveled

With a sigh, Aden stepped from the shadows.

Who’s there? Jennifer immediately demanded.

Without replying, Aden reached an arm out of her body, then the other, then a leg, then the other, until he was standing in front of her, sweating, panting. His knees gave out and he dropped, putting himself at eye-level with her. Or more accurately, blindfold-level. Body-possessing always weakened him, but the act had never done so this quickly. He must have stayed there too long.

“What did you do to me?” Jennifer shouted. “You’re the reason for my blackouts, aren’t you? Because it just happened again. Answer me!”

Blackouts. That’s how she saw the times he’d gone back. He’d changed the future, then. Made her weary and wonder what had been done to her.

She’s alive and she’s healthy, Caleb said with relief. Good job, Team Aden.

“Thank God,” Victoria breathed, suddenly behind him, arms wrapping around him, body heat seeping into him, strengthening him. “We didn’t think you would ever emerge.”

“How much time passed?”

“About six hours.”

His eyes widened. That long? The day was wasting away, a mere blink of time left. “Help me up,” he said, urgent.

She stood and dragged him with her, stronger than a girl who looked so delicate should be. With her arm around his waist, they left the room and the still-shouting witch. Down the hall and into another room they stumbled. There was a couch and a chair, both empty.

“Where’s Riley?” Aden asked as he plopped on the couch.

“He and Mary Ann went to get something to eat.” Victoria settled beside him. “Did you learn anything?”

“Nothing that helps us with the meeting.”

Her shoulders drooped with disappointment. “Then what did you learn?”

“I learned I have worse luck than I thought. Not only did Dr. Hennessy hypnotize and ward me, but it turns out he is really a she, and she is really a fairy. Nice, huh? She and the witches are working together, planning to use me to draw the vampires and wolves into a trap so both races can be slaughtered.”

“Okay, that’s a lot to absorb.”

“I know, and I’m sorry to throw it at you like this. But why haven’t they just snatched me up? Both the fairies and the witches now know I’m the one pulling at them, and they’ve had the opportunity.”

“Because you were protected by the vampires and the weres, maybe?”

“Maybe.”

“So…what are we going to do about that meeting?”

I have an amazing idea, Caleb said. The best you’ll ever hear, if I do say so myself.

Elijah groaned. I know what you’re going to say. Don’t listen to him, Aden.

Now I’m nervous, Julian piped up.

Caleb outlined his plan. Afterward, Aden was the one to groan. Of course Caleb thought his plan was a gold- star idea, because he liked those witches, but he wasn’t using his brain, merely his hormones. Still, Aden could think of nothing else to free his friends from their curse.

“I’m going to give myself up,” he said flatly, and Caleb patted himself on the back.

Told you it was the best.

Victoria gasped, shook her head, strands of black hair hitting her cheeks. “No. That’s dangerous and foolish and—”

“The only way. I’m the only one who has to make the meeting. If we pretend to set Jennifer free, she can—”

“Jennifer?” Victoria interjected with a twinge of anger. “Who’s Jennifer?”

“Our delightful hostage.” He motioned to the doorway with a tilt of his chin. “Anyway, if we let her go, she’ll likely want to capture me and take me to her friends. I’ll be with them. They’ll ask me questions. That counts as a meeting, right?”

Victoria chewed on her bottom lip. “They could decide to destroy you, despite your origins.”

That was a chance he was willing to take. For her. For the others. He reached out and cupped her jaw. As always, she was hot, so hot, and utterly soft. “We’ve run out of time.”

And the idea is made of awesome, but whatever.

She leaned into the touch. “Well, I’m not willing to risk your life. I’ll let her capture me, too, and that way—”

He shook his head before she could finish. “Witches and vampires are a bad mix, as you know. I’m sorry to say this, but they’re more likely to take me if you’re not there. And we need to do this before Riley returns.” As protective as the wolf was of his king, he, too, would insist on going with Aden. If he “allowed” Aden to go at all, that is.

But most of all, Aden recalled the conversation that had just taken place. The witches and the fairies wanted to destroy the vamps and the weres. He wasn’t going to let Victoria and Riley become their first victims.

“You’re king,” Victoria said, fisting his shirt, “so I can’t stop you if you insist on doing this, but you have to—”

“I’m not your king,” he said. “I’m your boyfriend.”

Her gaze pleaded with him to understand. “And I want my boyfriend to stay alive.”

He softened, inside and out. “I’m going to die soon. We both know that.” He pried her fingers from his shirt and slid her palms underneath, above the scabs on the right side of his ribs. He’d possessed scars in the vision Elijah had shown him. Soon, these scabs would become scars. Soon after that, he would die.

No fear, though. He wouldn’t let her see his fear at the thought of being stabbed in the heart again. Only his willingness to do what was necessary to protect his friends.

“There’s a difference between knowing you might soon die and courting danger,” she cried.

“Listen. These are scabs, not scars. Not yet. I’ve still got a little time. Which means the witches won’t kill me.” A lie. They could keep him for weeks, months, enough time to turn the scabs to scars, and then kill him. But he didn’t want Victoria to worry the entire time he was gone.

A sigh left her as she absorbed his words, and he knew the exact second she accepted his claim; hope brightened her irises, making them glow like twin sunrises over the ocean. “If you do this, you need more wards,” she said, scooting closer. “That is nonnegotiable.”

“If by nonnegotiable, you mean we should negotiate, then yes. I agree. There isn’t time for more wards, sweetheart.”

She scowled. “So I’m just supposed to let you leave with the witch and hope everything turns out okay?”

Yes, but he didn’t say it aloud. “Will you make sure no one misses me at the ranch?”

Her scowl deepened, but she nodded.

“Thank you. And just in case you’ve forgotten, I love you.” He kissed her then, tasting her, deep and thorough, as if this was the last time they’d ever be able to do this.

Maybe it was.

Her hands tangled in his hair, and she angled his head for even deeper contact. At some point, he thought he tasted blood—perhaps he’d accidentally swiped his tongue on her fangs—but even that didn’t slow him. In fact, they stayed like that, locked together, kissing, the souls quiet, until the front door creaked open and footsteps pounded.

They sprang apart, and Aden noticed Riley’s brothers standing a few feet away, grinning.

“Okay, well,” Aden said, and popped to his feet. He wavered, still weak, but didn’t fall.

Victoria stood beside him and smoothed her pink shirt. “Hello, boys.”

“I never thought I’d see the day Victoria got her tonsils cleaned, did you?” Maxwell asked Nathan.

Nathan barked out a laugh. “That wasn’t a cleaning. That was a full-on surgery.”