The last was said with a nod to Shola and Ravyn found herself trying to keep up. She didn’t know the names of all the players that had been mentioned so far, but she could just about piece together the gist of the situation.
Two people wanted to raise the dead—Warrick and Temptra. Shola, at one time was the thorn in their side and now, it was Ravyn’s turn at bat. What was a little harder to wrap her mind around—perhaps because she knew basically nothing about her mother who’d died giving birth to her—was that she was something called a Chosen.
“Why is a bunch of dead, again, vampires so damn important to you people?” Reese asked Enes.
Ravyn hadn’t realized he’d stopped tapping that pen on the table, but now he sat forward staring at Enes, who only shrugged.
“I don’t really know. I managed the club for Warrick and served as the point person between him and, ah, his business associates in the city. I didn’t really get into all this ancient stuff. But Temptra mentioned a guy. I can’t remember what she called him, but he’s the important one. He’s the one she needs to raise, but her spells won’t work alone, she needs the dagger.”
“It’s a knife!” Ravyn yelled. “We’re talking about a dirty old knife that’s probably meant to kill more than it’s meant to bring someone or some thing back to life.”
For some reason her heart had begun to thump faster. The more Enes spoke, the harder it pounded, and her fingers were tingling. She kept her hands in her lap, beneath the table, but the feeling was intensifying.
“It was made to raise the dead,” Steele said quietly. “Egyptians strongly believed in life after death. That’s why they mummified everything from their people to their pets, but the pharaohs wanted more power, they wanted to control the timing of life after death. The dagger was created for that purpose, but only certain ones could use it in that way. That’s what the pawn shop dealer and the antiques dealer meant by it being cursed. Because whoever wasn’t meant to use it to bring back the dead, would die by the next full moon, instead, for having what didn’t belong to them. Daron Robles is dead. And you’re not.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“I didn’t realize you were the one,” he said and when their gazes locked and held she could feel that there was so much more he wanted to say. “I was, ah, thrown off a little earlier tonight when you walked into Robles’s house. Because your mind was wiped clean the night before. You shouldn’t have remembered that house, the dagger, my eyes. None of it,” he said. “It should’ve all been gone. I kept trying to figure out why that wasn’t the case, but now it all makes sense. If you’re the descendant of an ancient witch, perhaps you used your magick to circumvent the mind cleaning.”
Whoa! Wait a minute, this was all going just a little too fast. She was just Ravyn Walsh, the girl that was never supposed to amount to anything. These people, this man, none of them had any right telling her she was something else.
“Wow.” It was the only thing she could say amidst the jumble of things clamoring around in her head and the swirl of emotions invading her chest, and it seemed woefully inadequate.
“We need to stop her and get the boy back,” Theo said sternly. “Bleu has a location but it’s best to move when she doesn’t expect it and when she’s at her weakest.”
“In the morning?” Aiken asked.
“No,” Theo replied. “Just before dawn. She’ll be tired and it’ll still be dark enough to hold our cover.”
“We’re going in fully loaded?” Ziva asked.
“Yes, we are. Because whatever or whoever she wants to raise must be one powerful vampire if she’d come all this way to get the tools to bring him up. I won’t risk that happening, especially not on this realm. The humans will be no match for that type of uprising.” Theo stood and reached out a hand to Shola. His wife stood too, clasping her fingers in his.
“Bleu, Aiken, you’re with me. Magnum and Reese, you’re with Steele and... Ravyn. Ziva, deal with that situation you’ve got going and be focused in time to roll with us. As always, Isla will keep us posted on any outside interference from her control boards upstairs. Let’s get this done.”
The leader had spoken and he left in a very ceremonial type way that might’ve left Ravyn in awe if she wasn’t certain her body was revolting against her. When the others began to get up from their chairs and move out of the room she remained still, her arms shaking, breathing coming in quick pants.
Steele was beside her in seconds.
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know,” she whispered, her throat raw. “I think I need...some air. Or something to drink.”
He shook his head and she knew she was going to freak out if he was getting ready to deny her either.
“I know what you need,” he said and took her hand, waiting until she stood to join him.
They walked through that secret door that Bleu had come through, stepping into a hallway with stark white walls and bright lights.
“Hold onto me,” he said, and wrapped his arms tightly around her.
Ravyn shook her head. As much as she did enjoy being in his strong arms, there was something else besides lust going on here. Something that was making her nervous.
“Steele,” she whispered.
“Hold on,” he said once more and then there was only blackness.
Steele thought there’d be an immediate barrage of questions the moment they came through the fade in his bedroom at the Office. Instead, Ravyn had stumbled away from him, looking around as if
