Before I could even undress to shift, a familiar figure stepped from between the trees. My heart turned cold in my chest when he grinned, baring his fanglike canines.
Alarick growled, but I put a hand on his neck to stop him. We needed to buy time if nothing else. Maybe the others would smell vampires, or the witches would know their wards had been broken.
“There you are, my little lamb,” Mr. Ravenwood said. “So far from my flock.”
“I told you where I was going,” I said, gritting my teeth.
“Not exactly,” Mr. Ravenwood said, raising one finger and moving it in a slow circle to indicate our surroundings.
“How’d you find me?” I demanded.
“You didn’t think it would go unnoticed when you failed to appear where you said you would,” he said.
“And after we stocked you with food for the trip,” Imani said, slinking up behind Mr. Ravenwood and resting a hand on his shoulder while she leered at me.
“What do you want?” I asked, planting my hands on my hips.
Mr. Ravenwood chuckled, the sound so cold it sent an icy shiver down my spine. “I want you, of course,” he said. “You’re a useful member of my army, Timberlyn. You didn’t think I’d allow you to come and go as you please without answering to me, did you?”
“Considering you never told me otherwise, yeah, that’s exactly what I thought.”
“Oh, but I did tell you, my lamb,” Mr. Ravenwood said. “I gave you a choice to join me or die. And by taking my blood, you chose to join me. We’ve been over this.”
“No, fuck that,” I said. “I never chose to join your army. I’m not helping you wipe out humanity.”
“Oh, we’re not wiping them out,” Imani said, running her tongue along the edge of her teeth. “We’re simply taking our rightful place at the top of the food chain. You belong there, too, little lamb. Don’t tell me you won’t enjoy it. Imagine. Fresh, hot blood at your beck and call, whenever you want. Not something you have to hide, as if the most basic act of survival is a shameful secret.”
The wolves shifted around me, but I buried my hand in Alarick’s fur, trying to steady him. We might be able to talk our way out of this. And if not, I’d go willingly if it meant the Wolf boys wouldn’t be hurt.
“Fine,” I said. “I’m a vampire. But you’re not my jailer. I went home for Christmas. You even agreed to that.”
“Of course I’m not your jailer,” Mr. Ravenwood said. “I’m your shepherd. And you, my lamb, are not at home.”
“What, am I on house arrest?” I snapped. “I’m literally ten minutes from home.”
“Oh, but don’t go getting upset, lamb,” Mr. Ravenwood said. “I’m not angry with you. In fact, you’ve performed flawlessly.”
“What?”
“Did you think I was stupid?” Mr. Ravenwood purred. “I knew if I forced you to see this place for me, you’d lie. And I knew without a doubt that the moment you were back here, you’d go looking for your birth mother. That’s why I told you where she was—as near as I could remember. Only a faerie seer could get past these wards to find this place. And you did, my lamb.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head and stepping back. How could I have been so stupid? Mr. Ravenwood had told me that as my maker, he always knew where I was. But he’d seemed so unconcerned with me this semester, never treating my information as different from any other vampire when I made my reports. He’d barely even reacted when Lindy went off with the wolves instead of him, only getting pissed for a day and then letting it drop without any repercussions. Had it all been leading to this?
“Oh, yes,” Mr. Ravenwood said with a toothy grin. “I’ve been searching for this place for over a decade. And you found it in days, like the true seer you are. Don’t worry, Timberlyn. We’re not here to hurt you. You’re a greater treasure than even I knew.”
“What do you want with the valley?” I asked. “If you’re going to try to kidnap more babies, forget it. I’ll go with you. But no more.”
“Oh, I’m not here for the faeries,” he said. “I’m here to finish off the last of the wolves.”
Chapter Nineteen
“Don’t count on it,” a voice growled from behind me. I turned to see Harmon, the raven-haired alpha, and his entire pack behind him.
Thank you, Astrid, you adorable little freak, I thought to myself, my knees nearly buckling with relief.
Now I understood why Mr. Ravenwood had seemed so unconcerned with the wolves at Ravenwood Academy. It had all been an act so he wouldn’t raise my suspicions. Now, we’d even gotten rid of Mr. Wolf for him. There was only Lindy and Vance, if he hadn’t killed them before he came. Even if he hadn’t, they could make all the babies they wanted, but they couldn’t repopulate the species with only one family line.
“Oh, good,” Mr. Ravenwood said. “You came to meet us. You’ve made it almost too easy. Hope you’re ready to die, you ugly mutts.”
“Leave,” Harmon said. “And no one has to get hurt. Take your compass with you.”
It took a second for me to realize he meant me, and the sting of his words bit into me. But I couldn’t blame him. I’d led vampires to his hidden, idyllic
