“Sometimes,” Aric agreed. “Other times she was a monster.”
“Those are the stories I want to hear.”
“Remember you’re the one who requested them. If you have nightmares, I don’t want to hear a word about it.”
I FLOATED INTO SLEEP MOMENTS AFTER my head hit the pillow. Gunner spooned behind me, pressing a kiss to the back of my ear, and then passing out.
Thanks to the magical moonshine, my dreams were pleasant, and maybe a little romantic, which is why when I felt the wave of pain wash over me, I didn’t recognize what was happening.
Everything hurt. Everything. I think there was a possibility even my hair hurt. Where was it coming from?
I opened my mouth to scream but no sound would come out. And then I heard it. Whispers. Someone was whispering inside my mind.
I reacted instinctively, lashing out with my magic and creating a barrier. The assault ceased immediately, and when I bolted to a sitting position, I found Emma standing at the end of the bed glaring at me.
“What the ...?”
Her smile was evil. “Good evening, Scout. It took you long enough.”
I glanced at Gunner to make sure he was okay and found he was completely out. He hadn’t even stirred.
“Don’t worry about him,” Emma admonished. “He’s dead to the world, and he’ll stay that way until I say it’s okay for him to wake up.”
I rubbed my cheek. “If you hurt him ...” I didn’t bother finishing. I could think of a million terrible things to threaten her with and they were all warring for supremacy.
“I have no interest in hurting him. Right now. I’m here to talk.”
“What do you want to talk about?” I needed to buy myself time to wrap my head around what was happening. “More importantly, how did you get in here?”
“You mean the wards surrounding the cabin?” Emma was clearly amused. “A child could slip through those wards. Honestly, I expected better from you.”
I narrowed my eyes. “How about we take it outside and I’ll show you better?”
Her chuckle was light. “Oh, I do like your attitude. That’s why I think this is going to be so much fun. I’m not here to talk tonight, though.”
“Yeah?” While she might not have been here to fight, she obviously had no problem poking a sleeping witch. “What is it you want to talk about?”
“Life. Death. The mage.”
I frowned. How could she even know about Zoe? “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied. “You’re confused.”
“Oh, that was good.” Emma’s eyes lit with amusement. “If you were talking to somebody else, anybody else, they might fall for that. Obviously, you’re not dealing with a rube.”
Frustration bubbled up. I hated how amused she sounded. “What do you want?”
“So many things.” Emma turned her attention to my dresser, to a framed photograph of Gunner and me. I wasn’t much for taking photos but Raisin snapped it at a gathering and gave it to us as a gift. I was rather fond of it now. “Right now, I want to know why that woman is here. What’s her plan?”
I cocked an eyebrow. Well, that was interesting, wasn’t it? Emma might be a masterful liar when it came to others, but she couldn’t hide things from me. “You’re frightened of her.”
“No.” Emma shook her head and flashed a tight smile that looked forced. “I’m not frightened of anybody. The worst thing that could ever happen to me has already happened, and I’m fine.”
She was full of it. “You’re terrified of her.” I lobbed a smug grin in her direction because I knew it would grate. “She said she was famous in certain circles. I’m guessing she was the source of nightmares for that vampire crew you used to run with.”
“I didn’t run with those vampires out of choice,” Emma snarled. “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m the one who set things up for you to take them out.”
“I’m still the one who did the heavy lifting.”
“Only because I was limited. I’m no longer limited. By anything.”
“Then that’s good for both of us. How about we go outside and test that theory?”
“Oh, good grief.” Emma rubbed her forehead. “Why can’t you wrap your head around the fact that I’m not here to fight? I just want to talk. Fighting will come soon enough.”
I figured that was the case — she was clearly playing a game — but the statement made me feel vulnerable, if only because she’d managed to infiltrate my inner sanctum and Gunner was currently incapable of defending himself.
“I don’t have anything to offer you,” I said. “I don’t know what you want from me.”
“The mage.” For the first time since waking, I saw a flash of anger in Emma. She was trying to hide under a veneer, but there were cracks in the facade. “Why is she here?”
I internally debated my options and then decided to take a novel approach. “Vampires. She’s looking for vampires.” It wasn’t exactly a secret, and if something bad happened because of my loose lips, I would be forever sorry. I wanted to see how she reacted.
Emma’s forehead wrinkled as she gripped the framed photo. “My vampires?”
I hesitated and then said, “There are new vampires in the mix. They came from Covenant College.”
“Covenant College is no more. It’s been gone for years.”
“Apparently there are vampires still ticked off about that fact.”
Emma cocked her head and I could practically hear the gears in her mind working. “Interesting. She’s the mage that flattened the college. I suspected since her reputation is outrageous, but I couldn’t be sure. The master talked about her, of course.” She set the photograph down and turned her attention to the painting on the wall. It wasn’t mine. It was here when I moved in. I simply hadn’t gotten around to removing it. I found the bear fishing in the river in the painting oddly soothing for some reason, although I couldn’t say entirely why. “He had grand plans for her,
