“I believe I’ve told you how things have to go.” Zoe’s stubbornness was firmly on display. “I want my vampire. And he’d better not have a scratch on him if you want that book to be intact.”
A muscle worked in Emma’s jaw. “Fine. We’ll do the trade tomorrow. I will be in contact with you as to time and place.”
“Fine.” Zoe offered up a sweet smile that didn’t match the ferocity in her eyes. “If you go after my kid again, you won’t believe the beheadings and fiery deaths I’m going to rain down on you. As for my vampire, he taught me a few things about torturing people over the years. I’ve gotten really good at it. He’d approve of me taking you out, even if it means he’ll die.”
Emma kept her shoulders squared but swallowed hard. “I’ll be in contact tomorrow to make the trade.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Twenty-Four
Zoe was quiet for the duration of the trip to the Cauldron. Her expression was dark, her fingers busy as she constantly swiped them through her hair. She seemed agitated and I wanted to ask her about her plans, but the look Aric shot me quelled that urge. He was obviously worried, which meant I had to take a step back.
The bar was empty of outsiders when we entered, only members of our group were hanging around. That was for the best, and I flashed a smile for Raisin’s benefit when her questioning eyes met mine.
“Did you get him?” she asked.
I shook my head, hating the way her expression fell. “No. He wasn’t there. We did ... have a discussion with the individual who has him.”
“What does that mean?” The vulnerability on Raisin’s face made her look impossibly young.
“It means we’re working on it.” I forced a smile because I thought it was best for her. “We’re going to get him, but it probably won’t be until tomorrow.”
Aric glanced around the bar. “Where is Sami?”
“In the bathroom,” Bonnie replied. “She was playing pool with Raisin. By the way, that competitive streak she has is delightful. Anyway, I could tell she was a little upset and she went in for a bit of alone time. It’s only been a few minutes.”
Aric nodded, letting out a sigh. He sat on one of the stools in front of the bar. Whistler slid a beer in front of him before Aric placed an order and the harried father smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”
“She gets the competitive thing from her father,” Zoe said, sliding onto the stool next to her husband.
“Yes, because you’re great when it comes to losing,” Aric cracked.
“I don’t lose.”
Whistler arched an eyebrow, waiting for Zoe’s order.
“Just an iced tea, please.” Her smile was wan. “I think I’ll be a good girl this evening.”
“Have a drink,” Aric countered. “You need to relax.”
Zoe shook her head. “I want to be in control of all my faculties in case ... well, just in case.” She rested her elbows on the bar and rubbed her forehead, weariness permeating her being. “Iced tea is fine. I’ll drink until I fall over when this is finished.”
“No problem.” Whistler grinned at her as he filled a glass. “I’m betting you’re fun when you’re drunk.”
“I’m fun regardless.” Zoe winked at him and then swiveled so she could meet my gaze. “You have questions. You might as well ask them.”
I hesitated and then barreled forward. “How are you going to give them a book that doesn’t exist?”
“Wait. Hold up.” Rooster raised his hand. “What book are we talking about?”
“The Archimage,” Aric replied, his hand moving to his wife’s back so he could rub his hands over what were probably some very tense muscles. “It’s an old book, a magic book.”
“It’s what Emma wanted all along,” Zoe said. “She never wanted Sami. She simply wanted us to believe Sami was her target.”
“Then why ask for Sami in the first place?” Gunner queried.
“Because she figured I would turn her down from the start and asking for the book instead of Sami sounds like a reasonable compromise.”
“But?”
“But that book is long gone,” Aric replied. “It hasn’t existed in fifteen years. It’s toast.”
“You destroyed it?” Rooster asked. “Why would you destroy a magic book if it’s as powerful as you claim?”
Aric cut his eyes to his wife. “Well ...”
“It’s okay.” Zoe waved off his concern. “There’s no sense trying to hide it. We’re all in this together at this point. That means trust is a necessity.” Her eyes were challenging when they met Rooster’s studied gaze. “I absorbed the book.” Her tone was matter-of-fact, and even though I was already aware of the information, I sucked in a breath.
Rooster’s looked surprised. “You absorbed it? How?”
“It’s just something I did. At the time, we were fighting people who wanted the book. There were a lot of them. I needed a power boost. I got it from the book.”
Doc, one of the more recent additions to our group, cleared his throat. “I’ve read about this book. It’s one of the most sought-after tomes out there. How many people know it no longer exists?”
Zoe shrugged. “We’ve never hidden what I did. We haven’t exactly advertised it either.”
“Zoe has a certain reputation,” said Aric. “People are frightened of her. We encouraged that reputation, especially when we found out we were going to have Sami. Given the way certain factions tried to recruit Zoe to their side when we were at Covenant College, we figured it was best to let the rumors and mystique grow. However, the book part of the equation never became common knowledge.”
“The information was there if people looked hard enough,” Zoe added. “Most didn’t bother because that ruined their plans to claim dominion over the book. It’s always served as
