A door opens on the other side of the room, sending a wedge of light across the pool of blood beneath me. The door closes and footsteps echo through the chamber as the person draws near. No, there are two people. One of them is shuffling and nervous. I can hear the heartbeat. Two people. One heartbeat.
Oh shit.
Damon Underwood steps into the room, dragging Porter Allbright behind him.
Porter’s eyes go wide when he sees me and my brothers hanging from the beam. We must look hideous, huge wolves covered in blood.
“No. Please. You don’t have to do this. We can work together.” Porter pleads. He fights against Underwood’s grip on his arms, but a human mage is no match for the vampire.
Underwood tips his chin in my direction. “That one there. The black one? That’s Marco. I can’t thank you enough for telling me his name. Though, I have to wonder how long you knew and kept it from me?
Allbright’s face goes pale as he takes in what the vampire said. “What? No. As soon as I figured it out, I called you. I swear, I wasn’t keeping anything from you. I knew you would want to know…”
Underwood shrugs. “Thank you for the warning. I knew they were close, but without my alarm I had no idea how close. These wolves are clever.” Underwood presses his boot against my ribcage and pushes me, sending me swinging. Then he drops his fangs and slices through Allbright’s neck, bleeding the man dry.
The vampire snaps Porter Allbright’s neck before tossing the body into the corner. Then he smiles and rubs his hands together, oblivious to the blood running down his chin.
“Now where were we?” Underwood picks up a knife from the table under the window and slashes it slowly across Angus’s chest.
Angus’s wolf cries out as the wound opens, sending a fresh stream of blood to the trough.
“That’s good. Well done. You bleed nicely.”
Angus!
Marco…
The vampire moves to the other side of the trough and removes a plug from the bottom of it. The blood pours out like wine, following a channel in the floor. It doesn’t make any sense. I follow the channel. It’s carved into the stone of the floor, moving on a slight decline toward two stone boxes.
Movement in the small window near the ceiling above draws my attention. A pair of tiny black bird feet hop up to the glass. When the bird bends to look inside, I know instantly that she’s here.
Joely! Angus, she’s here. Joely! The bird stands there, impassive. A witness. It doesn’t make a sound or move away. It just stands there, peering down at us.
Angus flails against his restraints as Damon cuts him again. No! No! Send her away. It’s too late. She can’t be here.
No. It’s okay. It’s not really her. She’s just watching. She sees us.
Relief floods through me. She’s safe, somewhere else. But at least she knows we didn’t abandon her. It’s better that she knows we are dead instead of wondering forever what happened.
I don’t feel the blade at first. It’s cool and thin. But then my skin opens and the warm rush of blood trickles down and everything goes black.
Chapter Sixteen
JOELY
The raven releases its hold on me and I snap back into my body. Porter Allbright is dead. Underwood has the boys. And I am the only one who knows. Doubt settles like a ball in my belly. How am I supposed to save them by myself? I can’t do this alone.
Tobias’s words explode in my head. You’re not alone. Go to them. Their blood calls for you.
I take off running. I don’t question the stupidity of it. I can’t. My wolves are in danger and they don’t have much time. That monster is torturing them.
I try to connect with their energy as I run. I can sense Marco and Angus, but I don’t feel Van. Wait… there. His cool liquid energy is weak, the signal is barely there, but as long as I can feel it I know he’s still alive.
I push my energy out toward them, I need them to feel me and know that I’m coming for them.
Hang on. You can’t die. I can’t lose you.
I hurry around the back of the Society mansion, to where the raven flew. It’s a small, nondescript side building. It appears to be something used for storage or maybe an office for the grounds maintenance crew. It’s designed with the same stone facade and decorative accents as the mansion itself, but apart.
The raven stands on the grass, peering through the ground-floor window on the west side of the structure. There’s a single door on that side of the building. But there’s no way I can go in that way without giving myself away.
“All right, Tobias,” I whisper. “I could use a little help here.”
Another black bird flutters in from the sky, dropping down on the other side of the building. I run toward it, into the field as a plan unfolds in my head. Flashes of a tunnel and a staircase and a large empty cavern fill my awareness. Whatever this little building is, it’s sitting on top of a network of underground rooms.
The raven hops back and forth on its feet, dancing in place. When I get to it, I realize it’s standing on a door built into the ground.
“Good bird!” I say as I push away tufts of grass and dirt to free the hatch.
I can’t see a thing in the tunnel, but I can feel my men. I follow their energy, letting it guide me as I creep through the darkness. When I get to the room where they are, the door is open. A lamp on the wall fills the space with a warm glow. I lean in and take a peek, and try not
