“Vaughn, what is it?” Emma tracked with him.
When he was within three feet of the cell, the vampire stopped all her movements and stared at him. Slowly, she lowered her feet to the ground. She was tall, at least six feet, and had gray eyes.
She pushed one side of her hair away from her face, then the other. “Nathan?” His name came out on a harsh rasp. “Is that you?”
Vaughn recoiled. He sucked in a huge amount of air, then shouted long and loud, “No-o-o-o!”
~ ~ ~
Emma gripped Vaughn’s arm. “What’s going on? Who is she? What’s wrong?”
Vaughn turned to Emma. “This woman is Beth. My sister.”
Emma shifted to stare at the prisoner. “You mean, Loghry’s had her all this time?”
Vaughn nodded.
Emma put her hand to her chest. “Oh, dear God.”
The woman’s wild movements had ceased, though she still clung to the bars of the cell with her hands. She bore a specific sign of a vampire who took blood from a drug-addicted host. The usual flame markings were broken up and had a spotty look, which meant she didn’t take the drug herself. Even her bare wrists and arms showed the mottled flame markings. All of Five Bridges knew Loghry was addicted to amethyst flame.
A masculine voice called from across the central area of the labyrinth. “Well, Emma, isn’t this a delightful coincidence? I brought Beth to Loghry, you stole the triplets from Loghry with Officer Vaughn’s help, and now here’s Vaughn’s sister trapped in the labyrinth. It’s as though we’ve all come full circle. Sometimes the alter life can be damn poetic.”
Emma recognized Dagen’s voice, but when she turned to scan the area, she couldn’t see him. She drew close to Vaughn, but her hand went to the butt of her Sig.
Movement near the cage holding the teens drew Emma’s gaze. Dagen stepped into one of the pale circles of light. He held an AR-15, supported by both hands.
Vaughn slowly turned to face Dagen. “You did this to my sister? You abducted Beth? But I watched vampires carry her into the air.”
“What can I say? Those vampires owed me. Loghry wanted your sister, those men were in deep to him and I gave them a way out of the mess they’d made. Eventually, I had to kill them off, of course, because you were so persistent in your efforts to find your sister. Such remarkable sibling affection.”
Dagen’s gaze slid from Vaughn to Emma. “As for events of last night, Emma, you’ve finally worn out Loghry’s patience and I can’t protect you anymore.” His nostrils flared. “I think you’ve been extremely foolish in choosing Vaughn because you and I could have become a real power couple in Five Bridges. Instead, your Border Patrol officer will never be able to keep you safe in our world. Very stupid, if you ask me.”
“Nobody’s asking.”
“Your funeral.”
She glanced at Vaughn. She could see he was still in shock about his sister’s fate. He even turned away from Dagen and faced Beth once more.
But Beth had begun to climb the bars of the cell again, holding on with her toes and fingers then swinging wildly back and forth like an ape. She shrieked long and loud, making a sound Emma didn’t think possible for a woman to utter, not even an alter female.
“Just ignore the vampire. I want your weapons in the dirt. Both of you. Now.”
Emma ignored his order. She wanted the whole truth first because in this moment she didn’t care if she lived or died. “Did you kill Max? And I’d appreciate a straight answer this time. After all, there’s no reason not to tell me now.”
Dagen’s lips turned down. “That bastard was squeaky clean and the wrong kind of leader for our pack. I had no choice but to put him down.”
Emma worked at breathing. She wanted to claw Dagen’s face off, to hurt him, to destroy him. “He was a good man who wanted his pack to thrive. And he wanted at least part of Savage Territory not to be in league with the cartels or wizards like Loghry. He stood for something good, decent and honorable.”
Dagen moved slowly in her direction, his rifle loose in his hands. He didn’t seem worried at all and he definitely didn’t care.
That’s when Emma realized he’d brought a force with him. She could feel the warlocks drawing closer to the central cage area even as Dagen moved. “You understand so little about Five Bridges. Don’t you get it, Emma? You would have died a long time ago if it weren’t for me. Until tonight, Loghry has allowed you to keep breathing because I asked him to leave you alone. I see that surprises you. But do you honestly believe that Savage Territory is held together by honor among the packs? Hah. I do a lot of favors and spend a helluva lot of money so that the cartels will allow us to roam our forests without injury.
“As for Loghry, the wizard has known you were a threat for a very long time, something having to do with his gift of prescience. That he values my service should tell you a lot. And despite his wish to get rid of you, he’s allowing me to make you a final offer. You get one last chance. If you come with me now, you’ll move to Savage and live with me. You’ll submit to me. If not—” He gestured to the cage holding Beth. “You’ll be food for Loghry’s favorite pet.”
Emma stared at Dagen, at the confident set of his shoulders and the way he held his chin high. He was a man in charge of the situation, holding both her life and Vaughn’s in his sleazy hands. “You’ve been frank with me so let me return the favor. I’d rather eat shards of glass than spend a second as your woman. And that’s the choice I make tonight. Have I made myself clear?”
Disgust drew Dagen’s cheeks back. “You’ve looked down on me from the first. But it’s Max who’s dead, not me.”
“Because you killed him, you bastard. So do whatever it is you’re going to do. I won’t submit to you, not now, not ever. Death would be preferable.”
He stared at her for a long, hard moment. “You fucking bitch.”
Those words brought Vaughn from his shocked out state. “How about you and I battle, right here, Dagen, and see who deserves Emma.”
Dagen merely smiled. “We’ll be batting all right, but it will be on my terms.” He then lifted his hand and made a swirling gesture.
His troops poured into the space so fast, Emma didn’t even have time to draw her Sig. Vaughn’s Glock had just cleared his holster, when both she and Vaughn were shoved face down into the dirt from behind. A warlock had a knee in her back as he disarmed her and several more kept Vaughn pinned. One held fingers sizzling with power to the back of his head.
Don’t move, Vaughn. The warlock has his killing energy lit up, his fingers poised behind your head.
I know. I can feel it. He started cursing aloud, calling Dagen all kinds of beautiful names. Dagen snorted and nodded to a nearby warlock, who in turn brought the butt of his rifle down hard on the back of Vaughn’s head. His whole body went limp.
Dagen drew close and kicked dirt in Emma’s face. “And you go in the cage, where you deserve to be.”
Two warlocks lifted her to her feet in grips so tight all she could do was kick at them with her legs. But two more men grabbed her lower half so that she was now horizontal in the air.
As Dagen worked the cell lock, Beth began to shriek all over again. She leaped once more from the side bars of the cell to the front then to the other side.
Dagen delivered his orders. “As soon as I open the door, throw her inside.”
When Beth was in the opposite corner, clinging to the bars with toes and fingers, Dagen flipped the door open. Before Beth could get near any of them, the men holding Emma threw her onto the floor.
She tumbled in the dirt, righting herself quickly, her gaze fixed on Beth. Using her peripheral vision, she could see that Dagen had ordered Vaughn to be removed from the central area of the labyrinth. It took all five warlocks to carry him out.
Dagen sneered. “I’m leaving the door unlocked in case you miraculously avoid your cellmate’s fangs. Part of me hopes you escape then I can hunt you down. But good luck.” He laughed as he disappeared down the pass
ageway following after his force and Vaughn.
She was on her own now as Beth jumped from one barred cell wall to the next, her gaze fixed on Emma, her eyes manic as she stared at Emma’s throat.
The triplets joined her in the cell, moving back and forth frenetically. We don’t know what to do or how to help.
Emma reached into the future focusing on Vaughn and the triplets. A series of quick snapshots emerged. Becca, find Vaughn. Be with him. He’ll need you in this. You must remind him that we’re a team. Tell him that. Tell him that he and I are a team.
Becca nodded and the ghosts vanished.
Now for the other problem.
Emma had to try something. She shouted telepathically, hoping she could make contact with the woman. Beth! I’m a friend of Vaughn’s! Can you hear me? Understand me?
But the minute or so of clear-mindedness that Beth had experienced earlier, when she’d first recognized her brother, had long since ended. The dementia from a steady diet of amethyst-tainted blood had taken over again.
Beth leaped from the cell bars once more, only this time she landed on the dirt floor. She hunched over as she moved, her arms dragging lower and lower, her hands in the shapes of claws. Her eyes were red-rimmed and blazed with hunger. They’d darkened as well and no longer looked gray, like Vaughn’s. Her fangs made a sudden frightening appearance.
Emma jumped to her feet, intent on bolting for the door. But Beth sprang, knocking Emma flat on her back. Before Emma could prevent the attack, Beth bit hard, tearing into Emma’s throat.
She cried out in pain and started to struggle, but the moment Beth began to suck down Emma’s blood, Emma fell into a deeply enthralled state. Her body grew completely lax and her mind fell into a sublime state of peace, the tearing of her skin and vein a distant agony.
Emma wondered if this was how she would die, with Vaughn’s sister, demented because of a second-hand addiction to amethyst flame and drinking her to death.
~ ~ ~
Vaughn awoke suddenly when a wave of cold water hit the back of his head. For a few long seconds, he couldn’t remember where he was or what had happened to him. But the memories rushed back swiftly. He and Emma had been knocked to the ground and something had smashed into his skull.
“Emma.” His voice was hoarse.
“Calling out for your girlfriend? She can’t help you now. She can’t even help herself.”
Dagen, again. “Fuck you.”
A boot kicked Vaughn hard in the ribs, the reinforced steel crunching a couple of his ribs. He grunted in pain as Dagen moved closer to his face. All Vaughn could see was a pair of dusty shitkickers. The low light and a view of diverging paths a few yards away, told Vaughn he was still in the labyrinth. His head hurt like hell. He forced himself to begin the healing process, but it would take forever at this rate.
“Where’s Emma? What did you do to her?” The broken ribs made it hard to breathe then to get the words out.
“She’s with Beth, of course. Your sister is no doubt feeding on Emma right now, drinking from her vein. Again, another piece of Five Bridges’s poetry. Unfortunately, Emma will be dead soon. Not your sister, of course. She’s Loghry’s pet, so she’ll live on and on. Did you know Loghry let’s Beth feed from his vein? Of course you do. It’s part of the charm of the whole picture.”
Vaughn didn’t answer him.
“On your feet.” Dagen spoke sharply, his voice echoing through the small space.
Vaughn rose up, but struggled to get his weight over his knees. His head ached from the concussion and his ribs were killing him. Though he could eventually fix himself up with his vampire healing, it would take hours. Right now, however, he had only minutes.
When he finally stood upright, five warlocks surrounded him. Dagen, the only shifter present, stood directly in front of him. He no longer held his AR-15.
Dagen had small dark eyes and a vicious face, the latter no doubt hardened from his experience as an alter shifter in Savage Territory. He was a couple of inches shorter than either Vaughn or the powerful warlocks who surrounded him. But he had complete command of the situation.
“What do you want, Dagen?”
“I want you running for your life through the labyrinth, like all the other frightened rabbits I’ve chased over the years. If you’re clever, you might even find your way back to Emma. First, though, I intend to give myself a small advantage.”
Before Vaughn knew what Dagen meant to do, something metal hit Vaughn hard at the back of his knee. He heard the bone crunch and at the same time he fell, rolling to the side. He gripped his leg and gritted his teeth. But despite his attempts to hold it in, an anguished sound came out of his throat.
Through waves of pain, he watched Dagen and his force of five warlocks disappear down different paths, until he was alone. Because of his ribs, each breath was a struggle. Was he going to die like a wounded animal in Loghry’s maze?
Emma came to mind. Somehow, he had to get back to her, had to save her from Beth’s mania. But he had broken ribs, a shattered knee, and six men ready to do more damage no matter which route he took.
Worse, he had no idea where he was in relation to the central part of the labyrinth or how far away Beth’s cell might be. He had to try. He forced himself to stand up.
The moment he hobbled in the direction of the nearest path, however, one of the warlocks rushed him, punching him hard in the gut, afterward disappearing.
With the wind knocked out of him, Vaughn slumped to the dirt again, rolling once more onto his side to avoid landing on his shattered knee.
For one of the few times in his life, Vaughn had no idea what the fuck he should do. But it was clear that if he remained where he was, he’d be slowly beaten to death. Physical strength wouldn’t get him out of this situation and his healing ability sucked given the dire nature of his injuries.
But he had to figure this out. He had two women counting on him. If he stayed as he was, both he and Emma would die and Beth would remain Loghry’s slave for years to come.
He scooted himself backward to lean against the wall of the passageway. His leg was on fire and it was taking him time to catch his breath. Every draw on his lungs hurt.
His thoughts kept rolling toward Emma and his certainty that his sister was slowly draining her to death. But what good would it do for him to focus on Emma?
Yet no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep his thoughts away from her. He’d dreaded this moment from the time he’d started caring about her because there was no way he could help her now. He was physically incapable of even getting to her.
Vaughn?
He sat up a little straighter. Emma? You sound so faint.
I’m drifting away here. I just want you to know … that I love you … and I’m so sorry about Beth. No other words followed.
Emma? He tried contacting her several more times, but heard nothing in response.
Emma!
Nothing.
So Dagen was right and Emma was being drained to death.
He was stuck in the labyrinth, his body broken, the woman he loved dying, and not a damn thing he could do about it. He felt as he had when he’d seen Beth abducted right in front of his house with no way to save her. This was the reason he’d avoided any kind of closeness, why he’d held back from Emma. He’d never wanted to feel this way again, the complete impotence of being unable to save someone he loved.
The triplets suddenly appeared, floating in the air in front of him. They swayed back and forth and a strange mournful sound filled the air.
He felt in his bones that Emma had sent the ghosts to him. But why? What could three spirits do to help in this situation?
Becca, can you talk to me?
Her eyes popped wide. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Did Emma send you?
Becca nodded. She was searching the future and said we must be with you, to help you.
Did she say in what way?
She wanted us to remind you that you’re a team, you
and Emma.
Vaughn didn’t think this was much help at all. Was that it? She didn’t say anything else?
Becca’s face twisted in anguish. No, only that she wanted you to remember that you’re a team. Is there anything we can do?
Let me think.
Vaughn stared at the ghosts for a long time, his hand to his ribs, holding them in place while he took each breath. He shook from the pain, which didn’t help.
So, what had Emma been trying to tell him?
Emma’s abilities had brought the triplets back into their lives. She’d helped them escape their bodies in the Graveyard and she’d encouraged their presence in her home.
He loved that about Emma, that she was generous with her heart and her time. Helping the girls initially almost got her killed because he and Emma had stayed with them way too long.
She’d given Vaughn so much in the short time he’d known her. She’d become a friend, a good friend. He’d treasured their phone conversations. Each one had eased his heart.
Emma had made Five Bridges tolerable. That’s what she’d done for him. She’d done the same for these three young ghosts. And he didn’t want her to die. Dammit, the woman deserved to live.
But she’d done something more as well. She’d reached into the darkest place of his heart and filled it with hope. Her love had made him feel like Five Bridges was a place he wanted to be.
It was Emma. Always Emma.
That’s when he realized that she had truly changed everything for him, just as she had for these ghosts.
Vaughn? Becca looked worried.
Emma’s the key. She sent you here to help me see that.
His thoughts flew back to the gun battle against Loghry and his forces in Savage Territory. Vaughn had gotten hit, his shin bone shattered. Then Emma had healed him with her witch power.
She’d healed him.
She’d healed him.
For whatever reason, from the time they’d come together, they’d actually shared their powers. His presence in her spellroom had enhanced Emma’s abilities. She could now levitate because of him and she could reach into the future.