She rushed off out the door, and I hurried up to my room. I packed up everything. I didn’t want to leave even the littlest bit here. When it was all done, I opened up the bedside drawer.
The gris-gris was still there. I dug through my bag and grabbed out a sock. I picked it up with the sock, and then folded it inside the cotton. I placed it carefully in my messenger bag.
I glanced at the little clock on the bedside table. Claudia had been gone for thirty minutes. I hauled everything downstairs, and piled it by the door.
What now?
I thought about leaving anyway, but another wave of dizziness almost made me topple to the floor. I sat on the couch to wait, taking a few calming breaths.
Soon I’d be gone. Far away from here. The next time I saw Luciana, I’d be taking her down.
Exhaustion started to weigh on me as I waited.
Even as my eyes grew heavy, I could feel the vision coming on. Pressing against my barriers. I couldn’t fight it off and I couldn’t stop myself from falling asleep.
The only reason I knew I was asleep was the slight hazy glow the room had taken on. It was brighter but duller than how it had looked a split second ago. The couch dipped beside me.
My breath caught. “Grams.” Her long black hair was streaked with white, and loosely braided. She was wearing a traditional Mexican embroidered dress, and smelled of roses.
“Sí, amor. I sat here a long time ago, in the hopes that I could link with you one day. I’m sorry that I couldn’t stop this from happening. I fought it, but every path I uncovered seemed to lead to the same place.” She smiled, and I ached to sit up and hold her, but I didn’t want to destroy the illusion. “It’s time for you to wake up and fight. You know what you want, but you’ve been catering too much to everyone else. I know why—you didn’t understand the way things were. The way it worked. You have to know the rules to know when to break them.” She paused. “Break them. Fight. Or lose everything you love.”
The image of Dastien cowering in the feral cages, upset and alone, filled my mind. Of his broken spirit. Of him withering.
I’d been wrong. As always. I’d tried to do the right thing, and I’d ended up hurting those around me.
I’d tried to help Meredith and it’d almost killed her.
Now, I’d tried to help the pack, and it was only hurting my mate.
“That’s right, amor. Time to wake.” She clapped her hands, and I blinked. “Wake! Before you lose it all!”
She clapped her hands again. And I jolted awake.
The scent of cloves burned in my nostrils. I tried to sit up, but couldn’t.
My hands were tied. My legs were tied. I was chained to the floor, blindfolded. Gagged.
And then I smelled it. The faint scent of blood. The decay of the chicken.
I was in Luciana’s craft room.
I’d woken too late.
Chapter Twenty
The strangest things occurred to me as I lay there against the cool floor. Like the fact that the last time the pack was in danger, it was Dastien and the others who’d been tied up and left to die. But I’d been there to get Dastien. I’d seen him go. I’d seen him be taken. My abilities and determination had saved him and the others.
No one knew I was gone. Dastien wouldn’t be coming for me. Neither would Claudia or Raphael. No one in this coven would stand up to Luciana for me.
As I waited for whatever was to come next, I knew that I’d cut myself off from my mate. There was no way to reach him. There was nothing I could do. I was stuck until I figured a way to get myself free.
It was almost funny how bad my luck was. I hadn’t gotten a vision telling me that something bad was going to happen, so I’d figured it was okay. Except that I’d ignored the gut feeling telling me to get the hell out of the compound.
This was why I hadn’t wanted to trust the visions. I didn’t want to depend on seeing something, because right when I needed help the most, they’d failed me. I could only trust what I could hold on to with my hands.
So why had I ever let myself be separated from Dastien? We were a team. Infinitely more powerful together than we were apart.
The floor moaned as someone walked toward me.
“She’s awake.”
Mr. Hoel. If I could say anything, I would’ve ordered him to let me go. I was more alpha than him. No matter what he tried, I could’ve overridden it.
Silent spells worked with my witchy stuff, but could I do the same with my alpha powers? I reached for the wolf inside me and pushed my demand toward Mr. Hoel—Set me free!
