Henner walked past me toward the front door. “We’ll handle the clean-up,” he said and gave me a gentle smile. Then he turned to face RJ. “Grab the trash bags!”

  I spun around to protest, but Henner, RJ, and Marty were already on their way inside. So I followed them, with Lorcan right behind me. When we reached the kitchen, I almost fainted from the smell of rot and death, but Marty, Henner and RJ didn’t even seem to notice it. Instead, they pulled on heavy dishwashing gloves and started pitching the animal corpses into the black plastic garbage bags.

  I turned around to face Lorcan with an apologetic expression. “This is the second time I’ve destroyed the duplex,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m sorry.”

  He looked around and nodded. “You really did a number on it this time.”

  “Is it… fixable?”

  He looked back down at me and smiled. “I should imagine so. Regardless, that is not a prime concern of mine at the moment.”

  “It’s not?” He shook his head as I continued. “Then, what is?”

  “You, my dear, are going to accompany me to Seattle to see Rupert.”

  My head snapped up. “What? Why?”

  He shrugged. “You obviously can’t stay here alone. You’re a danger to yourself and everyone else in the Hollow at this point and… I imagine if Rupert meets you… perhaps it might strengthen our cause.”

  My shoulders slumped. He was right—I was a danger to myself and everyone else. Proof was all around me. “Okay.”

  “Do you have any idea what happened?”

  I shrugged. “I have a lot of ideas and no proof to support any of them.”

  “Then coming with me is as good a solution as any. Come on. Grab whatever you need and let’s go. We have a long drive and we’ll be staying in Seattle overnight.”

  I stood off to the side and waited while, through the window, I could see Poppy escorting Astrid around the back of the duplex. Astrid was holding Hellcat, thank the Goddess. Astrid was still trembling and crying uncontrollably and Hellcat was mewing at her in a totally uncharacteristic way. Poppy supported Astrid with an arm around her, and when they reached the Jeep, Finn gave her a big hug and helped her into the back seat.

  My eyes stung with tears as I watched them.

  Once Finn and Astrid were seated in the back, Darla took the third seat and Libby got into the passenger seat while Poppy slid behind the wheel.

  Take care of my girl for me, I thought.

  Poppy would take care of Astrid—that much I knew. I trusted Poppy, and that was a weird thought, because I’d never really trusted anyone. In general, witches didn’t put their trust in others and neither were we trustworthy.

  Regardless, I knew Poppy would take care of Astrid much better than I could at the moment.

  I watched them drive away.

  “Let’s get your things,” Lorcan said, reminding me.

  I nodded and pulled myself together. Marty and the crew had cleared a walkway through the living room, and even though the smell of rot still lingered, it wasn’t anywhere near as bad. There were still bits of rotted flesh, food and broken items filling the hallway, but the path left me a clear shot to my room. So I took it.

  Grabbing a duffel bag from the closet, I packed a simple bag, grabbed a few toiletries, and thanking Marty and the guys, walked back outside to find Lorcan in the Porsche, with the motor running. I felt like I was on autopilot as I threw the bag into the back and climbed into the passenger seat. I closed the door, and Lorcan pulled out of the driveway and roared onto the street.

  All the while, I wondered what I should do about Dev. He was supposed to come back to the store for his next fitting, but now I wouldn’t be there. And I still didn’t have his number to text or call him. Oh, well, the situation was what it was. Maybe now there would be no finding out what Dev wanted or who had sent him.

  At the moment you have other things to think about, Wanda, I reminded myself. Right—meeting Rupert and begging for an extension.

  Heavy tinting blackened out all the windows and cast the Porsche in perpetual twilight. Even when the sun rose outside, the car’s interior remained dark. The window tinting definitely wasn’t street legal, but it was necessary for Lorcan and his aversion to the sun.

  We hit the highway and streaked up the Oregon coast and I was struck by the beauty of my surroundings, even if they were mostly obscured in cloud cover. After about ten minutes, the heavens opened up, and we were drowned in a deluge of rain. After another half hour, Lorcan glanced over at me.

  “Would you like to talk about it?”

  I looked out the window. “I don’t know what to say,” I answered in a hollow tone. Then I turned to look at him. “I owe you an apology.”

  “For the duplex? You already did.”

  “No, I mean… I’m sorry for that too, of course, but this was an apology for something else.”

  “For what?”

  I shrugged as I looked out the window again. This emotional stuff wasn’t easy on me and having to look him in the face would make it significantly harder. “I thought you would be the one to fly out of control and lose your wits. I thought you were the one who would be a danger to those around you. I never thought it would be me.”

  “What happened wasn’t your fault, Wanda,” he answered softly.

  “Of course it was my fault!”

  He shrugged and gave me that boyish smile of his. “You never intended to put Astrid in danger, did you?”

  “Well, no, but the fact remains that I did. And I could have done a lot worse.”

  “And yet, you didn’t.”

  “Only because Astrid barricaded herself in her room and warded the door.”

  “This wasn’t your fault.”

  But, I wasn’t convinced. “I have your blood which means I have some of your power,” I continued, remembering the feel of that power cresting inside me. “I felt the draw of that power last night while I was dreaming and I tapped into it, Lorcan. I was lucid while I was dreaming—I understood everything that was happening and I reveled in it. And that led to the destruction in the house.”

  “Did you mean to destroy everything?”

  “Well, no.”

  “You were asleep, correct?”

  I nodded.

  “Then I don’t believe it was intentional.”

  “It wasn’t intentional,” I answered. “But, my point is… the power within me… it’s getting stronger. And if it keeps growing, there’s no saying what I’ll be able to do. What if… what if I became as strong as you are?”

  He took his eyes off the road for a moment to meet my gaze. “You’re forgetting one thing.”

  “Which is what?”

  “I am your sire—or I would be if you were a vampire. No matter how powerful you become, your vampire power will never exceed mine.”

  “What about my witch power? And what about both of them combined?”

  “That, I do not know.”

  “I’m worried that if my power grows, and continues to be so unpredictable and so… impossible to control, I’m going to hurt someone.” I sighed as I thought about it and stared out the window again. “Maybe…” I couldn’t continue the thought, it was just so… so horrible.

  “Maybe what?”

  “I don’t know,” I started, shaking my head. “I always resisted letting you turn me into a vampire because I didn’t want to live without my magic. But, if living as a Blood Witch is going to be like this…”

  “If we can perfect Betanya’s spell, you won’t be living as a Blood Witch much longer.”

  I turned to face him. “But, what if we don’t perfect it, Lorcan? What if there’s no way out of it? Then… then maybe me losing my magic would be a good thing.”

  “We shouldn’t even be having this conversation at this stage.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I still believe there is a way out. If you learn how to properly use Betanya’s information in her journals, we won’t have to worry about any of this at all. You’ll be back to normal and so will I. You won’t have to become a vampire and I won’t go out of my mind trying to love you to death.”

  I flinched. “Let’s not talk about going out of our minds.”

  “Very well. What would you like to talk about instead?” He asked turning to face me as the rain continued to pelt the windshield. “It’s a lovely day outside.”

  I smiled but it was just a surface smile, because I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’d done and what it meant and whether or not I should just give in and become a vampire. If I had to choose between becoming a vampire or risking Astrid’s safety, I’d choose fangs in a split second.

  “Let it go, Wanda,” Lorcan murmured. “What happened was terrible, but it was beyond your control. I’m quite certain Astrid knows that, too.”

  “Yeah, I’m not so sure about that.”

  Silence descended on us for another few seconds before I was overcome with the need to tell Lorcan about Dev, whether he could handle the information or not. He needed to know, especially because I was starting to wonder if Dev had somehow sent me these dreams I kept having? Or maybe he hadn’t sent them but he was responsible, all the same? It just seemed… very coincidental that my life had gone to spell the second Dev walked into it.

  “Lorcan, there’s something… I need to tell you.”

  “What’s that?” he asked as he looked over at me, his expression one of sudden interest.

  I took a deep breath. “I didn’t tell you this before because… because I didn’t think you could handle it, owing to… the situation between us.”

  “Okay.”

  “Someone… is after me.”

  “What do you mean?” he asked, eyeing me narrowly.

  “I don’t know if the man who’s after me is a warlock, per se, but he’s something magical and I think maybe… I think maybe Rupert is the one who sent him.”

  “What makes you think Rupert sent a warlock after you?”

  “This guy came into the store and he… did something to me. I can’t explain what, exactly, but he marked me. And once he did that, I just haven’t been myself.”

  “Haven’t been yourself?”

  I shook my head. “No… I’m acting in ways that just aren’t like me and I started having these dreams that turned out not to be dreams.”

  “Tell me more about these dreams.”

  “Well, the first one was when you showed up in my room… When we thought I’d somehow called you to me.” I decided not to mention the kiss that wasn’t really a kiss or the way Dev made me feel when he was around me. There were just some things that seemed… smarter to keep to myself.

  “I remember.”

  “And now this.”

  “Who is this man?” he asked, pulling his attention from the road so he could spear me with his heated expression.

  “His name is Dev.”

  “That name means nothing to me.” Lorcan shook his head. “And I still don’t believe Rupert had anything to do with it.”

  “I think… I think Rupert does have something to do with it, because he’s the only person who makes sense.”

  “Why?” Lorcan demanded. “You haven’t established the link between this Dev person and Rupert.”

  I swallowed hard. “Well, since Dev came into my store… my libido is, um, quite a bit more pronounced.” There was no way around it—I was going to have to tell him the truth… the full truth.

  “What does that mean?”

  I took a deep breath. “It means that… since meeting Dev… I’m… well, I can’t… hmm.”

  “Just spit it out, Wanda. Did you do something sexual with this Dev?”

  “No!” I insisted, nearly yelling at him. “What I’m trying to say is that my feelings for you have become… more intense and much… much more… sexual.”

  He didn’t say anything right away, but just faced forward as a smile broke his lips apart. And then he appeared completely amused and, more so, pleased.

  “Tell me more.”

  “You’re incorrigible.”

  “While that is certainly true, I need to understand what you mean if I’m to help you get to the bottom of this most strange case.”

  “Fine. I mean… I had that dream and somehow called you to me and since meeting Dev, my feelings for you are… difficult for me to control.”

  “Difficult to control how?”

  “Well, I just feel like… I want to… you know…”

  “No, I don’t know.”

  “I feel like I want to constantly…”

  “What?”

  “Have sex with you!” I blurted finally. “There, it’s out! Are you happy now?”

  His smile only broadened and then he grew quiet.

  “Aren’t you going to say something?”

  “While I am certainly both flattered and pleased to know of your carnal inclinations towards me, I fail to see how Rupert is involved.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Isn’t it obvious—Rupert is behind this because he hired Dev to magick me into wanting to be… closer to you which would ultimately allow you to turn me into a vampire because if ever we… did have… carnal relations…”

  “Sex?”

  I breathed in deeply. “Sex… you would lose control of yourself and most likely, you’d turn me.”

  He nodded as he thought about it. “On the onset, it does seem as if it would make sense, but it still doesn’t fit.”

  “Why?”

  “Because Rupert is a powerful and influential vampire. He would never hire someone to do his dirty work, especially not a warlock, because he has no love nor respect for the magically inclined. Furthermore, Rupert wouldn’t need to resort to trickery to get what he wants. What’s more… Rupert knows he’s meeting with me, so why would he orchestrate this whole scheme when he’s aware the whole purpose of our trip is to convince him to give us more time? He doesn’t have to use trickery or magic to push us together. His own influence over me ensures that his wishes will be carried out one way or another. He has sway over me—he can command me to do what he wants and force me to comply with his wishes. His ways are simple. He does NOT resort to subterfuge. He’s above all that.”

  I turned back to the window. “Hmm, then why hasn’t he forced your hand already?”

  “Because that is not how vampire politics work. Free will is very much at force in our belief systems, thus, I have to make these decisions for myself.”

  “Humph,” I said, frustrated that I was back to square one where Dev was concerned. If Rupert hadn’t sent him, then I didn’t know who had. Or if anyone had, for that matter.

  “I have known Rupert my entire vampire life.”

  “Was he your sire?”

  Lorcan shook his head. “As I told you before, which you have obviously forgotten, I was turned by a British officer during the Irish rebellions. This officer turned every prisoner and wounded soldier he came across. He did so out of spite and then left us to suffer and struggle alone if we survived at all. Many were incinerated by the sun as soon as they were turned.”

  “Now I remember.”

  “Rupert is my grandsire—the sire of my sire. He took pity on me and took me in. He taught me how to take care of myself after I was turned. It was a new experience, and I was out of my depth.”

  “I can see why you’re close to him, then.”

  “I am not close to him,” he corrected. “We have a strained relationship because I hunted the vampire who turned me and I killed him.”

  I stared at the side of his face, unable to hide my shock. “You did? Why? What happened?”

  “I don’t wish to talk about it. I only want to impress upon you that Rupert is not the type to do what you believe he has.” He paused for a moment as he turned to look at me. “And I would advise you not to mention any of this to Rupert. This business has already strained my relationship with him to the breaking point. He is at the limit of his patience with me and that means I am close to losing all ties with my line. Thank goodness I’m wearing your enchanted suit to help sway him to our favor.”

  I’d anointed Lorcan’s suit with a mix of potions I’d purchased from Poppy, including Controlling Oil which was meant to bend Rupert to our will. Not only had I anointed the suit with the Controlling Oil but I’d also anointed a red candle in the shape of a man and carved Rupert’s name into it. Then I’d bespelled the Rupert candle to ensure our pleas didn’t fall on deaf ears. I’d lit the candle and burned it for an hour each night, until it was reduced to nothing but a blob of red wax.

  Next, I’d placed a few drops of Do-As-I-Say Oil into Lorcan’s suit jacket and Domination Oil into the pants, both meant to further our cause.

  “Okay.” I took a deep breath. “But, I’m still not convinced Rupert isn’t behind this.”

  Lorcan shook his head. “He would never hire someone to push us together. It is not his way. He works directly. He considers subterfuge and manipulative, underhanded tactics cowardly and despicable. They are not his style.”

  “Is there any chance he could attack me himself when we go see him?” I asked. “If he feels so strongly about getting rid of a Blood Witch, why wouldn’t he just grab me and turn me himself?”

  “Because he can’t turn you. I have to do it. It’s my blood you have running through your veins, not Rupert’s. That means I have to be the one to fully turn you.”

  “What would happen if he did?”

  “You would become a deranged beast. You would lose all trace of sensibility and rationality and become an unthinking, feral and destructive creature. And if that happened, we would have to destroy you.”

  “Well, I guess that’s not an option then.”

  He shook his head. “No. As long as I refuse to turn you, you will not be turned. It’s as simple as that.”

  I studied him closer as he drove. “Why are you doing all this? Why are you going through all this for me? Prior to the car accident, you didn’t even know me. So… why put yourself through all this and risk getting in trouble with Rupert?”

  His hand crept across the seat and came to rest on my knee. He squeezed and another tendril of heat rushed through me. “You’re worth it, Wanda. You’re worth it to me and, truthfully, I would do just about anything for you.”