I caught sight of my reflection in one of the mirrors, and the change was obvious. The weight that I’d lost had returned, and I looked like myself again.
Cyrenthia frowned at us, her gaze flicking back and forth.
“What?” I asked.
“Your bond . . . it is severed, but . . . You must be careful. Do not spend much time together. You must not fall for each other, or I can’t guarantee that fate won’t reassert itself.”
It was like a punch to the gut.
Of course we couldn’t be around each other. I shouldn’t even assume that Carrow would want that. But . . .
To face it.
My future looked bleak without her, an endless dark tunnel that pressed in on me.
“Sure.” Carrow smiled. “Thank you for the help.”
Cyrenthia nodded, her gaze still glued on us. It burned.
“Come.” I nodded my thanks to Cyrenthia and turned. “We should go.”
“There’s no we any longer,” Cyrenthia said.
Of course. I turned back to Carrow, unable to believe it all ended here, in a shite part of town with a blood sorceress watching our corpses with the avarice of a vulture. “Goodbye, Carrow.”
She blinked, looking almost surprised, then hurried after me out of the shop.
Carrow
Grey moved quickly out of Cyrenthia’s place, and I had to hustle to keep up. My chest felt so . . .strange.
I’d felt the bond break. It had snapped like a twig, leaving me feeling empty and hollow. Cyrenthia said I would feel its absence, and that I would mourn.
She was right.
Yet, Grey wasn’t a stranger to me. I still cared. True, the insane pull toward him that I’d been feeling had vanished. That heavy hand of fate.
But I still felt for him—how could I not?
We could just never be together, or the curse might return. Pain pierced my heart.
Yet he was so much healthier looking now. This had been worth it. We’d had no other choice.
I caught up with him about halfway down the alley, squeezing alongside him. He looked down, surprised. “We shouldn't spend time together.”
“I-I know.” I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I risk your life by pushing.”
He spun toward me, his entire form vibrating with suppressed emotion. “It’s not that. You shouldn’t be so confident in my strength.”
“You would never hurt me.” I’d tried to get him to take my blood when I’d lain dying, and he’d refused. “You would never do what fate compels you to.”
“I wouldn’t. But there is a beast inside me, Carrow. The vampire within is not always controlled by the man. As my strength waned these last days, the beast fought to rise, as it had in the past. You weren’t there then, but when the beast gains control and is driven by blood lust, there is no fighting it. I can’t guarantee that I would not turn on you.”
He loomed over me, and my back pressed against the wall. All around, the tall buildings rose high, overhanging the street and creating a tunnel. I should have been afraid, but I couldn’t be.
“You wouldn’t hurt me.” I knew it. Just like I knew that the alternative to hurting me was his death. Cyrenthia was right. We couldn’t be around each other. We couldn’t fall for each other. “I never should have followed you. I’m sorry.”
He drew in an unsteady breath and stepped backward, composing himself. “I apologize for losing my temper.”
I nodded and, together, we left the alley in silence. As soon as we stepped onto the brighter main street, a woman appeared in front of us.
Mary, my witch friend. Her magenta eyes were wild, and her pink hair messy. She wore a glittery silver dress that was more suited to midnight than the middle of the day, but the witches marched to the beat of their own drummer.
“Hi, Mary.”
“Carrow.” Her tone was frantic. “You need to help me. Beth has been taken.”
“Beth?” I hadn’t seen the other witch in a few days. “Taken? What do you mean?”
“She was taken right off the street.” Her voice shook. “We’re looking for her, of course, but nothing is working. It’s just been so . . . so . . .”
Her words trailed off, and her wild eyes searched the alley around us.
“Come here. Let’s sit down.” She really needed a seat. So did I. Beth was one of my friends. Worry made my heart race. I gestured for her to follow me toward a small garden that was nestled between two buildings across the street. A bench beckoned.
All around the bench, roses climbed up the wall of the tiny garden. A little fountain burbled in front of it and, as we sat on the bench, dozens of roses unfurled, opening to the late-afternoon sun. Faerie lights sparkled inside of them, glowing with magic as their heavenly scent filled the air.
Grey followed, his brow creased. He hovered at the entrance to the garden, watching us with concern. He really should have been on his way back to his place, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him to scram. Not like I could control his actions anyway. And he knew what was at stake.
“Tell me what’s wrong.” I searched her frantic eyes.
Mary drew in a shuddering breath. “Beth was abducted. The whole guild is trying to find her, but we need help.”
“Abducted?” No. Not Beth. Fear pierced me, cold and horrible. And two in the same night? And both on my doorstep? “From where? By whom?”
“We were out partying. It was late, and we were walking home. Beth thought she might be sick, so she dipped into Hangman’s Alley. She was only there a moment when a bloke with red eyes nabbed her. Dragged her right through an orange portal.”
Holy crap.
Serial kidnappings.
There was no way the two were unrelated. Not with the red eyes and orange portal.
Grey leaned forward from his spot by the garden entrance. “Red eyes, you say?”
Mary nodded frantically. “Unlike anything I’ve ever seen. They burned like fire.”
Recognition flashed in Grey’s eyes.
“You know something about this?” I asked, hope flaring.
Mary cringed back, as if recognizing the Devil of Darkvale for the first time. Her voice was tremulous when she said, “You.”
“Not I, if that’s what you’re implying,” Grey said. “I did not kidnap your friend. It is not quite the business I am in.”
Her pale face did not regain any color, and it reminded me of Grey’s reputation around town. I’d gotten to know him well enough that I didn’t think much of it any longer, but he was still the most powerful kingpin in all of Guild City. Also, the most feared.
I turned back to Mary. “Is there anything else you can tell me about the abduction? Anything left at the scene, perhaps?”
“No, I checked. Then the whole guild checked just for good measure. Not even a shard of the transport charm on the ground.”
“They vaporize when used,” Grey said.
“Right.” Mary nodded. “There was nothing. Beth was there one moment and gone the next.”
I leaned back against the bench, my mind racing. I needed leads. More than just red eyes and orange portals. There was already a lot at stake, but with Beth also
abducted . . .
This had become so much more important.