I must have fallen asleep at some point after eating. A building full of vampires or not, my body was exhausted. I only realized it after a noise sounded in my head.
Sitting up with a jolt had my vision filled with black dots instantly, and when the noise came again, I realized it was a knocking on the door. Not the door to my room, no. The door to the apartment.
The fear was instant, gripping me by the throat much like my wolf does at my insides when she wants out. Before I realized what I was doing, I sniffed the air through my nose. Red was there, too, and a little farther was a…witch? Definitely a witch, but I couldn't tell what kind, and judging by her perfume, the witch was a she.
I hadn't bothered to undress because I hadn't planned on sleeping, so I was ready to run for the door even before Red had the chance to open it. He was by the door, a curious expression on his face. What the hell did that mean? Were we in trouble? Had they caught us? What would a witch be doing in the Lair—all by herself?
Red didn't answer my unspoken questions. He just put his hand behind him as if to reach for a gun I couldn't see but could smell, and he pulled the door open just slightly.
The witch's big, dark eyes squinted at the sight of him.
"You Red?"
Her voice was sharp and icy, and she almost sounded like she was yelling.
"Who's asking?" Red said.
He seemed to feel a bit more at ease at the sight of her because he opened the door wider. I could see her clearly now. She was a couple inches taller than me, her hair falling all the way down to her hips. It was black except for a good chunk on the left side dyed bright red. She wore a red leather jacket, too, and carried a black backpack behind her. I smelled her again, and this time the scent of her hit me with its full force—like that chamomile and honey tea my mom used to make me when I got sick as a kid.
"I'm Amara, Pete's informant," the woman said, keeping both her hands behind her. I assumed she was keeping them close to her weapons, too, like Red, which made me feel very out of place. She was armed—the smell of gunpowder lingered around her, and she also had some candy stashed in her backpack. I only picked the scent up because they were strawberry—my favorite. And now that I was closer to her, I could almost bet that she was a Blood witch.
Taking a step back, Red decided there was no need for his gun after all, and he waved for her to enter. I wasn't exactly sure if she was dangerous or not. I needed to work on developing my instincts asap.
"I didn't get your name," Amara said, looking around the small living area, but she must have been talking to me.
"Victoria," I said reluctantly and looked at Red. Though he wasn't completely at ease, he was a bit more relaxed now and shut the door.
"Who brought you up?" he asked when she was satisfied with what she could see in there—nothing—and turned to Red again. I slowly inched my way closer to him, just in case we needed to make a run for it.
"I brought myself." She pointed at the sofa. "May I?" And she sat down without waiting for an answer.
That's when I realized: "What time is it?" Was it daylight outside? That would explain why it smelled less of vampires in the building and why the burgundy drapes were drawn all the way over the newspaper-covered windows.
"A little past noon," said Red. Noon? I'd slept until noon? Holy crap… "So you're the girl who's been giving information to Pete," Red said, slowly stepping forward, almost like he wanted to be in between me and Amara.
"Who's Pete?" I asked. She raised a brow in question.
"He's a guy I pay for updates on Haworth," Red said under his breath.
"And he pays me for it," Amara said with a nod. "Last night, when he told me you needed to know more, I thought I'd drop by and pay you a visit myself."
"So there are no vampires here during daylight?" I said to Red.
"No, there are. Just not so many, and usually, they stay in their rooms unless someone attracts their attention." He gave Amara a knowing look.
"A spell," I said with a grin, so glad to figure it out. Her scent wasn't a perfume—it was a smell-altering spell.
"A very good one," the girl said with a nod. My wolf finally raised her head, lazily awaking from her sleep. She found Amara's voice curious.
"Let me guess, you want the middleman gone and the money all to yourself," Red said. I doubt even he was certain about how to feel about this.
"Yes…" Amara said, her voice trailing off for a second. "And no."
Red grinned. "Then I hope you've got something good to feed me because I'm not paying you otherwise." As he said that, I caught the smell of his breath while trying to find out more about Amara. It was metallic somehow. Rusty.
Blood.
Red had had fresh blood sometime in the last few hours. My skin crawled, and my hand moved to my neck, half of me fearing I'd find two holes in it. Had Red taken my blood while I was sleeping? Would I have even been able to feel it?
But no. I knew the smell of my own blood, and that wasn't it. My wolf wasn't panicked, either. Instead, she was focused on Amara, and after a moment, she sent one thought my way in a whisper: trustworthy. Not that that made up my mind about the stranger, but I could at least admit that her instincts were far more advanced than mine.
"I've got something very good, but first, I need you to tell me what you're up to," Amara said, her dark eyes moving fast from Red's face to mine.
Red laughed. "I don't think this works that way, Amara. I pay you for information—no questions asked," he said.
"That was the deal with Pete, not me. I've been following you through him for a while now. You've been after Haworth for four months that I know of," she said.
She tried to pretend she was at ease and relaxed, but I could smell the adrenaline rushing through her, which was strange. It occurred to me that I'd never used my nose as much before, not with people. Maybe I was finally learning to rely on it. It could see much more than my eyes could, at least.
"Well, then I'm afraid you and I have no deal," Red said with a nod. "If you don't want the money, there's nothing more for you here." And he waved for the door.
My stomach twisted as I studied Amara's face. She wasn't happy with Red's response. I wasn't, either. If this woman could help us find Haworth faster, I wanted to know what she knew. I didn't mind sharing if she did the same.
"Why do you want to know?" I asked her, earning a pointed look from Red. I just ignored him.
Amara stretched her lips in what I guessed was supposed to be a smile.
"He's the only one looking for Haworth who is still alive."
Good enough for me.
"What do you get out of us telling you what we're up to? Are you looking for Haworth, too?" I asked. There was no other reason I could think of for her curiosity—unless she was keeping tabs on Red for Haworth, that is.
Amara thought about how best to respond for a second. "I guess you could say that. I provide information first, though. And if I knew I could trust you, I could help you a lot more than you think." Definitely good enough.
Not for Red, unfortunately.
"I've been in contact with Pete for five months now. Why do you want to help us now?" he asked.
"Like I said, you're the only one still alive. I see potential, that's all," Amara said. She didn't even blink while she said those words. This time, my wolf and I were on the same page. She was telling the truth.
"Potential? You've got to be kidding," said Red, laughing sarcastically.
"Look, whatever you're up to, you can—" I cut him off.
"I'll tell you what we're up to," I said to Amara. "If you can prove you're not working for him."
Raising her thin brows, she sat back on the sofa. She wasn't expecting that apparently.
"No, I'm not working for that murdering sonovabitch," she said. "And, no, I can't think of any way to prove that to you."
My wolf approved.
"You can by telling us of your interest in our plans," Red insisted.
"Look, I thought you had potential, a real shot at finding him, and that's why I'm here," Amara said and stood up. "I want the same thing, but I can't help you if you don't tell me what you get out of it."
"So you want a motive." Red grinned sneakily.
"Exactly."
I realized I could let this go on for the entire day, but time was running out. Izzy needed me. The sooner I got her out, the sooner we could both leave this place behind. So I spoke.
"Someone I knew is working for him, and I need to get her out," I said to Amara. "And Haworth took something of vital importance from Red. He wants to get it back."
"Damn it, Victoria," Red mumbled, lowering his head, but the damage was done.
Just when I thought Amara would smile, she turned really pale instead.
She looked…disappointed.
"Not good enough," she said, shaking her head. "That's not good enough."
This time, I was the one laughing. "You want to judge how good a motive we have? You think either of us would bother to fight a battle against Haworth, one we both know we don't have much chance of winning, for reasons that are not good enough?"
"If you don't want to help us, here's the door," said Red, having heard enough, but I didn't want her to go just yet. If she was the one who'd given Red all the information about Haworth, and if she could help us find him, I wanted her on our team. Asap.
"Better yet, if you don't want us to help you, then leave. But there's a reason you haven't gone after Haworth yourself all this time." Please, please, please, let me be right.
Amara's lips parted for a second, and her eyes glazed over. "True," she whispered and sat back down.
"And we have no plan—at least not yet. But we're going to find him. It might depend on you how long that takes," I continued because I could see the wheels turning in her head. I was right—she was here, looking for Red, because she couldn't go after Haworth alone. Which was saying something, when she could make a strong enough spell to shield her scent even in a building full of vampires. Maybe…maybe Izzy was right. Maybe this Haworth guy was more dangerous than I had first thought.
"Why are you after him?" Red asked her then. "You already know about us. What about you? I assume you have a good enough reason, don't you?"
I rolled my eyes at him. This woman was still deciding whether to help us, and he still wanted to be a dick about it?
"He killed one of mine," Amara said. She didn't sound sad or desperate now. She sounded…plain. Her eyes focused on Red, her pupils dilated.
"So now that we're practically best secret-sharing friends, can we get to the freaking point?"
As if surprised that I was still there, Amara looked at me and nodded, completely out of it. I looked at Red. He wasn't happy, but he didn't get to make this decision. My sister's life was on the line here. Mine, too. And his.
We were taking the help.
I sat down on the floor cross-legged because it felt more comfortable like that. Red did the same, but his shoulders were still rigid. He was still not relaxed. Maybe I should take note and do the same, I thought. But then my wolf growled lowly, as if to remind me that she was there. Not that that was any consolation, considering she came and went when she thought it fit, but it was something.
"Right, so," I said, clearing my throat. I hated wasting unnecessary time. "We're looking for Haworth, but he's also kind of…sort of…looking for me, too."
"Is that why you're in this place?" Amara asked, not nearly as surprised by my confession as I expected.
"Yep. So, the sooner we find Haworth, the sooner I can be free of him.
We all can. So, what do you say you start telling us what you know?"
Taking in a deep breath, the woman shook her head, her red strands of hair falling to the side of her face. The color reflected in her big eyes, too, making them look red as well. It was scary. Just a little bit.
"Haworth's been gathering enchanted items to use as resource for his magic," she began reluctantly. "As far as I know, he has eight pieces in his possession, and he's using them to fuel his search for more."
"Do you know what kind of enchanted items?" I asked, but she shook her head.
"It's not one specific kind. I don't think he minds the kind of spell they have—just how powerful they are. He's making something—something big."
"Something big?" Red asked. "What something?"
"I don't know yet. Nobody does," Amara said reluctantly. "But he's put all his resources into it."
"And that's it?" Red raised his hands, disappointed, but Amara was not done yet.
"He's shut down all contact with his men for two days." She looked at Red. "I'm assuming you're the vampire who killed most in that group?"
The group. Shit. She'd heard about what had happened when Haworth's people had kidnapped me. It brought chills down my spine but also reassured me. At least I could count on her information not being fake.
"You assume right," he said. "And I'm assuming that's the real reason you're here."
Amara smiled, mischief dancing in her dark eyes. "I've heard about you. I just didn't know it was…" She sized him up a couple times. Not going to lie, it made me feel very uncomfortable for reasons of an unknown nature. "…you."
"What does that mean?" I turned to Red. "What did she hear?"
"Nothing," he said, never taking his eyes off Amara, but he wasn't sizing her up. He was mad. Very mad. "Are you going to continue, or are you going to make me throw you out?"
As if nothing at all had happened, Amara took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders.
What? That was it? I wanted to know what she'd heard, too, damn it!
"Like I said, he's gone AWOL on everyone and is only using his animals to send messages," Amara said.
My wolf growled. His animals. They weren't his.
"Can you tell me more about that part? How is he manipulating those animals? I've never seen anything like it," I said halfheartedly, remembering the look in those wolves' eyes and that awful smell.
"You've seen them?" Amara asked, surprised.
I nodded. "Wolves."
"It's a spell," she said. "It connects them to him."
I almost choked on my own spit. "To him?" Like…like my wolf and I were connected?
"Kind of, yeah. Whatever his spell does, he's able to navigate the animals. Kills one to make the ritual for another," she said with a flinch.
"Okay, so he's cut all ties with his men. What else?" Red asked impatiently, not as interested as me to know more about the animals. I suppose that was for the best. Now was not the time for my wolf to try to take over my body.
"He's protecting something—or someone—and he's got friends in very high places. The ECU, the witches, the packs have been trying to find him, but something always stops them."
"Because they can't trace him." That's what Finn had told me.
"Or because someone's stopping them," Amara said, giving me a knowing look. She thought someone from the witches or the packs or the ECU was in on this with Haworth? That was a heavy accusation.
"What else?" said Red impatiently.
"I know where most of his men are located. I can share those locations with you. I can also sneak in information—false information to them, if it helps," Amara said in a rush. That could come in handy. I wondered if she knew Izzy personally, but I caught myself before asking.
"Can you confirm something to us?" I asked before Red could stop me.
"We've heard rumors that he's working with demons, too. Is that true?"
Pressing her lips together, Amara sighed. "I've heard that, too. Haven't been able to confirm it."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because—like I said, he's shut down all communications with his men."
"So you get your information from them. From his men." It made perfect sense.
"I didn't say that," she snapped.
"But you implied it," said Red.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, she shook her head as if to clear it.
"Look, I'm giving you all I know here. Don't ask me to reveal my source because I won't."
"So what are your expectations here, Amara? What do you hope to gain from this?" Red said, waving his hand in a circle between us.
"I hope to get rid of Hector Haworth," she said without missing a beat.
"Get rid? You mean kill him?" I asked. Was she serious? She had basically told us he was untouchable.
"Yes, exactly. He's bad. He's an evil man, and the longer he's free, the stronger he'll get," she said. The passion in her eyes was unmistakable. I had no idea who Haworth had killed, but it must have been someone close to her heart.
"Do you know where he comes from?" asked Red. "Do you know where he learned those spells?"
"He comes from Washington D.C.," Amara said. Her forehead glistened with sweat, and it wasn't even hot in there. "From what I know, he was an ordinary man before becoming…this."
"So he's working with someone," Red said in a whisper, looking down at the ground.
"Possible. He's got no family, and he had no money or anything before coming here," Amara said. "I have no idea what he paid his men with at first, but like I said, he's protecting someone. It could very well be that he's working for someone."
"At first? What about now? How does he pay his men with now?" I asked. I wanted to know this. What was Izzy getting out of this whole thing?
"Now? He's stealing both from paranormals and from humans. He's already made a fortune," she said through gritted teeth. Money. Could it be that Izzy got into this for money?
"You said you wanted him dead," Red said, bringing us back to the point. "Do you have a plan in mind?"
"I don't," Amara said. "But I know I can't do it alone. And I know you can help me."
Again, she looked at Red like he was the only one in the room. "I'll do my best, too," I said, rolling my eyes as if I didn't suddenly feel like I was sitting on needles. It was so weird, I hoped it stopped soon.
"What about the ECU? Any update on them?" Red said.
"The same," Amara said. "They're either stuck, like Victoria says, or they're focused on the demons and the Storm witches. Either way, nobody's giving this priority."
"You're wrong," I said reluctantly. "They've hired Finn Germain to find him."
"How do you know?" both of them asked me.
"Because Finn wanted me to help him locate Haworth." That werewolf had started everything. From the second he'd come to speak to me at the bar, my whole life had started to go down the drain.
"You're a werewolf, right?" Amara said, squinting her eyes at me. I nodded. "Are you specialized in finding others?"
"I guess you could say that." Animals are beings, too, right?
"If Finn asked for your help, you must be good."
Oh! Finally, she was looking at me like I was worthy of her attention, too! Would you look at that?
"She's got the best nose around. If we can find anything that belongs to Haworth, or if we find a place he's been to recently, she can track him easily," Red said.
My stomach went all crazy, and I got all fuzzy for a second. A vampire talking all that sweet-talk about me? Never thought I'd see the day.
"Impossible. He uses spells—much stronger ones than I do," Amara said.
"I can smell the spell, too, I think," I said. I could smell her, couldn't I?
Red was right; my nose was much better than I'd first thought. "I can track it just as well as his scent." If you heard me speak and didn't know me before, you'd think I was a hundred percent sure of my abilities, which, sadly, wasn't the case at all.
"The spells are designed to not have a scent," she said, slowly, as if speaking to a child.
I wanted to flip her off so bad, my middle finger itched. "Your spell is designed to not have a scent, either, but I can smell it on you like a perfume."
She narrowed her brows. "No, you can't."
I smiled. "Smells like chamomile and honey. I could track you just from this, if I had to." My, my, I would pat myself on the back if I could. I never knew I could sound so ballsy.
Amara turned to look at Red, who was grinning.
"Don't look so surprised, Amara. You're not the only one with tricks up your sleeves," he said.
"That's…impressive, yes, but it's still not going to help us. There's no way to find out where Haworth is or was."
"But he's not going to keep away from his people forever, right? We can track them. Follow them around until they lead us to him," I said. Can't was not what I wanted to hear, not when I could practically see Izzy in front of me now.
"Useless," Red said. "He's not an amateur."
"And even if it would work, who knows when he'll get back on the grid.
There isn't much his men can do to attract his attention," Amara said. "He's not coming out anytime soon."
For whatever reason, Yumi the werewolf came to my mind.
"Whoever's feeding you this must know a way. He's not untouchable, for fuck's sake," said Red, apparently angry now.
But I still couldn't get Yumi out of my head. That guy had been so surprised to see me shift. To see my wolf. His eyes had glazed over, his face could barely contain his smile. He was proud.
And what was it that he told the other? That the master was going to be so happy, they all were going to have a prime spot in his "heaven?" Yes, that's what he'd said. So… "What if…" No. I wasn't serious, was I? Even my wolf was speechless.
"What if, what?" Red asked.
I looked at him and tried to think, but I couldn't. The idea was too loud in my head, demanding to be spoken. I opened my mouth without realizing it.
"What if I become the bait?"
Red's eyes widened instantly. "No."
"What do you mean, no?" He really confused me.
"Bait? Why would you become the bait? What's the point?" Amara asked. She was confused, too, but for a different reason.
"Look, it could work. You heard them yourself—he wants me. It he thinks he can get me, he'll come out—I know it." The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Yes, the fear was making my hands shake terribly, but I could just put them under my thighs and ignore them. This was Izzy we were talking about. If we didn't do something about this Haworth guy, she was done, and I couldn't accept that. I wouldn't.
But Red had other ideas.
"Absolutely not. No way in hell. Forget it," he said, showing me his teeth, his eyes growing darker.
"Think about it! We're desperate here! Didn't you hear her? He's cut himself off from everyone," I said.
"I said, forget it," he insisted. "It's not going to happen, Victoria."
Did he know that the more he objected, the more he made me want to fight him over this?
Probably not.
"Does anybody want to tell me what the hell is happening?" Amara asked, but I was busy looking at Red.
"I'm not asking for your permission, asshole. You don't get to make my decisions for me," I reminded him.
For a moment there, I'd forgotten how he felt about insults, but now I knew. I remembered very well when the whites of his eyes turned red, and he seemed to become bigger in size. I was intimidated, absolutely, but I'd die before I'd cower back. This was my decision to make.
"I do when your decisions are stupid. You're going to let this go, right now, or I'm going to lock you in that fucking room!" he shot back.
I laughed. "Lock me? You think a door can hold me? Oh, try it! Please, please, try it, fucktard."
Then he grabbed me by my wrist so fast, I didn't even see him move.
"Don't tempt me," he whispered.
"It's my body. My decision, and I don't need you to understand or to like it. I'm doing this, Red. I'm doing it for her." Maybe he forgot what was at stake for me. For him, it was just a thing, an enchanted item, but for me, it was my sister. Desperate times called for desperate measures.
"Okay, time out!" Amara shouted, raising her hands in surrender.
"Would you please tell me why you seem to think that you being bait would somehow work in luring Haworth out of hiding?"
"Because of my wolf," I said, my voice still high with anger. "I turn into a wolf. Not a werewolf—just a wolf—and Haworth wants me, okay?"
Her eyes wide with horror, she shook her head. "It's you."
I slammed my hands on my thighs. "Great." She'd heard about me, too.
Was somebody left out there who hadn't?
"You can't do it," Amara said.
"Thank you!" shouted Red.
I gave him a pointed look. "I don't care. I'm doing it."
"Over my dead body."
"Sooo…I just cross over you right now, and I'm good to go?" I said, unable to help it. He rolled his eyes, but I could tell he wanted to smile. It was a good joke, maybe not at the perfect moment. But he was dead.
"Victoria, he's right. When Haworth wants something, Haworth gets it.
You're under the impression that if they take you to him, you'll survive," Amara said.
Now, I didn't like that look she gave me, like all her focus was on me.
"I will survive. My wolf is—" Red didn't let me finish.
"Weak. Untrained. With no experience," he spit.
"No experience? I'd tell you to ask all the people she's attacked, but they're all dead. Like really dead—unlike you," I said reluctantly. It wasn't fun to remember, but if he needed the reminder, I was going to give it to him.
"You're missing the point," Amara said. "Whatever you got, he's got something better."
They couldn't be serious.
"So, what, you're just going to sit here and wait for him to decide to show up in a year or two?" I stood up and Red followed immediately. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that. My sister is counting on me to save her from him, and I'm going to do it with or without you."
My eyes were filled with angry tears. I just wanted them to see that I couldn't just sit and wait. This wasn't how it worked.
"So he has your sister?" Amara whispered, slowly rising to her feet, too.
Great. Now we were all standing, and it was weird as fuck in that small living room.
"He does," I said. I hadn't wanted to tell her that part, but to hell with it.
"And she told me herself, the only way she'll get out is if she's dead, but that's not an option. If Haworth dies, however, then she's free. I'm free."
And we could get the hell out of the country and never look back.
"She's right," Amara said with a nod.
"I'm doing it." I turned to Red. He didn't look as angry as before when he looked at me wiping my tears. I had a little hope that maybe he saw things the way I saw them—the right way. "I have to."
"No, you don't," he said. There went my hope. I was about to start shouting, but he beat me to it. "It doesn't have to be you."
"It doesn't?" I could see he was onto something, so I let him speak.
"He wants wolves, doesn't he? I doubt he'd have complaints if his people brought him one, even if he didn't ask for it."
The light went on in my head. "A pack wolf." Of course. Finn had showed me the pictures. Haworth used usual wolves, but pack wolves had more magic. More strength. More everything. Not that I planned to let that asshole do to another wolf what he'd done to those in Finn's pictures, but we could use one to take us to Haworth. Then, we could kill that asshole.
"Just how do you think you can get a pack wolf out of the pack?"
Amara asked.
Red looked at me, grinning. "Victoria can."
Chills washed down the length of me when I realized what exactly he was saying and what I was thinking.
Get a wolf into Haworth's hands.
"Are you sure she can? Because I believe that could work," Amara said.
"His men would have to take the wolf somewhere, and Haworth wouldn't miss an opportunity to spell a pack wolf. He'd want it, and we'd know where it was going. We'd be tailing his men every second of the way."
My wolf growled—a warning. She didn't want any part of it, and I understood. I understood, but she still felt the need to remind me of the pictures Finn had showed me. What that murderer had done to the wolves.
How could I even think of bringing one to him after that?
"I don't think I can do it," I said as my stomach rolled and rolled, bringing bile up my throat. Then, my heart began to squeeze. Oh, shit.
"Sure you can. Victoria, you can get a wolf out, and we can set it up nicely for Haworth's men," Red said.
"I can give them the tip easily," Amara said, finally sounding excited.
"I just… I can't…" My wolf. God, it was so hard to breathe. She was squeezing my insides, crumbling them like they were made of paper.
"They'd find the wolf and send word to Haworth. Then, all we'd have to do was wait for him to get back to them. And we'd follow. It'll lead us straight to him, and no matter what spells his men use, you can still track them," Red said.
I turned away from them. "If you'll excuse me for one second."
I don't know how I made it to the bathroom. They both called after me, asked me if I was okay, but I couldn't speak. I turned the faucet on and splashed the water on my face, but it was no use. I was sweating. I was shivering. My wolf had gone fucking mad. She tightened my heart, and it was barely beating. Blood filled my mouth, making it impossible for air to get to my lungs. I fell to my knees, knowing I should call for Red, but for whatever fucked up reason, I had myself convinced that I could do it. I could control her. I could stop her.
I couldn't.
By the time Red broke the door and walked in, it was already too late. A howl left my lips, and I realized they weren't my lips any longer. She'd taken over, and she pushed me back with all her strength until nothing was left of me anymore.