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It was a statement, not a question. “Yes, indeed.”

There was a long moment of silence, then she said softly, “I cannot lose him, too. Please, bring my son home.”

“You can be sure I will do whatever it takes, Karleen.”

There was another long pause. “I will wait to hear, then.”

“One of us will call when we can.”

“Thank you.”

She hung up. I sucked in a relieved breath. “Well, that went better than I thought it would.”

“Let’s just hope everything else does,” Belle said grimly.

There was nothing I could say to that, other than a soft “Amen.”

Our plans were set, our path determined.

Now we just had to hope we all survived it.

It didn’t take us long to return to Castle Rock. I drove over to Maelle’s and once again parked out the front. Though the interlaced web of protection spells still ran around the building, there were no guards out the front. What was new was the dark weave of emotions that emanated from the heart of the club. It was so damn thick that it actually darkened the glow of the streetlights in the nearby vicinity.

“Oh dear,” Belle said as we both climbed out of the SUV. “That cloud suggests Maelle is not in a good frame of mind.”

“No.” I studied the cloud for a second. Fury was the dominant emotion, of course, along with the deep desire for revenge, but there were also threads of grief and loss, and even a touch of guilt. “If she isn’t in a sensible frame of mind, can you snare her telepathically?”

Belle hesitated. “Most likely, but I’d prefer not to if her mind is as fractured as that cloud suggests. Any attempt might well risk utter destruction—and Marie won’t be happy if we turn up with what amounts to a vegetable.”

“Right now, I don’t really give a fuck about Marie’s happiness.” Not when she was holding mine prisoner. “Let’s go.”

We headed across the road, but before we reached the pavement, the club’s doors opened and Maelle appeared. Instead of her usual riding habit, she was dressed in black boots and jodhpurs, a waistcoat adorned with blood-red buttons and stitching, and had tied her hair up in a bun that was wrapped in black ribbons. Her pupils were pinpoints of black in a sea of white, and the sheer weight of black and bloody fury radiating from her was so damn strong it was almost overwhelming.

I stopped, unease briefly fracturing my determination.

“Marie sends you, I take it?” she said, her voice cool and calm, at odds with the emotional turmoil that surrounded her.

“She has Aiden hostage, Maelle. I have no choice.”

“There are always choices, but I understand yours would not be mine in a matter such as this.” She smiled her scary smile. “Let us go, then.”

Surprise hit like a punch to the gut, and I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped. She raised an eyebrow lazily, amusement lending a brief moment of humanity to her porcelain features. “I will not be dragged to any confrontation like a piece of parceled meat, and any battle we have here only weakens us three and works to Marie’s advantage.”

“Does that mean the oath you took when you were turned no longer prevents you from attacking her?”

“That remains in play,” she said. “But she has taken Roger from me, killed my monster, and had a hand in releasing my demon. The bonds of that oath are now wafer thin and, in truth, I no longer care. Even if that oath destroys me, I will see her dead first.”

I glanced at Belle.Is she spinning a tale to catch us off guard?

No. She means what she says.She paused and briefly—cautiously—reached out mentally.Her mind is clear and focused, even if her emotions are out of control.

I returned my gaze to Maelle. “Our meeting point is in a dead zone for wild magic—one Marie has created. I also suspect the magic that rings it will be designed to hamper you as much as me.”

Maelle’s answering smile was back to being as scary as fuck. “That is a certainty, but what stops your magic and hampers mine will also hamper hers, as I am made in her image.”

I hesitated, then moved to one side and motioned to the SUV. “Let’s go, then.”

She stepped clear of her club, then turned and locked the door. It was then I noticed the bracelets on her wrists. It was the first time I’d seen her wearing jewelry of any kind, and it seemed fitting that—given they were her creatures to call—these bracelets were obsidian snakes that curled up her arms. With the club secured, she walked across the road and climbed into the back of the SUV.