Page 101 of Visions of You

Keegan turned to Jaron. "We got a location," he said, showing him the text from Mordyn that had just arrived on his phone.

Jaron seemed to commit the address to memory. "Let's go."

CHAPTER 24

The address Mordyn had given them led them to a decrepit building. Ivy clung desperately to the crumbling bricks, an attempt by nature to reclaim what had been lost to time and neglect. Shattered windows stared blankly into the street, black voids that seemed to swallow the light.

This wasn't just an old building, though.

The hairs on Keegan's neck stood on end as he sensed the potent weave of enchantments cloaking the place. Magic wafted through the air, an almost tangible force humming beneath the surface.

The sound of footsteps drew Keegan's attention. A group of mages approached, their expressions hard with determination. All of them wore the same red cloaks, and they were led by a dragon who wore the crest of the royal family. A high-ranking officer of the city guard, no doubt.

The Mortal Rights Task Force must have passed Mordyn's information on to them as well.

"Let's get to work, people," the guard barked.

Keegan stepped back, giving them room to operate. Each mage positioned themselves at a strategic point around the building. Incantations began, words of power woven with theelegance and precision of a master artisan. Magic shimmered into being, luminescent tendrils snaking towards the invisible wards.

The air crackled with energy, and the wards began to react, a mesmerizing dance of light that shimmered and vibrated under the assault. Pulses of raw energy flared, meeting the mages' magic with resistance.

Keegan watched, spellbound, as the spells wove through the wards, seeking weaknesses and unraveling defenses.

They would get through, eventually.

Keegan closed his eyes, trying to tap into his foresight, to see what would await them. Flickers of visions flashed before him—disjointed, chaotic images of what was to come. He saw glimpses of all the victims, their faces contorted with fear. He saw Jaron, his features twisted in anger and pain. And always, lurking at the edges, was the specter of his own death, an inevitability that gnawed at him.

He came back to the present breathing hard.

A part of him wanted to linger on his own fate, but that wasn't all he'd seen.

Wards weren't the only thing protecting the building.

It was teeming with mages on the inside as well.

Keegan wanted to go and tell the guard when a storm of crows dove down from the sky and then Altair stood next to him.

Keegan's lord looked at the building, then at Keegan. "Anything I need to know that Mord didn't tell me?"

Keegan told him about the mages and let Altair take care of telling everyone else while more and more vampires appeared around them. His whole coven was assembling, it seemed.

The only one Keegan hadn't seen yet was Mordyn. Had he already found a way inside?

That was something Keegan would worry about later.

In a little bit.

For now…

"Jaron, I need to talk to you," he said, pulling his mate away from the crowd of vampires and mages.

Jaron shot him a worried look. "What is it?"

Keegan took a deep breath, struggling to find the right words. "I'm not sure what's going to happen inside. But my visions… they're still showing the same ending for us."

Jaron's face tightened. "No."

It was all he said, a simple refusal. As if it was that easy.