leads to,” he said.
Jude said, “Good, then we’ll follow you.”
“Sounds like a plan, but just so you know,” Rush said taking the lead, “this map takes us straight to the Necromancer Center.”
I threw my hands up. “Of course, it does.”
Chapter Nine
S lowing our jog down to a fast-paced walk, Jude, Rush, and I crested a small hill which rolled alongside a backdrop of dark night, the wide expanse of darkness bursting with stars. It was tantalizing to my senses and easy to feel at home underneath.
Rush flashed me an endearing grin, giving wind to the butterfly wings in my stomach. Whoa, girl .
“We’re here. Where to next?” he asked.
I tore my eyes from his smile and the dimple in his chin before looking over towards the trees. “We go there,” I said.
Rush followed the direction of my gaze. His jaw clenched, that sexy smile of his vanished, and his brows drew together. “That’s a highly restricted area.”
I pulled the map from my pocket and tapped the trees drawn at our location. “See, that’s where it says to go. So guess what. We’re going. You said you’d help, so now would be a great time to prove it.”
Good girl , I thought. No matter how scrumptiously mouthwatering his ass was, I was intent on keeping to my new motto, “sister before mister.”
I could tell Rush was struggling with it; his promise to me was at odds with the position he held as a Council member. The Council had a million secrets, and they would do anything to keep them. I’d imagine, even kill anyone who trespassed against them. I was asking a lot from Rush, no doubt.
“You should turn around and pretend like you never saw us,” Jude suggested, sensing the war raging in Rush’s head.
Rush looked at him with resolve. “It’s too late. I’m in this, whether I like it or not.”
His fictitious blues—I missed his greys—swung my way. I recognized apprehension in his features, but also, strict determination in the proud, ramrod-straight set of his broad shoulders. And if I wasn’t mistaken, a glint of excitement twinkled in the depths of his eyes. Not even contacts could cover it. No, he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“It would be really fucking awesome if we could get in and out undetected,” he added.
“Wouldn’t it be, though? Let’s try our best to make sure that happens,” I said. I was in no mood to have a tête-à-tête with any of the Council members that night.
Without another word, I lurched forward and raced across the dirt-patched field towards the next hill. I felt something dark and ominous about the twisting trees as I neared them. The shrubs surrounding the bottom of the trees were void of leaves; they were lifeless. The trunks’ bark was thick, grey, and grooved deep with cracks withered from old age.
I walked past the trees and stopped in front of a door that was situated at the base of the hill. The entryway was partially hidden behind a large tree, and it was also camouflaged by more dead bushes. The foliage overlapped and draped like a canopy. It reminded me of a secret garden. But that hidden sanctuary wasn’t made of beautiful, carefully planted roses or lush, green topiaries, a setting that could induce dreams of fairies and unicorns. Instead, those surroundings created an ambiance of bleakness and death, reminding me of the way I felt every time I came across a vampire.
I looked around, half-expecting some of those blood-suckers to jump out at me at any moment. I shivered and stepped forward, crossing the door’s threshold. Almost immediately, I saw a bag. It resembled the ones that the kidnapper had left on my doorstep. The cloth sack instantly jogged my memory, reminding me that the other note had told me I would find it there. I reached down and picked it up.
“What it is?” Rush asked.
“It’s another party favor from the prick hosting this scavenger hunt.”
It was also a step forward in finding my sister. I opened the bag. What I uncovered
Jude said, “Good, then we’ll follow you.”
“Sounds like a plan, but just so you know,” Rush said taking the lead, “this map takes us straight to the Necromancer Center.”
I threw my hands up. “Of course, it does.”
Chapter Nine
S lowing our jog down to a fast-paced walk, Jude, Rush, and I crested a small hill which rolled alongside a backdrop of dark night, the wide expanse of darkness bursting with stars. It was tantalizing to my senses and easy to feel at home underneath.
Rush flashed me an endearing grin, giving wind to the butterfly wings in my stomach. Whoa, girl .
“We’re here. Where to next?” he asked.
I tore my eyes from his smile and the dimple in his chin before looking over towards the trees. “We go there,” I said.
Rush followed the direction of my gaze. His jaw clenched, that sexy smile of his vanished, and his brows drew together. “That’s a highly restricted area.”
I pulled the map from my pocket and tapped the trees drawn at our location. “See, that’s where it says to go. So guess what. We’re going. You said you’d help, so now would be a great time to prove it.”
Good girl , I thought. No matter how scrumptiously mouthwatering his ass was, I was intent on keeping to my new motto, “sister before mister.”
I could tell Rush was struggling with it; his promise to me was at odds with the position he held as a Council member. The Council had a million secrets, and they would do anything to keep them. I’d imagine, even kill anyone who trespassed against them. I was asking a lot from Rush, no doubt.
“You should turn around and pretend like you never saw us,” Jude suggested, sensing the war raging in Rush’s head.
Rush looked at him with resolve. “It’s too late. I’m in this, whether I like it or not.”
His fictitious blues—I missed his greys—swung my way. I recognized apprehension in his features, but also, strict determination in the proud, ramrod-straight set of his broad shoulders. And if I wasn’t mistaken, a glint of excitement twinkled in the depths of his eyes. Not even contacts could cover it. No, he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
“It would be really fucking awesome if we could get in and out undetected,” he added.
“Wouldn’t it be, though? Let’s try our best to make sure that happens,” I said. I was in no mood to have a tête-à-tête with any of the Council members that night.
Without another word, I lurched forward and raced across the dirt-patched field towards the next hill. I felt something dark and ominous about the twisting trees as I neared them. The shrubs surrounding the bottom of the trees were void of leaves; they were lifeless. The trunks’ bark was thick, grey, and grooved deep with cracks withered from old age.
I walked past the trees and stopped in front of a door that was situated at the base of the hill. The entryway was partially hidden behind a large tree, and it was also camouflaged by more dead bushes. The foliage overlapped and draped like a canopy. It reminded me of a secret garden. But that hidden sanctuary wasn’t made of beautiful, carefully planted roses or lush, green topiaries, a setting that could induce dreams of fairies and unicorns. Instead, those surroundings created an ambiance of bleakness and death, reminding me of the way I felt every time I came across a vampire.
I looked around, half-expecting some of those blood-suckers to jump out at me at any moment. I shivered and stepped forward, crossing the door’s threshold. Almost immediately, I saw a bag. It resembled the ones that the kidnapper had left on my doorstep. The cloth sack instantly jogged my memory, reminding me that the other note had told me I would find it there. I reached down and picked it up.
“What it is?” Rush asked.
“It’s another party favor from the prick hosting this scavenger hunt.”
It was also a step forward in finding my sister. I opened the bag. What I uncovered
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