“Ian is a means to an end.” She nodded toward the VC members. “I give them what they want and they give me what I want. It’s the beauty of business.”

“And what do you want?”

She held out her hands, palms up.

“The castle? Seems shortsighted if you ask me,” I shrugged. “Besides, it’s not theirs to give.”

“Ah, but power to attain it is. And I’m after more than the property. By the time I’m done I’ll own the council and therefore the witches.”

I thought for a minute, trying to figure out what sort of power the VC could offer that would give Holly the authority to reign supreme. And then it hit me.

“You guys own the Veil.” I looked at the vampire elders, snorting to myself for not figuring it out sooner. Of course vampires would be in charge of demons, and of course their government would be behind the operation of ruthless rogues. None of the elders argued or disputed my theory. The glint in Alana’s eyes was all the proof I needed.

“So, by giving them Ian, they give you a demon to possess your body? All in the name of greed,” I snorted, my hatred for Holly growing stronger than before. “You’re pathetic.”

Fire burned behind her bright green eyes. Before she could respond, Pernis stood, his attention on the stage. The man’s body stirred, the leather slapping against the stone as he struggled.

Pernis was on the stage in a blink of an eye, peering over Ian’s new body. A slow smile spread across his lips making him look like the Cheshire cat. Ian screamed at the sight of him, a gut-wrenching howl that bounced off the stone walls. Right then and there I realized Ian hadn’t been aware of Holly’s plan. She had traded a man she once loved for a demon.

When Pernis began undoing the binds, Holly gave the order to her guards. At once they attacked. In a matter of seconds, the remaining elders were up and out of their seats, a blur of motion. Screams filled the room as they tore through Holly’s backup. All the while, Pernis removed Ian from the altar as if he didn’t recognize the chaos around him.

“Nooo,” Ian screamed in a voice that didn’t belong to him. His English accent was gone and replaced with that of the body he possessed. When the last guard was disarmed, the elders stopped. They stood across the stage, their clothes splashed with blood. Body parts littered the ground, but that was not what nauseated me. Rebekah was still up there, and Aaron was walking right for her.

“Please,” I screamed. “Don’t.”

He ignored me, lifting my sister’s hand and bringing it to his lips. Even from this distance I could see her shoulders shaking. Her eyes were wide and focusing on nothing. The bloodbath she’d just seen was enough to send her into shock.

I jumped into action, my body moving before my head could catch up. I dove for the dagger that had flown from my hand when Holly attacked me. Gripping the blade and angling my arm the way Dorian had shown me, I threw it with as much force as I could and watched as it sailed through the air and toward Aaron’s chest.

The blade was inches from his body, the anticipation killing me. Just before it sunk into his chest, he batted it away as though it was nothing but an annoying fly. My shoulders slumped, my heart jackhammering in my chest.

Aaron held my sister’s hand, coating her skin with blood, and guided her down the stairs. They stood in front of me. My last resort was connecting with the spirits, and the room was full of murderers. I clung to their energy, absorbing it quicker than ever before. My desperation to save Rebekah drove me over the edge. White bodies began popping up like daisies all around the room, their hunger for vengeance giving me power.

Aaron glanced around the room. “Impressive, but there’s no need to call in the cavalry just yet. I only wish to return her to you.”

My eyes widened, but I didn’t lose focus of the spirits should it be a trick.

“Our only interest is in Ian,” Aaron said. “Once Pernis gets an idea in his head, it’s best to just go along with it.” At my suspicion, Aaron explained further. “Pernis does not take being betrayed by his child lightly, and he does so love to punish.” Aaron held my sister’s hand out to me. I wrapped my arms around her, holding on for dear life.

Aaron walked over to Holly and her entire body froze with fear. It seemed her plan wasn’t going as she had thought it would.

“You have been a thorn in my side,” Aaron said to her. “So hungry for power you overlooked one very important thing.”

“What…thing?” Holly stammered.

“Never allow your ego to get so big you forget who you’re dealing with.” Aaron clasped the necklace hanging from her neck and yanked it free. Holly’s hands went to her throat, surprise all over her face. Aaron dropped the necklace to the floor and stomped on it. The music filing the room instantly faded.

“We had a deal,” she snarled.

Aaron turned, leaving to join his sisters and brothers. As Holly lifted her arm to cast magic at him, he swung back around and hit her so hard she went flying into the nearby wall. Her body cracked against the stone, sliding down in a heap.

“I never liked that woman,” Aaron said, glaring at her unmoving body. When his eyes landed on me, I squeezed Rebekah tighter.

“My apologies for all the trouble.”

“I don’t understand any of this…the bond…”

Aaron held up a hand. “Ian has a long life of being Pernis’ blood slave as payment for his rise against us. It’s a fate worse than death, believe me. He had plans for you too, had you not retrieved Ian’s soul. Be grateful you’ll never know what those plans were. As for the bond with Aiden,” he shrugged. “It was a backup plan.” He turned to leave, but paused to say one last thing. “Consider your debt paid in full.”

So Aiden had been wrong—the VC didn’t want to see if I could be turned into a hybrid. This entire thing was all in the name of punishing Ian. He’d been so anxious to escape the realm of the dead, and now he was stuck as a human and Pernis’ happy meal. Karma is a beautiful thing.

The elders began to leave. Ian was slung over Pernis’ shoulder, screaming and beating against his back.

“What about the bond with Aiden?” I called out.

Aaron smiled. “Are you asking for a favor, Ms. Sparks?”

I shook my head quickly, remembering what asking for their help had gotten me into last time. “No.”

“You’re learning,” he winked.

I watched the six council members disappear through the door, Ian’s screams in their wake. I hugged my sister tighter, laughing and crying. Leaning away from her, I checked to make sure she was okay.

“Rebekah, can you hear me?” Her face was stark white, but she blinked a few times and focused on my face. “I know you probably don’t remember me, but I promise you’re safe now.”

“Gwen,” she replied. “You’re my sister.”

I nodded, fresh tears coating my cheeks. “Yes, yes, I am. And I love you so much.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

“That went a lot better than I expected,” I said, looking up at Dorian. “You were kind of quiet through it all.”

He nodded, his eyes still focused on the door the VC had disappeared through. “I knew Rebekah would be alright. As soon as we entered the room I used my spidey senses and checked her death.” Dorian looked over at me. “And no, I will not tell you.”

“I don’t want to know,” I told him. “Unless, it’s in the near future and there is something I can do to stop it.”

Dorian chuckled. “Even then, I will not tell you. The universe has a plan for all of us. Going against it will throw Fate’s design off balance.”

I turned so that my sister couldn’t hear what I was going to say. Leaning in and cupping a hand to my mouth I said, “You saved me at Broomsticks. Where was your commitment to Fate’s grand design then?”

“Everyone has an Achilles’ heel.” He kept his voice low. “You’re mine.”

I smiled and my eyes filled with tears. After everything, it all worked out and Dorian stood beside me the entire time. I rejoiced in Holly’s death, Ian’s imprisonment, my sister’s safety and even the cocky, albeit sweet angel at my side. For once, the weight that had been pressing down on me lifted and I could breathe.

“Thank you…not for the comment, but…everything. I honestly would have been lost had it not been for you. I had all these assumptions of who you were and you proved me wrong at every turn. It’s the first time I’ve been happy about being wrong.” I laughed shakily, still fighting the tears welling in my eyes.

“Gwen!” Fiona shouted across the ballroom.

I was still holding onto my sister and staring at Dorian when her arms embraced me in a hug. Dorian nodded while I stared at him over her shoulder.

“I’ll give you girls time to catch up.” He turned and walked across the room. Trust is a tricky thing. In order to fully give it to someone, you must first listen to your instincts; trust that little voice in the back of your head. Only then will you know if the person in question was worth the investment. I learned that Dorian was.

When Fiona released me, I smiled at my sister. “Fiona, this is my sister, Rebekah.”

Fiona enveloped my sister in a hug and I laughed. Rebekah wrapped her arms around her after a while, a smile spreading across her face. Her dark hair fell in multiple layers against her pale face. She stood a little shorter than Fiona and I, maybe 5’5”. The hoodie she wore bore the name of her school.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” Fiona told her. “Gwen has told me so much about you.”

Rebekah’s eyes found my face. She looked so young—innocent—and because of me she’d been involved with a murderous witch and vampires. I had to keep all the “what-if” thoughts out of my mind. She was safe and I had a moment to reconnect with my sister.

“How would you like to stay in the castle tonight?” I asked.