“She’ll have to go through me to get to you,” Saintcrow said, his voice as cold and final as the grave.
Kadie had no doubt he would die to protect her, which was, of course, what worried her the most.
~ * ~
Kincaid was waiting for them when they returned to Morgan Creek. Standing on the porch, he said, “What’s going on? I sensed your anger a few minutes ago.”
“Elowynne killed Alara,” Saintcrow said flatly. “Come on in.”
A moment later, the three of them materialized inside the house. Kadie dropped down on the sofa. In her years with Rylan, she had seen death in many forms, but nothing quite as gruesome as what had happened to Alara. She glanced around, wondering just how safe their lair really was. The house was strongly warded against intruders of all kinds of supernatural creatures, including some she wasn’t sure even existed.
Rylan patted her shoulder. “She’s still a vampire. Dark witch or not, she can’t come inside uninvited.”
Kadie nodded. “If you say so.”
Going to the wine rack, Saintcrow opened a bottle and filled three crystal goblets. After handing one to Kadie and one to Kincaid, he lifted his own glass. “To Alara, may she rest in peace.”
“Alara,” Kadie echoed.
“To vengeance,” Kincaid said, his eyes dark with fury.
“Vengeance,” Saintcrow repeated.
“So, what do we do now?” Kincaid asked into the silence that followed.
“The next move is up to her,” Saintcrow said. “The last move will be mine.”
“Ours,” Kincaid corrected. “Alara would still be alive if I hadn’t introduced the two of you.”
Saintcrow nodded. “Ours.”
Kincaid drained his glass. “All we have to do now is find the witch.”
Saintcrow laughed but there was no humor in it. “I think she’ll find us.”
~ * ~
It was after midnight when Saintcrow returned to the tree house in the Everglades. He stood there a moment, gazing down at the witch and then, unable to restrain his curiosity, he walked through the rest of the house. There was a small kitchen with theusual appliances. There was no electricity in the house. No doubt they ran on magic. The bathroom was also small, with only a sink, a shower, and a toilet. The bedroom was larger than he had expected, furnished with an oval bed, an antique dresser made of rosewood, and a matching wardrobe. He found a small room off the bedroom. The lingering signature of magic told him this was where Alara had conjured her spells. He found the bottles of blood she had taken from him in a small cupboard and even though they were almost empty, he slipped them into his pants’ pocket.
Pulling a blanket from the bed, he returned to the living room, wrapped the body in the blanket and transported to an ancient graveyard in Transylvania. With his preternatural strength, it took only moments to dig her grave.
Murmuring, “I swear on my honor as a knight that I will avenge your death,” he laid the witch to rest.
Chapter Twenty
The next two weeks passed peacefully. Kadie told herself there was nothing to worry about. Elowynne couldn’t get past the wards Rylan had set around the house, the town and the surrounding mountains. But she was always on edge. Rylan refused to let her go anywhere alone. Not that she really minded. Still, every now and then she enjoyed going to Cheyenne or Casper by herself to shop or take in a movie.
But that was now forbidden.
With a sigh, she pulled on a pair of black jeans and a black sweater, and stepped into a pair of black boots. They were going hunting. Something else she occasionally enjoyed doing alone.
Rylan, also dressed in black, was waiting for her upstairs. Now that she thought about it, she had rarely seen him in any other color. Personally, she preferred bright colors.
“Ready?” he asked.
“I guess so.”
“Something bothering you?”