Gena Showalter - Unraveled

“Why do you want to go to the cabin?” she asked again, gaze sliding to Mary Ann.

Starved, dying, scared, agonized…

“I need your blind trust,” Riley told the vampire. “As I’ve often given you.”

Victoria nodded without hesitation. “All right. Yes, of course. Who first?”

“Me, but be careful with Mary Ann. She’s…ill.”

A second later, the two disappeared. Mary Ann could only sit there, her mind starting to hurt, too. Then Victoria was there, gripping her hand, the bed was falling away, and she was floating, spinning, stopping, then starting all over again. Finally, solid ground appeared. She wanted to vomit, but had nothing in her stomach and ended up dry heaving, intensifying the pain in her body.

“What’s wrong with her?” Victoria asked.

“Like I said, she’s ill.”

“And you think the witch will cast a healing spell? I assure you—”

“Thanks for your help. Now go back to Aden,” Riley said, scooping Mary Ann in his arms. “Please.” She was floating again, only this time she had an anchor. Strong, magnificent Riley. “Out. I’m serious, Vic.”

Victoria growled, but disappeared.

“What’s going on?” a familiar voice asked. The witch.

Suddenly warmth and power swept through Mary Ann, easing her hunger, her pain. She sighed in ecstasy, drinking in every molecule she could. Yes. Yes. This was what she’d needed, what she couldn’t live without. Strength returned to her limbs, her body becoming hers again.

“Drainer,” the witch cried. “No. No! Get back! Get away!”

“Well,” Riley said dryly, “if either of us were in any doubt, that doubt is now alleviated.”

ADEN AWOKE MORE CLEARHEADED than he’d been in what seemed forever, but also a little peeved. He was in the vampire stronghold; he remembered being whisked here, kissing Victoria, feeding her, loving her, but now he was alone in her massive bed and there was no sign that she’d ever been here. No Victoria meant no more kissing or feeding.

At least he wasn’t twitchy and in withdrawal, needing her to bite him again. Therefore he hadn’t become a blood-slave last night.

He sat up and looked around. The room was as white as he remembered, and he could guess why she’d chosen such a blank canvas. Her father remained true to the I’m-an-evil-badass stereotype: black, black and more black. Colors, which Victoria loved, hadn’t really been allowed, so she’d done the next best thing. The opposite of what her father had wanted.

A small rebellion, but so wonderfully telling. Deep down, she hadn’t wanted to be like her father. Here, in the privacy of her bedroom, she’d allowed herself to be herself.

This place gives me the creeps, Caleb said.

“Why?” He glanced down at himself. He was still wearing his jeans and T-shirt, but his boot, socks and blades had been removed. By Victoria? Had she run her hands all over him? He wished he’d been awake for that.

’Cause there’s no naked girls .

Aden laughed. Typical Caleb.

Well, I like it, Julian said. Add your clothes in the closet, and this would feel more like home than the ranch .

“And why do you say that?” he asked, gaze straying to the closet in question. The entry was dark, too dark to see what rested inside. Probably black robe after black robe.

It’s almost like we’re smack in the middle of an unwritten book. Like there’s nothing here but blank pages.

Which means we can write the story however we want. And anyway, you don’t see this room as it will one day be, Elijah said. There are colors, so many beautiful colors .

That put a smile on Aden’s face. “Will I be here?”

Elijah didn’t reply.

Aden took that for a no, and said goodbye to his blossoming good mood. How could he have forgotten, even for a second, that he was going to die? I don’t want to die, he thought.

Once, he’d simply accepted his pending demise as fact. Then he’d been stabbed in the heart to save Thomas from the pain. Now he was starting to think crazy thoughts—for the first time, despite what the world thought of him. Thoughts of changing his future, even though he knew that would only make his death worse.

Was there something worse than being stabbed?

Yeah, and watching his friends die topped the list. A sobering reminder. He had work to do. “Have you figured out where the witch meeting is being held, Elijah?”

No .

“Caleb, you seem to like them when no one else does. Do you know where the meeting will be?” Aden was beginning to feel guilty he hadn’t done more.

Wish I did, buddy , but I’ve got nothing .

One day left, tomorrow, yet he’d made no progress. Six days had passed, and he’d learned nothing. Yeah, he’d been busy fighting goblin poison, meeting the vampires and dying. Twice. But when it came to the safety of his friends, there really was no excuse for his lack of results.

The door creaked open, and then Victoria was standing in the open entry, wearing a pink tank top and a blue miniskirt. Her dark hair hung to her waist, glittery green ribbons woven into the strands. She’d never looked so human. Or so hot.

“I cooked you breakfast,” she said, grinning as she approached him. She kicked the door shut behind her, her hands occupied with a tray of food. “I’d never cooked before, but one of the blood-slaves helped me. I hope you like the results.” She sounded unsure, nervous.

His chest did that constricting thing. “Thank you. I’m sure I’ll love it.” And even if he didn’t, she’d never know.

Still grinning, she closed the rest of the distance and sat at the edge of the bed, balancing the tray in his lap. “I hate to rush you, but you’re expected below. I wasn’t able to keep your location secret—everyone sensed you, and since you’re here, the councilmen would like you to preside over their morning meeting.”

The scent of pancakes, sausage and syrup wafted to his nose, and his mouth watered. “We don’t have time for a council meeting.” Not that he planned to go to school. Was this even a weekday? He couldn’t remember. Still. They had to get some answers out of their witch. They’d run out of time.

“It will only last an hour, and it’ll be better if you attend. They decided not to punish me for breaking the rules and seeing you, since they were desperate to speak with you. If you don’t, you’ll be hounded or even followed. If you do, we can leave without incident afterward.”

A worthy reward. “What will be expected of me?” He took a bite of the pancakes and lost his train of thought. They were oversalted and raw in the middle, but he didn’t allow himself to cringe. He chewed and he swallowed.

“Well?” she asked hesitantly.

“Delicious,” he said, and smiled.

Her own smile bloomed. “I’m glad. So what do you think of my outfit?” She stood and twirled. “I borrowed everything from Stephanie.”

“You look amazing.” And she did.

Her grin widened as she reclaimed her seat beside him, her hip pressed against his. All that heat and softness…“Are you nervous?” he asked, his voice huskier than he’d intended. “About the meeting?”

She didn’t have to ask which meeting he meant. They weren’t discussing the council any longer. She nodded. “A little while ago, Riley told me that he went into town last night, and there were no witches. None. If they left Crossroads, that means they left us here to die.”

Aden pursed his lips and thought back to when the witches had surrounded him, Victoria, Riley and Mary Ann in the forest.

“We will call a meeting in one week’s time,” one of them had said, “when our elders arrive. You will attend that meeting, human. If you fail to do so, the people in this circle will die. Doubt me not.”