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  A new voice entered the fray. “Yes. She is crazy. But that’s why I’ve always liked her.”

  She gasped along with her companions and turned to find Reuben standing in the doorway. Oh, Reuben, thank the gods! He would help. He could get the gang. Just as these thoughts rushed through her, and just as she was about to throw her arms around him in delight, another figure stepped into the doorway. Smaller. More feminine. But just as familiar.

  Jaeden lurched to a stop. Thank goddess.

  A slow grin spread across her face. “Caia?”

  5

  Sacrifice

  It was strange to find herself at this age so lost and afraid. It was strange to find that she was so unsure at any age, as she’d always found confidence in who she was and the powerful family she belonged to. Marion trembled, drawing in a deep breath as she sank into a wooden pew in the front of the statue of Gaia. Having spotted the metal stud in the marble flooring that Lucien had spoken of, Marion was now taking a moment to decide what to do, if, in fact, there was anything she could do.

  That morning Marita had held a meeting in the largest of the training rooms, requesting the presence of everyone who lived, worked, and trained or served at the Center. There had been much upset when Marita had imprisoned the Council. Some fighting broke out, but they’d managed to deal with the people responsible and had put them out of the Center. All portals known to outsiders were shut off after Daylights (the families of Council members, to be exact) had gotten into the Center with the sole purpose of rescuing the prisoners.

  There would be more rescue attempts, they were sure, as the news took its time to reach other Daylight supernaturals around the world. Marita had to act fast to prove the Council’s treachery … or a war within the coven would begin.

  Luckily for Marita, none of the Daylights so far had taken the time to organize, and their attempts were shut down immediately by Marita’s soldiers. But unrest within the Center itself was growing anew. Marion had wanted it to, had wanted some sense shaken into her sister. How could Marita hold Pack Errante against their will? How could she hunt Caia? It was … insane.

  The meeting, however, had done nothing to soothe Marion’s fears. Although there was discontent, primarily among Caia’s friends within the Travelers and lykans, Marita had managed to contain the threat of riot by announcing her plans to create a new Council—assuring everyone she had no intention of turning the Daylight Coven into an autocracy. Moreover, some seemed willing to accept her claims that Caia was working for the Midnights and that she had convinced the Council, with her supreme powers, to work against the Daylights.

  Why wouldn’t they believe her? Marita was part of a noble family and had been their faithful leader for years. And more importantly, it was becoming apparent there were still a great many Daylights who were just as ruthless in their beliefs as she was. They would do anything to win the war, to destroy Midnights, and it was only now Marion was realizing that meant sacrificing their own. How could Marion possibly stand against her sister and such odds?

  But this … if Lucien was speaking the truth about the children? Oh goddess. Who was she to trust? Her sister was clearly maniacal at this point, and Caia had been lying to her for weeks.

  You have to look. You have to know for yourself.

  Heaving the weightiest of sighs, Marion stood. Her legs trembled so badly, she had to grasp the pew behind her. She took a moment to bolster her courage, to remind herself of who she was, how strong she’d always been. She couldn’t let her strength desert her now … now when she needed it most.

  With tentative steps, she stood above the marble slab. Very slowly and gently, she pressed her finger on the near-invisible stud.

  Whoosh!

  She watched, silently horrified, as it opened, a blast of cool air whipping across her skin. Peering down into the subbasement, dread settled in her stomach. Quietly she made her way down the ladder attached to the wall and found herself standing in what looked like a hospital corridor. Like a surreal nightmare, it felt as if she wandered forever through white hallways, garishly lit with fluorescent lighting, her heeled boots echoing ominously as she approached what was sure to be an unwanted reality.

  The next corridor she turned down was different from the others—wider. A door sat adjacent to a large viewing window.

  Another door farther up the corridor on the opposite side, another window.

  Her chest reverberated with the pounding of her heart, and she clutched her stomach at the welling of nausea and fear. Her heart raced out of control and then stopped as the words on the door shot through her with the impact of a shotgun blast.

  Laboratory 1: Lykanthrope.

  Oh Gaia, no. No. She squeezed her eyes shut. No, her sister couldn’t be capable of this.

  Anger, unlike anything she’d felt, mixed with the cruelest of disappointment, surged through her. She took the doorknob in hand and thrust it open.

  “Hey! You can’t be—” A magik in a lab coat rushed at her, only to be cut off as she blasted him against the far wall with enough force to render him unconscious. He slumped helplessly to the ground, papers flying up and then fluttering slowly to the floor around him. Tears filled her eyes at the sight before her. Seven frightened children stared back, wide-eyed and pale, from within cages.

  “Marion?” a child whispered, and she stumbled in recognition. It was Seana Trey, and in the cage next to her was Joaquin Barton. They were Pack Errante kids. Oh Gaia. Oh Hades …

  “I didn’t want you to find out like this.”

  Marion whirled to face her sister whose eyes seemed to plead with her.

  “This isn’t what it looks like.”

  “Where are the others?” Marion asked numbly. “Where are the other pack children?”

  “They’re safe … in another lab farther down.”

  “Safe? How so? They’re being experimented upon! This is completely immoral, not to mention illegal!”

  Marita sighed. “Illegal to whom? There is no longer a Council, Marion. I am the law now.”

  “What are you doing?” Marion cried. “This isn’t you. You wouldn’t do this. You wouldn’t torture and experiment upon innocent children!”

  Marita flinched. “I’m not torturing them.”

  Marion gazed at her, aghast. Had her sister gone completely mad? “What do you call putting them in cages?”

  Her sister’s shoulders slumped, her marble poise deserting her under some invisible crushing weight. “Certain sacrifices have to be made, sister. Don’t you see? Before Caia, the Midnights were winning.”

  “Oh goddess, Marita, if Father knew who he had left to the run the coven—”

  “Father!” Marita spat. “He was the one who told me things needed to change. He was the one who told me we needed to be more ruthless in our dealings.” She smirked as if enjoying her latest revelation. “Father was the one who left the plans for the laboratories. He believed that experimenting with genetics was the only way to win the war. And he was right. If the Midnights were winning before Caia, with her … we will be destroyed. But these children are the key.”

  Marion shook her head in denial. “How on earth could he think that? How can you?”

  “Because he was proven right.”

  Marion stared at her blankly.

  Her sister smiled. “Jaeden. She has telekinetic abilities, has had ever since her time with Ethan.”

  “He tortured her! Do you intend to do the same to these children?”

  The look of outrage she was hoping to see appear on Marita’s face at the mere suggestion did not, and in that moment, it felt as if her entire world was shattering into a million pieces.

  “I am hoping it will not come to that. But if it does … so be it. We need an army of Caias to win, and if we can’t have that, then the next best thing is an army of Jaedens.”

  “This is madness. We were winning. With Caia on our side, we were winning!”

  “No! That filthy Midnight bitch was never on our side
! She went to the Council to have me killed so she could be Head of the Coven! Head of both covens, Marion … do you have any idea how powerful that would have made her?”

  Marion felt the tears running down her cheeks. “She went to the Council because of what she found down here. She would have saved us, Marita. It was prophesied—”

  “It was not! It was prophesied that her birth would bring an end to the war … it didn’t say how.”

  Marion shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. She would have saved us. Now we’ll be lucky if she doesn’t turn to the Midnights for what you’ve done. Let them go. Let the Council go. We’ll plead your case. It’ll be alright. I promise.”

  Marita’s pinched expression gave way to disgust. She glared at Marion with such rage that Marion knew … for Marita, there was no going back.

  “You are either with me, or against me.”

  Marion straightened, her steel spine finding itself again. “Then I’m against you.”

  For a moment an utter sadness flitted across her sister’s face. And then it was replaced with anger. “Then I’m afrai—”

  Marion didn’t give her time to finish. She gathered all her strength and pushed her energy force out at her sister, knocking the witch off her feet and out the door, only to smash her against the opposite corridor wall. With a sweep of her arm, she created a high wall of fire across the doorway and turned to the children, melting each lock on the seven cages.

  The children were frightened by the height and heat of the flames at her back, and she found herself hurriedly coaxing them out of their cages. What she was about to do, no one had ever survived … but the children … the children would be alright. There wasn’t any other way.

  “Marion!” her sister shrieked.

  “Hold tight to me,” she urged the children, grasping them roughly to her, making sure each little hand clasped her arms.

  The pain was excruciating. A communication spell should never be used to transport more than two beings; the kind of power needed to do so could rip a person apart, and that, coupled with the fear of hurting the children, only made the agonizing burn that much more intense.

  At the sudden silence, she opened her eyes and gasped in relief. They had made it. Saffron blinked back at her from her perch on the sofa. They were in Saffron’s home, a place she knew Marita could never find in her trace. And Saffron was incredibly choosy about who was invited.

  One of the children brought her attention back to them as he threw up on her boot.

  “What?” Saffron yelped and moved toward them. She blurred across Marion’s vision, and the room turned itself upside down. She burned like ice all over. The pain. It was just too much.

  “Marion!”

  Her body fell apart, her mind with it, and she descended into the darkest of peace.

  Caia almost jumped back in shock as Jaeden rushed at her but was pleasantly surprised as her friend’s arms pulled her into a suffocating hug.

  “Oh gods, am I ever glad to see you!”

  Caia smiled and gently pried her back to arm’s length. “Blame Reuben for my sudden disappearance. He’s the one who kidnapped me.”

  Jaeden hissed at the revelation and turned to stab Reuben with her ferocious glare. “What exactly does that mean?”

  Caia momentarily ignored her to smile at Laila and Vil, quietly watching them all. “You guys okay?”

  They nodded.

  “Caia?” Jae demanded.

  “Sit down. Please. This needs to be quick.”

  It took longer than she’d hoped to explain everything, especially with Reuben jumping in to fill in the parts she’d missed. She finally got through the tale when his cell rang and he went off into the other room to speak with Nikolai. When he returned, he hadn’t looked concerned, so Caia continued on.

  While Vil and Laila looked on with growing fascination, she could see Jaeden turn a shade darker with rage as the tale unfolded. When Reuben explained how he had masked Vil’s trace so Marita couldn’t find them, Caia almost rolled her eyes at the hero-worship in their gazes.

  “Wow.” Vil smiled at Reuben, his pale eyes glittering. “You masked my trace? Thank you.”

  “From us both,” Laila added sweetly.

  “Hey, hey!” Jae jumped to her feet, a growl burrowing out from the back of her throat. “Don’t thank him!” She turned on Reuben, her eyes brimming with outrage and hurt. “You tricked me. Lied to me. Used me!”

  Caia was unsurprised by his stoic nod and matter-of-fact response. “Yes.”

  Jaeden stilled.

  Oh goddess, Caia groaned inwardly.

  “Yes?” Jae whispered. “Yes? That’s all you have to say? I could kill you!”

  As she lunged toward him, Caia threw up an invisible barrier between them, causing Jae to bounce gently off it. She snarled and whipped around to glare at her.

  Caia shrugged wearily. “Believe me, it’s for your own good.”

  “Like he would dare hit me back.”

  I wouldn’t be so sure. Caia raised an eyebrow, and they both looked at Reuben who shrugged. “If the attack is unprovoked … I hit back.”

  “Unprovoked,” Jae spluttered.

  For Gaia’s sake.

  “Jeez, Reuben, could you at least try here?” Caia pleaded.

  “OK, maybe she’s been a little provoked.”

  “You used her. She thought you were her friend.”

  “She is standing right here,” Jaeden snapped.

  Reuben shrugged again. “I am her friend. It was just … necessary. I don’t apologize for what is necessary.”

  Jae snorted. “Oh.” She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “So, coming on to me was necessary, was it?”

  Caia hadn’t known about that part.

  Reuben grinned. “Nah, that was just fun.”

  “You’re a creep.”

  “I’ve been called worse.”

  Sure that if she let them, their argument would continue on into the wee hours of the morning, Caia stood to interrupt. “If we’re done, may I suggest we get a move on?”

  “Please.” Reuben nodded.

  Jaeden didn’t look very happy about her grievance being dismissed, but she nodded reluctantly, along with Vil and Laila, and sat back down again. “What’s the plan?”

  Taking a deep breath, Caia laid it out for them. “First, we approach the families of the Council members who have been imprisoned. Believe me, they will be happy to help. Second—”

  “Wait,” Vil interrupted, “I know Reuben is masking my trace, but how can we contact all those people without Marita being alerted to it?”

  The vampyre’s expression didn’t change. He responded blandly, “I’m masking a number of traces at the moment. Another few shouldn’t be a problem.”

  “Another few,” Jaeden grunted. “We’re talking about at least ten magiks.”

  “More, actually.” Caia sighed. “After we gather some magiks from that group, I’m going to approach the MacLachlans for help. Including Phoebe, they have another four lykans among them capable of fighting. After that, we’re returning to Lucien’s, where Reuben will mask the trace of the guards and the entire pack so Marita won’t be alerted that we’ve taken the guards out and rescued the pack.”

  “That’s at least forty people. How—”

  “Maybe more,” Reuben interrupted, irritation bubbling under his tone. “It’s not a problem.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot, you’re like a million years old or something. It’s completely gross how decrepit you are … thank goddess I didn’t go down that road. Ugh, can you imagine—”

  “Jae,” Caia warned, and her friend’s eyes glittered darkly, as if Caia had betrayed her. “I know you’re angry. You have every right to be. But I need us all acting as a team if we’re going to do what we’re about to do.”

  “Which is what exactly?” Laila inquired quietly.

  “We’re going to break Lucien, Ryder, the pack children, and the Council out of the Center’s prison …
and then we’re going to take the Center from Marita.”

  “Holy—”

  “No frickin’—”

  “Oh my—”

  “Be quiet,” Reuben’s cold voice rumbled around the room like an earthquake. Silence settled in its wake.

  Caia rolled her eyes at him but refrained from commenting. “We can do this. Vanne told us that I still have a few followers in the Center, including a lot of the Travelers. He’s very kindly reopened the portal at Magic Fitness so we can get in. We’ll go over the strategy for takeover once we have everyone assembled and ready to fight.”

  “You really think this will work?” Jaeden bit her lip nervously.

  “As long as we can get the Council out, yes.”

  Suddenly a blur of color erupted in front of Ryder’s television and Saffron was before them, her usually expressionless face twisted in rage … and grief.

  Reuben was the first to shoot out of his chair.

  “Saffron?” he queried, striding toward her quickly. She braced a hand against his chest, her fingers curling into his shirt. Her uncharacteristic display of emotion put Caia on immediate alert.

  “Reuben,” she hissed, her wide blue eyes searching his. “It’s Marion.”

  Caia felt her breath leave her. “Marion. What about Marion?”

  Saffron realized they weren’t alone and let go of Reuben’s shirt. She didn’t move away from him, however, their body language betraying their close relationship. “Caia.” She nodded deferentially at her. “Marion is … I tried everything but …”

  “What’s happened to her?” Caia demanded, fear pulsing through her veins. Not Marion, not Marion. Please …

  “The children told me she found them in their cages in some lab. That Marita appeared and Marion fought her before bringing the children to me via a communication spell. I was just lounging at home when she appeared before me with five children gripping onto her. And then she collapsed. She … couldn’t withstand the energy depletion created by traveling with five other beings.”