Page 15 of Master Oradea

“Do you know what those two are talking about?” I ask.

Catina shakes her head. “I don’t. But”—she looks this way and that, making sure no one is lurking about. “I think now’s our one and only chance to run down and talk with Embry, find out firsthand exactly what she’s thinking.” Raven, Willow, Madria, and I all laugh out loud at the very same time. This spirited young woman is bound to get us in trouble, yet an energy runs through my veins at the very thought of sneaking downstairs and checking out the dungeon. The big, bad vampires are gone. We can pretty much do whatever we want as long as we’re quick about it.

The four of them laugh out loud…

My eyes widen. “What did you just do? Did you put a spell or a hex or something on me?” They shake their heads, laughing.

“No, it’s just that you were thinking the very same thing that we were thinking at the very same time. What’s stopping us?”

Catina’s eyes widen. “Umm, a very big vampire who is not a very big fan of the witches, if you haven’t gained that insight already.” Raven laughs. “It’s not a real witch hate, though. Oradea and Descallia really are just trying to protect the vampires. I just wish Oradea didn’t think you three—well, now four—were involved in any of the stuff that got us into this situation in the first place. It’s hard for him to let go of the hatred for Devora after all these years.”

“Maybe with time and getting to know you all better,” I offer. Madria pours another glass of orange juice and rolls a muffin in a fresh napkin. “We’re not going to solve it today. Look, we don’t have all day. Let’s get down to Embry and then back up here before those vampires find out we’re gone.”

Raven and Willow don’t have to be told twice. With a blink of Raven’s head and a swirl of Willow’s wand, we are in the lower level very red dungeon. Oh, my… “Don’t stop and dawdle,” Raven says, her little shortie heels clicking across the black tiled floor, past a large cross and benches, and a wall full of all kinds of paddles and torturous looking instruments that should look scary as hell but don’t at all; instead, every curious bone in my body itches with sexual curiosity.

A door ahead is locked, and with a nod of her head we are inside a master bedroom suite with a wide-eyed Embry who gets a huge grin on her face. “I knew you would come! Thank you for not tossing me away like the others.” Embry crawls from the large red comforter and steps onto the black tile floor, pushing back a strand of her purple hair. She hugs each of the ladies and takes the muffin from Madria. She eyes me with undisguised interest, but no one offers Embry an introduction. I decide it may be better to keep my mouth closed and let them do the talking in case I say something that I shouldn’t.

Willow glances at her watch. “We don’t have long, Embry. We just wanted you to know that we’re out there fighting for you and that we love you. It won’t be long, and we’ll get this whole situation sorted, okay?”

Embry rolls her eyes. “Sorted as in toss me to the fucking rogues and mangy-ass shifters, take my status as special ops away, treat me like a traitor and lock me away in a dungeon? Too late; they’ve already done that. I’ve lost everything. They clearly don’t trust me, and all because of that prick Lucas!” She plops onto the bed dramatically. “I don’t blame them really. I would blame me too. How do I live with someone and not pick up on the fact that he’s one of them? Hell, maybe they’re right; maybe I even gave him information without realizing it, and that’s what he was using to stay two steps ahead of us. I don’t blame them for thinking that, not really, but it still hurts like hell not to be trusted. Lucianna will get it sorted, though. She is fair and kind, and no one is going to make her believe I did this, until she has proof in hand. She may not be able to say that, but I believe it wholeheartedly.”

Willow glances at her watch again. “We have to go, okay? We’ll be back when we can.” Embry sucks in a deep breath. “Love you ladies. Thanks for coming. Nice to meet you, by the way,” she says. I seriously can’t believe they brought another stranger into the fold.

My head swings around, unsure if Embry said that or I just imagined it. Her eyes go wide. “You fucking read my mind. You are a witch.”

“I am no such thing; why does everyone keep making those comments? I am as human as, well, everyone I know in the human world. My brothers are human, and so am I.”

Raven and Willow exchange a look. Embry laughs. “Oh, shit. This is about to get good. Out with it, you two, you’re on a clock,” she says, pointing to an imaginary watch on her arm.

Raven sighs. “Willow and I think all of you are witches. Think about it. Madria has the other stone. Something we didn’t tell you is that the stone simply won’t work if you aren’t a witch. Your mother had to have known that, Madria. We all know this. Maybe she just wanted you to be raised human and thought the two worlds would never collide, but that’s hardly ever the case. And you”—she points at Catina. “Your powers are off the chart. There is no denying it, and you,” she says, pointing to me. “I knew you were a witch the moment I met you. Your electrical energy is crazy. Witches, we were intended to meet the vampires, to show them the way, to help them overcome the rogues once and for all. I don’t know why, but I feel it; deep in here, I feel it,” she says, touching her heart.

Embry nods. “I don’t disagree, ladies. So many times, so many situations it points to you all being witches. It makes perfect sense to me.”

Willow grabs Raven’s arm. “We have to get them upstairs. We’ll be back, Embry,” she says as we’re poofed out of the dungeon and into the back hall of the estate. Willow points to our stuff. “Let’s grab our gear and meet by the front foyer.” Raven rolls her eyes to the sky. “I’m sure the guys will be so patiently waiting for the ladies to join them.”

I head toward the great room and follow the sound of Oradea’s voice to find out what gear he wants us to take. I turn the corner and hear his voice raise through his closed office door. “So now that the others are gone, are you going to tell me what’s really bothering you?”

“I don’t want the ladies to go, plain and simple. You put me on the spot at the table. How am I supposed to be the only one who says no?”

“It’s a group decision, and each master needs to be accountable for their mate. It’s always been that way. It’s no different this time, Sardinia. I’m not thrilled that they are going either, but I have no choice. I’ve promised to keep Natalia protected, and I can’t do that if she isn’t by my side. You and the others have choices.”

Sardinia scoffs, “No, don’t give me that. You laid that out there so the masters mated to witches would decide that it’s too dangerous and force them to stay home and away from the mountain. You don’t believe they can help.”

Oradea’s voice raises. “This isn’t about that.”

“No, why has it been perfectly fine for the women to fight by our side until now?”

“Tell me you don’t feel the same, Sardinia? Devora and her witches have been laying low, playing the middle ground, but they’re constantly part of the problem, and then part of the solution. I’m telling you—this whole thing is one of their smoke and mirrors spells. We all know the land that we claim, and they claim, will always be a source of contention; it’s just a matter of when and where the fight will ensue over the area we both call ours. The fight for the mother land, the heritage, and the vampires’ future lays in the secrets of the land.”

Sardinia doesn’t reply for a minute and when he does, I have to strain to hear what he says. “The witches have proven they are trustworthy. They have battled by our side countless times. It was the same way in Sardinia; others wanting to point fingers at Madria without even knowing if she is a witch. I won’t stand for it anymore. I’m sick and tired of defending someone who continues to go out of her way to help us; they all do.”

“I wouldn’t put it past them to be trying to get those three stones in the same place at the same time just to get this land,” Oradea growls.

“Descallia not hours ago asked us all to accept the witches around us. Look at what they’ve done to help us, really. And, what if Natalia is a witch?” Sardinia says.

Oradea scoffs, “Don’t try turning the tables around. I’m not the one who got involved with a witch. I wouldn’t have gotten myself in that situation in the first place. I would have run like hell.”

Chapter 15

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