Page 125 of Dance With Death

Eloise has one option left but is she willing to take the risk? However potent she is, a necromancer attempting to reanimate another necromancer could fail. And even if Eloise takes Viktor’s autonomy, there’s a possibility that reanimating him wouldn’t break the witch’s powers. The spell on Leif and Holly could remain.

Eloise reaches Viktor and crouches where his blood stains the ground. “Grayson took Viktor’s heart!” she yells.

Leif shifts beneath me, managing to stand, and seizes my arm to pull me up and backwards, toward Rowan who’s kneeling beside Holly. He’s shaking, the shadows clearer as they wrap around his arms, and I thank fate that Rowan held back from defending me when Eloise hit me with the spell.

My mother doesn’t turn from Viktor’s heartless body, standing as stiff and still as he was under her spell. Without his heart, Eloise can’t bring Viktor back. Should I be relieved that she isn’t pursuing the others in anger or terrified of what she’ll do to those of us left? What choice will she make now?

Dashiell swore that he’d die defending Holly, and he made his move. Everybody underestimated him—nobody would expect the shifter to recklessly act against Eloise Thornbrook’s wishes and power.

But he did.

Leif’s arms encircle me, and he holds me close as Eloise spins towards us. I can’t tear my eyes from the point where Grayson disappeared into the woods or meet her eyes, my heart thudding harder than ever in my life.

We’ll likely survive my mother’s fury, but will Grayson, Leif, and Rowan survive Dorian’s?

Because Grayson’s recent penchant for removing witches’ internal organs saved Holly’s life but may’ve cost him his.

46

VIOLET

I scramble to my feet and block Eloise’s route to the guys, keeping my eyes on hers rather than look at the remains of the witch behind her. How long do we have until someone passes through the woods? Some humans have a bizarre morning ritual that involves dressing up in tight clothing to run in a circle. Many find the woods a suitable place for this.

The longer my mother doesn’t speak, the worse this becomes as my thoughts run in a hundred directions. Viktor’s blood stains Eloise’s fingers where she touched the witch and discovered his heart-less state. Her face holds the mask-like quality vampires can use and that hybrid’s perfected. Eloise’s steady gaze slides to Holly, who’s unconscious beside us, and then to me.

“Say something,” I whisper.

Eloise blinks slowly. “I have plenty to say to you, and plenty more that I’d like to do.”

Behind me, one guy shifts at her lack of specifics. “I didn’t expect Dashiell to kill Viktor.”

“Or Leif to interrupt me? Or Grayson to take Viktor’s heart?” she asks evenly.

“They both have minds of their own.”

“Heavily influenced by you.” She gestures at Holly. “First, I hope the human’s life is worth the amount of trouble you’re in, and second, I hope your actions were not in vain.”

“What do you mean, ‘in vain’?” I glance at Holly. “She’s alive.”

“The girl could still be damaged, which would make this whole situation—and consequences for you—pointless.” Eloise sighs. “Do you understand the gravity of this situation?”

I’ve rarely argued with my mother—not seriously—and memories of her anger are distant flashes in my memory. But I meant what I told Leif that day: people underestimate my mother, and I’ve heard stories about her Dorian-like behavior when she’s provoked. Eloise prefers magic to physical violence, as she demonstrated, which makes predicting her upcoming response worse.

The things I want to say won’t leave my mouth for fear I’ll exacerbate the situation. I’ve exposed my loyalties by moving away from the ones expected of me, but Eloise doesn’t understand. She never had human friends, or any friends who couldn’t protect themselves. The only reason she mingles with humans nowadays is due to her position in the supernatural society. Eloise portrays herself as the good side of Dorian and greases the wheels now turning within the shared world.

I would have stopped Eloise. Viktor would be dead by my hand if she hadn’t arrived.

“What happens now?” I ask. “Will you take Viktor to Dorian and explain what occurred here?”

“Well, I can’t exactly leave a dead body in the woods, can I?” she says coolly.

“And us?”

The guys remain silent—terrified into such a state—and I’m prepared to fight for both of them.

“I have two options. Remove the body and the four of you to Scotland in order to explain circumstances to your father, or—” She pauses. “I can give you a chance to find Grayson and Dashiell, and you can hand them to Dorian as the main culprits.”

No. Not again. Eloise’s request is no different to Viktor’s. “How would we explain to Dorian what happened here? He would never believe this was a random meeting.”

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