Page 41 of The Blood Widow

Pulling out my knives, I flung one at a demon who stepped into view and slashed at another. Having the portal open for so long had sucked out my magic. I needed to stay strong and fight. A few people attacked me at once.

There was a loud bang that shook the walls. My movements became frantic. I ducked, dodged, and dove around the demon, slicing at them at every opening until they all hit the floor.

“Watch out!”

I spun to see a man with a gun to my head. Before I could move a knife sailed through the air and landed in his head. My wide eyes locked onto Lauren’s wild gaze. She just saved my life. Thank fuck I taught her how to throw a knife.

I gave her a nod of thanks and spun back around.

“Brian!” I yelled. There was no answer. I tried again, but his name died in my throat at the large whole in the wall. “No.”

My feet moved faster than I remember ever moving, but no one was outside.

“Shit! Shit! Shit!”

I couldn’t sense any trails and there were no tracks. I ran in one direction with my supernatural speed, then another trying to find a scent or something to find them.

“They’re gone. Whoever they were, they had a lot of magic on their side. They just appeared and attack with spells I’ve never even seen before,” Dominic said as he walked towards me. “We killed everyone inside.”

My hands balled into fists. They got the fucking boy. I hated that my mind was stuck on how this was for me. I’d been found out and hunted without him. To be so selfish in a time like this was harsh even for me. That little boy’s life mattered, and we fucking blew it.

I grabbed my phone as the other trickled out of the house. No one looked like they had more than a few bruises, so I focused on pressing the button, waiting for Bell to answer.

As soon as there was a click, I went off. “How the fuck could we let this happen? How did they know where he was?” My feet wouldn’t stay still, but the guys followed right behind me. Their presence took away some of my anxiety.

It was a while before Bell responded. I glanced at the phone to make sure she didn’t hang up on me. “Novem, I need to speak, and you need to listen. Don’t flip out, ignore me, or interrupt me.”

I bit the inside of my cheek. The self-appointed guilt was turning rancid inside of me at Bell worrying about herself like Brian was an object.

“I’ll try.” It was the best I could give her.

“Okay, put me on speaker phone.” My eyes met the men’s around me. The urge to not get them involved was like ice in my veins. They were already too close. Whatever they needed from the boy wasn’t worth their safety.

Lauren sauntered up to me and put an arm around my shoulders. I stood there in shock. When did we become thetouchy feely type?Probably the moment she saved your life,the voice in the back of my mind whispered.

“You’re not getting rid of these three, you might as well include them.” Lauren’s tone was so playful, but it didn’t stop my eyes from widening. Could the woman read minds?

“Don’t look at me like that. The turmoil was written all over your face. These guys are strong and can help you.” Jeez, she was getting too close to the truth, so to stop Lauren from going on, I nodded. The men relaxed around me. Their bodies no longer tensed as if ready to pounce on me if I tried to leave.

I pushed the speaker button on my phone. “Go ahead.”

Bell didn’t waste any time. She repeated what she told me, but the men didn’t have any issues with promising to hear her out. They must trust her more than I thought. I trusted the woman with my life, but I still questioned her every step.

“So, I spoke to all my seers. I usually only use the one, for obvious reasons.” Because she was always with her. Her most powerful seer was her lover. I didn’t know the woman’s name because Bell refused to share any information about her. I didn’t blame her.

“But this matter was too important to rely on only one person.” She sighed which made me go rigid. Whatever she was about to say was bad. “The boy had to be taken for the right outcome to happen.”

Steam burst out of my ears as the rage from earlier returned. “You have to be fucking kidding me.”

“Hey, I said let me talk, woman!”

Her hard tone made me pause. Fine, she could plead her case, but I wasn’t sure it would help. My trust was broken. How dare she play with someone’s life. None of our problems mattered more than the boy.

“Thank you. Anyway, I know you’re all pissed at me.”

I glanced around to see the equally outraged expressions on their faces. Even Lauren was glaring at the phone like she could bitch slap Bell if she stared hard enough.

“I get it. I didn’t make this decision lightly. If I whisked the boy to safety, none of you would have gotten what you wanted. They would have found him on this day regardless of where he was. They had the boy’s blood. They could have found him anywhere.” She sighed when no one said anything to help her feel better. We could hear the doubt and guilt in her tone. “There’s still a small chance at saving him and saving yourselves. I can’t help you or lead you to the answers. Maybe together?—”

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