Page 56 of Midnight Enchantment

Varden slapped the man across the face. “No, you stupid fool. Give me the address.”

The man didn’t blink, merely reeled off the house number in a toneless voice.

With a nod, Varden buried his fangs in the man’s throat and drank until there was nothing left. Wiping the blood from his lips, he roused a half-dozen other thralls and sent them to the address he’d been given, with orders to bring him the girl.

“I have to go, Lily,” Ava said, glancing at the clock over the mantel. “I won’t be gone too long. I should be back before dark. Stay inside and keep the doors locked.”

“Don’t worry about me,” Lily said. “I have my medallion and my magic. You’ve warded the house. The doors and windows are locked. So go and have a good time.”

Lily grinned as Ava kissed her cheek and hurried out of the house. Life was full of surprises, she thought. This morning, Ava had received a phone call from a man she had known twenty-five years ago. At the time, they had been instantly attracted to each other, dated a few times, and then the trouble with the Knights of the Dark Wood had started and Ava had lost touch with him.

Laughter bubbled up inside her. Wouldn’t it be something if Ava found love a third time after so many years?

With a sigh, Lily settled into the easy chair in front of the fireplace, her thoughts, as always, turning toward Raedan. Closing her eyes, she imagined he was there beside her, playing his guitar, whispering that he loved her …

Lily woke with a start, her heart pounding, as six men rushed into the living room. Before she could form a coherent thought, they held her down and pressed a dirty rag over her mouth and nose. Struggling only made it worse. Two deep breaths and the world receded into swirling blackness and then faded away into nothing …

Raedan came to an abrupt halt, the prey he had been pursuing forgotten as he felt Lily’s panic. And then felt nothing at all. Muttering a vile oath, he transported himself to Ava’s place, swore again when he saw the door had been forced open. Opening his senses, he tested the wards Ava had erected, swore again when he realized she had warded the house against any and all supernatural creatures but had apparently neglected to include ordinary mortals.

A quick glance inside told him everything he needed to know—except where they had taken Lily.

And where the hell was Ava? Expanding his senses, he followed the witch’s scent to a classy restaurant in the heart of New Orleans. He brushed past the man at the door, his gaze searching the interior.

He found Ava sharing a booth with a tall, good-looking man of indeterminate age. A warlock.

Ava looked up, surprise and fear in her eyes when she saw him. “What’s happened?”

“Varden has Liliana,” he said, his voice tight. “I cannot sense her presence. Either she is unconscious, or under a spell of some kind. Or he has killed her.” His hands clenched at his sides. If Liliana was forever lost to him, he had no reason to on living. He would hunt Varden to the ends of the earth and when he found him, he would rip the vampire’s heart from his chest and burn the remains. And then he would end his own existence.

All the color drained from Ava’s face. “How is that possible? My wards … ”

“Were insufficient,” Raedan growled. “Varden sent mortals after Lily.”

Ava glanced at her companion as she grabbed her handbag and slid out of the booth. “Mason, I’ve got to go.”

“Can I be of assistance?” he asked.

Ava glanced at Raedan, who nodded. “Perhaps you can.”

Mason dropped a fifty dollar bill on the table and they hurried out of the restaurant. The sun was setting when Raedan transported the three of them to Ava’s.

“There were six men,” Raedan said. “He pointed at the rag on the floor. “They took her by surprise and drugged her.” He picked up the rag and smelled it. “Damn Varden. Too much of this will kill her.”

“He doesn’t want her dead,” Ava reminded him.

The thought of his Liliana, helpless and at Varden’s mercy, filled him with rage.

“Can you tell what kind of magic he’s using?” Mason asked.

Ava shook her head. “It isn’t witch magic,” she replied slowly. “Raedan, you don’t think he has demon magic, too, do you?”

Raedan stared at her.Demon? Is his demon magic?

Malicious laughter rang inside Raedan’s mind.You’ll never find her.

You will help me, damn you, or I will open that damn book and destroy you!

More evil laughter. You cannot. You do not know the words or have the power to do so. I alone can break the spell. You cannot live without me, but I can survive without you. I have inhabited hundreds of bodies in my time. And I will find another when you are gone.

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