Page 4 of Crimson Devotion
“Do you, now?”
Her eyebrows crease, a flicker of displeasure passing through her gaze. “Yes, Faith, I do.’’
“I highly suggest you step aside and let me pass.’’
“Does Stephanie know?”
“What Stephanie doesn’t know can’t hurt her.’’ I shrug. “Besides, I have two weeks of paid leave. I’m taking them now.’’
“I’m sorry, I can’t let you go to Romania and get yourself fucking killed.’’
“I survived one of them, didn’t I?”
“No,’’ Yvonne draws out. “He let you live; you didn’t survive on your own. There’s a difference. And since he’s told you the location of his sister, he clearly has an agenda of his own.’’
“If you’re so worried, come with me. A hunter, and a witch, against a vampire? I like our odds.’’
“I don’t.’’ She scoffs, stepping back, folding her arms in front of her chest. “I would rather slit my throat, choke on my blood, and die like a pathetic dog than ever, ever set foot somewhere with that insane family.’’
Yvonne, to her credit, is right. No sane person would ever walk straight into a den of vampires, let alone with their family home. But for the most part, she’s fearless and very brave. She’s saved my ass more times than I can count, and she adores giving me her little potions to use against vampires.
Then again, this is a very different situation.
If she were to come with me, he would wake up.
“This is about him, isn’t it?”
A beat of silence passes between us. Shock, then pure confusion appears on her face. Yvonne blinks a couple of times, taking a small, involuntary step back. She shivers, then swallows thickly.
“You know.’’
“I know.’’
“How?”
I shrug. “I can’t let you see all my cards, can I?”
“If you tell anyone—’’
“I won’t,’’ I cut her off. “I won’t tell anyone. But as a thank you for keeping your dirty little secret, you’ll let me leave. And if Steph asks, you haven’t seen me since yesterday. Got it?”
With a sigh, Yvonne nods. “Fine. But if you die, I won’t bring you back from the dead.’’
I’m turning on my heel to go and grab my backpack, when her words register in my head. Slowly, I turn to face her again, my eyebrows lifting up to my hairline. “Can you do that?”
“I think we both know the answer to that.’’
Well, she’s not wrong. I chuckle, mostly to myself, then gather my most important items. I have a few sets of spare clothes in the backpack, some potions I stole from her potion room, some meds, snacks, and of course, my passport, two stakes, and a lot of hair ties. I always seem to lose those.
“Wait.’’ Yvonne’s voice stops me in my tracks, just as I’m about to leave the bedroom.
“Yes?”
Yvonne pulls out a small necklace from her pocket. She squeezes it in her hands, her eyes turning completely white. She starts chanting, her voice low. Her palm is now glowing, a pretty, golden glimmer that has my full attention.
Her eyes return to normal, and the glowing stops. It allhappened within five seconds, at most, but seeing Yvonne cast spells is still one of the most enchanting things I’ve ever witnessed. Captivating, alluring, and it’s hard not to stare.
She approaches me. “Turn around.’’
