Page 64 of Stalked

Joel took the stack of herbs from my palm and was about to place it on the table when he paused. His brows furrowed. “What about you? Did Caleb—?”

“No. Caleb did take me, but he didn’t hurt me. But he did help me through my Awakening.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “I’m immortal now, too.”

I refused to look Joel in the eye as I heard the heavy sigh escape him. Both he and Lily tried so hard to protect me from this life and to do something I knew he’d oppose; I felt like I’d betrayed them.

“Mercy …”

I could hear the disappointment in his voice. The room went silent, aside from the crunching sound of herbs between his fingers.

“I didn’t have a choice, Joel.”

His other hand rested on my shoulder. “We always have a choice,” he hissed.

I hated that he was right, but at the moment, I felt like that was the only choice—the onlyrightchoice. In my past life, I chose death over my coven and look at what happened to the world. Vampires were growing in strength and numbers every single day, and I had the power to finally end it. For once, I wanted to have a chance to live my life how I wanted to. I wanted to be able to protect my family and friends, but I could only do that if I were immortal.

“Let’s focus on Lily right now,” I said, reminding him that every second we argued about my poor life choices was a moment someone could be hurting her.

Joel nodded. “Do you know who could have done this?”

“I have an idea who the fucker is, but I don’t know who they are, exactly.” I saw the look of confusion on Joel’s face, and I dropped into the chair next to him. “Seems to be someone who has some personal vendetta against me. They went as far as possessing one of my friends to hurt me.” I scrunched up my face from the memory of Cami covered in her own blood.

He grabbed his keys from the counter. “Any clue as to where they could have taken her?”

I shook my head frantically, realizing that this wasn’t something I could solve in a few days. I had joined a centuries-old war without a clue what was going on. I took whatever Caleb said with a grain of salt. This wasn’t some fantasy where everyone would be okay in the end. People were going to die, people had died, and there was nothing I could do to change that.

What if we can’t find her?

Frustrated tears welled in my eyes as I shook my head.

We were interrupted by my phone ringing. When I looked down, it was Lily. I fumbled to answer the call.

“Lily?” my voice stammered, pitched with a mix of panic and relief.

A low and eerie voice answered, “Hello, Mercy.”

I swallowed as my stomach churned, realization hitting in a bitter wave. “If you hurt Lily?—” my voice hitched. I had to control my anger until I saw she was safe. Threatening this psychopath probably wouldn’t be the best idea. He could retaliate and hurt her.

Laughter rang out loudly on the other end of the line. It wasn’t a playful laugh—it sent shivers down my spine and left a foul taste in my mouth. I clenched my jaw, causing my ears to ring. “Where did you take Lily, you piece of shit?”

Maybe name-calling wasn’t the best choice when dealing with a dangerous person, but I couldn’t help myself.

“It is quite beautiful out here,” he said. “I can see why you and your friends are so drawn to this place. The moon’s reflection on the water, the gorgeous trees, and the peaceful silence—are simply breathtaking.”

There was a beep as the line dropped, and I slammed my phone on the table, swearing under my breath. I had no idea if Lily was alive or injured. I banged my fist on the table, causing it to splinter from the force, and looked up at Joel.

“Where is she?” he asked.

“Goddard Park,” I answered. “Let’s go.”

Joel instantly jumped up and conjured a portal, concentrating on each motion of his hands. Together, we sprinted into the vortex.

The park was empty except for Lily’s car sitting at the end of the parking lot. I scanned the area and spotted her brown hair shimmering in the moonlight near the lake. My breath hitched as I realized she was sitting on the same bench where, not even a few days ago, I had sat with Riley.

I shouted as we both ran toward her, “Lily, we’re here!”

It only took seconds to reach her, and I started to panic when she didn’t move. However, her chest’s gentle rise and fall calmed the raging power surging through me. I moved to unbind her hands when I heard a groan. I whipped around to see Joel collapse behind me. Caleb stood behind him, holding a bloodied rock in his hand.

CHAPTER 19

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