Page 62 of Blood Illusions

Justice’s frown deepened. “Why the full moon?”

Becky shrugged. “We don’t know. There’s something odd about the specter. We attempted to contact the presence through a séance. Our coven is powerful, and when we contact a spirit or an entity, we are successful.”

Lisa wiped a tear from her cheek and sniffed. “After we tried to initiate the contact, that’s when the vampires attacked our coven.” Her voice cracked with emotion, and the blood drained from her face.

Whatever this thing was, it didn’t like any interference. And interference was my dad’s middle name.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

The walls of the small room seemed to close in on me, suffocating me as I struggled to keep my composure. I could barely focus on the conversation as a million thoughts raced through my mind. Justice’s hand clasped onto my arm, jolting me back to reality.

“Sawyer, what’s wrong?” he asked with genuine concern in his deep brown eyes.

I shook my head, trying to shake off the overwhelming weight of worry. “It’s nothing. I’m…thinking about my dad.”

“We’ll find him,” Justice reassured me, but his determined words did little to ease my fears. It wasn’t a matter of finding my dad. It was a matter of whether we would find him alive or dead.

Lisa’s voice broke through my thoughts, soft and full of regret. She wrung her hands, her eyes filled with longing as she spoke. “I wish I could come with you.” Her fingers twisted in the hem of her shirt. “But after what they did to my coven…” She trailed off, a heavy reminder of the danger we faced.

My mind raced with fear and worry for both Lisa and my father. These vampires had nearly killed an orc and taken down several witches easily, their magic powerless against them.

I swallowed hard, trying to push back the dread that threatened to overwhelm me. “I understand, Lisa.”

“I hope you find him alive,” Lisa whispered, stepping closer to me. “Your dad’s a good man.”

The German shepherd leaned against Lisa’s leg as if to comfort her. Lisa scratched behind the dog’s ear and looked at her with love. They definitely had a connection. I wondered if she was more of an emotional support dog. After this was all done, I think I would need one.

I gave her a small nod, unable to find the right words to express my gratitude for her support. As I turned to leave the sunroom, Justice caught up with me.

“Are you sure about this?” he asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

“Yes,” I forced out, but the word felt strangled in my throat.

He stepped in front of me, blocking my path. “We could wait for Damon and Tim to join us.”

“We’ve been over this, Justice,” I replied impatiently. “We don’t know when or if Damon will be released from jail. We can’t afford to waste any more time.”

He released a frustrated sigh. “My team was almost wiped out last time.”

“Maybe that was the problem,” I reasoned. “There were too many of you, and they sensed your presence.” I glanced down at my arm. “The way they sense this rose tattoo on my arm. It’s not like an orc can easily blend in, either.”

His stern gaze bore into me, and I saw the worry etched in his furrowed brow. “The witches weren’t summoning an apparition,” he commented gravely. “It could have been Maci. She’s a powerful shadow dragon and twice as dangerous as any mere spirit.”

My heart raced as I processed this information. My dad’s life was in danger, but facing off against a shadow dragon seemed like a suicide mission.

But I couldn’t leave my dad to die. I knew he and my brother would go through heaven and hell to find me if I were kidnapped.

With determination fueling my steps, I led the way toward the safe house, Justice reluctantly following behind.

Justice pushed the buttons on the keypad to open the garage door. The door slid open, and we headed to the workbench. In the dim light of the garage, Justice and I stood over the bench, our focus intent on the task at hand. Before us lay an array of shotgun shells, disassembled and ready for unconventional modification.

I unscrewed one of the jars and dumped some of the dried phoenix feather grass into my hand. It was unusually soft in my palm. Its fiery hue was dulled yet still vibrant. “Do you think it’s going to work against them in this form better than salt?”

Justice nodded, his expression determined with a hint of wry humor. “It’s our best shot. Literally.” He picked up a jar of the grass and examined it closely. “This stuff burned the bastards up like a bonfire when they chased us, so I’m hoping when we shoot them, they’ll burst into shiny sparklers.”

I raised an eyebrow, a small smirk playing on my lips despite the gravity of our task. “Shiny sparklers, huh? Well, that’s one way to light up the night.”

As I replaced the salt in each shell with the finely chopped phoenix feather grass, the stuff seemed to almost pulse with latent energy, a stark contrast to the inanimate salt crystals. With practiced ease, I carefully ensured each one was filled to the brim. I wasn’t sure how much grass would be needed to bring down even one of those vamps.

---