But he might also be taken right into the lion’s den…

Steeling himself against the threat of magic, he removed her blindfold, quickly moved behind her and cut the ties with one of his daggers. Instantly, she whirled on him. Again, he steeled himself, expecting a spell, or, at the very least, a punch. Something. She merely backed away from him, blinking, frowning.

What would he do if she ran from him? Without taking him with her?

“Why did you do that?” she asked. “Did you think a nice deed would cause me to spill my guts and tell you about the meeting? Well, guess what? There won’t be a meeting. Not now. Not after everything that was done to me. Your friends are as good as dead, human.”

She tossed the words at him as if they were weapons.

Don’t listen to her, Elijah said.

He blinked in surprise. “You think they’ll be okay?”

“Didn’t I just tell you they wouldn’t?” she demanded.

I don’t want to lie to you, Ad, so don’t ask me that question. All you need to know is that she’s going to take you with her. That, I can promise you.

Like Aden could really leave that alone. “I have to ask. Will they be okay?”

“Why do you keep asking me that?” Jennifer snapped.

Ignore Elijah and beg the witch’s forgiveness, Caleb pleaded. If you’re nice to her, she’ll make sure there’s a meeting. I know it.

Don’t listen to him, Ad, Julian said. He’s too involved. Not objective.

Shut up! Caleb shouted, and it was the angriest Aden had ever heard him. I know what I’m talking about.

The conflicting advice, suggestions and demands razed his nerves to the breaking point. “Just tell me what you know, Elijah!”

“Who’s Elijah?”

A sigh. Do you remember when we were in that vampire meeting, and I told you about blood and death? When I said those things, I wasn’t talking about the attack you endured at the hands of the councilmen. I was talking about this, with the witches. And your friends…I saw them on the ground. All three of them. Mary Ann, Victoria and Riley, each splattered in red.

“No,” Aden said, shaking his head in denial. “No.”

“No, what? What’s going on?”

I didn’t tell you then because, like Caleb, you have no objectivity in this. You would have tried to alter things, and that would have made the situation worse for you.

“I don’t care about me! Only them.”

Jennifer said something else, but he couldn’t make out the words, was too focused on Elijah.

I know. But I care about you. I’ve always cared about you.

Yes. Yes, Caleb suddenly said, and there was joy in his tone. Finally.

You want them to die? Julian screeched.

No. Look.

Aden pulled himself from the hated, confusing conversation—he was shaking, breathing heavily, his heart beating savagely—only to realize he was now standing in a circle of witches. Shocked, he spun. They wore their ceremonial robes, their hands joined, the circle closing him in. Jennifer, he noticed, was grinning.

Elijah moaned.

“Well, Summoner, we meet again. Did you think we wouldn’t find you?” the blonde he recognized from last time said. The one from Jennifer’s memories. Marie. “We’ve merely been waiting for you to move your hostage from the cabin. There were too many wards there, preventing us from even stepping foot on the property.”

“Hello, witch. How did you find us?” he asked as calmly as he was able.

“Magic, naturally,” Marie said smugly. “Several times in the past few months, our friend acted strangely, completely unlike herself. And afterward, when I questioned her, she had no idea what I was talking about. She’d had these little blackouts, you see, and we began to fear she’d have them when we weren’t around to protect her. So we placed a tracking spell on her and disguised it as a ward.”

One of the “cosmetic” wards, he would guess. And added because he’d possessed her body. He’d done it to find the witches, so, mission accomplished. “Smart,” was all he said.

“Aren’t we, though? And now that I’ve assuaged your curiosity, answer a question for me.”

He gave a single nod. Now wasn’t the time to play hardball.

Caleb practically purred. Her voice…it’s so sweet.

“To whom were you speaking to a moment ago?”

For once, there was no reason to lie about the souls. “To the three souls in my head.”

Her brow puckered in confusion. “People live inside your head?”

Here was his opportunity. “Ask me anything and I’ll answer.” That would make this a meeting. Right? That would mean his friends—

The witch laughed. “I can guess what you’re thinking. You think this is our meeting. I’m afraid not, Summoner. A meeting must be officially called to order. And as Jennifer told you, we won’t be having our meeting. Not now. Your actions have revealed exactly whose side you’re on.”

“You will call a meeting to order!” he barked, stepping forward—until his feet glued themselves to the ground, preventing him from moving. What the—the answer slid into place. Stupid magic, he thought darkly.

Jennifer’s eyes slit as she inserted herself into the conversation. “We should have killed your friends rather than curse them, but we thought to use them to control you. Now I see the flaw in our logic. One of your people is a Drainer, and Drainers must be eliminated as quickly as possible. One of your people is a wolf, and wolves protect our greatest enemies. One of your people is a vampire, and vampires are our greatest enemies. All three deserve to die.”

“How many times do I have to say it? I don’t know any Drainer. I don’t even know what a Drainer is, unless you mean a vampire drinking until every drop is gone, but that didn’t happen, so again. No Drainer.” He wanted to kick his own ass for not asking Victoria for details. “And the wolf and the vampire mean you no harm, then or now. Tell them, Jennifer. You weren’t forced to feed anyone.”

“Enough,” Marie snapped. “So they didn’t drink from her. This time. We are still drugs to them, and addicts can never be trusted. Now. Silence, human. Sisters, let us move him to a more…private location.”

A second later, their chants filled the air. He tried to reason with them; they ignored him. And then it didn’t matter. His world began to spin, dancing to a beat he didn’t recognize. Spinning, spinning, colors whirling together, darkening, that dark consuming him, blinding him, tossing him around as if he were stuck in a washing machine. The souls were shouting, and those continued shouts were deafening.

Then, suddenly, he stilled. The souls quieted.

Pinpricks of white grew among the black, and colors soon followed. His feet were still rooted in place, but he was now in new surroundings. He was inside a…cave? The walls around him were comprised of dirt, orange-colored stones and clay. Somewhere nearby was a waterfall. He could hear the urgent rush and crash of water, the air cold and damp.

The witches, still circling him, dropped their arms to their sides and perched atop boulders. All but one, that is. Marie approached him, a perfumed cloud accompanying her. Caleb purred his approval.

Without a word, Marie claimed his hands and raised them above his head. Aden wanted to grab his daggers. He didn’t. He needed their cooperation, not their fury. “What are you doing?” he asked.

“Taking precautions.”

As she spoke, something cool and soft wrapped around his wrists. Frowning, he looked up. Ivy had sprouted from the cave’s ceiling, descended and bound him. His molars gnashed together as he tried to jerk free. The vine held steady.

“We draw our powers from Mother Earth,” she explained. “You’re lucky you’re warded, otherwise we’d do a lot worse to you.” She laughed when his expression tightened. “Oh, yes. I know without looking what you’re protected against. We all do. We can feel the power of the wards.” She backed away and sat on a boulder like the others.