Into the Dark (Until Dawn, Book 3) Page 21

  “You’re the enemy now,” I bit out, the blood-slicked dagger slipping from my trembling fingers and falling to the snow. Anger and sorrow mixed within me, like a cocktail brewed in fiery pits of Hell. “You lied to me,” I said through clenched teeth. “You betrayed me. I wish you would have just stayed dead. I fucking hate you.”

  Josh physically recoiled at the venom in my words, his wound completely forgotten. I took a sick satisfaction from the hurt in his hollow eyes. Payback was a bitch.

  “You may not remember,” I continued, putting space between us, “but I do. I remember. And that’s the problem, isn’t it? I know what you did, even if you don’t.”

  Leaving the tainted dagger where it fell, I collected my sword from the snow and sheathed it. I had no plans of killing Josh, even if he was no longer the Josh I knew and loved. Even if he was the enemy. I knew I couldn’t do it, just as he clearly couldn’t kill me. Why, I wasn’t sure.

  Mates, the voice in the back of my head taunted and I choked on a sardonic laugh. Fate really was a cruel bitch.

  In a blink, Josh was standing before me. He rested his hands on my shoulders, his eyes glued to mine. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Sorry for what?” I snapped, my voice strained with emotion I didn’t want to feel. “What is it you’re sorry for, Josh?”

  He didn’t say anything because he didn’t know.

  “That’s what I thought,” I said, pushing his hands away. “I have to find Alec and Annie.”

  A loud crash sounded in the distance and Josh stepped in front of me defensively. It seemed old habits die hard, regardless of memories. He turned back to me. “You need to go.”

  “I’m not going with you,” I said. “I will never be his.”

  Josh shook his head and turned me in the direction of the castle. “Go back. You have to hurry.”

  He wasn’t trying to take me with him? I mean, it was clear he didn’t want to physically hurt me but I figured he’d at least try to take me back to Baldric as he had before.

  “No,” I finally said when the shock wore off. “Not without my people.”

  Josh shook his head. “Go,” he commanded, stepping away from me. “Your friends are not out here.”

  I instinctively reached for him. “Come back with me, Josh. You don’t have to work for Baldric. This isn’t you.”

  His face was emotionless, firm, unrelenting. He pointed me in the direction of the castle once more. “You have to go. Now,” he said, and with that he disappeared into the darkness.

  While the outside appeared calm, the castle was in a panic when I returned. Our people scurried about like chickens with their heads cut off as William and Jade stood on either side of the courtyard, barking orders at passersby.

  In the middle of the chaos was Rhett, ordering his own people around like usual. If he was here, then it meant the search party got back safely. Or, at least, I hoped that’s what it meant.

  I went straight for him.

  His eyes bugged when he saw me and then his usual scowl returned. “Awesome, so you’re still alive,” he grumbled.

  “Don’t sound so excited,” I sneered. “The others?”

  “Your creepy-ass guy got us back safely. We arrived about thirty minutes ago. Alec and Annie haven’t been found yet. The trail went completely cold as if they just vanished. Brock thinks they were taken airborne. He wanted to take to the skies to check but I couldn’t risk it with Baldric’s men out there.” Rhett paused, his eyes scanning the room before lowering his voice. “My brother is losing his mind. I had Brock knock him out to shut him up before William heard him.”

  “You did what?”

  Rhett shot me a look. “Better a bonk on the head than to lose it entirely.”

  He had a point, but I didn’t bother to say as much. His alpha ego was big enough. Instead, I looked around the room, memorizing the faces of our people and wondering if all of them were doomed to die.

  As if reading my mind, Rhett began moving away from me. “I’m going to check on my brother.”

  A pang shot through my chest that had nothing to do with Rhett’s departure. Something was being pulled farther and farther away from me. I felt it in my bones. I just wasn’t sure if that something was Alec or Josh. One thing I did know, I’d already lost Josh—the real Josh—and I wasn’t about to lose Alec as well. Or Annie.

  The crowd parted as William headed my way. Shit. Hopefully he didn’t still have his bloomers in a bunch over me shocking the shit out of him. “Follow me,” he said, not waiting to see if I’d obey. Some things never changed. Except the fear in his eyes. That was new.

  I followed after him up the stairs to the great hall where Jade and Godfrey waited.

  “No more search parties,” Jade said upon our arrival, her hard eyes glued to me. “That’s exactly what that sadistic asshole wants.”

  “Do you want Alec and Annie to meet the same fate as Ryuu?” It came out a lot harsher than I’d planned. “We have to do what we can to find them,” I added to soften the blow of my previous words.

  “You weren’t jumping up to rally a search party for Ryuu,” she shot back at me, brows drawn low. If looks could kill.

  “I didn’t know what had happened, what Baldric would do to him.”

  “Or perhaps you only care now because it’s your mate’s neck on the line along with your weak little friend’s.”

  I couldn’t hide my shock. “You know damn well I loved Ryuu. And Annie is one of us.”

  “Jade is right,” William said, his voice pained. He walked to his usual seat at the round wooden table and all but collapsed into his chair. “As much as I am loath to admit it, we cannot risk any more of our people leaving the castle. You tried, Zoe, but no more. We will find another way to get Annie and Alec back.”

  “If they live that long,” I countered.

  “It is possible Baldric is holding them hostage to use as leverage,” Godfrey added.

  I opened my mouth to argue but I knew he was right. I’d known the second the two went missing that Baldric was going to use them against me. He wanted me. What better way to get to me than to use them? First, he’d tried using their disappearance to lure me out. Which he’d successfully done, only his people were no match for me. Now he’d move on to Plan B, or perhaps it was his main plan all along: a trade. Their lives for mine. And that monster knew damn well I’d agree to it. He knew I wouldn’t let them die for me.

  This was it. He’d won. He was going to get exactly what he wanted. Me.

  My stomach rolled and I put the back of my hand to my mouth to keep the bile down.

  “Godfrey is right,” William said, his gaze heavy on me. My knees buckled under the weight of it and Godfrey caught me, guiding me into the nearest chair. “There is not much we can do now,” William continued, his eyes shifting until it looked like they were staring straight through me. Like I was already gone. “If Baldric does indeed have them, which we know he certainly does, it will not be long before he makes contact. He will use them against us, specifically Zoe and myself. He will use Annie to hurt me and he will likely use them both to convince Zoe to hand herself over.”

  “She will do no such thing.”

  I gasped, leaping to my feet as Alec stumbled through the door. There was dried blood on the side of his head, matted in his hair, and he looked exhausted. But he was alive and here.

  I rushed to him, wrapping my arms around him. “You’re okay,” I breathed.

  “Annie?” William asked from beside us. The hope in his voice twisted my insides.

  Alec’s hold tightened on me. “What do you mean? Did something happen to her as well?”

  “No shit, Sherlock,” Jade sneered. “Why else would we be asking?”

  I stepped out of Alec’s arms. “She went missing around the same time you did. We assumed Baldric took you both.”

  Alec was silent for a moment before shaking his head. “I didn’t see her, but they could’ve taken her as well. They snuck up on me and bashe
d me over the head to knock me out,” he explained. “They must have known I could teleport away from them because every damn time I started to wake up they cracked my skull all over again. The second I was alert enough to teleport, I did. If I’d known they had Annie, I would have stayed and fought.”

  “At least one of us would have,” Jade grumbled, shooting daggers my way.

  William put a hand on Alec’s shoulder and nodded. He’d gone a bit pale. Was he worried Baldric would torture Annie to get back at him? I, of all people, knew there were far worse things in life than death. And I was willing to face those things all over again to spare Annie from an early grave.

  “Let Rhett know to keep the shifts in the skies,” William told Jade before turning to face Godfrey. “Let your archers know they do not leave their posts for any reason. Alec may have escaped but Baldric will still use Annie against us, and I doubt it will be long.”

  As much as he wanted to stay with me, William insisted that Alec come with him to tell the forest nymphs anything he remembered from his surroundings while taken. William was hoping they would recognize a landmark of some sort and know where Baldric had taken Annie.

  I sat in Annie’s and my small alcove on the second floor, staring into the black abyss outside. There wasn’t much else to do but wait for Baldric to come. At least here in this spot, I could smell Annie’s naturally sweet scent. It calmed me.

  Frantic footfalls approached from behind and I turned to find Cody sprinting my way.

  “I heard Alec is back,” Cody said, putting his hands on his knees and panting. “Did Red come back with him?”

  I shook my head. “No, but I’m sure Baldric will be here with her soon.”

  “What?”

  “He’s coming for me,” I told him, my eyes returning to the window. “He’s going to use Annie to get me.”

  “W-what are you saying, Fido?”

  “I’m saying Baldric is going to take me. I’ve already seen it happen. At least I’ll be able to save Annie in the process.”

  When Cody didn’t say anything, my eyes shifted back to him. He looked sick—I knew the feeling. After our meeting in the great hall, I dry heaved for ten straight minutes.

  “Isn’t there anything you can do to stop it from happening?” he finally asked.

  I shook my head, not trusting my own voice.

  Cody slammed his fists into the wall. “Dammit, Zoe!” he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the narrow hallway. “You promised me—you promised you weren’t going anywhere. You’re all I’ve got left!”

  I pursed my lips, my fingers clenching into fists in my lap. “It isn’t like I want this,” I bit out. “I don’t have a choice.”

  “Bullshit,” he spat. “Everyone has a choice.”

  “Once the visions happen, there’s no changing them. You know that as well as I do, Cody.”

  “I don’t believe that,” Cody said, his jaw tight with anger. His eyes flashed yellow, his emotions taking over. “Just because none of the Chosen before you did it doesn’t mean it’s impossible. William doesn’t know everything. Everyone has a choice. Everyone.”

  “Well, I don’t!” I shouted. I took a deep breath of Annie’s scent, blowing it out. “I don’t have a choice, Cody,” I said more calmly. “If he wants me, he will have me. It’ll be what I do when I get there that matters most. Maybe I can destroy him from the inside.”

  “Or maybe he’ll keep you as his slave forever,” Cody countered, his voice cold. It wasn’t like I hadn’t already thought of that, but hearing it out loud made it more real. I shuddered.

  I sighed. “It doesn’t really matter. One day Josh will kill me. I’ve seen it happen.” Maybe he’d be the one who’d set me free from Baldric. Freedom in death.

  Cody went stiff beside me. “Um, who?”

  “I remember, Cody. I remember everything. You were right, it was cowardly to make myself forget him.”

  “I didn’t understand why you needed to forget in the first place,” he said under his breath. I didn’t bother responding. Whether it was meant for my ears or not, which I was pretty sure it was, it wasn’t worth the fight. “Did you see him again?” he asked a little louder.

  I nodded. “When I hung back while we were searching for Alec and Annie. He was with a group of shifts that tried to capture me.”

  “But he didn’t?”

  “Didn’t what?” I asked.

  “Didn’t capture you.”

  “No, obviously not,” I snapped. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

  Cody cocked a brow at me, leaning against the wall beside me. I was ready to have drunk and horny Cody back.

  “No,” I finally said, remembering how Josh had turned me in the direction of the castle, urging me to go back, “he didn’t try to take me this time. But the others did and he didn’t exactly stop them.”

  “And you’re sure he doesn’t remember you?” Cody still refused to accept that Josh was the enemy, that he’d betrayed us all for Baldric.

  “He doesn’t remember anything, Cody. He’s not the same person. He belongs to Baldric now.” Just like I soon will. But I thought it best to leave that part out. Didn’t need to remind him of the inevitable.

  He moved so his back was against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes found the ceiling. “What’s this about Josh killing you?”

  I sighed. “I had a vision that first time we all went to Stonehenge. In it, Josh stabbed me in the heart. When he died, I thought maybe William was wrong about the visions always coming true. I mean, a dead man can’t kill someone, right? Only, the visions kept coming. I assumed they were just dreams until I found out he was still alive. Maybe Baldric will tell him to kill me,” I added, thinking aloud.

  “Impossible,” Cody said. “Josh would never hurt you, dude. I don’t care if he isn’t the same person. I don’t care if he doesn’t remember any of us. I don’t even care that he’s working for that shit head. Josh would never hurt you.”

  I have a deep need to protect you, Josh had told me. But he belonged to Baldric now and I wasn’t sure how deep that loyalty went. If Baldric ordered him to do something, I wasn’t sure Josh could turn him down.

  Before I could argue the point with Cody, shouts rose from downstairs. I stood as Sloane ran toward us.

  “Zoe, come quick,” she called. “It’s Annie!”

  As I exited through the castle gates with Cody in tow, I prepared for the worst.

  “Oh shit,” Cody breathed, stumbling to his knees beside me.

  Two giants stood in front of the small lake, drool oozing from the corners of their crusty mouths. After the Great Battle, William had told me that giants weren’t exactly the brightest creatures but they did an excellent job following orders—something Baldric loved to give.

  The giants lifted their enormous arms and someone screamed. Chained between them hung Annie, dangling five feet off the ground. Each move they made pulled harder on her limbs. They were going to tear her in half.

  “I have come to make a deal,” an all-too-familiar voice called out. Baldric.

  Alec took a step forward and Baldric held up his hand, a grin forming on his face. “Do not even think about it, teleport. You may have slipped through our fingers, but I still have the girl. Make one move toward me and they will rip her limb from limb. That goes for all of you,” he added.

  “What do you want?” William growled. As the two ancient men faced off, it looked like they were about to walk twenty paces and draw their pistols in a good old-fashion Western showdown. The only difference being that neither of them could be killed by a mere bullet.

  “You know what I want,” Baldric said. “My demands are simple: give me her and you can have the girl back unharmed.”

  The clanking of the chains wrapped around Annie’s arms and legs rang loudly in my ears until I felt dizzy. This couldn’t be happening.

  “Let her go!” I screamed, making a break for her. Before I could get far, the giants moved ever so slightly in opposite d
irections and Annie howled in pain. One of her arms popped free of its socket and I fell to my knees in the snow. If they tugged much harder, she’d be ripped apart—an excruciating death. Baldric was a twisted monster.

  “It is very simple,” Baldric said, walking toward me. He stopped a good twenty feet away, purposefully keeping his distance. I wasn’t even sure it was really him. It could have easily been a clone. “You come with me and I will spare your precious friend’s life. I will even leave your pathetic kingdom in peace. All you have to do is be mine.”

  “She will never be yours!” Alec raged from somewhere behind me followed by a loud thunk. I turned just in time to see him collapse, Rhett standing behind him with a sword in hand, the hilt covered in blood. The grumpy shift gave me a stiff nod.

  “I am really not asking for much,” Baldric continued, “just your life. And, with time, perhaps your love. In exchange, I give you and your people what they want. Peace. I would say that is more than fair. Think about it. You have the power to finally stop the bloodshed, to save her life and the lives of everyone you care about.”

  “You can’t do this!” Cody shouted. Jade had him by both arms, keeping him from doing anything stupid. “You promised me, Zoe! You promised that no matter what, we would have each other! I need you! You can’t leave me!”

  The pain in his voice broke me. I was all he had left in this world and I was leaving him. I was leaving just like Josh and Cindy and Ryuu had. I just had to hope he’d be strong enough to survive it, that Annie and Holly could keep him going in my absence.

  And that one day, he’d understand that this was the only way to keep them all alive. If I didn’t go, Baldric would just kill them all and take me anyway.

  I looked at Cody, staring into my old friend’s eyes for what might be the last time. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  Brock stepped through the crowd and took Cody from Jade.

  “Get him out of here,” I told the big Scot. Cody didn’t need to see what happened next.

  “Take care, lassie,” Brock said. “Give him hell.”