Page 83 of Awakened and Betrayed
I turn to Enoch. Whatever look I’m wearing turns his anger to alarm.
“Vinna, I wouldn’t do that. My dad is a lot of things, but he wouldn’t do that. You have to believe me.”
“I believe you.”
“Vinna, you can’t…”
I cut Knox’s argument off when I turn to him and reach up to cup his face. His eyes lock on mine, and I hate the desperate and worried look that I see there.
“My magic has done weirder things. I had Sentinel magic pouring out of me during my Awakening, and it didn’t mark any of them. Okay?”
I nod my head up and down, and Knox mirrors the move.
I pull his face down to mine and place a soft kiss to his lips, lacing it with all the reassurance I can. I pull away, and his gray eyes flick between mine, looking for any hint of doubt in my gaze. He relaxes in my hands and claims another kiss before stepping back and away from Enoch and his coven. Bastien gives me a small smile as our eyes meet before I turn back to Enoch and the others.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, it hurt at the moment, but I feel fine now.”
I look past him and scan the trees and house around us. I search for answers in our surroundings that I know aren’t there, but I can’t seem to help myself. Is Pebble’s coven out there watching us right now? I know Enoch believes that his dad wouldn't do what Knox is accusing, but I’m not convinced.
The trill of a ringtone breaks up the heavy silence and doubt that’s pressing down on me. I turn to watch Bastien pull his phone out of his pocket and bring it up to his ear, a curious look on his face.
“Hey, what’s up?” he greets whoever is on the other line.
Everyone watches the phone call, and Valen takes a step towards his brother just before Bastien’s face is touched by alarm.
“What do you mean; what happened?”
I walk over to him just as he tells the caller thatwe’re on our way right now. The phone drops from his ear, and before anyone can even ask, he looks at us. “That was Aydin, something’s happened, and we need to get back to the house.”
“What..” Ryker starts.
“He didn’t want to say over the phone, but it has to do with Silva.” Bastien’s eyes land on his twin, and he communicates something silently before both twins turn to me. “And Lachlan.”
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Everyone is silent all the way home, lost in thought or running through all the possible scenarios of what could be going on. Did they find a lead, something solid, and Aydin’s about to fill us in on what they’ve been up to? My heart rate speeds up. What if they found Vaughn? That would definitely be something you wouldn’t reveal over the phone. I push back against the hope that tries to roost in my soul.Don’t get your hopes up, Vinna. Don’t set yourself up for the crash if you’re wrong.
Ryker reaches over and takes my hand. He offers me a sweet smile and laces his fingers with mine. He turns onto the road that leads home, and my adrenaline spikes. I squeeze Ryker’s hand unable to help myself, and we pull up to the front of the house, not bothering with the garage as we’re all too eager to find out what’s going on. We pile out of the car and into the house calling out for Aydin. He comes out of the kitchen and waves us in. I round the corner and screech to a stop when I find the sisters there dabbing at red, tear-filled eyes. I look to Aydin and his haggard, worried face.
“Silva called,” he pauses, clearly struggling with what he’s going to say next.
My heart drops in my chest.
“Lachlan and Keegan were taken. Adriel has them.”
My brain stutters for a moment, recalibrating from thoughts of my father and processing what Aydin just said.
“How did they find him? Does Silva know where they are?” I ask rapid-fire, trying to sort through this development.
“They found a lead,” he holds up his hand stalling the questions that sit on the tips of everyone’s tongues. “I don’t know what it was or how they ended up in Belarus, but that’s where they are. Silva needs help and supplies and we need to pack, and get over there as quickly as possible.”
“Did you charter something, or do we need to book tickets still?” Valen asks, falling into the battle plan mode I discovered he had, when we hatched out our training plan.
“I’ve chartered a plane. The pilot and crew should get there about the same time we do if we leave in the next hour.”
Aydin starts assigning tasks and supplies to everyone, and I step back out of the chaos and work through what the best plan of action here is. We’re about to go up against a monster who has taken out covens of paladin and covets all things Sentinel. We’re going to do that with three paladin, who just split ways with each other, and not on good terms from the sound of it, and a group of paladin conscripts, three of which have new runes and magic they don’t know how to use yet.
