Heart of Vengeance (Alice Worth #6) - Lisa Edmonds Page 0,45

my nightstand.”

“How long do you expect to be gone?”

“I don’t know.” I laid my head on his chest again to listen to the steady, reassuring beat of his heart. “Could be days, or weeks. I have no way of knowing until I get where I’m going.”

“So when should I open the letter?”

“When you think it’s time. I think you’ll know.”

He laced his fingers through mine. “There’s no way for you to even get a message to me while you’re gone?”

“No. I wish there was, but there isn’t.” I played with little wisps of magic, letting them dance over my fingertips and his hand. “When I get back, once my obligation to Valas is fulfilled, I’m done with the Court. I already told Malcolm that last night. No more cases, no more favors or work. No more being a favorite of the Court or Valas’s little errand girl. No more.” I glanced up at him. “I know that may bring trouble to our pack on several possible fronts, but I’m tired of vampires and their games.”

“You know I’d love nothing more than for us to be as free from the Vampire Court as we can be. If that’s what you want too, we’ll figure out a way to make it work.” He squeezed my hand. “Do you have anything you can use against Valas or the Court if they decide to play hardball?”

I thought about Valas’s apparent need for the scroll and my suspicions regarding her physical condition. “I might.”

“Good. I’ll give it some thought in the meantime, and when you get back, we’ll weigh our options.” He nuzzled my hair. “Ever since you indebted yourself to Valas to save me, you’ve had a weight on your shoulders. Everyone who works for the Court has that weight on them, even your friend Arkady. There’s something about being around vampires that leeches at the soul. Maybe it’s knowing you’re just a pawn to them, or the constant stress of trying to keep their fangs out of your neck.” He growled, probably remembering the sight of Valas biting me during our fight with Miraç. “Whatever your obligation to Valas is, I’ll be glad to see you free of it and back to doing what you do best: solving mysteries with Malcolm and having a pretty good time with me.”

I laughed and kissed his chest. “I want that too.”

“Good.” He ran his lips along my jaw to my ear. “I have time for one more shot at greatness before you have to go.” He kissed my neck and inhaled my scent. “I love you, Alice. Come back as soon as you can. I won’t be whole until you’re at my side again.”

“I love you too,” I told him. “More than good boots, whisky, or coffee.”

He raised his eyebrows. “More than coffee?”

“Yep. Not more than Carly’s blueberry scones, though. You’d have to be truly fantastic to rank higher than scones.”

His eyes glinted. He flipped us over so quickly that I let out a squeak. “Challenge accepted,” he said.

8

I sat cross-legged outside the stone circle in Northbourne’s sub-level one, staring at the covered mirror in front of me.

Under my leather jacket, my arms and chest were covered with runes and intricate spellwork, all drawn by me in my blood. Magic hummed on my skin, full of potential energy, waiting to be unleashed. My backpack sat beside me, stuffed with clothing, magic implements, Carly’s party favors, money and a few other items provided by the Court, and a picture of Sean and me. Nothing electronic would survive the journey, so I’d left my phone at home.

“You okay?” Malcolm asked. He floated a few feet to my right. At the moment, we were the only people in the room. Valas was on her way from her apartment to see us off. If Vlad was lurking around, neither of us sensed him.

I took a deep breath and let it out. “All I have to do is step through,” I said, more to myself than him. “The spellwork is complete. I have everything I’m taking with me. We’ll have to figure out the rest once we get there.”

“How many times have you mirror-traveled?”

“A couple.” I didn’t want to provide any details, since the room was no doubt under surveillance. “It’s a bumpy ride, even if you’re just going next door. This will be my farthest trip.” I glanced up at him. “You still have a chance to change your mind and stay.”

“Shut up, Alice.” He floated back and forth. “We’ll