Blood Moon (Silver Moon, #3) - By Rebecca A. Rogers Page 0,46

death.” He shakes his head. “No more.”

“And if she doesn’t want to kill you?” Glancing up, I see hope in his eyes. “What then?”

“’Tis not a possibility.”

Shrugging, I say, “Okay. Your loss, then.” I stand up and begin to walk toward the door, when he runs up behind me, grabbing my arm and directing me to our spot.

Keeping his voice lowered, Alaric hisses, “Ye cannot guarantee my safety, or the safety of others in this town. If ye only knew the undertakings, the tragic deaths which occur—” He stops himself and sits back. Our eyes meet, and we share a lengthy stare. I let him make the first move, especially if he’s willing to disclose. “Leave this town while ye still can. ’Tis in thy best interest.”

Well, that wasn’t the communication I had hoped for.

Rising to my feet, I state, “We’re going to end this, once and for all. You’ll see.”

As I exit Murdock’s, I notice Ulric and Ben are still chatting. They quickly end their conversation once I reappear.

“Have any luck?” Ben asks.

I shake my head. “None. He said we need to leave town, because we have no idea what goes on here.”

Ulric pales. “Apologies, but I must be on my way.” He tips his head and scurries off before we can object.

“This place just keep getting weirder and weirder,” Ben mumbles.

Physically and mentally, I’m exhausted. I feel like we’ve gone around in circles since the day we crash-landed in the alleyway nearby. We know who our ancestors are. We know two out of the three are werewolves already. We know Lavenia and the other witches are planning something. What we don’t know is what, exactly, the witches’ ultimate plan is, when they intend to carry out that plan, or when Alaric will banish Ulric and Daciana to the Otherworld. I have a gut feeling that if we can get rid of the witches, Alaric won’t stand a chance at placing the spell on Ulric and Daciana.

“We’re back to our other plan now, I guess,” I say to Ben.

“Find the source of the blue light?” he inquires.

I nod in response. We have the remainder of the day to find the hideaway in the forest once again. But first, I want to pay a visit to Lavenia.

“Follow me!” I exclaim. “I have an idea.”

“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” Ben retorts playfully. I smack his arm, and he grins.

It’s not too difficult to locate the jailhouse where Lavenia is being held until her execution tomorrow. Getting past the guards is a different story. This might prove to be a challenge.

“I wish to see my cousin before she is murdered,” I declare, loud enough to make my presence known.

“What is the meaning of this?” an older gentleman asks, as he stands from behind his desk.

“Just as I already stated. I wish to see Lavenia.”

The older man and the guards begin to laugh. One of them speaks up. “She is not allowed visitors.”

I do my best to portray someone who is about to lose a loved one, even with my features—downturned lips, teary eyes. Hopefully, this will work.

“Captain . . .” one of the guards begins, speaking to the man with graying hair.

The Captain glares at me, frowns, and then puffs out an irritated sigh between his lips. “Make it quick.” He leads me to a back room—they tell Ben to stay behind—where Lavenia is being kept in a cage. Iron bars, straw flooring . . . she’s being treated like an animal. “I shall be back shortly,” he says, giving me a piercing glower.

Lavenia, who was facing the back wall, rolls over. As soon as she sees me, her eyes expand and a cunning smirk plays across her lips. “Come to gloat, have ye?”

I step forward, twisting my fingers around the metal bars. “No, but I would like to get you out of here. Alaric doesn’t believe it’ll work, so this is between you and me.”

“Alaric.” She spits, then stares off toward the other cells. “’Tis wise for him to avoid me.”

She must not realize her execution will kill him, too. “He didn’t know you actually had a spell book lying around. He only wanted to get back at you for turning his brother and Daciana into werewolves.”

Lavenia jerks her head toward me, and her eyes narrow. “How do ye know of such things?”

“I know a lot more than you think I do. Now, convince me to get you out of here. Tell me what your ultimate