snitching to Chaaya and the vampire to keep them updated on where they were located, a voice whispered in the back of her mind. And it would certainly explain how they’d managed to follow her.
Then Levet angled his head so he could send her a quick wink.
Brigette swallowed her urge to laugh in disbelief. He was lying. But why? This creature had no reason to try and help her. Just the opposite. He considered her the enemy.
So what was going on?
Greta appeared equally suspicious. Her pretty features were hard as she glared down at Levet.
“Where is she?”
Levet waggled his brows. “Closer than you think,” he murmured in what he no doubt hoped was a mysterious voice. “But farther than you can touch.”
Greta jerked her head from side to side, as if expecting to see the young female walking over a nearby hill.
“You’re lying,” she spat out.
Brigette stepped forward, drawing the woman’s attention back to her. The gargoyle was presumably trying to help, but his babbling was as likely to get them killed as to save them.
“Are you willing to risk the opportunity to capture her?” Brigette demanded. “All I have to do is say the word and Levet will send her running from this place.”
The woman twisted her lips, no doubt preparing to tell Brigette to go to the netherworld. As if Brigette hadn’t been stuck in a hell of her own making for the past five hundred years. But before she could speak, she whirled to the side, her hand reaching out.
Brigette sucked in a deep breath. Was there someone coming? She couldn’t sense anything. Just the endless hills covered in sage and moss. But Greta might have the power to detect anyone entering this particular dimension. Or maybe she was just crazy.
Right now it didn’t matter.
Greta remained staring into the darkness for several seconds, then with a jerky motion she grabbed the brooch at her neckline and yanked it off. The sheer material of her gown ripped, but she didn’t seem to notice as she tossed the piece of jewelry toward Brigette.
“Fine. Here’s your reward.”
Brigette snatched it out of midair, staring at the piece of jewelry in confusion. “What is it?”
“Make your wish with it.”
Brigette cradled the brooch in the palm of her hand. It was beautiful. Each strand of silver was delicately interwoven layer by layer to form the symbolic knot. And in the very center was a pale stone that she hadn’t noticed when she’d first caught sight of the ornament.
She bent closer. She didn’t recognize the stone. It didn’t have the fiery brilliance of a diamond or the blueish hue of an aquamarine. It almost looked like a piece of plastic stuck in the middle of the knot.
“I make a wish with this?” she asked, wondering if the woman was trying to fool her with a piece of junk she’d found in a pawnshop.
“That’s what I said,” Greta snapped.
“But—”
“Begone.” With a wave of her hand, Greta spoke a magical spell in a language that Brigette didn’t understand.
There was a swoosh of air, as if someone had opened a massive door behind them. Brigette clutched the strange brooch, stumbling as the wind pulled her backward. It felt like a black hole had formed and they were being ruthlessly sucked inside it.
Beside her Levet flapped his wings, his eyes wide as he struggled against the gravitational pull; then, with a cry of frustration, he lost his balance and was inhaled into the darkness.
Brigette watched him disappear a second before she was pulled in behind him.
Chapter 19
Basq wrapped his arms around Chaaya a second before they tumbled out of the doorway and landed on the hard ground. He managed to take the worst of the impact, bruising his ribs and jarring his fangs, but it was Chaaya who gasped as if in pain.
Rising to his feet, his pulled her upright, scanning for any visible injuries.
“What’s wrong?” he asked when he didn’t see any blood or protruding bones.
Chaaya stepped past him, her gaze locked on the collection of huts that circled a blazing firepit.
“This is my home,” she breathed.
“Home?” Basq frowned. A vampire couldn’t sense magic, but even he knew they were in another dimension.
She shrugged. “It looks exactly like the village where I lived as a child,” she told him. “As if someone scooped it up and placed it in this new spot.”
“Are you sure?” he carefully demanded. Glancing around, he could see the rolling hills that appeared barren beneath the midnight sky before returning his attention to