When The Grave Calls (The Veil Diaries #9) - B.L. Brunnemer Page 0,79
you can’t even comprehend.” I turned to Jake. “Did you tell him? That he almost ended the world?”
Jake nodded as he stuffed his hands into his pockets.
My body shook with unspent anger. “What the hell is wrong with you two?”
“I didn’t know what he was doing, Lexie,” Jake said. “I didn’t know how bad it was.”
“And once you did?” I snapped.
Jake just stood there in silence.
“Did you set me and Riley up?”
Jake looked down at the dirt. That was answer enough.
“You fucking destroyed her life.” I shook my head. “She’s a vampire now, Jake. As a vampire, her soul will die when she dies.”
“I know, and I’ll regret it the rest of my life.” Jake lifted his head, his eyes pleading, but my heart was already hardening to the very sight of him.
“To be fair, they weren’t supposed to take her.” Eric moved back to the altar as the scent of sandalwood slowly filled the basement. “That was all Jadis.”
“How the hell did you hook up with Jadis?” I asked, stalling. Two against one weren’t odds that I had counted on, though Jake might not put up a fight if it came down to it.
“I was working on a way to deal with you when she found me.” Eric put herbs into a pestle and began to crush them. “And I really have you to thank for that. She’s a great source of information.” He turned back to me, still crushing herbs. “Well, she was.”
“So, she is dead.” I couldn’t help but be relieved.
“She didn’t come back from Huntington’s house.” He set the pestle down and picked up a knife.
I backed up a step towards the door.
“Lexie, we only need some of your blood,” Jake said as he moved to block my retreat. “Eric says with it he can create a potion that will save Dylan’s dad once and for all. Then this can all be over. No more soul traps, no one else gets hurt.”
Eric tested the edge of the blade. “Well, I may have understated what we’d need.” His eyes met mine with a sick glee. “We’re going to need your soul.”
I scoffed. “Let me guess, you’re behind all the deaths in town, too. All the missing?”
Eric smirked. “You’re not as dumb as you seem.”
“Y-y-you killed those people?” Jake turned to him in horror, an arm wrapped around his stomach. “That’s not what we talked about!”
“Shut it, Jake,” Eric spat before turning back to me. “Your soul is different. You have a link to the Veil, and if Dylan’s dad drinks that, well, it’d have to work.”
“Which will drain the Veil again, shut it, and end the world.”
He pointed the blade at me with a smirk. “Not if we don’t stop souls from crossing again. That energy will keep flowing right into Dylan’s dad.”
Jake shook his head. “You can’t kill Lexie.”
“Then your father figure dies,” Eric countered.
I raised my hand. “Uh, I’m not going to just stand here and let you kill me.”
The evil grin that flitted across Eric’s lips sent a chill down my spine. “Look around you.”
I looked at the walls, searched the dirt covered floor, and found nothing.
“Oh, sorry, let me help.” Eric waved his hand. A soft breeze moved through the basement, stirring the dirt around me. I closed my eyes until it settled back down. A circle was painted in the dirt. I had stepped right into it. Heart pounding, I reached out and hit an invisible wall. Fear clenched my heart in a vise.
Eric moved across from the white line. “You see, this circle cuts you off from magical energy and keeps you in place. You’re stuck.”
I dropped my foot back into a better stance. “You really don’t know me very well.”
Eric chuckled as he began transferring the lit candles from the dummy circle to the one surrounding me. “You know kickboxing. That’s no secret.” He straightened and met my gaze. “That’s another thing this circle does. It’ll drain you until you die, then hold your soul here for me.”
Adrenaline surged through me as I took in the runes surrounding me. Shit, shit, shit.
“Lexie, I didn’t know,” Jake said as tears filled his eyes.
“Go to hell, Jake,” I bit out between my teeth.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Jake hurried out the door and up the stairs.
Coward. I turned to watch as Eric continued to move the candles. My chest grew tighter as weariness washed over me. It grew with every candle he added. Fuck! Think, Lexie. I could use Veil energy, but