17: Take Her With You

I was too shocked to even speak.

The Vampire King.

For a moment, I just stared at Roland's daughter while trying to understand how one father could stand downstairs celebrating the future marriage of his son while keeping his own daughter locked away upstairs because she refused to be sold to another man.

And I thought my family was fucked up.

"He's gone again," Roland's daughter suddenly whispered, glancing towards the door. "You have to go."

I heard the fading footsteps too, but before I could move, someone knocked softly on the door.

I jumped, and Kennedy immediately rose inside me, ready to tear through my skin if necessary, but then the scent reached my nose.

Herbs.

Magic.

Witch.

I knew exactly who it was.

Roland's daughter hurried towards the door and opened it just enough to see outside.

"Opal, what are you doing here?"

Opal slipped inside and quickly closed the door behind her. Tears were rolling down her face, and whatever relief I'd felt at seeing someone who could take me back to Rachel disappeared immediately.

Something was wrong.

"Opal, what happened?" I asked.

Her head snapped towards me.

Her eyes expanded.

"Luna?" She quickly wiped at her cheeks. "What are you doing here?"

"Forget about that. Where is my daughter?"

There were about a hundred questions between us, but Rachel came before every last one of them.

"Your husband came and got her," Opal answered. "He said if I saw you, I should tell you he's waiting for you at the carriage."

My stomach dropped.

Alastor had Rachel.

That was all I needed to hear.

I made a dash for the door before remembering one tiny problem.

I had no fucking idea where I was going.

My hand tightened around the handle as I looked back at Opal. "I need you to take me outside."

She nodded quickly. "I will. Just give me a second. I need to tell Ashley something."

Ashley.

So I'd finally learned her name.

I glanced at the young woman I'd accidentally found in the darkness. Ashley Sharptooth. The daughter of one of the most feared Alphas alive, and yet she looked as though a strong breeze could knock her over.

"What is it, Opal?" Ashley asked.

Opal didn't answer immediately.

That was when Ashley seemed to notice the tears.

Her entire expression changed.

"It's Sara."

Ashley went completely still. "What happened to Sara?" she pressed, stepping towards Opal. "Tell me, Opal."

Opal's face crumbled. "They found her in the woods."

Ashley shook her head almost immediately. "No."

"She was hanging upside down from a tree."

"Stop."

"Ashley..."

"Is she alive?"

Opal closed her eyes. The silence answered before she did. "No."

The sound that came out of Ashley didn't sound human.

She screamed so loudly that I immediately glanced towards the door, terrified someone in the hallway would hear us, but I couldn't bring myself to tell her to be quiet.

Ashley collapsed to the floor.

Opal went down with her and wrapped both arms around her as Ashley screamed again, grabbing fistfuls of Opal's clothes while her entire body shook.

"No! No, no, no! You said she'd be safe! You told me she was hiding!"

"I'm sorry."

"You said they wouldn't find her!"

"I'm sorry, Ashley."

"What did they do to her?"

Opal looked at me before looking back at Ashley.

I didn't like that look.

"Opal," Ashley sobbed. "What did they do to her?"

"They hurt her badly before they killed her."

"How?"

"Ashley, you don't need to..."

"Tell me!"

Opal swallowed. "She was assaulted, and then they skinned her alive."

I felt sick.

Ashley screamed again and buried her face against Opal's chest.

Even Kennedy whimpered inside me.

No one deserved to die like that.

No one.

"I'll kill him," Ashley sobbed. "I swear I'll kill him. I'll fucking kill RJ."

RJ.

My skin went cold.

"How do you know your brother killed your friend?" I asked.

Ashley didn't answer. I wasn't even sure she'd heard me through her crying, but Opal looked up.

"Sara was more than Ashley's friend. They were lovers," she explained.

"Oh no."

I looked at Ashley again, and suddenly her grief made even more sense. She hadn't simply lost a friend. Someone had taken the woman she loved and destroyed her in the cruelest way possible.

Opal rubbed Ashley's back while she continued to cry.

"Her father didn't approve of his daughter being with another woman," Opal continued quietly. "And her brother hated it even more because Sara was human. Flaying people is his signature kill."

Human.

My heart nearly stopped.

Something RJ had said downstairs came rushing back to me.

You should've heard the human bitch I killed earlier. She screamed so fucking loud when I flayed her, I thought the whole forest would hear.

Good Goddess.

My stomach twisted.

He hadn't been bragging about some nameless human he'd found in the woods.

He'd been bragging about Sara.

And his father had laughed.

That's my boy.

I suddenly understood why Ashley was so certain.

"RJ," I whispered.

Ashley lifted her tear-soaked face.

"He told everyone downstairs that he killed a human woman earlier."

Her expression shattered all over again.

"That bastard."

"He said he flayed her."

"I fucking hate this pack!" Ashley screamed.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"Try and stay calm," Opal said, trying to comfort her.

"NO!" She shoved away from Opal and stumbled to her feet, but her legs barely held her. "I'll kill him!"

"Ashley."

"I'll rip his fucking heart out!"

She tried to move towards the door, but Opal grabbed her around the waist.

"Let me go!"

"No."

"LET ME GO!"

"You can't fight him like this!"

"I don't care!"

"Well, I do!"

Ashley fought against her for another few seconds before whatever strength she had left disappeared. Her knees buckled, and Opal lowered her back to the floor.

"I just want to die," Ashley cried. "I can't live without Sara."

Something inside my chest tightened.

I looked towards the door.

Rachel was outside somewhere with Alastor.

My daughter needed me.

I couldn't stay here.

Whatever was happening between Ashley, Roland, RJ and the Vampire King was horrible, but I had my own nightmare waiting for me outside this room. I had three days until the hunt, three days until Winifred would be waiting for Rachel and me, and now Alastor had my daughter with him after I'd publicly told him his agreement with Roland would never happen.

I couldn't solve this.

I could barely solve my own life.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I have to go."

The words felt pathetic considering the woman Ashley loved had just been murdered, but they were all I had to give.

I opened the door and carefully looked into the hallway.

Empty.

Good.

I stepped outside.

"Wait, Luna Ava." Opal's voice stopped me.

I closed my eyes for a second.

Rachel.

I needed to get to Rachel.

Whatever Opal was about to ask me couldn't matter more than that.

But still, I said, "Speak quickly."

"Take her with you."

My hand froze against the door.

Slowly, I looked over my shoulder.

Opal was still sitting on the floor with Ashley trembling in her arms.

"What did you just say?"

"Take Ashley with you."

I stared at her.

"Take her where?"

"Mount Hecate."