Courting the Darkness (22 page)

She ran through the cave, forgetting her fear of the dark, and sprinted through the opening into the cold night air. There was no one in sight. She looked around frantically, taking in her surroundings. She no longer feared for herself; Jason was no longer a problem. Her heart ached for Mica. “Think, girl, think.” She stood frozen in indecision. “Drake, he’ll have to help me. If he wants his precious amulets, he’ll help me.”

She ran unerringly for the Express Van. Reaching for the door handle, she found it locked. “No,” she cried, yanking on it a few more times in frustration. She backed up, squared her shoulders, and raised her arms to the heavens. She dropped to her knees. “I beseech you now upon this night. I ask you this with all my might. These doors are locked to bar my way. Unlock the doors and send the keys. Send them now, I beseech thee. I so wish it, so mote it be!” Lightning flashed and the keys appeared on the ground before her. She smiled, raising her hands to the heavens. “Thank you,” she shouted.

She reached down, picked up the keys, and unlocked the door. She frantically searched for the cell phone. “Phone, phone, phone,” she shouted in frustration. “Ugh!” She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Mica…” she projected. “I need to call Drake to help me save you. Where is the phone?” She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, concentrating hard. “Mica, please answer me.”

She thought she heard something and tilted her head to the side, concentrating.
“Desiree…”
She heard Mica’s voice in her head.

“Mica?” she shouted, and started to cry.

“
Stop crying and listen to me,”
he remarked desperately.
“We haven’t got much time. The sun will rise in a few hours and I don’t have your amulet anymore.”

“Oh, Mica, where’s the phone? I can’t do this on my own. I need Drake’s help.”

“
Look under the driver’s seat.”

She ran around to the driver’s side of the van, yanked it open and rummaged her hand under the seat. She wrapped her fingers around the phone. “I’ve got it! What’s Drake’s number?”

“
It’s on speed dial. Please hurry.”

“Mica, listen to me. I’ve got to break our psychic connection. I’ll bring help. Have faith in me. Have faith in us. I love you, and I will destroy them if I have to.”

“
I love you too. I’ll be listening for you. Tell Drake to hurry. Threaten him if you have to. He can be stubborn.”

“You can bet on that. I get you back alive and in one piece, or he doesn’t get his precious spell. Listen for me. I’ll see you soon.”

Desiree turned on the phone. There were ten missed calls and ten voice mail messages. She cringed. “Mica should have called Drake. I’m sure he’s pissed.”

She pushed play. “Mica, if you know what’s good for you, you will get that little witch back to New Orleans. Now!” Desiree cringed again. She didn’t bother listening to the other messages, sure they were more of the same. She scrolled down the phone list until she saw Drake’s name and she hit the dial button. She tapped her finger nervously on the phone.

She blew out a quivering breath. “Jason Hargrove struck again. Mica, Caleb, and Denise were taken as prisoners by the local vampire clan. Mica and Denise are to burn with the sunrise. I need your help to get them out of there.”

“Slow down. How did you get away from Hargrove if Mica was captured?”

“I had put myself in a protective shield and I turned Jason into a rat. He won’t bother me anymore. Honestly, I could care less about Jason. I need help getting Mica and Denise out before the sun comes up.”

“I know exactly who I’m talking to. You will help me, or so help me, I will not give you what you want,” she commanded boldly. “Listen and listen well. If Mica dies you don’t get your spell. It’s just as simple as that.”

“I don’t take well to threats.”

“It’s not a threat. It’s a promise. If Mica dies, I won’t be here. I will be dead. I can’t be any plainer than that. Oh, and by the way, I was successful in casting that spell you wanted. So come help me now, or the secret dies with me.”

She bit her lip, unsure as to how much she should tell Drake. She decided to go for broke. “Mica and I are soul mates. Our souls are joined. If he dies, I will die.”

She rolled her eyes again. “I did, but the lead vampire snatched it from his neck. Without the amulet, he is defenseless against the sun.”

“I am going to send help. However, I don’t think we can get there until tomorrow night because we can’t drive in the daylight.” She ground her teeth impatiently. “You are going to have to get creative and figure out a way to keep them alive until we can get there.”

“Just hurry or there won’t be anyone left to save, and you won’t have your spell either. I hid those amulets well. Think on that one before you drag your feet,” she remarked flippantly.

“Just hurry!” She flipped the cell phone shut, looked down at it, and bit her lip. “If I do manage to survive this, Drake might just kill me for that phone call.” She tossed the phone back in the Express Van.

C
HAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Desiree paced back and forth in front of the Express Van a few times trying frantically to think of something she could do to save Mica. As far as she could tell, Denise still had her amulet. She had to think of some way to get an amulet to Mica, but he would be well guarded and she was not strong enough to fight a clan of vampires by herself. She stopped in mid-step when a thought struck her. “I can send him his amulet back by way of a spell. Why didn’t I think of that earlier?” She paced a few more strides. “I have to word it just right.” She chewed on her thumbnail as she thought. “I have to make it permanent so that they can’t take it back away from him.” She looked up at the dark sky and the full moon. She smiled. “I’ve got it. This will work”

She dropped to her knees, raising her arms to the heavens, and smiled. The wind whipped up around her. “Goddess of the moon, I beckon thee. Hear my words and prayers to thee. In this dark and in this night, I summon thee with all my might. Hear my cries, I beckon thee. Come to me so ye might see. In this night and in this hour, I call upon your ancient power. My love, my soul mate, from me was taken. From this nightmare, he must awaken. A charm he wore, from him was lost. Without it now, his life will cost. Return it now to his neck. From this place, it will protect. I come to you on bended knees.” She sliced her hand with a dagger. “I spill my blood to honor thee. In this circle rightly cast, make this spell forever last. Please grant this spell I ask of thee. I do so wish it, so mote it be!” The wind whipped violently around her. Lightning flashed in the sky with the answering rumble of thunder. Desiree stood and raised her arms to the heavens. “Thank you, Goddess of the Moon,” she shouted.

She dropped back to her knees, rubbing her temples and projected her thoughts. “Mica,” she called. “Mica, hear me.”

“
Desiree,”
Mica called in her mind.
“Is Drake coming?”

“Mica, I need you to listen to me. I just cast a spell and I need to know if it worked or not.”

“
I don’t understand. How would I know if it worked or not? I’m not with you.”

“Listen to me. I cast a spell to send your amulet back to your neck. Is it there?”

“
Yes, it’s there. How did you do that? You’re not even here.”

“Thank the gods, it worked. Mica, they can’t take the amulet from you. I cast the spell in such a way that if they take it from you, it will magically transport back to your neck to protect you. I cast this spell to last forever. You won’t burn when the sun rises. They can’t withstand the sun, so they won’t know any different. That will give me time to get you out of there. Does Denise still have her amulet?”

“
Yes, I can still see it around her neck.”

“Thank the gods. She should be safe too when the sun rises. Where is Caleb?”

“
I don’t know. I think they’re only keeping him long enough so that he can’t rescue us. Desiree, you didn’t answer me. Is Drake sending someone to help us or not?”

“He said he would. But he also said that he didn’t think they could make it before tomorrow evening because it’s too far to get here before the sun rises. It looks like we might be on our own.”

“
Every minute this silver is wrapped around us we get weaker. I don’t know if we’ll make it that long. Even if we don’t burn in the sun, I don’t think we’ll live long enough to see the next nightfall.”

A tear ran down her cheek. “Mica, don’t talk like that.”

“
Don’t cry.”

She bit her lip to hold back a sob. “I’m not crying.”

“
Yes you are. I can feel it, remember?”

She closed her eyes and smiled. “Yes, I remember. It’s through that connection that we’re speaking now.”

“
You’ve done your best. We’ll try to hang on.”

She perked up. “Mica, project with your mind a vision of where you are now. Make it clear so that I will be able to get there. Do it now.” She squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

“
Okay, I’ll try.”

Her eyes flew open. “Mica, I know where you are! We passed this place when we were looking for Agatha’s apothecary. I’ll be there shortly.”

“
Desiree, no, don’t come by yourself. It’s not safe. I still protect what is mine.”

She laughed because he had some of his spirit back. “I’m sorry, Mica. Deal with it. I’m on my way. I protect what is mine too. I will figure out a way to get past the other vampires. Just hang in there.”

“
Desiree…”

“I love you. I’ll see you soon,” she whispered, and stood up.

C
HAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Desiree put the key in the ignition, and the engine roared to life. She shifted it in gear, speeding off and leaving a dust trail behind her. She turned the van on the main road in the direction of Pigeon Forge and had to fight a wave of sadness. The last time she had headed this way she was with Mica, and her heart ached fiercely for him. “Hang on, Mica. I’m coming.” She mashed harder on the accelerator.

The dirt road from Mica’s vision came into view. Snatching on the steering wheel, she fishtailed the back of the van on some ice in her hurry to make the turn. The vehicle swerved dangerously toward a mound of rocks, but she managed to correct the steering in time. “Drake will kill me if I wreck his pretty car,” she mumbled under her breath. She mashed the accelerator again, taking back off. The trees flew by in a blur. The Express Van took to the road and speed well.

The clearing she was looking for came into view in the distance and she hit the brakes. She turned off the headlights, pulled the van over, put it in park, and cut the engine. Easing the driver’s door open, she slid out as quietly as she could, and eased the door closed. It made an audible click and she held her breath. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure they could hear it. She bit her lip in concentration and started moving.

Making her way up the dirt road, she stuck to the shadows. As she neared the base of the clearing, she caught sight of movement just ahead of her. Dropping to all fours, she scurried to the base of a tree. Easing her body into the adjoining bushes, she peeked through the leaves into the clearing.

The vampires were sitting in a semi-circle listening to their leader give a lecture. She was not close enough to hear what he was saying, so she counted their numbers—twenty total. Her heart raced frantically. “How am I going to face twenty vampires by myself?”

Closing her eyes, she let her breath silently rush through her teeth as a way of relieving the pressure. When her heart slowed again, she crawled to another bush to get a better view. Now she could see the large silver cage. Mica and Denise were still inside and still chained. She bit her lip, looking at the vampire clan again. “I need a plan,” she whispered. “I need a big distraction.” She tapped her finger on the ground. “Something so big they won’t pay any attention to what I’m doing. Hmm. What could I do to totally distract that many vampires at the same time?” She smiled as a plan fell together in her mind. “I’m dead if this doesn’t work.”