Mason | wanted that, too, more than Iâd ever wanted anything, but as soon as | turned the water off, all my fears. crept back in.
Without a cure for Braden, | didnât see how we could have a happy ending.
We stepped out of the shower and tossed on some robes Rhiannon had left for us âHow are we going to get out of this?â Katie asked, searching my face for answers | didnât have.
| took her hands in mine, trying to make my voice sound confident. âMaybe itâs better if | turn myself into the Council,â | said.
âMaybe theyâll thank me for taking care of their little vampire problem.â
Katie looked horrified, but it seemed like the best option we had left. Perhaps | could even convince the Council that Xander and Zane were the reason Braden and | crossed paths in the first place. Then if | went down, at least | could take the Constantines down with me.
| just needed to make sure Katie was safely back in Stillwood before that happened.
âI'll take you home,â | reassured her. âEven if things donât work out for me, you can be with Asher and Quinn again, and eventually you'll forget you ever came to Constantineâ
tom Tears sprang to Katieâs eyes. My heart sank to my stomach seeing her so upset.
â| just told you | love you,â she said thickly. âYou canât leave me now. We have to find another wayâ
She reached for my arms and clung to them desperately.
| didnât want to fight her on this. Truthfully, the last thing | wanted to do was leave her and Stella Rhiannon was a witch, for goddessâs sake. She must have other things she could try.
âOkay.â | told Katie. âLet me talk to Rhiannon and see if we can figure something out. You stay here until |
come back.â
She nodded and let me go.
After getting dressed, | made my way down the hall silently, listening at each door for signs of Rhiannon.
This loft apartment was deceptively large. But as | approached the second door, | heard Xander and Zaneâs hushed voices.
+froze, and Colt pawed around inside me, my wolf hearing perking up to catch their conversation.
âSo itâs settled then,â Xander said. He sounded agitated. âWe get my mother to drive her back to the mansion in the morning, and we take Mason to the Council to hand himself in.â
What the hell? No f ucking way were they going to change their minds and throw me under the bus just when things with Katie were finally falling into place again.
And what the f uck was this about âdriving her back to the mansion? They sure as hell hotter not he planning to lock Katie up in Constantine again.
â| donât know about this, Xander,â Zane said. He sounded equally short-fused and also exhausted, and didnât blame him. Iâd rather fall on a silver blade than have to babysit Alpha Know-It-All As shole. âYou're letting Gustavâs threats get to you. You're not thinking this through.â
âYes, | f ucking am,â he roared. | could hear him breathing heavily, trying to calm himself. âLook, thereâs a reason our wolves are drawn to Katie. And with Mason out of the picture, we might finally get to find out why that is. | need you with me on this, Zane.â
No response, just silence.
âIf you donât want to follow my orders,â Xander said, âThen donât forget that | can make you.â
D amn, Zane was right. It really did sound like Xander was losing it. | needed to find Rhiannon, and fast. After we talked with her about an alternative cure, I'd get Katie and Stella out of here and weâd go somewhere, maybe back to Stillwood for the time being.
But whatever plan Xander had to steal Katie for himself...there was no way in hell that was happening.
| rushed down the hall, throwing open doors looking for Rhiannon. We needed to be out of here before morning. | knew Katie was desperate for Rhiannon to do the spell to restore her memories, too, but if out of time, then maybe that wasnât the worst thing in the world.
we ran Finally, | threw open a heavy steel door at the end of the hall and heard the sound of shattering glass and a grumbling female voice Gabriela.
| crept into the dark room slowly, trying not to announce myself. It was some kind of storage room, filled with shelves and shelves of what looked like spell supplies. Or at least thatâs what it used to be. The place was totally trashed now.
From my place in the shadows, | watched as Gabriela ripped down shelves and shelves of glass vials, jars, herbs, and all kinds of other supplies, tearing them to shreds and sending them shattering to the ground. The smell in the air was nauseating. What the f uck was she doing, and where was Rhiannon?
My wolf senses perked up again as her mumbling got more manic. âI will not put my son in danger, not again,â she said, still thrashing around the room. âIf her memories come back, then everyone will know the truth...â She froze and her eyes went wide.
âXander and Zane are mated to a hybrid.â