Page 62 (2/2)

"Now What more have you learned?"

"The witches have taken Aden" Tucker had watched them suddenly appear around Aden He could have helped Maybe Had wanted to help Kind of But he hadn’t allowed his concealing illusion to fade, his need to please Vlad still too strong to be denied Even then

Vlad laughed, a cackling sound that caused his body to hunch over in a spas When he cal "Go to them, but do not let them know you are there"

To the witches? "Hoill I find them? They vanished"

"You can feel the pull of Aden, can you not? We all can"

Reluctantly Tucker nodded Truer words had never been spoken First time he’d met Aden, he’d feared he ell, attracted to the boy As in turning gay Even though he had always preferred girls He’d wanted to be near the bastard, though Aden hadn’t calh, and sometimes even made him want to be worse

"Good Now, for your most important task You will kill Aden You will stab him in the heart, as if he was a witch’s sacrifice"

"I--I can’t"

"You can Listen closely, and I will tell you how…"

MARY ANN WAS SCARED Very, very scared Apparently, Aden had kidnapped the kidnapped witch, and no one knehere they were Yet Victoria had told Riley what had happened, what Aden planned, and then teleported away before Riley could scream at her Or tell her that her father was still alive Where had the princess gone? To help Aden?

And God, hoas she going to react to the news about her father? Mary Ann had neverthe truth, she and Riley had searched the grounds but had found no sign of hiht Mary Ann had never seen hi now that Vlad alking around?--and his princess had been--were--in danger, and he hadn’t protected the at the as Mary Ann was out of the way When Mary Ann ith the, but it was somewhat muted So they were now on the hunt for Aden Without her

Mary Ann had thought to use the ti for Victoria, but no That idea had been quickly discarded Where would she begin looking? She couldn’t go to the va around tohich was all she could have done, wouldn’t have been productive

So here she was At ho her the quickest, most distracted of kisses She’d spent the past hour with her dad, hugging hi hihed and joked with her, and it had seeone back in time, before she’d found out about her ic, because he never once interrogated her about where she’d been

But her nervousness was groith every minute that ticked by Was Aden okay? Were Riley and Victoria okay? Was this her last night alive?

"You’re distracted again," her dad said with an ever-patient grin

They were sitting at the kitchen table, playing cards War, of all things She glanced down at her pile, picked a card and flipped it over An eight of hearts Her dad’s card was a three of diaathered that round into her deck

"Want to tell me what’s on your mind?"

"I’m fine," she lied She hated the necessity, but wouldn’t cave He didn’t believe in the paranorht under his nose, and she wasn’t in the ht Or receive a therapy session

"Problems with Riley?" he persisted

Riley, her sweet Riley The boy she would date for one ain At that, her heart actually lurched inside her chest "Dad, what do you do when you know you’re no good for the person you love?"

He looked at her for a hed and pushed his cards aside He propped his elbows on the table and stared over at her intently "I hadn’t realized you and Riley had reached the I love you stage yet"

Her cheeks heated "We haven’t said it to each other, no"

He relaxed a little "So why isn’t he good for you, sweetie?" Gently asked

She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat She couldn’t tell hiood for Riley He wouldn’t believe her "What would you tell a patient who asked you the same question?"

His lips twitched at the corners "I see what you’re doing Deflecting I’ve taught you well So, are you asking what I’d say to a patient if she refused to share all the details with me?"