Trust, Power, and Betrayal (The Broomwood Saga Ep. 5)

What I did wasn’t smart, I’ll admit. I at least had the forethought to grab shoes so I wasn’t barefoot, but I had no phone and no money. I did have a hearse, however, and made the front desk manager ring Yancy for me and have him meet me down a few blocks. From there, Yancy took me back to the shop and promised he wouldn’t tell where I was. Luckily, I had backup keys and was able to get in just fine, turning off the alarm immediately before I went up to my flat, straight to my room, and started to cry.

I cried like this for some time before my vision was so blurred and my eyes were so puffy that sleep was the only option to soothe me and I did fall asleep, ensconced by several blankets, snuggled up to my childhood stuffed dragon. I knew eventually Phee would return to the flat and most likely find me, hopefully before word got out that I was missing and I made people worry over nothing. I just couldn’t handle the thought of those who I had come to care about only giving a damn about me because the stone made them, or the stone was the reason. It was never about me at all.

When I woke up, it was dark. I didn’t know this at first until I came downstairs to the living room to see that night had fallen beyond the windows. I called out to see if Phee was around, but got no reply, and it hadn’t seemed like anyone had been there to even look for me. Weird considering I had the stone. Maybe I hadn’t been asleep as long as I thought; everything felt so disconnected.

I woke my computer up over on my desk and looked at the date and time; I had indeed been asleep for almost twelve hours, yet not a soul came to find me. I didn’t run away for that to happen, I just thought it odd. For a moment, I thought that maybe I had really dreamed everything up from the moment Phee had spoken her first words to me, but then in she waltzed, not in cat form, scaring the living hell out of me because I had already forgotten what she looked like.

“Jesus Christ!” I cussed when the door opened, almost tripping over a chair in the dining area.

“Oh, you’re up!” She looked non-plussed when she saw me, as if she knew I had been there all along, especially considering her words.

“You knew I was here?” I asked her, taking a seat to stop my knees from shaking.

She made a face that asked if I was kidding before she replied, “Of course I did, witchy poo. It was one of the first places we looked and I let everyone know that you were safe and sound at home, asleep. But you have to come back to the penthouse and you can’t do shit like that again.”

I knew the scolding was coming and just scowled at her.

“They only give a shit because of this stupid stone.” I tugged on the necklace around my neck, “They don’t give a shit about me. Broomwoods are only worth a damn because of our blood.”

I was bitter and I could feel it eating me from within.

Phee made a weird sound that was half sigh, half meow before she opened her mouth and began to tell me things I wasn’t prepared to listen to, “Cian told me what you two talked about that caused the jailbreak. I know you think it’s the stone, but it’s not. There’s something different about you, Briar, something that both your mother and grandmother knew before you were even born. It’s why Sofia left; because being pregnant with you put a target on her back. It changed her scent, the way others reacted to her. Madison knew that it had to do with the baby, the Thirteenth Daughter. They knew what the texts said, what Baphomet told them when they made their pact.”

She wasn’t making sense to me and I couldn’t figure out why. What was she trying to say to me? What texts? What the fuck had Baphomet said?

“Just say what you meant to say, Phee! I can’t stand this cryptic nonsense. I need to know what’s going on; I need to know who I am!” I exploded, the furniture in the room rumbling a bit as if the floor had been rippled beneath our feet.

“Breathe, babes. I’m getting there, but this was never my responsibility to tell you. I was summoned by the family long ago, but I wasn’t originally part of this ritual. Somewhere in this place is the accounts of your ancestors, we just have to find it. In it will be better information but for now, I will tell you what I know. The creation of the ritual used to summon Baphomet was extensive and they weren’t even sure it would work; when it did, they were desperate enough to take the first deal he offered without haggling. He would help them combine their blood into a weapon to be used through the ages against vampires and monsters alike, but there needed to be a sacrifice first and then he had terms for his reward.” Phee expounded, but it still left out all the important parts and I was getting highly frustrated.

“What sacrifice? What were his terms?” I begged her to tell me everything, thirsty for what she knew and what it could tell me about myself.

“The sacrifice was Broomwood blood, and not just what was given to create the stone. He wanted to hold their blood in return for assisting them in the stone’s creation. He gave them twelve generations of protection, but when the thirteenth arrived, they were to rebalance power by handing the stone back to the vampire it was created against. But that isn’t where it ends…” Phee trailed off, her expression one of upset as she sat down at the table and stared off into the distance.

“Well, where does it end then?” I asked, trying to swallow my fear.

Phee huffed a few times before she turned her head towards me with sympathy in her eyes, “It ends with Baphomet exchanging power from you to Orlok, which means that Orlok will own the Broomwood bloodline for twelve generations. And to ensure that the bloodline ends with him, the plan was to initially turn you, but now it seems he wants death.”

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard. There was no wrapping my head around it. Orlok had never mentioned wanting to turn me, only that there was something different about me and he didn’t want to kill me till he figured it out, but by the end of our encounter he was vowing to kill me when I least expected it. Either way, turning me or killing me, his actions would ensure that the Broomwoods would end with me and never be able to take hold of the stone again when it was time for the balance to tip the other way.

I stood abruptly, taking off the necklace as I spoke coldly, “You could have saved me a lot of time and pain if you had told me this in the beginning. You knew, the whole Order pretty much knew, Morgan knew, Cian knew something was up. And there I was, clueless and stupid to trust anyone. I want out. I know I said I was going to take responsibility, but I’m done. Now, I know what they meant during the Ambush, why they wanted me to leave the country and hide so badly without telling me they fucked up. They tried as best they could, I guess, but everyone dropped the fucking ball. I’m out.”

I set the necklace down on the table and started to walk off, but Phee tried to stop me as she reached out when I passed her. I wasn’t having it, however, and with a flick of my fingers, I spun her and her chair, ramming it into the table, but not too harshly. I just wanted her to know I meant business and I wasn’t playing around.

“Briar, please. Just listen to me. You can’t just leave like this!” She called out to me after she had untangled herself from the chair, but I was already in my room, fuming.

“Get out of here, Phee. Take the necklace and bring it to Branwen. She’s the Queen; she can figure out how to use it. Maybe she can cut a new deal with Baphomet. I’m done!” I was severe as I called down the steps, willing the energy in the flat to be angry and oppressive, forcing her to leave if she wanted to be safe.

“You just need to cool off. I’ll tell the others you’re awake and safe.” I heard Phee as I sat at the top of the stairs, waiting for her to go.

I heard her get up and then footsteps before the front door opened and closed. She was gone, but with the notion that I was just angry now but would be fine and back to normal after a little while. She was wrong, though—I was not happy being sacrificed this way, no choice or say in the matter, and I was even angrier that it had been kept from me my whole life.

I knew I wasn’t thinking straight, I was thinking out of fear and panic, but I ignored the logical part of my thinking and started to pack a bag. I was going to leave the city, maybe not permanently, but for now at lerast. And the only place I knew I could go was upstate a few hours to the cabin that Nan owned in the woods. It was part of her will, another thing that I inherited, but I had never been there before. Either way, I hoped it was safer than being in Monster Central, and I could take the time to breathe and regroup.

When I came downstairs to grab my laptop and some food, I noticed that Phee had left the necklace on the table and since I didn’t have a good safe to secure it in, I opted to put it back on. I grabbed what I needed, went downstairs to take money from the safe there, realizing I could put the necklace inside, but still feeling like it was better to keep it on my person.

I was ready. Now, all I needed to do was take a taxi to the bus depot and have it drop me off at Weatherton, a town that was within walking distance of the cabin. There were quite a few steps in my plan and a lot of hoofing about, but I’d be okay there, I just knew it. I was starting to think that my only real problem might be no phone or ID, but I happened to find my purse on the counter in the shop, knowing that Phee must have left it for me too.

“Off we go.” I spoke to myself as I turned off the lights and locked up, leaving the shop and New York City behind me me for a while.

It was well after midnight when I arrived in Weatherton. The town was dark and I felt like the only light on the street was the one over the bus stop sign. I was mostly flying blind and since it was so late, there was no one to ask for directions. But after a bit of walking through town I actually found a bar that was open and entered, prepared for anything.

“Excuse me, could you possibly help me with some directions?” I walked right up to the bar and asked the bartender, him being one of four people in the place.

“You lost, hun? It’s a little late for someone like you to be out alone like this.” He eyed me cautiously as he wiped down the bar top.

“Not lost,” I replied, pulling out my phone, “I just don’t know how to get to this place here.”

I had pulled up a picture of the cabin I had saved on my phone and showed him for reference.

“Oh, the old Broomwood cabin. That’s about two miles outside of town down a rather windy dirt road. You driving?” He shot back, his hand now on his hip, still holding the rag.

I wished.

“No,” I shook my head in disappointment, “I took a bus in from the city. I knew it wasn’t far from here and was going to walk, but I didn’t take the hour into account.”

“That isn’t good. We don’t have any lodging in town for you to stay the night and head that way in the morning. Closest place is the Motel 6 down by the highway.” He clucked his tongue at me.

Perfect. I probably should have waited till morning, but I didn’t have time for that, not if I wanted to get away without a trace. Now, here I was in the town just down the road from the cabin, but I’d never make it that far in the dark alone. What was I going to do?

“Did I hear someone mention the Broomwood cabin?” A man’s voice came from behind me before he appeared at the bar, asking the bartender his question.

“This young lady did, Booker. She’s wanting to head there tonight, but she’s got no car.” He answered him, not something I really wanted him to do. I didn’t need a lot of people knowing someone was there, let alone me.

“What business you have there?” Booker turned to me to ask.

I couldn’t clock this man. He couldn’t have been much older or younger than me, he was big, bulky, hairy in a good way, but his facial features were the total opposite, kind, but worn and tired.

“I own it.” I replied boldly, feeling like I had to own what I said too.

“Hm. I didn’t know Addie sold it. We heard about her passing and it’s a terrible loss.” He returned, taking off his hat to hold it over his chest and expose a mop of wavy blonde hair.

“It really is,” I acknowledged what he said, but ignored the selling it part, “But I want to try and fix the place up as a vacation home. It was sort of a split-second decision to come up here tonight and obviously I am not prepared.”

“I can take you up there; I know exactly where it is.” Booker offered, but I was hesitant.

Was it really very smart to get into a car with a total stranger in the middle of the night so he could take me out to a secluded cabin in the woods? It was like the setup for a horror movie.

“That’s real nice of you, but I hope you can understand me being a bit hesitant about accepting your offer. I don’t know you from Adam.” I replied, hoping he didn’t take offense.

Booker held his hands up with an understanding nod, “Hey, I get it. Shit ain’t safe, especially for women and I can tell you I’m a good guy all night long, but you have no proof. But I am really just trying to help. I’ve only had a beer and not even a full one at that, so I’m good to drive.”

“Booker is a good guy, miss. I’ve known him since he was a toddler and he’s bred from good stock, I can promise you that. You’re safe with him.” The bartender added, trying to ensure me that this man offering his assistance was harmless.

I wondered if this was the stone’s doing. Finding me someone to take me where I needed to be. If that was the case, I was most likely safe, wasn’t I?

“Okay. If you really don’t mind, I would appreciate the ride.” I gave in, offering my hand for him to shake.

“You got a name, strange-woman-out-at-weird-hours?” Booker asked with a chuckle as he shook my hand.

“Briar.” I gave only my first name as we finished our handshake and Booker went for the keys in his pocket.

“Be back in a bit, Sonny.” He waved to the bartender before escorting me out of the bar and to a dark blue truck parked out front.

We both climbed inside and he started the engine, backing out of the parking spot as he picked up speed down the road that would take us out of town before he started to talk.

“The place isn’t too far from here, but it would not have been a good walk in the dark, especially when you got to the dirt road the house is on. You might have gotten lost in the woods.” He informed me as we drove down an almost pitch black road.

“Like I said, my planning was poor. But I needed to get out of town and just left without much thought.” I divulged, trying not to think about what I had been through the past couple of days.

“You come up from the city? You look like a city girl.” He asked, making an observation.

I let out a wry chuckle, “What gave me away? But yes, NYC.”

There was silence for a few beats as we continued our drive before Booker spoke again.

“You didn’t buy the Broomwood cabin, did you?”

Why would he ask that? I mean, he was right in his suspicions, but why was he suspicious in the first place?

“Why do you say that?” I shot back, my eyes focused on the road.

“Because why would a Broomwood need to buy something they already own?” He asked, turning his head slightly to look at me.

How the fuck did he know? Alarm bells were now going off in my head and I was suddenly scared, glancing down at the door handle to see how easy it would be for me to pop the lock and jump out if I needed to.

“Who says I’m a Broomwood?” I still wasn’t going to admit it. I needed to know what he knew.

“Do you have any idea what Addie looked like when she was younger? Or her daughter Sofia? You’re too young to be Sofia, so I’m assuming you’re her daughter. You look just like them.” He returned and I relaxed a bit.

“You knew them?” I queried curiously.

He gave a singular nod, “Yup. Addie would come up every summer and bring Sofia with her back in the day. My dad and Sofia had a summer romance for a few years, so he used to talk about it all the time, show me pictures. You look a lot like Sofia, especially the eyes.”

I guess I did look like my mom, but I had never really seen pictures of her when she was younger so I couldn’t compare.

“Yeah, I’m Sofia’s daughter, but please don’t go spreading it around. I needed to get away from the city for a bit and I don’t want anyone to bother me. I just need a vacation.” I finally admitted, deflating in my seat.

He let out a quiet, knowing laugh, “I understand that feeling. I won’t tell anyone who you are, promise. But do you know how to work everything out there? No one has been to the cabin in at least five or six years.”

Another thing I hadn’t considered. Was I going to have electricity? Water? Heat? It was colder up here in Weatherton and the cabin was probably freezing.

“I don’t. Utilities are probably shut off, I’m sure.” I grumbled. I had a flashlight in my bag and my jacket with a few snacks and a bottle of water; that was it.

Booker laughed again, “Oh, there’s no utilities out there, at least not from a company. You’ve got a propane tank for heat and cooking, a well for water, and a generator for electricity. We just have to hope there’s propane left in the tank and gas in the generator.”

Better than having to pay for utilities, but not necessarily a great scenario considering the hour. Either way, I would have to make due and I would soon see what I was working with because we had turned down a dirt road, one that seemed to be darker and more ominous than the one we were on and I knew it led to the cabin.

“Another personal question, but if you’re Sofia’s daughter, why do you have an English accent? I mean, I can hear the New Yorker in there, but that’s not a typical New York City accent.” Booker continued to talk and I humored his curiosity.

I let out a little laugh myself before I responded, “I was born in England and lived there for the majority of my life. I’ve only been here in the states for the past five years. The New York accent is because of my mother, and the English accent is because of where I was raised. Weird, isn’t it?”

“Weird is a word for it, but I like it. It’s got an interesting sound to it; it’s unique.” He returned, this time giving me a smile that I thought was actually sort of cute.

“Thank you. It tends to be a topic of conversation with new people I meet, but it is definitely a part of me and I quite like it too.” I thanked him with a smile of my own.

By this point we were well into the woods and the headlights had hit a structure that was soon illuminated enough for me to see that it was the cabin and it looked to still be in fairly good condition. Booker pulled up near the stairs and parked, cutting off the engine.

Why was he turning the car off? I thought I had settled my anxiety over the stranger, but it had reared its head again.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll check your propane tank and generator for you and get things going if we can.” Another kind offer from him that had me settling back into being relaxed.

I gratefully accepted before Booker had me wait on the front porch while he took a flashlight from his truck and walked around the side of the cabin, disappearing out of sight. This left me in the dark, but I pulled my phone from my pocket to give me some light, seeing that I had missed calls and messages, but I forced myself not to look at them.

I wasn’t standing there long before the light under the porch awning came on and in a few minutes, Booker was rounding the house again with a triumphant grin.

“You have plenty of gas and two generators. Looks like someone has been taking care of the property even if no one was actually coming up here to stay. Propane is full too and the sticker said it was filled only a few months ago. You’re good to go.” Booker smiled at me again as he dusted off his hands.

“Seriously, thank you. You just made my night so much easier.” I thanked him again, breathing a sigh of relief.

“No problem at all. I’m just glad I was able to get you here safe and settled. Couldn’t let you sleep outside the bar all night.” He winked at me, a wink that made me think of Morgan.

I offered him some money for his trouble, but he declined before telling me to have a good night and then he hopped in his truck and drove off, leaving me by myself to check out the cabin alone. I mean, it was what I wanted, but I was suddenly feeling very lonely.

The keys for the cabin had been on my key-ring for years and had no problem unlocking the front door to let me inside. I had never been here before, but for some reason, it felt like I had. The energy inside was warm and familiar and I sort of felt like I was home. The cabin was only two stories, the main level and then an attic for storage. The front door led to the living room with the kitchen back and to the left, a table and chairs set up near.

There was a hallway that led to the back where there were two bedrooms and a single full bath with tub, sink, and toilet. The bedrooms were furnished with beds unmade, but everything smelled clean, albeit a bit musty. Because of this, I decided to crack a few windows and then ventured out to the porch to look for wood since there was a fireplace and I knew I wasn’t going to sleep in the bedroom that night. I just felt safer near the door in case I needed to run…

I got a fire going in the fireplace and found some blankets in a closet that smelled clean enough to huddle up with in the living room as things heated up inside and I finally closed the windows off. I hadn’t anticipated how quiet things would be so far out in the woods and the silence was practically deafening, so I took out my laptop to put on one of several movies I had stored on there. Hearing someone talking, even if they weren’t in the room with me, made me feel better.

After I locked the front door and found something to snack on, I curled up on the floor in front of the laptop, ate a little bit, and slowly drifted off to sleep even though I hadn’t been up for long. My soul felt lost and being lost was exhausting.

I was tired of being startled awake more often than not here lately. I don’t know what it was, but something in the waking world told me I needed to be alert and I jolted awake in complete darkness. The fire had mostly gone out and was now nothing more than smoldering embers while the movie had ended on the laptop and it had gone to sleep. I wasn’t overly cold or anything; the fire had actually warmed me up a good bit under the blankets. What was it that woke me?

“You’re in a new place, Briar; that’s all. Unfamiliar territory.” I muttered to myself as I woke the laptop to put on another movie, but then I heard something.

I didn’t know what it was, but things were so silent that any noise was going to stand out and I definitely heard something, but it sounded like it was outside. Now, being in the woods, that wasn’t uncommon as there were plenty of nocturnal animals out and about, but this wasn’t an animal and I knew it even if I didn’t know it.

I quietly closed the laptop and stayed low to the ground as I waited and listened for another sound to tell me what it was I was hearing. After a few seconds, I heard something again and realized it was the crunching of leaves, but not under animal feet. Shortly after, there came the sound of feet on the wooden planks of the porch and a shadow could be seen through the curtains, back lit by the porch light I never turned off.

Someone was standing just outside the locked door, now trying to turn the handle, one that I had thankfully locked. I didn’t know what to do and wondered if I should crawl over to the hall and down to one of the rooms to hide in a closet or something, but hopefully whoever it was would realize they couldn’t get in because it was locked and leave.

“It’s locked. The porch light’s working, so someone had to cut the generator on; you can hear it running. It’s dark inside though. Do we knock?” I could hear voices outside, but they were hushed whispers and unrecognizable.

Maybe I needed to be the one to get the drop on whoever this was instead of the other way around. But I didn’t know exactly how many, at least two since there was seemingly conversation, and I wasn’t sure that I could handle more than two people, if that. I came out there to be alone and now I was stuck and couldn’t get away.

“I can jimmy the lock.” I heard one voice state.

Another voice replied in a hushed tone, “Then do it, but I can’t go in and look around because I don’t have permission.”

That told me that at least one of the people out there was a vampire, but the other wasn’t. Were they looking for me? Had I been seen leaving the city somehow and was followed out to this secluded cabin, now the perfect prey?

I could hear something in the lock of the front door, the person wiggling it away as they tried to unlock it. If they could really do what they said, then I would soon be face to face with someone that may or may not have had my best interests in mind, and it was most likely the latter. With the light from the porch, they’d see me.

I needed it to be dark and I focused all my energy on the light bulb out on the front porch until I heard a pop and a shatter, then a low yelp. The bulb had blown and now things were totally dark as I scuttled across the floor so I was behind the door if it opened.

“Fucking bulb blew. Did you get it?” One voice whispered and the other responded positively as the door swung open and I held up my hands, palms out, to keep the door from hitting me.

“Is there a light switch in here?” The voice asked again and the other responded.

“Not that I can feel, but it looks like someone was here recently; there’s a fire dying in the hearth.”

Then the sniffing began from one of them. Deep inhalations and quick exhales. That told me that I was dealing with a vampire and a werewolf or possibly a cryptid, at least that’s what it seemed like to me.

“I can smell her. There’s a weird scent here like loam that hides it, but it’s there. She was here.” The wolf voice spoke again, but I couldn’t see either of them as I hid.

“How long ago did this Booker guy say he dropped her off here?” The vampire asked.

Booker was a fucking rat.

“He told me that it was a little after midnight when he dropped her off. She has to be here, but I don’t want to scare her.” The other returned.

Of course he didn’t want to scare me, then he’d lose the element of surprise. They had to keep quiet. So that I wouldn’t hear them coming, voices so low I could barely hear them at times above the sound of my own heart beat. But I was way ahead of them and I had to do something, because if they shut the door, I’d most likely be seen.

And I had just the thing.

I stepped out from behind the door with my hands up as I spoke to the two shadowed figures, one inside and one out, “Don’t speak. Turn around and leave. Don’t come back. This place is vacant, abandoned, nothing to see here. She’s not here. It’s a dead end.”

I rattled off a bunch of commands and declarations, knowing that the stone would force them to do what I said and the two forms stiffened up without a word before they both turned and the one walked out the open door onto the porch. I didn’t stand there to watch them leave and instead kept by the door, ready to shut it when I heard a pair of the footsteps come out of sync from the other and they started to approach again.

I tried to slam the door quickly, but an arm struck out and kept the door from shutting, sending it bouncing back against the wall as I jumped out of the way and turned to run towards the back of the house, but I wasn’t as quick as they were. A strong pair of arms was now around my waist and I let out a yell of panic, trying to kick myself away, when they finally spoke.

“Briar. Briar! It’s me. It’s just me!”

“Cian.” I said his name so softly, so subtly, that it sounded as if I had just let out a breath.

“You better stop Morgan before he makes it back to the road.” He suggested and I was finally able to get it together long enough to glance over his shoulder to see Morgan walking down the dirt lane in the dark.

“Snap out of it, Morgan.” I yelled and the vampire promptly stopped where he was, turned around, and threw his arms into the air before he was nothing but a blurry streak in the yard and then he was on the porch with a growl.

“Did you do that? Why would you do that?” He demanded, still standing on the threshold with his arms in the air.

“I didn’t know it was you! I couldn’t see anything and you were whispering at each other. I thought Booker had ratted me out to the other side, not that it was you two.” I returned, rather irate, “What’s that all about anyway? How do you know Booker?”

“Booker is a werewolf. He actually lives in the city, but he’s up here with family at the moment. He knows about the ascension and when he found out you were a Broomwood and you were out here alone, he thought it wise to contact the Committee. They put him in touch with me and we came here to find you.” Cian explained and I huffed, now irritated with myself for how serendipitous all this seemed to be. If I was going to get away, I’d need to move further out, but that just wasn’t a possibility.

“Good for you, you found me. I’m fine. Now, can you please leave?” I was short, cold, as I pointed towards the door.

“Seriously, Briar? What the hell is wrong with you? Why are you being this way?” Morgan asked from the doorway, not able to come any closer.

I tried to turn everything off inside me so I could say what I was going to say, but my heart was making things difficult.

“The stone. The stone is what is wrong with me. It’s selfish and manipulative—I don’t want it defining my relationships for me. Phee says that’s not it, but I don’t believe her. Everyone has lied to me. They say it’s to keep me safe, but that doesn’t make it any better. I just want it to go away; I want everyone to go away and leave me alone.” My voice grew in volume as I spoke, the cabin rumbling along with it.

Morgan stepped back, stumbling down the steps of the porch till he was flat on the ground, but Cian didn’t budge. Instead, he stepped closer to me.

“Do you really think the stone is what makes us care about you? That it forced us to give a shit about what happens to you? That it made me watch you for months like I did, trying to figure out how to talk to you? Briar, it’s you. It’s always been you. The stone wasn’t even connected to you yet when I first saw you. You didn’t awaken it till that night in the shop when Jasper attacked. For me, it’s always been something about you and the stone doesn’t have a thing to do with it.” He spoke to me, his words hitting me hard in a way that had me doubting what I had convinced myself of.

“It’s the blood. It’s just the Broomwood blood.” I lamented, not able to let go of the notion that it had nothing to do with me as a person, but what power my blood could offer. Isn’t that what Baphomet and Orlok wanted?

“It’s not the fucking blood, Briar!” Cian threw his arms into the air with a shake of his head, “I can’t speak for everyone, but I can speak for myself and I know how I feel. And what I feel is real and from my heart, not magikally manipulated through that stone. You could destroy it and I’d still feel the same way.”

I wanted what he said to be true, but I just couldn’t accept it. I didn’t know where the doubt came from and why it was hitting so hard because it was counterproductive to the intentions of the stone, but maybe it was just—my fear. Out of everyone, I really only cared if Cian and Morgan’s feelings were true, Cian especially. The others didn’t matter, but the boys did. I just didn’t know how to prove what he was saying was real or the influence of the stone.

“Prove it.” I blurted like a child, trying to hide the fact that I had tears in my voice.

“Okay. Command me to tell the truth. You have that ability. Command me to tell the truth and then you’ll know.” He returned quickly, looking as if he was bracing himself for it.

“But how will I know if it’s the stone making you tell the truth or just what I want to hear.” I challenged him, not sure that it would be solid enough proof.

“Ask him some baseline questions. I know almost all there is to know about this shit head so I can verify. Plus, we may find out some funny stuff.” Morgan offered his assistance with a laugh to try and break the ice.

I considered it for a minute before I gave in, “Fine. But you’ll see. Morgan as my witness.”

Cian didn’t say another word. He was just standing there, staring at me in the dark, waiting to be tested.

I took a deep breath and focused all my thoughts and feelings on Cian before I spoke, “You will tell me and Morgan the truth for every question that I ask you; you cannot lie.”

Cian nodded his head.

I glanced at Morgan, waiting for him to toss me a good question.

“Uh, favorite color?” Morgan posed and I rolled my eyes.

“Black, but I like a good green too.” Cian answered and Morgan looked at me with a nod of his head.

“What’s your full name?” I added.

“Cian Dorcha Murphy.”

“That’s correct. The middle names means dark, funnily enough; dark and gloomy, just like him.” Morgan confirmed before deciding to ask another question.

“Have you ever been with another man before?” Morgan snickered as he asked.

“Morgan.” I hissed at him, but he held his finger over his mouth.

“Not exactly, although you and I have made out a few times. But we promised not tell anyone.” Cian answered and it instantly sent Morgan into a fit of laughter.

“He’s—he’s telling the truth.” He wheezed through laughs, “We’ve made out a few times when we were drinking back in the day and every time he’d drunkenly make me promise not to tell anyone. I don’t think it’s because he kissed another guy, but because he—he kissed me specifically.”

Morgan was in hysterics and now I officially knew that the stone was in control and Cian couldn’t tell a lie.

“Cian,” I started, stepping closer to him in the dark, “How do you really feel about me? Not what the stone may influence you to feel, but how you truly feel deep down.”

I was terrified to hear his answer because if it was just as I suspected, it would crush me. I felt so drawn to Cian, so wrapped up in him even though I was pushing him away, but if I knew that the feelings weren’t reciprocated, maybe I could put a stop to how I felt and start to let go.

“I can only tell the truth, and the truth is—”

There was no finishing that sentence, however. Morgan screamed at that moment and I looked out the door to see a smoldering patch in the grass, a large shadow looming over Morgan in the yard before it slung him to the side and came stomping up the stairs. Instinctively, I tossed Cian across the room somehow and prepared to fight this thing even though I hadn’t a single weapon. It stopped dead in front of me, however, and spoke.

“Nuh uh uh, Briar. You don’t get to use the stone that way. Don’t make me take it early.” The shadow growled down at me.

No. It couldn’t be.

“Baphomet?” Their name slipped from my tongue in awe.

“It’s still yours...for now. Use it wisely while you can. The day will come soon where you will have to pass it on.” Baphomet continued as I stared up at them, trying to actually see them in the dark.

“You can’t let it go to Orlok. He plans to kill me so that it ends the Broomwood bloodline. That’s not balance. If it was, the Broomwoods would have sought to kill him long ago. He will only cause destruction and that isn’t balance either. What we have now, is.” I found myself begging the Infernal, something that may or may not have been a wise idea.

“I can’t go back on a deal, wytch. Your ancestors had their time and now it is Orlok’s turn.” Baphomet denied me, but I wasn’t giving up; I was angry.

“I didn’t get a choice! How can someone gamble with a potential life that they don’t own? I never agreed to turn the stone over, Matilda did, and she’s not here to enforce things.” I yelled defiantly, pulling back so that the Infernal wasn’t so close.

“She’s in that stone. When a Broomwood dies, their energy lives on in the stone to help power it. It’s the most powerful it will ever be right now because of that. You currently benefit from that power.” Baphomet stooped to growl in my face.

But something about their words sent up red flags. The stone had been building in power for centuries and now that it was at its strongest, it was to be handed over to a literal and figurative monster to wield for another thirteen generations? He’d put nothing into it but the fear and anguish that caused it’s creation in the first place.

This had all been a set up.

From the beginning, this was planned and the feeling that I got was that Baphomet and Orlok were in cahoots and had been from the beginning, using my family and their power to create a weapon to be wielded after so many years of juicing up. It was a long game to play, but it looked as if it were going to pay off. Now more than ever, I needed to find a loophole in this deal, this contract. Then an idea struck me.

“Is it the most powerful that it will ever be? I’d say it needs one more Broomwood to be even more powerful and I’m not talking about myself.” I put it out there, wondering if Baphomet knew.

I heard them snort before they asked, “What are you insinuating?”

“Well, Sofia Broomwood isn’t part of the stone.” I retorted, holding my ground. I wondered how much they really knew.

A scoff from the Infernal and then another question, “Have you not been Ambushed yet?”

“Oh, no. I have. And Sofia, my mother, wasn’t there. The eleven others were, but not her. She’s still alive. Is that going to be a problem?” I asked, noting the change in the air when I spoke.

“Sofia’s dead. She died years ago.” Baphomet challenged my words, but I doubled down.

“No. I think Sofia is alive and I think she’s stayed hidden for a reason. You need the blood of all thirteen before you can pass it over, the souls of twelve and the thirteenth as the last sacrifice. But things aren’t complete without my mother and you don’t have her; she never activated the stone, her blood isn’t part of this and it never will be.” I held the necklace up as I spoke, gripping it tightly in my hand.

The sound that came out of Baphomet could only be described as sheer anger and maybe disappointment that their long-con hadn’t panned out like they wanted.

“And, as I am unsure of the logistics, I assume she can now no longer be Wielder of the Stone because it skipped her and I will come into power as the twelfth. Honestly, it seems like the whole deal is kind of null and void in a sense. Was it you that took her from me originally? Did you think it would speed things up? Because you thought she was already the Wielder, but she never activated it with her blood. You know, you should really let me see this contract because I know there is one; Infernals are some of the most business savvy, but you made a few mistakes.” I goaded Baphomet, feeling very much in control for some reason.

“You know nothing, wytch. This isn’t over. You will be hearing from my lawyer.” Baphomet hissed, a sound that jarred me as I took a few steps back from them.

“Lawyer!” I erupted with laughter, thinking they were kidding, but a snarl cut me short.

“There are rules now, Briar, and I try to follow things as best I can. I suggest you lawyer up yourself because I will be coming after you over this.” The Infernal pointed a slender finger at me before they turned and left the cabin, stomping down the stairs and into the yard where a hole opened up in the ground, fire licking at the browning grass as brimstone wafted into the air and Baphomet was gone.

What had I done? Had I possibly fixed things somehow?

“Holy shit. You see, this is why you can’t just go leaving like that!” Morgan was bitching, still standing outside as I hadn’t invited him in.

“You good, Briar?” It was Cian’s turn to speak as he stepped out of the shadows where I had tossed him, looking fine and well.

I shrugged my shoulders, “Sure. I’m fine.”

“We need to get her out of here, though. Baphomet may pretend like they are doing things by the book and obeying the law, but I don’t trust it.” Morgan made a suggestion, a good one, but part of me still wasn’t done being defiant.

I boldly replied, “I’ll just ward things up. You two can go and let the Committee know about what happened, but I’m staying here.”

Morgan let out the most dramatic sigh before he smacked his hands against the door frame and aimed his words right at me, “Don’t make me drag you out of here kicking and screaming, Briar. It’s not safe.”

“I dare you,” I narrowed my eyes at him, scrunching up my face to let him know that I meant business and I would fight him on this.

“You asked for it.” He shrugged in my direction before he snapped his fingers and I was lifted up into the air with a yelp.

“Put me down!” I howled, smacking Cian on the back as he stomped towards the door.

“Can’t be done. You gotta come back with us.” Cian’s tone was flat as he stepped through the door and onto the porch where he handed me off to Morgan.

I elbowed the vampire in the gut and tried to run away from him, but where the hell did I think I was going; the two of them were the last ones I wanted to be running away from and I stopped before I had even made it past the driveway.

“You should go with them, Miss Broomwood. They were very worried about you and even called me up to take them to find you.” I heard someone speaking to me and turned to see the purple hearse with Yancy at the helm, speaking to me through an open driver’s side window.

They had come looking for me, but doubt was still telling me that it was the stone that urged them to, not me. Regardless, after that little conversation with Baphomet it seemed that I had things going in my favor and that meant there was a much higher possibility of me keeping the stone and Orlok could eat crow.

“Fuck, just take me back then.” I admitted defeat as I dragged my feet over to the hearse.

“Don’t know what just happened, but I won’t question it. Hop in; Cian’s got your things.” Morgan responded to what I said as he followed me down to the hearse, Cian behind him with my laptop bag and duffle.

After making sure that I indeed had everything I came with, I was assured that the cabin was locked up and the three of us gathered inside the hearse, all parties quiet. Yancy knew where we were going and needed no direction as he sped off down the darkened lane.

“You still think that we don’t really care about you?” The question came from Morgan after we had hit the highway; he seemed like he had been wanting to ask for some time.

“Not now, Morgan. I came back with you, didn’t I? Let that be enough.” I tried to shut the question down, but he wasn’t giving up.

He got up from his position next to Cian and took the vacant spot next to me, sliding a lithe arm around my shoulders before he pulled me up against him.

“Have I ever told you I don’t really care much for wytches? Vampires and wytches have notoriously not gotten along over the centuries, but I liked you from the start when you helped me pick out wine in that corner store. There’s not a lick of arrogance in you, no real ego to speak of, just a shy little thing with a big heart and enough compassion to rival Cian here. There’s a spark in you that attracts things to you, not that stupid stone. Remember that you are the one that wields it, not the other way around.” Morgan planted a kiss on my forehead as he settled in, his arm still around me.

I really thought about what he said. This was my doubt. This was my fear of never being good enough, never being worthy, never once considering that maybe it was me that they cared about, not the power I held. I mean, Cian was willing to tell me potential embarrassing and incriminating things just to convince me, even though he never really got to say anything. And a vampire liked me, so there was that.

“I thought I got duped again. I thought that I had stupidly believed that there were people I could trust, people I’d fight an ancient vampire over, but they were just pretending to feel the same way. It was stupid to think that, though. I’m worthy of love too.” The words fell from my mouth before I had time to edit them, but it was out now. I was mostly talking to myself, but I had an audience this time and maybe it was a good thing for them to hear.

“That you are, sweetheart. And we’re Team Briar, remember? If we have to come up with a secret handshake and all that to convince you, we will.” Morgan jested with me as he moved the hair from my face and scooted even closer so I could lay my head on his shoulder.

“He’s right. Team Briar all the way. The Order needs someone like you and I will gladly back you and any future endeavors that helps the people, all of us. You’ll listen and get shit done and hopefully Baphomet will have to eat that fucking contract.” Cian added with a sneer at just the thought of the Infernal.

“And one of the first things that I plan on doing, as selfish as it may be, is doing away with this outdated courting bullshit. I will not be forced to appear as someone I am not and that someone is a person with autonomy that gets to choose who they love and create life with.” Despite everything that had gone on in the past twenty-four hours, this was the part that still seemed to bother me the most.

“’Atta girl. I will always support a woman’s right to choose, or anyone for that matter. You can’t force love; this I know from experience.” Morgan agreed with me as he kicked back further in his seat, propping his feet up on the bench next to Cian.

“No you can’t. I want love to find me organically. A moment of serendipity, synchronicity, a meet cute because the universe knew it was time.” I rambled a bit through a yawn, still very tired despite how much I had seemingly slept. Regardless, I couldn’t help but let my eyes fall on Cian when I spoke this sentence.

“We all do, sweetheart. It’ll find you; I know it. Just don’t give up.” Morgan patted my head as I closed my eyes and let myself sleep, knowing I was truly safe with these two.