Free Dark Descent (Vampire Hunter Book 5) by S.C. Reynolds Page A

happy
you’re okay,” I said, practically attacking Henry with a hug.
    “I’m fine,” he
said, laughing, hugging me back. “Thanks for saving my life. Both of you,” he
added, looking at Lucas and me. I hugged Henry again and then sat down on the
couch next to him.
    “I put you in this
situation. Your life was at risk because of me. How can you ever forgive me?”
    “Rory, it’s not
your fault,” he said softly. “There’s nothing to forgive. Lucas told me you
staked those bastards. How the hell did you overpower them? No offense, but I’m
a lot stronger than you and I didn’t stand a fighting chance.”
    “I have no idea,”
I said honestly. “Something came over me, and it wasn’t even much of a
struggle.”
    “It’s got to be
your powers – at least part of them,” Henry said excitedly. “When it came
down to life or death, they kicked in, you were able to hone them. I’m not
saying what happened is a good thing, but maybe it wasn’t all in vain.”
    “He’s right,”
Lucas interjected.
    “I wonder if I
could kill a demon now, too?” I whispered.
    “There’s only one
way to find out,” Henry said.
    I shuddered. What
if I’m not ready?
    “How are you
feeling?” I asked, changing the subject.
    “Normal. A little
bit tired,” Henry said.
    “Before I came to
pick you up, I got him some human food,” Lucas told me.
    I laughed. “That’s
what Nicholas called it when he got Emmett a pizza.”
    “Huh?” Henry asked
in confusion. “What’s going on with Emmett? What all did I miss?”
    Lucas and I
exchanged a glance. “Emmett has a plan,” I said. “But before I tell Henry, does
Emmett know that he’s okay?” I directed the question at Lucas.
    “Yes, I contacted
him and Nicholas.”
    “Good.” I proceeded
to tell Henry what had happened with Emmett while he was passed out.
    “Absolutely not,”
he said when I got to the part about meeting Tobias alone.
    Lucas sighed.
“I’ve already tried, Henry. She won’t listen.”
    “I’ll go with
you,” Henry offered. “That’s the only way I’ll agree to this.”
    Henry going with
me was worse than Lucas! Tobias would surely recognize him and might even be
dumb enough to mention Henry’s father.
    “No, it’s too
dangerous for you,” Lucas said before I could answer. “You’re mortal. I’m not.
I already told Aurora that I should go with her.”
    “Tobias is likely
to get suspicious if I’m not alone. He has to think I’m working solely with
him,” I argued.
    Neither Henry nor
Lucas said anything.
    “We’ve got to get
Magnus, Leon and Tobias out of the way to focus on Senara,” I said. “You know
I’m right.”
    “I guess I need to
set up another meeting with Magnus,” Lucas said. He sounded defeated, resigned.
“At least I can go with you to that one.”
    “Thanks,” I
replied.
    “And meanwhile,
I’ll have Nic look into where Tobias is hiding,” Lucas continued.
    “How will he be
able to find out?” Henry wanted to know.
    By spying on
your father.
    “He’s got a
network of resources,” Lucas replied, not missing a beat – and also not
exactly answering the question. “It shouldn’t be a problem.”
    “Don’t worry about
that part,” I said to Henry. “Let Nicholas deal with it. But what about the
spell to close the gates? Do you think you can do it?” I had purposefully not
told Henry that Emmett had said he was the only warlock capable of
permanently closing the gates.
    “I’ll have to read
my book. It doesn’t sound like a beginner’s spell, though,” he said nervously.
“Ad I’m definitely a beginner.”
    “Emmett’s certain
you can do it, and he hasn’t been wrong yet,” I tried to reassure Henry.
    “I’m more
concerned about getting all of the stuff for the spell than doing the actual
spell,” Henry said. “Some of the more complex ones have a lot of really
rare ingredients.”
    “I’m not sure the
spell is going to be in that book of yours,” Lucas commented.
    “Then how