Chapter 25

I woke up shivering and groggy. I was in a chair and I couldn’t move to rub my eyes. I wiggled my toes and found my legs unable to move also.

“If you struggle, it will burn more,” I heard a voice say from behind me.

I twisted to look over my shoulder at them but I couldn’t see things clearly yet. My vision was still blurry.

“...where…” I began to say as I forced out my voice.

“I have some questions for you. Where we are isn’t important,” they replied.

I blinked, hoping my eyes would clear but I needed to wipe away whatever was covering them so I tried to speak again. “Who… who are you?” I croaked.

“That isn’t important either. I have been asked to get answers so that’s what we are doing. Let’s start with your name.”

I sighed and let myself relax into the chair despite how uncomfortable it was. “My name is Raven Annelise Hart.”

There was a pause long enough for me to slip my arm free of whatever was holding me to the chair. It felt like some kind of rope but didn’t burn me as he said it would.

“How old are you, Raven?”

I bit my lip and considered his question. I wasn’t completely sure how old I was because of the missing memories but three years had passed after I was turned so my math put me in the early twenties but I wasn’t sure which one exactly. “I lost some of my memory so I’m not sure if I’m twenty four or twenty five.”

“How did you lose your memory?” he returned quickly.

I slowly wiggled my other arm against the rope to test if I could get that arm loose as well. “I wish I knew. Something happened but it’s complicated and Alizya said that she might be able to get my memories back so I haven’t thought about it too much lately.”

“Who is Alizya?”

“My grandmother and an elder of the London coven,” I supplied as my fingers burned through the rope with fire I had summoned and set me free.

I heard him gasp as the rope fell to the floor but my hands instantly went to rub what felt like petroleum jelly off my eyes. I didn’t go straight to trying to escape because I vaguely remembered that I had seen my brother just before going unconscious and I wanted to talk to him.

“How did you do that?!” he demanded as I took in his figure. He was human but he was intimidating with his tall bulky build and several scars.

I wiped my hands on my pants to get rid of the gel that had covered my eyes. “I’m a witch,” I answered in a sigh. “Alizya is my grandmother and I have been training with her for way too long.”

We were in a concrete box from what I could see. The man in front of me had his own chair and a cart of tools that I assumed were to be used to torture me. Above us was a single fluorescent light behind a cage and a camera in the corner watching our exchange.

“Is TJ here?” I asked, staring at the camera and remembering that I can use the reflective surface to scry for him if the guy doesn’t answer.
“If you kill me, they will destroy you,” he threatened nervously.

“Why would I kill you? I just want to see my brother and maybe take a nap. I don’t even drink human blood.”

“Why?” he blurted nervously.

I sighed. “I wish I knew why but whatever took my memories is probably the reason. Can I just see my brother, please? I don’t have a lot of patience left.”

The man in front of me didn’t have an answer so I stood and turned toward the door of the cell. There wasn’t a handle on this side but if I used magic, I could open it. I raised my hand to move the handle but before I could release the energy, the door opened and my brother was standing on the other side.

“TJ,” I breathed in surprise.

“What are you?” he growled, staring daggers at me.

I didn’t know how to answer. I didn’t know what I was or why I didn’t drink human blood. I didn’t know who had made me a vampire or what had happened that changed me into something else.

“Answer me,” he pressed.

“I don’t know, TJ. I--.”

He cut me off. “Don’t use my name like you know me.”

I opened my mouth to protest but closed it when I thought better of it.

“I brought you here for answers and an end to this charade. You aren’t my sister anymore.”

“What answers? I lost my memory but I will tell you what I can…” I tried, shaking off the urge to cry at how much his words cut me.

“What are you doing with Warren?” the guy who was going to torture me spat.

“He took me in. I don’t remember anything else except that he was there when I woke up after whatever happened to me.”

“How can you not remember tearing people apart? How can you not remember the bloodbaths you caused?” he continued.

“I just don’t but I’m sorry. I’m not that person anymore and I don’t know how I could have been that person. Alizya can vouch for me on all of this.”

“Alizya has been here demanding your release already. So has Warren’s warlord. They’re here waiting impatiently, so tell me what’s going on,” my brother demanded.

“She’s going to stand trial for her crimes,” the other man hissed.

“I don’t remember what happened in the last three years,” I tried. “I’m sure that I did horrible things but I don’t know what it was and I was being directed by Warren. Shouldn’t you be mad at him first?”

“He’s right, you can stay here and stand trial. Seeing you burn will give dad the closure he needs to fight back again,” my brother growled, stepping back out of the cell. The other man followed and they looked pleased with themselves as they began to close the door.

I waved my hand at the door and it froze in position, not letting them close it. “This cell isn’t going to hold me, brother. Let me go with Alizya and I promise to return for whatever trial you hold.”

They looked at each other. Neither had the authority to release me. I knew that but I was going to push past them anyway to see what happened. I stepped toward them and watched them move away from the doorway.

“The doorway is enchanted,” the man spoke nervously.

I could feel the tingle of the magic on my skin but it didn’t stop me from passing through. It wasn’t even unpleasant like other magic had been to pass through.
“That shouldn’t be possible,” the man mumbled, backing away from me.

“Listen, I mean you no harm. I just need to go with Alizya,” I tried, holding my hands in the air to show that I was not a threat.

They didn’t reply. They had backed themselves into a wall and I had a clear escape if I broke the window but I wanted to be a little more civilized than that so I turned left and walked away calmly as I contacted Alizya mentaly.

“Finally, where are you? I can’t see inside this deathtrap,” she returned.

“I was in a cell. I passed out and woke up there. They want to put me on trial. How do I get out of here?”

“Stand still for a moment and I’ll bring you to me.”

I obeyed and blinked only to end up next to her and Kris.

“Can you get us all to the safehouse?” Kris spoke, taking my shoulders.

Alizya nodded and we moved.

“Alizya, you take care of her as we talked about and I’ll try to clean up the other mess. Warren is going to lose it when he finds out,” Kris growled.

“What do you mean? What did I do?” I wondered, worried that I had hurt someone.

They looked at me like I was telling a horrible joke that they didn’t find funny.

“I really don’t know what happened,” I tried carefully. “I know that I left the house and that I stopped my brother from getting killed, then I passed out and ended up in that cell.”

“You went on a killing spree,” Kris growled, his jaw tight.

I blinked in disbelief. I remembered being hungry but a killing spree?

“You saved several witches and hunters last night so I don’t know why they want to put you on trial,” Alizya added.

“The only positive here is that she wasn’t seen by a vampire and the only people who know that it was you are your brother, myself and Alizya. I have to make sure that it stays that way, so do not leave this house. Am I understood?”

I nodded even though I didn’t have plans to go anywhere. I was too tired for that.

Alizya took my hand. “With this bracelet I bind you to witch territory. Your feet shall not wander outside of our borders so long as it is worn.” A thick silver band was slid over my hand and onto my wrist. Gold lines and patterns glowed around it when she released it.

I sighed because I felt defeated but Kris looked relieved. “We should have done this from the beginning. Now I have to go. Try not to cause any more problems, Raven.”

I opened my mouth to protest but decided not to make him mad. He waited a moment, ready to argue with me but when I didn’t he softened. “It’s for your own good. I know these things aren’t completely your fault but they are a lot to deal with. I’ll send Leo when I can.”

“I’m sorry, Kris,” I spoke, itching under the silver cuff absent-mindedly.

“Just don’t make it a habit, kid. I need you to work for me, not against me,” he sighed then turned and left, leaving me with Alizya who was watching me scratch at my wrist.

“Is it okay if I go to bed? I’m exhausted,” I asked.

“Go ahead child. I’ll wake you in time to eat something,” she answered before I turned to climb the stairs and fall into bed.