If there was one thing Wynter wouldn’t have expected when she set off alone, it was that she’d pick up some ‘strays’ while on the run. But after she’d saved herself and a bunch of captives from bounty hunters—yes, the Aeons had put a price on Wynter’s head after she fled—four of said captives had decided it would be good for them all to stick together.
At first, she’d protested, but then it had occurred to Wynter that it would be better for her to travel in a group. Like her, they were witches. The people on her ass were looking for a lone witch, not what would appear to be a coven. And if the hunters did find her again, well, it wouldn’t be bad for her to have some backup. Especially from a bunch of beings who had a streak of crazy in them.
Things hadn’t been easy since the day she’d fled Aeon. She’d expected the Aeons to send someone to do the job that Wagner had failed to do, of course. The first hunter had tried to kill her. So had the second. But after that, they’d began to come for her in groups. None of those groups tried to end her, though. They’d all wanted to return her to Aeon. They’d even come equipped withtranquilizerguns. According to the bounty hunters who’d almost captured her, the Aeons now wanted her alive.
She could guess why.
What she needed was a place to go where they wouldn’t dare venture. A place run by people who took in fugitives and who wouldn’t be afraid of the Aeons.
There was only one such place she could think of—Devil’s Cradle. Also referred to by many as ‘the Home of Monsters.’
It was founded by seven beings—quite simply referred to as the Ancients—who were banished from Aeon a millennia ago after a war broke out between the immortals. A war that came about after Cain, Azazel, Lilith, Seth, Inanna, Ishtar, and Dantalion sold their souls to Satan in exchange for power. As you do.
Or so the story went, anyway. Wynter wasn’t so quick to believe anything the Aeons claimed.
The Ancients been given many titles, including the Soulless Ones and the Seven Judges of the Underworld. Neither of which were comforting. The Aeons had only referred to them as ‘the Condemned.’
She’d learned plenty about the Ancients since going on the run. They lived in an underground city beneath the town. Like the Aeons, they didn’t procreate, rarely ventured outside during daylight hours, and were able to put themselves in a state of deep Rest.
Not all people believed that the Ancients truly threw their lot in with Satan, but itwasconfirmed that—unlike the Aeons—they could grant various things in exchange for other people’s souls. Power, beauty, fame, fortune, good health, longevity. Anyone who struck deals with them were considered their property and bore the mark of whichever Ancient they subsequently served.
Cain appeared to be the most feared. The Aeons had only ever spoken of him in hushed whispers. He’d apparently led the rebellion all those years ago, and he was considered by many to be the most powerful of the seven Ancients.
In spite of all the rumors, her little crew wasallfor her plan to move to Devil’s Cradle. They were tired of being on the run. But in Wynter’s opinion, there were worse things. Like being executed because an Ancient felt bored. It was said that they weren’t sane in the truest sense of the word. Some people also described them as fickle and cruel, so it was a relief for many that the Ancients seemed to have no interest in leaving their corner of the globe.
Wynter squirmed slightly in her seat. “I just hope I’m not leading us to our deaths.”
“I don’t think we’ll have a problem being accepted there,” said Xavier, running his fingers through his tousled brown hair—which was often the closest thing he did to combing it, yet it always looked purposely styled. Just the same, he rarely exercised, yet his body was lean and solid.
“We might not even be granted an audience with an Ancient,” said Wynter. “They don’t always agree to see people. And when they do, they’re not always in the mood to be helpful.”
“We have no Plan B, though,” Delilah pointed out.
“Iproposed a Plan B,” said Xavier.
Swerving in her seat to look at him, Delilah frowned. “Bombing Aeon was not a realistic plan. For starters, we don’thaveexplosives—”
“That could be remedied,” he told her.
“I’m not seeing how.”
“You have so little faith in me.”
“It’s hard to have faith in a chronic liar.”
Wynter’s lips twitched. He would in fact lie aboutanything, including his very own name. Also, if he didn’t like someone, his answer to the problem was to kill them. Really, it was little wonder he had a price on his head. She suspected that his struggle with scruples came from having been raised in a coven that practiced the dark arts. He’d left, wanting to go his own way, and now followed the right-hand path. Mostly.
Delilah sighed and then faced the front. Bracing her elbow against the car door, the Latina started plucking at the short, tight curls that framed her stunning face. All long legs and smooth olive skin, she snagged attention wherever she went. “I still think you should tell the Ancients that you were exiled from Aeon, Wyn. Having that in common with them might help.”
Wynter shook her head. “For all I know, they have a loose alliance with the Aeons. It’s unlikely, but it isn’t impossible. Of course, it’s more probable that they despise the people of Aeon. But if so, that could extend to me even though I’ve been banished. I’m not taking any chances.”
If she’d thought that the Ancients would demand her personal information, she wouldn’t have chosen to head there. But she wasn’t worried that she’d be asked to part with any of her secrets. Another attractive thing about Devil’s Cradle was that no one cared where you came from, what brought you there, or what happened in your life before you arrived. Everyone got to start afresh.
“What do you think the price will be to live there?” asked Delilah.
Wynter puffed out a breath. “I don’t know, but I don’t doubt that it’ll be hefty.” Just as there had been a big price to pay for being accepted into Aeon. “But if we can’t pay it, well, no harm done. We can leave and take our chances alone.”
The problem was … she suspected she wouldn’t survive long if she did. The Aeons would just keep sending people after her, and the groups they sent would just keep getting bigger. Wynter might be a monster of sorts, but she wouldn’t be able to fight the Aeons and their people alone.