“I. Love. You.” She let her warm breath brush his skin as she spoke and felt his hands tighten where they gripped her hips.

“Good. We will do the bonding ceremony and blood rites tonight.”

Sally squeaked out, “What?”

Costin only laughed as he helped her off the table and led her by the hand out of the room. “Come on, my sweet. I have plans for you,” he teased wickedly.

Chapter 6

“Tick-tock, tick-tock, little wolves. Do you feel time slipping away from you? Do you feel the urgency to pursue me, the one who plans your destruction? I am coming, little wolves. Tick-tock, tick-tock; I am coming for you. And one by one you will fall. One by one the wolves will be silenced.” ~Desdemona

Mona had waited long enough in the In Between. It was time to put her plan into action. She left the sanctuary in a flurry of smoke and called to her faithful steed Octavian. Using back roads and staying off the beaten path, she pushed Octavian as hard as he could run, heading for the border of Bulgaria. She had been told by a helpful little warlock that he had a clan located just beyond the border.  Apparently there was someone there who could tell her what she needed to know. Though she made it a point to never trust anyone, she had no clue where to start looking for the information she needed, so she had decided to make an exception just this one time. Of course, she had threatened to choke the little warlock with his own intestines if he was lying.

Mona rode through the Carpathian Mountains, the cold winter beginning to become a memory as spring started to emerge from its long rest. Mona rolled her eyes at the life flourishing in the forest, the blooming plants and trees bearing fresh new leaves. It gave her a bit of satisfaction knowing that Octavian’s dark hooves killed every living thing on the ground which they landed. The evil that filled her could no longer be contained and was leaking out into the areas around her. She laughed a soul-cringing laugh that bounced off the rocks and trees, creating a disturbing echo. Once she left the cover of the forest, she tried to avoid major towns or cities. She didn’t rest at night, and only stopped briefly to water Octavian. Yes, she was an evil witch, but even evil witches needed to make sure their mode of transportation was properly cared for.

Time slipped away as she rode on.  Mona’s thoughts were consumed with the plan she was concocting. She had done some research while she had been in the In Between and discovered that she might have the ability to raise an army like no other. The Fae weren’t the only ones with a veil, turns out that the veil leading into the underworld had a doorway, one that had been closed and sealed long ago because of the evil that lay behind it. She needed to know more. She needed to make sure that she could control the darkness that she planned to unleash – the darkness that would orchestrate the ultimate destruction of her foes.

Mona finally crossed theBulgarian border and followed the Yantra River into the Balkan Mountains. The warlock had told her that the one she needed to speak to would find her and that she just needed to make herself known. He said that the mountain and the trees would let them know of her intentions and to be wary. So once she entered the forest she brought Octavian to a slow walk and kept her eyes moving constantly, roving over the landscape around her. After several hours she felt a presence; it was nearly as evil as her.

“Show yourself, brother of the craft.” Desdemona spoke confidently into the silence.

After several seconds a tall figure emerged. He was shrouded in a deep green cloak that blended well with the lush forest around him. His hair was black as night and he had pointed ears – his face was close to human in form although his nose was sharper in appearance and his lips were so thin they were nearly nonexistent. Most strikingly, his eyes were almond-shaped, a little more separated than a human's, and glowed an eerie yellow like that of the harvest moon. . He was strong of stature with a broad chest and long powerful legs.

Even with the unusual features he was dazzling. Mona thought she might have found him attractive if she cared for that sort of thing – which she didn’t. He carried a sword across his back, and various other knives decorated his form.

“Why do you bring your evil stink into my forest, witch?” The power that rolled off of him and through his words told Mona that what she really had hoped was indeed the case. This was a royal warlock.

Not just royal, no, Mona thought to her pleasure. This was Cypher, the King of the warlocks.

Mona laughed, a sound that came out as an evil hiss. “The evil that permeates these woods is not disturbed by me, Warlock King. My evil simply adds to the allure, don’t you think?”

Cypher took a step closer to Mona, not to threaten, but more as a warning. “Since when is there a witch left in this realm? Did not the Fae take care of your kind?”

“I am the last of my kind. I am not so easily destroyed.” Mona lifted her chin and arched a brow. “To business then, I do not come to bring you problems, I come seeking information and perhaps a trade of some sort.”

Cypher scoffed. “What could you possibly possess that I would want to trade for?”

“Tsk, tsk, great King. Do not so quickly dismiss me. Will you not at least hear my proposition?”

Cypher stood silently. His eyes narrowed as he considered her request.

“Fine. I will hear you and then you will leave.”

“If I recall correctly,” she began slowly, “there was a time when the warlocks were very interested in the stones of the Fae. In fact, I think your kind was seeking them rather fervently.” Mona watched as the warlock King straightened at her words.