Exhale

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Adrian showed up three minutes later.

The moment he pulled up in his jeep I ran out the door and threw my arms around him. I was trying my hardest to hold myself together, but I was shaking.

"Tell me what happened," he said, tilting his chin down to look at me.

I pressed my palms into my eyes. "I got a voicemail from her when I was in the shower, asking me to hang out with her tonight. About fifteen minutes later I called her back and she was hysterical. She was hiding in her closet. She was talking frantically, saying that someone was trying to get her. Then I think they finally managed to break in and find her." I moved past him. "We need to save her. Now."

His gray eyes followed me. "Wow, wow, slow down," he caught me by the wrist and whirled me around. "Think, Britt. Use your head. Let's not jump into something without considering what we may be dealing with here."

"It's my uncle." I was sure of it. "The man that faked his death when I was younger and the man that ruined your life years ago. He is powerful, and ruthless, and ominous. He has her. He wants me. He's who we're dealing with right now!" I ripped my wrist away from him and marched to the street.

Once more, Adrian ran ahead of me to block me off. "We're in this together, remember? Relax."

Relax, Relax? My best friend was being used as fishy food and he told me to Relax? "Don't tell me to relax!" I snapped, feeling my temperature rising. "My best friend is going to die because we're stalling here!" Then a foreboding thought entered my mind as I paused to analyze him. I narrowed my eyes at him. "What happened after my uncle jumped Les and me that one day on our way back from Seven-Eleven? You were there. We escaped as you dealt with him. Are you working with him? Are you under his command? Did he send you here to distract me and make me trust you? " My uncle was powerful from what I understood. I had no doubt that he was compelling Adrian. It would explain things.

"No!" He snapped back, his eyes turning dark. "Why would you even think that? Haven't I proved myself to you by now?" He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes taking a few deep breaths. Then he said, "You're scared. I get it. I know how you feel. I went through the same thing once. But heading into something like this with no plan is the stupidest idea ever. We need to take everything into consideration. The last thing I want is for something to happen to you. Witch or not you're still learning and you're still training. There are a lot of things you still don't know. You will need my help." He paused and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. Grabbing my chin before tilting my head back, he said, "I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to someone who's changed my life for the better."

Hot chills tingled up my spine as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, fine. What's your plan?"

"We go to Leslie's house and get in. Chances are she will be gone. We find where they relocated to and go from there. Once we manage to find them, you confront your uncle because you're the one he wants, and you tell him that you want to talk and want to know why he wants you. Chances are he'll explain the coven and your power and all that, and you'll tell him that you accept his offer. While doing this I'll sneak in somehow, retrieve Leslie, and get her out. Then I'll come back for you and get you out."

This was a crazy idea. I didn't feel too hot about being abandoned even for a moment. The last thing I wanted was to have a potential standoff with my lunatic of a relative who loved blood shed.

"That's a terrible plan!" I threw my hands up. "Really? You want me, a person who's barely discovered she's not even a hundred percent human, to go against a freaking warlock who is trying to turn me to the dark side?"