Jonas (Darkness #7)(19)

“Thought not. That’s fine. I’ll figure it out. Just do me a favor.”

“Anything.”

“Make a huge bang when you get here. Make some sort of huge distraction. By the look on Emmy’s face, we’re going to need it.”

“Just one more thing, Jonas,” I said softly. “Are you sure we can trust this girl? I mean… she switched sides pretty quick.”

“She’s half human. They treat her worse than a farm animal. She has a shit life, and she’s coming back with me to start over. We can trust her.”

She’s coming back with you? A human? “Okay.”

“And one more thing,” Jonas said in a deep growl.

“Uh huh. Wait—are you into this girl? A human?” I couldn’t help but ask. Who was this guy all of a sudden?

“She’s hot. Listen, that bitch Darla is here. She’s working the top tier of people and they are buying whatever she is selling. Just thought you’d want to know.”

“That bitch!” I yelled. “I am going to punch her in the mouth. Seriously. Will she never f*ck off?”

“Who?” Charles leaned toward me.

“Your lady-love, Darla,” I snarled. “All right, Jonas, go hide. Stay safe. You’ll hear me when I show up.”

“Sounds good. And Sasha…”

“Yeah?” I didn’t want to hang up. I didn’t want to disconnect with his voice. I was terrified this was the last time I’d talk to him.

“Thanks for coming. Knew I could count on you.”

“Of course. Of course I would,” I said with a shaking voice.

“Now. Chin up. Get tough. Show ‘em how big your balls are. Emmy and I’ll be waitin’.”

The line went dead. I stared at the phone for a moment in sorrow and bewilderment, both. “What is his fascination with my lady balls?”

“What’s his status?” Stefan asked in a low tone. His dark eyes bored into mine. “What are we going into?”

“We’re up against some old Europeans with some excellent magic skills and who don’t treat humans very well. I think it’s safe to say they won’t be using any humans. Cato’s smart. He had me build up the human magic so as to entwine it with his. Two sides of magic going against one. That has to count for something.”

“We have the home turf, too, Sasha. Don’t forget that. Playing-field advantage.” Charles stared out the windshield. “I wonder if they’ll use shifters, though.”

“Probably. They used those shifters to scout us out.” I chewed on my lip in thought. “But they weren’t as organized as Tim. I think we definitely have an advantage. The question is, can we combat against their superior magic-working. We might have more strength, but they might have better spells.”

“Cato knows what he’s about.” Stefan shifted in his seat. His demeanor was calm even though his eyes were on fire. He was mentally preparing for a battle he had no doubt he would win. “He’s been at this a long time. Plus, Dominicous has organized a front line from all over the country. They’ve been preparing for this ever since the Council fiasco. We’re ready.”

I wished I had his confidence. Jonas’ life was on the line.

Chapter Six

Jonas shook out his hands and stood in a rush. He swung his body around and rolled his shoulders. Being stiff was the worst thing for what was coming. He’d be dead before he ever got in motion.

He pulled up his sweats and tucked the phone in the pocket as Emmy hustled back to the rack of tools and took down two whips. She tied them around her waist and bent to the ground. Digging her fingers in the cracks, she worried one stone from the rest, revealing a small hole. Moving quickly and with fantastic economy, she pulled out a belt of knives. Working under the whips, she attached the lethal belt over her hips, overlaying her sheer gown.

“You are probably the hottest warrior I’ve ever seen,” Jonas said.

Emmy looked up with furrowed eyebrows. The worry cleared from her face for a brief, red-cheeked smile before she went back to her occupation. “We don’t have long. We need to get out of here.”

“Do you have a sword?” Jonas glanced at the wall of tools behind her. A paddle wouldn’t do much good against anything sharp, and he wasn’t about to go twirling a whip in public. That was something chicks did.

Emmy glanced behind her and refocused on him. Worry clouded her gaze. “No. I was never taught how to properly use one, so I’ve never kept one around.”

Jonas shrugged and stalked toward the door. “I’ll take someone’s off them. How long have we got before your captives come calling?”

Emmy replaced the stone and straightened up. She wiped her hands on her dress and retied her whips. “Any time. I caught Nathanial off-guard, but he would’ve unraveled my spell nearly immediately. He doesn’t think I can go far, so he’s probably not hurrying, but still…”

“We just have to stall.” Jonas couldn’t help moving toward her and gently putting his hands on her shoulders comfortingly. He felt her flinch lightly at the personal touch, but she didn’t shrug him off. “Sasha will get this bitch humming. If anyone can shake it up, it’ll be her. We just have to stall long enough for her to get pissed, and then make our escape.”