Chapter 239

Joseph’s POV

I wanted to teleport to the coven house location, but Esmeralda said that we should be using as little magic as possible when we get there and when we get her out of there because they will be able to track us if we use magic in their territory.

So, we drove.

It took a few hours, but we finally reached the small town that Tessa’s father’s farm was in. I was surprised that the coven house was only a few minutes away from the farm. It was right under our noses the entire time.

It looked like a basic house on the outskirts of town; with a basic wooden fence that went around the house.

I parked the car, and I was about to get out, but Esme stopped me when she saw the owl flying high over the car and through the night sky. She rolled down the window and held her arm out for the owl to perch on her.

“Where’s Tessa’s window?” She asked the bird.

Surprisingly, the bird flew high in the sky again and wrapped around the building, disappearing entirely. I furrowed my brows at the retreating bird and then looked back at Esme.

“Pull around back,” she instructed. “If Tessa’s room is in the back, you’ll want to have quick access to your car. Your escape route is her window.”

I nodded and put the car in drive, pulling around the back of the building.

She quickly got out of the car and walked over to the wooden fence, pressing her fingers to the bottom of it. I got out of the car as well and watched as her hand lit up and flames engulfed the bottom of the fence.

A hole was burned in the fence, just wide enough for me to fit through.

“What are you doing?” I asked, confused.

“Creating an escape route,” she said shrugging.

Once she was done, she walked back to the car and grabbed the potions from inside her bag. She took a sip of the red one as she handed me the blue one.

“Only take a sip,” she said cautiously. “Any more than that could cause damage.”

I sipped and winced at the bitter taste; I coughed, nearly throwing up but swallowing it down.

“That’s stuff’s nasty,” I grimaced.

She grinned and took the potion from me while handing me the red one.

I took a sip of that one as well; it went down a bit easier and it wasn’t as bitter. But it still tasted nasty. I didn’t feel any different though and when I expressed that she just shrugged.

“You aren’t supposed to feel anything,” she said, putting the potions back in the car.

She handed me the green potion but before she let me grab it, she said, “It’s for Tessa. Be careful with this.”

I nodded and took the potion, tucking it into my coat pocket.

“Follow my lead, stay quiet. I will get you to Tessa. If all goes as planned, you will escape with her through her window and get back to your car. Once you are in your car, drive and do not stop for anything. Go straight to Tessa’s father’s farm and get into that house. It’s a safe haven that’s been set up a long time ago. No witch outside of Tessa’s bloodline can enter without permission from the owner.”

My eyes grew large.

“How do you know that?” I asked, suddenly very curious about who Esme was.

“It’s a long story,” she muttered. “Just get there. Explain everything to Tessa’s father. Tell him that I sent you…”

“Her father hates me,” I cut in. “He will kick us out and probably call the coven leader. He’s the reason she’s here.”

“It’s because he doesn’t remember how awful this coven is,” she said, shaking her head. “Just trust me. Tell him that I sent you… he will remember my name. He will trust it. He needs to revoke the permission he gave the Coven leader to take Tessa. They won’t be able to take Tessa if Rick forbids it. It’s part of the grand council law.”

“What?”

“I can’t explain everything right now. Just trust me,” she scolded.

I nodded but then I shook my head.

“Wait, why aren’t you coming with us?” I asked.

She sighed.

“I’m going to stall them so you can get away. My priority is to get Tessa out alive,” she paused when she saw my very confused face. “Look, Joseph, I know witches and vampires don’t get along. But I need to know… do you trust me?”

I thought about it for a moment, studying her very serious face and then I nodded.

“Yes,” I answered.

“Good, then let’s go,” she said, turning away and walking toward the front of the house.

“How are you going to escape though?” I asked as my brain started to come back together.

“Don’t worry about me. I can handle my own,” she said without looking back at me.

Without another word, I followed Esmeralda around the front of the house. Most of the lights around the house were turned off, including Tessa’s room, which I knew was her room because the owl was flying in circles around it.

It was in the middle of the night, so I knew most were probably sleeping. I knew waking them right now probably wasn’t going to be in our best favor, but Esmeralda didn’t seem too worried about it.

She stepped up to the door and immediately began to pound her fist against the wooden frame. The knock was loud and powerful; I stepped back, waiting as I saw a light turning on.

The door opened and a bulky man with dark hair and blue eyes stood at the doorway. His hair was tousled, and it was obvious he had just woken up. His brows were scrunched together, and he was looking anything but happy.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” This man asked in a gruff voice.

“Lucias Vanderbilt?” Esmeralda surprised me by naming him. She honestly sounded a bit surprised herself.

“Esme?” He asked, recognition flashing across his eyes and then they widened. “W…what are you doing here?”

Esme straightened her shoulders and placed a smile on her face. She only faltered once and now she was recovering herself.

“It’s been a long time,” she said, keeping her eyes on his. “I didn’t realize you were still alive, let alone the coven leader.”

“A lot has happened since you were last year, Esme,” he said, shaking his head and leaning against the door frame. “You would have known that if you stuck around long enough.”

She raised her brows at him.

“I moved onto bigger and better things,” she said simply.

“Without a coven?” Lucias asked.

Her eyes narrowed and her lips were pressed in a thin line.

“Who said I didn’t have a coven?”

“Well, you aren’t here any longer. So, I’d assume—”

“You assumed wrong,” she said flatly.

My stomach tightened; Esmeralda was once a part of this coven? How had I not known that?

“So, you aren’t a lone witch?” Lucias asked, raising his brows.

“I am not,” she said in return. “In fact, I’m part of the witch's grand council.”

“What?” He asked, his face falling as he assessed her features. “You’re joking.”

“I assure you, I am not,” she said. “This is my apprentice, Jeremiah,” she added, motioning for me.

It took me a second to realize she was talking about me. I gave him my best smile, hoping he couldn’t smell my vampire scent and that the potion Esme gave me worked.

Lucias looked at me, squinting his eyes for a moment.

“You look familiar; have we met before?” Lucias asked.

Panic rose in me; I forgot that these people were the ones who sent that guy to kill me. Which meant they already knew who I was. I should have worn some kind of disguise or something, but I was careless.

“I don’t believe so,” I said, trying to remain casual.

Lucias looked me over one last time before his eyes fixed on Esme again.

“What are you doing here?” He finally asked her.

“The council got word about your new member, and they sent me to come to check out the situation,” she said simply.

“I never needed to check in with the council for new members before,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “Why now?”

“Because we both know that she’s not just a normal member, Lucias,” Esmeralda said, dropping her voice low.

I could see the color draining from Lucias’s face.

What did Esmeralda mean by that? I have more questions now than I did at the start of all of this.

“She’s sleeping right now. Can’t you come back in the morning?” Lucias asked.

“You know the council works best when they use the element of surprise,” she shrugged. “I’m sure she won’t mind answering a couple of questions. We won’t be long and once we get what we need, we will be on our way, and you won’t have to worry about us again.”

Lucias looked unconvinced.

“What kind of questions are you asking her?”

“You’ll find out soon enough,” Esme stated just as she shoved past him and into the house. His mouth fell open when she entered the house. I’m assuming she broke through the barrier with ease.

I cleared my throat and stepped into the house as well.

As I walked by, Lucias’ eyes remained on mine, and I could feel the high alert and tension he felt. He was wary of me, that much was obvious. I tried not to appear suspicious though and kept my head low as I followed Esme into the living room

“Just keep it quiet, I don’t need the coven waking up,” Lucas said through his teeth.

Esme smiled sadistically at him and placed her hands on her hips.

.

“I’ll go get her,” Lucias said as he started toward the stairs.

“Actually, my apprentice is going to go and get her,” Esme said, stopping him before he reached the stairs.

He paused and turned toward us.

“Excuse me, what?” He asked, raising his brows.

“The level of questions I have for her can’t be influenced by you. I hope you can understand,” Esme said, giving him an obvious fake smile.

I was impressed with the level of acting she was giving him and the knowledge she had on this stuff. He looked uncomfortable but he didn’t argue, he stepped aside and nodded.

“Third door to the right,” he said through a clenched jaw.

I nodded and quickly walked past him and up the steps. With each step I took, the faster my heartbeat. I couldn’t believe Esmeralda’s plan actually worked.

I was seconds away from getting to her; seconds away from seeing her.

Seconds away from holding her in my arms.

I reached her door and grabbed the door handle; thankfully it was unlocked, Pushing the door open, I stepped into her dark room. I turned on the light and frowned when I saw her empty bed. My heart fell deep into my stomach; a million different scenarios ran through my head.

Did they hide her?

Did they know we were coming?

Was this a setup?

Before my mind could spiral any further, I heard her soft voice from behind me.

“Joseph?”

I whipped around, startled that the voice came from behind me; when my eyes registered her terrified and tear-filled eyes, I realized she was hiding behind the door, and she was holding a baseball bat.

“Tessa…” I whispered.

She let out a small sob, dropping the bat, and then she threw herself into my arms.