Chapter 340

Tessa’s POV

“We need to speak with Joseph,” Bernard said as soon as we burst through the doors of the visiting center.

The guards glanced down at me with a frown.

“Joseph said—”

“I don’t care what Joseph said, I’m the boss. This is too important to wait,” Bernard said, cutting off his words.

“Yes, sir,” the guard said as he stepped aside.

I followed Bernard through the door, and I froze entirely when I saw that the headmaster glob was in a much worse state. Carter was practically hyperventilating in the corner with blood covering his face, hands, and clothes. I knew it wasn’t his blood which made me shudder. But that wasn’t what made me freeze; it was Joseph.

He was also now covered in blood, and he looked to be filled with rage.

“Joseph!” Bernard shouted, ordering him to stop. He was about to deliver another blow on the headmaster until he heard Bernard’s voice and then he turned to look at him.

He was breathing heavily, and he had a crazed look in his eyes. It was a look I had never seen before, and it sent a chill down my spine. Joseph finally saw me near the doorway and our eyes locked. His eyes widened in shock, and he dropped the weapon he was holding.

I flinched as it clattered to the ground.

“Tessa,” he said, breathlessly. Then his eyes narrowed at Bernard. “What is she doing in here?? I told them not to let her in. I didn’t want her to see—”

“We found out something important you need to know,” Bernard said, interrupting him.

“What?” Joseph asked through his teeth.

“He’s a glob,” Bernard informed him, motioning for the headmaster. “He’s not the real headmaster.”

“What?!” Both Carter and Joseph asked at the same time, both straightening their posture at the news.

“That would mean—” Joseph began.

“The real headmaster is dead?” Carter completed.

“Yes,” Bernard confirmed. “We found him under the floorboards of his office. From the current state he was, he was there for months.”

“Shit,” Carter cursed. “Then this asshole isn’t going to tell us shit because globs can’t die. He has nothing to lose. How are we going to find Ruby?”

That snapped me back to reality and I stepped forward.

“There’s a chance Penny took her to my father’s farm,” I told them, drawing their attention to me. “His farm is private, and she’ll be able to break the spell without anyone spotting her.”

“And it’s the place that the spell was cast to begin with,” Joseph said as realization dawned on him. “Of course; it’s so obvious.”

“Then, what are we waiting for?” Carter asked as he rushed toward the doorway.

Bernard blocked his path.

“Get cleaned up first. Use the student washroom,” Bernard ordered them. “We aren’t traveling with you both looking like you committed unthinkable crimes.”

Joseph gave me a sheepish look and I fought to avoid his eye contact. He ran his fingers through his hair, and I knew he was ashamed of himself, or maybe he was ashamed that I saw him in the act.

“Then, we need to hurry because we already wasted enough time. The spell could be broken at any moment and once that happens, Tessa will be in danger.”

They nodded in agreement, and they started to walk past me. Carter disappeared through the door, but Joseph hesitated once he reached it.

“Tess—”

“We’ll talk later,” I stopped him from saying anything more.

He looked defeated by my dismissal, but he nodded his head once and then followed Carter out of the room.

Bernard stayed behind and the room fell eerily silent.

“Are you okay?” He finally asked after a long while.

“I don’t know,” I whispered, staring at the disfigured blob still attached ot the chair. “That was intense. I’ve never seen Joseph like that before… I don’t know what to think.”

“It’s important to remember that we aren’t human, Tessa. Joseph is a vampire which makes him dangerous and deadly. But he did this because he’s trying to protect you,” Bernard reminded me. “Don’t let this scare you away from him. He loves you.”

I nodded and smiled at Bernard.

“I know he does,” I said, glancing at the engagement ring on my finger. “And I love him too.”

“Good,” he said. “You should contact the coven and let them know to meet us at your father’s farm. I’m going to have some of the guards help me clean this mess up and put away this glob.”

I nodded in agreement as I fished for my phone out of my pocket. I left the room and went outside I found Esme’s contact number and pressed the phone to my cheek.

“I hope you’re calling with good news,” she said as soon as she answered the phone.

“Depends on what you think good news is,” I said, biting my lower lip and leaning against the brick wall of the building.

“Do you know where your friend is?”

“We think Penny took her to my father’s farm. I need you to gather the coven and bring them there as soon as possible. It won’t be long before the spell is broken and once that happens, I’ll be hunted by literally everybody.”

“We’ve been working on a protection spell. Once we get to your father’s house, we can enchant his home so no magical beings can enter without being invited. It’s a tough spell, but the coven is powerful enough to make it happen. It could be a safe haven for you until we figure out how to defeat Penny.”

“That’s great,” I agreed. “Let’s make that happen. Just get there as soon as you can.”

“Will do,” she said. “Oh, and Tessa?”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful.”

“I will,” I told her. “You too.”

I hung up the phone without another word and closed my eyes. I breathed in the fresh air, allowing it to fill my lungs and then holding it for a moment before releasing it.

“Moon Goddess,” I whispered as tears burned the back of my eyes. “Give me strength. Please protect Ruby. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything were to happen to my best friend. Help me figure out what I’m supposed to do.”

Was this really the life my mother wanted for me? Did she want me to continue running and hiding from what I truly am? I am the Heavenly Heart, sent here by the Moon Goddess herself. I get that my mother was only trying to protect me, but her spell was nothing more than a band-aid. Now I have to fight in a battle that should have been over years ago.

I wrapped my arms around my body and took in another deep breath.

There has to be a reason why she tied this spell to crystals. Maybe she wanted this spell to be broken someday so I could finally stop hiding. Maybe this spell wasn’t meant to last.

Before I could dive too far into my thoughts, Joseph appeared beside me.

“Tessa…” he breathed.

I turned to look at him; his image distorted due to the tears wedged in my eyes. He was much cleaner, and he even changed his clothes entirely. His hair was wet from his shower, and he certainly smelled a lot better.

“Hi,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes.

Without saying another word, he closed the gap between us and wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to him. His warmth and protection radiated around me and enclosed me in a case of safety.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered against my temple as he peppered soft kisses along the side of my face.

I shook my head and forced a smile.

“Don’t be,” I said in a broken whisper. “I understand you had to get information out of him. I don’t blame you and I’m not upset with you.”

Held me tighter.

“Then why are you crying?”

“I guess I’m just confused and worried about this entire situation. I don’t know if I’ll be able to beat her, but I’m going to do everything I can to try.”

He lowered his lips and pressed them against mine in a soft lingering kiss.

“My only job is to protect you, Tessa. I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure you are safe. I promise,” he whispered against my lips.

I smiled and nodded at his words.

Soon, we were joined by the guards, Bernard, and Carter.

“The Nightwalker police are still looking into things. They will get rid of the body and the glob. Chief Mulligan is on his way. He has something that can dismantle the blob and trap it so it can’t hurt anyone else,” Carter said, running his fingers through his hair. “We should go though. I need to find Ruby.”

We all nodded in agreement.

Not before long, we piled into our cars and headed towards my father’s farm.

I was seated in the backseat, Bernard was driving, Carter was in the passenger seat, and Joseph was next to me.

I wondered if my father was at the farm currently and if he knew what was happening. Maybe he’s so far gone that he’s actually helping her. I tried calling him a couple of times during this ride, but his phone kept going to voicemail.

Maybe they aren’t even there, and we are wasting our time.

No. I couldn’t think like that. I had to think positively.

It was going to take a little over an hour to get there and I had to remain positive the entire time.

Within 30 minutes a dark fog appeared in the distance. My brows furrowed; I had never seen anything like it before. It was too light to be smoke, but too dark to be actual fog. An eerie feeling fell upon the world, and everything seemed almost quiet. Way too quiet.

Like the quiet before the storm. A bitter scent filled my nose and I had to cover my nose and mouth to keep from gagging. We were driving directly into the dark fog and a chill ran up my spine.

I was seated in the backseat, Bernard was driving, Carter was in the passenger seat, and Joseph was next to me.

Joseph wrapped his arms around me protectively.

I had a bad feeling about it.

“Fuck…” Bernard whispered under his breath.

“What is that?” Carter was the one who asked the question we were all wondering.

After a beat of silence, Bernard finally answered, “It’s the spell being broken. We are too late.”