Sacred Spite

by Nadia Heaton

  “Fine, then let’s do this. Mirabelle will notice the wards if they’re kept up for too long. Once I’m gone, you should take them down, though make sure to cover up the orb first. You’ll also need to figure out something to tell mom and dad.”

  Tristan and Lisette exchanged a look. Apparently, neither of them had thought of that.

  “Um. Any ideas?” Lisette looked to Tristan. As the youngest, Tristan had always been able to get away with murder.

  “We can say Fleur is sleeping.”

  “That’s your big plan? I’m sleeping? No way will they go for that.”

  “No, but I doubt they’ll question. They don’t agree with Mirabelle either. This gives them plausible deniability.”

  “Well, look at you, little genius. What do you think, Lis?”

  “I say Tristan is right. You let us worry about that, though. Just make sure you get out of there in once piece.”

  Fleur was reasonably sure she could promise that much for her body, but she didn’t know about her heart. She kept that thought to herself as Tristan and Lisette started chanting. She closed her eyes, waiting for the swooping sensation she knew would come as she was magically transported.

  Had the three of them not been so distracted, they might have seen their other sister quietly watching from the shadows. Bethany had grown up with witches, and knew how to sneak around wards.

  As it was, all they were aware of was the spell that sent Fleur flying toward Savion.

  22

  Fleur expected to appear right in front of Savion. That was where the spell was aimed at sending her, but apparently, Rashid’s chateau was warded against magic from witches. She found herself crouched behind some bushes in what she sincerely hoped was the woods near the chateau.

  It was possible Rashid’s warding had sent her in the opposite direction, but that would be a lot of magical power to invest in wards, and she hoped he didn’t have that much juice on his own without a coven to pool power with.

  She stayed where she was for a minute, getting her bearings. Going wandering off in the wrong direction could be disastrous. Fleur spotted a path, and used the remains of the setting sun to orient herself north. If she was in the woods by the chateau, it would be north of her.

  It didn’t take long. After a few minutes of walking along the path, Fleur saw the chateau through a break in the trees. It was huge; surely it had to be Rashid’s. This area wasn’t big enough for more than one house that size.

  Her original plan had been to go straight in, but if there was warding against witches placed, Fleur needed to be careful. Maybe it would be best to send a luring spell to Savion and wait for her to come to her.

  Fleur grinned as she thought about what she could use as a lure. She settled a memory from the old cathedral. The memory contained no clothes and quite a few moans of pleasure. That would get him out, surely. It took less power than a message spell, and she may well need her power.

  She focused on the memory as she sent the spell, letting it go only when the spell went off with a faint flash of purple light, heading toward the chateau. Fleur watched carefully, sighing in relief when it seemed to pass the threshold without trouble. It was just a tiny speck of magic, not powerful enough to set off all but the most sophisticated warding.

  Moving as quietly as she could, Fleur went around the side of the house so that she was facing the back door rather than the front one. She moved back into the trees, shielding herself from view, watching.

  Barely five minutes later, Savion stumbled through the door with a dazed look. He hurried toward the trees and nearly bumped straight into her. “Fleur?” Savion blinked in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

  She couldn’t resist playing with him a little. “I could ask you the same thing.

  “I… I was talking to my brother, then I remembered… and I just had the sudden desire for some air…” Savion’s perplexed expression turned to a scolding one as Fleur giggled. “You? What are you playing at, Fleur?”

  “Relax, I needed to talk to you, and this was easier than sending a message.”

  “And more fun, no doubt.”

  “Come on, don’t pretend it’s a bad memory.”

  Savion’s expression softened. “It’s not. I just didn’t know you felt the same way. With the way you rushed off…”

  Fleur hadn’t intended for the conversation to go this way, and she quickly changed the subject. “I’m not here to talk about that. We have trouble.”

  “Yes we do. Since when can a witch cast a spell that makes my limbs not my own anymore? I could be walked over the edge of a cliff!”

  “I wouldn’t do that to you. Lure spells only work if you have a memory that will lure the person in question. Your enemies would hardly have that.”

  Savion nodded, but he still seemed wary. Perhaps Fleur should have tried to give him more warning, but there was no harm done, really, and he was adorable when he was flustered.

  “As I was saying, we have real trouble, though I expect you know that.”

  “If you’re referring to how your coven knocked me and my brother on our asses for the crime of wanting to talk to you, then yes, I know what you mean.”

  “Hey, don’t give me that look! I tried to argue with Mirabelle, but she’s the coven leader. Why do you think I’m here? She’d skin me alive if she knew I came to warn you!”

  Alarm overtook all other expressions on Savion’s face. “Are you in danger? I can take you somewhere safe, somewhere no one else can find us.”

  The offer was achingly tempting, but Fleur knew she couldn’t accept, at least not right now. “No, Savion, it’s just a figure of speech. Mirabelle may punish me harshly, but not physically. That’s never been her style.”

  “How would she punish you?”

  Fleur hesitated, and he put a hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

  “She may name another successor,” Fleur admitted. “I was supposed to take over as coven leader after her, but now…”

  “Fleur… I’m so sorry. I never meant to endanger your standing within your coven.”

  “It’s not your fault. I make my own choices, and I don’t regret them. Mirabelle knows everything now – or, almost everything. She doesn’t know about what happened at the cathedral, and I plan to keep it that way. Nothing would stop her coming for your head if she knew.”

  Savion narrowed her eyes. “You have a lot to do with her knowing more than she should. I was watching at that coven meeting, remember?”

  “I had to tell her something, or she wouldn’t have believed anything I said. I did the best I could. It hasn’t exactly been easy, Sav.”

  Fleur clamped her mouth shut. The nickname had just slipped out without her permission. She peeked shyly up at Savion, to find him grinning widely. He pulled her into a gentle hug. Fleur tensed at first, but he didn’t ask for anything more than a simple embrace.

  “It’s good to see you again,” he murmured. “More than good. I wondered if we’d ever meet again. Fleur, I need to know – I understand why you ran, I did, but I can’t keep going not knowing. Is there really something here? Do you feel it too?”

  The words stuck in her throat. Fleur wouldn’t lie to him, but she found that the yes aching to burst from behind her lips was jammed behind her teeth. She realized she was trembling slightly, and cursed her own weakness.

  She couldn’t tell him, so Fleur did the next best thing. She looked deep into Savion’s eyes, baring her soul to him. She hid nothing, letting all of her internal barriers down. His eyes widened at what he saw, and Savion smiled radiantly at her.

  “Thank you.”

  Very reluctantly, Fleur brought the topic back to the issue at hand. “You know I don’t want you to leave, but you have to. You can buy me some time to work on Mirabelle. She’s not stupid. I have to be able to convince her that we would benefit more from an alliance with vampires than a war with them.”

  “So, what? Jermaine and I return with our coven to the Caribb
ean? We just sit back and wait? You have to know that neither of us is willing to do that. We both have personal stakes in this, and we will fight for our own futures.”

  “You can’t fight if you’re dead! Please, let me try to handle this. If I fail, then you can step in, but at least give me a chance. I can do this, if you’ll just give me time.”

  Savion hesitated. “It’s not in my nature to run away.”

  “It’s not in my nature to fall in love with a vampire, but here we are!”

  Oh no. She’d done it again. What was it about Savion that just had the truth spilling out, truths, she hadn’t even fully admitted to herself? Fleur stared at him, waiting with bated breath.

  Savion pulled her close, and she saw acceptance in his eyes. “Ok. Ok, I’ll go, but not forever, ok? I’ll get a stupid phone like Jermaine has, so we can stay in contact. If you don’t make progress with Mirabelle, I’m not waiting forever.”

  “Understood.” They were so close, and Fleur found herself getting lost in his eyes. Savion suddenly pulled her close, so that their bodies were flush up against each other. He kissed her hard, and Fleur returned the kiss with equal desperation. When would she see him again? The challenges facing them seemed insurmountable. They kissed for a long time, long enough for Fleur to become breathless from the intensity, but she didn’t pull away.

  Savion abruptly did. He was staring at something over her shoulder with narrowed eyes. Fleur turned around, and her heart seized in horror.

  Witches were descending on broomsticks, landing on the roof of Rashid’s chateau. Not just any witches – her coven. Mirabelle stood in front, smiling at Fleur. “Thank you for leading us to the vampires, Fleur. Your job here is done; you may go now.”

  23

  Fleur gaped at Mirabelle, unable to reconcile her presence. How was she here? How did she know? She turned back to Savion, just in time to see him stagger. He was looking at her as though he’d never seen her before. Hurt and betrayal were clear in his expression.

  “Sav, I didn’t –”

  He didn’t wait for her to finish. Quicker than she could think to stop him, Savion ran toward the witches. For a moment, she feared he would attack her coven, but he simply bolted back into the chateau, shouting out a warning for his coven.

  Fleur ran after him, determined to explain, but she ran straight into an invisible wall.

  “Stay where you are, Fleur,” Mirabelle told her coldly. “We will handle this.”

  Fleur noticed that Tristan and Lisette were notably absent, and she wondered what it had taken to contain them. They wouldn’t have allowed this without a fight.

  “Stop this! This is insanity!”

  No one listened to her. The witches hopped down from the roof and stood shoulder to shoulder, facing the chateau. As one, they blasted magic right at the building. It must have some kind of shielding, because it stood for a moment, but then the shields were overwhelmed, and the door was blasted inward.

  Fleur gave up talking and focused her energy on dismantling her prison. Mirabelle and the others were moving away into the chateau, throwing magical destruction before them. She could hear wood splintering and brick crumbling under the assault.

  After a few minutes, she managed it. Fleur ran into the rapidly deteriorating manor to find Rashid and Savion’s coven facing off against a group of angry witches. They were rallying their magic, and the vampires would not be able to withstand it once unleashed.

  “NO!” Fleur used magic to grab at the air around her, whipping it up under the feet of her coven. Even those who didn’t fall flat on their backs were distracted in keeping their balance, and it was the moment of opportunity the vampires needed.

  “Go!” Rashid pulled open some kind of hatch. Beneath, Fleur could see a long, wide pipe filled with water. One by one, Savion’s coven leapt into it. She could just make out flashes of gray as they changed to their manta ray forms. Fleur understood. The pipes must go all the way to the ocean. Relief filled her. Savion and the others would escape. Even powerful witches couldn’t follow them through those pipes.

  Savion went last, and his eyes met hers for a moment. His gaze broke Fleur’s heart. Gone was all warmth and lightness. All that was left was anger.

  There were a few beats of silence as everyone recovered themselves. Then someone started cheering, and someone else joined them. Fleur couldn’t stop her tears as she stared at her celebrating coven. She’d never felt as isolated from them as she had in this moment. Mirabelle walked between her people, congratulating them, laughing merrily at the triumph of scaring the vampires away.

  No one paid any attention to Fleur as she cried into her hands, crumpled on the floor. Everything was ruined. Savion hated her, and now, she’d never see him again, never get a chance to explain. She still couldn’t figure out how Mirabelle had found them. They’d been so careful, and she knew her sisters would never betray her.

  Someone shouted something about a party at some club. Really? Fleur’s world was ending, and they wanted to go clubbing? She was sure that Mirabelle would have harsh reprimands to give her later, but for now, she was left alone in the empty vampire house.

  After her coven left, Fleur tried to pull herself together. Savion thought she’d betrayed him. She would never see him again, he’d make sure of that much. How was she supposed to move on? By all rights, it should be easy. She’d only known him a few days.

  If only it was that simple.

  Fleur suddenly knew what she needed to do. With a rush of power, she transported herself to the old cathedral. This was where she and Savion had made love. This was where she would mourn what was lost between them.

  Hours passed, and the night was at its darkest, but Fleur wasn’t afraid. She had more than enough power to defend herself from anything that lurked in the dark. Sometimes she cried, sometimes she just lay in the spot where she and Savion had been in each other’s arms. Surely, it would hurt less, if she just allowed enough time to pass?

  Fleur didn’t know when something changed. One moment, she was surrounded by comforting darkness, and the next, that same darkness suddenly seemed threatening. Fleur watched the shadows warily, wondering if she was just being paranoid.

  A soft word created a ball of magical light, hovering in her palm. Despite her heartache, the hours of rest had given Fleur time to recover her power. She was almost back up to full strength, and suddenly grateful for it.

  She brightened the light, and gasped at what it showed. In a far corner of the cathedral stood Savion in his flowing robes. Her first impulse was to rush into his arms, and Fleur took several steps toward him before registering his expression.

  Savion looked angry. More than angry, he looked furious. He started walking slowly toward her, and Fleur’s instincts were telling her to run, but her feet wouldn’t move.

  “Savion…” the whisper of his name didn’t seem to register on his face. Savion got so close to her that she could easily have reached out to touch him, but she didn’t. Fleur’s blood ran cold as he glared at her. “Let me explain,” she begged. She had never thought Savion would look at her like this, and it was breaking her heart.

  “There’s nothing to explain. I could have loved you, Fleur, but you will no longer keep me under your spell.”

  “No – it’s not a spell, I swear. Savion, this is real!”

  Savion turned and started walking away. Fleur reached out for him, but her arms were suddenly pinned behind her back. She twisted around to see Savion’s two friends, Vincenzo and Zan, holding her fast.

  “Let go of me. Let me go to him!”

  Neither of them spoke. Savion was still calmly walking away. Fleur started to get scared. What was this? Why had they come here, and why wouldn’t Vince and Zan let her go? She didn’t want to hurt Savion’s friends, but if they didn’t get out of the way soon, she was going to blast them out of the way.

  Fleur shouted his name. “Savion!” He didn’t so much as pause. “Savion!”

  24

  W
hat happened next wasn’t what she’d been expecting. Savion didn’t turn – he was blasted back, flying through the air and straight into her. Vince and Zan weren’t prepared for the impact, and all four of them toppled backward onto the ground.

  Fleur scrambled over to Savion, frantically checking him for injuries. He grabbed her wrists, and at first she thought he didn’t want her touching him, but then she realized he was doing the same thing. Savion expertly felt her arms, legs and torso, checking for breaks. He looked her over, and was apparently satisfied that there was no damage.

  The whole interaction only took a few seconds, but it filled Fleur’s belly with warm relief. He still cared. He must, if checking that she was ok was his first reaction. The two of them struggled to their feet, with Vince and Zan not far behind.

  Fleur gasped at what she saw. Mirabelle.

  “Go away! Haven’t you caused enough damage?” She put herself in front of Savion, fighting the impulse to attack her aunt. Mirabelle had ruined everything, but she was still family, and Fleur knew she’d hate herself later if she hurt her.

  “Stop being a child, Fleur! I will not let them hurt you!”

  “They’re not trying to hurt me! How many times do I have to tell you that? You’re not listening to me!”

  Mirabelle’s fingers crackled with magic as she glanced to the sides. Fleur did the same, and saw more vampires coming out of the shadows. “You will not hurt my niece, beings of darkness! No more will you deceive her!”

  Fleur was staring at the vampires around her in frank bewilderment. What was going on?

  Mirabelle answered that question for her. “You trusted them, Fleur? They intended to kidnap you! I put a spell on your and your sisters years ago, one that will tell me whenever you are in danger. Your misplaced trust would have gotten you killed, if not for that.”