by Rye Brewer
“Because we need all the help we can get. All of us do,” I shouted over the tide of voices raised in surprised protest. “Why claw at each other’s throats when there is only one enemy we all share?”
“Who would that be?” Will asked.
“Humans, of course. I’m not suggesting we wage war against them, but I am telling you—every one of you present in this place—that we are stronger together than we’ve ever been while separate and working against each other. They are our only true threat, yet we even manage a truce with them. Why not create the same truce among ourselves? Why not join forces, learn from each other, help each other in times of crisis?”
“This is all too much!” one of the French shouted, to the agreement of many surrounding him.
I held up my hands for silence, then invited our guests to take seats close to me. I wanted them nearby in case anyone decided to fight. “All I ask is that you hear me out. We are in the presence of two kings, whether they are our kings or not. And I would ask you to remember that King Allonic is half-vampire. That King Gregor’s daughter, my wife, is a vampire-fae hybrid. Queen Felicity is a member of the fae, while she lives among the shades. Every single one of them has a reason to want peace among us. Only stubbornness and hypocrisy stand in the way of that.”
“And just how does a vampire-shade become king?” someone halfway down the table asked, snickering.
This didn’t appear to shake Allonic. He’d been jeered at his entire life, after all. “My cousin challenged me to a duel. I won.”
It was a joy to hear it, as I knew he’d longed for nothing more. I managed to maintain my composure when what I really wanted was to clap him on the back and offer congratulations.
“If you vote me into permanent leadership,” I announced, “I would make my first order of business a truce with the shades. Second, I would offer a truce to the fae.”
“And witches?” Fane asked.
“And witches,” I agreed. This was getting out of hand. “With all supernaturals willing to work with us, rather than against us. Can you imagine how powerful an entity we could create? Leaders from all realms, working together, living in peace. I can tell you from personal experience that I never believed such a thing was possible. And why didn’t I? Because I’d never seen any evidence as to its possibility. Now? I have hope. Because I know how committed I am to forging strong relationships with other non-human species. I believe there is something much better for us and I’m willing to put work into ensuring we all benefit from it.”
There was no arguing with that, which came as a relief—to say the least. Until someone asked, “What about the Starkers? Rumor has it they’ve taken several of our kind hostage in their compound—wherever that happens to be.”
“It is true,” one of the Italian delegates confirmed, looking aghast. “Our spies tell us their center of operations is stronger and better funded than ever. For so long, we believed they’d disappeared completely.”
“Perhaps that’s what we wanted to believe,” I said, glancing at my father.
“They are no longer a threat,” he announced, standing. “I witnessed their destruction firsthand.”
“You witnessed it?” the Italian asked, echoed by several others. “What does that mean?”
“It means I happened to be present when their compound was struck repeatedly until it exploded, then collapsed into nothing but rubble. This took place just before my arrival. It makes sense that you wouldn’t have gotten word of it, being out of the country. I’m certain you’ll hear of it when you return home. There was no missing such a catastrophe.”
“How did it happen?”
“That’s not something I feel at liberty to share. But trust me,” Fane added, lowering his brow, “none of you will have to worry yourselves about them ever again.”
“Now that we know they’re out of the way and our only enemies are the ones we make for ourselves,” I surmised, “the time has come to put this to a vote. I would like to hear nominations for Lucian’s permanent replacement.”
Landon stood. “I nominate Jonah Bourke.”
A round of applause went up, which I couldn’t help but feel gratified by. At least they were willing to pretend to be enthusiastic.
“Thank you,” I murmured, nodding his way. “All in favor?”
Every hand rose. Even Will’s, though he took his time about it. Wouldn’t want to appear too eager.
“It appears to be unanimous,” I announced, feeling more than a little overwhelmed. This was the way it was always supposed to be, the way I’d seen events unfolding, but it was still one of the most surreal moments of my life. And I had experienced my share of the surreal.
My father beamed.
Felicity clapped, though discreetly.
Allonic smiled, nodding.
Gregor’s chest puffed out in pride until it was nearly twice its natural size.
“And I would like to nominate Landon as my second-in-command,” I announced, which was also passed by unanimous vote.
“You turned them around,” Fane murmured under voices overlapping in congratulation. He was right—they hadn’t seemed quite convinced until my speech. They were just as ready for a new beginning as I was. I couldn’t give myself all the credit when everyone in attendance only wanted a respite from Lucian’s double-dealings.
No matter how good he’d been at hiding his treachery, they’d seen his true colors.
“Another motion, then.” This one would not be so easy, no matter how the mood had improved. “In light of the fact that we’ve agreed a new beginning is in order, and in light of forging stronger bonds between ourselves and other non-humans, I’d like to nominate Fane and King Gregor as two non-voting members of the League.”
This went a long way toward silencing those who refused to stop talking among themselves. Most of those in attendance gaped at me.
“We must walk our talk,” I reminded them with conviction. “As I say, they won’t be granted a vote, but they will serve as advisors. Both have a long history of leadership. Both are fair-minded. They can advise us as to how the decisions we make in these meetings will affect those of their kind.”
“How did you become a warlock?” one of the Carvers asked.
I was beginning to regret forging any sort of truce with them. We would all be better off wiping them out of existence—but that was the old way of thinking. I shot Will a look of warning, hoping there would be a way for him to get through to his clansmen about speaking out of turn at our meetings.
As it was, just then, he merely lifted his shoulders. What do you expect me to do about it?
Fane took the question in stride. “I was not the one who decided to make the change. I’d been gravely wounded and, from what I heard after the fact, was hanging between life and death. A certain powerful warlock promised to keep me from alive, which my youngest son urged him to do. The warlock in question neglected to explain what he would have to do to keep me alive. When I awoke, and since that day, the bloodlust vanished. I no longer require blood to live, and I have no desire for it.”
“It’s unsettling,” I allowed, “but he is the man you remember. Fair, honest, wise, desiring the best for all of us. I trust him implicitly, whether he drinks blood or not.”
“You would say that,” Will challenged. “He is your father.”
“And I’m fortunate to be able to truly trust him, as I know there are so many whose fathers are far from trustworthy.” I watched with more than a small sense of satisfaction as he all but shrank in his chair. He would be a thorn in my side, no doubt about it, and I would need to stay a few steps ahead of him.
“Any other questions? Concerns?” If they had them, they thought better of voicing them. “I truly want to hear what you’re thinking. This isn’t a dictatorship, and you won’t be punished for voicing your opinion. I would rather hear your concerns now than find out later you’ve been sharing them among yourselves.”
A few guilty faces, yet no one spoke up.<
br />
“So be it, then,” I announced. “All in favor of allowing King Gregor and Fane to serve as non-voting advisors to the League, raise your hand.”
It wasn’t unanimous—the Carver clan was notably against the idea, folding their arms and making sure I knew they didn’t care to have a warlock and one of the fae attending meetings—but the rest of the assembly agreed, which was more than enough to pass the vote.
“The motion passes,” I announced.
“What of the law you mentioned?” Landon prompted.
I hadn’t forgotten. The thought of my brother wandering Europe was always at the forefront of my mind. “Thank you, Landon. I suggest we overturn the law stating that any vampire who turns a human is to be put to death—along with the one they turned. I move to extend amnesty to any and all perpetrators who’ve had no choice but to hide from the League. It’s time to unite.”
“All those in favor?” Landon asked.
This, at least, was unanimous.
“Thank you,” I said, meaning it with all my heart. Gage could come home. “If there are no further orders of business, I declare this meeting adjourned.”
And I wanted nothing more than a long rest. It was finally finished.
39
Naomi
People laughed. Music floated up from cars, from windows. The city twinkled in the distance.
I drew a deep breath, releasing it with a sigh. Paris. There was nothing like it.
A shame, then, that I didn’t feel safe there.
I would never have believed it before. It had been my home for decades, the only one I’d known for nearly as long as I could remember.
Yet there were still enemies everywhere, or there might be. That was the most unnerving thing of all. There might be enemies around every corner.
I couldn’t live the rest of my life this way.
Another sigh, and I wrapped my arms around myself as I settled deeper into the chair I’d pulled out onto the terrace outside Raze’s apartment. A day and a half, and I had yet to shake the uneasiness I’d brought with me from Italy. Nightmare images invaded my thoughts at the most inopportune times, leaving me shaking and unable to speak as an invisible hand clenched my throat.
Raze was the only one who could help me through it when panic threatened to get the better of me. Who was I becoming? Some hermit who’d live out the rest of her endless life behind closed doors, shutting out the rest of the world for fear of the danger it might pose? I would rather not live at all if that was what things would come to.
“Hi there.” He’d snuck up on me, Raze had, and I looked up with a vague smile as he perched on the edge of the railing running around the terrace. With his back to the city, framed in lights, he made a handsome picture. He made a handsome picture no matter where he was.
How that foolish Anissa hadn’t seen his worth ages ago was beyond me.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked with a grin.
“Nothing in particular. Why do you ask?”
“You had a certain look on your face. Grim, but smirking. It’s tough to explain.”
I wished it wasn’t so easy for me to blush in his presence. “I was thinking about the past. Mistakes. Wasted time.”
He made a noise of affirmation. “Situations such as the one we just went through tend to inspire that sort of thinking.”
“Were you thinking about it, too?”
“I don’t think I’ve stopped thinking along those lines since we got on the train,” he confessed. “We had an extremely close call. It’s bound to affect us.”
“When will it stop, do you think?”
He winced, his hands tightening around the railing. “I don’t know. Maybe it never will.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“That’s why we have each other, though. We can help each other through it, because we all know how it feels. I don’t mean we have to stay together forever, the four of us, but for now…”
He shrugged, looking down the street to avoid looking at me. I could tell that was his intention. How was it that I knew him so well already? “Did you mean the things you said back there?”
“At the compound?” he looked at me from the corner of his eye.
“Yes.”
“Of course. What, did you think I made it up?”
No, not exactly. I didn’t know how to explain it. “It wouldn’t be the most unfathomable thing ever, would it? We were in grave danger. We had no idea what was going to happen next. People tend to form connections in that type of situation. Everything is… more important. Elevated. There’s no telling what tomorrow will bring, or even what will happen in ten minutes.”
“And now? Now that we’re here and out of immediate danger? You wonder if I’m second-guessing what I told you back there.”
It wasn’t easy to offer up my feelings that way. Micah had never been one for feelings, which was all right with me. I’d already lost my only love and had no desire to form so strong an attachment, if that attachment would inevitably lead to pain.
Now, with Raze, everything was a mess in my head. And in my heart. “Yes,” I admitted, feeling more vulnerable than I had in a long time. “I suppose I’m a bit worried that you want to take it back now. If that’s the case, I wish you would tell me so. I wouldn’t want to hold you to it if there’s nothing there.”
He crouched in front of me, taking my chin in one hand. When they looked into my eyes, I would’ve sworn he could see straight through me. “I’ve felt an irresistible pull to you since the moment we met, and that’s not just talk. That’s the straight truth. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced anything like it.”
I covered his hand with mine, grateful and relieved. Even so… “Not ever?” I couldn’t help but ask.
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of her again. I almost wish I had never mentioned her name. You’ll spend the rest of our lives questioning me about her, comparing yourself to her, when the two of you couldn’t be more different. You exist on completely different planes. Anything I felt for Anissa was the result of… I don’t know what to call it. Childish infatuation. I felt sorry for her, too, losing her parents, having no one but her sister.”
His face darkened at the mention of Sara, and I couldn’t hold off the chill that ran through me at the memory of her display. How powerful she was. How furious.
He stood then, turning away to look out over the city. I watched him, noted the way his shoulders bunched up. He was having just as much difficulty handling what we’d witnessed as I was.
I stood up and reached for him, resting my palm against his back. Then, my cheek. “I’m here,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I’m here.”
“Which is exactly where I want you to be—no, where I need you to be,” he murmured. “I need you. Not just because we went through some wild, crazy experience together. Because you’re you, the same Naomi I was already falling for when we left for Italy. What happened there only deepened what I was already starting to feel. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t force feelings. You can’t make a person feel what they’re not able to feel. I wanted to force it for so long. I thought I could make someone care for me. I didn’t realize then that when it’s real, there’s no need to reach and stretch and strive. It’s just there.
He turned, wrapping his arms around me. “This might sound crazy, but I love you.”
It was like balm to my soul. I didn’t know how much I needed to hear that until I heard it. “Thank you.”
His face fell. “Thank you? Oh, jeez…”
“No, no!” I couldn’t help but laugh, though gently. “I didn’t mean it that way. I’m just so deeply touched. I love you, too. I do. So much. I have for so long. I wanted to keep myself from feeling it because I wasn’t sure if your heart was truly free.”
“It’s all yours. I swear it.”
“Good, because I’m a fairly greedy person when it comes to what’s mine. And you’re
mine, Raze.” I cupped the back of his neck with one hand and pulled him down for a long, lingering kiss.
Somehow, the simple act of touching my lips to his sealed what was broken in my heart and gave me hope that there was something much better on the horizon.
The ringing of a cell phone broke into what was otherwise a perfect moment—falling in love in the city of lights, which suddenly seemed much more romantic.
Gage emerged. “It’s the phone Fane gave me.”
All thoughts of romance went out the window as we watched, hand-in-hand, while he answered the call.
“Hello?... Jonah?”
40
Jonah
“Allonic.” I clasped his hand, grinning freely now that we were more or less alone. “You could tell a person when you take power, you know, rather than leaving me to hear it this way.”
He had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed. “There simply hasn’t been time, undoing all the harm Garan caused—”
“I would never hold it against you. I’m sure Anissa will be thrilled to death when she hears.”
“And what of my sister, Sara?” He lowered his voice. “I’ve heard reports that she was the witch who destroyed the Starkers.”
This soured my mood, but I nodded. “Yes, it was her. Fane was there, and my brother, Gage. She saved their lives, and those of others, I’m sure.” I couldn’t bring myself to be glad of it, though. It meant losing the Sara that Anissa loved, and I knew that wouldn’t sit well with her. It hardly sat well with me, after all.
Felicity joined us, sliding her hand against his and clasping it tightly. The love in her eyes was tender, sweet, and I had no doubt she would be just as valued an advisor to Allonic as she’d ever been to Gregor.
The thought of him turned my attention away from Sara. He was speaking with Fane, their voices low, but I didn’t get the impression of the conversation being anything less than friendly. “Whoever imagined a pair of men as different as they are would be in-laws?” I snorted.
