I punched on the GPS and reached out to my brother.
What’s going on? I asked. Tyler, talk to me!
As soon as you made it through the circle, they left. Nick is on the road already. We aren’t far behind him.
Any luck with Dad?
Not yet.
Okay, keep trying. Rourke thinks we can make it to New Orleans if we stick to the back roads. Once the sun crests, we are hoping they back off.
Don’t worry about us. We’ll find you.
I sat back in my seat and reached up to secure my hair, which was flying around like a cyclone in the wind. I bound it with a twist tie I’d found in the ashtray. No windows at this speed was going to make it an interesting ride.
I leaned over and opened the glove box, moving the car insurance papers around, searching for anything that might help us. I half hoped I’d find a big red witchy help button to push for backup.
No such luck.
I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, mouthing a few simple phrases.
“What are you doing?” Rourke asked, his voice loud to compensate for the wind.
“Hoping that if I focus hard enough, a bag of beef jerky will appear in the glove box.”
12
“ Dammit,” I muttered. “I never should have told them to come here before we had a concrete plan in place.” We were parked outside of what Rourke had just informed me was the Vampire Coterie, which literally meant “clique” in French. It so figured the vamps would be cliquey. I was second-guessing my decision to order Naomi and Ray here ahead of us. “I just wanted them to be safe, but it’s not going to come without some serious consequences.”
“There was no way we could’ve known,” Rourke assured me. “You did what you thought was best in the moment, and I agreed with you. Demons aren’t something anyone takes lightly. They are feared for a reason. We were lucky to escape the circle before it had a chance to stop us. Naomi and Ray would’ve tried to protect you at all costs. It was much better they had gone.”
It was seven in the morning. The disturbances had stopped at daybreak, but that hadn’t meant we were clear of danger.
The sorcerers wouldn’t stop hunting us during the day.
Now that we were in the city, it was only a matter of time until they found us. We were waiting for Tyler, Danny, and Nick before we made our next move. “I don’t think we’ll be able to knock on the door until dark,” I said, nodding toward the imposing mansion with its turrets and high walls. “I’m assuming the Queen has to be awake in order to have a conversation, and we don’t know if she receives guests during the day. She is going to be less than thrilled to see us, to say the very least.”
Rourke’s tension filled the car. “Entering a Coterie full of vampires uninvited will be tricky no matter what—day or night—but with demons on the prowl, it’s our only real choice,” he said grudgingly. “As much as I hate the idea of going in there, I can’t come up with a better plan. The vamps are the only game in town powerful enough to keep the demons out. Once we connect with your father, and your Pack arrives to back us up, it will be a different story. Once we have strength in numbers to fortify us, we can move to a better location.” He gestured to the stone fortress the Queen called home. “This will only be temporary. Your father is one of the strongest supernaturals on the planet. You have to remember, the demons aren’t going to mess with him easily and they won’t want to tangle with Eudoxia either. It’s the best plan we’ve got.”
Tyler hadn’t been able to get in contact with our father after repeated tries. I was beyond worried and had crept into full-blown panic. Something was very wrong. “We have to believe what Maggie predicted to be true, or I’ll lose my mind with worry.” I undid the twist tie from my hair and tried to brush it out with my fingers. It was like trying to comb through straw. “We have to stay in New Orleans no matter what happens. Ray is already here, and because of that I have to believe my father will live. He has to.”
“Jessica, your father is an extremely strong supernatural,” he said. “It would take something immeasurable to defeat him. You have to remember that. He can take care of himself.”
“I know he is,” I said. “But the uncertainty is killing me.” I needed to focus on something I could fix. “Do you think Eudoxia has hurt Naomi and Ray? I mean, do you think she listened to them at all or just threw them in the dungeon?” I leaned out the open window to peer at the Coterie again.
Rourke gripped the steering wheel. “I think the Queen will use caution at first. She’s diplomatic if anything. She hasn’t stayed in power this long without learning a few tactical moves. But when she finds the bond is missing from her underling, there’s no doubt she will be agitated. Naomi will have a big job of smoothing things over.”
“Naomi is the embodiment of calculated intelligence, which is what I love the most about her. On the other hand, Ray is an impetuous hothead who has no idea what’s at stake.” I turned my head toward Rourke. “I should’ve told him what was going on. It may have bought them some needed time. If he’s his normal cocky self, they are likely in big trouble already.”
“There’s a definite chance the detective will hose things up,” Rourke replied. “But if he listens to what I’m certain Naomi told him repeatedly, I believe they have a chance. The Queen will know something happened, but she won’t know exactly what, and she may choose to believe Naomi. After all, she thinks her faithful servant is returning home after her mission, not coming back with an agenda.”
Jess! Where the hell are you? Tyler’s voice barreled into my brain.
I jolted upright in my seat, mouthing Tyler to Rourke.
I’m here, Tyler. Where are you?
We’re just getting into the city. We ran into an issue.
Demons? I asked. “They ran into a problem,” I told Rourke. He turned over the engine in the next breath.
But where would we go? We were stuck.
No, the sorcerers, Tyler said. We saw one of their vans just inside the city limits and we investigated. We managed to capture one of the assholes before the reinforcements came. I think he was a scout, too young to know any better, and we got him to spill some information. They’re working with the demons in a technical capacity. The sorcerers are summoning demons all over, but the deal is whoever gets to you first wins the prize. He didn’t know why the demons wanted you, but the sorcerers want something big. After we convinced him his life depended on giving us an answer, he said they were trying to steal your life force.
My life force? I turned to Rourke. His brow was furrowed. “The sorcerers are trying to steal my life force. Is that even possible?” That sounded way worse than trying to siphon my power.
“Hell no,” he snarled. “How would they even do that? I’d like to see them try.”
How can they steal what’s inside of me? I’ve never heard of that. It can’t be possible. And how bad would that hurt?
I have no idea, but according to their scout they’re going to try. They are rushing around and seemed fairly unorganized. The demons have gone home for the day, so they’re hoping to snag you first. Whatever the parameters of their agreement, I’m pretty sure the demons are in charge at night. Jess, you need to get out of the city as fast as you can.
And go where? There’s no safe place to get to before dark. I eyed the vamp stronghold. There’s nowhere left for us to run.
Well, you have about three minutes to decide. Five vans full of sorcerers are behind us on this road alone. It’s taken them time to regroup, but even if we don’t lead them to you, your signature is all over. We’ve been able to track you with the windows down. Once they stop and get a plan, they’ll be all over you.
Damn. Then we only have one choice left. We barter with Eudoxia for refuge until we can reach Dad.
The vamps are not going to protect us, he argued. We’ll be walking straight into enemy territory. I’ve told you all along this is not a good idea.
I don’t agree and neither does Rourke. The Quee
n wants my life force too—let’s not kid ourselves. If stealing my power is on everyone’s list, there’s nowhere I can go. As long as I’m still tantalizing to Eudoxia, we have something to bargain with. The goal will be to stay in control at all times. If she denies us, we get Naomi and Ray and fight our way out. But taking refuge in the vamp stronghold is the best we’ve got.
Tires squealed down the street.
I turned to Rourke. “Tyler has five carloads of sorcerers on his tail. We have to move now.”
The Suburban, with Nick at the wheel, rounded the corner, going up on two wheels. There was a loud explosion and an Orb flew over the trees, coming at us like a heat-seeking missile.
Rourke leaned over and threw open my door, yelling, “Go! I’m right behind you.”
I sprang from the car and took off at a dead run. The Orb exploded behind me, taking out the Porsche.
Car doors slammed and Tyler, Danny, and Nick joined us as we ran for the huge stone wall surrounding the mansion.
“Let me go first. If I get through, follow me,” I called over my shoulder, clearing the massive height in one leap. Nothing kicked me back, but a strange pulse of energy whipped through my body as I crossed the boundary line. Thank goodness it wasn’t warded.
I landed easily and kept running. I was up the steps to the front door, happy that nothing exploded behind me, before I took my next breath. I slid to a stop just short of kicking in the door, which would be considered bad manners for a visiting guest. I turned and glanced back for the first time and realized no one was behind me.
I watched as each of them tried to clear the wall again and was repelled backward.
Damn.
It was warded. I just hadn’t been affected by it.
I ran back to help and Rourke called, “Jessica, stay inside the boundary. We’ll find another way in.” Another explosion rocked the wall from the outside, but none of the Orbs were breaching the ward.
Before I could decide what to do, huge French doors directly above the portico of the mansion shot open and the Vamp Queen strode out into the morning light, a single finger pointed directly at an Orb hovering in the sky.
The thing froze in place.
Half a beat later, with one flick of her wrist, it evaporated into nothingness.
“You dare declare war on me?” her chilly voice rang out.
It seemed the Queen had no problem with sunlight and she was wide-awake.
That was a bonus.
I stayed inside the yard and moved to the top of the stairs so I could get a better vantage point. The sorcerers who had jumped out of their vans were now tumbling all over themselves trying to get back in them. So much for badass.
“Yes, scurry away like rats in a sewer,” the Queen’s voice raged. She shook an extremely pale fist toward the errant sorcerers. “Tell your High Priest he owes me restitution for this attack or he will pay the price in blood.” To punctuate her statement, the tires on one of the vehicles blew and the thing did a triple spin in the air. Her magic had manifested physically in a shock of white. The same shock of white that had hit me in the chest just a short time ago. I knew how powerful she was and now so did they.
The vans carrying the sorcerers peeled out, tires screeching as they went. I turned discreetly, trying to stay out of the Queen’s line of vision, and edged my way back toward the wall. I needed my team in here with me.
“You,” the Queen called. “Little Wolf Girl. You play with fire coming to my door unannounced, trailing trouble right behind you.”
I turned to face her, moving into her sight line. No use pretending I wasn’t here. “I apologize,” I replied. I had to play this right. Even if the sorcerers had temporarily left, the demons would be here soon and I still needed to bargain for shelter for the night. “Our Pack became separated on the road and it was either come here or risk death. I figured you were interested in keeping me alive, at least for a while. My duties to you don’t start for a few weeks, but as you can see, I’m ready and willing to meet with you now.”
She cocked her head at me, calculating. “You may enter, but know that I am not bound by our oath until three weeks from this date. You come into my Coterie at your own risk.”
“Hmm, as tempting as that sounds,” I responded, “how about we make a deal instead? I’m not entering without my companions, and we enter as your guests for the duration of twenty-four hours and are free to leave alive and unharmed at this same time tomorrow.”
“And what would interest me enough to welcome you into my home and keep all your lives intact?” she asked.
“If I die, you don’t get what you want. It’s pretty simple.” She moved to the edge of the railing that ran around the portico. I had chosen to call her bluff right from the get-go and I had her attention. “The sorcerers want my power and so do you. You want it through my blood and they want to somehow pull it out of me, but it’s the same thing. So if you keep me alive, you keep the power alive. Next, if you don’t offer us shelter, you risk war with the wolves. By denying us, you act against us.” That wasn’t technically true since we weren’t formal allies, but if she denied us and I was harmed as a result, it would be a valid enough reason for my father to declare war. “You already know my father is itching for a fight after the last time we met.” I tried my final tactic. “He would do almost anything to keep me away from you, including fight you before I’m due to honor my deal. But I’m here right now. This might be your last chance, Eudoxia. I wouldn’t let it slip through your fingers.”
She didn’t try to deny any of it, which earned her a few points. “What are your terms?” she asked coolly.
“I will agree to follow your rules once inside and you agree no harm comes to me or my team. I think that’s fair enough for now.”
“Ah, but you seek protection, do you not? Protection comes with a fee.”
I exhaled slowly. Of course she was going to make me work for it. “Then I guess the bigger question is, what do you want from me, Eudoxia? If protection comes at a cost, what is it going to cost me?”
Her face showed a hint of surprise. She hadn’t expected me to turn the tables so quickly. “The sunlight is burning my retinas. I will meet you all inside the foyer.” She flicked her wrist once toward the perimeter and left her perch without glancing back.
I turned to see the boys coming into the yard, Rourke in the lead.
“Jess,” Tyler called as he ran forward. “You can’t do this. You can’t make another deal with her. We don’t need protection that badly. The sorcerers are gone for now. We can hit the road and take off. Anything you agree to once we’re inside will put us at too great a disadvantage.”
“I believe he’s right,” Danny added. “We’ll be sitting ducks if we take up with these biters without a prior agreement. Anything you offer the Vampire Queen to keep us safe will be too high a price in my estimation. I say we cut and run.”
“Cut and run where?” I asked them both as they came to a stop, lowering my voice to barely above a whisper. “Right now she thinks the threat is sorcerers. We don’t have to mention we are having another issue. And don’t forget Naomi and Ray are inside. I’m not leaving here without them. It’s not ideal, but I agree to her terms and we stay. For one night. Enough to get in touch with my father, get the rest of our team, and come up with another plan.”
“We can’t forget the child oracle said we had to be in New Orleans,” Rourke added, directing his words at Tyler. “The sorcerers know we’re here. As soon as we leave the grounds, they’ll hunt us down. Even if we get out of town, there’s not another sanctuary near enough. I support Jessica. We stay here overnight, and if things improve, there’s a possibility we can head out tomorrow. If not, we renegotiate with the Queen. Jessica’s in more danger out there”—he pointed over the wall—“than she is in here at the moment.”
Tyler’s anxiety pinged through my system. He knew Rourke was right, but we all hated being in this predicament. This was a little more dire than being stuck betwee
n a rock and a hard place—it was more like being stuck between fangs and death. “Fine, but I’m not putting up with any of their shit. If they try to bite us, it’s going to be anarchy,” he growled. “I will kill any vamp who comes near me, no matter what we agree to.”
“They won’t risk biting us if their Queen doesn’t want a war,” I said. “And maybe it’s no accident we’re here.” I pondered that. “It makes the most sense. This is the first place Dad would look for us.” I glanced around the group. “I have to trust my instincts, and this feels right—”
Like a cue from a B movie, the massive front doors of the Coterie slowly creaked open on their own, signaling us to enter.
“Well, that was a bit creepy,” Danny said. “Let’s go on, then. We’ve reached our decision. And I don’t like the idea of leaving our mates in there any longer than necessary, so I guess it’s time to have a little fun fraternizing with the enemy.”
“That was a quick turnaround, Daniel Walker. From against to for in less than two minutes.” I chuckled as we all moved forward.
“What can I say?” he responded. “You’ve convinced me. And this choice happens to be a tad better than getting charred by an angry demon. As long as the vampires keep their distance, we should be able to cope. Plus, I wouldn’t mind learning a thing or two about their habitat. A bloke can learn a lot if he pays close attention.” He winked.
Rourke splayed a warm hand on the small of my back as we walked. Eudoxia is shrewd, but this is your game to win, he said in my mind. She’s not going to let this opportunity pass her by. Whatever she wants, she wants it badly enough to give you refuge, so use it to your advantage.
We ascended the massive marble steps and went through the open door.
That’s my plan, I replied. Once we have Naomi and Ray we can—
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