Nick nodded, though no one saw except Antonia. “I’ll have Lili email the list to you as soon as we finish this call. You’re sure you don’t mind.”
“I wouldn’t have asked otherwise,” Raphael said smoothly. “Having all of us in one place will facilitate our planning.”
“All right. We’ll see you . . . . Hell, we’ll see some of you in the morning. If you and yours can review everything we send, we should be able to meet up as soon as tomorrow night, and if it looks good, we can hit him late, when he won’t expect it.”
“Will you need transport from the airport?” Cyn asked.
“I can arrange that from here. I have a guy.”
“A guy?”
“Someone who makes that kind of arrangements for me when I travel.” He almost added, “You know me and cars, Cyn,” but caught himself in time. Instead, he just said, “Not everywhere I go has a rental car counter in baggage claim.”
“Okay. Anything else? Raphael? No? See you in the morning, then.”
“I’ll call when we’re on the ground,” Nick said and disconnected.
MAEVE HAD INSISTED on going out to California with the others, despite Dragan’s worries about the baby’s first flight. She’d assured him that their child was in no danger, that it wasn’t until much closer to her due date that she’d need to be careful. That hadn’t stopped him from watching her like a hawk the entire flight, even when she slept. Or so she assumed, since he was always wide awake and studying her when she woke. Across the aisle of Nick’s spacious private jet, Casey and Damian had pushed their seats back soon after boarding and slept peacefully, holding hands. The sight made her smile. She wished she could persuade Dragan to do the same. He’d be deep in the fighting the next night, and almost certainly flying, which consumed a huge amount of energy and calories. He should be downing tons of carbs and sleeping to get ready. Thus far, she’d been unsuccessful in convincing him of that.
Maybe after they arrived in Malibu, she and the baby would finally be safe enough for him to sleep. After all, she’d be inside Raphael’s walls and protected by his security the entire time. She and Lili would be working hard tomorrow. They’d already poked into every corner of Sotiris’s private network and estate, but now were digging through every site they could find—government and private—to uncover information on the neighborhood, especially the roads and traffic patterns. The house was behind the gates of Bel Air, which was less of a problem now that Raphael and his vampires were involved. According to Gabriel, the vamps could “persuade” the gate guards to let them through using a sort of hypnosis or something. Some kind of mind trick, anyway. Lili had remained in Florida with Abe, just in case Sotiris had hired people to attack the compound while Nick and the others were gone. Hell, he’d done it before. But distance was no barrier when two computer nerds with excellent hacking skills got to work.
She finally took Dragan’s hand and said, “I’m tired. I think I’ll take Nick up on his offer to use the bed in the back. Will you keep me company?”
Dragan moved so fast, she didn’t even see him remove his own seatbelt, before he was in the aisle and reaching for hers. Sliding forward, she let him help her to her feet, then preceded him down the aisle, while his hands rested on her hips (just in case). Nick looked up when they passed, and gave her a knowing smile, but only wished them a good rest and went back to his reading. Antonia reclined on the seat next to him, appearing to be sound asleep.
Once they were inside the bedroom, with the door closed, Dragan said, “I’m glad you decided to rest in here. It’s better.” He glanced around. “Much better. Come on, I’ll help you onto the bed.”
Maeve could have told him she’d been getting herself into bed since she was about two years old, but she loved him, so she let him “help” and gave an appreciative sigh of contentment when he lay down next to her. With her head on his shoulder, and his arm holding her close, he finally slept, and so did she.
Malibu, California
BY THE TIME darkness fell over Malibu the next night, Maeve and Lili, with the help of Raphael’s excellent and well-equipped daytime tech staff, had worked through the day, doing everything they could to ensure the fighters would have all the information available on Sotiris’s base, so that when the fight was over, they could all go home alive and whole.
They’d downloaded the blueprints of Sotiris’s mansion, which as Nick had told Raphael, included both the original builder’s blueprints, and a later set, which had been submitted by the contractor who’d performed recent renovations. They’d joked then that they hoped the owner had good insurance, because he wasn’t going to get his house back in the same condition as when he’d leased it to the sorcerer.
They’d also obtained live images of the mansion, courtesy of a human helicopter pilot who was mated to a local vampire, and so was happy to help out Lord Raphael and his friends. Nick had gone up with him to see if he could scan for magical use, which he had. And that had been tremendously helpful. But they’d also done several additional passes, including one using infrared technology, which provided a rough idea of how many human mercenaries Sotiris had concealed around the property. Vampires were another matter, however. If there were any, they’d probably be concealed underground. But even if they were in sealed rooms above-ground, vampire body temperatures were distinctly cooler than the human norm. If the room they were sleeping in was kept cool enough, they wouldn’t show on the scans, since infra-red detected temperature differences. The humans showed up clearly enough, however.
But while they were interested in the number of troops Sotiris had on-site, they were mostly concerned about detecting any structural changes to the property that the owner, or more likely Sotiris, had performed. They were looking for newly installed escape tunnels, or doors in unusual places, all of which were provided by a combination of the blueprints and any records they could find in Sotiris’s network of workmen being called to the property. Everything they found would be downloaded to the cell phone of every fighter, although it was made clear to them that these were to be used only in extreme circumstances.
As for communications, Maeve again worked with Raphael’s amazing tech people to link up a Bluetooth comm network. Every fighter was assigned to a small troop, and every member of that troop received an identical call frequency. In addition, there was a general frequency for everyone’s use, and of course, a command frequency for Nico and Raphael, Nico’s four warriors, and Juro, Raphael’s head of security.
Grace and Kato showed up late afternoon with their adorable baby girl, who was crawling like a racer, and according to Grace, would soon be walking. Kato and Dragan went off to do warrior-like things, probably checking the weapons brought in from Florida and checking out those in what Kato described as Raphael’s massive weapons collection. Grace left at the same time, a little nervous at having the baby around all that equipment, although she said it was for the baby to get some sunshine. Maeve could have told her it was cloudy as hell outside, and that she didn’t need an excuse to take her daughter to a room more kid-friendly, but instead, she just kissed them both, and promised to have more time later to catch up.
About an hour after sunset, they all headed to the briefing with Nico and Raphael, which would include everyone involved in the night’s battle. Despite the pressure and the pace involved in getting everything done and distributed on time, they were ready when the briefing began.
NICK STOOD WITH Raphael in the front of a large, underground conference room. Not every fighter was in the briefing, since each commander would brief his or her own people en route, but there were enough to fill the chairs and tables that had been set up for tonight’s purpose. Nick’s four warriors sat at the table closest to the front, with their wives or mates. Cyn and Antonia sat at the table across the aisle, along with Juro, Jared, and Ken’ichi, who together would be leading three teams of Raphael’s vampires during the ba
ttle. Raphael himself would lead the fourth, and it was understood that Cyn would be fighting alongside him. Nick had no more problem with that than he did with Casey going in with Damian.
Nick glanced at Raphael, who indicated he should go ahead and begin.
“All right,” Nick said loudly, then waited until the room settled. “I’ll make this sweet and simple. Sotiris—” He paused for a few boos and hisses to die down, then continued. “Sotiris is hunkered down in a big house in Bel Air. Those of you from this area know just how big I mean, but all of you should have a blueprint of the house on your cell phone or other device. When I say hunkered, I mean he’s ready for us. He didn’t try very hard to hide, because he wants this confrontation, and thinks he can win.
“Now to begin with, he got a rude surprise when Raphael took out the assassin he’d sent—we can’t really call him a challenger, for fuck’s sake, can we? Anyway, he sent this asshole with a fairly strong magical device that might have worked in better hands. But it didn’t, and I, for one, am grateful. So we have our vampire allies, including Raphael, with us tonight. And that’s something Sotiris could not have planned for. He’ll have tried to compensate, but it’s a weak point for him.
“You all know he’s a sorcerer, and that’s his strength. He’s made full use of the time he’s had to magically enhance his defenses, and from what we can tell, he’s got the whole house booby-trapped with magical spells and devices. The bad news is that forces us to proceed with caution, and to limit penetration of the structure itself to those with the power to offset whatever traps they encounter. The good news is that it also has Sotiris securing himself in one room at the very center of the building. He assumes we’ll be unable to break through the traps and all the protective spells surrounding him. And we have to assume he has a way out, in the event his defenses don’t work. We haven’t found any evidence of a tunnel, so I’m guessing he’ll fall back on his favorite escape route, which is a sorcerous worm hole, for lack of a better term. For those who don’t know, a worm hole is a theoretical passage through time and space. Except that in sorcery, it isn’t theoretical. It is, however, highly unstable and requires a great deal of power and knowledge—both of which Sotiris has—to use successfully. Luckily, so do I.” He turned to the vampire beside him. “Want to take it from here?”
“Yes,” the vampire said. “We’ll start from the outside perimeter and move inward. The attack will unfold from four directions at once. My vampires will go in first, taking out most, if not all, of the human mercenaries Sotiris has protecting the grounds around the house. As far as we can determine, he hasn’t laid any magical spells or traps in that perimeter, probably to prevent the mercenaries from tripping them accidentally and saving us the trouble of killing them.
“Once we have cleared the field enough to avoid unnecessary casualties, Nick and his team will filter through the vampire detachment, and enter the building. At that point, I and my vampires will tighten the noose around the building so that none of Sotiris’s allies may enter, and none of his magic users, and possibly not even him, can leave. Nick?”
Nick grinned when he took control of the conversation again. He had to admit he liked the brevity with which the vampire lord had described the initial phase of the assault. Obviously, his vampires were accustomed to working with him, and just as obviously they weren’t concerned with human casualties on the enemy side. They also didn’t worry overmuch about their own casualties, since vampires could heal or be healed from horrific wounds. And then there was the fact that they would be in telepathic communication at all times.
But now it was his turn, and this part of the conversation had to be handled somewhat more delicately.
“Yep,” he said. “Each of my warriors”—he nodded to the four sitting up front, though by now everyone knew who they were—“will take a side. I’ll go in with Dragan, to clear the house. Once I’m in, he can provide an overwatch, flying wherever he’s needed. Casey, you’re going in with Damian—”
“Like you could stop me,” she muttered.
“Hana, I don’t want you inside the house. There’s too much risk that Sotiris will be able to feed off of you, and that’s the last thing we want.” He waited for her reaction. While he’d discussed this with Gabriel, who’d agreed, he hadn’t yet broached it with Hana. There was no reason for her to go inside, since other than her ability to amplify someone else’s magic, she had no magic of her own. And as a vampire, Gabriel could draw from Raphael’s magic, which was different than a sorcerer’s and did not react to Hana’s ability.
But maybe Gabriel had discussed this with her, because she simply nodded her acceptance. “I’ll work with the rest of the fighters. I’m better trained than any mercenary.”
“Thank you. Now, Antonia—” He mentally steeled himself for her response, especially since Casey and Cyn would both be fighting. His only hope was that she’d hold back, given the size of the audience. “—you’ll remain in the SUV.”
“What?!” Antonia demanded.
So much for that theory. “Hear me out,” he said patiently. “Sotiris is going to be looking for you, since, in his mind, you’ve betrayed him and he’ll want to punish you for that. If you stay in the SUV, with the hexagon, then if he succeeds in finding you, you’ll at least be facing him with only half his power, which gives you a chance to escape.”
“I don’t plan to escape,” she snapped back at him. “You’re right about me carrying the hexagon, but everything else is wrong. I have the best chance of getting close enough to take him out, even if I do nothing but shoot to disable him, so you can come in and finish him off. I created the hexagon and understand it better than anyone. I primed it against Sotiris using my own blood, which means I can still control it. If anything goes wrong, if it starts acting wonky, or whatever, I have a good chance of saving anyone who’s in danger because of it.”
Nick had been staring at her the entire time, wondering why she was suddenly telling him how the battle was going to be fought. As if all he had to do was send her into the belly of the beast on her own. Like that was ever going to happen.
“That’s not happening,” he said, repeating the thought out loud. “There’s no way in hell I’m letting you be the spear point of this attack. If we’re going to defeat Sotiris, I need to confront him one on one, his power against mine. It’s the only way this works. And it needs to be done with sorcery, not a gun.”
Antonia stared at him defiantly for a moment. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.”
He didn’t trust her agreement—it had come too easily. It wouldn’t matter, however. Not once the battle got started. He’d been trained to fight all his life. He’d been in the middle of more battles than she’d even read about. He’d led armies, while by her own admission, she’d stood on a distant hillside and kept notes. Antonia wasn’t a warrior. She had no idea what it was like to be surrounded by the screams of people you knew, to ignore those screams and keep fighting to stay alive lest you become one of those who screamed. She’d never inhaled the spilled-gut smell of a battlefield with every breath, never choked on a stench that could make grown men puke with fear. Antonia had never so much as set foot in the blood and shit, whose scent would fill your nostrils for days after, no matter how much you drank to get rid of it.
There was no way in hell he would send her into that, much less expect her to face down her own father and kill him. She might think she hated the other sorcerer—and maybe a part of her really did—but could she look him in the eye and end his life? Nick didn’t think so. His Antonia was strong and courageous . . . but he just didn’t think she could strike the blow that killed Sotiris.
Besides, as he’d told her, he needed to do the killing, to put his power against Sotiris’s and destroy him. It was a matter of honor and principle. He’d defeated Sotiris time after time, but had never ended his life. He needed to prove to himself that he could do it. If it en
ded any other way, he’d always wonder. And it would destroy his life, instead of Sotiris’s.
He studied the stubborn set of her jaw distrustfully, but said only, “Good. Then, I think it’s time”—he glanced at Raphael who nodded once,—“to load up.”
Chapter Eleven
ANTONIA SAT IN the middle seat of one of the biggest SUVs she’d ever seen. It was black everywhere with shiny black exterior paint, black tires and wheels, and blackened windows. Even the chrome was black. Maybe Raphael simply liked black, she considered, since most of the vehicles they were using belonged to him. A few of the smaller vehicles— and she used the word “smaller” loosely—were owned by various vampires in Raphael’s household, most of whom were part of tonight’s army.
Nico sat to her right, and Hana to her left. Two vampires she didn’t know rode in the third-row seat behind them, while Kato was up front, riding shotgun and playing navigator to another vampire she didn’t know, although the nav system appeared to be doing most of the work. Kato’s job mostly consisted of fielding questions coming from vehicles which had taken different routes. Their group consisted of too many people and vehicles to drive through Malibu and inland to Bel Air without drawing attention. She’d checked the map herself before leaving, but wasn’t familiar enough with Los Angeles to say where anything was or how long it would take to get there.
Nico and Raphael had decided for practical and strategic reasons to split the motorcade into four segments as they left the estate. That made sense to her, given the four-front attack strategy. Raphael’s team would surround the house quietly, and then attack on all four sides at the same time. Juro would command the rear, his twin Ken’ichi, the left, and Jared the right, while Raphael would remain in front with Cyn, but essentially command all the vampires. Most of the fighters were Raphael’s people by necessity, which meant they were also vampires, although there were one or two human fighters on Raphael’s team.
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