Barabbas picked up the entirely superfluous bread knife next to his empty plate and examined it, twirling it between his fingers like a tiny baton.
“I thought it would have been obvious to you, Iron Heart. The creature hails from the Aztec pantheon of gods. What exactly are they notorious for?”
I almost smacked myself in the face with the plate. Gods, was I always this slow, or was it just my recent spate of deaths making me act like it?
“Blood sacrifice.”
He inclined his glass to me with a small smile. “Indeed. And not just any blood. Blood acquired through violence. Donated blood won’t appease the beast inside of you. Luckily, my blood is filled with several centuries of slaughter and cruel, evil deeds. I imagine it’s like a fine port from an oak cask.”
“So you’re like the Long Island Ice Tea of bloodsuckers? A quick way to get shit-faced?”
“It’s the only way to placate the beast inside you, but it won’t last long.”
Dom turned away, suddenly fascinated by an oil painting on the wall. I knew he was schooling the disgust off his features. Mages were notoriously squeamish about blood. That’s why Cat’s near-sacrifice was such a big deal. A warlock willing to practice that kind of black magic went against everything the Trust stood for. As members of the Five, Dom and I had seen more than our fair share, but the idea of drinking it was reprehensible, even to my relaxed ethical standards.
I was silent for a few minutes absorbing this new information. There was a way to turn Valerius’ power off, but it came with one hell of a moral quandary. I could stop myself from ending the world by keeping the demon permanently drugged into a stupor. But in order to do so, I’d have to end lives. That must be what my new fangs were for. Could I murder innocents in order to save the world? I’d tried to juggle that ethical dilemma with Elle and failed spectacularly.
I shoved the thought aside for the time being, lest I develop a headache on top of everything else.
“Why are we still alive, Barabbas? You said you were here to scupper Lamonia’s plans.”
Barabbas’ knife flicked between his fingers in a rhythm too fast to track. I only knew it was moving when it clacked against the rings on his fingers. It seemed like an eternity for him to answer.
“We are in need of allies. Our house is not the largest and we are arrayed against six others and your folk. There are very few demi-humans who will come to our aid.”
“Because you slaughtered them all,” I snorted. “Kind of ironic, don’t you think, now that your head is next on the chopping block? Besides, why stop Lamonia from getting rid of the wolves? You’ve never been shy about offing demi-breeds.”
“Although we sympathize with their schemes, it would give them far too much power and they’d use it against us.”
“So what exactly do you want from us?” Dom said. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly popular right now.”
“A seat at the table,” Barabbas said. “We’re a little tired of being picked off by rogue agents.” He paused to let his eyes linger on mine, before slowly raking them down my body. “And a promise that you will cripple house Lamonia, and cleanse and restore the Trust to its true mission. To defend and protect all supernaturals.”
“What do we get in return?”
“Your lives, to start,” Barabbas grinned wide enough to flash his fangs. “Transportation to anywhere in the world, and a backup team of elite warriors. I don’t expect that the bad actors who have infiltrated the Trust will go willingly.”
“Then what?”
“Clear your name. Restore your positions within the Trust. We know you didn’t kill Sienna Vogel. Ironically, unless I’m mistaken, you were first dismissed from the Trust for your illegal activity in hunting my brethren without charter. Now I’m giving you a chance to redeem yourself. We’ll protect you while you speak your Truth.”
“They won’t listen to us,” I said.
“Then we’ll burn out everyone serving Lamonia and leave you to pick up the pieces.”
“Sounds delightful,” I muttered, scooping up gravy and peas with a chunk of bread. “But no thanks.”
Barabbas’ lips pulled away from his teeth in a half-smile, his genial demeanor draining away in the blink of an eye. I found it strangely comforting to be faced with a snarling vampire. Polite undead were dangerous undead. At least this was familiar territory. I wiped my mouth free of food, using the motion to disguise the fact I’d stolen my knife from the tabletop. It felt good to slip it between the cotton skirt and my belt. Without a weapon on my person I felt achingly vulnerable.
The vampire shot out of his chair, hands impacting the table with a hard slap. “Do not try my patience, Iron Heart. I will not put up with insolence.”
“I’m kind of a package deal,” I said with a sweet grin. “My company comes with a heaping side-order of insolence. Served cold, like your unbeating ghoul heart.”
Barabbas’ glare could have melted steel. “Are you quite finished?”
“No. I think a good ribbing is the very least I can give you. Fine, we’ll think about it. But don’t think we’re signing up for this for free, Grieves. If we do this there will be provisos.”
Barabbas relaxed a fraction, easing back into his chair. He knew he’d won if we were moving on to exact terms. “But of course. We have plans to drag you before the Trust committee to reveal the full extent of Lamonia’s treachery. Given their propensity for quick and unthinking judgment, you will be in great peril. I would be disappointed if you didn’t at least try to haggle with me.”
Dominic’s fork clattered onto his plate noisily, drawing both our eyes to his stunned face.
“No way. We are not going to help these barbarians in any way, shape, or form. They’re just using us to get through Trust security. It’s a Trojan Horse, but with vampires.”
My irritation with Dom had all but died out in recent days, given what we’d been through together. Now it returned in full force, reminding me why I’d been so pissed off to begin with. My stubborn, stupidly handsome ex had never once seen eye-to-eye with me on matters of morality. Raised on a diet of fairy tales and heroic quests, the man had never once stopped to consider that there might be some middle ground between virtue and villainy.
It was a simplistic way to look at the world. Black and white, good and bad, us and them. So far as Dominic was concerned, the law was sacrosanct and breaking it crossed an ethical event horizon it was impossible to come back from.
Barabbas stood and flicked the knife towards the wall, where it embedded into the wood behind Dom’s ear. “I’ll let you two discuss it, shall I? I’ll be on deck when you’ve arrived at your decision.”
“What happens if we say no?” Dom asked.
“You will be killed. Iron Heart will be kept in her weakened state until we are able to find a use for her.”
With that cheery pronouncement he swept from the room, leaving us gaping at his back.
“Fuck that,” I muttered. “I’m not being used as apocalypse barbie again.”
Dom swiveled in his chair to face me, almost upsetting the plate of barely touched fish in front of him.
“We are not doing this.”
I threw up my hands with a groan. “Damn it, Dom. We have no choice. If we help them, we can secure our safe passage. We can stop Lamonia, and save Cat. Then we’ll find Elle and cure the wolves. I doubt causing a werewolf genocide is at the top of their priority list at the moment. You’ll even get your precious reputation back. They’re giving us everything we want, and not asking for much in return.”
Dominic pushed away from the table with a sound of disgust, pacing away from me as though my mere presence was repulsive. The pang of hurt that followed brought stinging tears to my eyes. Rather than shed them, I stabbed my fork into the remainder of my fish and took a large bite. It tasted like glue in my mouth and stuck in my throat.
“If we help them, we’ll be fighting the Trust, Nat.
Our people. Countless mages will die. Is that what you want? Do you really hate all of us so badly you want to tear the establishment down around its ears?”
“The very same people would execute both of us on sight,” I shot back. “The same people who framed me for murder and abandoned the wolves to die. Yeah, they’re worth protecting alright.”
Dominic’s hands threaded through his hair in agitation. “That’s not who we are, Nat. If you dehumanize all of them it’s just that much easier to justify murder. And that’s what it will be, Nat, murder. The vampires aren’t going to sit us down to play Risk. They’re going to kill entire swaths of us the moment they get the chance. How can you be okay with that?”
“We make it a part of our demands, Dom, it’s the easiest fix. They don’t slaughter any witch or wizard unless attacked. Let us try and talk with them first. Besides,” I said leaning closer, “if we save Cat and turn Findlay, the rest of the Trust will fall in line. We may not even need to fight.”
Dominic continued to pace, staring everywhere but at me.
“You’d be trusting them to honor their word,” he grumbled. “Don’t forget who we’re dealing with.”
“Dom, you have to see sense,” I began, hating the plea in my voice. “We’re short on allies at the moment. And if I had to pick a vampire house to survive this war, I’d pick Grieves. They’re violent, but not crafty. House Lamonia is both. The less said about House Avington the better. I’d rather have to co-exist with the devil I can predict.”
Dominic stood in the middle of the room, breathing hard for several minutes. “Fine,” he said finally, “but I don’t like this. And if they cross us, I swear I’m going to kill every single one of their undead asses.”
A small, reluctant smile tugged at my lips. It wasn’t a large concession, but it was something.
I leaned out of my chair and tugged him down by the front of his shirt, planting a soft kiss on his mouth.
“I wouldn’t expect any less of you.”
chapter
16
I WASN’T ENTIRELY SURE HOW I’d missed it before, but the deck of The Red Death fairly hummed with enchantment. If I’d had the time or inclination to tear the ship apart, board by board, I was certain I’d have found a mage’s handiwork etched into every board. The vampires had paid someone the big bucks in order to procure spells of that magnitude. The knowledge that there was another warlock working for the vampires made me twitchy. How many more mages were secretly in cahoots with the vampire houses?
“How fast are we moving do you reckon?” I stage whispered. The stealth wasn’t truly necessary. The midday sun was out in force and all the vampires had retreated below deck, lest they meet a soupy end. The ship had continued to move at a decent clip despite the absence of anyone to guide it. I was guessing that whoever had enchanted the galleon had also given them a set of runestones to guide the ship to its proper destination. It was a distant cousin to the teleportation magic Declan could do, and was less tricky to manage. The stones drew toward one another like intercontinental magnets. Instead of folding space to make a bridge, it turbocharged any journey to shorten it.
Dominic stood a few feet away, back braced against the mast, watching the endless wash of gray ocean water fly past. I wasn’t a history buff, so I couldn’t say exactly how fast these things were meant to travel, but any idiot could have worked out it wasn’t supposed to be this fast. If I hadn’t known better, I would have guessed someone had strapped an engine onto this bad boy. At the rate we were traveling, we’d reach the French coastline in just a few days.
He didn’t turn his head to acknowledge my question. I bit back a sigh. So it was going to be like that, huh? He’d barely spoken a word to me after we’d laid out our terms and struck the deal with Barabbas. I wanted to dredge up some good-old-fashioned fury about that, but found myself strangely apathetic. I knew Dominic wouldn’t abandon me until after Valerius had been dealt with. But that didn’t mean he had to like me while we dealt with the problem. My brief stabs at congeniality had been met as well as could have been expected after the Faustian bargain we’d been forced to make. Silence was probably the best I was going to get.
Ignoring the resentment ripping through his aura like a violent undertow, I turned my attention back to the makeshift radio in my hand. I’d filched the parts I’d needed to construct one from various vampires’ quarters, including the captain. With Valerius taking a long and contented nap inside my head, I thought it was probably safe enough to stretch my magical muscles again. The result of my hours of etching had produced a small, ugly lump of metal that emitted intermittent chatter, mostly consisting of whiny pop songs and talk radio. The glowing runes I’d carved on its surface were tuned to sub frequencies Landon had taught me. It was a long shot, but it was better than sitting around.
Turning the dial once more, I searched for something that might be useful. Barabbas had been eager to move against the Trust, but we’d convinced him to agree to a stop in France, without mentioning all the specifics. He seemed to believe the excuse that we needed to pick up weapons and supplies, but remained wary. Dom’s paranoia about an ambush had rubbed off on me. Knowledge had always been the cure for fear, at least in my case. Even if what I’d be facing might scare the piss out of me, I’d rather go up against it informed.
I lifted my eyes to the puffy white clouds on the horizon, and the rushing blue water below us. A dolphin darted beneath the bow before jumping up alongside the vessel. Chirping noises met my ears, and it took a second to realize it was the radio. The clunky machine popped and crackled a few times before a familiar voice boomed through the speakers.
“They’re coming up on your right, Vance. The feckers are trying to flank you!”
I squeezed my receiver so hard I nearly left dents in the metal. I must have pressed the transmit button, because the voice on the other end reacted to my exclamation.
“Declan?”
A beat of silence, then, “Nat?”
“Yes, it’s me. Where are you?”
“Where am I? Where the feck are you? Last we heard you shot up an embassy and ran for the hills.”
“Findlay killed Sienna Vogel and we were unfortunate enough to witness it. Where are you Declan?”
There was the sound of gunfire on his end of the line and Declan muttered a few swear words and a creative suggestion on what his opponent could do to his mother. When he answered, he was panting from exertion.
“You haven’t heard by now? I thought the whole world knew. It’s been all over the news all week. Have you been hiding under a rock?”
“On the Wolf Isle, but it amounts to the same thing. Where are you and what did we miss? How’s Elle? Does Landon still have her?”
I had to assume that Declan would be wherever she was being kept unless he had a very good reason not to be. As a changeling, Declan had to abide by the restrictions of his fae heritage. I’d wrung an oath to protect Elle Dawson, and he couldn’t go back on it without serious repercussions.
Dominic swiveled to face me and leaned forward, listening as well. It was a relief to see something other than strained disapproval on his face. Once upon a time his overriding concern for Elle’s welfare would have made me sick with envy. Now that I’d met the girl, I couldn’t help but empathize. She was like the kid sister of a friend. She was sweet and well-meaning and I couldn’t in good conscience stand by and watch her be hurt when I had means to stop it.
Declan’s answering chuckle was weak. “He’s got ‘er alright. She’s safe under Monte Rosa, cooking up her cure. He’s turned about a half-dozen Trust guards into barbecue since we settled here. The leader of the local Barbegazi is refusing aid. Right fuming they are. Can’t talk any sense into ‘em. We’re alive, but pinned down. We won’t be able to get out without help.”
His answer had been a treasure trove of information. I knew exactly where Monte Rosa was, as I’d visited it with the Barbegazi leader not so long ago. Findlay had bur
ned the trove of ancient texts stored there, cutting off my last hope of curing Cat without aid. I realized now that it hadn’t been a coincidence that Ashby had turned up in the airport immediately after I’d arrived back in the States.
I chewed my bottom lip guiltily. While I hadn’t set fire to the library myself, it had still been my fault the place had been torched. I’d need to make that right when we finally arrived.
“We’re coming to back you up. We’re on a ship heading for France. We have to collect some supplies and make a quick detour first.”
The rapport of Declan’s gun made my improvised speakers pop. It was almost a full minute before he answered.
“Just be careful, Valdez. Monte Rosa is completely surrounded by the Trust’s forces. I’m not sure how much longer we can hold them off.”
“I’m coming,” I promised. “I’m going to make this right, Declan, I swear it.”
Just as soon as I’d rescued my sister from the dank prison of the Paris catacombs, I’d clear this whole mess up, even if doing it killed me for good.
***
We arrived at the coast at a quarter past midnight the day after our communication with Declan. Either I’d miscalculated our distance from Europe, or we’d been moving more swiftly than I’d imagined. Dom and I were stuffed in the back of a moving truck with Barabbas and six other vampires, each of them packing enough heat to make Rambo look like a stunning example of restraint. They’d swapped their pirate gear for sleek black suits, all of them tailored to hide the majority of their weaponry. Neither Dom or I had been offered the bespoke arsenal carriers, damn it.
By the time we reached Paris, it was almost two in the morning and I would have traded the majority of my meager possessions for a long stint in a cozy bed. The feeling of fatigue and weakness that plagued me during Valerius’ rest was concerning. How was I supposed to fight when beleaguered and slow?
I was momentarily distracted from my fatalistic brooding when we finally pulled to a stop and set foot on the street outside.
Agent of Magic Box Set Page 33
