by Deanna Chase
She shuddered. “The director came to speak to me at home.”
“Maude?” I asked, my heart pounding.
“Yes.” She gulped. Then her voice hardened. “And she brought that traitor vampire.”
Pandora moved to sit next to her. She held out her hand and Nicola took it. “Who?”
Nicola shook her head. “I don’t know. She called him Beals, but I’d never heard of him before. He’s old, but I don’t think as old as Eadric. Old enough to block my defensive spells.”
I glanced at my roommate. I thought she’d said Nicola was powerful. Even more powerful than Phoebe.
She seemed to understand what I was asking and shook her head. “She doesn’t have Arcane knowledge.”
Ah, advanced spell knowledge. No matter how strong she was, Nicola’s spells wouldn’t be as powerful as a Void agent’s. Arcane spells were highly classified and in a league of their own. “What happened when they came to your house?”
Nicola glanced at Pandora, who nodded. I hadn’t commanded her to answer my questions, only to tell the truth. She’d already been through hell.
She closed her eyes. “He bit me. And drank enough blood I passed out.” Her eyes flew open and she stared hard at Phoebe. “He was too fast for me to defend myself. Your spells are so much stronger than mine. I want you to teach me.”
“Whoa,” Phoebe said. “One step at a time.”
“All I had with me were a few paid-for death spells.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out another ring. Dropping it on the table, she shuddered. “I was spelled to use those. I won’t be vulnerable again. Please. I’m a fast learner.”
Phoebe tilted her head, taking in the slight-framed woman. “If I can get it sanctioned, I’ll do what I can.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Pandora wrapped an arm around her sister. “Sanctioned?”
“Arcane spells are confidential. But if I can get someone to sign off on training Nicola, I will.” Phoebe tucked a lock of black hair—her own this time—behind her ear. “Considering the Arcane has violated her rights, I should be able to negotiate the knowledge as payment.”
Pandora met Phoebe’s gaze. “Good. If not, they’ll have me to answer to.”
Phoebe shrugged. “That’s their problem.”
I cleared my throat and faced Nicola. “Can you tell us what happened after you woke up?”
Nicola huffed out a humorless laugh. “Yeah. They’d compelled me. I had to do everything they said. Spy on Eadric. Break into your house. Look for information I could never seem to find. And every few days, that vampire showed up in the middle of the night to give me a new assignment and force-feed me that awful chocolate with the acid aftertaste. By then, I wasn’t a threat. Every time I tried to protest or tell someone, my brain stalled and my mouth said something else. It was like I was programmed and I had no choice in the matter.”
“And Maude was the leader?” Pandora asked, her fingernails ripping a hole in the velvet settee.
I leaned back, afraid of what Nicola might say. If she confirmed Maude was in charge, Pandora would never believe my theory.
But Nicola shook her head. “I don’t think so. The first time she came over, she took direction over the phone. She’s working for someone.”
“Not for,” I said. “She was compelled, just like you were. But the real question is what were they looking for?”
“Information.” Nicola stared at me, her eyes full of pity. “They wanted to know more about your vampire abilities. They seemed to think you’re not being one hundred percent truthful.”
Pandora tensed, panic ringing in her voice. “What did you say? Do they know?”
“Know what?” I asked.
Nicola shook her head quickly and spoke to Pandora. “No. Nothing. They never asked the right questions.”
With a heavy sigh, Pandora sank back against the cushions. “Thank the Goddess.”
“What aren’t you telling me?” My pulse quickened as unease settled in my chest. I knew the Void wanted to study me, but I hadn’t realized they thought I was hiding anything. What were they looking for?
Nicola glanced at Pandora, silently asking a question.
Pandora held up a hand and pressed a button on her phone. A second later she said, “It’s time.”
I stood, and took a step back. “What’s going on?”
Pandora tossed her phone on a side table. “You’re about to get a piece of your puzzle.”
The double doors opened with a loud creak. I turned, expecting Eadric or even David, but it was Talisen, his face pinched in anger.
“Tal,” I breathed and ran to his side. “Thank you for coming.”
He gazed down at me, a hint of concern in his conflicted expression, but then he gave me an impatient nod and stalked to Phoebe. “Where is she?”
Phoebe, ignoring his surly demeanor, tucked her arm through his and led him toward the room where they’d kept Maude chained. “I’ll be right back.”
My blood rushed to my head just thinking about my aunt’s condition.
The doors swung open again, and this time Eadric glided in. He’d changed into faded jeans and a red silk shirt. Ugh, was he sharing a wardrobe with David or something? He didn’t acknowledge me as he made his way to Nicola’s side. He gently touched her cheek. “Better, love?”
She nodded. “I didn’t want to betray you.” Angry tears sprung to her eyes. “I’d never do such a thing.”
He held on to her gaze. “I believe you.” Pandora moved to his side, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. The three of them looked very much the devoted family.
I felt like an intruder of the worst kind. I’d never given much thought to vampires having a family. But they clearly were. They weren’t just what they seemed on the surface: Lustful, greedy, self-serving. These two loved each other and Nicola. It was the first time I’d really seen the evidence.
Allcot stood and faced me. “Why didn’t your Influence neutralizer work?”
I frowned. It had. Sort of. But she’d been spelled as well. Or had she? What did she say? They’d forced her to eat chocolate with an acid aftertaste. My Influence didn’t have any unappealing flavor. I’d never sell something that wasn’t heaven on the taste buds. “I think I know the answer, but let me confirm first. I’ll be right back.”
I ran to the other room where Talisen was hovering over Maude. Her eyes were half-open as she murmured something to him.
The lights had been dimmed in the white room, but it was still entirely too harsh on my eyes. I shielded them and moved to stand on the other side of the reclining chair Maude now lay in.
“Not now, Willow,” Talisen said, running his healing stone over Maude’s raw wrists.
“I’m sorry,” I said to him, hoping he realized I was apologizing for more than just interrupting him. “Really sorry.”
He gave his head a tiny shake and went back to work.
“Maude?” I clasped her other hand gently.
Her eyelids fluttered and she focused on me. “Willow? Is that poor girl okay?”
“I think so. Listen, do you know what the vampire was feeding her? It doesn’t sound like the Influence I make.”
She gave me a tiny nod. “The lab-modified Influence.” Her breathing became heavy as she struggled to get the words out. “More powerful than yours. Harder to undo.”
“And that’s why you suggested my Influence. It cancels out the lab-modified version in a way my neutralizer can’t?”
“Yes. Sort of.” Her eyes closed and she gave a muffled groan.
“Willow.” Talisen’s harsh tone made me step back.
“What?” I asked.
“Go away. I need to concentrate.” He turned his back, rummaging through his healer bag.
“Sorry,” I said again, my voice so low I wasn’t sure he heard me. I left and Phoebe followed.
“He just needs time,” she said as we moved back into Eadric’s sitting room.
I hoped she was right. He’d
come, hadn’t he? It was a start. I sat in a chair opposite Nicola. “They fed her modified Influence. The Arcane has had scientists working on duplicating it. None are sanctioned for use because they’re too dangerous. Though it’s not hard to see why someone in a position to abuse their power might prefer the more dangerous, illegal version.”
“Indeed.” Eadric stood. “It’s time I paid my part of the bargain, Ms. Rhoswen.”
I got to my feet. “Paid?”
“Information. Follow me.” He strode toward the double doors.
I signaled to Phoebe and we followed him out into the hall. A few doors down, he unlocked a nondescript oak door and held it open for us.
I hesitated, not at all sure I wanted to enter a room he kept locked.
“Trust me, Ms. Rhoswen, you want to see this.”
Phoebe brushed past me with her eyebrows raised. I steeled myself and followed her. The room was really a suite with two overstuffed chairs and a matching couch, not at all like Eadric’s private rooms with the fancy Louis XVI style furnishings.
A door slammed in another room, and a small strawberry-blond toddler came running out, holding a stuffed elk and shrieking with delight.
“Beau,” a female voice called from the other room. “Come back here, you monster.”
My heart skipped a beat, then pounded so hard I thought it would jump out of my chest. I knew that voice. And when she appeared in the doorway, she froze, staring at me with her mouth open.
“Carrie?” I looked from the small, curvy witch Beau had intended to marry to the little boy now clutching her leg.
“Willow.” She seemed to recover and smiled tentatively. Glancing down at the toddler, she put a hand on his head. “I guess it’s about time you met your nephew, Beau Junior.”
Chapter Thirty-One
I sank down into an oversized chair and clamped a hand over my mouth. Beau had a son. I had a nephew. And Carrie never told us.
“Beau,” Carrie said. “This is your auntie, Willow.”
The toddler clutched his mom’s leg and peered at me shyly.
I ignored all the questions straining to escape my mouth and moved to crouch in front of Beau. “Hi, sweetie.”
He tucked his head behind his mom’s knee, one eye peeking at me, and giggled.
I smiled. “You’re a charmer, just like your daddy.” Oh my God. Had Beau known? Why had Carrie kept him from us? And why the hell was she living with vampires? I glanced up at her, my heart aching for Beau and for myself. Neither of us knew his child.
“I have some explaining to do.” Carrie bent down and smoothed Beau’s hair. “Can you give your auntie a kiss?”
I held my arms out, and the toddler wobbled into my embrace. Hot tears burned my eyes. I blinked them back and turned my face, tapping my cheek. “Here.”
“Mwah!” He made a loud smacking sound, laughed, and ran back into the other room.
I stood. “He seems happy.”
Carrie nodded. “He is.”
“Did Beau know?” I held my breath, not sure what answer I wanted to hear.
She nodded again and sucked in a shaky breath.
Relief washed through me. Only a small hole remained in my heart. He’d kept this secret from me, and while I understood it was between him and Carrie, if I’d known, I could have been in his son’s life the past three years. Phoebe took a place beside me and silently clutched my hand in hers. I squeezed, grateful for the support.
Eadric sat on one of the plush chairs and gestured to the rest of us. “Let’s all take a seat.”
Phoebe and I shared the couch, and Carrie perched on the chair next to Eadric. She stared at her fidgeting hands.
“You said you were going back to Washington to be with your family after we lost Beau,” I accused Carrie. “Was that a lie?”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “No. I did go home for a few months. I wanted to stay with my sister, have Beau there, but I couldn’t.” Her voice wobbled. “It wasn’t safe for either of us.”
I tensed and grabbed the arm of the couch. “What does that mean—not safe?”
Allcot leaned forward, hands clasped. “You already know someone inside the Void is watching you.”
“Well, yeah. They’ve wanted to control me for some time because of the Influence, and now there’s the sunwalking thing.” I waved my hand, indicating I didn’t know what to make of the situation.
He shook his head. “No. They’re interested in your creation, but there are other ways to control people. Spells, blackmail, other illegal magic. This isn’t about the Influence. They’re much more interested in your abilities. Specifically the ones relating to vampires.”
I nodded. He was right about the Influence, of course. The Arcane had always been interested in it, but they hadn’t gotten serious about me until I started sensing vampires. “Yes, but what does any of that have to do with Carrie or my nephew?”
Phoebe sucked in a breath.
“What?” I asked her.
She gave me a pained expression and turned to Allcot. “Did her brother have the ability to sense vampires?”
“Of course not,” I said before Allcot could answer. “He would’ve told me. Besides, my abilities didn’t start showing up until months after we lost Beau. If they were the same, then it makes sense they would have shown up around the same time. We are twins.”
Carrie shook her head, her eyes full of sorrow and regret. “I’m sorry. He was going to tell you…” She wiped a single tear from her porcelain face. “But he never got the chance.”
“What…?” Beau had weird vampire abilities?
It’s not that I didn’t believe it was possible. It had happened to me, after all. But he hadn’t told me. And we told each other everything. A nagging seed of doubt tugged at my mind. He hadn’t told me his girlfriend was pregnant. “Phoebs? You knew something about this?”
She shook her head. “I guessed.”
I glanced from Eadric to Carrie. “Maybe you should start from the beginning.”
“Yeah. I think that’s a good idea,” Phoebe said and glared at Allcot. “And don’t leave anything out this time.”
He’d definitely known more than he’d let on. A lot more. I glanced toward the bedroom where Beau Junior had disappeared to. Allcot had been keeping my family from me.
Phoebe’s tone didn’t seem to register with Allcot. He rose and moved gracefully to the wet bar. Using a key from his pocket, he opened a cabinet and removed a bottle that looked suspiciously like wine. But when he poured the thick red liquid, it was clear the main ingredient wasn’t grapes. I wrinkled my nose in disgust.
“The beginning,” he said, corking the green bottle, “actually starts many generations ago.” He held up another bottle, this one presumably actual wine, in offering. We all shook our heads. No way was I drinking anything that could impair my comprehension.
He took his seat again. “The firstborn males in the Rhoswen line are quite unlucky. If you look closely at the family tree, you’ll find none of them make it past twenty-five years.”
“That’s not true,” I said automatically, even though doubt plagued me. My dad and Beau certainly hadn’t. But what about my grandfather? He was still with us, living out in Montana somewhere. “Gramps did,” I challenged.
Allcot shook his head. “I assume you mean Charles Rhoswen.”
“Yes. He’s still alive and well, working for the forestry department.” Being fae, he knew every inch of the backwoods and was often called when hikers went missing.
“I’m sure he is. But he wasn’t your father’s father, and not the firstborn. That was Erwin Rhoswen, and when he died, his younger brother Charles married your grandmother and raised your dad.”
Stunned, I sat back. How come no one told me that before? Then I narrowed my eyes and studied Allcot. “How do you know all this about my family?”
He lifted one shoulder in a tiny shrug. “Since Carrie came to us, I’ve done a lot of research.”
I’d hav
e to look into that. If what he said was true, it meant Beau Junior was in serious danger. I inched forward on the couch. “And that’s why you’re watching over my nephew? To keep him alive?”
Allcot lifted his chin in acknowledgement.
“Why?” It’s not that I didn’t appreciate his protection, but at what price? Would Beau Junior be beholden to him the rest of his life?
A tiny flash of irritation flashed over his features and then vanished. Was he irritated I’d questioned him, or just tired of being under constant suspicion? I shook off the thought. He’d created the situation; he could live with it.
“Carrie is Nicola’s cousin. She’s family.” Allcot got up to refill his glass.
The hair stood up on my neck. That meant they thought of Beau Junior as family. And Allcot would be a permanent fixture in his life. I rubbed at my throbbing temple, trying not to think too much about the implications. Then a slow terror gripped my gut. “The person who killed Beau knows about Beau Junior? That’s why you came here?”
Carrie shook her head. “Once Eadric figured out what was going on, we faked a miscarriage. As far as we know, he has no idea Beau Junior exists. But if he found out…”
She didn’t need to continue. No wonder she lived in hiding.
“There’s still the question of why.” Phoebe said, breaking the silence. “Why are all the firstborn Rhoswens murdered?”
I sucked in a sharp breath. I’d long believed Beau’s death wasn’t an accident. But to hear the words spoken so plainly, it was like a jagged knife right in my chest. Phoebe clutched my hand again. It didn’t help.
“Because,” Allcot said carefully. “They all have the power to turn vampires into daywalkers.”
My limbs went numb. I sat frozen on the couch, staring at Allcot as he poured another glass of thick red liquid.
“Willow?” Phoebe waved and scooted closer. “You all right?”
My chest started to ache. What had happened with David hadn’t been a fluke. But how did I possess that power? I wasn’t a male or the firstborn. Beau had arrived two minutes before I had.
“We think once Beau died,” Carrie said, answering my unspoken questions, “his power somehow transferred to Willow through their twin connection. And that’s why Asher is stalking her.”
