Rourke took one step into his path and leveled him with a clothesline to the throat. The look of surprise on Conan’s face was priceless. If the situation hadn’t been so tense, I might have chuckled. Conan’s trachea exploded as he soared back into the wall. He landed hard and crumpled to the ground, his body limp. Rourke moved toward him to make sure he stayed down.
I motioned for Tyler and Danny to move out into the hallway to keep watch. We didn’t want any more vampires barging in. They moved soundlessly; Tyler’s anxiety bubbled in my blood while Danny’s jumped with excitement. I shook my head.
I focused my attention back to the Queen. “Why don’t you have hundreds of vampires guarding you?”
“My rooms are warded. They cannot find me here.”
“You mean, before I broke your ward?”
“Yes, you fool,” she shrilled as she tried to sit up, her chains rattling. Her elegant clothes were tattered and torn, the silver still burning her skin, leaking blood all over her gold satin sheets. “You have no idea what you’ve done. You’ve unleashed things kept from humans for centuries. I will not be able to undo all your recklessness. It will be impossible.” Her eyes narrowed. “And if the demons ascend as you are saying, there is nothing I can do to keep them out. You have destroyed the only thing that would’ve kept us safe.”
I inclined my head. “You said a minute ago that I brought chaos down on the House of Vampires, as predicted. Predicted by whom?”
Her mouth snapped closed in a thin line, making her incisors look like they were sealed between her lips. “Get me out of these chains.”
I crossed my arms. “You’re not really in a position to demand anything. Agree to my favor and I’ll let you go. I’m assuming the key is in Valdov’s pocket?”
“I will not fight demons. What you ask will risk many lives, not just mine. I will not bargain away the lives of my flock for your protection. Demons are not sorcerers—they are a wicked breed. They will come to destroy everything in their path, nothing less.”
“If they come to destroy, you and your flock will be in the middle of it anyway. You harbored me of your own free will,” I pointed out, dropping my voice. “Eudoxia, I know you can craft spells. I don’t know why, or what you are, but I know you have the power to protect us. We came here seeking that same protection for a reason. That’s what we bartered for when I arrived. That hasn’t changed.”
“Everything has changed!” She yanked on her chains, causing plaster to fly from the walls as an evil snarl came out of her mouth. “I offered you protection and instead you wreaked havoc on my Coterie. I will not be subjected to—”
“I don’t believe that.”
She had the gall to look taken aback.
“You ordered me into a cell with your uncle for a reason,” I challenged. “You gave me a lone guard I could’ve killed. The mighty chains you had me shackled to snapped off the wall at my merest tug. Yuri had a way out and he ominously told me he’d been waiting for me. My escape was no mistake.” I peered down at her, my eyes shrewd. “You knew Valdov was a spy, didn’t you? You also knew he would attack. You made yourself vulnerable at the right time and used me to kill him so you didn’t have to.”
“I did no such thing,” she retorted. “My head was severed from my body. I would never allow it. He was my most trusted advisor and he turned on me, but only once you broke the ward. You did this!”
“Eudoxia,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m tired of the mind games.” I was so, so tired. “I don’t know what’s really going on here, but by my calculations my brother and I just saved your life. The truth behind it doesn’t concern me. If we hadn’t been here, Valdov would’ve taken your power and finished you off completely. By all rights you owe us. And I want protection from the demons. For one night. After that, we go our separate ways. If not, I leave you chained here to your fate. The demons will ascend and you will be destroyed alongside all of us.”
Her eyes flickered. She knew I’d reached the end of negotiations. “Your favor will be a ward of protection,” she said, her voice full of hate, “but no matter what I do, it will not be as strong as the last. That’s all I will do. I will not fight the demons once they arrive, nor will I put any of my vampires at risk. If the demons ask me for you, I will gladly hand you over.”
I glanced at Rourke, who stood by the foot of her bed. “What do you think?”
“I think it will be full dark in twenty minutes. We aren’t leaving, so another ward may be the only thing we can do. The vamps won’t be much help against the demons anyway.” He growled at Eudoxia, “They can’t fight. They’re courtiers in every sense. More concerned their frocks will get rumpled and soiled if they lift a finger. They prefer to feast on innocent humans who pose no threat, and when the real danger sets in, they simply fly away.”
“We are a refined race,” Eudoxia snapped. “Unlike you filthy animals. But that does not mean we are weak.” Her power sparked, white forming at the tips of her fingers for the first time. It was building fast, repairing her to full strength. She grinned, her fangs still sharp. “We enjoy a good fight, and tearing you apart limb by limb would be an especially welcome treat.”
I waved my hand, dismissing her threats. “Here’s the deal. I let you go, but you cast the ward when I say so, not a moment before.”
She balked. “As your feline just pointed out, it will be full dark momentarily. I will not wait.”
“You will.”
“And why should I acquiesce to such a demand?”
“Because I’m waiting for my Pack to arrive.” My father needed every opportunity to arrive, and I was going to make sure I gave it to him. “It’s the main reason I took out your barrier. Once they reach us, we will have enough backup to fight the demons, with or without your help.”
Her lips pursed. “Fine. I will wait until the last ray of sunlight filters out of the sky, but not a moment later. I care not if your precious Pack arrives.”
I turned to Naomi. “Check Valdov’s pockets for a key to these.”
“There is no key, fool,” Eudoxia retorted. “They were spelled to my signature and mine alone. You can break them.”
“Valdov pulled out all the stops,” I said, reaching for the chains. “How did he get you into these willingly?”
Her eyes slid to full black.
I wasn’t going to get an answer, but they had obviously laid some elaborate plan and, in the end, something that had gone very wrong for Valdov. He would never have chosen to die. “Let’s not forget, Eudoxia,” I said as I pried open a silver cuff, “I still have something you want. Keeping me alive is still in your best interest.” I ignored the burn and crushed the manacle. It popped off her wrist. Then I reached over and did the next one.
She stood immediately.
Her hair had fallen from the elaborate coif of curls she wore tightly pinned to her head. She was several inches shorter than I was, and her long pale ringlets made her appear very young, possibly in her teens as I had originally guessed. The only thing marking her true age were her shrewd eyes, which were latched on mine. “I have not forgotten. It is the only reason you still live.”
In the next blink she was gone.
21
The Queen had disappeared out the window so quickly that it appeared she had vanished.
The moment she left, my entire body relaxed. I walked over to an empty chair and sat down with a thump. Tyler and Danny paced back into the room. “Danny, take the muscle vamp and toss him somewhere, will you?” I asked.
Without hesitation, Danny picked up the vamp and slung him over his shoulder and headed straight for the windows. I was too tired to argue, and Conan likely wouldn’t die from the fall.
Plus, he kind of deserved being tossed out a window for being a stone-cold asshole.
“We need to regroup. Tyler, can you fix the door or at least shut it?” I glanced over at Valdov’s dead body. Without its head, it had withered to bones. I met Naomi’s gaze. “There must be a time limit to t
he severed-neck rule?”
“Oui,” she responded. “If the head is completely severed from the body with no connecting tissue, it is only a matter of moments. If the vampire is very strong, they can last longer, but the head must be replaced.”
“Ugh,” I said. “What did Valdov do to you? You were down by the time I broke through the windows.”
“It was not Valdov,” she said. “It was the Queen.”
I sat up in my chair. “The Queen?”
“I came into the room and she said only three words—do not interfere. And then I remember nothing. Her power still aches in my chest.” She rubbed her sternum absentmindedly.
“That solidifies my theory,” I said. “This was something they had cooked up together.” I ran both hands through my hair and exhaled. “These games make my brain hurt. She risked death, and for what? What does she want from me?”
Rourke stood next to me. “Vampires are not skilled fighters, but they are known for their conniving ways. There’s no doubt she had plans in place from the moment you left her weeks ago. All she needed to do was pick which one to implement once you were here.”
“Her manipulation agitates me,” I said. “We all know she wants my blood or my life force or whatever, and she’s going to scheme until she gets it. But in this particular scenario she didn’t have a chance to get what she wanted. Something went very wrong here, but hell if I know what. I hate being her pawn.”
Rourke growled. “The Queen isn’t the only one around here with power or plans. She can connive all she wants, but it was clear her second-in-command was equally as scheming. Valdov used the plan to a perceived advantage, but neither of them got what they wanted and Valdov died for it.”
I sized up my mate. Just being this close brought me some much-needed calm. His warmth radiated into my body. I was happy to see him again. I hadn’t realized how much I missed being near him until right this minute. “How did you get into the crypt with Yuri, by the way?” I asked.
“I dug my way in.”
“From the outside? Like”—I blanched—“with your bare hands?”
His eyelids went to half-mast and a sexy growl sent the hairs on my arms jumping to attention. “Yes. Did you expect me to do any less?”
Danny exaggerated a cough. “Okay, let’s stay on track, shall we? Or your combined pheromones may choke us all before we can defeat anyone properly.”
“That’s poetic justice coming from you,” I chuckled, turning toward Danny, “since I’m the one usually telling you the very same thing.” I stood from the chair and maneuvered myself against Rourke’s chest. I needed to touch him. Pheromones be damned.
Are you purring?
Yes, Rourke answered.
I like it.
Time to get back to business. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on wonderfully purring mates. With effort I directed a question at my brother. “Did you find Ray?” I asked. Ray wasn’t here with us, so it was a good guess they hadn’t. “Or do you at least know where they’re holding him?”
“We think they’re keeping him in one of the crypts,” Tyler said. “There was no trace of his scent out there, but that was before the ward came down. We should be able to scent him now.”
“Okay, our first priority is to find him,” I said. “Since we don’t know exactly where he is, we split up. Once we have him, we regroup. Rourke and I will take the interior. Tyler, I want you, Danny, and Naomi to take the grounds outside. Search until dark; after that I want you to shift. If Dad is in New Orleans, like we hope, keeping the lines of communication open becomes the top priority.”
Tyler nodded. “It’s going to be dark very soon. That doesn’t give us a lot of time, but if we find Ray, I’ll alert you. After Danny and I shift, we meet up with you guys no matter what. The only thing we’ll have once the demons arrive is strength in numbers.”
Rourke voiced his agreement. “He’s right. We need to stand together. If the Queen’s ward works, we will have an advantage, but it will only be a slight one and won’t mean anything if we’re not united.”
“Okay,” I said. “We meet on the east side of the mansion in twenty minutes. Doesn’t give us a lot of time, but we can still cover ground. Has anyone seen Nick?”
“Once we all left, he went over the wall like you asked him to. Haven’t seen him since,” Danny answered.
“Good,” I said. “That means he’s found something. I can only hope it means James and Marcy are here somewhere and they’re rallying the wolves. If there’s enough time, circle around to the front and see if you can find him, but don’t leave the grounds.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Danny saluted me with a grin.
“Very funny. The salute was a nice touch.” I chuckled. “You’re the embodiment of the word ‘cheeky,’ Daniel Walker.”
“The cheekiest,” he said with a straight face. “But that’s why you adore me.”
It was true. I did adore him. He was proving to be the perfect underling to my temporary Alpha. I was going to miss my connection to him when he swore his oath back to my father. “Danny, you always provide a bright, shiny spot in my day. Though I’m not surprised my father had you stationed two hours away.”
He gave me a sardonic grin. “Yes, my humor is lost on the old dog. It’s a shame really, because most of the time he could use a good laugh.”
Talk of my dad brought me back quickly. “Let’s get moving. Instead of roaming through the cemetery, there’s a trapdoor in the Reliquary that leads into the tunnel system below the graveyard. You may have an easier time locating Ray’s scent down there. The ghosts said something about a bad man. I don’t think they were talking about Ray, but it wouldn’t hurt to investigate.”
“Ghosts?” Danny balked. “Don’t tell me you’ve been communicating with the undead now? You can’t be serious.”
Tyler appeared uneasy as well. “You want us to go down in a tunnel and try to talk to ghosts?”
Their faces were comical. “You’re both badass werewolves. I had no idea you were scared of ghosts.”
“I’m not scared of spirits.” Tyler cleared his throat. “‘Wary’ is a better term. I’ve never actually seen one, but it seems like it would be impossible to defeat something without substance. Badass werewolf or not.”
Danny added, “Exactly. It gives them a bloody unfair advantage.”
“You tough guys don’t have to worry, because once I broke the ward, they all left. Plus, they can’t really fight,” I said. “They just sort of poke and prod you with their ghostly fingers.” I couldn’t help smiling. “They’re completely insubstantial with no magic, but if the Screamer had come to life, that would’ve been a different story.”
“Screamer?” Tyler asked incredulously. “You left a Screamer down there?”
“I’ve only heard of those as legend.” Danny whistled as he turned to Naomi. “Do they really exist, then? Ghost vampires who dine on your blood?”
She nodded. “I have only seen one in my lifetime. It was very long ago, but yes, it was horrible. They don’t just eat you—they devour your soul from the inside out. They do not become corporeal often, because our blood purity has been diluted. They need incredible power to regenerate. But we pacify them with … offerings. If we do not do this, they get disruptive, like angry poltergeists.”
“Unfortunately,” I added, “this thing got a taste of my blood from Naomi. If I hadn’t put a stop to it, it may have had enough to come to life.”
Danny glanced from Naomi to me and then back. “The vampires who took you prisoner drained your blood to feed this thing?” He half snarled, which was a lot of emotion for Danny. “And if you had been drained completely, this creature could’ve risen? And you would’ve died?”
His anger jumped in my blood, surprising me.
My eyebrows went up. He made a move to touch Naomi but drew his hand away as she stepped back out of his reach. I glanced at my brother, who, in turn, shrugged.
“What happened to me is of no consequence. The
crisis was averted,” Naomi murmured, turning her gaze toward me. “Jessica was able to drain the altar before it could arise.”
Hearing her call me Jessica was odd, but nice. “But keep your eyes and ears open when you’re in the tunnels,” I said. “If you see or hear anything out of the ordinary, get out of there as fast as you can. Once you find Ray, let me know here.” I pointed to my head. “I’m hoping one of us can find Ray before the fighting begins.” I still had no idea why Ray was key to saving my father, but I wasn’t going to begin to doubt Maggie now. We needed to find him.
“We can leave out the window,” Tyler said. “It’s the easiest way to get to the Reliquary.” He started walking and glanced over his shoulder. “Stay safe, Jess.”
“I will,” I said. “You too. I’ll see you in twenty.”
He nodded once and leapt, followed by Danny. Naomi turned right before she flew out. “Ma Reine, remember no matter what happens tonight there is a reason, even if it is difficult. I am certain we will be victorious.”
“Thank you, Naomi,” I said. “I hope you’re right and we get a chance to take down some demons.”
“Oui,” she agreed, smiling like a shrew, her eyes narrowing. “I am looking forward to it.”
Then she was gone.
Flying was so damn handy. And who said vamps couldn’t fight? Naomi had a definite lethal side.
Before I could move an inch, Rourke had me around the waist. He twisted me to him while guiding me steadily backward toward the broken door. Once my back hit the wall next to it, he growled as he pressed himself against me. Every inch of us sealed tightly together. “You’re a handful, you know that?” Before I could protest, his lips were on mine.
I opened them immediately, drinking him in. The scent of cloves ran up my nose and currents of sensations wound up my spine in a delicious tingle. My fingers flexed against his taut shoulders, itching to explore his beautiful body. After a long kiss, I pulled back. “But I’m so very worth it.”
He licked his lips. “Yes, I’m well aware.”
His eyes were so heated it was hard to gather my thoughts. We have to go, I told him internally. I eyed the Queen’s bed. I couldn’t help it. My mate was incredible and all the built-up adrenaline was pounding for a release. My wolf gave a long howl.
Cold Blooded Page 21
