But how far could any one person, supernatural or not, be pushed before the stakes were too high and the rewards too little? Bryan was only the beginning of humans finding out about us one by one. The factions had held power for a millennia, and they were willing to hold the people we loved most dear as leverage to get what they wanted.
How much would it take to send all my allies back to where they came from, knowing that while they might not be safe with the status quo, they'd stay alive? What would it take for one of my friends to sell me out in order to protect themselves or their children?
I didn't know. I couldn't. But I couldn't do this on my own, and as my mother liked to say, sometimes a leap of faith was in order.
Simon appeared in the blink of an eye, standing in the same place where we'd once stood together as I prepared to make my very first jump to Dublin. "Are you ready?"
My head bobbed up and down, much like the toy at the end of a yo-yo with no real say in where it went next. What's done was done, and people were counting on me.
"I mean, no. But I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be. Everyone else is all set?"
"It is." Simon sounded far more confident than I felt. I'd have to draw on that.
What came next could change everything. I clenched my phone in my hand, using my connection to it to tap into what I needed, sending a signal and setting everything in motion.
I had to brace myself for a fight. It had never really felt like this could come down to anything else: a fight of physical force or social influence. Might was what these people understood. Power. Abilities that most humans couldn't fathom.
I had my gun at waist and my blade at my ankle. Using either would probably be the last thing I ever did, but the will was there. I’d do what had to be done, I promised myself.
We, the lesser in name, had to prove our value.
It was time to go and face Nadir.
It was time to show the world a thing or two about what it means to be free.
Chapter 18
We'd chosen Salt Hill as the designated location of our big meetup. It was a part of town that was popular with tourists and locals alike, home to rows of colorful houses and quaint little shops. The sun had set less than an hour before, and the streets were still busy with a mix of shoppers headed home and partygoers going to dinner before the inevitable night of drinking.
Within view of the main road began a long stretch of beach reaching from Galway city proper out along the edge of where land met sea.
Simon and I arrived directly in the sand on the city side of the beach, just out of reach of the incoming tide. A small group of vampires waited in the distance, the red swirl of magic surrounding them making it clear who I was dealing with. Nadir and his friends were already waiting for me.
I’d known he wouldn’t be coming alone, but that made seeing his companions in person no less nerve-wracking. Still, this felt like an improvement over being locked in a house with the same number of vampires back in Dublin.
Leda waited in the distance, close enough to speak, far enough away that she wouldn't be able to interfere unless she was willing to use her ability, a circumstance that would immediately nullify our arrangement.
In the center of the cluster, a tall with man dark hair and skin the color of wet sand, beckoned me forward. He wore modern clothes, but they fit in his body in a way that didn’t look entirely comfortable. I had no doubts that this was the man in charge. Nadir. One of Europe's oldest vampires and someone I was smart enough to fear.
There was no sign of any child. We were all still waiting on the last piece of the puzzle.
"You're sure about this?" Simon's voice asked from behind me.
I had to assume that the sentiment was less than genuine. But it was kind of him to ask, even if there was no way he could let me back out. He and Leda would do whatever it took to get Kassie back home, plan or no plan. He would be on my side as long as things went exactly as they were supposed to, and not a second further.
"Let's get this done," I answered. At this point, I was more comforted by the phone in my pocket, the gun at my hip, and the knife in my boot than anything else.
I nodded my head. Nadir snapped his fingers. One of his men moved toward Leda, whispering something in her ear that I couldn't hear. All exactly as was supposed to happen. Leda was gone seconds later.
I wondered how long it would take for her to get the confirmation she needed.
Like everything else, that came too quickly as well.
I didn't see or feel Simon disappear from behind me, but I did notice the moment that he popped back into existence on the other side of the beach, standing nearby the cluster of vampires. He stood more than a dozen feet away, looking far more worn down than he had only minutes ago when we’d arrived. As quick as lightning, the two in turn, each of them clasped him around the wrists, making what would be a nearly unbreakable connection to his body. In theory, he could still jump but not without taking them along for the ride, bringing them into the fray should he attempt any sort of rescue. Ensuring Nadir still had some level of control.
This was not quite what had been discussed, but it wasn’t unexpected. Actually, it was one of the more obvious of the betrayals we’d been expecting. Nadir would have been far better off waiting until Simon had returned him to Greece to spring his trap, but as far as shows of power went, this was clearly the bigger play.
The official agreement had been that Leda would be given Kassie's location but only once I was within Nadir's line of sight. Then, once Leda had seen her child, she would text her brother the all clear. Simon would leave me to go the rest of the way alone, providing one final service to Nadir and his men, bringing them back home. And me along with them.
He would be allowed to leave. In theory, no one could stop him. And I would be forced to stay.
I looked around, trying to find a route I could use to run. I liked to think I’d never take the option, but it was good to know what possibilities remained to me. Nadir had already upended our bargain, and Kassie was safe. But I’d seen how fast his people had grabbed Simon. They’d have been able to catch me too, and I couldn’t be sure that everything I was waiting on had had enough time to play out.
Splaying my hands in front of me, to show that I wasn't hiding anything. I was ready, I was willing.
Moving slowly, my heart pounding my chest, I made my way across the beach.
The night sky all around me was too perfectly clear to match my gloomy mood. Stars shone overhead, and waves lapped peacefully nearby. The entire scene was postcard perfect.
Once I was within the last few feet, I let myself really study Nadir's face. In the dim lighting, he could probably see me for better than I could him, but the starlight from up above was more than enough to expose sharp cheekbones and deep-set eyes that hinted at the man's impossible age. A predatory glint shone beneath the surface of his placid expression, something I hoped not to have to get to know any better.
"Melanie Sinclair," he said the moment I was within ear shot. "I have waited many years to meet you."
"Super," I muttered, trying to sound braver than I felt. "I'm not sure I can say the same."
"This need not be an unpleasant experience for you." Nadir took a step closer to me. One of the women standing close by moved at the same time, practically cloaked in darkness while still making her presence known. “Should you prove useful, you would be the most prized piece in my collection, admired by many.”
"That would probably be more reassuring if I had any idea what it is you intend to do with me. Even then, probably not. All Leda was willing to tell me was that this would be a straight exchange. I come to you, you let the others go. Permanently. They no longer have any connection to your kind, and you never again seek them out. And yet, Simon is already back under your control.” At least, I suspected that was what Nadir believed. “This is not what we agreed to."
"And I am a man of my word... which doesn’t appear to be true of those in my employ. I
do find it hard to believe that after spending almost an entire day with my Leda, she would not have shared even a little more of what she knew with you and your friends. After asking so many questions, I had to assume she learned at least something that could be of use and probably reported it to you, all while telling us that she didn't know where to find you."
I pressed my lips together, refusing to let myself speak. He knew that Leda had been working with us, or he guessed. Not that surprising. If anything, he thought she’d been with us even longer than the reality. But I wasn't prepared to give him any more information. Not until I knew for sure exactly how far he was willing to take this.
"And while I am a man of my word, I also expect those I do business with to honor their own. I don't know about you, but this seems like a fairly substantial breach of trust."
Somehow, I still felt like I had a handle on the situation. Like there was at least a shot in the dark of getting myself and everyone else that mattered to me out in one piece. It involved a lot of playing nice and playing along. We'd always known Nadir would betray us, and we'd planned for that. All of these little games were par for the course when it came to the factions and their leaders.
And frankly, I was sick games and sick of playing.
"Cut the bullshit," I said, only briefly allowing myself a flicker of doubt if this was really the right path for me and for all the people who were counting on me. "Let me guess how this plays out. Somehow, you twist everything that's just happened in a way that paints you as the victim. You find a way to re-leverage your hand and then all of a sudden, I have no way out and you still get to keep one of your teleporters. Or both. Why not be ambitious, right? And just like that, you win. And for the low, low cost of just a quick joint over to the Emerald Isle. From there, I don't know."
I let myself take an exaggerated breath, hoping the gap in conversation would come off as intimidating, rather than desperate. The effort was likely futile, but I needed just a few more seconds to figure out my next, best, and possibly last move.
I continued. "There are no victims here, not anymore. For generations the people you victimized were the same people whose subjugation fed your power, people that I’m betting you enjoyed treating like trash. But we're done with all that now."
Other than his eyebrows narrowing in toward one another, it was hard to read much into Nadir's expression. "So what is this then? Is this the moment where you wow me with a last-minute turn around, thwarting my own plans and miraculously coming out on top? You've been watching too many movies, little girl. No matter what you attempt today, you…”
"You're not listening," I said. "Though if you wanted to take a minute and explain to me your entire master plan, I could probably be convinced to hold off on what comes next. I have the time.”
Nadir smirked.
The nerve of some people.
My heart raced in my chest. I was all but convinced that my life would be ending in the next few minutes, and this bastard had the nerve to look amused.
Practically holding my breath, I shifted my weight. Trying to pull my body into a relaxed, even casual stance was anything but easy, but in one not-so-smooth motion, I managed to slip one hand into the back pocket of my jeans, letting out the smallest sigh of relief as my fingers connected with my phone and searched for what I needed.
The information I'd been waiting for was already there and waiting for me. Leda was safe, and both she and her daughter were back in Ireland. She'd already left Kassie with Ieza. My mother was probably already baking up one of her chocolate concoctions.
I risked a quick glance over to Simon who was still being held on the beach, still breathing slowly, fear and exhaustion resting on his features. His gaze caught mine, and I straightened. I nodded slowly, hoping Nadir would read it as a reassurance rather than a signal. But, really, what he read into any of this no longer mattered.
Nadir had sprung his trap first, but he’d waited too long, allowing us time to follow suit.
Simon and I had only been able to plan in broad strokes. We'd spent the afternoon putting dozens of pieces and play, trying to account for every possible way the evenings meetings could play out, each option relying on a different kind of double-cross from Nadir.
All we knew for sure was that we couldn’t allow Nadir the chance to sneak me away like he’d done with Kassie. If that had happened, the mountain may have been too steep to climb.
But I was still there.
I couldn’t say the same for Nadir’s empire.
I didn’t risk the second it would take to see whether or not Simon had understood. Instead, my gaze fixed itself on Nadir.
"Five minutes from now, maybe less, we're all going to walk away from this beach. I'm not coming with you, and neither is Simon. We stop doing the same old shit that faction leaders, politicians, and mobsters have been doing since the dawn of time. Whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to get the upper hand and maybe kick the little guy just for fun."
"Cute idea," a woman standing nearby scoffed. "If you're about to pitch some sort of tra-la-la, let's all hold hands and be friends kind of moment, don't waste your breath. You're outnumbered, and we all know who wins this fight. Nadir has already offered great mercy by allowing the child and human to go. It is the right of any faction leader to claim those within their borders."
“Says who?” I asked. “Just because it’s always been that way? Authority is given by the governed. If we don’t acknowledge your claim, does it really exist?”
Nadir snarled, exposing the points of his teeth.
“I’m sure you could win a fight here on this beach, but it wouldn’t matter. But that's not what you want, is it?" I said, still not taking my eyes off of the vampire I was speaking about. "If this were the case, we'd be done already. You have already learned the lesson that many more are going to have to catch up on. You need us. For generations, all of the factions have subsidized their own powers, their own shortcomings, with lesser magicks. Controlling us in order to control what we can do. That era has come to a close. Connections have been made. If you want to take this to fight, and see just how much backup I really have at my disposal. And there are more of us coming out of the woodwork every day, realizing that the way things are aren't the way things have to be."
"Tell your men to let go of Simon, and we all start learning how to be on the same team. Because we're going to need to be. It's not vampires against fae any more than it is greater against lesser. It's all of us against the future, against whatever is coming next. Maybe it's us against the humans. But I hope not. It will be us against the changes that are coming."
"Pretty words," Nadir said, cutting me off just as I was beginning to get my footing back under me, improvising my speech and yet somehow not managing to screw the whole thing up. "But I do not see what is in this for me. You admit that should things get unpleasant, people will be lost. My people cannot die. Not easily. You would have me give up some of my greatest treasures on the chance that you are right about what the future holds. In my days, I have met many who claim to be able to see what is coming. Not one of them foretold a future where..."
I shook my head, more than happy to interrupt him as he didn't seem to mind doing the same to me. "These treasures you speak of. They aren't yours. They belong to themselves, and no one else. They never have, and now is a new age of technology rises, they're all realizing that they never need to again. They have a community, they don’t need yours. As we speak, Leda is removing what remains of your people from your compound.”
Nadir scoffed, an alarmingly human sounding noise. “She has no such power. None of mine would allow her to get close enough to…”
“She is not alone. As you say, you had quite the collection of people under your thumb. And even more living not so very far away. Alone, a girl with the ability to immobilize and an old man who radiates sunlight from his skin would not be able to do much. But combine them with a teleporter and an army of the abused, and you grow weaker by the second, an
d you don't even realize it."
Nadir's expression contorted in rage. I could practically see him working to keep any semblance of calm.
Unconcerned, I continued.
"It won't just be you. My people and I will not always be the ones to take lesser magicks from their prisons, but one by one they will begin to take themselves. Each day, more will realize that the price they are paying to live in faction controlled cities, is far too high. By the time the summit is here, who knows how much things will have shifted? What I'm offering you is the chance to lead. We have taken your home, but you can build another. The Lesser Magicks in your city now have a foothold: they are well protected. Be the first to accept our faction and what it represents. Make things as easy as you can for those you have subjugated. Make history with me now in order to ensure that each of your people, those who truly want your protection, are still here to shape the future."
At last, I stopped talking, my throat dry and my mind reeling. I had said what needed to be said. Now I needed to prove my point.
Power surged at my fingertips once more. Leda appeared within seconds just down the beach, a shout of rage bellowing from her lips. She had brought two others along with her, both echoed her call. I didn’t have a chance to see who they were because in the same instant that she appeared, her brother disappeared, taking his guards along with him when he reappeared beside his sister.
The fight that followed was swift and decisive. We’d been ready; the vampires had not. By the time two more of Nadir’s companions had reached the others, there was nobody left on that part of the beach other than two rapidly decomposing corpses.
"Every second you wait, your kingdom continues to crumble," I said, already breathing more easily. “Your move.”
Chapter 19
By the time the sun rose the next morning, Nadir and his vamp squad were gone, begrudgingly agreeing that it would not be in his best interest to rip me apart. We both knew he could have. I'd had my gun and my blade, but he could have ended me before I'd had a chance to reach for either. But when he returned to Greece, or when Leda and Simon returned for me, there would be consequences beyond what had already been dolled out. He would also have no way home.
Magic In My Soul Page 12
