“I recognize your claim to the open seat on the coven,” Elizabeth declared in a clear, ringing voice that filled the enormous chamber. She lifted her chin a little and even graced me with a small smile, as if daring me to question her motives.
My gaze then turned to Macaire, whose face had grown red during the past few minutes as his rage mounted. I was willing to bet that the nightwalker had goaded Yuri into challenging me, confident that the powerful Ancient would make quick work of me. But yet again Macaire had under-estimated me and my determination to live.
“I recognize your claim to the open seat on the coven,” he announced in a dark growl, his hands tightening on the arms of his chair.
I bowed my head slightly to him, my grin growing wider. It was official now. I was an Elder on the coven that ruled the entire nightwalker nation, and I had at my side a hunter that was part bori. My people might never forgive me if they found out the truth, but I was doing what I believed was for the best.
“As my first act as Elder, there is some old business that I would like to clear up,” I announced. Gazing around the room, my eyes finally lit on a slender blond nightwalker with icy blue eyes. My smile dimmed as I walked over to him. Lucas took a step backward, bumping into a nightwalker standing directly behind him.
“Mira, I—” he started, but I didn’t allow him to get any further. Grabbing the front of his shirt, I tossed him into the middle of the open floor before the coven. The young nightwalker scrambled to his feet and tried to edge closer to his master Macaire. However, I darted across the room, intercepting his movements.
“What grievances do you have against my companion?” Macaire demanded as he shoved to his feet.
“Many,” I said in a low voice. “Don’t I, Lucas?”
“Please, Mira,” he pleaded, trying to take a step away from me, but I had already begun to circle him, keeping him trapped in the center of the floor.
I waited for him to say that he was simply following the orders of his master, but the nightwalker stopped himself before he could incriminate Macaire. The Elder would only go so far to protect him, and neither of us believed that he would cross me directly.
“Last summer you were in Savannah trying to incite a rebellion with Bishop among my people. You lingered in my domain without presenting yourself to me. You attacked me and you attacked my guest.” I stopped pacing. “Do you have any excuse that you can offer up?”
“Please, Mira, I had no choice,” Lucas pleaded as a tear streaked down his pale cheek.
“Really? Why is that?”
“I—I can’t . . .” he said, his words seeming to drift away. If he offered up an excuse that saved him from me, he would not escape Macaire’s wrath.
“That’s what I thought.” Balling my right hand into a fist, I punched through his chest so I could grab his heart. I wrapped my fingers around the cold lifeless organ before ripping it out. The nightwalker gave one little jerk before falling over before me. He never cried out. He never fought me. But then, he never had a chance.
I waved my empty hand over Lucas’s body, lighting it on fire. I tossed the heart on the burning body and turned back to face the coven with a wide grin on my face. All the aches and pains I felt earlier had left me as I was filled with a rush of adrenaline that came from killing both Yuri and Lucas. My fangs poked against my lower lip and a part of me yearned for another battle, but now was not the time. Macaire had returned to his seat, his eyes unmoving from the flickering flames behind me.
“My debts are settled,” I said, and then walked over to my seat on the coven. Blood dripped from my fingers to the floor as I paused before the three short steps that led to the open seat. Danaus had straightened from his relaxed stance and stood like a soldier behind my chair at parade rest, ever ready to protect me. I stared at the gold chair, every muscle and thought screaming for me to not take this place on the coven. It was a road I had never planned to go down. I wasn’t supposed to get involved in the politics of my people. I had sworn that I would live out the rest of my existence in peaceful anonymity in my beloved Savannah. But my people were running out of time, and I had no choice but to step forward if we were going to defeat the naturi.
Raising my chin, I walked up the last three steps and sat down in the stiff gold chair, looking out on the massive gathering of nightwalkers before me. No one looked particularly pleased with my arrival as the newest Elder. In fact, most looked horrified or angered by my presence. But it didn’t matter. I would do whatever it took to defeat Aurora and the naturi that threatened our way of life.
Unfortunately, first I would have to take care of Macaire. Killing his companion Lucas had essentially been an open declaration of war, which only pleased Jabari. He had been looking for a way to finally get rid of his chief rival on the coven. The Egyptian Ancient was wise enough to fear Our Liege, but had no qualms about being the driving force on the coven. However, to achieve that, Jabari had to finally be rid of Macaire—the one nightwalker that had opposed him for more centuries than I cared to count.
It was fitting that I would continue to be the wedge dividing them, since that seemed to be the only role fit for me since I had first been reborn. Macaire could not control me, and Jabari had never been willing to share me with the Ancient.
Macaire’s time was winding down. He had been given his warning with the death of Lucas. He couldn’t step down. It was a sign of weakness, and other nightwalkers would seek to take advantage of that weakness at the first chance. No, if Macaire wished to survive, he would need to kill me before Jabari and I got around to killing him.
Chapter Six
The naturi were attacking.
The cry went up from every domain keeper that stepped before the coven that evening. Dozens came forward, frightened and angry that their territory was now the hunting ground for countless naturi during both the daylight and evening hours.
I could see the bitter accusation in their eyes. Our world was overrun with naturi because I had failed to stop them at Machu Picchu. It didn’t matter that Macaire tried to forge an alliance with the naturi or that we had been outnumbered on that Peruvian mountain. It didn’t matter that the coven had acted too slowly to counter the threat Rowe posed. It didn’t matter that Jabari had wasted time trying to kill me when he should have been helping me. All they knew was that I had been sent to stop the naturi and now they were running free.
I sat in silence, enduring their dirty looks and sneers as they whined about daylight raids on nests and hunting parties by moonlight. The shapeshifters had turned against us, controlled by the animal clan within the naturi. I didn’t expect the witches and the warlocks to stay friendly much longer, considering that Ryan and Danaus were no longer on speaking terms, because of me. The head of Themis was not only a powerful warlock in his own right, but also wielded a great deal of clout within the magic users’ community. Our world was falling apart and we needed to start taking some steps to preserve and protect what we could.
“What have you done to protect those within your domain?” I snapped after listening to what had to be the tenth supplicant. My limited patience had finally reached its end.
“We’re being slaughtered during the daylight hours,” the nightwalker complained, flashing me an ugly glare. It was all I could do to not set him on fire that second, but I tapped down the urge.
“Any nightwalker that doesn’t know how to protect his lair and keep it secret deserves to be staked and dragged out into the sun,” I snarled, lurching forward so I was perched on the edge of my seat. “We’ve grown too sloppy and complacent over the long years. We’ve been the dominant species for centuries. The naturi should not have an edge over us!”
The nightwalker took a brave step forward as he balled his fists at his sides. “What about the lycans? They’re hunting us as well.”
“Have you spoken with the pack alpha?”
“No, not yet,” he replied, his voice losing some of its earlier strength.
“Talk to the alph
a. Set up limitations as to where the lycans can roam during the night hours.”
“They won’t agree—”
“They will if they want to continue to live and be free of the naturi,” I argued, cutting him off. “And start hunting down the naturi, damn it!”
“What about the humans?”
I slid back from the edge of my seat and rested my head in my hand as I put my elbow on the arm of the chair. “What about the humans?” I repeated. My head was beginning to throb. This was growing tiresome, and I was confident that we weren’t making any real progress. During the early years of my existence, when I was living with Jabari, I spent many hours hovering on the fringe of the coven because it meant that I was close to my mentor. I don’t recall that time being as particularly tedious as it was right at this moment.
“They’re being slaughtered at an alarming rate. The police aren’t going to buy this serial killer garbage we’ve been feeding them for much longer. It’s only a matter of time before the truth gets out. We won’t be able to protect the secret for much longer if the naturi continue their rampage unchecked.”
“Then check them!” Jabari growled. “The coven cannot be everywhere at once fighting the naturi. These are your domains. Police them as you are supposed to or step down and let someone else take care of what you can’t.”
“But the coven can be in a few select places, looking into the matter and making an example of the naturi that are there,” Macaire smoothly interjected, jerking my head in his direction.
Taking a slow breath, I forced a brilliant smile on my lips as I looked at him, trying not to flash my fangs at him. “That is true,” I agreed sweetly. “Do you have someplace particular in mind?”
“Actually, I do. Budapest.”
“Budapest? Have we heard from her keeper this evening? I don’t recall that one,” I said, maintaining my polite demeanor while fighting the urge to grind my teeth. The Elder had something up his sleeve and was simply waiting for me to step into his trap.
“I have been contacted separately by nightwalkers that live within the city limits of Budapest,” Macaire replied, smiling back at me. “I have also been seeing a growing number of reports out of that city regarding human deaths under mysterious circumstances. Someone must act quickly to quell the chatter that is starting to hit the human media.”
I slouched in my chair, staring blindly out at the crowd of nightwalkers fanned out in front of me, watching my every move. I hadn’t visited Budapest in years. I wasn’t even sure who her keeper was now. However, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that the keeper was most likely loyal to Macaire.
“Budapest is a vital stronghold for our people to the east,” Elizabeth chimed in.
“It’s long been a haven for our kind, but our numbers there have dwindled,” Macaire stated sadly. “We need to protect what is ours.”
“Shall you be going then to check it out?” I leaned forward in my chair so I could clearly see him around Jabari.
Macaire looked over at me, a wicked grin growing across his old, soft face. “I thought you would be best suited for this endeavor. You have proven to be quite adept at ridding an area of the naturi. I thought that you might be able to assist the nightwalkers of Budapest. You could clean out the region and make it safe again for our kind while settling the humans as well.”
Should I be concerned? I asked Jabari secretly.
You should always be concerned when Macaire is involved.
I should have just killed him instead of Lucas.
Yes, that may have been the wiser choice, Jabari agreed with a rumble of laughter rolling through my brain.
Of course, then you would no longer need me.
True, he admitted.
It was enough to make a person scream. Even the one ally I had on the coven wanted me dead in the end. Only the hunter at my back seemed to worry about whether I lived or died. At least he wanted me to live another night for reasons other than how I could be used to his benefit.
“Who is the keeper of Budapest?” I asked, sitting back in my chair again. I was stalling. I didn’t want to go and fight the naturi again. Most importantly, I didn’t want to go into a domain that was ruled by a nightwalker loyal to Macaire. However, if I could steal that bit of backing from the Elder, it would weaken him. He would have fewer allies to rely on. It would bring him one step closer to being removed from the coven.
“That is unknown,” Macaire admitted. “Since the death of Geoffrey more than two centuries ago, no one has formally stepped forward to claim the territory.”
I didn’t buy it. There were exceedingly heavy concentrations of nightwalkers in Paris, Budapest, Vienna, Prague, and Berlin. I knew the keepers of all those domains save Budapest and Vienna. Of course, it was well known that Valerio made his home in Vienna and anyone causing problems in that city had to answer to him. He may not have held the title of keeper, but the city belonged to him. I could only guess that Budapest was managed much the same way by a nightwalker I wasn’t currently familiar with.
Going to Budapest was dangerous, to say the least, but I would only be faced with the naturi and a nightwalker that didn’t like me much. It didn’t seem to be that bad a situation. If I was lucky, Rowe would be hanging out in Budapest, giving me a chance to remove his one remaining eye. Traveling to Budapest would also give me the opportunity to steal something from Macaire. The potential rewards outweighed the risks, as far as I could see.
“I shall travel to Budapest and look over the situation. I’ll remove the naturi from the region,” I said with a nod of my head. “However, it seems such a waste to just send out one Elder when there are four of us. Wouldn’t it be a more effective example if we all struck out in separate domains and cleaned them of naturi?” I waved my right hand out toward the horde of nightwalkers closely watching me. “Our people have come forward for our help. Would not a strike from all four of us be the best use of our resources?”
“We all have domains that we watch over—” Elizabeth started, but I was quick to cut her off.
“Yes, and I’ve been careful to leave my domain in the capable hands of one I trust to watch over things while I am away. Surely, you’ve done the same. I imagine that you can spend a few nights away from your domain and the coven in support of your people.”
I sat back in my chair, fighting back a smile. There weren’t too many nightwalkers that would welcome a visit from an Elder, let alone have one temporarily set up shop within their domain, even if it meant getting rid of the naturi. Not many would thank me for this suggestion. However, I was unwilling to be the only one on the coven that got her hands dirty. I had been sent to Crete and Peru to stop Rowe. I was now being sent to Budapest to fight the naturi for some unknown keeper. I would not be the errand girl of the coven. They had to fight as well if we were to succeed against the naturi.
You will pay for this suggestion, Jabari growled at me. “I think this is an excellent idea. With the death of Yuri, I will travel to Russia and check over the situation in Moscow and St. Petersburg,” he announced.
I was impressed and worried. Jabari was from Egypt. He lingered there in his free time even after countless centuries. He hated the cold, but he was willing to travel to Russia in the dead of winter. He had something else up his sleeve beyond the need to destroy naturi in Yuri’s domain. I quickly pushed the concern aside. I had no plans to travel to Russia, no intention of traveling that far from my own beloved Savannah. Let the Elder claim the region, extending his reach to more than what Alexander the Great could even call his own.
“Following that train of thought,” Macaire began, straightening in his chair as he spoke, “I shall go to Spain. After the death of your maker Sadira, a power vacuum has been left behind. There is no one there to keep order. I shall restore calm to the region.”
Should I warn him about the wind clan near Barcelona? Danaus inquired.
A smile tweaked the corners of my mouth, forcing me to bite the inside of my cheek to keep fr
om letting the smile fully form. No, let him figure it out on his own.
Pushing to the edge of my seat, I looked down the row to where Elizabeth sat. Her tiny figure seemed to be engulfed in the chair. She sat with her back ramrod straight, her dainty hands folded in her lap. I struggled to imagine her in a fight with the naturi, but then Sadira could have passed for someone’s grandmother, not a vicious killer. When it came to nightwalkers, looks were frequently deceiving.
“If I might make a suggestion,” I politely said, lifting my hand. “You may want to consider traveling to London and the surrounding region.”
“London?” she repeated, arching one eyebrow at me. “Why there? There is no keeper of London, none in all of the United Kingdom.”
“True, but it has a high population density of humans and there are still a number of nightwalkers there, despite the fact that the city has no keeper. Wouldn’t it be prudent of us to stake a claim in the city before it is lost to the naturi?” I countered. “We could at last establish a power foothold in the region, and it’s not too far from your own beloved Paris, correct?”
What are you doing?
The question nearly echoed through my brain as both Jabari and Danaus made the demand at almost the exact same second.
I’m trying to see where her loyalties lie, I told Jabari. I don’t think she’s with Macaire and I know she doesn’t stand with you. Handing her a new domain could give me insight into where she stands.
I then switched to my secret path with Danaus. I’m dangling a bit of fresh meat in front of Ryan. I want to see if he will try to access the coven through Elizabeth if he thinks he’s lost his entrance through me.
My reasons for sending Elizabeth were multifaceted, but neither man needed to know all of them. If Elizabeth didn’t side with Jabari or Macaire, she might soften toward me at last if I handed her a way to easily extend her own domain. London and the surrounding region wouldn’t be an easy place to control, but it was another high-profile city like Paris.
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