by Kresley Cole
This was the first time in ages they'd used the hall for anything but girls' night out.
Dozens of beings lined the walls or sat stiffly on the antiquated settees. One couple sat atop a woofer.
With so many different creatures here rubbing together—some allied only through ties with another common faction—Mari was pleasantly surprised at how well everyone was behaving. So far only a few nut up or shut up-type ultimatums had been issued.
Of course, she'd taken precautions in case things got ugly.
"How much longer until the vampire is expected to return, witch?" Sabine, the Queen of Illusions, demanded imperiously, every inch the sorceress, from her crimson mask and elaborate crown to her claw-tipped gauntlets. Her husband, Rydstrom—another of Mari's good friends—had his big hand splayed possessively over her hip.
People quieted to hear Mari's answer, gazing at her. Among them were Bowen's cousin Garreth and his Valkyrie wife, Lucia the Huntress, both looking exhausted. Mari knew they'd been searching nonstop for Regin all over the world. Garreth was also here because his cousin Uilleam was missing.
Myst the Coveted and several other Valkyrie sat on the settees, awaiting news of Regin the Radiant as well.
The demons, the Lykae, the Valkyrie ... all of them were expecting Mari's magic to, like, work. After all the years when it hadn't, she was having stage fright. There was a reason she'd been called Awaited.
"Uh, soonish," Mari answered, though she had no idea how long. She'd thought he would be back by now. Have I sent Conrad on a suicide mission?
She glanced over at Neomi anxiously pacing, shifting from her pretty and vivacious corporeal form to her pale, ethereal phantom state.
Had Mari just widowed her?
Bowen sensed her nervousness and looped his arm protectively around her shoulders. "Doona worry, witchling. This will work out."
More minutes passed. More rumblings sounded. "How much longer will it take?" "How do we know the witch's magic will work? The captromancer can't even face a mirror." "Where is Nix? She should be here. ..."
Bowen turned to the crowd. "Any more lip, and I'll toss you out on your arses. You're here now only because Mariketa wills it."
Mari gazed up at him. Gods, I adore this wolf. He was the Keymaster to her Zuul. She couldn't think of a better guy to have in her corner—
"Wait!" Mari straightened. "I feel a disturbance." The air began to diffuse. "Something's coming."
"I smell smoke," Bowen muttered. "Whatever it is, it's comin' in hot."
Chapter 46
A red-eyed vampire has Carrow and Ruby.
Carrow struggled to get free, her fingers outstretched as she reached for Malkom.
Ruby flailed, screaming for him.
Though the vampire's skin had caught fire, still he would not release them.
Malkom slashed through the Wendigos, evading their attacks. As the creatures began to feed on their own fallen, slowing their advance, Malkom jerked his head around, searching for a way out of the circling horde.
"Malkom, hurry!" Carrow screamed.
Frustration strangled him, his fists clenching. Can't get to her. Gods, to be able to trace.
Then remember how! Never more desperate, never more frenzied, he struggled to recall—as he hadn't been able to in centuries.
Remember, Slaine...
He tensed every muscle in his body. Reach her. Dizziness assailed him; confusion followed. I've felt this. In an instant, he realized he'd experienced the same sensation when he'd run for Carrow during the Gotoh attack. And when he'd somehow reached her in the water amidst the sharks.
Both times he'd been panicked to get to her. Remember now—or lose her. With a yell, he strained again.
The Wendigos began tightening their circle once more.
Must ... reach her.
Then came that unforgettable feeling of floating. He'd begun to disappear! No, only a waver. Leveling his gaze on Carrow's beautiful face, he attempted once more.
Disbelief.
He'd vanished. No time to thank the gods before he'd reappeared, claws bared, ready to slay—
They were gone. The vampire had traced them away, could have taken them anywhere. Malkom's legs threatened to buckle.
A vampire has my family. The thought repeated in his disordered mind. He should have found a way to take them from here! Carrow had warned him again and again.
Now his selfishness had cost him everything.
Madness threatened, nigh overwhelming him. Keep your wits about you, Slaine. The vampire wouldn't kill Carrow and Ruby; he could've done that at once. So he'd abducted them for some purpose.
Which meant Malkom would have time to find them.
But how? Have to get off this fucking island!
I can trace now. Yet a vampire or demon could only teleport to places he could see or remember.
Do I not remember her life? He could go to the land of her memories, find her coven, launch a search. When I find that vampire ... he'll beg to die.
Malkom spied a mountaintop in the distance, tracing there out of the oncoming rush of Wendigos.
He needed to buy himself time—to remember a place he'd never been.
By the time the vampire transported Carrow and Ruby to Andoain and dropped them unceremoniously, his skin was fully aflame.
While she and Ruby coughed from the smoke, he merely took the pain as his red eyes scanned a crowd of immortals.
"Neomi!" he bellowed. The phantom gave a cry and ran for him, batting at the flames, extinguishing them.
Clearly uncaring of the damage he'd sustained, he rasped, "Koeri, I need you."
Neomi swallowed, looking part apprehensive, part excited. "Of course, mon coeur." He yanked her into his arms, planting his fangs into her neck. Then they disappeared.
"Wait, no," Carrow cried. "Where'd he go? I need him to get back!"
"Get back?" Mari said. "What are you talking about? I barely got you out."
"Crow, he's in trouble!" Tears streamed down Ruby's face. "We need to help Malkom!"
"Who's Malkom, Ruby?" Mari asked. "And what's on your necks? Carrow, what's on your sword?"
Brown Wendigo blood covered it. "There's no time to explain! Where will the vampire go? We have to find him."
Mari shook her head. "Conrad's a special kind of loopy. He won't be right from that for days." To Ruby, she said, "Hey, kiddo, why don't you go with Elianna and get washed up?"
Elianna hurried over, but Ruby flung herself away. "I want to g-go after Malkom!" Her breaths were shallowing.
The girl was hysterical; Carrow was nearly there. She dropped her sword, crouching to grab Ruby's shoulders. "You know how I came back for you twice? I will find Malkom. I swear to you, I'll bring him home."
"Come, sweet," Elianna said, reaching for her.
Ruby's face had gone red, her chest heaving, eyes shimmering. She was about to pass out again. "I want him back NOW!" Her shriek was earsplitting. "Now, now, now!"
"There, child," Elianna murmured, laying her hand on Ruby's forehead. At once, the girl fell unconscious, and the old witch swooped her up into her arms. "A little mystical Benadryl never hurt anyone," she said, heading upstairs. Over her shoulder, she added, "Ruby will wake in a couple of hours. I suggest you retrieve whoever it is that she wants by then."
Carrow surveyed the faces in the room, seeing more witches, nymphs, some of the noble fey, Valkyrie, Lykae, and more. Then she spotted King Rydstrom and his fellow demons. He could trace! "Rydstrom, I need you to trace me back to the island. Right back to where I was!"
Mari said, "Carrow, I can only direct Rydstrom to the island—and that's if he can follow some really vague directions. I can't get him exactly back to your location. Apparently, it took Conrad more than three hours to reach you from where I'd sent him."
Even with Carrow's limited knowledge of the island, she couldn't outpace a tracing vampire. More than three hours to get to Malkom...
Have to get started now! "Mari, pull up t
he directions—Rydstrom is tracing me. And get this thing off my neck!"
Rydstrom's sorceress queen, Sabine, demanded, "Is Lanthe there?"
"Yes!" Carrow answered. "Somewhere." At Rydstrom's quizzical look, she hastily explained, "We got separated. I'm sure we can find her within a day or so. If we leave right now!" Turning to Mariketa, she snapped, "Mari, my collar—I need it gone. It's binding my powers."
"I'm on it!" Mari said, rubbing her thumb over a pocket mirror while studiously gazing away. "Damn, Carrow, that is some serious mojo."
Rydstrom crossed his brawny arms over his chest. "So if you weren't just with Lanthe, then you can't say for certain that she's even still on this island."
No time to convince him, to explain Thronos ... Carrow couldn't catch her breath, feeling as if she were about to hyperventilate like Ruby.
"We'll go in when Mariketa scries for her specifically," Rydstrom decided. "It will ultimately save us time."
Typical logical Rydstrom. "No, damn you! Now!" If anything happened to Malkom ... She clutched at her chest, thinking about Malkom in the midst of all those creatures. "We're leaving this fucking minute!"
Sabine shot to her feet, her anger making the room appear to rock. "You didn't just talk to my husband like that."
"I did. And you'll get him to cooperate if you ever want to see your sister again!"
"Now you're threatening me?" Sabine narrowed her eyes behind her mask. "I'll turn your mind inside out." She held up her glowing palms, poised to strike.
"You think Mari didn't bind any mystical offensives within our coven?" A quick glance at Mari. "You did, right, Glitch?"
Wide-eyed, Mari nodded. "Between that and your new collar, the best you two can do is catfight."
In his arrogance, Malkom had thought he could protect them from anything.
Now a vampire, one of Malkom's most reviled enemies, had stolen his family right in front of his eyes.
You will always lose.
No, he couldn't. Not this time.
Concentrate. He closed his eyes, dragging up memories from his dreams. He didn't want to go to the pulsing, screeching tavern. He needed to reach Andoain to alert her coven, to get their help in locating the vampire he'd soon rip limb from limb.
Focus, Slaine. ... Malkom felt himself tracing once more. Having no idea where he would end up, he let himself go.
He appeared in a new land—at night. 'Twas warm here, even though the moon was high.
Before him stood a sprawling home with a shimmering blue pool and a grove of trees. He shook his head hard, astonished his tracing had worked. Could this be Andoain?
His brows drew together. This home was unoccupied. No lights burned. No food scents or movements came from within. It didn't look like the Andoain of Carrow's memories.
How to find her?
Emptiness. Wind blew through those trees, bringing a hint of rain. Lightning struck in the distance, nearing swiftly—
A woman's yell sounded. Carrow's!
He traced through the grove in that direction, disappearing and reappearing. Each time, he materialized ever closer to her. Soon he'd located the house she was in.
Every time the lightning blazed, he saw a different facet of the home. In the dark lulls, he perceived an imposing building surrounded by a black fence. During the strikes, he saw a timeworn structure with animals teeming around it. Snakes slithered in the yard. Insects and other reptiles abounded.
Malkom stalked closer. Small black animals—cats—swarmed outside, wrapping around his legs.
He could scent Carrow and the little one inside, among dozens of other beings. He didn't smell that vampire from before, but other immortals were within.
Carrow's voice was distinct now. She didn't sound afraid; the witch sounded furious, railing at others. Was there no threat?
He traced inside, about to take her and Ruby from this place when he heard, "... you want your wife unharmed, then get me back to the island!"
Chapter 47
When silence fell over the crowd, Carrow glanced up from her grappling—powers bound—catfight with Sabine. Immortals were backing away from her in a wave.
That's right, I'm bringing the rain! "Rydstrom, damn you, just trace me to the island!"
"Rydstrom, stay out of this," Sabine snapped, taking a cheap shot to Carrow's kidney. Even with her exceptional powers bound, Sabine was still a fierce scrapper. But Carrow was fighting for the man she loved.
Another tag to Carrow's kidney. "Bitch," she hissed, driving her elbow into Sabine's torso. Lucky break—Carrow had nailed her solar plexus!
Sabine gasped, robbed of breath. Carrow took the opportunity to dive for her sword and spring up behind her, placing it at her neck. "The blood of a Wendigo coats this sword."
Rydstrom's lips parted, his eyes sharply turning black. "Just ... just calm yourself, witch." He held up his hands as he eased closer. "Think about what you're doing. You'd sacrifice our alliance?"
"Don't you people get it? I'll sacrifice anything!" Carrow cried. "Rydstrom, what wouldn't you do for this woman right now?"
"There is nothing," he rasped, "nothing I wouldn't do to get her back. I will trace you."
In a weird tone, Mari said, "So this Malkom guy—is he really big?"
"He's Malkom Slaine, my husband. And it won't matter how big he is if I don't get to that goddamned island in time to save him from a horde of Wendigos!"
Without warning, Carrow felt a jolt of unfettered joy, just as she heard a male say, " 'Husband'?"
Over her shoulder, Carrow glared. "Yeah, that's what I—" It was Malkom, directly behind her, emerging from the shadows. As he stepped into the light, her heart went to her throat. "How did you ... who brought you?"
"I brought myself, witch," he said, his voice hoarse.
Carrow was about to run to him, then she remembered the bristling sorceress she had at sword point. "I'm sorry for this, Sabine. But he's my male, and you'd do the same for Rydstrom." Carrow released her, tossing the sword away. "Truce. Or I won't help you find your sister."
Sabine whirled around, her lips thinned. "I demand a rematch with our powers."
"Are you kidding?" Carrow scoffed. "You'd annihilate me."
The only thing greater than Sabine's powers was her vanity. She smoothed her red hair, clearly mollified. At length, she said, "Truce."
With that, Carrow ran for Malkom, and he met her, opening his arms to her, clutching her tightly.
Holding his face, she rained kisses on his forehead, his cheeks, his lips. "Did you get scratched or bitten? Because I'll keep you locked up until I can find a cure—"
"I am unscathed. I traced away from them."
"How? How did you find me here?"
"I figured out how to trace and followed your memories. I told you I'd come for you. And for Ruby." He surveyed the room. "Where is the little one?"
"She's right upstairs, waiting for me to bring you back," Carrow said dryly. "You have just arrived at a meeting with my allies. Wherein I was politely asking them to return me to the island."
"You ... you called me husband. In front of all." His blue eyes darkened.
Oh, how badly this demon wanted to believe in her. "Because you are. And you always will be." She stood on her toes, cupping his face. "I was out of my mind, Malkom. Out of my ever-living mind to get back to you."
Another wave of that joy hit her. "I will not doubt you again, ara."
"I won't give you reason to. But I warn you—I'm not letting you out of my sight from now on." When the corners of his lips curled at that, she said, "I love you." Then she showed him how much, pressing her mouth to his for a desperate, breathless kiss.
Yet then he tensed, drawing her away. Like a shot, he tossed her behind him.
A vampire had appeared. Nikolai Wroth—one of Conrad Wroth's brothers and husband to Myst the Coveted.
Without warning, Malkom attacked, gunning for Nikolai.
"Malkom, wait!" But he'd already lunged for the unsuspect
ing vamp, tackling him to the ground with a force and speed few had ever witnessed.
Garreth MacRieve said, "Bluidy hell, what is he?"
Rydstrom said one word: "Vemon."
"Here?" Garreth bellowed. "And near my woman!" He charged for Malkom. Rydstrom was right behind him.
"No, he's with me!" Carrow cried. "Stop!"
With his fangs and claws bared menacingly, Malkom fought them all, holding them off.
But Nikolai had only just gotten his bearings to begin whaling on Malkom. Rydstrom, a rage demon, hadn't gone fully enraged yet. When Malkom clocked Garreth in the face, the Lykae muttered a stunned "Goddamn?" then sprang back into the fray, morphing to his werewolf state.
Three different species, ganging up on her man. "Let—him—go!" No response. "He won't hurt any of you."
Malkom chose that moment to raise his brows in disbelief. Won't I? Then he slashed out with his claws. Gods, he was strong. Murmurs sounded, incredulous whispers.
Lucia the Huntress said, "Witch, do you not understand what he is?" The Valkyrie drew her bow on him. "I've faced his kind before. And barely escaped with my life."
Sabine said, "Even if I wanted to break this up, my powers are bound. Do let boys be boys."
Myst had drawn a sword, striding forward to end this.
Carrow turned to a wide-eyed Mariketa. "He's my husband, Glitch. Please help me."
"You're sure about a ... a vemon?"
"Never been more sure."
Mari nodded. "But we have got to catch up tonight, 'kay?" With a wave of her hand, she flung the four males in opposite directions, pitching them into the walls.
Mouthing "thank you" over her shoulder, Carrow hurried to where Malkom was already on his feet for more. "Malkom, wait! I told you these are my allies."
"You ally with vampires."
"The red-eyed one from earlier was sent to save me," she said. "You just ambushed his brother, Nikolai."
