by K. A. Tucker
“They’re here.”
And just like that, our time in the sleeping garden under the winter stars was over. In the next moment, my frozen body was enveloped in the warmth of the chateau again.
“You need to go change into something warmer now, Evie. You’re going to end up with pneumonia,” Caden scolded, herding me toward the foyer.
“Come with me,” I whispered, grasping his hand before he could break free.
A smile touched his lips, sparking joy in me. Maybe it wouldn’t matter that Caden thought Julian and I had something after all. “They need me down here … Max? You around?” In seconds, the tip-tapping of those claws announced my werebeast’s presence. Caden gave my icy hand a squeeze and then let it drop. “Max will go with you and then show you the way down to the meeting place, okay?”
“I’m going to meet Lilly?” I asked, surprised.
Caden nodded and I could tell he wasn’t happy with the idea. “Sofie wants you there for some reason. She thinks it’s important.”
“Okay,” I agreed, wanting nothing more than to curl up under my duvet with Caden and erase the worry, doubt, and pain that I had just falsely planted inside him. That would need to come later, though. He turned to walk away. “Caden! Stop!” I rushed forward and threw my arms around him, squeezing him like I might never be able to again, which was entirely possible. His hands slid down to caress the small of my back. “Don’t tell Amelie. Please,” I whispered in his ear. The fewer people involved in my lies, the better. Especially Amelie. Or, more specifically, crazy Amelie. I winced, almost able to feel the ground as she bashed my head against it. Caden pulled away, pausing to look down at me, a sting in his gaze that ripped out my heart.
“We’re all better off with her not knowing,” he finally agreed with a stern nod. Then he disappeared.
At some point during the day, a wardrobe of everything from sweaters and jeans to socks and underwear made its way to my room. I didn’t spend any time thinking about it, grabbing the first warm set of something that didn’t contrast too greatly. Yanking a rose V-neck over my head, I hurried Max out the door and tore down the flight of stairs, hoping to join the others in the meeting place before Lilly made it there. The last thing I wanted to do was make a grand entrance. That’d be like walking into a new classroom after a lecture had begun. Except that the entire classroom was full of vampires and instead of a stern look from the teacher, I could end up with missing limbs …
Max led me through a new wing of the chateau that I had not been in before. Turning a corner, I skidded to a halt to avoid slamming into a small horde of scruffy mountain men. These had to be the wolves! Yeti One and Yeti Two stood guarding a set of solid black doors. What did Sofie say their names were? Kiril and …? Seeing them tickled me with bittersweet familiarity. I knew nothing about them, had never uttered a single word to them, but being near them reminded me of Leo. They offered stiff nods to Max and me but said nothing. I had yet to hear them speak English. I wondered if they could. With a firm push, Yeti One propped a door open for me.
Stick close to me and keep quiet, Max warned.
Swallowing a gulp of air, I scooted by the yetis, ushering Max ahead of me into the room with my hands against his rump. I couldn’t help but be momentarily awestruck by the chosen location of this gathering. With the full height of the chateau looming over me, the massive unfurnished room must have played host to a royal ball or two in its day. Gothic stained-glass windows lined two walls behind a row of archways. An imposing, ornate fireplace filled the end. Not one but four enormous bronze candelabras illuminated the intricate marble floor. I caught the scent of fresh paint, which told me that the room had recently undergone work and yet, as I surveyed its vaulted ceilings, curving in an archway of sculpted plaster, I had to believe the room’s historical characteristics were original.
I quickly lost interest in the architecture, though. In the center of the room sat a ring of twelve chairs, none of them occupied. Six foreign faces loomed around the ring—all smooth as stone, all unreadable, all locked on me. My body had yet to warm from my senseless jaunt outside but my blood turned to ice, shivers skittering through my core. Way worse than being late for class…
A breeze, a brush of something against my back … Half turning, I felt Caden’s body pressing up behind mine, his mouth hovering over my right ear. My skin began to tingle. He thinks I betrayed him, my touch will soon be lethal, and yet he’s willing to protect me. With a trembling hand, I reached back to clutch his fingers. Taking a deep breath, I turned back to regard the group, now feeling marginally safer.
The six new faces stood as a poker-faced wall to oppose “the enemy”: Mage, Viggo, Sofie, and Mortimer. Amelie stood off in a corner with Julian tucked in behind her. Why he was here, risking his own safety, was beyond me. Why I was here was also questionable. No doubt Sofie had her reasons, though.
All except one of the vampires looked to be in their twenties to early thirties, based on physical appearance. And as usual, all were striking beyond measure. Four males stood side by side like soldiers, frozen and grim-faced, dressed in perfectly tailored dark clothing. Next to them, a brunette woman in a full-length red leather jacket and thigh-high stiletto boots faced off against Sofie, a pinched glare on her face. The little hairs on my neck lifted. That has to be Lilly. Such a pretty name for such a hideous thing.
As alarmingly scary as Lilly was, it was the female vampiress standing next to her who garnered my attention. It wasn’t because of the shiny black bob framing her tiny porcelain doll face; it wasn’t because of the way she eyed me, genuine curiosity sparkling in her pale blue irises, or that she was smiling. It was because she was a child! No more than twelve or thirteen in appearance, though she held none of the gangly or awkward traits of a prepubescent. Above all the fear and guilt that I stepped into this room carrying, my heart ached for this poor girl. What monster would transform a child?
Despite the tension in the room—thick enough to choke a person—I returned the little girl’s smile, finding solace in it. In a room full of vipers, this little creature appeared so refreshing, so innocent, so unpretentious …
Lilly spoke, her acrid voice ruining the moment. “She’s human,” she stated without so much as a glimpse in my direction, red lips twisting derisively.
“Only a little different, I sense …,” the child murmured with the most lovely British accent, her head cocking to the side. She had to be sensing the Tribal magic within me.
The sound of hands clapping bounced around the cavernous room. “Bravo, Kait,” Viggo said, his cold gaze settling on Lilly, needling her with a smirk. “I can see why Lilly has added you to her harem.”
I frowned. Wait a minute … If Lilly is Kait, then who is …
“Evangeline, meet Lilly,” Sofie introduced calmly, gesturing toward the child.
That’s Lilly? I gawked openly, shocked. This was the wicked, dangerous vampire who had everyone in a frenzy? Those pale blue eyes shifted to me again. “Hello,” I stumbled. With a struggle, I managed another smile.
She didn’t return it this time. “You tell me you are desperate for our help and that you have venom again, and yet you flaunt two humans, both fond of their vampire companions.” Lilly’s pointed at Caden and me to prove her claim. “Why on earth would I believe you? Please explain.” Listening to her speak, to her language, a prickle of discomfort crawled down my spine, the temporary sense of her innocence dissolving faster than sugar in boiling water.
Mage was the one who answered. “Try to sense her emotions, her mood and see if—”
“I already have,” Lilly cut her off in her childlike British lilt, pausing. “I can’t. She’s a blur.”
“Yes. That’s the effect of an anti-vampire magic coursing through her body due to … an unfortunate event,” Sofie explained. “We cannot convert her yet.”
“An unfortunate event? Another one of your mistakes?” Lilly’s tone had turned hostile. They glared at each other, exchanging a silent un
derstanding. “Why is she here then? Why are either of the humans here?”
Good question, Lilly.
“I brought her here tonight because, well …” Sofie’s voice buckled slightly as if the next words pained her, “she means a great deal to me. Everything to me, in fact.” For just a second, her features softened. It only lasted an instant and then she was back to hard-ass Sofie, leveling Lilly with her confident gaze. “I could have hidden her from you. I didn’t. I want you to see that I am trusting you implicitly with all knowledge. That is how critical this situation is.” That’s why I was here? A sign of good faith?
Lilly seemed to consider that for a moment before she spoke again. “And what about your end of the deal for bringing us here? Are you going to uphold that?” This time, her question was directed at Viggo.
The corners of his mouth curved into a maddening grin. “Time will tell, I suppose.” Lilly’s eyes shifted to the four male vampires standing on the other side of Kait. Then, a smear of movement, a shout, a jostle. In the next instant, the sound of shattering glass filled the room as Caden crashed through a stained-glass window. Max’s massive body soared dangerously close to the fireplace, and a strong hand squeezed my jaw, twisting my head back to expose my neck. My knees buckled but my captor held me firm.
In another flash, Mage was across the room, restraining Caden who was covered in glass, speckles of quickly healing cuts on his face and neck. Mortimer had his broad arms wrapped around a snarling Max, yelling at him to keep back. Amelie had shoved Julian back behind one of the columns and stood in front of him in a fighting stance. Behind us, the doors crashed open and two giant wolves in full form appeared, growling, waiting for the order from Sofie to attack. In under five seconds, complete chaos had taken over the situation.
Only Sofie, Viggo, Kait, and Lilly remained motionless and composed.
“So what happens if Galen bites her?” Lilly asked calmly. I assumed Galen was the one holding me.
“Ask the last vampire who did,” Viggo responded.
“And where is—” Lilly began.
“Dead,” came his quick, flippant response. “Her teeth marks are still there on her neck if you don’t believe me.”
Sofie threw a fiery glare at him, a warning to shut up and stop goading her. His taunts were clearly working, based on Lilly’s glower as she regarded her nemesis. God—what have you done to her, you psycho? She paused for a moment and then she rephrased her question, her eyebrow arching. “What happens if Galen breaks her neck?”
“As we’ve already explained,” Sofie began, and I heard the ice trickle into her voice, “we cannot convert her because of the poison in her body. If Galen bites her, he will die.” The next sentence she delivered not as a warning or a possibility. It was with the certainty that the sun would rise and set. “If he breaks her neck, you will all die, right here, right now.” By the gleam in her eyes, by her stance, by the fury radiating off her like a fire’s heat, there was no doubt to anyone that Sofie was ready to unleash a magical assault that would rival Hiroshima’s blast. Even though it would be the worst mistake she could make, even though she would be dooming the fate of the entire world by retaliating, I could bet my life that she would torch this entire building if they killed me.
In that second, despite my perilous position, I silently thanked myself for keeping Veronique’s predicament a secret.
Sofie’s warning had the desired effect. With the smallest head tilt from Lilly, the viselike grip on my face loosened and the four vampires reformed their solid line. I stumbled back a step, struggling to stay upright as my legs wobbled. I needed Caden, his arms, his chest, his strength. Right now.
His furious eyes were glued on Galen, his nostrils flaring, pure hatred marring his beautiful face. I knew he was picturing how he would rip the vampire apart. I pleaded to Mage with my eyes. Don’t let him! Mage leaned in and whispered something in Caden’s ear and, as if her words slapped him out of whatever murderous rampage he was about to undertake, his head snapped back to me. Her hands slipped off his body and he moved behind me again, his arms wrapped tightly around me in a protective embrace. No one was separating us again, he was saying. I let my body fall into him.
“Now that we’ve cleared all that up.” Mage reassumed her position beside Sofie.
“Fine,” Kait spat, crossing her arms over her ample chest. “We have humans without poison coursing through their bodies. Let’s bring them here and test your venom on them.”
Viggo burst out laughing. “Well, then, what incentive would you have for helping us?” He made a tsking sound. “That’s not how these negotiations work. First you help us. Then we help you.”
“When have you ever helped anyone but yourself, Viggo?” she growled.
He answered with that infuriating grin of his.
“What exactly are you asking for help with?” Lilly interrupted their banter, annoyance obvious in her voice. She stepped forward and took a seat in the chair in front of her. It was a sign of good will, of trust that they wouldn’t try to strike her down. The others followed suit. Following and protecting their leader.
“We need to stop the end of the world as we know it,” Sofie answered without a moment of preamble. I surveyed their faces intently. To me, that should have garnered some sort of reaction. An eyebrow raise, a mouth twitch, something.
Nothing.
“Are you referring to the mess you’ve gotten yourself into with the witches and the Sentinel?” Kait’s smirk was galling.
“No, Kait,” Sofie replied softly. “I’m referring to the longstanding war that has now taken a turn for the worse. I’m talking about the firsthand experience of a war between vampire and Sentinel that has destroyed one world already and now threatens to destroy this one. Will destroy this one. You want venom to turn your human mate, Kait? What about saving all humans so you can continue wearing your gaudy outfits and living your life of luxury?”
Kait opened her mouth but faltered. No one else said anything. Sofie had their attention. She continued. “The end of humans—and possibly the end of us—is imminent, unless we do something about it. This war with the Sentinel and the sorceresses is guaranteed to spiral out of control. It is already headed in that direction.”
You could hear a pin drop for the silence in the room. Finally, Lilly cleared her voice. “For the last hundred or so years, you three have burrowed in New York, ignoring what was going on right under your noses, and now all of a sudden, we must save the world? Why? Because your palace was attacked?”
“And what has been going on, Lilly?” Mortimer asked, stepping forward to take the seat across from her. Another act of good will. Of collaboration rather than confrontation.
Galen drew a folded newspaper from the inside of his jacket and tossed it to the ground. I couldn’t read it from where I stood, but I didn’t need to.
“Jonah …” Mage muttered, her lip curled in disdain. Jonah was the mutant vampire who broke free of Viggo’s place against Mage’s orders.
Sofie sighed. “Yes, that’s a problem,” she admitted, adding, “but only a recent one.”
“And how long before the same headlines make it to reputable newspapers?” Galen spat back. “You caused this. We know he came from under your roof. How he got there in the first place, one must wonder.” He had a thick Italian accent. I didn’t like it.
“Yes, we did. I did. I will own that blame and I will take care of it,” Mage answered, her arms crossed over her chest. “It doesn’t change our need to work together to solve this impending doom.”
“Now you want to do something about it? Finally? While you’ve been decorating your palace, pretending that our enemies don’t exist, they’ve been getting stronger, more integrated into everything,” Lilly said.
“Integrated where, exactly?” Sofie asked.
Lilly looked down at her lap to study her childlike hands—hands that should’ve been adjusting doll clothes but were more likely used to choke the life out of grown men. “Oh, ho
w about the military, the governments, police force, religious organizations … everywhere.”
Viggo rolled his eyes. “And how do you know this?”
“Because we haven’t been hiding in our hole like gophers,” Kait threw back at him. “We’ve been watching. Studying. Learning. Fighting.”
“And what have you learned?” Mortimer probed, ignoring her insult, though I could tell by his glower that he’d prefer to tear her head off.
A chorus of vicious laughter. “That’s not how these negotiations work,” Lilly purred, parroting Viggo’s earlier jibe. “We have something you want and you say you have something we want.” Her lip curled. “For all we know, this is one of your ploys to eliminate us.”
“Wake up, Lilly! Why would we want to do that now? With this force growing against us? There aren’t enough of us to fight as it is!” Mortimer answered, his voice rising to its typical booming level.
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure you’d find a reason. You’ve found reasons for the craziest ideas before.” Again, those furtive eyes going to Viggo.
“Now, now,” Viggo answered. “Be more cooperative, my dear Lilly. Your mother wouldn’t be proud of this attitude of yours.”
“You leave my mother out of this!” The suddenness of her shriek made me jump, her shrill voice piercing my eardrum. She was on her feet instantly, her cool, calm composure gone, her bottom lip quivering, appearing ready to burst into tears. She shook visibly, whether from anger or fear, I did not know. Maybe both.
“We are not lying, and we do need your help,” Mage said soothingly.
Kait snorted. “Why don’t you just create an army, then?”
“Now why didn’t we think of that?” Viggo retorted, his hands lifting to the sky dramatically, sarcasm thick in his tone.
“Four vampires in this world can transform a human and none of us will do it for the purposes of war,” Mage explained calmly, ignoring Viggo. She paused to look at the newspaper on the floor. “Well, five technically, though Jonah will be too busy murdering people to convert them.”
