Nightingale

by Keri Armstrong

  Then my panic rising as Mia’s tiny hands reached for Azkuran.

  I thrashed against the power holding me in thrall but was pulled under by a force greater than I’d felt before. Saw Liang take a tiny vial of blood from Mia’s room as Azkuran looked on. “We already know there’s some relation. There isn’t much more this will tell you. You’ll have to work on her mother,” she said.

  His thoughts and memories flashed to the surface. Wild hope when he saw the disk in Mandisa’s hand as she sent her baby away. Bemusement over the little girl. Wanting to love her, afraid he’d have to kill her if she belonged to him. An old, old pain that had never healed.

  My head was near to bursting when Phoebe shouted and Azkuran gave one last tug. I screamed as the memory burst forth from the chains that had held it in place for millennia.

  Azkuran’s triumph filtered through my blood. He was my father.

  Still weak, I turned toward Phoebe for confirmation. Tears marred her beautiful face as she leaned against the wall, staring at Azkuran, her breath coming in pants. “I did what you wanted. Now take me to Nathan.”

  Nadia whined, prowling around Phoebe’s legs.

  “Shortly,” he said. He sounded winded but happy. “We’re still expecting visitors.”

  What?

  He smiled when commotion sounded in the hall. “I believe they’re here.”

  Twenty-One

  LAURENT

  It was too quiet. They’d breached the perimeter without difficulty; he’d expected that, figuring his brother was luring them in. But the stillness was unnerving.

  He spoke quietly to Nia and Alejandro. “Take Sara and Caleb back. I’ll handle the rest of this.”

  Unsurprisingly, the alpha wolf objected. “Nia and Caleb can take Sara back, I’m staying here.”

  “This is a trap.”

  Alejandro gave him a long stare. “You knew that already.”

  Laurent ignored Nia’s scowl. “Yes, but something has changed. I want the rest of you out of here, now.”

  Caleb and Sara drew nearer. “What’s going on?”

  “Nia, take the kids and go,” Alejandro said.

  “Not without you.”

  “I’m not going without my cousin,” Sara protested.

  “And I’m not leaving without any of you,” Caleb chimed in.

  “None of you are going anywhere,” Liang said, a half dozen Awakened guards materializing beside her. They took down the witches and Alejandro before those unlucky prisoners could even draw breath.

  Liang moved behind Laurent, using her weapon to prod him forward. “Your brother is waiting for you.”

  He smiled over his shoulder. “I would expect nothing less.”

  His smile dropped when the guards went in the opposite direction, carrying his prone companions. He spoke to Liang in a lowered voice, using an ancient tongue. “You said they wouldn’t be hurt.”

  “They weren’t. They might experience some headache when they wake.” She poked his back with the tip of her gun to keep him moving. “However, anything that happens when they try to escape is beyond my control.”

  “Understood.”

  After many twists and turns, she brought them to a darkened chamber, lit only by the bluish glow of two stasis pods. Phoebe stood before them, the eerie light reflected in the silent tears running down her cheeks.

  One pod held the chupacabra, Nathan. The other, someone Laurent recognized from long ago: Ammon.

  Twenty-Two

  ALLIE

  My limbs already shook from lack of use. Having to face the Gerards, who were shackled to a wall, made my knees give out altogether. If Nadia and Azkuran hadn’t steadied me, I would have fallen.

  To avoid looking at the two on the wall, I turned to Azkuran and demanded, “Where’s Mia? And Phoebe?”

  “Here, sit,” he said, moving to drag a chair toward me.

  I stubbornly held out, even though I was barely standing with Nadia’s support. “Where’s my baby?”

  Moans came from those on the wall, and I glanced up. They hung listlessly, their heads lolling. Whether they’d been drugged or were merely feeling the effects of being chained, I neither knew nor cared. I only knew I didn’t want to be near them.

  Shrugging away from Nadia’s arm, I gripped the metal back of the chair. Playing a card I hoped would win, I swallowed back the bile in my throat. “Where is your granddaughter?”

  Azkuran—my father—blinked. A slow smile spread over his face. “We’ll visit her together shortly. In the meantime, how would you like to kill these two?” He motioned a hand toward the Gerards.

  “Excuse me?”

  “It’s my present to you. You can decide what happens to them.”

  My gaze slid back to the wall. Hadn’t I dreamed of such a moment? Why did I hesitate?

  “If you need time to think it over, I understand. In fact, there are ways to hurt them that you wouldn’t be aware of. I’ll be happy to teach you.”

  I finally sat. The excitement in his eyes was too much. Just a little father-daughter bonding over a murder plot. What could be better?

  “Thanks,” I said weakly.

  His grin widened. That long hand, so like my own—so like his brother’s—landed on my shoulder. “You’ll see, Allison. There is much for you to learn. And much more out there for you and Mia.”

  My skin tightened at the mention of her name. “Please, can we go see her?”

  “Yes, of course. Though, I have a few things to take care of first. Nadia will see you to temporary quarters until we make better arrangements.” He stopped to sneer at the Gerards. “It’s a shame you were polluted by them. Are you certain you wish to keep the child?”

  I shot off the chair and grabbed his arms. “Yes!”

  Surprise etched his face. “Very well. I still don’t understand your attachment, but if it’s that important to you, she can stay.”

  In an effort to stay upright, I tightened my grip on his arms. “Thank you,” I said, my fear fueling the words with conviction.

  He gave me a bemused smile and extricated himself. “Her blood is tainted, but I suppose not unbearably.”

  I could only nod.

  When Nadia and I reached my new room—suite, actually—I collapsed onto the first chair I saw.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked. “I don’t think you’ve eaten recently.”

  Though food was the last thing on my mind, I needed strength. “Sure.”

  As I watched her make her way to the door, I blurted, “Why do only your eyes shift?”

  She turned and smiled. “Because I can’t see, otherwise.”

  With that, she left me alone. Not without locking me in, of course.

  After a warm meal, a hot shower, and a change of clothes, I felt much stronger—and more pissed—by the time Azkuran arrived.

  “Ready to see your daughter?”

  Twenty-Three

  LAURENT

  He spun to face Liang. “Ammon?” You never mentioned this, he silently accused.

  Her face hardened. “Irrelevant.”

  Phoebe’s sharp inhale brought his attention back to her. She frowned at Liang’s lowered gun, then at him. “What happened?”

  “I’d like to know the same,” he countered.

  Her lips tightened as she turned her face toward Nathan’s chamber. “I did what you asked.”

  Relief loosened his shoulders. It was a short reprieve as suspicion rose. “How is it you are here, now?”

  She shrugged. “You aren’t the only one who can make deals.”

  Fear and anger twisted his gut. If anything happened to either Allison or Mia …. “What kind of deal?” He delivered the question to Phoebe and Liang in a soft but deadly tone.

  “An exchange.”

  Azkuran’s voice raised the hair on the back of Laurent’s neck.

  “What kind of exchange?”

  “A one-for-one. Of course, who stays and who goes remains to be seen.” Azkuran smiled broadly, triumph gli
ttering in his eyes. “My daughter will make that choice.”

  Phoebe gasped. “You said—”

  “I said you could take him and go,” Azkuran’s cold voice cut her off. “I didn’t say you could have the rest.”

  Dismay threaded her voice. “The rest?”

  Laurent met her frightened gaze. “The others are here, too.”

  Shaking her head in denial, she accused, “You said you weren’t going to bring them.”

  “Foolish girl. Did you really think they’d stay behind?” Azkuran asked the question Laurent was thinking. Though, Laurent’s thought came with a hefty dose of self-recrimination.

  He should have insisted, should have forced them to stay behind. He could have done it. Instead, he’d failed as a leader when he decided to let them stay, trusting they could take care of themselves.

  No, he told himself. Don’t give in to doubt now. He needed to stay sharp, and the others were powerful and well-trained. Except for Sara …. He shut down the reminder. Caleb would take care of her. “What now?” he asked his brother.

  Twenty-Four

  ALLIE

  Her yellow-ducky hair glowed in the soft light, a golden halo around her sweet head. My baby. At last.

  Mia was so absorbed in the talking stuffed animal she didn’t notice us at first. It was all I could do not to swoop in, crying, but I didn’t want to scare her. One of my fears since being in this place was that she would be somewhere frightened and alone. To my great relief, she appeared calm and content.

  Approaching the crib, I spoke softly. “Hey, sweet baby.”

  Her tiny gasp and wide smile cracked open my heart. The delight in those big blue eyes brought tears to my own. Restraint be damned: I swooped in and grabbed my baby.

  “Allie!” Her little arms grabbed my neck in a suffocating hug.

  I spread a thousand kisses over her head and cheeks and she wet my face with sloppy kisses of her own. Wrapped in our own bubble of greeting, I was startled when Azkuran came to my side.

  To my surprise, Mia greeted him with a smile and a wave before tucking her head against my neck. Heart pounding, I tightened my grip when he leaned in toward her. Raising his brows at me, he gently smoothed her hair.

  “How are you, young one?”

  She giggled and shied away. More surprises. I’d seen her play hard to get before. She only did that with people she liked. She was a tiny tease; it was part of her charm.

  Given the stunned look on the big guy’s face, the charm was working.

  “Is mommy here?” The hope in Mia’s voice stole my breath. Azkuran opened his mouth, so I quickly said, “No, but we’re going to take good care of you.”

  In an attempt to short-circuit her quivering lip, I pointed to the discarded plush bunny in the crib. “Who’s your new friend?”

  “Plenny.”

  “Plenny?”

  She nodded. “Lung said her name was Plenopy Wabbit, so I call her Plenny.”

  Plenopy? Lung? Ah. “Liang gave you Penelope Rabbit?”

  Another nod. She reached toward the crib, nearly falling out of my arms in the process. Azkuran moved in and handed her the bunny, helping her straighten before she could fall. She startled him by pressing the toy against his chest.

  “Plenny gave you kiss. She say ‘thanks.’”

  A confused smile played about his lips. “My pleasure.”

  I shook as I carried her to a nearby rocking chair, trying to catch my breath and still my ribs. Overwhelmed with the relief of holding her in my arms, I never wanted to release her again. She snuggled against my chest as she chatted about her day.

  A few times, I thought I saw a wet sheen to Azkuran’s eyes. After an audible inhalation from him, I glanced over to see if he was all right. His eyes were definitely glowing.

  “You both have your mother’s smile,” he said, his voice a shade above a whisper.

  “We do?”

  He nodded. “I noticed it before; somehow, it still surprises me.” He continued to inspect our faces, his own brightening. “You both have my eyes, though.”

  He sounded so pleased, I hated to break it to him. “Umm … my eyes are hazel, and hers are blue.”

  “They’ll change. You can always tell the ancient ones from their eyes. It’s why some use glamour when out in the world, to appear more human. They make it seem as if their eyes are blue, green, or brown, but they are citron or topaz. Or ‘hazel,’ as you call it, when they are younger.”

  So that’s why I could never quite make out the color of Laurent’s eyes. But …. “What makes you think hers or mine will change?”

  “You are the child of two originals. As you near adulthood, your eyes will change, the gold becoming more prominent.” He knelt next us. “Check her eyes, closely, in the light. You see that yellow band near the pupil?”

  I nodded. I’d noticed it before, the bits of gold mixed in with her blue.

  “I expect that will expand as she nears maturity.” The corners of his lips dipped a little. “I can’t say for certain, though, whether the blue she inherited will be completely taken over.”

  I pulled her closer. “There is nothing wrong with her eyes.”

  Pulling himself up to his full height, he said nothing, and gave the barest inclination of his head.

  Defensive and stubborn, I said, “She’s beautiful.”

  His nod was firmer. “She is. As are you.”

  If I hadn’t been sitting, I might have fallen over from shock. No one had ever said that to me before. Usually, all I got was, “Smile, Allison. Stand up straight, Allison. Can’t you do anything with your hair?” Later, it was, “Why all the piercing and tats?”

  I turned my heated face toward Mia to avoid the awkwardness.

  “Sing,” she said.

  Embarrassed to sing in front the giant in the room, I demurred, but the little tyrant in my arms wasn’t having it.

  “Sing!” she demanded.

  Hesitantly at first, then more strongly, I sang her favorite lullaby. I was on my third encore when her eyes finally closed, and sweet baby snores passed that rosebud mouth.

  I glanced up at Azkuran, and this time, there was no mistaking it: Tears welled in his eyes. He cleared his throat when he noticed my unspoken inquiry.

  “You sound just like her.”

  “My mother?” I guessed.

  He nodded, a sliver of a smile playing about his mouth. “We used to call her our nightingale.” As soon as he said the words, the softness vanished, leaving me in no doubt who he had meant by “we.”

  His unpredictable mood swings left me frozen, afraid to move.

  A tap at the doorway broke the moment.

  “They’re ready,” said Liang.

  Twenty-Five

  ALLIE

  I hated leaving Mia behind. It was only when I discovered who “they” were that I was able to leave her with Liang. Hands clenched, I braced for the worst when Azkuran led me to a door I recognized.

  It was worse than I feared. Within the enormous, white-tiled room others had joined the Gerards. Shackled along the wall, were my three best friends—Phoebe, Sara, and Caleb—along with Nia, Alejandro, Laurent, and a young man I didn’t recognize.

  A slice of guilt and panic cut through me. “Where’s Alex?” I whispered, afraid of the answer. Please, please, please don’t let Luke have killed him.

  “Who?” Azkuran asked sharply at the same time Laurent gasped, “Safe.”

  More guilt as I studied Laurent’s face. Unlike the others, his bore signs of abuse—black eyes, cut lips. On trembling limbs, I stepped closer to the Mutts. They were intact, but limp, as if they’d been drugged. Seeing them so helpless increased the shock and my own sense of helplessness.

  Cold seeped into my bones. Shivering, I moved back as Nadia wandered into view. She studied the group along the wall with detached curiosity, tilting her head when she came to the new guy at the end. “Do I know you?”

  He peered at her through lowered lids then shook his
head. Phoebe gasped.

  All the while, Azkuran watched in stoic silence.

  Anger ripped through my shock and fear. I shouted, “What have you done to them?”

  “Rehabilitation. Nothing more.” He turned his stony face in my direction. “You do understand what is required of you?”

  Know what I was expected to do? Yes. Understand? Never.

  I clamped both lips between my teeth as I nodded.

  He smiled, a proud parent whose offspring had passed a test. “Then I will make it easier for you. Phoebe and Nathan can go.” He motioned for one of the nearby guards to take them down.

  “Not without my cousin,” Phoebe protested, her voice weak.

  “That wasn’t our deal.” Azkuran’s hardened tone cut her off.

  Deal? My mind scrambled to come up with a plan, any plan, to make this bearable. Unfortunately, whatever scheme I came up with couldn’t involve magic. Their powers were obviously being suppressed, somehow.

  I stepped forward. “Wait,” I called to the guards who were carrying Phoebe and Nathan toward the door as if they were rag dolls. Whatever they’d been given was powerful.

  I pushed past my nausea to address Azkuran. “You said she had to leave one behind if she took one with her?”

  “That is correct.”

  “All right. Let her take Sara. Leave Nathan here with his sister.” Phoebe moaned, and Caleb’s sigh sounded like relief.

  Azkuran’s eyes narrowed. “But I already had Nathan and Nadia.”

  I had to be very, very careful. “Yes, but Phoebe wants them. It will hurt her if they stay.” I’m so sorry, Phoebes. I took a deep breath. “I want Phoebe and the others.”

  His frown dipped lower, so I rushed to continue. “Please, let them go. We’ll continue the exchanges. Phoebe and Sara for Nathan and Nadia. The Gerards for Alejandro and Nia.”