“I know my brother.”
“Then how do I know that I can trust you?” Maura stepped closer. “How do I know you won’t hand me over to Adrian. Why would you want to help me?”
“Because this isn't the first time.”
“Wh–”
“Abysm – the day Erewhon officials first entered our world and came to the church…”
Maura remembered the day her village sought refuge in an old church. A boy with pale blonde hair and bright blue eyes, not much older than her, sat beside her. Mystics flanked the church. They spoke of peace and promised no harm. Claus had taken Maura’s hand in his and pulled her to safety as the Mystics swarmed.
“You were just a kid,” she said. “I hardly recognized you.”
“I knew who you were.” He grabbed her hand and led her down the service stairs to a back exit. “We don’t have much time. I can take you to Erewhon. But I can’t give you my word that I’ll get us there before my brother.”
***
An hour later, Maura and Claus landed in Erewhon. They exited the plane, hopped into a sleek black car and drove.
“What's the plan?” Maura asked.
“I have a room at a hotel. We can clean up there and then head for The Keep.”
“How are we getting Liam?”
“I can pay for a release.” Claus turned into a small drive that ducked into the ground and drove through an enclosed garage to the lowest level. He parked in a corner spot at the furthest end and turned the car off.
Maura followed Claus to a service elevator where he swiped an employee card. They ascended to a penthouse and walked into a square vestibule.
Maura coiled Death's Noose around her wrist as Claus swung open the door. He threw his keys onto a table and turned a corner. She cautiously stepped into the room, flipping her vision to detect any spells.
“I'd have killed you already.” Claus flung his suit jacket onto a dining table and loosened his tie.
Maura scowled and walked into the hotel room. The place had a kitchenette tucked in the left corner, a dining area between a living room, and a wide bedroom and master bathroom. Cream-colored walls brightened the room when the setting sun poured in from floor-to-ceiling windows at either end of the penthouse.
Claus pointed to clothing on the bed. “Those are for you. The Illusion is on its way.”
“How can I trust you?”
“You trusted enough to board a plane with me.”
“I didn’t have much of a choice.”
“And I'm not leaving you with a choice either.” He adjusted his watch with a quick glance at the kitchen clock. “You need my help, Maura.”
“I want your word.” She held out a hand.
Claus clasped his hand in hers. The power of his promise charged their hold. A violet glow encapsulated their handshake and disappeared with a silver flash.
“Good,” she said. “Now if you try to kill me, you'll die too.”
***
After a long shower, Maura slipped into the clothes Claus had left. Muscles still ached from the crash when she pulled the red turtleneck on. She left the bathroom to find a limp woman laid across the bed. She wore a tight black dress, spiked heels, and heavy makeup. Her platinum blonde hair matted to her neck where two fang marks bruised her skin.
“Your Illusion is here,” Claus said, passing the bedroom. “Change into her and then we can go.”
It had taken an extra twenty minutes to erase the prostitute from the Illusion. Maura had straightened the woman's hair to flow down the line of her new curves. She’d replaced heavy makeup with earth tones and deep red lips for a touch of seduction. She slipped into the tight-fitted strapless dress that barely hit the knee. She wobbled in the stilettos as they walked to the car and slid into the back seat.
She lit a cigarette. “What's my name?”
“Evrene.” Claus rolled down the window. “She's Adrian's other lover.”
“Is this her?” She pointed to the new appearance.
“No. She never wears the same face twice. Her name alone will keep you safe.”
“Great,” she blew out smoke. “How are we doing this?”
“The Keep has several service entrances and underground tunnels. We'll use those to get to the holding cells. There's one officer in a single booth. I'll tell him who I am, who you are, slide the check over, and release Liam.”
“It sounds too easy.”
“I assure you it's that easy.”
“What happens if the officer doesn't buy the bribe?”
“No one rejects a Wilhelm.”
Maura snorted and flicked the cigarette out the window.
They arrived at The Keep headquarters in the heart of Erewhon. They passed through security with the flash of Claus' ID. He led the way through various underground tunnels that connected each building to the next. The corridors were dark and empty, their footsteps echoing at each end. Signs beneath flickering yellow lamps pointed to various exits and staircases. They followed an arrow to sector eleven and climbed a flight of metal stairs.
Claus yanked open a steel door, and Maura filed into the holding floor.
A uniformed officer sat behind an all-glass booth inside the small enclosed space. Enchanted bars sparked at their presence. They approached the booth.
“I'm here for Liam Winston,” Claus said.
The officer opened a silver pad and scrolled through blue hologram lettering. “Sorry, sir. He's been released on bail.”
“What?” Maura shrieked.
The officer passed the silver pad through a small slit in the glass. She touched its face. Liam’s name appeared beside another.
Adrian Wilhelm.
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Invitations
Maura shoved Claus into the wall of a quiet hall. “Start talking. Fast.” She pinned him harder. “Where is he? How are we getting him back?”
“Maura,” he wiggled under her hold. “Adrian must have him at the house.”
“Get him. I don’t care–”
“I can’t–”
She brought him forward and then smashed him against the concrete again. “Wrong. That’s not what I want to hear,” she growled. “If you won’t get him, I will.” She flicked him away.
Claus grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. “The party is hours away. He’ll be there.” He released her arm. “Go to Adrian then. Prepared.”
“Adrian has him now,” she panted from anger. “Why would he wait for me before killing him?”
“Because he wants you. Adrian likes a show.”
Maura kicked at the wall beside Claus’ legs, defeated. Backed into a corner. “If you’re wrong–”
“I’m not,” Claus eased. “The party is in four hours. Let’s dress and prepare.” He placed his hands on either of her shoulders. “I’m going to help bring Liam back.”
Maura stepped away from his touch. “You don’t have a choice.”
***
Maura walked into Kyle’s cottage, Claus behind her.
“This was left on my doorstep for you,” Kyle said, turning into the small foyer. His jaw loosened, eyes dark when they landed on Claus. “What’s he doing here?”
“Helping us.” Maura threw her keys onto the table. “They took Liam.” She spun around to Claus, a forced smile on her lips. “Claus says he’s going to help us get him back at the party tonight.”
“Interesting,” Kyle said, handing over a small package to Maura.
She took the box from him. “He’s bound by a promise. We don’t have to trust him.” She tore off the brown paper to reveal a red velvet jewelry box. “We just have…” Her stomach plummeted into her pelvis. She clutched the box for what seemed like ages. Sweat, cold and irritating, developed on the back of her neck. Fear ate away at thoughts.
A small note clung to the edges of the latch. Your attendance is most crucial, Ms. Leroux. His life may be hanging in the balance. Will you be attending?
She cracked open the aged seam, afraid of what she
might find. A finger. An eye. Teeth. Inside, nestled in a cushion of red and beneath a shattered mirror was a set of pearls. Her fingers laced through them slowly. The box clattered to the floor with a thump.
Slightly yellow from age and blood splattered, she lifted her mother’s pearl necklace. Maura doubled over, thinking she’d vomit.
“Maura?” Kyle placed his hands on either side of her face.
She didn’t know what to make of Adrian’s gesture. Each time she thought of her mother’s necklace, her blood on those pearls, and Adrian ripping them from her dead body, she thought she’d be sick.
Maura choked down the bile and straightened. “Let’s get ready for tonight.”
***
Floating in the tub, Maura concentrated on the small waves her magic created. Like the gravitational pull of the earth, she couldn’t control it. She sank deeper, below the level of the water until submerged. Racing thoughts, now muffled, drowned under the pressure. Fears of Liam and Kyle dying washed away in the small movements of the water. Everything quieted, and she could breathe.
Maura…a soft whisper laced with deep malice reverberated throughout the water.
She opened her eyes to the blurry outline of the lights above and skewed shadows from trees swaying beyond the window.
Maura…Cerridwyn’s sweet, yet damning voice called out again. No one can save you. The water jolted to the ceiling and crashed down in a powerful rainfall. It covered every surface and pooled at the center of the room.
Maura threw a Flare to the ceiling that expanded like the sun on the horizon. Its heat evaporated the deep collections of liquid and filled the room with thick steam. She sat, knees to her bare chest, within the blanket of comfort until rays of sunshine burned away the white smoke.
The last hour seemed to fly by. Filled with impending doom, nerve wracking thoughts, and the sound of the clock ticking down to their demise, Maura fought the urge to scream.
She slipped into a strapless, shimmering scaled dress that flickered between turquoise and sea green. The sweetheart neckline showed off enough cleavage to tempt and still left something for the imagination. She applied a deep purple lipstick, dark eye shadow, and heavy mascara. Death’s Noose gleamed along her neck and down the center of her chest. She combed through her long red hair and sprayed perfume along her collarbone. Placing the perfume bottle on the sink, Maura caught the red velvet box sitting on the hamper.
Gently, she skimmed its top and opened it wide. Images of her mother wearing the pearls with such elegance and grace came to mind. She’d trace her fingers over them at dinner parties, twirl them in her fingers when in deep thought, and promised that one day they would be Maura’s.
She took them from the box and turned on the water in the sink. With gentle strokes, she cleaned the blood from the necklace.
Maura brought them to her face and closed her eyes as if she could still capture the smell of her mother’s perfume laced within the pearls. “Please, help me.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Dancing with the Dead
Maura sat around the living room coffee table with Claus, Kyle, and a bottle of whiskey. “I know we're fucked,” she said. “But we have to try something.”
“What did you have in mind?” Kyle asked.
She sat on the edge of the couch. “The news said the entire Keep was invited to this ball on top of Sayer and Dimitri.”
“Why would they attend an event hosted by Adrian?” Kyle asked. “They must know it is. It's being held at one of his estates.”
“For Sayer and Dimitri it's simple,” Claus said. “Adrian's putting money in their pockets.”
“But your blue collar agents…” Kyle trailed off. “It doesn't make sense that they would go if they had a choice.”
“Adrian is threatening them.” Claus crossed his ankle over his knee.
“If that's the case then it could work to our benefit. Officials have been trained to hate our kind – to hunt us.” Maura looked to Kyle. “But, if Adrian threatened them into showing, then they're on the same side as us.”
“Fucked,” Kyle smirked.
“Basically. But,” she sighed. “A majority of the people are there of their own free will. Sayer and Dimitri aren't the only ones being paid off. Every head councilman has their hands in Adrian's pocket. As for the lower-level guys, the agents like me, they’re the ones we need to talk to.”
“Turn them on Adrian,” Claus suggested. “He might be the son of a Goddess, but he's only one man.”
“We need to figure out how.”
Claus sat back. “Talk to them. Convince them over drinks if they're too scared. They don't want to be there any more than you do. You’re offering them a way out.”
“It's very likely Adrian will have Shields in place,” Kyle added.
Maura punched at the table. “Shit.”
“I can disarm the Shields,” Claus said. “You two talk to the agents in the meantime. I’ll find Liam while you take care of Adrian.”
Maura dropped her head into her hands.
“It’s the best we can do,” Kyle reassured.
“I know.” She nodded. “Fuck. Let’s go.”
They left the cottage and hopped into the two cars, Kyle in his, Maura in Claus’. Two means of escape.
Claus took the driver’s seat, and Maura stared out of the tinted window. Every now and then Kyle drove past and then fell behind again. They drove through the heart of town, past Mystic Academy, onto the bridge that overlooked The Keep, and skimmed the border of the state where thick forests lined every road.
The realization that she had nowhere to go if she survived the night hit at a red light. Not only did Adrian know where Kyle lived, but he’d managed to find them in less than a day. Maybe if she hopped on a plane, went to a different country, or another dimension, she could hide for more than a few hours.
Then logic kicked in. She wouldn’t survive the night. She didn’t need to worry about where she’d take her next shower. Instead, she began to think how she would be greeted at the party. Would Dimitri be there, ready with a set of cuffs? Or would Adrian open the doors and zap her with an Annihilation spell? All Adrian needed to do was conjure his mother, the immortal spell binding their families into eternity would break, and then he could kill her with a pure silver dagger. I’d be dead, and within a few months, so would everyone else.
They drove through a Veil that appeared as a film of fog across a dense patch of forest. The Veil shimmered when they punctured through and revealed a lavish estate sprawled across acres of land. Luxury cars lined the circular drive, letting people out under a cobblestone archway at the main entrance. Hundreds of tiny lights flickered on the front lawn, mimicking the appearance of the night sky.
Claus drove through the black iron gate where Vampires stood guard in the shadows. He rounded the car, opened the door, and held out a gloved hand. The sudden chatter of people waiting on the grand staircase brought a thin sweat to Maura’s palms. She placed one slender leg out and then the other, ignoring Claus. She stepped out of the car into growing silence. Stares, the kind that gave away everyone’s thoughts, honed in.
She brushed her hair to one side. With her first step forward, she made sure to catch every burning stare. She reached the top of the tall stairs after what felt like an eternity and breezed past the doorman checking off names.
A collection of people stopped to admire the marble vestibule. It had cathedral-high ceilings, a stained-glass skylight, and rich golden walls. Once people finished gawking, they proceeded down a candle-lit side hallway that opened into a large sitting room. Fireplaces made of large stones sat on either side of a ten-foot wood engraved set of doors.
Men in tuxedos and women in ball gowns hovered around the two sides of the sitting areas with drinks in hand. Once one person looked up, they all did. Maura recognized several of them from The Keep. Their expressions, once amused and relaxed, hardened. She marched forward, feeling the sting of their glares. The doormen pushed open the doors.
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Live music, laughter, and glasses clinking together, all hit before her eyes could adjust. She walked over the threshold and heard the doors thud closed. The sound echoed above everything else.
Black and white marbled floors spanned the length of the massive room. A table meant to seat hundreds rested in the candlelight beneath a balcony that stretched around the ballroom. Crystal chandeliers swung from the summer air coasting through cathedral-style stained-glass windows. Dancers, donning their most elegant of clothing, twirled at the heart of the room.
Maura caught the faces of those she knew. The look of disdain from one infected the rest.
She walked along the outer edge, past a wide bar, around various sitting areas, and stopped at a stone fountain spewing water from various points. She sat on its cold ledge and heard the water migrating closer. Small droplets splashed at her back with every intake of air.
Kyle walked through the main door. He diverted to the left where an open velvet couch and a waiter taking drink orders were.
Maura counted the number of windows, and which seat she would take during dinner. If I make it that far. She noticed the absence of lights around doors that were tucked deep into the walls beneath the balcony. Halls, running diagonally from the corners of the rooms, were black. She flipped her vision to see all of the spells binding the walls and windows.
A young waiter in a white tuxedo and black bow tie offered drinks. “Would you care for a drink, madam?”
She eyed the glass of champagne. “Got anything stronger? Say a whiskey or scotch.”
He chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do,” he said and walked to the bar on the opposite side.
“I knew it was you the day I called about the dealer,” a voice said. “Heidi mentioned the name Beth Hollings and ran out of the office like a bat out of hell.”
Maura faced Jeremy. “You shouldn't be seen with me.”
He threw back his drink. “We’re all dead anyhow.”
Blue Ruin (The Phoenix Series Book 1) Page 23
