by Deanna Chase
“Now!” I demanded.
He crossed his arms, his expression going carefully blank, the way it always did when he hid his thoughts. “No.”
Phoebe laughed. “Dude, get your head out of your ass and take us to Maude. Otherwise you’re likely to never see this one again.” She pointed at me. “And we both know you don’t want that.”
I mimicked his stance, arms crossed and a careful emotionless expression. At least I hoped so. I was so pissed my eyes should’ve been crossing. “David, Maude was manipulated. Under the Influence. Whatever you’ve done to her is unacceptable. Stop whatever’s happening to her or I swear to God, I’ll make it my mission to bring you all down.”
He glanced between the two of us, wariness flashing in his eyes. “She told us that, too. But it isn’t true.” He turned. “I’ll show you.”
Another door across the room swooshed open.
I ran, barreling into the room, ready to pry Pandora off Maude with my bare hands. But what I saw made me skid to a stop. Nicola was curled up in a ball on a velvet settee, tears streaming down her face. Where the hell was Maude? And what happened to Pandora’s sister?
I turned abruptly, coming face-to-face with David. “What did you do to her?”
That muscle in his jaw pulsed again. “Not long after Pandora brought her home, she woke up like this. I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Nothing. I…” The poor girl was shaking with what seemed to be fear. Was she terrified Allcot would punish her for first accusing him, or even getting caught in the spell in the first place? My stomach churned. Had my potion caused this? An internal battle raged as I tried to decide what to do next. Maude needed me, but so did Nicola. I couldn’t leave the poor girl now. I moved forward and placed a gentle hand on her forehead. “Nicola, what is it?”
She shook her head slightly, but her big brown eyes pleaded with me. For what, I didn’t know.
“Are you sick? Was it the potion I gave you?”
She squeezed her eyes shut and then popped them open, keeping her intense gaze locked on mine. Shaking her head, the trembling intensified.
“Talisen’s healing spell?”
She shrank back, trying to curl into herself.
“That’s it.” I got to my feet, turning to tell Phoebe to call Tal, but Nicola grabbed my arm and pulled me back down.
The effort left her winded as she huffed out, “The witch.” Her eyes rolled and she passed out again. But this time she woke almost instantly, gasping for breath.
I glanced once at Phoebe and David, then crouched back down. “Nicola, I need to ask you a few things. The last thing I want to do is hurt you further, so just hold up a finger if you can’t answer. Is that all right?”
She clutched the side of the settee and bobbed her head.
She couldn’t mean Phoebe; she hadn’t done anything to her other than fight physically. It had to be the one who gave her Influence. Hadn’t I broken that spell? “I’m going to ask some things that might not make sense. I’d appreciate it if you could answer as honestly as possible. If you can’t, it’s okay.”
She didn’t respond, only kept staring with her giant brown eyes. I took that as consent.
“Did David force you to eat Influence?”
He shifted behind me as if he’d taken a step forward in protest. I chose to ignore him.
“No,” she said, her voice feeble. Her eyes stayed big and round, unchanged.
“Did Phoebe?”
My partner gave a small huff, and I held back a smile. I knew damn well she hadn’t done any such thing.
“No.”
“Pandora?”
“No!” Nicola’s voice was stronger.
Good, that’s what I was hoping for.
“Allcot?”
Her mouth worked and her pupils dilated, but no words came out.
“Yes or no?” I said gently.
“N…yes.” The light brown line of her irises disappeared for a fraction of a second as her pupils took over. She blinked and her regular color returned. If I hadn’t been watching for it, I never would’ve seen it.
“One more. Did someone spell you to keep their secrets, even if the Influence wore off?”
She stopped rocking and stared at me, her eyes filling with tears. She seemed frozen, unable to move or speak.
“It’s all right, Nicola. I’ve already figured it out. You don’t need to answer.”
One fat tear spilled down her temple. “Hurts…”
I nodded and wiped it away. “I know. We’re going to fix that right now.” I kept a hold of her hand. “Phoebs?”
“Yeah?”
“You got a spell-breaking curse handy?”
David stepped between us. “You can’t use anything like that here.”
I shoved him with one hand. “Go tell Pandora we need her. And tell everyone to keep their hands off Maude until we work out what’s going on with Nicola.”
He cast me a dark look and did his vampire disappearing act. It was obvious they wouldn’t believe anything I said until I broke the hold over Nicola. One of their own had been hurt, and the only suspect they had was my aunt.
“Wil,” Phoebe whispered into my ear. “I don’t have anything like that. They didn’t let me bring my spell case.”
“Shit!” I stood and glanced around the plush room. The door swung open and Pandora rushed in. “What’s going on? Is she worse?” Pandora dropped gracefully beside Nicola, cradling her hand. “We’ll fix this, I promise.”
David came back into the room, and the first thing I noticed was blood on his shirt. I poked a finger into his hard chest. “Where did this come from? Maude? Or a feeder? Huh?”
He stood, stoic and unmoving.
I scrutinized Pandora for bloodstains. There weren’t any. “Where’s my aunt?” I demanded again. I knew how to fix Nicola’s aliment, but I didn’t have the tools.
“Take her to the director,” Pandora ordered, her voice thick with emotion. “Do it, David. Maude’s been useless for the last six hours anyway.”
Pandora’s long sheet of blond hair covered her and her sister’s faces, giving them an illusion of privacy.
David huffed out a long-suffering sigh. “This way. Try to remember the measures we take are necessary.”
Heat burned my skin from the inside out. Necessary measures my ass. Another door whooshed open, but this time bright fluorescent lights filled the stark white chamber.
I stepped through the opening and shielded my eyes. Then I spotted her. Maude sat slumped over, her black wings crumpled and pinned to the wall. Blood trailed from her neck to her thighs, bite marks everywhere. Nathan stood to the side, blood dripping from his fangs.
My heart stopped. It took a moment to start breathing again, but when I did, I turned cold, hard eyes on David.
“Wil,” he said, reaching for me.
I stepped back, my muscles trembling with the effort to stay in control. Every fiber of my being screamed to stake him. If only I had one and the strength to execute such an act.
The only weapon I had was some small piece of his heart. “Don’t ever touch me again. I’m not your Wil, and never will be. Got it?”
He stared at me for a long time, then took a step back.
I ran to Maude’s side. Her head listed to the left. “Aunt Maude,” I soothed. “I’m here. Everything’s going to be okay now. Hear me?”
A soft moan came from the back of her throat.
I glanced up, finding Allcot standing beside his son.
“Unchain her.” I wrapped an arm around my aunt, pressing her head to my shoulder. She winced with the effort. “She risked herself to save me. She isn’t the mastermind behind this…” I waved a hand in the air. “…crazy situation.”
Allcot studied us curiously, almost amused.
Sick bastard.
“Come up with a solution to cure Nicola of her condition and I’ll free her.”
I started to argue but Maude lifted her heavy head, and her eyes
focused. “Willow’s Influence. It’ll break the hold.” She collapsed back on my shoulder, her body limp.
“Maude?” I cried, shaking her a little. “Damn it, Maude, wake up!”
“It’s the pain killers,” Allcot said and took out his phone. A second later he commanded, “Bring it up.”
I stood. “You gave her painkillers?”
“Yes, young Willow. It became clear a while ago either she was telling the truth or she was too delirious to tell the difference. There was no need to keep her suffering. Pandora administered the drug ten minutes ago.”
I gaped. He was a total enigma.
The door swung open and a cart was wheeled in. Did every vampire move at warp speed? It was enough to give a girl vertigo. He thanked his servant and waved a hand. “A fresh dose of your Influence. Administer it to my sister-in-law.”
“Oh shit,” Phoebe mumbled and took a step closer. “This cannot end well.”
Chapter 30
I held up an impatient hand to silence Phoebe, my insides churning with betrayal and frustration. Never ever trust a vampire for anything. “Where did this come from?”
“Daniels,” Allcot said, appearing unaffected by my disrespectful tone. “We found it in his office and confiscated it.”
“And you didn’t think to hand it over to me?” Of course he didn’t. Despite his platinum cufflinks and overpriced wardrobe, he was no better than a street thug.
He gave me an indulgent smile. “Do you honestly think any vampire would give up such a valuable resource?”
I stared at David. “An honorable one would.”
David averted his gaze and focused on something over my shoulder.
The look confirmed my suspicion. He’d known about it. What else was he keeping from me? I turned to Allcot and bit back the threat to turn him in for harboring illegal enhancements. My complaint would fall on deaf ears. The board enforcement practically worked for him.
“Let’s do this, Willow,” Phoebe said moving toward the cart.
“No!” I cried and jumped in front of her. “Don’t touch anything.” If this breach was somehow reported, I didn’t want her prints anywhere near it. It would be a lot easier to explain mine. The truth was we did need the Influence. There wasn’t any at my shop since I’d been too busy trying to stay alive to make any. The one piece I’d had at home, I’d used on Maude. “I’ll do it.”
I grabbed a chocolate wedge, and as I moved past Phoebe, I whispered, “Get Talisen here. Maude’s going to need him.” I knew I should call him myself after the way I’d run out on him. Especially since I wasn’t asking for a small favor. This would put him on Allcot’s radar. Who knew what consequences that would bring? But I couldn’t risk the possibility of him turning me down. If he was really pissed, he might do just that. He wouldn’t dare say no to Phoebe, though. If he did, she’d find some way to force his hand.
Please don’t let me have messed up so badly he ignores the request. We’d never be able to move Maude without his healing powers.
Leaving Eadric and David behind, Phoebe and I slipped back into the other room. I kneeled beside Nicola and heard Phoebe talking to Talisen, but she was too far away and I couldn’t make out the words. Judging by her tone, it wasn’t going well. Come on, Tal. Don’t let me down now.
Pandora stood behind the settee, smoothing back her sister’s light hair. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to settle down. The last thing I wanted was a vampire’s sister under my control. Hell, I didn’t want anyone under my control. Now I’d have two people.
Just get it over with.
“Nicola,” I said softly.
The witch looked up at me through dazed eyes.
“I need you to eat some of this.” I held a small chunk up to her lips.
She twisted in protest and strained to sit up. Her legs kicked out and one foot landed right in the middle of my chest.
“Oomph,” I cried and fell back on my ass, jarring my still-sore wing.
Pandora placed a firm hand on Nicola’s shoulder. “You have to do this, Nikki. It’ll help.”
Nicola started to mouth words, and I leaned closer, trying to hear.
But Phoebe jumped in front of me, her hands held in front of her, casting a protective circle. Whatever spell Nicola had conjured crashed into Phoebe’s barrier, shattering it. Both spells dissipated into the ether.
Phoebe fumed, her fists clenched in tight little balls.
Pandora clamped a hand around Nicola’s mouth and nodded to one of the other vampire lackeys to restrain Nicola’s hands.
I touched Phoebe’s arm. “It’s the spell she’s under. I don’t think she can control herself.”
My roommate narrowed her eyes, glaring at the other witch. “If she tries to cast that death spell one more time, I’m going to put her in a coma.”
“Death spell?” I whispered. Vampire balls. She’d tried to kill me. I glanced down at the ruby ring on her right hand. “I thought her ring was empty?”
Phoebe nodded. “It was. Maybe she has another spelled piece of jewelry.”
Pandora ripped the ring off Nicola’s hand and handed it to Phoebe.
“It’s empty,”‘ Phoebe said. “Totally useless.” She handed it back to Pandora and eyed Nicola. “I don’t see any other jewelry, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have another spell hidden.”
That was it. All my reservations about using the Influence vanished. “Forget it. Once she’s Influenced, it won’t matter anyway.” I took a place next to Pandora, gritting my teeth against the burning sensation when her shoulder rubbed mine. “We’re going to have to force-feed her.”
Pandora nodded once, her big round eyes conflicted with emotion. She shifted her hand from Nicola’s mouth to cover her nose. The second Nicola opened her mouth, I stuffed the Influence in. She began to spit, but Pandora clamped an iron hand over her mouth and waited for her to swallow.
We all stood there staring, not certain the Influence had worked.
“Say something,” Phoebe said to me.
“Right.” Crap. I was the inventor of the stuff. You’d think I’d remember I had to give her directions. “Let her go,” I said to Pandora. I wanted to see how she reacted before I gave instructions.
Pandora nodded to her lackey, and they both released her. Nicola slumped on the settee, sighing as the tension seemed to roll off her. She stared at her wrists, inspecting the fresh bruises.
Poor thing. Though that’s what happens when you go throwing death spells around.
“Nicola.” I waited for her to meet my eyes. “The only thing I want you to do is tell the truth. Other than that, you are under no one’s control.”
She nodded slowly, then reached out and grabbed my hand. “It wasn’t Eadric. He had nothing to do with what happened to me.”
I smiled reassuringly. “That’s what I thought. Can you tell us what did happen?”
She shuddered. “The director came to speak to me at home.”
“Maude?” I asked, my heart pounding.
“Yes.” She gulped. Then her voice hardened. “And she brought that traitor vampire.”
Pandora moved to sit next to her. She held out her hand and Nicola took it. “Who?”
Nicola shook her head. “I don’t know. She called him Beals, but I’d never heard of him before. He’s old, but I don’t think as old as Eadric. Old enough to block my defensive spells.”
I glanced at my roommate. I thought she’d said Nicola was powerful. Even more powerful than Phoebe.
She seemed to understand what I was asking and shook her head. “She doesn’t have Arcane knowledge.”
Ah, advanced spell knowledge. No matter how strong she was, Nicola’s spells wouldn’t be as powerful as a Void agent’s. Arcane spells were highly classified and in a league of their own. “What happened when they came to your house?”
Nicola glanced at Pandora, who nodded. I hadn’t commanded her to answer my questions, only to tell the truth. She’d already been through hell.
>
She closed her eyes. “He bit me. And drank enough blood I passed out.” Her eyes flew open and she stared hard at Phoebe. “He was too fast for me to defend myself. Your spells are so much stronger than mine. I want you to teach me.”
“Whoa,” Phoebe said. “One step at a time.”
“All I had with me were a few paid-for death spells.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out another ring. Dropping it on the table, she shuddered. “I was spelled to use those. I won’t be vulnerable again. Please. I’m a fast learner.”
Phoebe tilted her head, taking in the slight-framed woman. “If I can get it sanctioned, I’ll do what I can.”
“What does that mean, exactly?” Pandora wrapped an arm around her sister. “Sanctioned?”
“Arcane spells are confidential. But if I can get someone to sign off on training Nicola, I will.” Phoebe tucked a lock of black hair—her own this time—behind her ear. “Considering the Arcane has violated her rights, I should be able to negotiate the knowledge as payment.”
Pandora met Phoebe’s gaze. “Good. If not, they’ll have me to answer to.”
Phoebe shrugged. “That’s their problem.”
I cleared my throat and faced Nicola. “Can you tell us what happened after you woke up?”
Nicola huffed out a humorless laugh. “Yeah. They’d compelled me. I had to do everything they said. Spy on Eadric. Break into your house. Look for information I could never seem to find. And every few days, that vampire showed up in the middle of the night to give me a new assignment and force-feed me that awful chocolate with the acid aftertaste. By then, I wasn’t a threat. Every time I tried to protest or tell someone, my brain stalled and my mouth said something else. It was like I was programmed and I had no choice in the matter.”
“And Maude was the leader?” Pandora asked, her fingernails ripping a hole in the velvet settee.
I leaned back, afraid of what Nicola might say. If she confirmed Maude was in charge, Pandora would never believe my theory.
But Nicola shook her head. “I don’t think so. The first time she came over, she took direction over the phone. She’s working for someone.”
“Not for,” I said. “She was compelled, just like you were. But the real question is what were they looking for?”
