Blue Blooded

by Amanda Carlson

  I was completely stymied. “But…you helped her kidnap our friends.”

  “I did,” she replied. “But I just told you it was out of necessity. And, of course, to make sure what comes next doesn’t get out of hand.”

  “Okay.” I hesitated. “The only choice we have is to take your word for it that you won’t fight against us. If they’re down there, how do we get them out?”

  “I tell them to come out.” She intoned it like I should be following along closer than I was. Pretty angel lady, I’m trying, I swear.

  “We’re having a hard time following what you’re telling us, and it’s not because we’re not intelligent, it’s because we need more information,” Rourke said. “You helped our opponents by kidnapping our friends, and now you’re just going to tell them to come out and everything’s going to be fine?” I’m glad he spoke up. “That sounds too easy.”

  “I never said fine. You will fight,” she said. “It’s not going to be overly easy. I will tell them to come out, and if they do not listen to my wishes, I will force them out. When they come up, you will do what you will with the confrontation. Once it’s over, we will have an outcome.” She still had her hands comfortably settled on her hips like we were just having a nice little chat.

  “Do you know in advance what that outcome will be?” Danny asked. His facial expression—a cross between shock, confusion, and awe—represented most of ours. This angel was clearly powerful, and rare. Even though her countenance was bright, she was dressed in all black. Everything about her seemed dark—much darker than Leo.

  As Eudoxia had said before, two celestial beings from very different origins.

  That couldn’t be truer.

  “I am no seer,” Romy said. “I am here to protect and facilitate, nothing more.”

  “Then let me get this straight,” Danny said, spreading his hands apart like a game-show host. “You tell them to come out, and they have no choice but to oblige. Then we fight. I understand those rules. But what if they gain the upper hand? Are you going to step in for our side or leave us to flounder? If you don’t mind explaining a wee bit more, as we lot”—he moved his arms in a circle to indicate all of us—“are confused as to what your actual errand here is today.”

  “I will not interfere with either side”—she tossed her hair over her shoulder carelessly—“unless the outcome reaches a specific point.”

  “You’ve already interfered on their side,” I pointed out. “And, if I can ask, what specific point are you referring to?”

  Rourke placed his hand on my waist and leaned down. “I believe this angel can’t share all the details,” he murmured. He straightened. “Isn’t that right?” He gave her a pointed look. “You have coordinated these events so the outcome happens right now, which I understand. You can’t fight our battles for us, which I understand. But you’re staying here in case something happens”—he paused—“to Jessica.”

  Why would she need to do that? I gave Rourke a look. “Why would she need to protect me specifically?”

  “I believe we will find out shortly,” he answered, a little cryptically.

  Do you know something you’re not telling me? I asked. Because if you do, now’s the time to spill it.

  Nothing for sure, he said. I’m just putting all the pieces together, including what we got from Enid today. I’m happy Romy is here. I believe it means that Fate is invested in this outcome. And that end result is tied to what Pandora wants, which is good for us.

  I’m glad you’re able to reason all this out, I replied somewhat sarcastically. All I am is extremely confused and worried about our friends. It’s time to tell her to call them up.

  Agreed.

  I cleared my throat, glancing at my father. “Are you ready for Romy to bring them out?”

  “Yes,” my father answered. Internally, he said, I’m not sure I trust this being, so be wary. She has a strange signature, and this all seems a little too easy, just as your mate suggested.

  I’m with you on that one, I answered. I consider myself fairly intelligent, but I’m not picking up on all the subtleties here. Rourke believes that she’s interested in achieving Pandora’s outcome. If that’s true, we have nothing to worry about.

  Let’s hope for our sakes that’s what she wants.

  “We’re ready whenever you are,” I told Romy.

  She stared at me intently for a few seconds, which made me uncomfortable.

  It didn’t seem fair that all these beings knew about me, yet I knew nothing about them. Hopefully, that would all change when I took my seat on the Coalition. I’d no longer be in the dark. I looked forward to that day. It couldn’t come fast enough.

  Tyler shouted some directions to the wolves. My father and Rourke stood by my side. Kayla, Jax, Lucas, and Nick stood just behind us. Eudoxia was off to the side, looking bored, as usual.

  Without comment, Romy turned, her long hair swaying as she paced back toward the bunker, her high black boots crushing everything in their way.

  I addressed Kayla. “Do you sense any dead bodies nearby? I don’t know if we’ll need them, but it would be nice to be prepared.”

  “I do sense a few,” she said. “But they are supernaturals, likely wolves who died. It is risky to call them up. Not all bodies behave the same way, especially supes.”

  “Okay, we’ll keep them in reserve,” I said.

  “What is she going to do?” Tyler asked, coming to stand next to my father. “Knock on the door and tell them it’s time to come out and play?”

  “I have no idea,” I replied.

  The question was answered in the next moment.

  A sizable chunk of the bunker blew up, debris and concrete flying everywhere. It looked as though Romy had tossed a stick of dynamite through the front door.

  “I guess that’ll do it.” Rourke chuckled. “They must not have taken her directions seriously.”

  We waited for the dust to clear.

  Julian emerged first, followed by about ten wolves. His face showed his complete surprise. I’m sure he’d spent a small fortune to have the bunker spelled for situations exactly like this. But apparently, regular witch’s spells didn’t work against celestial beings. Either that, or Romy’s dynamite was something from another world.

  We might never know.

  “Julian de Rossi.” My father addressed his peer in a booming voice. “I’m glad you’ve chosen to come out and fight this challenge like a wolf.”

  Julian squared off in front of us, his feet apart, his arms crossed. His demeanor was careless, even though he’d been caught red-handed, and we had enough of his wolves lined up behind us to make him uneasy. He had to know his time was near.

  “Times are changing, Callum,” he answered. “I’m not going to fight you, or lose my Alpha position.”

  “Is that so?” my father retorted. “And exactly how are you planning to do that? Our laws are very clear, Julian. When you’re challenged, you fight. The wolf with the greater strength wins. It’s that simple.”

  Julian didn’t have time to answer, because a small commotion erupted behind him. Up from the rubble came another figure. She was tall, with long jet-black hair and pale pink skin. She wore a simple blue silk dress. She reminded me of a real-life Snow White—except Snow White was a gentle creature with good intentions, unlike Ceres.

  Behind her trailed three witches, one of whom was Angie. The lesser witch shot me a triumphant smile.

  Did she not realize she’d just emerged from a pile of rubble?

  Beside me, Rourke emitted a low, menacing growl. The odds for Angie coming out of this unscathed were about as low as they could get.

  We patiently waited, some of us not so patiently—for Ceres to take her stand next to Julian.

  Once she did, she squared her shoulders and stuck out her chin, her arms rising in the air. “You will all bow to me, and I will spare you a painful death.”

  Um, what?

  26

  Ceres repeated her command about
us bowing. She had to be out of her ever-loving mind. Or maybe she was high on some sort of hallucinogen? It was hard to know for sure what drove her insanity.

  My father was stunned, so I stepped up and addressed her.

  “None of us are going to bow down to you,” I told her in my deepest voice, injecting as much power as I could into it. “The best thing you can hope for now is to go get our friends, hand them over with gracious apologies, and hope that we decide to jail you instead of kill you.”

  Angie sneered. “You have no right to talk to us like that, dog—”

  Ceres held out a single finger, and her sister shut up. “If you do not acquiesce to my wishes,” the goddess said, “your friends are as good as dead. I will not bargain with you.”

  It took everything I had not to glance at Romy to see if she could give me any indication if Ceres was telling the truth. I chose not to look at her, because I knew Ceres was lying. I had to go with my heart. My wolf backed me up with a small yelp. “I don’t think so,” I countered. “The way this is going to work is you’re going to hand our friends over and hope you don’t get killed in the process, and then Julian is going to fight my father. After that’s over, we’ll decide what to do with you.”

  Ceres began to speak, but Eudoxia cut her off with a sharp noise that sounded remarkably like a whip. I had to glance over to see if she was actually holding one. “We once knew each other.” She addressed Ceres. “Back then, I believed you might be smart, or at least intelligent enough to understand the way things work in our world. You don’t win this battle, goddess. We do. We have superior strength and magic, and those are the only equations that matter. Jessica is being far too generous, which is her bumbling, uneducated way, offering you a reprieve for your wrongdoings, including trying to snatch me”—she made an indignant sound—“when I would kill you where you stand and figure things out later. You would be wise to take her offer. It’s the most generous thing you will receive in this lifetime.” Eudoxia shot me a glare, telling me exactly what she thought of my little plan of amnesty. Relief instantly shot through me that the Vampire Queen wasn’t tasked as the Enforcer and wouldn’t be making decisions about things like this on a regular basis.

  “I will not surrender, and you cannot kill me,” Ceres declared. “You do not hold the upper hand, I do. I will take my rightful place on the Coalition, or die trying.”

  “If Fate wanted you to sit on the Coalition, Tally would be dead already,” I challenged. “As long as Tallulah Talbot is alive, you’ve lost. Why is it, do you think, that you haven’t been able to kill her? Can you answer us that?”

  Ceres balled her pink hands into fists and huffed. I’d gotten under her skin, which was exactly where I wanted to be. “She will die, don’t you worry,” she stated. “You are wasting valuable time. Get down on your knees and submit to me.” The small amount of wolves Julian had rounded up were restless, most of them pacing in their human forms behind Ceres, appearing agitated.

  Dad, I said, make an appeal to Julian’s remaining wolves. See if any are interested in joining our side before this starts. I have no idea what Ceres is talking about, but it’s clear she’s got something up her sleeve. If we can get a few more of them to defect, it will weaken whatever’s coming next.

  My father didn’t waste any time. “Julian’s wolves, I address you directly. Your Alpha has denied me a fair fight. That is not our way. If you want to follow a strong Alpha”—he emphasized the word Alpha—“then come to our side now. There will be no repercussions. This situation is unprecedented. I’ve never been denied a challenge, but it’s clear your leader has steered you wrong. I’m here to make it right.” He crossed his arms and met each wolf’s eyes with a hard gaze, one by one. “There will not be another chance. If you stay and fight for Julian, you die.”

  After this announcement, they would surely die, as my father wouldn’t be able to trust where their loyalties lay. Wolves who dug in and denied the reality right in front of them tended to be rabble-rousers, and he’d learned that the hard way with Hank. My father had taken him in, and Hank had ultimately betrayed him.

  It wouldn’t happen again.

  Four wolves moved forward, and Julian snarled, “If you desert my cause, you will never be welcomed back!”

  My father snarled even louder, “You have chosen the stronger side. With me, you will flourish. With him, you die!”

  Two more wolves followed the four, none of whom bothered to look back as they cross to our side.

  One of Julian’s wolves who’d stayed put spat on the ground. “You were always weaklings! Good riddance. We will fight this battle without you, and win.” That had come from a tall, lanky wolf with short brown hair. That must be Julian’s second.

  No more wolves came forward.

  “Your team is dwindling by the second,” I called. “And there will be no kneeling. We want our friends back and will take them by force if we have to. What’s it going to be, Ceres? Are you going to fight or play nice?”

  Her pale face was reaching apoplectic. That pleased me to no end. Angie was getting restless as well. She kept glancing at her sister. It was clear Angie was not used to waiting for much. “If you do not submit,” Ceres reiterated, “I will kill them all.”

  “That’s a bit of an empty threat, isn’t it?” Danny asked, his voice filled with anger. “We’re thinking they would be dead already if you could’ve achieved it. Instead, this gracious angel right here”—Danny gestured toward Romy, who stood off to the side—“was nice enough to blow the roof off your hidey-hole for us. Now you’re out here, and we’re ready to fight. So let’s get on with it, then.”

  Ceres glanced in Romy’s direction. “That’s exactly who’s going to do the killing,” Ceres retorted. “One word from me, and she kills them all.”

  I began to laugh.

  There was no helping it. Too much stress built up from the day. “That’s not what she told us,” I said. “You’re on your own with exactly three pitiful witches, six wolves, and one Alpha who thinks you’ve promised him some kind of absolute power. He’s going to be mighty disappointed when he finds out it was all a lie.”

  Ceres stalked forward. “You know nothing,” she spat between a very clenched jaw. “That angel has been helping us all along. She was instrumental in capturing your friends.”

  “She may have been,” I agreed, crossing my arms. “But she was also instrumental in keeping them alive. Haven’t you wondered why you haven’t been able to kill Tally? By all means, you should’ve been able to figure it out by now. You’ve mistakenly thought Romy was here to help, but I’m thinking you should’ve inquired about her intentions earlier than right this minute. Because she just told us this is our battle, and she isn’t here to interfere. Honestly, Ceres, this kind of judgment doesn’t show strong leadership skills. And really, that’s what we’re looking for on the Coalition, haven’t you heard?”

  “Enough of this banter,” Eudoxia huffed, directing her wrath at Ceres once again. “If you refuse to surrender and beg for mercy, we fight, and we do it now.” She took a step forward, pulling the sleeves of her dress up to her elbows. “I am the guest of honor at a very lavish dinner tonight. I do not wish to waste another moment dealing with you.”

  Burn, Eudoxia-style.

  Julian whistled, and his wolves dropped to their knees and began to shift.

  I heard shuffling behind me as Julian’s wolf defectors did the same.

  Danny leaned into me. “Do you want me to shift and lead the new wolves into battle?”

  “No,” I said. “Our opponents are seriously outnumbered. I don’t understand why they would risk battling us in the first place. We’re missing something.”

  I had my answer in the next thirty seconds.

  One of the witches in the back raised her arms, and a spell slammed into me, tossing me backward.

  As I fought to catch my breath, a terrifying noise rent the air. It was a cross between a war cry and the scream of a caged animal.
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br />   Magic had entered my body, but my wolf had it well in hand. The spell wasn’t particularly strong, but it had a strange smell. Rourke leaned over, reaching his hand out. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I grabbed hold, and he pulled me up. “I’m fine, but what was that noise—”

  A huge blue shape lunged in front of me. It was so big it blocked the sun from my body.

  I’d only seen the likes of a giant like Jax in the movies.

  He was massive—at least nine feet tall—slate blue, and one of the most imposing creatures I’d ever laid eyes on.

  I couldn’t see Julian or Ceres past the hulking figure who stood protectively in front of me. My heart melted a little. My first thought was that I didn’t want him to get hurt. My second was that I didn’t think he could be.

  It would take a lot to bring this blár risastór down.

  “Your spells can’t hurt me,” Jax roared, his voice so low it made the blood in my veins vibrate. “Nor can your dogs’ teeth pierce my skin.”

  “Holy shite, he’s massive,” Danny exclaimed. “Wait a minute, did he just insult us? We’re not dogs, we’re werewolves. Mighty big difference there, as our teeth are a bit longer and a tad sharper.”

  I chuckled. “He’s trying to intimidate Julian’s wolves, so we’re going to let it go.” I couldn’t see what was happening, so I stepped to the side. I found my father gaping at Jax, his expression confused.

  We’d, of course, told him what Jax was, but seeing it was believing it.

  “Is what he says true?” my father asked. “I’ve never met another supernatural with those abilities. I’ve heard of them, just never encountered one before.”

  “I think so.” I glanced at Kayla. Her face was rightfully concerned, but I saw pride there too. I turned back to the business at hand. I could see Julian and Ceres now, both looking confused. “You’re not getting through our secret weapon,” I called. “We can still do this peacefully.”