Three figures ran toward us from the cars and hurled themselves at our attackers. Thanks to his signature duster, I knew Dimitri led the group.
“Get out of here,” he called to Adrian and me. “You know where to meet. We’ll cover you. Drive fast—they’ll probably be on the road soon.”
Adrian helped me up, and once again we ran together. I’d hurt my ankle in the fall, so I moved slowly, but Adrian helped me along and let me lean on him. All the while, my heart was threatening to pound out of my chest, even when we reached the safety of the Mustang. He guided me to the passenger side. “Can you get in okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said, sliding in and unwilling to admit the pain was growing. I prayed I hadn’t slowed us too much. I couldn’t stand the thought of being the one responsible for Adrian’s capture.
Satisfied, Adrian raced over to the driver’s side and started the car. The engine roared to life, and he followed Dimitri’s orders to the letter, peeling out at a speed I was envious of. Out on this country highway, however, it seemed unlikely there were any cops. I glanced behind us a few times, but by the time we made it to I-10, it was obvious no one had followed us. I sighed gratefully and leaned my head against the seat, though I was still a long way from being calm. I couldn’t assume we were safe yet.
“Okay,” I said. “How on earth did you guys find me?”
Adrian didn’t answer right away. When he did, I could tell it was with great reluctance. “Eddie put a tracking device in your purse, back at my place.”
“What? He couldn’t have! They searched me.”
“Well, I’m sure it didn’t look like one. I don’t know what he ended up getting. He got it from your people, actually. As soon as Trey confirmed the meeting tonight, Belikov was on the phone with every guardian in a two-hour radius, trying to recruit backup. He called the Alchemists too and convinced them to share some tech.”
There were so many crazy things about what he’d just said, I didn’t know where to begin parsing it. All sorts of wheeling and dealing had gone on without me realizing it. And even when it had been settled, no one had told me about it. Plus, the Alchemists had been involved? Helping the guardians to track me?
“The earrings,” I said. “That’s where they came from. The tracker must be in one of them. I never would have guessed.”
“I’m not surprised, knowing the way you guys work.”
The rest of tonight’s reality began to sink in. The last of my fear subsided—only to be replaced by anger. “You lied to me! All of you! You should have told me what you were doing—that you were tracking me and planning a raid! How could you keep that from me?”
He sighed. “I didn’t want to, believe me. I told them over and over they needed to get you in the loop. But everyone was afraid you’d refuse to take the device if you knew about it. Or that you’d somehow slip up and give away the plan to those nuts. I didn’t believe that, though.”
“And yet, you didn’t bother telling me yourself,” I snapped, still outraged.
“I couldn’t! They made me promise not to.”
Somehow, his betrayal hurt worse than all the others. I had come to trust him implicitly. How could he do this to me? “No one believed I’d be able to talk the Warriors down, so everyone just made contingency plans without me.” Never mind that I hadn’t been able to talk them down. “Someone should have told me. You should have told me.”
There was legitimate pain and regret in his voice. “I’m telling you, I wanted to. But I was trapped. You of all people should know what it’s like being caught between groups, Sage. Besides, don’t you remember what I said just before you got in the car with Trey?”
I did, actually. Almost word for word. No matter what happens, I want you to know that I never doubted what you’re going to do. It’s smart, and it’s brave.
I slouched further into my seat and felt like I was on the verge of tears. Adrian was right. I did know what it was like to have your loyalty stretched between different groups. I understood the position he’d been in. It was just, some selfish part of me wished that I’d been the one his loyalty had been strongest to. He tried, an inner voice said. He tried to tell you.
The meeting spot that Dimitri had told Adrian to go to turned out to be Clarence’s house. The place was crawling with guardians, some of whom were patching up each other’s injuries. No one had been killed on either side, something the guardians had been very cautious about. The Warriors of Light already thought vampires were twisted and corrupt. They didn’t need more fuel added to the fire.
Not that tonight’s raid was probably going to help matters. I had no clue how the Warriors would react or if there might be some lethal retaliation in store. I supposed the guardians and Alchemists had taken that into consideration. I wondered bitterly if any of them would share their opinions on it with me.
“I know better than to offer to heal you,” Adrian told me, as we squeezed past a group of guardians. “Grab a seat in the living room, and I’ll get you some ice.”
I started to say I could get my own, but my ankle was growing increasingly painful. With a nod, I left him and made my way to the living room. A couple of unknown guardians were there, along with a beaming Clarence. To my surprise, Eddie and Angeline were also in there, sitting side by side—and holding hands?
“Sydney!” he exclaimed. He immediately released Angeline’s hand and hurried over to me, astonishing me with a hug. “Thank God you’re okay. I hated having to leave you there. That wasn’t part of the plan. I was supposed to have gotten you out with Sonya.”
“Yeah, well, maybe next time, someone can fill me in on the plan,” I said pointedly.
Eddie grimaced. “I’m sorry about that. I really am. We just…”
“I know, I know. Didn’t think I’d go along with it, were afraid something would go wrong, etc., etc.”
“I’m sorry.”
I didn’t entirely forgive him, but I was too tired to push the matter much further. “Just tell me this,” I said, lowering my voice. “Were you just holding hands with Angeline?”
He blushed, which seemed ludicrous after the fierceness I’d seen him pull off back at the compound. “Er, yeah. We were just… talking. I mean, that is… I think we might go out sometime. Not at school, of course, since everyone thinks we’re related. And probably not anything serious. I mean, she’s still a little out there, but she’s not as bad as I used to think. And she was really great in that battle. I feel like maybe I should get my head out of the fantasy with Jill and try some normal dating. If you’ll let me borrow your car.”
I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. “Sure,” I said. “Far be it for me to stop a budding romance.” Should I tell him Jill might not be such a fantasy after all? I didn’t want to meddle. Eddie deserved to be happy, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bad that I’d told Jill he might be interested. I hope I hadn’t made things more complicated.
Adrian returned with a bag of ice. I sat down in an armchair, and he helped position the ice on my ankle after I propped it up on a footstool. I relaxed as the ice began numbing the pain and hoped I hadn’t broken anything.
“Isn’t this exciting?” Clarence asked me. “Finally, you were able to see the vampire hunters for yourselves!”
I wasn’t sure I’d describe the night with that much enthusiasm, but I did have to concede a point to him. “You were right,” I said. “I’m sorry for not believing you sooner.”
He gave me a kind smile. “It’s all right, my dear. I probably wouldn’t have believed a crazy old man either.”
I smiled in return and then thought of something from earlier. “Mr. Donahue… you said when you encountered the hunters before that a human named Marcus Finch intervened on your behalf.”
Clarence nodded eagerly. “Yes, yes. Nice young man, that Marcus. Certainly hope I run into him again someday.”
“Was he an Alchemist?” I asked. Seeing Clarence’s puzzled look, I tapped my cheek. “Did he have a tattoo like mine
?”
“Like yours? No, no. It was different. Hard to explain.”
I leaned forward. “But he did have a tattoo on his cheek?”
“Yes. Didn’t you see in the picture?”
“What picture?”
Clarence’s gaze turned inward. “I could’ve sworn I showed you some of my old pictures, back when Lee and Tamara were young… ah, such good days those were.”
I worked hard to stay patient. Clarence’s moments of coherence were sometimes hard to get a hold of. “And Marcus? You have a picture of him too?”
“Of course. A lovely one of the two of us. I’ll find it one day and show you.”
I wanted to ask him if he’d show it to me now, but with his place so crowded, it didn’t seem like the right time.
Dimitri arrived shortly thereafter, along with the last of the guardians who’d been at the compound. Dimitri immediately asked about Sonya, who I’d learned was resting in her bedroom. Adrian had offered to heal her, but Sonya had had enough clarity of mind to refuse him, saying she simply wanted blood and rest and a chance for the drugs to wear off naturally.
Once Dimitri got this report and could rest easy about Sonya, he came straight to me, looking down from his lofty height at where I sat with my ice. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I know you must have heard by now what happened.”
“That I was sent into a dangerous situation with only half the information I needed?” I asked. “Yeah, I heard all about that.”
“I’m not a fan of lies and half truths,” he said. “I wished there’d been another way. We had so little time, and this just seemed like the best option. No one doubted your ability to reason and make a compelling case. It was the Warriors’ ability to listen and see reason that we didn’t believe in.”
“I can see why you guys didn’t trust me with the plan.” Near me, I saw Adrian flinch at the way I said “you guys.” I hadn’t intentionally meant anything by it but realized now that it sounded very condescending and Alchemist—so Us versus Them. “But I still can’t believe the Alchemists went along with that—that they condoned keeping me out of the loop.”
There were no free chairs left, so Dimitri simply sat down cross-legged. “There’s not much I can tell you about that. Like I said, it was all short notice, and when I spoke with Donna Stanton, she felt it would be safer all around if you didn’t know what was coming. If it makes you feel better, she was very adamant about us keeping you safe once we were there.”
“Maybe,” I said. “It’d be better still if she’d thought about how I might feel when I found out I wasn’t trusted with vital information.”
“She did think about it,” said Dimitri, looking slightly uncomfortable. “She said you wouldn’t mind because you understand the importance of not questioning your superiors’ decisions and that you know what they do is for the best. She said you’re an exemplary Alchemist.”
Don’t question. They know what’s best. We can’t take any chances.
“Of course she did,” I said. I never question anything.
CHAPTER 23
IT TOOK SONYA a few days to recover, thus delaying her return to Pennsylvania. When she was ready to go to the airport, I offered to drive her. The rental car had been found, but Dimitri was using it to clean up after the mission. Within twenty-four hours, the Warriors had vacated their compound, which had turned out to be a rental facility generally used for retreats. They’d left almost no trace of their presence behind, but that hadn’t stopped the guardians from scouring every inch of the abandoned compound.
“Thanks again,” Sonya told me. “I know how busy you must be.”
“It’s no problem. It’s the weekend, and anyway this is what I’m here for—to help you guys.”
She laughed softly to herself. Her recovery in the last couple of days had been remarkable, and she now looked as pretty and bright as usual. She wore her auburn hair down today, letting it fall in fiery waves around the delicate lines of her face. “True, but it seems like you keep having to go above and beyond your job description.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I said earnestly. I’d grown close to Sonya and was sad to see her go. “Back in that arena… well, it was kind of terrifying.”
Some of her amusement faded. “It was. I was out of it most of the time and not really able to process what was going on around me. But I do remember your words. You were pretty amazing, not to mention brave, to face down that crowd and defend me. I know how hard it must have been to be in opposition with your own kind.”
“Those people are not my kind,” I said adamantly. Some part of me wondered exactly who my kind were. “What’s going to happen to your research now?”
“Oh, it’ll continue back East. Dimitri will be returning soon too, and there are other researchers who can help us at Court. Having an objective spirit user like Adrian was extremely useful, and we’ve got plenty of data to keep us busy now, thanks to the blood samples and aura observations. We’ll let Adrian continue with his art and get in touch later if we need him again.”
I still couldn’t shake the guilt over how my refusal to give more blood had indirectly resulted in Sonya’s kidnapping. “Sonya, about my blood—”
“Don’t worry about it,” she interrupted. “You were right about me being pushy and also that we need to focus on Dimitri first. Besides, we might be making some headway with getting Alchemist help.”
“Really?” Stanton had seemed pretty against it when we spoke. “They said yes?”
“No, but they said they’d get back to us.”
I laughed. “With them, that’s a pretty positive answer.”
I fell silent for a moment, wondering if this meant everyone would forget about my blood. Between the Warriors and the potential of Alchemist aid, surely my blood was no longer important. After all, initial study had found nothing special. No one had any reason to worry about my blood anymore. Except, the thing was… I was kind of worried. Because no matter how much I dreaded being experimented on, that nagging question wouldn’t leave me alone: Why hadn’t the Strigoi been able to drink my blood?
Sonya’s earlier mention of auras reminded me of another burning question. “Sonya, what does purple mean in someone’s aura? Adrian says he saw it in mine but won’t tell me what it is.”
“Typical,” she said with a chuckle. “Purple… well, let’s see. From what I’ve observed, it’s a complex color. It’s a spiritual but passionate color, tied to those who love deeply and also seek a higher calling. It’s interesting in that it has such depth. White and true gold tend to be the colors associated with higher powers and metaphysics, just as red and orange are linked to love and baser instincts. Purple kind of has the best of all of those. I wish I could explain it more clearly.”
“No, that makes sense,” I said, pulling into the airport’s circle driveway. “Kind of. It doesn’t exactly sound like me, though.”
“Well, it’s hardly an exact science. And he’s right—it’s there in you. The thing is…” We’d stopped at the curb, and I saw her studying me carefully. “I’ve never noticed it before. I mean, I’m sure it’s always been there, but whenever I looked at you, I just saw the yellow of most intellects. Adrian isn’t as adept at reading auras as I am, so I’m surprised he noticed what I missed.”
She wasn’t the only one. Spiritual, passionate… was I really those things? Did Adrian believe I was those things? The thought made me feel warm all over. Elated… and confused.
Sonya seemed like she was about to say more on the matter and then changed her mind. She cleared her throat. “Well, then. Here we are. Thank you again for the ride.”
“No problem,” I said, my mind still swimming with visions of purple. “Have a safe trip.”
She opened the car door and then paused. “Oh, I have something for you. Clarence asked me to give it to you.”
“Clarence?”
Sonya rustled through her purse and found an envelope. “Here you are. He was pretty adamant you get it—
you know how he is when he gets worked up about something.”
“I do. Thanks.”
Sonya left with her luggage, and curiosity made me open the envelope before I drove away. Inside was a photograph, showing Clarence and a young guy, close to my age, who looked human. The two of them had their arms around each other and were smiling at the camera. The unknown guy had straight blond hair that just barely brushed his chin and stunning blue eyes that stood out against suntanned features. He was extremely handsome, and although his eyes mirrored his smile, I thought there was a little sadness too.
I was so caught up in his good looks that I didn’t notice his tattoo right away. It was on his left cheek, an abstract design made of clustered crescents of various sizes and orientations, lying together so that they almost looked like a vine. It was exotic and beautiful; the rich indigo ink a near match for his eyes. Studying the design more closely, I noticed something familiar about its shape and swore I could see a faint glimmer of gold edging the blue lines. I nearly dropped the picture in shock. The crescents had been tattooed over an Alchemist lily. I flipped the picture over. One word was scrawled on it: Marcus.
Marcus Finch, whom the Warriors had claimed was an ex-Alchemist. Marcus Finch, whom the Alchemists had claimed didn’t exist. The crazy thing was, unless someone locked away like Keith counted, there were no “ex-Alchemists.” You were in it for life. You couldn’t walk away. Yet, that obscured lily spoke for itself. Unless Marcus had had a name change that somehow eluded the Alchemists, Stanton and the others were lying to me about knowing who he was. But why? Had there been some rift? A week ago, I would have said it was impossible that Stanton wouldn’t tell me the truth about him, but now, knowing how carefully information was parceled out—or not—I had to wonder.
I stared at the picture a few more moments, caught up in those haunting blue eyes. Then, I tucked it away and returned to Amberwood, resolved to keep the photograph a secret. If the Alchemists wanted to deny Marcus Finch’s existence to me, I would let them continue until I figured out why. That meant my only lead was Clarence and the absent Warriors. Still, it was a start.
The Golden Lily: A Bloodlines Novel Page 34
