“I cannot lose you, little sister.” Tristan rocked me back and forth as he squeezed me. “When Colin told me that you were here and alive, I let Father and your mother know at once. That is what took me so long.”
Words were hard to come by, and I choked back more tears. “Thank you for telling them.”
When Tristan and I separated, I said, “Let’s go into Colin’s bedroom.” I cocked my head in that direction. “The others will be arriving soon, and I want to wait until they’re all here before I come out. I’ll tell you everything I can in there.”
Olivia smirked. “Always have to make an entrance.”
By the time I finished telling Olivia and Tristan my story, nearly everyone had arrived. My nerves had settled—some.
Voices came through the door, and my stomach clenched.
The door to the bedroom opened. Colin peeked hilin peeks head in and gave me an encouraging smile.
It was now or never.
THIRTY-THREE
I walked toward Colin. Everything seemed to spin in my mind. What if the Trackers wouldn’t have anything to do with me now that I was a Vampire?
“Hold on, mush brain.” Olivia pushed her way past me, and Tristan joined her. “You’re not going out without us to run a little interference in case some dolt has a happy trigger finger.”
It was so good to have my partner at my side. Not to mention Colin and Tristan there, too.
At the door to the bedroom I paused. The scent of the warm bodies on the other side of that door was strong, and the scent of their blood, and I was glad I’d fed from Colin or I might not have been able to concentrate.
When I stepped into the living room, conversation came to a complete halt.
“Nyx?” My friend Nadia was the first to speak. “Nyx?”
“What the hell?” Ice got to his feet, too, his eyes filled with suspicion. “She’s a Vampire. I can smell it.”
“She is.” Mandisa, who never spoke to anyone, stepped forward. “Nyx is Vampire.”
I shivered as they all looked at me.
“Yes, I’m a Vampire.” I raised my chin. Colin came up behind me and squeezed my shoulders, giving me strength. “But my Drow half is strong and I can fight it. I am fighting it and I will fight to defeat Volod with you.”
Nadia got up from the couch and ran toward me. When she reached me, she enveloped me in a hug and she sobbed close to my ear. Tears leaked from my eyes, surprising me yet again.
When we pulled away, Nadia looked stunned. “You’re crying.”
I wiped tears away and nodded. “Something about this whole process, this whole transformation, changed me.”
Nadia hugged me again. And then Angel and Tracey were right behind her. Before I knew what was happening, I was being passed from one Tracker to another, either being given a hug or one of them shaking my hand.
When Max reached me to take my hand, he looked devastated. I remembered how close he and Lawan had seemed the last time the Trackers got together. He must have been experiencing so much pain to know that Lawan was either dead or turned.
“Did you see her?” Max sounded hesitant, his voice a deep rumble. “Lawan …”
“No, she didn’t rise when I did.” I put my hand on Max’s arm. “But she could be like me,” I said. “Able to go against Volod’s wishes.”
Max’s face seemed to crumble. I’d just confirmed that Lawan was being turned. He nodded and moved away.
Only a couple stayed back, including Mandisa. I was okay with that. Mandisa and her poison-tipped arrows were on the scary side.
When Penrod shook my hand, he said, “Nyx I will never forget that you accepted me when others didn’t. I’m no different from you. When I heard you were in trouble and you needed all the help you could get, I had to come back.”
Colin and Olivia stayed close, likely watching to make sure no one staked me.
After everyone greeted me, I stood at the head of the room. So much loss—the Trackers who had died and the ones who had been turned. But along with that pain was determination … that those who were responsible would pay.
I shared my story and told them what I’d learned from Volod. It wasn’t much, but it was more than what we’d had before.
“We have to do something and soon,” I said. “Volod’s numbers are strengthening. The more time he has, the harder it’s going to be for us.”
“Nyx is right.” Dave looked thoughtful. “We need to talk with Armand.”
I started to protest, to explain why that wasn’t a good idea, when the door to Colin’s apartment slammed open.
Armand stood in the doorway.
He had a crossbow with a stake aimed at my heart.
“No!” someone shouted.
The stake flew from the gun.
Colin and Olivia slammed me to the floor.
The stake skimmed my head as I went down. I heard the hard thunk as it buried itself in the wall.
Desmond whipped out ropes of magic and bound Armand. His stake gun clattered to the floor.
“Release me.” Armand didn’t look intimidated in the least. His voice was low and deadly. “Do it now and I’ll forget about the fact that you’re harboring a Vampire.”
“Kill him.” Ice spoke in a fierce tone. “He won’t give up until Nyx is dead. Let’s get it over with.”
“I agree.” Tristan’s voice was harsh, his muscles taut and bulging with restrained violence. “We must not let him harm my sister.”
Penrod drew his sword. “I would be honored to protect Nyx.”
The Sprite raised his sword. I scrambled to my feet, my enhanced Vampire-Drow strength allowing me to push past Colin and Olivia.
“Stop.” I put my hand on Penrod’s arm. “He’s a good man. Don’t kill him.”
Armand narrowed his eyes. “You will not take me.”
I met his gaze. “If I wanted to bite you I would do it now, and you could do nothing about it. But that’s not what I’m about. I may be part Vampire, but I am not a true Vampire.”
I gestured to the other Trathe otheckers. “These people know me. They knew me then and they know me now.”
“You are a Vampire,” Armand said in a low growl. “I do not know why you saved me, but it cannot be for any purpose of good.”
“Armand,” I said. “Listen. Observe. My Drow side is fighting this.” I raised my hands. “I went against Volod, and he wants me dead. Rodán was organizing a coup and I was involved. While fighting Volod, I had to watch Rodán, one of the people I love more than anything, die for me.”
“You could easily be lying to turn these good Trackers to your side,” Armand said.
I wasn’t going to let him rattle me. “I will do anything in my power to stop Volod. We are here planning his destruction,” I said. “If I wanted to attack paranorms, I would be with Volod right now planning your demise, not here planning his.”
Armand didn’t say anything. I wondered if I was getting through to him.
“You know that the odds aren’t good versus Volod and his growing army of Vampires and Vampire paranorms,” I said. “You need every resource available even to have a chance at victory—and you want to want to kill me? The only thing that my death will do is make your enemy, Volod, happy.
“Why?” I continued. “Because he knows I am one of the few threats to him. My people here are willing to fight to the death for me, but you and Volod’s team are the ones who want me dead.”
The Proctor had started to look like he was considering my words.
“Are you beginning to get a picture that something is wrong here?” I looked at the other Trackers then nodded to Desmond. “Let him up.”
Penrod had a pleading note in his voice. “I do not trust him. Let me take his head off. He was trying to kill you, and he will.”
I shook my head. “Armand is no fool. He knows he needs me.” I looked at Penrod. “I appreciate your loyalty, but please sheathe your sword.”
“How did you find out Nyx was here?” Colin as
ked with a frown.
“I have ways.”
“I want to know.” Colin’s anger was showing through.
Armand paused. “I didn’t know,” he finally said. “I overheard a few Trackers talking about meeting here. It seemed unusual so I thought I would walk in on it. I didn’t know she would be here.”
I pointed to Desmond. “Let him up.”
Penrod sheathed his sword. The room was taut with tension as Desmond released Armand.
When Armand was on his feet, Desmond turned to us. “I have something to show you.”
“Not another hologram.” I held my hand to my aching stomach. “I don’t know if I can take much more of those.”
“Whatever it is, I am meant to show you,” Desmond said. “We will see what we are meant to see.”
“You don’t know?” Olivia put her hands on her hips. “What kind of Sorcerer are you?”
Desmond had almost killed Olivia when she’d been turned into a Zombie. Since then, she hadn’t exactly been one of his biggest fans.
“A tired one.” Desmond motioned for us to stand so that we were in a circle. Armand was on one side of Desmond, and I was on the other.
The Sorcerer formed a ball of light in his hands and set it free. It floated in the center of our circle, like a toxic green blob. The same color of green as the deadly serum Volod had injected me with not long ago.
An image of Rodán formed where the ball of light had been. This time instead of life-size images, it was small, maybe a foot tall.
Still it was so lifelike that it took my breath away. Rodán. So vibrant. So alive, even in undeath.
Rodán was in the conference room where he had died. He was talking with the four Vampire paranorms who had been in the room with him when Volod learned of his attempt at a coup.
“Nyx will join us in our revolt against Volod,” Rodán said. “I am certain of it. As will Monique, whom I have already spoken with.”
That treacherous bitch. Ultimately it was her fault that Rodán was found out. Her fault that he was dead.
“What must we do?” asked one of the Shifters.
“Tell me those whom you believe are dissatisfied with Volod,” Rodán said. “I will spend a little time with them to determine who would support our efforts.”
Rodán had always had such a good sense for people. The only reason he’d failed to see that Monique was fully in Volod’s clutches was that he hadn’t wanted to see. They’d had a romantic history.
His love of women once again was his undoing, as it had been with the Nymphs.
The door burst open in the hologram and I had to live everything over again. I watched with horror as the two Dopplers were slaughtered and then Rodán took the blast of power that had been meant for me. I wanted to throw up all over again as I saw the stake bury itself into Rodán’s heart.
Then the figure of me vanished a fraction before a stake passed through the place where I’d been only moments before.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as I turned away from the images. Colin rested his arm on my shoulders in a comforting embrace while I wiped tears from my eyes with the backs of my hands.
When I turned back, Desmond looked apologetic and Armand studied me as with a different kind of appreciation than he’d had before.
I think he saw that Trackers who knew me well—Trackers he respected—were prepared to fight for me. It made a difference to him.
“I am sorry,” Armand said. “For what you were forced to go through by losing a good friend not once but twice. I cannot apologize for misjudging you because you are a Vampire. But I believe I can trieve I cust you from this point on.”
“Okay.” My voice was shaky. “Thank you.”
Armand placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. “Of course if you lean to the Vampire side …”
“You’ll have to kill me.” I tried to smile and failed. “I get that.”
“As long as we understand each other,” he said.
“Loud and clear.” I looked to Desmond. “Was that it?”
“I apologize.” Desmond pushed his wild hair out of his eyes. “I guess that’s what the Great Guardian wanted us to see. Especially Armand.”
In the past I would have been irritated at the Guardian, but not now, not after meeting her. She had been good and pure beyond anything I could have imagined.
I took a deep breath. “I’ll fill you in on what happened and what I know that may help us.”
Armand listened to me intently as I spoke, interrupting me on occasion to ask a question. I explained that I hadn’t been with Volod long enough to find out a lot, but I shared what I did know. It was hard to guess what Armand was thinking as he listened to me.
“We have heard rumors that Volod is amassing a large number of Vampires and Vampire paranorms,” Armand said finally. “We believe they intend to attack, and soon.”
“I believe that was part of what Rodán was going to talk about,” I said.
I went on, “Volod mentioned briefly that he is bringing in Vamps and paranorm Vamps from all over. They’re going to meet for some sort of planning conclave. Like I said, he wasn’t sharing time, place, or numbers. If there is an attack, that would be the place. We needed to be ready to go on a moment’s notice.”
I looked around the room at all of the Trackers and Desmond. “We need to find out when and where Vampire paranorms are being taken and if we can get them together.”
Armand nodded. “It is a greater problem when they are spread out. It is difficult to take so many out one by one when they are adding to their ranks.”
“Yes,” I said. “We haven’t been on the offensive, and they’ve taken us by surprise. They know our weaknesses and have hammered our leadership. It’s time to change.”
When I finished, I asked Armand, “Why don’t you take over the meeting now so that you can share with us what is being done and what we need to do next?”
For a moment Armand studied me. I knew he was debating giving me insider information. He still wasn’t positive he totally trusted me.
“I am not sure you are aware,” Armand said, “that since the Paranorm Council was taken, we have been taking high-profile paranorms into hiding. Part of our focus, too, is protecting Peacekeepers. One of our Soothsayers has also disappeared and we are afraid she has been taken by Volod.”
My stomach twisted. “Who?”
“The one named Lulu,” Armand said.
Lulu. I shook my head. I’d never liked her, but I would not wish such a fate on anyone.
“We have started bringing in Trackers from across North America,” Armand said. “We have just over one hundred amassed.”
Over a hundred. That was a sizable number, but I suspected that up against Vampire paranorms, it wasn’t enough. I was impressed that so many had gathered already, though.
“Where are you keeping them?” I asked. “It can’t be that easy to hide so many.”
“We are housing them in a secret location,” he said.
I was curious just how much I could get out of Armand. “Where is that?”
He paused as if weighing his decision. “The Vampire pyramid seized in New Jersey last fall.”
“You’re kidding.” Surprise had me shaking my head. “You’re housing paranorms in a Vampire sanctuary?”
“Former Vampire sanctuary,” Armand said. “It is working quite well for our efforts.”
“Yes …” I thought about everything that had happened in that pyramid last fall. It certainly had not been easy to take. “I can see how it would.”
“A hundred is nowhere near enough paranorms,” Colin said.
“We have more Peacekeepers coming in.” Armand shifted his stance, his arms crossed over his chest. “The difficulty we face is that most Proctors cannot afford to give up many of their Trackers because they need to protect their own cities.”
I glanced at Colin. “You said my father is sending some of his warriors?”
Colin gave a nod. “He said he would be se
nding twenty of his most elite warriors.”
“Twenty Drow warriors is an exceptional asset.” Armand looked impressed. “They are skilled fighters and from what we understand are immune to a Vampire’s bite.”
“That gives us a hundred and twenty.” I blew my breath out. “Our odds still aren’t that great.”
“We can expect probably thirty to forty more … maybe. I just don’t know when,” Armand said. “I’m afraid that is all. I do not believe Volod will have close to those numbers of Vampire paranorms to go up against us. Especially if we are able to have the element of surprise.”
Armand looked at all of the Trackers assembled and returned his gaze to me. “I am going to place my trust in those who will follow you and in my gut instinct. You will lead your team. You know the city and the area, and if I’m not mistaken they are willing to follow you.”
Again he moved his gaze from one Tracker to the next. “Am I mistaken? If any of you wishes to join my team then speak up. Or if you have anything else that you wish to bring to my attention.”
“I will follow Nyx.” Ice shocked me by being the first to she firstpeak. “She has my trust.”
“As she has mine,” Joshua said with a calm yet hard edge to his voice. “I have served under Nyx since I joined the Trackers and I can think of no one better to lead us.”
“Agreed,” Angel said.
“Damn straight,” Olivia said.
Murmurs of agreement went around the room. I didn’t hear any dissent.
The support of my friends surprised me. For the first time in my life I had to hold back tears.
I addressed them. “We need to strike Volod first, before he can add more Vampires and Vampire paranorms.” I pushed my hair out of my face as I tried to work over the problem in my mind. “Now to figure out just where he’s hiding all these Vampires.”
THIRTY-FOUR
Volod held the Fabergé egg in his palm and stared at it. The jeweled curio was one of the treasures he had amassed over the many years he had lived.
He squeezed his hand and crushed it.
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