“It’s a hunter’s trick. Snake venom can’t poison vipers, but it has an odd effect on them.”
“Understatement of the year,” Seff growls. I’m pretty sure he would be punching Zach to a pulp if he wasn’t afraid to leave Vanessa’s side.
“It’s supposed to lower inhibitions.”
I slap Zach across the face as soon as the words come out of his mouth.
“Not like that.” He stares at me with all seriousness. “Vipers usually have to work extra hard to keep their temper in check. The venom brings out their suppressed anger. It usually just makes them itch for a fight.”
“And why would you, genius, want to anger a viper capable of cursing everyone in sight?” Seff leans over Vanessa, but his eyes flash at Zach.
The hunter shrugs. “I’m not going to hide that we’re trying to make sure you don’t bind a circle, banshee. What’s a petty argument between two girls if it could save this town from war?”
“There’s no excuse for drugging my friends.” I’m an inch away from screaming until the blood vessels in his perfectly straight nose pop.
“Heard that you two don’t get along. It was worth the shot to sow some discord.” He points at Vanessa, who seems unable to prop herself up, but still grasps Seff by the tie. “This is not a reaction to the venom I’ve seen before. It was not my intention.”
I use all my self-control to stop myself from kicking Zach. Is this how Mason felt around Jester?
My chest clutches as I finally piece it together. Because of the link to me, Vanessa has been excited and happy lately. The infamous viper temper must have been easier to deal with. So the venom brought out any suppressed frustration it could find, namely, her having to stay away from Zach. It must have lowered her inhibitions when it came to her resolve to treat him as an enemy.
“How do we fix it?” I hiss in a low voice.
“She’s not in any real danger. The venom will burn through her system by tomorrow, but if you want her to recover now, she’ll need the antidote. I’ve got it upstairs,” Zach says. When we don’t move, he mimics a cross to his heart. “Promise, it really is the antidote.”
Seff unhooks Vanessa’s hand from his tie and steps in between me and Zach, menace etched into his sharp features. “Then, go!”
“No!” I can’t help sounding sharp.
“Why not?” Zach takes advantage of Seff’s shock and stares at me.
I fumble through my clutch for my phone, afraid to say anything.
The hunter’s eyes fall on my hand in the purse. “Who are you going to warn?” But he knows I’ll never tell him. “Here goes your chance at the antidote.”
His eyes dig into mine before he rushes out.
“Was he lying?” I ask Seff. “About the venom burning through her system by tomorrow?”
“No. He wasn’t lying about anything,” Seff says, still looking murderous. “I still want to punch that hunter.”
I don’t doubt it, but I refocus on my phone. I need to warn Charity. There’s no new message from her, but I see three from Awan.
Seff tries to keep Vanessa awake while I read Awan’s messages (“What’s going on?”, “Why should I wait for Charity? What is she up to?”, and then finally, “You bound the circle?”). I huff and type back to ask if he’s with Charity now.
“I have to go find Charity and explain the circle to Awan,” I tell Seff, who’s holding a finger to Vanessa’s wrist, monitoring her pulse. She seems to have fallen asleep. “I’ll tell her family she got sick. Can you take her home?”
Seff nods but flinches like he’s struggling to keep himself from wolfing out. “Next time, I’ll give the hunter a wolf’s bite, since he’s so fond of poison.”
I give Seff a half smile before rushing off.
As I stream through the crowd, everything seems to slow down. The sense of deja-vu hits me. This is the moment from the vision I had in the church.
Jean and Bryar come up behind me and ask me something, but my mind blocks out their words. My attention is on Mason and Zach as they approach, side by side. There’s a man in a midnight-blue trench coat behind them, his face obscured in shadows under his tilted wide-brimmed hat.
Chapter 24. Mason
ZACH’S PARANOIA THAT someone must have sneaked up to the suite summons all hunters to the hotel lobby. Awan and Charity sit on the fancy couch by the welcome desk and whisper to each other, watching the hunters assemble. Frankly, I’m surprised to see them together after what transpired at Jester’s Castle.
“Did they take anything?” Vaughn asks Zach, but the answer is muffled, so I can’t make it out.
After a quick exchange, Vaughn signals to Zach and then to me. “You two. Take me to the banshee. I think it’s high time I made her acquaintance.”
Zach heads out into the room where Vanessa’s guests are still mingling, eating and having champagne. I school my features into a blank expression and fall into step with him, Vaughn behind us.
My brain works feverishly, but no idea pops into mind that could prevent Cami from having to face Vaughn. She’ll recognize him by the hat and trench coat alone, even before she looks into the haunting green eyes.
I seem to always be able to find Cami, even in a crowd. I spot her when we’ve barely made a few steps into the event hall. She looks elegant in a navy-blue dress that falls loose and covers her knees. Her hair is curlier than usual, but she doesn’t seem to have gone overboard on make-up.
Her ocean-blue eyes meet mine. I want to warn her, to scream at her to turn back and flee this place, but it’s too late. Her gaze travels to Zach and behind us to Vaughn.
“Outside,” she says to the three of us.
Jean and Bryar peek up behind her, surprised expressions on their faces.
“This is Vanessa’s event.” Cami’s tone is hostile and steely in a way I didn’t suspect she was capable of. “We won’t ruin it. Go to the lobby.”
I gesture with a hand for her to pass me by. Thankfully, Vaughn and Zach don’t oppose that request. The two of them head back to the lobby.
Bryar and Jean mean to follow, but I stop them, holding up a hand in front of them. “Not you, please.”
“Like hell,” Jean protests. “If you think I’m leaving Cami alone with the new hunters, you’re sorely mistaken.”
“Awan and Charity are in the lobby,” I hurry to say. “Please stay here. Please keep Bryar out of this.”
“Hey!” Bryar deals me one of her signature murderous glares.
“They still don’t know you’re aware of the legacies, and we need to keep it this way,” I say. “Jean, can I trust you?”
She issues a small nod, which makes Bryar growl.
I hurry out the door to the lobby just as Charity flies to Cami’s side, Awan in tow. Cami’s hands tremble, but she folds them into fists, as if determined not to let her nerves show.
“This is a private event,” she regards Vaughn with a voice so chilling, it must be infused with her banshee powers. “I don’t believe you were invited. You should leave.”
He approaches, chin up so the light finally hits his face, making those telltale eyes shine. “Bold statement, considering someone just tried to infiltrate our suite. The cameras and our security saw no one but hotel staff, so I don’t know how you managed it, banshee, but I know it was you.”
“I never set foot in your suite.” This time her voice drips danger and secrecy. Cami changes into an ominous presence in front of Vaughn. “Keep away from us. I know what you like to do to our kind.”
Vaughn raises an eyebrow then, and any veil on his intentions drops. “Hmm... Perhaps your mother didn’t keep you in the dark? Maybe she told you I was after her, told you about the kind of hunters we are in the Guild?”
“She didn’t have to,” Cami squeezes through her teeth. “I saw what you did to her myself.”
Vaughn looks taken aback for a split-second, but then gives her an oily smile. “Ah, at the Claiming?” His expression changes from pretend politeness to c
ool detachment. “Good. You already have a taste of what’s coming. A word of warning—don’t fight us. It can only end for you the same way it did for her.”
I tighten my fist, my fingernails digging crescent marks into my palms. I can’t watch him threaten her. Or help the involuntary tremble in my arm.
“Elmwick is my home now,” Cami says. “You can’t frighten me here. Take your accusations and leave.”
Though she sounds fierce, her eyes seem to moisten. She clenches her jaw, biting back angry tears.
“We’ll go.” Vaughn’s voice is so smooth, there’s no denying he has a trick up his sleeve. “As soon as we get all of ours out of this snakes’ nest.” He nods at Zach, without a stray glance at me.
Zach hurries to the event hall, holds the door open and calls out, “Bryar. Time to go.”
“No!” I exclaim before I can reel in the emotions. “Leave her out of this!”
Vaughn regards me with deep suspicion. “You mean you’d leave here without your sister? You’d let her stay with the legacies? Surely you don’t trust her vampire date to keep her fangs off Bryar’s throat. No hunter would.”
The statement is like a punch to my throat. The mask I wear in front of the hunters can shatter if I make the wrong move now.
“This is not about the legacies,” I say in a raspy voice. “This is about you. I want Bryar far away from you.”
Tension pulsates in the air between us.
“Ah, you’re a loyal family man.” Vaughn gives me an evil grin. “So they’ve told you Bryar is mine.”
“What?” my sister shouts as she pushes Zach out of the way. Her gaze lands on Vaughn. “What do you mean?”
She gasps as she takes in his face, complete with the bright-green eyes she’s inherited. Bryar whirls around to find Zach and study his pair of identical eyes.
“No...” Bryar reaches for my arm. Her clawing grip above my elbow seems to be the only thing keeping her on her feet.
I steady her, arm around her waist. Our eyes lock like they’ve done countless times. We’ve joked about the differences in our eye color since we were kids, but despite the physical distinction, I’ve always found comfort in her eyes, just like she did in mine.
The blow of the news smashes into my sister, her face trembling from the effort to hold tears at bay.
“This must be so confusing.” Vaughn adopts what he must believe is a fatherly, reasonable tone. In reality, it’s representative of his controlling nature.
If I let Bryar get close to him, Vaughn will keep her in check like he does Zach. He’ll make her do his bidding, even when the price is too high. I can’t let my sister get dragged into his world.
“If you’ll allow me to explain,” Vaughn says, and takes a step closer.
Bryar pushes away from me and steps back from him, lips twitching between a frown and a growl. Tears pool in her eyes. “You’re not my father, so don’t you dare talk like you are! This can’t be true!”
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way,” Vaughn says. “I wanted to tell you earlier, introduce myself to you earlier, but your mother didn’t allow it.” He pauses and, for the first time, seems sincere to the point of vulnerability. “Regardless of the shock, you’ll come to trust me, and I’ll always protect you, which is why you need to leave with us right now. You’re not safe here with the company you keep.”
His lips purse as he stops himself from saying more. The curse is a great incentive to keep quiet, even if you’re the wickedest hunter in town.
“Oh, I know about the legacies,” Bryar spits back. “And it will take more than a blood craving to tear me from Jean.”
Vaughn looks like he’s been sucker punched.
Before he can recover and come up with a retort, Bryar continues, “Get out of my face before I tell you where you can shove your fatherly concern.”
My blood boils in my veins. I’ve reached the peak of my restraint. When Vaughn takes a step closer to Bryar, I push her behind me and square my shoulders.
“Enough. You’ve overstepped every boundary. You’ll leave my sister out of this.” I challenge him to disagree. “Or is this why you came to town? To turn our family around when Mom asked you to keep her secret? I thought you were a hunter to be trusted, someone to help us keep Elmwick safe.” I pause for emphasis. “Perhaps I was wrong. If you came here to sow chaos, then I suggest you turn right back and leave for good.”
I don’t dare glance at any of the legacies, especially Cami. As emotions flood and mingle inside me, I hope I’ve done my best to throw a dramatic fit. Maybe something good can still come out of this situation. It will almost be worth the chaos if I could chase Vaughn out of town.
Unfortunately, his expression turns fierce. “If you think I’m leaving my daughter alone in here to associate with a cold one, you’re sorely mistaken. Things are much worse in Elmwick than I expected.” He points a finger at the legacies at random. “You all had better watch your backs. Your reign is at an end.”
My heart booms faster until I’m flushed with heat and adrenaline. That backfired quickly.
“Bryar, let’s go,” I say, though I’m watching for Vaughn’s reaction.
His jaw ticks when he uses his most threatening voice for me. “It seems you’re not even surprised that she knew about the legacies. I think I’m finally getting a true sense of where you stand, Mason Fowler.”
“Where I stand?” I bellow just to spite him. “I stand with my family to protect us from anyone who means to cause us harm—legacy or hunter. If you can’t act like an ally and cause my family pain instead, then our partnership is over.”
Bryar’s fingers slip into my hand—a sure sign that Vaughn’s words can’t break the bond between us. The gesture gives me courage, even when I’ve angered the most influential hunter in town.
In one fluid motion, Bryar and I turn away. As we exit The Ravenna, I refuse to think of the chaos we’re leaving behind or the consequences that will follow.
All that matters is that I have Bryar by my side.
Chapter 25. Cami
THIS WAS CLOSE. That’s all I keep thinking as I watch Mason leave The Ravenna with Bryar.
Mason almost revealed he doesn’t want to fight against the legacies alongside other hunters. I’ll need to keep my distance from him in the next few days, even though all I want to do is run after him.
And speaking of close calls, I glance at Charity. I signal to her and the rest of the legacies that we’re done here. We ignore the hunters and return to the event, only to gather in the empty piano bar.
Charity relaxes her stiff posture when she collapses on the couch, shoulders slouching forward. Hand on her stomach, she breathes in noisy gulps.
“Are you all right?” I sit down on her left. On her other side, Awan gently pats her back.
“It was so close,” Charity says in a shaky voice. “Thanks to the charm, I made it past the two guards, but once I was in the suite, I had no idea what to do. I tried to hurry, checked the living room, but didn’t find anything. Then, I tried to enter the study, but the door was locked. When I pushed it, I heard a click.”
“The door must have been rigged against tampering,” Awan says.
“Or set to trigger an alarm. He said they had been notified of a breach.” I can’t bring myself to utter Vaughn’s name.
“It was a stupid, terrible idea!” Charity buries her face in her hands.
Through the link, I feel she doesn’t mean to blame me. She’s still shaking, terrified.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “I never should have left you alone, even with your new powers.”
“Don’t!” Jean hisses, eying Awan.
He laughs in response. “I saw Charity in her hotel staff disguise. I connected the dots. We may have not covered the charmers’ extended powers in class yet, but it was definitely a new skill.”
“Was it cool?” Jean asks and purses her lips in expectation.
“So cool.” Charity lets out a breathy giggle.<
br />
Awan leans forward so he can catch my eye. “Don’t worry, Cami. I won’t tell anyone you’ve started a circle. And I won’t ask to join it.”
I nod, knowing he means to set my mind at ease. Still, my link to Charity was different. It showed me that the circle is rooted in support and friendship. Replaying Awan’s words makes me bruise at his statement, like it’s an offense.
Why wouldn’t he want to join us?
I shake my head to chase away that fleeting thought. “The party is ending. We should probably go.”
“And check on Vanessa,” Jean adds. “She’s not replying when I text her.”
“She’s a little out of it.” I concentrate on the link, but it’s gone blank. “She’s sleeping it off, I think.”
To be safe, I call Seff, eager to hear his confirmation that he took her home and that he’s watching over her. Which, of course, he did.
APART FROM REASSURING us that she’s taking her time to come up with a curse terrible enough to befit Zach’s crimes, Vanessa doesn’t discuss the party when we meet for the self-paced reading period at the library on Monday. Even so, I feel relief flood through the link when she joins Jean, Charity, and me at the table.
For the past three months, I’ve sat at one of the small desks by the window, but with our circle growing, we had to move to a table at the center of the space.
Other legacies throw curious looks our way, but I try not to pay attention to them or their whispers. If someone does question us about the circle, Jean can always compel them not to freak out about it. It hasn’t come to that, thankfully, but I’m on the lookout for trouble coming our way.
The circle is my priority. It’s worth every sacrifice and every lie. The feeling of belonging we share is irreplaceable.
We get started on the assigned reading, but I grow bored after a single page. Mrs. Gianni is still on the topic of extended powers in our Legacy Powers class. After we covered what the cold ones can do when bound to a circle, we talked about the wolves and vipers.
Suspension (Elmwick Academy Book 2) Page 16
