by Jaye Wells
“You ever let a demon through your portal before?” he purred to Calyx. The tip of one claw swirled lazy circles in the mossy pond water.
“Um, I don’t think so,” she said hesitantly, looking around like she couldn’t wait to escape.
He winked at the faery. “Trust me, sweet cheeks, you’d remember having a demon in your portal.”
I rolled my eyes and waved away a garden sprite who buzzed too close to my ear.
“Bitch,” it squeaked.
Hoping to escape the awkward come-ons and think in peace, I went to pace on the bridge. My skin felt too tight and my head buzzed with possible outcomes to the meeting. I still couldn’t believe the Queen had banned me from the proceedings. Normally I’d be pissed that no one stood up for me, but in the grand scheme of things, my pride wasn’t as important as progress in finding Maisie. Still, it rankled. If it weren’t for me they wouldn’t have Tanith at all.
If it weren’t for you, Maisie wouldn’t have been kidnapped in the first place, my conscience whispered. I squinted against the memory of the message Lavinia left for me to find when she’d taken Maisie out from under my nose: a white canvas with the word “checkmate” written in blood. That round had gone to my grandmother, but I was tired of playing games. I just wanted to my sister back, and then I wanted to focus on building a new life that didn’t include prophecies or politics.
Only clear heads and unemotional logic would accomplish those goals. Sitting around mooning over how it all made me feel was a waste of time. I just wished Tanith’s supposed defection hadn’t thrown such a wrench in the plans. Our original strategy was elegant in its simplicity: Kidnap Persephone and trade her for Maisie.
But now we not only had the wrong Domina, but that one that suddenly claimed to be an ally. If it were up to me, I’d continue with the original plan. The problem was my goals and the goals of the Hekate Council and the Queen were not the same.
I was no stranger to the push-pull between leaders and the foot soldiers they used to carry out their plans. The minute you added political or diplomatic concerns to a mission, you were asking for complications. And I worried those complications might make saving my sister less important to the leadership than preventing war.
So, I had to admit that even though in the long run peace was preferable to this constant state of almost-war, my preference was to trade Tanith, save Maisie, and let the bullets fall where they may.
Of course, the other option was that Tanith was full of shit and she’d been sent by Lavinia to fuck us over. Either way, I didn’t see anything positive about Tanith’s declaration of independence from Lavinia.
A sharp pain in my hand cut my thoughts short. I looked down to realize I’d gripped the bridge’s railing so tight that a shard of wood had broken off and embedded itself in my palm. Gods, I was losing it. I hadn’t even realized I’d stopped pacing until that moment. I took a deep breath and removed the wood. The small wound would heal quickly, but I needed to do something about the tension knifing my shoulder blades.
Using my uninjured hand, I kneaded at the hot spot and willed myself to relax. Soon enough Adam and the others would come out to let me know the plan. I just prayed they made the right decision.
Now that I’d tuned back into my surroundings, Giguhl’s deep voice reached me across the water. He and the faery Calyx were in the same spot and hadn’t noticed my minor existential crisis. “Do you have a sister?” he asked Calyx.
Just then, a bright orange koi with black spots mistook Giguhl’s finger for a worm. “Ouch!” His claw jumped out of the water with a splash.
The corner of my mouth twitched. I started to tease him, but movement across the garden caught my attention.
Two large doors opened and Orpheus, Rhea, and Adam appeared on the path leading into the garden. Their grim expressions formed a knot in my stomach and made my shoulders tense up again. A Pythian Guard and another faery guard lead Tanith out behind them. Orpheus said something to the mage guard, who moved to stand in front of Tanith and the fae, presumably to give us some privacy. Over his shoulder, Tanith flashed me a smug smile that cued warning bells before the mages even reached me.
“Let’s walk.” Orpheus was all business. It had been only a few days since we saw each other, but the lack of warmth in his greeting put me on edge.
Calyx mumbled something about being needed elsewhere. Never had a female looked so relieved to escape a come-on. Crestfallen, Giguhl watched her go.
I nodded and held out a hand for him to precede me toward the nearest bridge. Once he’d passed I looked at Adam, who held his aunt’s arm like a gentleman. His expression didn’t give much away. Figuring I’d find out the bad news soon enough, I smiled at Rhea. “How are you?”
She leaned forward and kissed my cheek. “Tired,” she said honestly. “Come on, let’s get you filled in on the… developments.”
I held my tongue as she took my arm. But I wanted to ask Rhea what she was doing here. Last I’d heard, she was heading out to recruit mages from around the country to build up the army the Hekate Council would need in the war that now seemed inevitable. But given the obvious tension I’d seen so far at the faery court, it made sense Orpheus would call her back to give him counsel on this delicate matter. But I could ask Adam all about that later. Right now, I needed different answers.
Orpheus led us over the bridge to a grassy island on the other side of the pond out of hearing range of the ancient vampire and her fae guards. When he turned to face us, he didn’t bother with small talk. “There’s been a change of plans,” he began. I swallowed the curse that bubbled up at the confirmation of my fears and nodded. He continued, “We’ve agreed to help Tanith if and only if her information leads to Maisie’s safe return.”
“And if she’s lying?” I asked.
“Then we will not hesitate to execute her.”
So far, that was the only part of this new plan I agreed with. “So where’s Lavinia keeping Maisie?”
“New Orleans,” Rhea said.
“That’s random,” Giguhl said. I had to agree with his verdict. I’d been expecting to hear Lavinia had my sister in some remote location in California. We never would have found out they were in Louisiana on our own.
“Why there?” I asked.
“Tanith claims it has something to do with Lavinia’s connection to the Caste,” Orpheus said. “Apparently Tanith and Persephone have been kept out of that end of things.”
“A smart move on Lavinia’s part, given how easily Tanith just rolled over on her, “ said Adam.
“I don’t suppose she gave you an address?” I asked.
Orpheus grimaced and shook his head.
“Not to be ungrateful about Tanith’s generosity or anything,” I said, my voice dripping in sarcasm, “but this sounds like a wild-goose chase. How are we supposed to find Maisie in a city that size? I’ve never even been to New Orleans. Have you, Adam?” He shook his head, looking as frustrated as I felt.
“Knowing your grandmother,” Orpheus said, “I doubt she’ll hesitate to make her presence known once you’re in the city.”
“That’s comforting,” Adam said.
“I have an old friend there who may be able to help you,” Rhea said. “Her name is Zenobia Faucher. Owns a magic shop on Bourbon Street. I’ll put a call in to her.”
Well, that was something at least, I thought. “Okay, so what are you going to do with Tanith?”
“Queen Maeve is taking custody of her.”
My eyes widened. “Why her and not you guys?”
“She’s being a—” Rhea paused as if stopping herself from saying something scandalous. “Well, let’s just say she’s being difficult. She’s got her guards watching our every move and demands to be included in all our meetings. Orpheus has his hands full trying to placate her while also trying to find a new base of operations. And I’m leaving tomorrow to pay a visit to the midwestern mage communities to try to recruit some warm bodies.”
I cursed und
er my breath. “How do you think this is going to play out?” I nodded toward Tanith, who prowled on the other bank of the pond. Her red hair blended into scarlet leaves behind her, making it appear as if her face floated in a pool of blood.
“The Queen is quite proud of how easily she brought the Domina to justice.” Scorn soured his tone. “But you can bet she’ll be quick to place blame on our shoulders should the plan fail.”
“Of course she will,” Adam said.
“Regardless,” Orpheus said, “We’re at the mercy of the Queen’s superior resources. Namely, a tower to hold Tanith in until we know whether she’s telling the truth.”
My fingernails carved half-moons into the palm of my free hand. “I’d like the record to reflect that I think we should just kill Tanith now. She’s a liability.”
“Ditto,” Giguhl said. I shot him a grateful look. Sometimes it was good to have a minion.
Adam shot me an annoyed look. I ignored him. Someone had to say it. He never would, out of respect for his leader and his aunt, but I had no such qualms.
“Taken and noted,” Orpheus said. “But not possible. If she’s telling the truth, she could be our best chance of preventing a war we have no hope of winning at this point.”
Rhea sighed. “Orpheus is right. This is all we’ve got right now.”
“There’s something else,” Orpheus said. His already grave tone took on a don’t-test-me-on-this edginess. “I know this is not the outcome you’d hoped for. But it is imperative Lavinia doesn’t find out we have Tanith in our custody.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but Orpheus cut me off.
“No. Lavinia must believe Tanith is dead. When the Dominae guards find nothing but ashes in her limo, they’ll believe she perished. You will not tell Lavinia otherwise.”
I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. Finally, I looked him dead in the eye. “Even if telling her would save Maisie’s life?”
The leader of the mage race leaned in, his height formidable and his anger palpable. “Don’t you dare imply I don’t care about Maisie’s safety. I helped raise that child like she was my own.”
My stomach cramped with guilt as I finally noticed the dark circles and tension lining his face. I’d been so wrapped up in my own challenges, I’d failed to consider that he might be as upset as me. The mages had sustained extensive loss of both life and resources when the Dominae attacked them. In addition to mourning those deaths, it had to be a major blow to Orpheus’s pride to rely on the Queen’s help and suffer her whims, especially since she obviously had no qualms about taking advantage of the mages’ weakened power structure. And while he played political chess with the Queen, he was obviously also worried about Maisie. She was like a daughter to him, yes, but as the ceremonial head of the mage government and an oracle who helped him make decisions, she was also his friend and confidante.
Feeling like an ass, I took a deep breath. “I’m sorry. I know you’re doing the best you can.”
Orpheus executed a dignified nod. “Just as I know you and Adam will make sure Maisie gets home safely.”
“And once you find Maisie,” Rhea said, “we can figure out how to best use Tanith’s defection to our advantage.”
“One thing’s for sure,” I began, “Tanith won’t have a chance in hell of taking over as long as Lavinia’s alive.”
“That may be true, but finding Maisie is your priority.” Orpheus looked me dead in the eyes.
“Of course it is,” I said automatically.
“That said, if you get an opening, take it.”
A quickening began in my midsection. It was one thing to want to kill my grandmother. It was something else to be ordered to kill her by the leader of the mage race. It was like getting a green light from the universe. Then a thought occurred to me. “The Queen is down with that part of the plan?”
“She wants to capture Lavinia for questioning.” Orpheus winked. “But she couldn’t complain if you accidentally killed that bitch during a rescue attempt.”
A slow smile spread across my lips. “Now, that’s a plan I can definitely get behind.”
“We thought you’d enjoy that,” Orpheus said.
Rhea shifted uneasily. “I wish we’d had more time to train. Your skills are still too raw. Plus there are the emotional aspects of the task in front of you…”
Up until recently, the silver-haired mage had spent weeks training me in the finer points of magic. We’d only just gotten to the good stuff when all hell broke loose in New York. The good stuff being my ability to harness the Chthonic magic I’d inherited from my long-dead mage father. Chthonic magic is what most humans call black magic. The truth is, no magic is entirely black or white. But, even on the grayscale, Chthonic magic definitely trended toward the darker side with its emphasis on death and fertility magic. I still didn’t know enough to commune with the dead—not that I was eager to do that—but I did know how to torch someone from twenty paces. So that was something.
As for the emotional aspects she mentioned—
“Don’t worry,” I said. “I won’t let my temper get the best of me.”
Four dubious expressions greeted my statement. I put my hands on my hips. “Okay, fine. We all know I’ll lose my temper, but at least I’m better at channeling my anger now.”
Rhea patted my arm. “Yes, you are. Just remember that Lavinia’s going to try to knock you off balance. Use your head and you’ll be fine.”
Giguhl threw an arm around Rhea’s shoulders. “Don’t worry about Sabina. She’s got us to back her up.”
Rhea frowned at the demon. “Wait, where’s Valva?”
Giguhl cringed away from Rhea with a hiss.
“Ixnay on the Alva-vay,” I said under my breath. After the “incident” at Fang’s strip club just after we arrived in Los Angeles a couple of days earlier, Valva had become She Whose Name We Dare Not Speak.
Rhea’s expression bordered on dumbfounded. “Sorry?”
Luckily, Adam stepped in with an appropriately diplomatic response. “Let’s just say she won’t be joining us and leave it at that.” He shot a pointed look toward the pouting demon. Rhea’s mouth formed an O and she nodded.
“Understood.”
“As much as I hate to interrupt this intriguing discussion, we need to get moving. The Queen wasn’t happy when I told her you’d want a word with Tanith before you left.”
I frowned. Normally Orpheus was the man in charge. Hearing him admit he needed the Queen’s leave worried me.
Rhea nodded. “I’ll just go call Zenobia now and let her know to expect you tonight.” She excused herself to make the call while Orpheus, Adam, Giguhl, and I went back to where Tanith and the guards stood.
As we approached, Tanith’s eyes stayed on me. I met her stare with one of my own. I didn’t see any point in pretending she was anything other than my enemy until she was proven otherwise. Orpheus dismissed the guards.
“I trust everything is in order?” she asked Orpheus.
He nodded. “Yes, Sabina has agreed to the terms.”
She nodded. “Including the one we discussed out of the Queen’s hearing?” I knew immediately she meant the part about killing Lavinia.
“You bet your ass,” I said, crossing my arms.
She pursed her lips and looked me over. “I almost wish I could be there to see that battle.”
“Really,” I said, my tone heavy with boredom.
“Of course. How could it not be a spectacular show?” She paused and speared me with a challenging stare. “One wonders, though, do you really think you have what it will take to best your grandmother?”
“As much as I appreciate your concern,” I said, my tone heavy with sarcasm, “It’s wasted on me. Killing is what I do, remember?”
“The forbidden fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree, child. You inherited that bloodlust from your grandmother. You’re also not the only one driven by an all-consuming need for revenge.”
I didn’t have to ask what my grandmo
ther wanted avenged. After all, my own desire for vengeance was intimately connected to her own. When my vampire mother and mage father decided to ignore centuries of law forbidding relations between the dark races, they put into motion a series of events that led to this crossroad. From my parents’ deaths to my betrayal of the Dominae to Maisie’s kidnapping a few days ago, the past lay out behind me like a roadmap of pain. And it was now up to me to put a stop to Lavinia before she could punish Maisie and me further for a situation we did not create. Not to mention, if Lavinia had her way, she’d destroy everyone else I cared about with the senseless war she’d been trying to ignite among all the dark races.
I looked around and saw that several of the beings I cared about—Adam, Giguhl, Rhea, and Orpheus—had formed a protective circle around me. I smiled at Adam, who wore a particularly fierce expression as he stared down the Domina. Yeah, I had a lot of reasons not to lose.
I took a deep breath and looked Tanith in the eye. “As much as I appreciate your heartfelt concern, there’s no reason to worry about me. I have advantages Lavinia couldn’t dream of.”
4
Flashing into New Orleans was like diving into a lukewarm bath. I grew up in Los Angeles, so I was no stranger to warmish Octobers, but the humidity was a new and not very welcome experience. Not only did the wet air heighten the sour scent of trash and body fluids in the alley, but my hair also instantly kinked.
In the last few days I’d done enough magical travel that the vertigo I’d originally experienced had dulled into mild nausea. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Giguhl.
His hairless-feline incarnation hunched on a pile of old newspapers. The sounds coming out of him were a cross between dry heaves and hairball expulsion. In demon form he was fine, but something about mixing his cat form and interspatial travel turned him into a bile factory.
“Did you have to aim at my shoes?” Adam asked dryly.
