The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set

by Tricia Copeland

  “No. She’s been completely brainwashed by Theron. He’s told her he’s been watching her for months, couldn’t wait to finally meet her, and now that he knows her, she’s even better than he imagined. She sees a white wedding dress, being adored by everyone, and she’s bought it how do you say? Hook, line, and sinker.”

  “I’ll talk to her.” Alena skipped ahead.

  “Don’t take the cuffs off. She’s quite powerful,” Elia called after her.

  “Got it.” She followed them into the room we’d arranged for Gabrielle. Elia and his sons exited to her screamed accusations of them treating her like a prisoner.

  Tyler and Hunter posted themselves outside the door, but I followed Elia. “When will Marcus return?”

  “He has his part to play.”

  “We need him.”

  “I’ll contact him tomorrow. I need rest.”

  Finding no one in the halls, I made my way to the satellite room. Orm sat watching the screens.

  “Any word on how Marcus is doing?” I asked.

  “No one has noticed Gabrielle’s gone yet. The signal that they knew was to be a call from Marcus to Elia.”

  “Where’s Marcus now?”

  “Sir.” A tech guy motioned to Orm. “Marcus is leaving the compound.”

  “Stay on him. We can’t bring him back to this base yet. We’ll extract him tomorrow.”

  I took a deep breath. Marcus was my best hope for rescuing Camille sooner than later.

  Orm placed his hand on my shoulder. “You should get some sleep. You look like hell. We have our best tech people searching the satellite images.”

  “Thanks, I think.” With my adrenaline rush wearing off, I stood and walked out of the room.

  Navigating to my quarters, I contemplated sleep. I hated it. Every time I lay down, Camille’s image appeared behind my eyes. My chest ached with her absence. You need rest, I told myself. You have to be at the top of your game. Lying in bed, I rattled off prime numbers in my head until I fell asleep.

  In the morning, I wound through the base looking for Orm. Finding him in the cafeteria, I bent down to speak to him. “Where is Marcus?”

  “Good morning, how are you? I’ve been better, thank you.” Orm patted the seat beside him. “Sit down and eat, son.”

  “Sorry, but we need to get moving.”

  “He’s sleeping. Something I would love to do more of.”

  “He’s here?” I spun around, thinking to go knock down his door and demand information.

  A chair slid out, blocking my way. “Eat something, I said.” Orm’s voice came from behind me.

  “Not bad for an old man.” I smiled at him.

  “You better watch it. I’ll old man you.” He ranted as I walked away.

  Joining the food line, I loaded my plate, and sat down beside Alena and Hunter. “Were you guys up when Marcus came in?”

  Hunter nodded. “Yeah, he wasn’t happy that we’re keeping him.”

  “I say Marcus, Elia, and the sons go nowhere until Camille is safe.”

  “That’s a little extreme,” Alena commented.

  “We helped him. How is the girl anyway?”

  Alena shrugged. “Probably the same as I’d be if I were her, angry.”

  “I guess Theron didn’t try to impress her by killing her friend.” Hunter stuffed a bite into his mouth.

  “Do you have to remind me of that?” Alena frowned.

  “Sorry.” Hunter wrapped his arm around her. “Just want to keep fresh who he is.”

  “We’ve talked about this before. He’s a pawn.”

  “No, if he wanted to help you, he would be here instead of there.”

  “Why would you think Theron is a pawn?” I cut in.

  Alena dropped her fork to her plate. “Because, he wants to be free, doing their bidding gives him power. Once he’s in power, he’ll be free. That’s the only out he sees. He doesn’t see that if he joined us he’d be free.”

  Hunter leaned towards me and pointed at her. “She’s deluded herself into thinking he can be saved. She feels bad for him because he’s a hybrid with a deranged father.”

  “How do you know he wants to be free? Maybe he wants power like Sonia and Thanatos. How will fulfilling the prophecy help him?” I looked past Hunter to Alena.

  “Once the witches are free, and the vampire’s souls united with their bodies, everyone will see that witches aren’t a threat to vampires, vampires aren’t a threat to witches, and hybrids aren’t a threat. Then we’ll be free, both of us, all of us.” Alena lifter her fork and made a circle in the air.

  “You’ll still be the most powerful beings on earth. You’ll always have a target on your back.”

  “Once Theron’s free, he won’t feel the need to create an army of hybrids.”

  “What did I tell you?” Hunter picked up his bagel. “Hopeless optimist.”

  Alena stood and walked away. I caught Hunter’s arm as he rose to follow her. “Why is Alena so adamant? Why does she think she knows him?”

  Hunter’s eyes grew hard. “They went out a couple of times, dated sort of.” He turned and walked away.

  I was batting zero for the morning, so I took my tray and headed to the satellite room.

  “Any luck?” I asked the technician.

  “There’ve been no changes since the twenty-first.”

  Realizing we’d need to compare the pattern before and after the winter solstice, I pointed at the display. “Mind if I give it a try?”

  “Go ahead.”

  I went back to the prior month, noting the traffic to and from each residence surrounding the sites we slated for Camille’s location. Remembering the pattern, I started examining the satellite footage for each day following the winter solstice. Several people came and went behind me, but I lost track of time.

  “Thank goodness he found something to do,” I heard Alena’s voice behind me.

  “I can hear you, you know.”

  “Don’t forget to eat.” I heard the door close behind me.

  Eight days after the solstice, the movement changed. Instead of one trip from the house to the east of the target, there were two. Checking the footage for the next few days, the traffic renamed the same. A vehicle arrived at seven and, a few minutes later, a similar vehicle—I couldn’t be sure whether it was the same one or not—left. The same thing happened twelve hours later.

  “This is it.” I jumped up. Realizing I was the only one in the room, I checked my watch. It read six thirty, and I made my way to the dining hall. Seeing Alena and Hunter, I pulled them to the far wall. We passed Janine and Grady, but I decided not to get their hopes up until I was sure.

  Alena put her hand to her hip. “You’re trembling. Eat, and then we’ll talk. They said you didn’t leave that room all day.”

  “I found it. I want you to look at it to confirm,” I whispered to them.

  “Good, because Marcus hasn’t been any help.” Hunter’s eyes cut to the table where Marcus and his family sat.

  “Where’s Gabrielle?” I asked.

  Hunter rolled his eyes. “She won’t come out of her room.”

  “Let’s not tip off Marcus. We’ll review the footage with you after dinner.” Hunter slapped me on the back. “Good work.”

  I filled my plate and took a seat next to them. While eating, I ran through the various ideas for getting to the location in my mind. A plane would be fastest but more dangerous. A boat in the dark water could be easier to hide, but it was slower and there was the ocean factor. The vampires Anne had sent to transport Gabrielle seemed to know the area. Perhaps their knowledge should be the first place to start.

  We need to get everyone together. I pushed the words to Hunter’s mind.

  “Alena and I are thinking of going to the gym tonight. Want to come?” he asked.

  “Sure, sounds good.” I agreed.

  Finishing my meal, I made my way back to the satellite room and studied the maps while my food settled. Alena and Hunter joined me a few
minutes later. They agreed that the change in routine at the eastern structure indicated it was most likely the coven’s building. They agreed to let everyone know to meet in the gym, and left to change. I waited a few minutes, switched clothes in my room, and made my way to the gym.

  “I think we should call a midnight session,” Hunter whispered as he spotted me. “I don’t want Marcus to know anything.”

  “Works for me,” I told him, thinking I might literally crawl out of my skin before then. At least we had some options from the research I’d done.

  Tyler and Grady joined us, and after exercising our muscles, we worked on our magic. Grady taught Tyler a cloaking spell, and after two hours of working on it, Tyler could hold the shield for five minutes.

  “I’m going to get a shower. I’ll catch you later,” I told them after my three-hour workout. Then I communicated via my telepathy. You heard about the midnight meeting, right? You should make sure Janine knows.

  “Yep.” Grady nodded. “Catch you tomorrow.”

  Our core group—including Fahim, Dimitri, Aaron, Anne’s head guards, Orm, Chalondra, Janine, Grady, Tyler, Alena, Hunter, and myself—met in the tech room at midnight. Anne’s image appeared on the screen minutes later.

  “So, Jude, I think this is your show,” she said.

  “Yes.” I stood, clearing my throat. “Thanks to all of you for coming.” I started by explaining how I’d noticed the changes.

  “But we can’t be one hundred percent sure that the location is the correct one?” Grady asked.

  “I went back two months in the satellite data. There was only one time a day that a vehicle traveled to or from that location. Since the twenty-ninth, there are two at twelve hours apart. All the other residences are consistent. There weren’t any changes in their travel patterns.

  “And you double checked that your blood”—Tyler’s shoulders shuddered—“stopped at those coordinates?”

  “Yes, we blew the image up to get a precise location.”

  “The intel is solid,” Alena stated.

  “So, the question is, how do we get there, how do we get in to get Camille, and how do we get out? And when do we go?” I made three columns on the board.

  After two hours of deliberation, we’d come up with a solid plan. It would take two days to gather all our resources and coordinate travel, but I felt confident that within three days I would have Camille back. At nearly three, I made my way to my room. Too wound up to sleep, pulled out my laptop and found a map of Sardinia. I pricked my finger and let a small drop of blood fall on the screen. Again, it traveled north to the open space just south of the coast. I cleaned the screen and lay on my bed, feeling more connected to Camille than I had in weeks. I reached out to her with my mind praying she’d have some sense or feeling that I was close. As it’d been since I’d left her in the castle, there was no response. This time, I didn’t fret knowing we would be together soon.

  I was responsible for the gear, ground team, and travel arrangements. We needed a vehicle on Sardinia, and a flight to get six people into the nearby airport. There was a charter from Rome that flew twice a day, and I reserved seats for the five o’clock landing time. I haggled with the rental car company until they agreed to have a black sport utility vehicle with tinted windows available when we landed.

  After making those arrangements, I focused on the tools we might need. I met with Grady, Tyler, and Alena to assess their skills, I packed a backpack for each of them filled with weapons most suited to their strengths. Tyler would carry the tools, Grady the chemical weapons, and Alena the knives, nun-chucks, and first-aid items. I packed my martial arts weapons and blades. Each of our bags included a wetsuit, breathing masks, and three ready-to-eat meals. Mine contained double of each for me and Camille.

  It took me a day to prepare, and then it became a waiting game. The team held workout and mission planning sessions that evening and a final mission review the next morning, but it still left me enough time to be anxious. My focus shifted to thoughts of Camille and the condition she’d be in. She’d been in pretty good shape before, and I prayed she still was. I didn’t let myself entertain thoughts that they harmed her. I couldn’t, or I’d go crazy.

  “Did everyone double check their gear?” I asked as we loaded our bags in the vehicle.

  “Yes, Jude.” Alena rolled her eyes and crossed to where Hunter stood. “Be careful.” She kissed him, and I diverted my gaze. With my ear turned their way, I continued to listen in.

  “You be careful. And don’t do anything stupid,” Hunter whispered.

  “I think I have five guys making sure of that.”

  “Come on, we’ve got to roll,” Grady called.

  “Everyone ready?” I looked Alena’s way again in time to see Hunter plant a long kiss on her lips.

  Throwing the last pack in the van, I climbed in the back seat. My knee bounced, and with no view of the countryside to occupy us, we rode in silence to the airport.

  Alena’s persona switched to our tourist cover mode the second her shoe hit the pavement. “Antonio, make sure you get all my bags. And don’t drop them. It comes out of your paycheck if anything is damaged.”

  I fitted my sunglasses on my nose as I exited the vehicle. My collar itched my neck, and I fit my finger in the small space.

  Alena hooked her arm through mine. “I can’t wait to see Sardinia. I’ve heard it’s amazing.”

  “It won’t be green for a couple of months.” Escorting her to the terminal, I played my part.

  Tyler and Grady followed behind, while Antonio and Mario trailed with the luggage. We’d packed our backpacks inside expensive bags that would be left with the car on the island.

  Inside, we walked straight to the first-class counter gathered our tickets, and then found the gate. Alena’s voice grated my nerves as she played the rich, spoiled traveler, but I smiled and patted her hand when she spoke to me. It wasn’t long before our plane arrived, and we made our way down to the ramp. It was a small jet seating only twenty passengers, and I wondered how Antonio and Mario would manage being scrunched in the small seats.

  “What, there’s no jet way?” Alena complained.

  “There are stairs up to the door, look.” I motioned to the plane.

  “Still, what about my heels?” She looked down at her shoes.

  “I’m sure they’ll be fine.” I fought rolling my eyes.

  On the plane, we took our seats. As the aircraft taxied and took off, I watched out the window, seeing the last light from the sun fade to black. A short flight, we weren’t in the air fifteen minutes before the crew indicated to prepare for landing. Alena phoned Hunter as soon as the captain indicated use of mobile phones.

  “Hi, love.” She continued to play her part. “I’m just checking that all the arrangements for the house are in order.” Listening to him, she shot me a thumbs up, and I made a mental check beside that item on my list.

  Deplaning, we made our way into the small terminal and to the rental car counter.

  “Mr. Spiros, of course, we have your car waiting outside.” The representative motioned to the exit when I showed him our rental confirmation papers. We followed him to a black sport utility vehicle with dark tinted windows. “I trust this is to your liking?” he asked in a heavy Italian accent.

  “Yes, it will do nicely. Do you agree, love?” I spun to face Alena who trailed behind the luggage cart.

  “As long as all my bags fit.”

  “You heard the madam. Let us make sure there is enough room for the luggage.”

  Antonio and Mario fit the suitcases in the back while the attendant watched. “See, it is good, yes?” He wrung his hands.

  I agreed and signed the contract he held out to me.

  “Have a good holiday.” He waved as we loaded into the car.

  With Antonio in the driver’s seat, the rest of us removed our outer costumes to reveal fitted black suits. We retrieved our bags from behind the back row, fitted utility belts around our waists, and
weapons to our backs and legs. Finally, I slipped on my boots. Checking my pack again, I turned on each radio to make sure all were working. We arrived at the drop-off point within fifteen. Swabbing black powder on our faces, we fitted black hoods over our heads.

  “We look like a bunch of thugs. Camille is going to freak out,” Tyler said as we shouldered our packs.

  I said the same words I’d repeated over and over in my head out loud. “She’ll be fine.”

  We’d picked a copse of trees as the drop-off and rendezvous points. Mario stayed with the vehicle, and Antonio hiked with us the last mile to the structure. At one hundred feet out, Alena took Antonio’s hand, and we cloaked ourselves to proceed unseen. I marveled at how we could weave a spell that would hide us from everyone else but our own party. Huddling outside the garage, we waited until it opened, and the vehicle exited. My watch read seven, which meant they were following the same pattern as the previous days.

  Seeing the second set of headlights, I communicated now to the rest of the group. Antonio lay flat on the ground, and the rest of us filed into the garage, hugging the wall. I reached the door first and turned the knob. It opened with ease, and I relayed to Antonio that we were going in.

  I briefly wondered if our entrance seemed too easy. Praying we weren’t walking into a trap, I took stock of our surroundings. We’d entered a room with lockers and hooks for coats. I guessed right that the next would be locked. Waiting with our backs to the walls, I watched two guards enter.

  We take them out? I asked the group.

  Alena tilted her hand in the air, signaling for us to wait and see.

  The men shed their outer coats and slid into uniform jackets. One waited near the door while the other smoothed his shirt. “All right already, it’s not like we’re going to a ball.”

  I was surprised to hear the man speak English as if it were his native tongue but figured his statement confirmed we had the right house.

  “Fine, fine.” The second guard approached the door.

  The first guard walked through it, followed by the second. Close behind, I slipped in after them with Alena and the others on my heels.