by Ally Shields
“Iron?” She tried to focus on what that meant. “Then he’s OK?” Her voice tight, she searched Oliver’s face.
“Yes, I had a message brought to me just minutes ago. He’s fine, except he was concerned about you.”
She sagged with relief.
“What took so long? Was there a problem?”
She looked around for the clothes she’d left behind two days ago. They were waiting in a neat pile. “Nothing I couldn’t handle,” she said. “Can you wait outside? I’m dying to get out of this dress and into my jeans.”
She changed in record time and met Oliver in the tunnel. Her only priority now was to get the Valvano ring to Andreas.
Oliver had a car parked at the cliff-top, and true to Andreas’s word, the jet was back in Riverdale and waiting at the airport. She hadn’t been in the air more than ten minutes when she was jolted upright. Energy surged through her psychic link with Andreas. She drew in a long breath, and excitement danced in her veins. She couldn’t contain the smile that spread across her face.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Andreas stepped outside the room, closing it firmly behind him. He registered the presence of Gabriel and Lilith, then froze. So much pleasure flooded him that he could hardly catch his breath. He threw the psychic link wide open and drew Arianna’s energy to him, basking in the warmth and wild power that was uniquely her.
He held up his hands to stop the flow of words from Gabriel and Lilith. He had an idiotic urge to shout, sharing his feelings with the world.
“Arianna.”
“Andreas.”
For a moment that was all they said.
“I’m coming. I have the heirlooms.”
“Oh, cara mia. I shall be waiting.”
“I love you.”
“Ti adoro. And, Arianna, be careful. We have Bastian contained, but Porbius is on the loose somewhere.”
“See you soon.”
She shut down the link, but not before Andreas felt another momentary thread of magic. He frowned, puzzled over what that meant. Then his brow cleared. The Valvano heirlooms would emit a magic of their own.
He composed himself and turned toward Gabriel, noting his friend’s solemn face.
“Andreas, you’re not—
“She’s back,” Lilith blurted, interrupting Gabriel.
Andreas flashed a grin at her. Although Gabriel’s face told him they had a serious problem, he appreciated Lilith’s priorities. “Yes, she is on her way. I take it you have had a more conventional communication. Do you have an ETA?”
“Twelve-thirty or one, depending on traffic once they touch down.”
He acknowledged the information, then frowned at Gabriel. “All right. Since Porbius isn’t attacking Arianna, where is he?”
Gabriel didn’t mince words. “Toronto. He’s taken the Magic Council hostage. They’re all under his thrall.”
“Damnation!” Andreas stared at his second-in-command, momentarily stunned by the elder’s boldness. “What does he hope to gain?” Andreas’s pent-up tension and frustration exploded. “Come with me. If Bastian is involved, we have a snake in our house.” He spun around and flung the door open.
Daron got up and shut it behind him. Bastian sat calmly at the table, with Mike’s rifle still pointed at his head.
Slapping his palms loudly on the table, Andreas loomed over Bastian. “Did you know that Porbius was going to enthrall the Magic Council?”
“What?” Daron roared, coming to the table.
Bastian recoiled, and his normally bored demeanor registered an instant of shock before he shut it down. “I did not. Would I be here if I did?”
“Of course you would. To keep us busy while he carried out his plan.” Andreas’s eyes flashed with anger. He stiffened his arms to keep from reaching for the elder’s throat.
“You are wrong.” Bastian’s quiet voice held a clear warning. “I have done nothing to invite such wrath.”
“Andreas, tell us what happened,” Daron demanded. “Are you talking about the Toronto Magic Council?”
“Yes.” Andreas jerked his head toward Gabriel. “Tell them.” As Gabriel began to explain, Andreas straightened and raked his hands through his hair, then dropped into a chair at the table.
“I don’t know all the details. He’s using Zoe, the guardian, as his spokesperson, and she doesn’t talk like herself. She says he enthralled the council and wants Andreas and Arianna to be delivered into his hands for what he calls ‘judgment…and execution.’”
“The entire council?” Daron scowled at Bastian. “I thought you were the one with the superior mind control abilities. Can Porbius actually control them all?”
“How many people are we talking about?” Bastian asked.
“At least a hundred.”
“Interesting he should try. He can do it. Any of the elders could, but it will be a tremendous drain to maintain such a hold for long. I assume at least some of them are vampires or sorcerers with the ability to resist?”
“No more than a dozen.”
“Manageable,” Bastian conceded. “The rest would be easy. The shifters have no resistance.” He paused as if thinking. “The elves and dwarves must have been caught off guard.” He shook his head. “And this guardian, who I recall is part witch and part elf. If his control wavers, she may break free.” He lifted a shoulder. “Porbius should have consulted me. I would have advised him to incapacitate or kill her…and several others.” Having delivered this provocative statement, he leaned back in his chair, his usual composure regained.
Andreas’s nostrils flared. “Then I suppose it is fortunate we have you locked in here, unable to advise anyone.” A large part of him wanted to kill Bastian now while they had the opportunity. Yes, it would be declaring war on the O-Seven, but wasn’t that where they were anyway? Porbius couldn’t be allowed to walk away from this, especially if he murdered the members of the Magic Council.
Bastian’s smile was frigid. “Do you honestly believe you control me?”
Andreas’s gaze didn’t leave Bastian’s face. He didn’t trust him, iron walls or no. Did Bastian have some unknown resistance to iron? Suddenly, the shifters seemed vulnerable, the whole plan seemed in jeopardy.
He motioned for Mike to hand him the rifle. “Get out of here, Mike, Lilith, and send in another vampire. Someone old.”
“Vernon,” Daron clarified. “He is the oldest in the compound, and he knows how to handle firearms. Gabriel, go with them and send someone to the Magic Council Hall to verify what we have been told. I want to know we are not reacting to some kind of trickery.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Gabriel left with the shifters.
“Honestly, this is not necessary. I have made no move to harm anyone.” Bastian waved a careless hand at the rifle in his face. “I would prefer that you remove this weapon.” He scowled as if he were losing patience.
“We are in no immediate danger, Andreas.” Daron regarded his sire with speculation. “If Bastian could tap enough power to put either of us under his spell, he would have done so.” Daron leaned close to Bastian face. “I know you better than you think.”
Andreas withdrew from the private confrontation between sire and offspring but leaned against the back wall with the gun still in firing position.
“How so?” The elder locked eyes with Daron.
“Self-interest is all that motivates you, but you rarely lift a finger unless success is certain or the reward is so enticing that you cannot resist.” Daron straightened and took a couple of steps away, turning to look down at Bastian. “Everything is a calculation with you, and you would not risk your own skin on a mere impulse.”
“Interesting analysis. I believe we are all motivated by self-interest, but I hardly think you can spare the time for a philosophical discussion with Porbius threatening to annihilate your Magic Council. If he does so, he will launch us into a war that is in no one’s best interests.” His gaze swung to include Andreas. “I will help you deal with Porbius
. For a price.”
Andreas laughed scornfully. “Let me guess. The price is our loyalty. Really, Bastian, your demands for fealty are growing tiresome. We do not live in a feudal society in this hemisphere.”
“All I ask is that you return the favor.”
“How?” Daron demanded.
“There may come a time that I need my First Son to stand beside me.”
Daron stared at him from under bristling brows. “For centuries you have been steadfast in denying you had a First Son. The situation must be dire indeed.”
The door opened to interrupt them, and a vampire with auburn hair entered. He closed the door before addressing Daron. “My prince?”
“Vernon, I believe you know Andreas and Bastian.” He pointed to Bastian. “I want you to guard my sire with the rifle, and if he makes a move you interpret as threatening, eliminate him.”
Vernon’s eyes hardened as he turned to the elder. “You try anything, and I’ll splatter you over the walls.”
Bastian turned and looked at Daron with an unreadable expression. “It seems we no longer have any secrets. A discussion for later. For now, do you wish my assistance with Porbius or not?”
Daron’s face was just as closed. “I will consider any future requests from you. That is the best that you will get, and more than I should offer.”
Bastian shrugged and cocked his head at Andreas. “What do you say? But perhaps it is too early to settle this between us. Any agreement would have to include your witch. Is she coming?”
“She will be here.”
“Soon?” Bastian belatedly shrugged, as if it didn’t matter.
Andreas hadn’t missed his poorly disguised interest. “Soon enough.” He glanced at Daron, who hadn’t been told that Arianna was back. Andreas relented and became less cryptic. “I just spoke with her, and she is on her way.”
Daron lifted his gaze and gave a subtle nod. Message received.
A knock on the door brought Vernon forward to cover Bastian. Gabriel stepped inside, shaking his head. “Porbius has the council all right. I think everyone’s alive, but there’s another situation developing. The families have found out and are gathered outside the Magic Hall, demanding the hostages be released. If we don’t quiet them quickly, we’ll have the human police involved.”
“Confound it!” Daron stood, but Andreas beat him to the door.
“Damn. What’s the matter with Porbius?” Bastian ignored Vernon’s gun and got to his feet. “Take me with you. I can control him, if it becomes necessary.”
“Sit down before I take you down,” Vernon said.
“My mind control is stronger than his,” Bastian shouted before Andreas shut the door. “I can free your Magic Council.”
* * *
Toronto’s Magic Hall was a stark contrast to Riverdale’s gothic stone edifice. A modern, three-story structure of brick, steel, and glass in an area of exclusive office buildings, it stood in its own cul-de-sac with an Otherworld Cultural Center to the right, a combination research lab and library to the left. Since most of the workers from other buildings in the area were gone for the night, the crowd of twenty or thirty outside hadn’t yet drawn too much attention.
Daron had called two of the shapeshifter leaders while he and Andreas were on the way. The wolf leader had arrived before them and was talking to the crowd. Someone else had contacted the manager of the cultural center, which turned out to be an excellent decision. Once the manager unlocked the doors, they moved everyone inside and began to calm the families and update them on the situation.
With the crowd under control, Andreas walked outside to study the Magic Hall. The building was dark on the first floor, which he’d been told was a reception and waiting area. An open staircase led from the middle of the first floor to the council chambers on the second floor, and the third floor held all the offices. Lights on the third floor were spotty, but the second floor was lit from one end to the other. That was where Porbius and the council members would be.
The setup was too open. They couldn’t storm the building without being seen, and that would give Porbius too much time to kill the hostages. Somehow they needed to incapacitate him, get the council away from his control, and break the spell.
Andreas frowned, staring up at the second floor. If they killed him—assuming they could—there would be war for certain. What was the alternative? Porbius did not seem like someone you could reason with. Andreas pressed his lips in a grim line. Had he been too hasty in refusing Bastian’s offer of help?
He scuffed his boot against the hard, frozen ground, grimaced, and focused on the windows again. A wrong call and a hundred people would die—all because Porbius wanted revenge for Ursula.
What if he claimed sole responsibility for her death? He could demand the right to a vampire fight to determine his fate. If he lost—and how could he hope to match his skills against an elder?—would Porbius still go after Arianna and his other friends?
He heard a crunch on the brittle, winter ground and recognized Daron’s step.
“Any ideas?” the older vampire asked.
“Nothing that seems workable.” Andreas glanced at him. “I will not turn Arianna over to him, not even to save the Magic Council.”
“Will she give you a choice?”
Andreas gave him a black look. “Not if she can help it.”
Daron clamped his hand on Andreas’s shoulder. “Come back to the compound with me. The families are being cared for, and some of the shapeshifter leaders want to meet with us to work out a rescue plan. Arianna will be here within the hour, and she can speak for herself.”
Andreas took one last look at the hall, then followed Daron to his limousine. Yes. It was time he got to see Arianna for himself. His heart lightened as he stepped into the car and thought about finally holding her again.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Ari paid off the cab a block from Daron’s compound, took a deep breath to calm her excitement, and hurried toward the storefront entrance. She could hardly wait.
Once inside the compound, she waved off an escort and headed straight to the main meeting room. She waved at Mike, standing guard outside the double doors.
“Is he inside?”
“Yep, but he’s not alone. Welcome back.”
“Thanks. I’m glad to be here.” She lifted a brow. “Are the elders still with them?”
Mike frowned and shifted his feet. “I’m not sure how to answer that.”
“What’s that mean? I guess I should find out for myself.” She reached for the door, but Mike stepped in front of her and barred the way. “What gives?”
“Let me get Andreas so he can explain. Just wait here. Things have gotten a little touchy.” He opened the door and slipped inside.
Ari frowned at the closed doors, tempted to follow him. Except he’d acted so funny. This must be some high drama meeting—just the kind she loved to crash.
The doors opened, and Andreas stepped out, a smile lighting his eyes. She launched herself at his neck and hung on. His arms nearly crushed her.
“I could hardly wait to see you,” she whispered, cognizant of Mike standing right beside them.
“Ah, cara mia, you cannot imagine how much I have missed you.” Andreas brushed her lips with his and put her down, keeping a firm grip on one hand. “I wish we had time for a proper welcome, but we have a crisis. We will have to keep this short.” He tugged on her hand. “Let us find some privacy and I will explain.”
“Is it that bad?”
“Yes.”
He led her into a small antechamber across the hall, turned her around, and kissed her until her toes curled. “Welcome home, Arianna.” Still holding her hand, he drew her to sit beside him on a wooden bench and swiftly brought her up to date on the joint meeting with the elders, his conversation with Bastian and then the arrival of Porbius, ending with tonight’s activities.
“Let me get this straight. Porbius has bespelled the entire Toronto Magic Council and you’re holdi
ng Bastian captive.”
Andreas nodded. “I believe that sums it up.”
“What do you plan to do next?”
He gave her a rueful look. “I wish I knew. The obvious goal is to free the hostages and send the elders back to Europe without starting a war. The question is how.”
“And Bastian offered to help.”
“He did, but I don’t trust him.”
Ari frowned in thought. “No…but he walked in here alone. Arrogant as the elders are, he had to know he was taking a risk. Daron is almost as old as he is, you’re an unknown quantity, and he was seriously outnumbered.”
“What are you saying?”
“Something strong is motivating him, has been since Germany or even before.” She squeezed Andreas’s hand. “What does he want from you…or us?”
Andreas turned her hand over in both of his, as if examining it. “He spoke of a favor.” He lifted his gaze. “I have the impression that he is seeking allies to support his ambitions and to stand against a threat he believes is coming.”
“A threat? Like what?”
Andreas shook his head. “Not exactly clear, but we may be the perceived threat.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Ask him yourself. He has asked more than once about your arrival and may be more open with you. To this point he has been vague, but I suspect he has been influenced by some mystic’s view of the future.”
Ari studied him. “Are you talking about Zylla’s visions of the destruction of Riverdale or the one where we survive?”
“More than just survive.” Andreas looked at her with troubled eyes. “He seems to believe we are a threat to the existence of the O-Seven.”
“Yeah, right. How would we do that?” She shook her head. “All we’ve ever wanted is to be left alone.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Try telling him that. I did.”
“Then we’ll talk to him again, but first, I have something for you.” She reached in her jacket pocket, pulled out Fredrico’s box, and handed it to him.
