by Rye Brewer
We needed to be on our game, all of us, if we were going to get through what was coming.
She couldn’t sulk or, worse, take things in her own hands to show us how valuable she was.
Fane might have forgotten how she could be at times, but I hadn’t.
“Jonah. We need to go, now. Your brother needs us.”
Right.
My brother.
The one in actual danger.
That pressed me into a decision, and I stepped through the portal.
3
Anissa
It was weird, being back in the human world after running around between realms for so long.
Nothing was the same as it used to be while I walked in the city—once my city, not long ago, but yet forever ago—head down, hood up, fists jammed into the pockets of my sweatshirt.
It was as though overnight, I’d gone back to the person—the assassin—I used to be, dodging crowds of people on the street, doing my best to blend in, even as I walked with purpose.
People had no idea.
That was the funny part.
Those humans with their TV shows and lattes and little dramas. They didn’t know how much went on right under their noses or over their heads. They were oblivious to what really made the world spin—and how close they’d come to extinction if the forces all around them decided to go to war.
Better to let them go on thinking they were the masters of their universe.
A light rain fell, creating a mist around me as I dashed up the wide stone stairs of one of the city’s oldest and most ornate libraries. If I was going to find my best friend, Raze, it would be at the library. He never could get enough of learning about humans, and he knew better than to keep too many of their books in his rooms at the mansion.
Marcus, leader of the Carver clan, and his deep core of suspicion wouldn’t allow for that. I had visited the library with Raze before and seen the way the college girls stared at him over the tops and sides of their books when they knew he wasn’t looking. They’d whisper to each other about him while he sat there with his head buried, lost in another world.
Though I’d never wanted him that way, I used to sneer nastily to myself, knowing how fast they’d change their minds if they knew what he really was.
The inside of the building was a giant maze full of the smell of paper and people. I glanced around, wondering where he could be. He usually tried to find a quiet nook to hide out in, away from eyes and whispering voices.
I scanned the area, up and down the rows and stacks. It took me a few minutes, but eventually I spotted him, sitting alone in a leather chair, a thick book in his lap. His head was down, his eyes riveted to the page.
I couldn’t help but smile a little. How many times had I seen him sitting exactly like that? The library could come down around his head and he wouldn’t blink.
My assassin’s mind woke up from its sleep—it had been weeks since my last mission—and reminded me that anybody could come up and take him out if they wanted to. He wouldn’t fight back. Would he? The thought set my heart racing, although I reminded myself it was only a thought. Nobody would hurt Raze. There was no reason to.
Still, his absorption made it easy for me to sneak up behind him.
He didn’t even flinch when I leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Read any good books lately?”
He jumped out of the chair. His book fell to the floor and slammed shut with a loud clap that attracted attention from all directions.
I ducked my head and heard him murmuring his apologies as he picked up the book and set it on the table.
“What are you doing here?” he whispered.
“I thought I would check around and remember what life was like before it turned into something from a TV show,” I whispered back.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Since when do you sound so nasty with me? I thought you’d be happy to see me after all this time.”
“Yeah, all this time with no idea where you were or what you were doing. I mean, come on, Anissa. I thought we were closer than that.” He glanced around to be sure we weren’t overheard.
I did the same.
“We are closer than that, but there’s been so much. I’m sorry. I wish there was a way I could keep in touch with you while this is happening, but it’s for the best you don’t know much about it. Trust me. You’re better off where you are now.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay. Easy for you to say. Meanwhile, I have to wonder where my friend is and if she’s alive.”
“I’m sorry. I really am.” I reached for him and was startled when he pulled away.
He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry. But you can’t come strolling back in and act like nothing’s wrong. I mean, after you ran off with him.”
Him.
So that was what this was all about.
I let out a soft sigh. “You mean Jonah.”
“Who else? You chose him and his clan over… over us.” He stopped himself short, but I knew what he meant.
I chose Jonah over him. I knew it would come to this one day, that just being friends wouldn’t be enough for him after a while.
It was inconvenient he chose this very moment to hurl it in my face.
“It’s a long story—nothing I can get into right now. You deserve to know everything. But now isn’t the time. I’m sorry, Raze. I wish I could tell you more, but I can’t.” I leaned against the chair, suddenly very tired. “I wish I had somebody I could pour this all out to. You have no idea.”
He was quiet for a while. Then, “What’s with your face?” He reached out to touch my skin. I flinched, and he pulled away.
“Sorry. It’s not you. It’s that they’re not healed yet.” I turned my face away to hide the worst of the scarring. It would be a little more time before my skin fully healed from being exposed to sunlight.
“What happened to you?”
“Like I said, long story. I’m all right now. Believe me, okay?”
“Right.” He folded his thick arms. “You can’t tell me what you’ve been doing, and I’m sure you’re gonna tell me you can’t stay around. Why are you here, then? What do you want from me?”
I hoped there would come a day when he wasn’t so angry with me. I told myself there would be a time when we could talk it all out. I could tell him everything then.
“You’re right. I need your help.”
“I thought so. You can’t tell me what you’re doing, but you can ask me for help.”
“Because you’re the only one who can do this for me. Please. I need you.” I forced myself to hold eye contact though he looked at me with hurt and disgust.
I hated to see him this way.
Then his shoulders slumped a little. “What do you need?”
Hope flickered in my chest. “I need you to go back to the mansion and into my rooms. There’s a wardrobe in my bedroom. Behind the clothes, there’s a hidden opening.” I told him how to access it. “There’s a shelf where I store my backpack. It has everything I need in it. Please. Can you bring it to me?”
“I guess so. You want it here?”
“Yeah, if you can. I guess I’m safe enough here for a while.”
“It’ll probably take a couple of hours. I can’t simply walk in, take it, and walk back out. You know how it is. I don’t want anybody following me.”
Yes, I knew how it was. Marcus would be tighter than ever when it came to security.
“Okay. I’ll be here. Please, hurry if you can.” There was so much to do.
He would never understand how desperate I was at that moment.
All he did was nod and turn away, book forgotten.
I decided to flip through his book in the meantime. A history of the city. He was always fascinated with history.
I skimmed the pages—my thoughts elsewhere. The pictures of the men and women in horse-drawn carriages made me think of the early days of the clan, and my parents. I remembered the story my fat
her told about how he met my mother and the happy times they spent together.
Granted, they weren’t taking carriages everywhere, but they walked through the park and saw change taking place all around them through the time they were together.
Would it be the same for Jonah and me? Would we ever have time to be happy together?
No sooner did I have that thought than I became angry all over again. Jonah had pushed me away.
I flipped the page and decided to keep those thoughts at bay.
I felt Raze’s presence before I saw him; I could sense him walking toward me. I looked up and almost cheered when I noted my backpack over his shoulder.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times,” I whispered as I took it with shaking hands.
“No problem. At least I did something to help you.”
My heart sank a little. “I really am sorry. I mean it.” I touched his arm.
“Yeah, well, as long as you’re taking care of yourself.”
“I’m trying to. This will help,” I said as I lifted the pack onto my back. “Hey, you haven’t seen my sister, have you? Or heard anything about her?”
“No. What, you don’t know where she is?”
“It isn’t that. I was only wondering if you’d heard rumors, that sort of thing.”
He shook his head. “Nah. I mean, nothing worth paying attention to. You know how people talk. I figured she was with you.”
“Yes and no.” I’d find her back at Jonah’s place. I bit back a sigh. And hopefully not run into him. Though a part of me wanted to. Then again, another part of me wanted to punch him for abandoning me with my father in Avellane.
It was better to leave it there with Raze. I stood on tiptoe to give him a peck on the cheek.
He gave me a sad little half-smile when I stepped back.
“I’ve gotta go.” I squeezed his arm once before hurrying off, yanking the hood over my head again, prior to going back into the darkness.
The mist had stopped, and the air was dry. Good thing, too, since I needed to use the tools in my backpack and couldn’t do it easily in the rain.
In minutes, I made it to a building a couple of blocks from the Bourke clan high-rise. Was Jonah up there? My heart raced at the thought, but this wasn’t the time.
I had work to do, so I pulled out the special boots and gloves I used for climbing and pulled them on in the darkness between the two buildings before I started my climb to the top. The special rubber I wore created a suction effect, letting me grip even the slickest of surfaces. It was forty floors to the top, and I made the trip in just a few minutes—not as convenient as an elevator, but I couldn’t have everything.
Once I made it to the roof of the building, I made a plan for how I’d get to the Bourke roof. I needed several lengths of cable and the grappling hook, so I pulled them from the pack along with my trusty silver blade and sheath.
It felt right, tightening the leather holster around my waist. I slid another, thicker blade in there alongside the first. Just in case. I didn’t feel so naked anymore, once I had my weapons securely in place.
The backpack would be safe in a tight space between two air duct vents, so I stashed it there before getting ready to make my sojourn. I’d be crossing high above two busy streets to get to where Jonah’s clan lived.
Not like this was my first time, but I could never calm the rush of adrenaline just before I prepared to swing the rope above my head and toss the hook to the next building. There was always a chance the hook wouldn’t catch or the cable would snap. Then where would I be?
A grim smile made its way to my lips, perhaps in defiance of the situation.
As always, the hook caught on the lip around the building’s roof. I pulled it to be sure it was tight then latched my handgrips to the cable and held on as I kicked off the edge of the roof to glide to the other side. It was as close as I would ever get to flying.
I repeated the process to get to Jonah’s building. Most of the windows were dark, making me wonder where the clan was. Usually, all lights were blazing away.
Fewer eyes on me, I told myself as I glided across to the rooftop.
I tucked the hook and grips in a dark corner. The roof was empty, the wind whipping through my hood and roaring in my ears. I was about to slip through the glass doors to the penthouse to do a little snooping when a portal opened.
Out of freaking nowhere, a freaking portal. Damn the luck.
I looked around, frantic, then ducked behind the chimney just before two figures stepped out.
I held my breath.
One of them was tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular build. His deep-auburn hair caught my eye.
Behind him was Jonah.
My breath hitched this time. I hoped I hadn’t made a sound that preternatural ears could capture.
It took every bit of self-control not to scream Jonah’s name.
He was safe, for the time being.
That had to be enough for me. If I could only touch him, hold him for a second. My arms ached for him.
But no. I couldn’t let the other vampire know I was here. He was a powerful one, too, based on the aura around him.
It was stronger than any I had ever seen, and almost pure, deep indigo.
Who was he?
I bit back a gasp.
Could it be Fane? It all fit. A powerful vampire traveling with Jonah. But why were they still traveling together?
They exchanged a few words before Jonah left him alone, vanishing into the stairwell.
The powerful vampire paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, muttering to himself.
As though he was nervous, almost.
Fane? Nervous? Over what? Maybe it wasn’t Fane, after all. Fane wasn’t afraid of anything, or so the legends said.
Minutes passed before Jonah reappeared with Philippa.
To my surprise, she threw herself at the vampire, arms around his neck. Who was he, and why was she acting that way? He pulled himself away from her. Things got heated—of course they did, with her involved.
I couldn’t help smirking a little. She seemed to be telling them both off, but I couldn’t pick up a single word, not even with my vampire super-hearing, thanks to the wind blowing it all away.
Suddenly, all three of them moved into the shadows of the other side of the chimney I was hiding behind.
I held my breath, frozen in place.
What would they think if they found me spying?
Not that I’d meant to. It wasn’t my fault they showed up as I got there.
Philippa stormed off into the penthouse, leaving Jonah and the other vampire on their own.
What a surprise, she was upset about something.
Jonah acted as though he wanted to follow her, which of course was what she wanted because she loved attention so much.
The other vampire threw a portal.
No!
I didn’t want to lose Jonah again so easily. I wanted to jump out and tell him not to leave me. But I couldn’t.
I had to watch while he stepped through the portal.
It closed right away, and, in seconds, it was like there had never been one at all.
I was alone again.
4
Anissa
I waited for a while to be sure I was alone before stepping out from behind the chimney.
Philippa wasn’t coming back out. I wondered what they’d said to get her so upset.
Not that it ever took very much.
Philippa was lurking around, angry. Nothing new there. If she was in the penthouse, I wasn’t about to go inside. I knew everything I had to know, anyway—Jonah was off in another place, doing what he needed to do.
Well, maybe not everything. Sara, I thought with a silent sigh. I did wish I could get a look at Sara, maybe talk to her. Find out if she was happy or at least safe.
But, no, it was too dangerous to risk running into Philippa, having her tell Jonah I was here—loose from my father’s gr
asp where Jonah thought he’d securely ensconced me.
I pulled out my gear and went back to where I’d left the cable attached to the roof when the faint sound of voices caught my attention.
I turned back toward the doors in time to see my sister step outside. There she was, as though she had heard me thinking about her.
She looked beautiful, better than she had in a while. There was no trace of the pain or torture she’d been through in Marcus’s prison. Her smile was radiant, her skin appeared smooth and fresh, her eyes were bright and clear.
Maybe that glow had to do with Scott standing next to her. It was obvious how crazy he was about her. She seemed to blossom under his attention.
No, it was deeper than that.
The aura I noticed around her before was as strong as ever. She held her head high and carried herself like a queen. That confidence was something new. That strength. Yes, she’d been brave before. That was what had gotten her imprisoned. But breaking a vampire canon by selling her blood had been an act of desperation. She’d done it for both of us. That wasn’t the girl I was staring at now.
I wanted to call out to her, the urge strong enough to make me cover my mouth with my hand to shut myself up.
There was so much I wanted to tell her, but there was no way she would she be as happy as she was just then if she knew the truth about our mother and our half-brother.
She might want to come with me, and I couldn’t run the risk of her getting hurt.
They finally went inside, and I waited to be sure they wouldn’t return before zipping over to the building across the street.
I traced my steps until I reached the building I had climbed earlier. My backpack was still waiting for me, and I replaced the grappling hook and grips. I was closing it up when a hand clamped over my mouth.
Instinctively, I tore the hand away enough to open my mouth and bite down.
My attacker cried out in surprise and pain, and I whirled around to fight—
But then I recognized who was standing in front of me, shaking his hand, wincing in pain.
