Tempest leapt forward and threw her arms up in front of the child. “No!” she hissed. “It’s Abbott. He’s a friend.”
Tempest drew the boy’s attention from him when she spoke. A radiant smile lit his face before he threw his arms around her waist, rocking her back a step. “Tempest!”
“Shh,” she whispered, enveloping him in a hug. “The children can’t know we’re here. It could put them in jeopardy, and they’re not very good at keeping secrets.”
“Sorry,” he whispered back sheepishly. His gaze flew nervously to William before he focused on her again. “I’m glad you’re safe.”
“You too. Are all those men out of the house?”
“Yes.”
“Good. You have to get the children upstairs and settled, now. Is Pallas out there?” she inquired.
The boy nodded. “Yes.”
“Tell her to stay behind with you,” Tempest instructed.
The boy released her. William watched him walk out of the room before turning to Tempest. Her face had paled as she listened to the scuffling feet and protests coming from the other room. “No complaints or you won’t be able to come back down,” Abbott admonished.
Tempest leaned against the wall and rubbed at her temples. Stepping closer to her, William wrapped his arm around her shoulders and held her close. He strained to listen for the front door opening and those men returning. Instead all he heard were the muted footfalls of the young boy approaching before he stepped into the doorway again.
“They’re all upstairs,” Abbott said.
Tempest kept hold of his hand as she led him into the front room. William squeezed her hand before releasing it. He strode over to the thick drapes on the window and pulled back the corner to peer outside into the street.
“Why did you want the children upstairs, Abbott?” A young, curvaceous woman asked as she appeared in the other doorway leading toward the hall. She stopped mid-step before releasing a small cry and racing across the room to throw her arms around Tempest. Tempest happily embraced the woman he assumed was Pallas.
William turned his attention back to the street and the vampires, mostly in white, walking up and down the road. Some of them stood in front of the buildings with their hands clasped before them and their shoulders thrown back. At the end of the road, he saw the large hotel Tempest had told him about.
Is the fake queen in there? He pondered as he stared at the building. He kept himself positioned so he could look outside while they talked with Abbott and Pallas.
“Who are you?” Abbott asked him.
“A friend. He’s here to help us,” Tempest replied hastily.
“Where did you meet?” Pallas inquired.
William turned toward her in time to find Pallas’s gaze running over him admiringly, before lingering on his ass. He glanced at Tempest who folded her arms over her chest and glowered at her friend. Pallas’s eyebrows shot up when she turned to find Tempest glaring at her.
Good, she’s just as possessive of me as I am of her; William hid a smile before focusing on the street again.
“What did they do when they realized I was gone?” Tempest inquired.
“They tore the house apart,” Abbott answered. “Then the town.”
“Did they hurt any of you?”
“No. They were enraged, and more than a little puzzled as to how you escaped without notice.”
“They know you went through the mountains,” Pallas said. “And sent a lot of troops to look for you there, with no luck obviously.”
“How did they know that?” William demanded.
Pallas glanced at him before focusing on Tempest again. “The guy you pushed off the cliff survived.”
Tempest ran a hand through her dirty hair. “I don’t know how to feel about that,” she murmured. William took hold of Tempest’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, she was tougher than she gave herself credit for, but she wasn’t a killer.
“What happened with that man?” Pallas asked. “Did he hurt you?”
Unable to hold it back, a growl emanated from William at the thought. Pallas glanced between the two of them before her mouth quirked in a smile. “He would have, but he didn’t get the chance,” Tempest replied.
If he got the chance to find him, William would kill him too. Tempest may not have the stomach for it, but he did. “He’s probably still in this town,” William said.
“Most likely,” Pallas agreed.
“Have they been bringing you blood?” Tempest asked.
“They brought us blood the other day, but for the most part they’ve been ignoring us,” Abbott said.
“What has been going on in the town?” William asked.
Abbott folded his hands before him, his fingers fidgeted nervously with each other. “The blizzard shut a lot of the activity down, but I think they’re getting ready to move on since the storm stopped.”
“What makes you say that?”
“There’s been a lot more activity since yesterday, and they started packing their belongings in the house.”
“I don’t know what they’re going to do with us,” Pallas said.
He did, but he wasn’t about to tell either of them that, yet. “Have you seen this so called queen?” he inquired.
“No, but are you sure she’s not the queen?” Abbott asked.
“No, she is most certainly not the queen,” William grated through his teeth.
Abbott and Pallas exchanged a look before focusing on Tempest. “How did you two meet?” Pallas inquired of her.
“I got caught up in the storm when I left the mountains, William saved me,” Tempest replied.
“And how do you know she’s not the queen?” Abbott asked.
“I just know.” He was unwilling to reveal any more about himself right now, not until they were free of this town and there was no chance someone could turn him in.
“We can trust him,” Tempest urged. “Believe me, we can.”
They both nodded, but he could see the uncertainty in their gazes as they surveyed him from head to toe and back again. Pallas’s gaze wasn’t admiring this time, but analytical when it settled on his face. Her head tilted to the side; her nose wrinkled as she planted her hands on her hips.
“If you think so,” she said to Tempest.
“I know so,” Tempest replied. “Have the fires been going since I left?”
“They started again last night,” Abbott said.
“How long do you think the men staying here will be gone?” William asked.
“At least a few hours, that’s usually how long they’re out anyway,” Pallas said.
Dropping the curtain into place, he turned toward Tempest. “I’m going to go out there and see what I can learn. Is there some place you can stay hidden, besides the basement?”
“I’m coming with you,” she protested.
“I’d prefer it if you stay here.”
Her chin jutted out and her eyes narrowed. “No.”
“I can move faster by myself.”
“I know this town far better than you. I can help you find what you need, and I can help you get away if it becomes necessary.”
“They may recognize you; the only one who knows me is Kane.” He could practically hear her teeth grating together as she tried to come up with a new argument for him.
“No one will recognize me, not in one of their cloaks and with my hair this color.”
“Tempest…”
“I’m not staying here, William. No matter what you say. I’ll only follow you out later if you try to leave me here”
He rubbed at the stubble already starting to line his jaw. She continued to stare defiantly at him with her shoulders thrown back and her eyes unwavering from his. “I don’t want you out there, it could be dangerous.”
“I could say the same to you.”
He released a snort of laughter. “You and my sister will get along well,” he muttered. “We’ll have to darken your hair again; the color has worn off a lot.
”
She gave him a small smile. “Easy enough.”
“There’s some shoe polish in the closet in the hall. I’ll get it,” Abbott offered.
“Go and get the cloaks,” he said to her, unwilling to leave her here alone in case Kane or the others came back.
“I will.” She hurried from the room.
His attention was drawn back to the window when a line of horses rode into view. There were at least thirty vampires out there, all riding tall in the saddle. He struggled to recall the last time he’d sent word back to Aria that he was still alive. It had been before Chester, but he couldn’t remember the exact number of days. He couldn’t allow her to start searching for him, couldn’t allow her to enter into this town unprepared. He knew she would wait only so long before she hunted him down, he had no doubt about it.
He believed he had at least seven days before Aria started looking for him, but time had become a blur in his mind. It would be enough time to get free of this town again. He could feel Pallas’s gaze burning curiously into his back, but he didn’t look at her again. He had no answers for any of her questions.
“Here.” His attention was pulled from the window when Abbott arrived again and handed out a tin of black shoe polish.
“This is going to make a mess,” he said as he took it from him. “Thank you.”
Abbott stepped away from him as Tempest reappeared in the doorway with two white cloaks draped over her arm. “Can you get me a towel?” he asked Abbott.
“Yeah.” Abbott walked out of the room as William unscrewed the top of the shoe polish. He dipped his fingers inside and dabbed some of the black polish on them before turning his attention to Tempest. “Put the cloaks on the couch for now.”
Tempest tossed the cloaks over the back of the couch and stepped toward him. He began to rub the shoe polish onto her hair, careful not to use too much, so he didn’t get it everywhere. Her silvery hair had become a deep brown color by the time he stepped away from her. The sable color emphasized her pale complexion and made her eyes seem nearly black, but there was no concealing her subtle beauty.
Sighing, he wiped his hands on the towel Abbott handed him. He gently ran it over her hair to wipe away any excess polish that would stain the hood of her cloak. The color had lightened by the time he was done, but it was still a chestnut color, and he was satisfied no more would come off her hair. Done, he handed the tin over for her to use on him.
“Not too much,” he told her as she dipped her fingers in and smeared it into his hair.
When she was done, she toweled his hair off and stepped away. “There’s no red left,” she sounded saddened by this as she put the top back on the polish and gave it to Abbott.
“Good.”
She stared at him before turning to Pallas and Abbott. “If they come back before us, open the curtains to let us know it isn’t safe to come inside,” she told them.
“We will,” Abbott promised and slipped the tin into his pocket.
“Is that woman still staying in the hotel?” William asked.
“Yes,” Pallas replied.
William lifted the cloak and draped it over his shoulders before pinning it at his throat. Tempest swung hers onto her shoulders; her fingers shook on her brooch. He took hold of her hands at her throat and slipped the pin from her shaking fingers. Her eyes searched his while he locked the pin into place.
“We may not be able to make it back here tonight,” he said to Abbott and Pallas. “Don’t worry if we don’t and continue on as if nothing has changed. We’ll return here as soon as we can.”
“We will,” Pallas assured him.
William tugged Tempest’s hood into place, then checked to make sure none of the shoe polish rubbed off on it. “You’re to stay beside me, no matter what,” he told her.
“I will,” she promised.
“I mean it Tempest; if you don’t stay by my side, I’ll drag you back here.”
“That attention probably wouldn’t be for the best.” Her tone was teasing, but a muscle near his eye jumped to life; his hands curled around the edge of her hood as he held her close. He’d said yes to this, but the last thing he wanted was for her to step outside and into whatever was going on out there. Her hands encircled his; she squeezed them reassuringly. “I’ll stay by your side.”
He took a deep breath and forced himself to let go of her hood. Taking a step away, he fought the impulse to seize hold of her hand and drag her from this town. He never should have brought her back here, he realized. He should have taken her to Aria and Braith, and all of their troops who could have stood guard over her.
He never could have taken her to them without coming here first, he realized in the next instant. He’d give up his life for her, but there were thousands upon thousands of other lives that depended on the king and queen too. Tempest was immeasurably important to him, but the peace they’d all helped to establish was immeasurably important to thousands. He couldn’t have taken her to Aria and Braith without knowing at least something of what they might be facing.
He now understood how Braith and Aria had felt when they’d had to choose the greater good over each other. He didn’t like it one bit, but it had to be done.
Tempest turned away from him, she embraced her friends before following him out the backdoor.
CHAPTER 22
William kept his head up as they made their way down the snow-covered street. Vampires moved around them, going about their business with no idea that he and Tempest lurked within their midst. These vampires were confident no one would uncover what they were up to, at least not until they were able to inflict the maximum amount of damage. They’d probably assumed Tempest had been lost in the storm or killed by the monsters they’d set loose in the mountains. They were overconfident enough to have become careless.
That was one thing on their side, he decided.
He kept his ears attuned to the conversations surrounding them, but most of them were rather mundane comments about the steel gray sky and the possibility of more snow. He hadn’t expected them to be openly talking about their plans, but he’d hoped for some explanation as to what was going on in this small town.
“The blood bank is down the road on our left. Pallas and I shared a home on that road,” Tempest said.
William continuously searched the vampires surrounding them. He didn’t plan to go after Kane, not with her at his side, but he wanted to see the piece of garbage again. “Take me past the blood bank.” She made a left and headed down a different street. “Do you see anyone you recognize?”
She lifted her head and glanced over the vampires before ducking her head again. “I’ve seen a few I recognize from town, but most I don’t know.”
They walked to the end of the road where she made a right and led the way down another street. The road wrapped around the back of the hotel, revealing the back of the large, red brick building. It was one of only a few buildings made from brick in the town. William’s eyes ran over the back of the building. All of the curtains were drawn over the windows, but he could see the flicker of candles through the drapes. At least a hundred cloaked vampires stood in the backyard, their shoulders thrown back, their chins raised and their right hands clasping a spear like the good soldiers they were.
Turning a corner, they walked down the road running along the side of the building. There were at least another hundred soldiers lined up on the side of it. These men and women were definitely determined to protect whoever resided within there.
“Keep moving,” he urged Tempest when she started to slow.
There had to be a way to see who was in that building, but he had no idea how to go about doing it. He pondered this as they walked past the orphanage. The curtains were still drawn over the front window, the home remained quiet in the fading sun filtering down the street.
Under normal circumstances, he imagined this town had once been quaint and beautiful, now it felt as cold and desolate as a tomb. His gaze slid over the hundreds of
vampires in the streets before he surveyed the mountains and peaks again. The vampires there weren’t patrolling the tops of the mountains; they were lined midway up the cliff face and walking around the ledges etched into the surface. His gaze came back down to the homes nestled so closely together within the valley.
Possibilities of a way to introduce himself to the vampire calling herself the queen began to dance through his head. There was only one way he could think of that would work. The idea forming in his head was crazy, and may get him killed, but he had no idea how else to get close to her.
He glanced at Tempest’s bent head. He had to keep her protected, but she wouldn’t leave this town without the children, and he didn’t know how to sneak them all out of here safely, unless his plan worked. If his plan worked, the invading vampires would be so distracted they would never see a small group fleeing across the open snow toward the mountains.
The crowd parted and across the way, he spotted a familiar ugly face amongst the vampires. His step faltered as everything around him faded away and his gaze became pinpointed upon Kane. Everything he’d been preparing for over the past five months was within his grasp. He could have Kane staked through the back and squirming on the ground like the snake he was before the vampires knew he was there.
His fangs pierced the inside of his lip. He barely tasted the blood that trickled into his mouth. Tempest’s hand wrapped around his bicep as she pressed against his side. The world crashed back around him; the vampires and buildings that had faded away at the sight of Kane burst back into view again. The noise he’d tuned out once more pounded against his eardrums.
Warm blood trickled across his palms when he unfolded them; he hadn’t realized he’d torn open the flesh of his hands until now. Careful not to get any blood on his cloak, he knelt in the street and wiped away the red drops from his already healing wounds.
“William,” she whispered tremulously, her hand still on his arm.
He rested his hand briefly on her elbow and jerked his head to the right. He could feel the heat of her flesh beneath his touch; her brown eyes were troubled and searching when they briefly met his. “Let’s go back,” he said.
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