by Raven Steele
He answered on the first ring. “You okay?”
“Yes. We all are for the most part.”
“Good. I’ve been worried.”
“How are you and your people?”
He paused. “Some didn’t make it, but many of us did, thanks to you. I am in your debt.”
“I think it is the other way around. Not many humans help supernaturals. You put your life in unnecessary danger last night.”
He snorted. “My life is no greater than yours.”
“You’ll stay out of trouble?” I asked, feeling oddly concerned about this human.
“I’ll keep a low profile for now, but when the shit hits the fan, I want in. There’s a few skulls I need to crack.” His voice was laced with bitter rage.
“We’ll crack them together.”
“Fuck yes.”
I said goodbye, touching my stomach lightly. I didn’t know how to process this growing friendship with a human. Maybe the impossible was possible.
When I came down the stairs and Briar saw me, she said, “You might as well move in, or at least contribute to my clothing fund.”
“You could use more leather in your wardrobe.” I noticed she was no longer limping, which meant she’d gotten the bullet out of her leg.
Briar elbowed Luke, smiling mysteriously. “She didn’t find our special drawer.”
“Actually, I did.” I groaned and shivered.
“Oh good. If you ever need lessons on how to use any toys, I’d be happy to teach you.”
“I’ve been having sex centuries before you were born. There is nothing that you could teach me.”
She grinned wide. “Are you sure about that? Vamps don’t like to keep up with technology. There are all kinds of new things on the market.”
I arched my eyebrow, giving her a smirk. “Do you think I need a toy to enjoy sex? I knew Tullia d'Aragona. She was an Italian poet, author, and philosopher. And, also, the most highly sought after courtesan in the country. She could make a man weep at her feet just to spend an hour with her. And she was my mentor.”
Briar gawked at me, mouth open. Reaching up, I closed it, and she blinked her eyes in shock. I looked past her, searching the room for Detrand, but didn’t see him. I did spot Adelade sitting on the couch, rubbing Loxley’s back. If Adelade was here, then Detrand had to be close by.
Angel and Mateo stood near the window speaking in low tones. Shifters moved around them but at a healthy distance. I didn’t see Teddy. Maybe he was still sleeping.
Mateo met my eye, smiling with heated eyes. He’d heard my conversation with Briar. I winked, then turned back to Luke and Briar. Mateo and Angel joined us.
“Korin will know by now what happened at the cathedral,” I said.
Luke looked from me to Mateo. “You two know him the best. Do you think he will seek retribution? Maybe show up here?”
Mateo pursed his lips. “He might. The only thing that might stop him is he doesn’t know for sure it was the Silver Claws who attacked. He might think it was the Ministry. In fact, he’ll think it strange his attackers wore masks. It’s nothing the Silver Claws have done in the past. He may easily think it’s the Ministry.”
“I can go back and find out.” Teddy’s voice was behind me, surprising me. It was strong and full of anger.
I turned around. He was standing in the hallway entrance, chest out and fists tight.
I shook my head. “Don’t go back. Stay here where it’s safe.”
“But I’m the only one he still trusts. He thinks I’m one of them.”
“I can go,” Angel interrupted.
Teddy shook his head. “Korin doesn’t trust you. He thinks you’re conspiring to kill him, especially after he killed Mateo, or so he believes. In fact, he doesn’t trust any of Mateo’s coven.” His gaze shifted to me. “I can do this. We need all the information we can get.”
I searched his eyes, seeing a strong will and unbreakable determination. “Okay,” I conceded. “But stay with us a little longer. And when you do leave, be careful.”
The sound of a loud cow bell echoed in the large house, making everyone jump.
Briar whirled around. Marge stood between the living room and kitchen holding up a still ringing cowbell. “Holy hell, Marge! Shut that thing up.”
“You told me to announce when the time reached eight p.m.”
“By telling me, not by scaring us half to death!”
“What’s this about?” I asked Briar.
“You’ll see.” Briar turned and faced everyone, the ones in the house anyway. Most everyone else was outside enjoying food from the grill and the heat from a roaring bonfire. “I want everyone outside. Mandatory meeting before the funeral.”
It took a full ten minutes to get everyone organized on the lawn. Mateo had swiped a blanket off a bed and spread it on the lawn, adding several blood bags to its center. Angel, Mateo and I each tore into one as the rest of the shifters found a place to settle into.
Detrand finally made an appearance, walking around the side of the house to join Adelade. His brows were furrowed, anger rolling off him in waves. I watched him as Adelade turned to him, a questioning look on her face. I was about to go to them when the back doors opened. Aris guided Lynx outside, his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into him as if she was still weak, and Luke jumped out of his lawn chair to offer his spot to her. She smiled appreciatively.
Briar cleared her throat and everyone turned to her. “Today we suffered a great loss. Gerald was the best of us. Strong. Brave. Loyal. He devoted his whole life to this pack.”
She continued to talk, speaking highly of Gerald and sharing some personal stories. She paused only to wipe at her eyes. “I wish I could say our hard times are behind us, but they’re not. Bad stuff is coming, far worse than anything we’ve ever encountered. We’ve got two major enemies determined to change our world forever. If they are successful, most of us won’t survive.”
She let the weight of her words settle over the crowd. “Don’t get me wrong. We’re strong, but we’re not enough. We need help if we are to stop these douche bags. So I open this conversation to you. What are some of your ideas?”
Angel leaned away from the side of the house. “Since Mateo disappeared, most of the Nocturnas coven went into hiding, the ones we managed to break free from Korin’s compulsion that is. The rest have been called back to Winter’s Cove. If Mateo gives the command, those loyal to him will return to Rouen to help us.”
Mateo stood. “I would love to call them back, but I have nowhere to keep them anymore. If we return to the hotel, Korin might easily compel them again, and my identity might be comprised.”
“We could always make room for them here,” Briar offered.
Before Mateo answered, I knew that could never work. Vampires and shifters were not meant to cohabitate together no matter how well we’d been getting along.
Marge raised her hand and waved it to get Briar’s attention.
“Yes, Marge?” she asked.
“I know where they can stay. Where my old pack, the Linchens used to live just outside of Mandeville. All those cabins are just sitting there. There’s plenty of wood to make vampire beds.”
I stared at her, impressed.
Briar shared my feelings. “That’s a brilliant idea! What do you think, Mateo? Could it work?”
“Absolutely.” He glanced down at me, and I nodded in agreement.
“Good.” Briar’s scanned the crowd. “What else? We need more help. Lots more.”
“The Witches of Rouen are with you!” a voice suddenly called out from the back.
I turned around. Owen stood tall in a long dark robe. It was strange to see him in something so traditional. Robes like that hadn’t been worn by witches in decades. I searched the crowd for Roma and found her sitting near Lynx. She was staring at Owen with a scowl. He flashed her a gaze equally as cold.
A sharp chill crawled up my spine at the interaction. It wasn’t good to have bad feelings between
allies. That’s how wars are lost. And this was one war we couldn’t lose. For if we did, it meant the end of all we knew and loved.
Chapter 12
“Awesome,” Briar said, drawing my attention back to the front. “Anything else?”
Off to the side, Luke stepped forward. “We could reach out to other nearby packs. It’s been a long time since any of us have had to ask for help, but it’s time. I have deep relations with a few of them.”
Briar’s face wrinkled in confusion, as if this was the first she’d heard of it, but then she smiled. “Good. You do that. Anyone else?”
“There is a vampire coven in Irondale—” Angel’s gaze shifted to Mateo— “we could speak to. It’s risky, though. We have not had any sort of relationship with them for centuries. Korin forbade it.”
Mateo tensed, but didn’t disagree. Another coven would not receive us well. Korin had given the Nocturnas a bad reputation. Because of him, they had become known for ruthlessness and elitism.
Briar nodded at Angel appreciatively. “This is a good time to mend those relationships.”
“What about the fae?” Lynx asked, her voice sounding stronger than she looked.
Teddy, who had been quiet this whole time, finally spoke. “I sort of have a connection with Oona. She might help.”
“Sort of!” Briar laughed. “You were all up in her junk.”
“It’s a good idea,” I agreed. I flashed my gaze to Mateo. He was smiling with his head turned away from Teddy. Everyone had heard how Teddy had had to service the fae Queen for several days. The fae were known for their long sexual encounters and strange methods.
Briar thought about this. It’s something I had been wondering about, too. “They could be useful. I’m just not sure where their allegiance lies, but we will work on this relationship. It would really help our cause to have them on our side.”
“There are other species we could reach out to,” Samantha said.
Briar raised her eyebrows. “Like?”
“There’s the auras, furies… hell, we might even be able to conjure up some ghosts to help.”
At the mention of ghosts, my head jerked up.
“That might be a possibility. Look into it, will you?” Briar addressed everyone else. “This is a good start. Keep thinking and come to me with any ideas. Gerald’s funeral will commence when I’m done talking. I wish we could take our time, God knows Gerald deserves it, but we need to continue to fortify Fire Ridge. We could be attacked at any moment.”
Her breath hitched with the last sentence. She sucked in a breath. “All of you have been so wonderful to stay by my side through all this. I know we’ve all lost loved ones. I wish I could promise no more will die, but I fear this is just the beginning. I won’t blame any of you if you want to bail now.”
“We’re not going anywhere!” Marge called. “We’re with you!”
Several others yelled in agreement. Others began to howl until the whole pack pierced the night with their determined calls. Chills exploded on my arms at the sound. Power flowed through these shifters more than any other pack I’d ever encountered. Most of this was because of Briar. Not because she was a Komira, but because she loved and cared for each one. It had created a powerful bond between them all.
Briar quickly wiped at tears filling her eyes. She smiled and laughed uncomfortably while holding up a beer. “To Gerald!”
Several of them cheered as Mateo scooted closer to me on the blanket.
“Do you really think we could do it?” I asked him. “Get other vampire covens to join us?”
He picked at a loose thread on the blanket. “I truly don’t know, but I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. We did ourselves no favors by secluding ourselves.”
“I’ve made a few contacts over the last several decades. I could reach out again.”
He nodded thoughtfully.
I stared up into the starry night. So many stars so far away, an untapped power. My gaze flashed to Lynx. She was standing now but kept a steady hand on Aris. Sometime soon, the truth of her father had to be revealed. Her power had to be balanced, and yet, Cassandra seemed to be holding this information hostage.
Speaking of Cassandra … I needed to go see her.
Angel turned towards us. “Mateo, I need to speak to you.” He glanced at me. “In private.”
Mateo frowned. “I’m certain anything—”
“It’s okay.” I jumped up, interrupting his answer. “I have something I need to do.”
“What?”
I searched his eyes, wanting to tell him about what was happening to me but I couldn’t. Not until I knew what I was dealing with. “I’ll tell you soon.”
“Is everything okay?”
I nodded, leaning down to brush my lips over his, sending a scorching sensation to my stomach. “I’ll return shortly.”
Walking off, I stared through the crowd to Briar. Roma was up front speaking with her and Owen. He had darkened his hair from the last time I saw him. Lynx and Aris walked over to join them. I thought about saying goodbye, but they might ask questions. Maybe I could slip away and return all without them noticing.
I pulled away from Fire Ridge on Briar’s motorcycle, glancing back once. Briar was right to prepare them, and I was glad she felt an urgency to bring in more people to our cause. After seeing all those Hydes, I knew we couldn’t do this on our own. I just hoped others would believe us.
It didn’t take me long to reach Cassandra’s large estate. Because the front gates were closed, I abandoned the bike and hopped the fence. I expected to see dozens of cars out front like the last time I’d been here, but the place was surprisingly quiet.
I knocked on the front door. A moment later, Winter, Lynx’s cousin opened the door. She groaned at my presence. “What do you want?”
“I need to see Cassandra.”
She didn’t say anything but left the door open as she turned and walked away. Lynx’s cousins were powerful witches. They would be strong allies to have, although something told me they would never join us. But I should at least try.
“We don’t have to be enemies,” I said to her as she was walking up the marbled steps.
She stopped and glanced down at me, studying me carefully. “Maybe one day.”
She turned away from me and headed upstairs. I watched her, stunned. It wasn’t the reaction I’d been expecting.
“Samira?”
I dropped my gaze. Cassandra stood in the entry way leading to their living room. She was wearing a robe and her long hair lay in thick curls around her shoulders. I’d never seen her look so relaxed.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I came to speak to you. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
“Actually you are. I finally had a night to myself.” She tightened the robe’s straps around her waist. “Make it quick.”
She turned on her heel and walked away, the silk of her robe whispering again her bare legs. I followed after her and when I passed into her office, she closed the door behind me. “Is Lynx okay? She hasn’t been by to see me.”
“She’s well enough, but sometime soon, you’re going to need to tell her about her father.”
Her gaze sharpened as she lowered into the chair behind her desk. “Don’t tell me what I need to do. I have everything planned.”
“And what are those plans exactly?” I sat in the chair opposite her.
“Is that why you came here?” She poured herself a glass of wine and swirled it in the glass.
“It isn’t, although I am curious. You saved me and Mateo at great risk to you. I’d like to know why.”
She brought the glass to her lips and watched me as she drank long and slow. She lowered it. “One day you will, but now is not that time. Tell me the real reason you came.”
I shifted my weight in the chair and scratched at my arm. I wasn’t sure exactly how to say it without sounding crazy. I’d never experienced someone going invisible before.
�
��Spit it out,” she snapped.
Clearing my throat, I began to tell her of that first night after I regained consciousness. How my hand had disappeared. I also told her about the other times, finally ending with how my whole body had turned invisible in a room full of bodies. As I spoke, she leaned forward, eye wide and elbows resting on the desk.
I inhaled and excelled a breath. “Do you have any idea what could be wrong with me?”
She pushed her chair back and circled her desk, stopping only when she was inches from me. She leaned forward and searched my eyes. I resisted the urge to back away from her. Finally, she straightened and crossed the room to a cupboard.
“When I rescued you, you were pretty much dead.” She withdrew a box of matches. “But only by seconds. Close enough that I could use magic to bring you back.”
“I was that far gone?” I leaned back in my chair, truly stunned.
She came back to me. “You’d lost all your blood, and I didn’t have time to get Detrand’s into you.”
“But what did you do?”
She withdrew a match and struck its red head against the box. She brought the flame close to my face and moved it back and forth. It flickered almost to the point of going out, as if wind blew all around me.
Her eyes narrowed. “Interesting.”
She brought the flame to her mouth and blew it out.
“What’s interesting?” I asked her as she returned to her seat.
She rubbed her chin, thinking out loud. “I’ve seen it before, but not this extreme of a case.”
I tightened my hands into fists and ground my jaw together. “Seen what? Give me some answers.”
Her gaze found mine. “Ghosting.”
“What is that?”
“Ghosting is when one becomes trapped in both worlds, ours and those meant for the dead. Clearly, my magic didn’t quite work the way I wanted it to.” She frowned in frustration.
I took a few seconds to let her words sink in and even then, it didn’t make sense. “How is that possible?”
“You were dead, Samira. I brought you back but you had already crossed over. There’s a piece of your soul still over there. Apparently, it’s calling for you and at certain points you’re able to tap into that and you begin to cross over again. That would explain why it feels like your flesh is burning when it happens. You’re dying.”