Qinglong eyed the archangel and archdemon, cocking his head as he assessed their auras. Whatever he saw troubled him, but he didn’t comment, and they didn’t seem to notice his attention.
Samael cleared his throat. “If we’re finished staring at each other, I’m sure I can book an appointment with my fiancée to ask her about the figurines. Castle Dracula is safer than the streets right now—”
“The hell it is,” Pride scoffed, frowning at my godfather. “Envy has been living there since day one. Who did you think was inciting the rebels?”
42
I froze and my stomach squirmed like I’d swallowed a live eel. “What?” I hissed.
Pride hesitated at my tone, realizing that it was not a safe time to poke fun or say something inappropriate. “Envy is living at Castle Dracula. Since a day or so after we broke out,” he said, slowly. He glanced from face to face with a frown. “You guys are pulling my feathers, right? How did you think we’ve kept such a low profile all this time? Envy tracked her every move and sent out daily fucking emails with her known itineraries so the rest of us would know when it was safe to explore the city.”
No one spoke.
Pride turned to Samael. “We got the idea from you living there! Sanguina can’t keep us out just as we can’t shut her down. It’s the perfect stalemate.”
I felt very cold all of a sudden, and the only solution was fire. Which was probably why a ball of white fire was suddenly hovering over my palm and I was standing up, glaring at Pride. He cringed uneasily and Michael had a concerned look on his face—torn between permitting a demon earned punishment and defending his brother.
“Callie,” Roland warned in a calm tone. I let out a shuddering breath and released my magic. It had come so easily that I’d barely even had the thought before it responded.
Pride let out a nervous laugh. “I thought you knew,” he mumbled. “Pretty obvious. And before you ask, I have no idea where he is. I just know he’s keeping tabs on you and firing up the rebels as a distraction.”
And…it was obvious when I thought about it. I’d put too much stock in the innate abilities of angelic beings, assuming they just knew things and were always seven steps ahead. After fleeing the scene of a mass homicide in a stolen Mazda Miata with a playboy archdemon and a self-loathing archangel, I’d subconsciously come to the conclusion that angels and demons were not even remotely omnipotent. But I hadn’t actively applied that awareness to the current situation.
I clenched my jaw. “I’m really starting to hate your family.”
Xuanwu cleared his throat. “Openly heading back to the Castle might actually serve to throw off their scent. If everyone is looking for the brothers here and then Envy reports that Callie is suddenly back at Castle Dracula without them, your enemies will have to reassess the situation. Best case, they will assume these two are independently on the run and that Callie has nothing to do with them. If you make your return look exceedingly mundane and ordinary, all Envy will have to report is that you returned, had dinner, and went to bed. He would have no reason to think you are working with Michael or Pride.”
Qinglong nodded. “Leaving you open to set a trap to find out where Envy is. Send out some breadcrumbs and see who bites. And you can collect our sisters’ figurines from Lilith, since you forgot to ask her.”
I grunted at his attempt for levity. “If she even has them. Why wouldn’t she have simply given them to me when she came clean?”
Samael looked troubled, having the same thought. I hoped she had a good answer.
“I can keep these two safe in the catacombs,” Roland said. “They are heavily warded from detection, as Samael well knows. He hid there for a year with none the wiser.”
“That is true,” my godfather assured Michael and Pride. The two brothers did not look particularly pleased with this development. I wasn’t sure if they were more upset about being left out of the action or having to spend quality time together. It was almost comical how hard they worked to deny their curiosity in catching up and reestablishing their brotherly bond. They’d spent so long working against each other that they didn’t know how to act in a moment of peace.
Except I could tell that part of them was desperate to explore it. They were just too chicken-shit to be the one to make the first move.
“We could get to work on how to secure the Gateway to the Neverwas,” Michael suggested.
“What about Sanguina?” Pride asked. “She’s strong, and she could keep it anchored from this side while we go on safari.” Xuanwu grumbled warningly and Pride rolled his eyes. “Sanguina could buy us time.”
I frowned, leaning forward. “I thought your magic cancelled each other out? You literally just said that.”
He rolled his eyes again. “Our magic can’t work in opposition to each other, but it can coincide with each other just fine. Teamwork makes the dream work.”
Michael snorted, eyeing his brother sidelong at the last comment. But he was nodding. “That could work,” he agreed. The two brothers began talking in low tones, discussing the strategy of working with Sanguina. Samael and Roland were reading the Bible together—well, the inscription Michael had left, at any rate. I left them to it.
I turned to Xuanwu and Qinglong. “Okay. I guess I’m going home for a relaxing evening,” I said.
Xuanwu met my eyes. “Perhaps I could send Ryuu to keep you…entertained,” he said knowingly.
Qinglong burst out laughing and my ears burned. “What is this, an escort service?” the dragon hooted.
I smirked guiltily. Did everyone sense the tension between us, or was it because Ryuu was Xuanwu’s student. “No matter how…entertained I would like to be, it’s probably a better idea to keep him at your home. He has work to do—”
“And it’s so exhausting to bat too many eyelashes and sigh longingly,” Qinglong wheezed, still laughing.
I tried to narrow my eyes at him, but I was smiled ruefully. “Remember who is saving your sisters tomorrow. I need to be focused. And it is exhausting,” I said, folding my arms.
Xuanwu rested a claw on my shoulder. “We will make sure all is ready for the Gateway. It was a good idea to use the training fields. They will need healing after you save them,” he said, wistfully, obviously imagining seeing his sisters again.
I nodded numbly, hoping I wouldn’t let him down. “I will give it everything I have,” I promised.
Xuanwu nodded proudly. “You always do, White Rose.”
“Except with Ryuu!” Qinglong jeered. Xuanwu and I both elbowed him at the same time, but he evaporated to safety before contact, earning growls from both of us.
Xuanwu met my eyes. “I believe in you.” And with that, he was gone.
I sighed, clenching my fist. I mentally reviewed my plan, knowing there were a few variables I hadn’t been able to determine. My mother had obviously believed I had the ability to save Lilith’s Daemons—her trinity, whatever that meant. But the fire lotus she had left me had been with the sets of rings and the metal card. So…what did my Spear and the rings have to do with saving the Divines. I had plenty of wild guesses, but absolutely none of them were rooted in facts. Perhaps my night in would give me time to clear my head.
I turned to the room and cleared my throat. “It’s time for Samael and me to leave. I don’t know when we’ll be ready to make our move—either late tonight or early tomorrow morning, so be ready to go on a moment’s notice,” I told Michael and Pride. “I want to stick around long enough that Envy has a whole lot of nothing to report to Wrath for his stupid email updates. Leaving too soon will make him suspicious.”
The pair nodded. “We’ll be ready,” Michael assured me. “Be careful, Callie.”
Pride turned to Roland. “Is there a Starbucks nearby? My brother has never had a Frappuccino, believe it or not,” he said, sounding as if it was a crime.
Michael shrugged, smiling. “True.”
Roland chuckled. “I can make that happen.”
And just like th
at, I saw magic happen. The real kind. Healing magic.
Two brothers setting aside their differences for the pursuit of commonalities. If these two could do it, anyone could. Even if their first step was a Frappuccino, it was still progress.
“Sleepover time!” Pride cheered. “Oh! We can play confession or dare!”
Roland shot me an anxious look and I shrugged, ripping open a Gateway. “Good luck!”
43
The Gateway opened on the upper balcony of the Castle Keep’s Drop Zone.
Samael hopped through behind me and I let it close before Pride got any bright ideas. I turned to Samael. “Go get Lilith and meet me in the Feast Hall for drinks. Don’t rush. Take your time and share pleasantries with anyone you pass on your way to get her. Basically, just be you—the lovestruck fool,” I said, teasingly.
He nodded, glancing around the empty balcony. “This would be a great spot for the wedding,” he mused, smiling down over the sprawling grounds below. All of Castle Dracula spread out before us, and there was a small courtyard large enough to host an outdoor wedding or reception.
I smiled, nodding. “Then you have ample reason to make sure this works.”
“Will you be okay up here? All by yourself?” he asked, obviously thinking about Envy.
I didn’t answer immediately. I leaned my elbows down on the railing, staring down at the Timber Forest where the Master’s Library was tucked away. Then my gaze continued to sweep over my estate. The Observatory. The Infernal Armory. The Coliseum. The Eternal Gardens. The Clocktower. The Village. So many places to hide the rebels, and so little time. I wondered if Envy might be working in the Keep itself, hiding in plain sight.
“Do you remember what I almost did to our good friend, Mike, outside that house earlier? I asked softly.
He grew quiet, obviously recalling my almost fight with Michael. “Yes.”
I glanced over at him. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, godfather. I’ve been in a few scraps before.”
He grinned, lifting his hands in a surrendering gesture. Then he bowed dramatically at the waist, and left. I waved a hand to my left and right, igniting the braziers lining the railing. They roared to life with red flame, bathing the balcony in a bloody glow.
A beacon, to let anyone watching know that Dracula had returned. I’d turned on my porch light.
“Come and get me,” I murmured, surveilling the property.
A flight of gargoyles screamed as they soared overhead on their patrols. One of them peeled off, noticing the flames and seeing me all alone. He slammed down onto the balcony ten paces away from me, kneeling and lowering his glowing crimson eyes. “Master Dracula,” he said in a rasping, reverent growl as he tucked his massive wings back. “How may Captain Hoggle serve?”
I smiled at the name, thinking of the grouchy dwarf from the movie Labyrinth. “It is nice to meet you, Captain Hoggle. Rise,” I commanded.
He obeyed, thumping his moss and lichen coated trident—the points were needle sharp—into the floor. I was still getting used to the various factions that made up my new home, let alone the factions within the factions. Gargoyles came in infinite shapes, sizes, and combinations of various hybrid monsters. Hoggle was one of the more traditional looking gargoyles—an impossibly colossal bodybuilder with the head of a bat. He had long, pointed ears and a perpetual snarl. He was at least seven-feet-tall, and his arms were as thick as my waist, with claws long enough to poke entirely through me—both on his hands and his enormous reptilian feet. Simply put, he could rip me in half with his bare hands.
“Impress me, Hoggle,” I said with a smile. “Show me what you and your men can do in the air.”
He smiled devilishly. “As you command, Master Dracula.” He thumped his fist to his heart with a loud cracking sound, and then his wings unfurled and he took to the skies. He flew towards his unit, sweeping his massive wings to hover beside them and pass on my orders.
I gasped as they scattered. Then they formed lines and raced towards each other in aerial combat, clashing stone blade against stone blade, shouting and snarling as they danced in the skies. I grinned, watching as they switched from combat to elaborate aerial feats that included climbing high in the sky and then plummeting to the ground to see how close they could get before opening their wings. They did it in pairs or alone, performing acrobatics and dances that made me clap giddily. It was like watching falcons or other birds of prey during their elaborate mating rituals. It was truly breathtaking.
Twenty minutes went by before I heard boots behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Claire staring at me uneasily. Sanguina trotted over to me, obviously having led my best friend here—like I’d asked her to do while I’d been watching the gargoyles. “Hey, Claire,” I said, smiling warmly. “You have to see this,” I said, patting the railing with my palm.
Sanguina watched us in silence, just like I had asked her to. We would talk later when I retired to my rooms for the night.
Claire joined me, staring at the dancing gargoyles with a smile. “Wow,” she breathed, shaking her head.
I grinned. “Right?” I could sense that she was troubled. Her body language was tense and awkward. “Everything okay here?”
She started, nodding hurriedly to cover her jittery reaction. “Weird, but no weirder than usual. Until now, that is,” she added, eyeing me sidelong. “You okay?” she asked, guardedly. “I’ve hardly seen you since I moved in.”
“I’m fine,” I said with an easy shrug. “Things are a little dicey, but I’ll manage. Any news on the rebels?”
“No change,” she said with forced calm.
I nodded distractedly. “It’s beautiful up here. From far away, it’s easy forget that a monster is lurking behind every tree or door. That rebels hide in plain sight, pretending to be who they aren’t.”
She nodded slowly, obviously wondering why I was acting so nonchalant and hanging out on the roof by myself. “You sure you’re okay?” she asked, resting her fingers on my forearm. “You look tired.”
I smiled. “I am exhausted. But I promised to have a chat with Lilith about some of the wedding plans. I’m not going to lie, it would be great if the rebels chose to attack to get me out of it.”
Claire’s smile slipped, not entirely sure whether I was joking. “Xylo and his men have the Keep pretty much buttoned up. A rebel attack would be laughable.”
I pursed my lips. “Damn. Mind walking me down to the Feast Hall? I promised to talk to them both before I crashed for the night.” Sanguina trotted towards the door that led to the long, spiraling flight of stairs that would deposit us back in the main halls. Claire had been watching the fox thoughtfully, likely wondering why she’d been led here. I cleared my throat and held out my elbow to Claire. “I meant right now. Before I fall asleep on my feet.”
Claire smirked guiltily as she slipped her arm through mine. I walked at the slowest pace possible towards the door. We ducked inside and reached the top of the long, deserted staircase. “We can walk a little faster, you know—”
Without warning, I opened a Gateway to a park in Kansas City and tugged Claire through. Sanguina obediently remained sitting on the stairs, looking amused.
Same pace I just used, I told her. I let the Gateway wink out and spun to face my startled best friend.
“What the fuck is going on, Callie?” she demanded.
“We only have a few minutes before our absence will be noted—exactly as long as it would have taken us to walk down the stairs back there. So, I need you to shut up and listen. Afterwards, you need to play it cool and discreetly let Xylo and Cain know what I told you without drawing any attention. Raise. No. Alarms.”
She nodded, looking oddly relieved. “Good. I’ve been bored to tears,” she growled.
I gave her a rapid monologue of my recent adventures, feeling like Luis from the movie Ant-man—who was arguably the best storyteller ever born. Claire began breathing faster as I spoke, but I squeezed her shoulder reassuringly until she calmed down. Onc
e finished, I smiled. “Hold your shit together, woman. I trust you more than anyone.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to center herself. When she opened her eyes, even I couldn’t read anything suspicious on her face. I grinned approvingly, ripped open a Gateway to the base of the stairs we had just left, and tugged her through. Sanguina calmly walked off the last step and joined us as I let the Gateway wink shut.
Perfect timing, she said in my mind.
“So, have you let Kenai officially move in yet, or are you still dangling that over his head?” I asked, grinning as I stepped into the main hall. I saw a few servants working here and there. One was carrying a tray of folded linens and another was dusting a side table. They saw me and bowed, going out of their way to make sure they weren’t a nuisance to Master Dracula. Same faces I’d seen the last few days, and I had casually spoken to each of them at one point or another. Even if only to say hello and scare the living hell out of them by doing so.
Claire chuckled. “He is only permitted to visit, for now. I can’t let him get too comfortable or he’ll start acting uppity and bring a toothbrush, or something equally dreadful.”
I chuckled, nodding along. “Up to you, but he’s welcome. Don’t give him a complex or anything.”
“Speaking of, he promised to take me on a walk through the Eternal Gardens tonight. If you’re going to be boring and go to bed like an old woman, then maybe I’ll take him up on it.”
I rolled my eyes. “These wedding plans are going to be the death of me. Thanks for helping Lilith. You know this isn’t my kind of thing,” I admitted. “Once I put in my time with bridezilla, I’m off to bed.”
She gave me a tight hug and then let go. “You have to stop leaving me here alone. It’s boring and weird and creepy without you here.” She scrunched up her nose. “I guess it’s like that when you are here, too, but at least it gives me someone to laugh about it with.”
Anghellic: Feathers and Fire Book 8 Page 25