by Rye Brewer
His face seemed to crumble as he took this in. “Philippa. Philippa, don’t cry.”
“How can you expect me not to cry? I went through this and I told you I love you and you said you love me, too. And then you tell me you’re running off without me…”
“I want you with me!” He pulled me into his arms without warning, wrapping me up tight until my cheek was against his chest and my tears soaked into his sweater. “I want you, always. You’re all that would make running away bearable for me—so long as I had you, I could go anywhere and be happy there.”
“Why, then?” I asked, my voice muffled against his bicep. “Why did you say you were going alone?”
“I didn’t want to put pressure on you. It means saying goodbye to everyone here. Your entire family.”
“I know. I don’t take it lightly. But you’re my family, too. I don’t want to live without you.”
“I don’t want to live without you, either. I do love you. I meant that. I’ve always loved you.” His arms tightened. “And if you’re willing to do this with me—I would never ask you to, once again, this means leaving everything here behind—I do want you to come.”
“I want to. I need to. And we’ll start a new life, and you’ll be safe.”
“We’ll to go Monaco,” he announced. “I have an apartment there.”
I pulled back, looked up at him. “I thought the point of this was to hide. Wouldn’t living in an apartment which is under your name reveal your identity?”
“It isn’t under my name; it’s sort of a safehouse, under an assumed name.” When I raised an eyebrow, he smiled. “There was never any telling when I would need to get away. It’s always good to have an escape plan.”
“All right, all right.” I was willing to let that go without further probing, since after all, his foresight meant we had a place to disappear. Even so, “I would like to see Paris first, if possible. Just for a little while. It’s been forever since I last visited.”
“I think we can arrange that,” he smiled.
I left the warmth of his arms in favor of packing. This time, there were no tears, though I understood the importance of speed. “I have to tell Jonah, of course,” I said as I pulled out several dresses. I’d have to do a little shopping once we arrived in Paris, I decided.
“What?”
I glanced over my shoulder at his tone of voice. “I—I would have to tell him. I couldn’t simply disappear and expect him not to care or come looking for me. Isn’t that exactly what we’re hoping to avoid?”
“Yes…” he murmured, still frowning.
“I would only tell him. Just him. And we can trust him.”
He leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets, head tipped back. “It isn’t that I don’t feel we can trust him. I know how trustworthy he is. It’s the burden of lying for us which concerns me. He would have to feign ignorance, and of course he would know the consequences of revealing us.”
I froze in the process of folding a sweater. “Right. You’re right. I’ll write him a note, telling him I’m going on vacation. That’s all. No details. So long as he doesn’t expect me to be around, we’ll be all right. And so will he.”
He rewarded me with a quick nod. “That sounds fair.”
Twenty minutes later, I leaned over the desk in the living room with a piece of paper and pen.
Jonah,
I need to get away for a while. I hope you understand.
No worries, I’ll be fine. You know I always am.
I signed my name with a flourish—then added a postscript. I love you.
After all, I would never get another chance.
5
Anissa
“Thank you for making it here on short notice.” Jonah looked out over the room, standing in the very center of the long table at the head of the main meeting area in the League Headquarters, forming the top of a capital T.
Where Lucian had once stood during League meetings. I could not help making comparisons, even in the back of my mind. Genevieve was missing, too, sitting down in the dungeon. And Marcus, who normally would have jockeyed his way into a place near the head table, was with her.
So many changes, made so quickly. Jonah was alone at the table, none of the former clan heads surrounding him. He looked lonely up there. I wished I could stand beside him.
The even longer table which spanned the length of the cavernous room held the heads of the other clans and their closest advisors. None of them looked particularly thrilled to be there, though their curiosity was evident in their whispers, the way their eyes cut back and forth up and down the table. Wondering if anyone else was any more in the know as to why they were there.
I didn’t dare sit near Jonah. I wasn’t stupid. No one at that main table considered me worthy of their time, being half-breed and everything. Seating myself at the head table would’ve been tantamount to an act of war.
There was already more than enough that might go wrong during this meeting.
I watched from the sidelines, then, my back against the wall. I kept my eyes moving at all times, sweeping up and down the room in case anyone decided to act up.
“I brought you together today to report a development which I believe will have a profound effect on not only the realms of those involved, but ours as well. I believe we ought to be aware and prepared for what is coming.”
“What is coming, then?” one of the vampires called out, roughly halfway down the table. I vaguely recognized him as being from somewhere in the mid-Atlantic region, someone who had visited Marcus in times past. An ignorant, loud-spoken type.
Even so, I couldn’t blame him for being curious.
“A war between the fae and the shades,” Jonah announced. His voice carried down the length of the hall, mingling with the gasps and mutters of those in attendance.
“What business is that of ours?” a female vampire cried out, rising from her chair. “Let them fight their war. They cared little when we were the ones fighting our battles.”
“Indeed, yet I fear this war may blow back on us,” Jonah argued. “The door to Avellane is just beyond this very structure, in case any of you have forgotten. The shades may very well use it as a way in and out of the realm, just as the fae may use it to escape during battle. They will literally be on our doorstep, and we must be prepared with a plan of action for when that time inevitably arrives. Let us not talk ourselves into believing they won’t turn to us for help.”
The woman sat, arms folded but unwilling to be silent. “You only want to protect your girlfriend.” Disgust all but dripped from her voice.
The mention of me made the hair on the back of my neck stand up, and I was suddenly very glad I hadn’t taken a seat at the table. Few of them had even noticed me, half-hidden in shadow.
Jonah seemed unsurprised by this. “Allow me to correct you: my wife, or soon-to-be.” His gaze hardened as though he dared any of them to challenge him. He knew what they were thinking and didn’t care.
“Therefore,” he continued once it was clear none of them would dare respond, “I move that we take the side of the fae.”
More grumbling, louder this time. I snarled, though I held my tongue. It wasn’t easy. Who did they think they were? What made them so superior? Had they ever even known the fae? Had they ever seen Avellane, seen the way they lived there? How beautiful and peaceful that realm was?
“They are under attack by a greedy, selfish so-called leader,” Jonah explained, raising his voice until it towered over the rest. “He wishes to strip Avellane of its resources and slaughter its people. I’ve seen what has already been done, the lives which have been lost. He merely wanted an excuse to start a war and has found one.”
“Is there any way war might be avoided?” One of the older vampires, clearly wiser than most of the others. “Can Garan be reasoned with?”
“Any of you familiar with Garan know that there is no reasoning with him,” Jonah said. “Only a more suitable ruler would avoid war at t
his point. He has no desire to be talked out of it. He wants this. Badly.”
“We get rid of him, then,” another suggested.
I looked to Jonah. This was unexpected. And we thought the biggest challenge would be convincing them to choose a side.
Jonah cleared his throat, glancing at me for just the briefest moment before replying. “I agree that taking Garan out of power would be a positive development, and the only way to avoid war would be to replace him with someone who’d be willing to maintain the peace. But I think we can all see that the only way to remove him from the picture would be by killing him. I will not go on record at this meeting as having sanctioned his murder—after all, that would be the equivalent to declaring war on the shades.”
“If it is in the best interest of both ourselves and the fae, why shouldn’t we do what has to be done?” Arguing broke out and Jonah threw a despairing look my way.
“All right, all right,” he called out, throwing his arms into the air. “We’re in agreement on this. I wish to avoid a war as much as any of you. But I do not wish to place our species in peril by going off half-cocked. All I ask is that I be consulted before any of you get any ideas in your heads as to how this should be done. All action must come through me first.”
I doubted any of them would come up with a legitimate plan, as they more than likely had no idea how to even access ShadesRealm. They would huff and puff and argue amongst themselves and tire of the topic before long, as most people with loud opinions inevitably did.
No, if anything were to be done, it would be up to us. Me and Jonah. As ever.
He approached me afterward, once the vampires had dispersed in order to return home. He looked tired, a little perturbed. I could understand why.
“At least they didn’t threaten to break off from the League,” I shrugged, hoping to lighten the mood a little.
“No. In fact, they did exactly what I expected.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Oh, yes? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
He slid an arm around my waist as we walked the length of the main hall. “An idea that occurred to me just before I brought the meeting to order. It’s true that we could avoid war altogether, which would inevitably save a lot of lives on both sides. But the only way to go about avoiding war would be to remove Garan from the scenario. If I went ahead with a plan to kill him but didn’t consult them first, that would be their excuse to break away. I can’t risk that.”
“So, you pulled them in and let them think they came up with the idea themselves.”
“Exactly.”
“You ought to lead permanently,” I decided as we stepped outside together.
“I agree.”
We both froze at the sound of Allonic’s distinct voice. He stood at the foot of the stairs which led down from the double doors, lowering the hood of his robe to reveal himself to us.
Jonah looked around. “Do you know how dangerous it is to be here right now? I only just announced the war between shades and the fae.”
“I know,” Allonic nodded. “I was listening.”
“How?” I asked.
“It doesn’t matter how. I am aware of what you discussed and was careful to avoid being noticed. My sister isn’t the only one skilled at evasion.”
I could’ve been wrong, but it seemed there was a gleam in his eye. The closest he had probably ever come to making a joke.
Jonah walked down the stairs, hands spread. “I hope you didn’t take offense at the discussion. The suggestion that we would eliminate your cousin.”
“Offense?” he asked. “Why would I take offense? I wish to help you.”
“Oh, Allonic,” I groaned.
“I want to. I need to do this. You know how much I do.” He stared at me. “You know.”
Of course, and so did Jonah. Allonic’s entire plan from the beginning had centered around removing Garan from power. The abduction of Valerius had been a misfire, to put it mildly. This was a second chance.
“The only means of avoiding a costly, destructive war would be to remove Garan from power. This is a fact,” he declared, turning to Jonah. “The only way for me to begin righting what I’ve done is to kill Garan and take my rightful place as ruler. He and Ressenden stole my reign. None of this would be happening if I’d been allowed to take my place.”
He looked at me.
I could only imagine what I must look like, my mouth hanging open.
“I will convince the shades to back down before the war begins,” he vowed. “I will make this right. “
6
Anissa
I was alone in the penthouse living room, staring out the windows. Another night in New York City. Once again, for maybe the thousandth time, I wondered what the people far below would think if they knew how many worlds existed outside their own.
Humans had the luxury of believing they were all there was. The generations which had passed since the agreement was struck between humans and vampires had lessened awareness of separate races. Most humans never thought about us. We were a myth, or something that had died out long ago.
Or so they wanted to believe, because it helped them sleep at night. Believing we were nothing more than a childish story, a fable, a legend which had faded away in the face of logic and science and technology.
Poor, deluded fools.
Jonah was downstairs, checking on Sirene and Elena. The devoted big brother. The sort of older sibling I’d always wanted to be for Sara. I hoped I had been, that she would remember me as such in her new life. Wherever and whatever that happened to be.
I was Allonic’s older sister, too. And he wanted to take a terrible chance.
I would be a fool to try to stop him. What he wanted was right; to take his place as ruler and to avoid Garan’s destructiveness. Allonic would be a strong ruler, a good and honest one.
Did that mean I had to help him?
If I didn’t help him and he was unsuccessful in his mission, would that mean I had failed him? Didn’t he deserve every bit of assistance I could offer, since I was his big sister and he was my younger brother, and he had already helped me out of so many difficult spots?
There was something I could do.
I looked down at the bone dagger in my hands, the one which had been used to kill Lucian. It brought to mind the memory of watching Lucian die, of how he had dissolved into nothing more than dust.
This dagger had easily and instantly killed someone as powerful as him. it could surely rid the world of Garan.
Was it my imagination running wild, or did it pulse with power? A subtle power, a warmth. It promised destruction and carried the memory of years, maybe centuries, of similar destruction.
It could be just what Allonic needed. It was all I could do for him.
I turned it over in my hands and hissed in pain and surprise as the razor-sharp blade slid against my fingertip. A thin line of blood appeared as if by magic. I hadn’t even needed to apply pressure, and the cut was no larger than what I would have gotten from a sheet of paper, but it felt…
Different.
Tingly.
And it didn’t stop at my finger, either. It flowed through my hand, then up my arm. Through my chest, down to my stomach.
It almost reminded me of the sensation of having a spiritwalker inside me. Granted, a lot of time had passed since then, but a spiritwalker was not exactly the sort of thing a person forgot.
A bone dagger didn’t have the ability to carry a spiritwalker inside it, certainly. So clearly, that was just another flight of fancy on my part. I was tired; who wouldn’t be, after nonstop drama and danger? Not to mention the pressure of knowing Garan could slaughter my people—the fae half, anyway—at any moment.
Anyone would fall victim to their imagination if they were in my position.
Imagination or not, I had seen what this blade was capable of.
Which was why I had to get it to Allonic.
7
Cari
“You m
ight want to decide now, since dawn is on its way.” Raze nodded toward the horizon, which would be lightening soon.
He was right. We had to decide what we were going to do, where we were going to go, now that he was free. But where to go wasn’t an answer I could come to easily. I was still new to the vampire way of life. The rules, laws, or whatever they called them. The alliances; who was an enemy and who wasn’t. I was way too new to this to be able to come to a decision I felt comfortable with. That would be a question he’d have to answer. A decision he’d have to make.
I looked to Gage, walking next to me. We had been walking for quite a while, even with his weakness. I stared at him harder, hoping he’d say something. I didn’t know anything about the history between the vampire clans, so there was little for me to offer in the way of an educated opinion. It was up to him.
“You expect me to stay with members of Genevieve’s clan,” Gage muttered, shaking his head. He’d been shaking his head over Raze’s explanation ever since it had been offered. This Genevieve sounded like a real piece of work.
“Refugees from the clan,” Raze sighed. “How many times do I need to explain that part? Do you think they would accept me, a Carver, if they were still affiliated with her?”
“You said you weren’t affiliated with the Carvers anymore,” I pointed out, then wished I had never said a word when Raze shot me a dirty look. He wanted to get this over with just as much as I did. Neither of us much felt like being caught by the sun.
“I’m not,” he snapped. “But I would still never take sides with Genevieve’s sycophants. A bunch of brainwashed, bloodthirsty vultures. And the group I’m staying with agree, which is why I know they’re trustworthy.”
Gage still didn’t appear to agree. “What do you think?” he whispered, looking at me.