I glanced at Jakob and rolled my eyes.
“Keep this between us,” he said. “Magic like yours makes you an even bigger threat to those who don’t approve of their new leader.”
We heard Cabot get off the elevator and walk into the living room.
“We’re in here,” I said.
He walked into the kitchen and eyed the two of us. “Morning, Jakob. What brings you up to the penthouse this early?”
“Just having a cup of coffee and debating where we should eat this afternoon.” He glanced at me and winked. “I’m taking Mora out to lunch today.”
“Oh really?” I said. “I’d like that.”
Cabot laid his jacket over one of the kitchen chairs and headed over to pour himself a cup. “I’m afraid she already has a lunch date.”
“I do?”
“With me.” He took a sip of his coffee and dumped the rest into the sink. “How can you drink this stuff?”
Jakob must have noticed the surprised look on my face. “Does Mora know she’s having lunch with you?”
“She does now.” He locked eyes with Jakob for a second before grabbing his jacket. “Noon at my apartment. We have a lot to discuss before tonight.”
“Tonight?” I said, trying to recall some forgotten event. “What’s going on tonight?”
He stopped and turned around before leaving, suppressing a faint smile. “Your first hunt.”
My legs went a little weak, and I suddenly felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. Sooner or later I’d have to take part in the hunt, but I’d thought I’d be warned in advance and have time to prepare for it.
Don’t take the bait, Mora.
I glanced at Jakob as he pushed the warning into my mind, something he hadn’t done in years. I didn’t think he still could.
“Make it one o’clock,” I said, using every ounce of my will to appear calm and unaffected by his attempt to shake me.
“Twelve thirty,” he countered.
I agreed on the time, allowing him to win. After hearing the elevator door shut, I looked at Jakob. “You can still get inside my head?”
“We will always share a connection, but boundaries are to be respected. I crossed that boundary just now because I couldn’t bear to see him provoke you. Not when you’re about to face the enemy for the first time.” His brow cocked. “And just so we’re clear, you let me inside your head just now.”
“Can I still get inside yours?”
He shrugged. “If I care to listen, as you just did.”
I gave him a smile over the rim of my cup. “I’ll always listen to you, Jakob.”
Rebecca opened the door when I knocked at exactly twelve thirty, not a minute earlier than I had to.
She studied me for a few seconds before turning on her charm. “Punctual as usual. Come in.”
I walked inside and inhaled the smell of peonies in a vase on the foyer table. They had one of the nicest units in the building, a corner apartment with views of the park and a clear shot up Central Park West toward the museum.
“Cute shoes,” she said as we walked into the living room.
I glanced down at my feet. “Feel free to borrow them if you’d like.”
“I think they’re a little big for me. But thanks for the offer,” she quickly said over her shoulder.
You would have a hard time filling them, I wanted to say.
“Are you joining us for lunch?” I asked.
She turned around and gave me a lukewarm smile. “Is that a problem?”
“Of course not. The more the merrier for a chat about hunting.”
I heard something tromping down the hallway, like a small herd of cattle approaching. A young girl I’d never seen before came tearing around the corner with Georgia trailing behind. The girls sprinted across the living room toward the balcony door.
“Stop!” Rebecca yelled.
Georgia turned around when she heard her mother’s voice, but her legs were still moving, sending her straight into a table against the wall. An antique Asian vase tipped over and fell to the hardwood floor. I thought Rebecca was going to have a heart attack when it shattered to pieces.
“Georgia!” she growled. “Fix it! Now!”
The anger in her voice made me jump, and Georgia got a look of fear in her eyes that broke my heart.
Rebecca glared at her daughter’s accomplice. “Shouldn’t your mother be here to pick you up by now?”
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Winterborne.” The child’s voice bordered on a whimper. “She’ll be here soon.”
Rebecca called down to Jakob and instructed him to look after Wendy until her mother arrived. Then she escorted the child to the door and gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Jakob has a surprise for you downstairs while you wait for your mother.” After sending the girl on her way, she shut the door and inhaled deeply, shuddering dramatically as she turned around. “Children.”
Still standing next to the broken vase, Georgia flinched when Rebecca gave her a look.
“Fix it.”
Georgia raised her hands and focused on the broken pieces, her face visibly frustrated when nothing happened. She glanced at her mother and then focused harder, this time swaying her arms like a conductor. The shards of porcelain started to move, rising up and floating a few inches off the ground. They rose higher and started to circle, spinning faster as she continued to move her arms. The pieces sped up until all I could see was a blur of white streaks with hints of color.
When I glanced at Rebecca from the corner of my eye, I saw her watching me, gauging my reaction. The porcelain began to slow down, spinning into the recognizable shape of a vase that eventually floated to the floor, perfectly repaired.
“Bravo!” Cabot walked into the room and clapped his hands. “That’s my girl.”
“Did you see how easily she fixed it?” Rebecca said to him, a glowing smile on her face. “She’ll be the most powerful one someday.”
“Most powerful what?” I asked.
She looked at me like I was stupid. “The most powerful witch in this clan.”
Georgia had never been officially designated as a witch. Her powers were undeniable, and she did appear to be one, but the test for a true witch comes at the age of thirteen. Georgia was only nine, still too young to tell. All children, especially the children of immortals, are born with magic. It’s systematically stolen from them as they mature, an unfortunate consequence of the human race brimming with nonbelievers. Unless a child is sequestered on a deserted island with only her clan, there’s no escaping it. Four years from now, Georgia would be put through a series of tests to confirm that her abilities were true and not just the lingerings of childhood magic.
“The source of Georgia’s power hasn’t been established yet,” I said, correcting Rebecca as the queen should. “She’s very talented, but she’s not officially a witch yet.” I met her condescending eyes, tired of being disrespected by a woman who didn’t have a drop of Winterborne blood in her veins.
Her forced smile faded, and I recognized the face of a foe. She would never release her animosity for me because I was standing in the way of her vicarious dream. Her daughter would never rule the clan. Not while I drew breath.
“That’s enough,” Cabot said, feeling the growing tension between us. “Georgia, go play in your room while Mommy and Daddy have lunch with Cousin Morgan.”
“Why can’t I have lunch too?” she asked.
Rebecca shooed her along. “You’ve already eaten, and we have grown-up things to discuss.”
She walked down the hallway toward her bedroom while the three of us headed for the dining room to discuss the hunt. Millie, their housekeeper and cook, served us salmon with roasted vegetables.
Rebecca shook out her napkin and placed it in her lap. “It’s organic. Imported from Scotland.” She fiddled with her necklace and noticed me staring at it. “It’s a black opal,” she said as if I’d asked. “My father had it custom made for me. The stone is very rare.”
&
nbsp; I’d never seen a dark opal before. The colors sparkling from it seemed to cover the full spectrum. “It’s beautiful, and this lunch looks delicious. But you didn’t have to go to so much trouble. A sandwich would have been fine.”
She huffed. “Nonsense. Sandwiches are for children.”
Cabot popped a roasted brussels sprout in his mouth and got down to business. “How much do you know about what the Circle does?”
I knew the clan tracked vampires and killed the ones who descended from an ancient line called the Night Walkers. While it was hard to justify the activities of any vampire, the Night Walkers were the ones who wreaked havoc on every major city across the world. They were the ultimate threat.
“We track and kill Night Walkers. You’ll have to fill me in on the specifics.”
“Oh dear,” Rebecca said. “You’ll be a sitting duck out there.”
I swear she looked gleeful. As a Winterborne by marriage, she wasn’t expected to participate in the hunt, but she chose to. For a woman who never deigned to cook a meal for her family or iron her own clothes, she had no problem slaughtering vampires in her spare time.
I ignored her callous remark. “I guess you can start by telling me how we find them.”
Cabot put his fork down and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “We don’t. The Flyers do it for us.”
“What are Flyers?” My mother had never mentioned Flyers.
He got up and walked over to the window in the living room, beckoning for me to follow him. He nodded toward the park. “What do you see out there?”
“Trees. People.”
“We rely on what lives in those trees to find Walkers.”
A flock of blackbirds flew out from one of them as if on cue. “You mean the birds?”
“Exactly. Those birds become something very different at night. So do the falcons and owls, and most of the other animals that live in the park. Enough to form a small army of feathered vigilantes. And they can cover the entire city in a single night.”
I looked out over the park and thought about my crow, wondering if it was possible that my new familiar was one of these Flyers he spoke of. What were the odds that the bird I’d rescued in that restaurant was one of them? If it was, God only knew what Jakob’s blood had done to it. An immortal Flyer?
“The clan formed an alliance with them a century ago,” he said before I could delve deeper. “They’re a race of evolved creatures that scout the city at night and provide us with information. In return, we keep the Night Walkers under control for them.”
“Walkers are a threat to a bunch of birds?”
He grinned slyly and headed back to the table. “Not directly, but if the Walkers don’t get enough human blood, they start to feed off the wildlife. The birds have a symbiotic relationship with other species in the city. If the vampires kill the beasts, the birds suffer for it. The food chain is disrupted. It’s basic biology.”
I glanced back at the park that would never look the same to me again. “When is the next hunt?”
“As soon as the sun goes down.”
“You mean tonight?” He had to be kidding.
He nodded and headed back to the table. “Finish your lunch. Hunting takes a lot of energy, so you need to eat well.”
Heeding his advice, I sat down and tried to enjoy my meal, but my appetite had quickly gone south as my nerves grew. Until last night, the hunt had been sanitized in my mind. Staring down at my fish, it was like I could suddenly see the brutal reality of how that creature ended up on my plate, and the ugliness of killing filled my mind and made me put my fork down.
Cabot chewed his last bite of salmon thoughtfully. “Normally I’d advise you to eat a good dinner too, but since this is your first hunt, I’d suggest you go easy on food for the rest of the day.”
I stood up, suddenly feeling like I hadn’t slept in a week. “Thanks for lunch, but I think I need to relax for a few hours to prepare myself for tonight.”
Rebecca smiled as she nibbled on a sliced radish she’d picked out of her salad. “By all means, rest up. Can’t have you half-asleep with a vampire at your throat.”
“Wait,” Cabot said before I could leave. He headed down the hallway and returned with something in his hands. “You’ll need to wear these tonight.” He handed me a bundle of clothes: black shirt, black pants, and a leather jacket to match.
“We have a uniform?” I stopped myself from snickering. “We’ll look like a bunch of ninjas.”
“Exactly. There’ll be a lot of commotion tonight, and those clothes you find so amusing will keep us from killing each other.” There was no humor in his expression, only a dead-serious stare. “You’ll receive your seal tonight.”
I’d seen my mother’s seal. It was a bright green stone similar to an emerald that she wore around her neck every time she left for a hunt.
With my new attire in hand, I walked out the door and headed for the elevator, desperate to lie down for a few hours. If I wasn’t sharp as a tack for the hunt, I had a dreadful feeling I’d be dead before morning.
Chapter 14
“You’ve been summoned to council chambers, mistress.”
I sat up on the sofa. “Council chambers?” Then I remembered the hunt. “Thank you, Otto.”
My phone wasn’t handy to check the time, but judging by the glow of city lights illuminating the penthouse, it was late. I’d curled up on the sofa after lunch and slept the entire afternoon away.
“Otto, what time is it?”
“Nine o’clock, mistress.”
“Nine o’clock!” I jumped up and headed for the bedroom to change into the clothes Cabot had given me as quickly as possible because queen or not, the Elders didn’t like to be kept waiting. The shirt and pants were a little snug, but the jacket fit me perfectly. Keeping in line with the whole ninja theme, I chose a pair of black combat boots. I felt ridiculous when I looked in the mirror. All of us dressed like this would stand out like a bunch of marauding thugs. We’d be lucky if the cops didn’t stop and question us.
“Morgan!” I heard Cabot bark from the living room. “Where are you?”
I walked out of the bedroom and furrowed my brow as he stalked toward me wearing his matching uniform. “I was on my way.”
He stopped and stared at me with a look of contempt on his face. “If we can’t count on you to follow orders before the hunt even begins, you’ll put us all at risk.”
“What are you talking about, Cabot? I fell asleep. The next thing I know I’m being summoned. You should have called me an hour ago so I had time to squeeze into these ridiculous pants.” I dropped down on my haunches to try to stretch them out a little. “Jesus, you could have just handed me a can of spray paint.”
He glanced at my outfit when I straightened back up and then looked around the room. When he spotted my phone on the table against the wall, he grabbed it and shoved it in my face. “I did. About ten times to be exact.” There were several messages on my phone. I must have been so tired I slept right through the ringing. “Get it together, Morgan. This isn’t a game.”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.” I couldn’t believe I’d slept through all those phone calls. I must have been more sleep deprived than I’d thought.
We stepped into the elevator without saying another word to each other, with Cabot staring at my reflection in the metal door.
“It’s about time,” Ramsey said when we stepped out of the elevator a minute later. The other Elders muttered and threw glances at me as I headed for my seat.
I started to apologize but changed my mind. I’d done nothing wrong, and it was time those sanctimonious old men started to treat me like their leader. I’d been patient with their patronizing, but they would never respect me if I let them treat me like a doormat. “Since we’re running late, I suggest we get down to business,” I said, motioning to Cabot. “The floor is yours.”
He glanced around the table. Rebecca was sitting at the other end, tapping her fingernails against the oa
k surface. Ethan was sitting next to her, and James and Olivia were across from him. “Is this it?”
Ethan looked at him impatiently. “Well, we can hardly expect your parents to join us, seeing as how they’ve aged about forty years due to their little trip to the Winterlands.”
“Where’s Avery?” I asked.
Rebecca stifled a laugh. “You’re joking.”
My sister had done all but publicly announce her intention to formally leave the Circle, but to my knowledge she was still an active member.
“Avery is no longer a part of the Circle,” Cabot said. “She’s relinquished her seal.”
That must be why she met with Cabot before coming up to the penthouse yesterday morning. Avery was distancing herself from the clan more and more every day, to lead the normal life she craved. I wondered if she planned to leave her cushy job at Winterborne Holdings eventually, securing her freedom from a life she’d always resented.
“Why wasn’t I told?” I asked, realizing I should have been the one having that conversation with my sister. Avery wouldn’t have dared go to Cabot if our mother were alive, and Cabot wouldn’t have dared take the meeting.
Cabot didn’t bother to sugarcoat it. “Avery didn’t feel comfortable discussing her decision with you.”
“And you didn’t think it was important to tell me after the fact?” I stood up and decided to put an end to all the condescension. I might have been green, but I wasn’t stupid. The more isolated I was from the smallest clan decisions, the harder it would be to hold on to my authority. Cabot was formidable, but he still answered to me. “I appreciate your concern for my sister’s predicament, but from this moment forward, I expect to be directly involved in all clan business.”
Ramsey opened his mouth to say something.
“All clan business,” I repeated.
The look on Rebecca’s face was chilling.
“Of course.” Cabot motioned to the group. “Would you like to lead the charge tonight?”
“I think you’re the best person for that task,” I said. “So please begin.”
He carried on with the plan. “There’s an old warehouse at the north end of the park. It’s been empty for a while, but the Flyers have witnessed the Night Walkers going in and out. They believe a cell has moved in, and we’re going to clean it up tonight.” He looked at James. “You and Olivia will go in first to check the place out. The rest of us wait for your signal.”
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