The man slipped his hat and jacket off. When he turned to follow Anne, we could see him to be Marcus.
“Let’s talk in my study.” She spun, and he followed her into the next room. “Would you like a drink, a glass of wine, brandy, water?”
“Water would be nice.”
Anne motioned to the remaining guard, and he nodded and walked away.
“Sit.” She tucked one leg under the other as she took a seat on the sofa.
“Anne knows Marcus well?” I asked.
“I said he visited in September,” Alena snapped.
“Sorry, she just looks very comfortable with him.”
Marcus sat beside her and raised a finger towards the fireplace. The logs glowed until flames erupted from the wood.
“Thank you.” Anne turned her attention back to Marcus. “So, what can I do for you?”
“I want to help you get Camille.”
“Camille?” Anne’s eyes narrowed, and her tone stayed light. If she was surprised to hear the name, you would never know it.
His eyes bore into Anne’s. “We both know who and what I am talking about.”
“And what would that be?”
“I will give you an in if you help me kidnap my granddaughter.”
“He’s gone mad,” Orm whispered.
“Who is your granddaughter? Where is she and why would you want her kidnapped?” Anne inquired.
Marcus gazed into the flames. “My granddaughter Gabrielle was chosen to be the goddess. She is to be wed to Theron. I want you to take Gabrielle from the compound when you rescue Camille. I will get Gabrielle to you, and your team will be the getaway.”
I let out my breath, grateful they weren’t planning on making Camille marry Theron. I knew Theron wanted to wed Alena, and I’d feared they would match Camille with him.
Anne cocked her head as a staff member entered with a tray of glasses. Taking one, she handed the other to Marcus. She stared at the flames until the attendant left. “Who says we know who this Camille is?”
“I know Alena, Hunter, and Camille are the trinity. I know Thanatos has the sword.”
Anne turned to face Marcus. “What is your timeline?”
“Before Imbolc.”
Tyler paced to the back of the room. “Okay, someone seriously has to translate all that for me. How does the Marcus dude know about Camille, and why didn’t he pretend not to know anything in front of the other witches?”
I cleared my throat. “I’ve met Marcus. Although he doesn’t belong to Michael’s coven, he is of Michael’s line. He attended many of the weekly dinners.”
Orm stood. “Marcus represents Michael’s line on the council, and Thanatos, as one of Michael’s coven, heads the council. Marcus is close with Thanatos, as they share many council responsibilities. As for Imbolc, it is celebrated the beginning of February. It’s a holiday welcoming the stirrings of spring and the goddess betrothed to the sun god.”
“Like Groundhog Day? And this Gabrielle is the goddess, and Theron is the sun god?” Tyler rubbed his temple.
Hunter shook his head. “They have that so wrong.”
“How does it affect Marcus?” I asked.
Alena turned to face me. “When Gabrielle and Theron are joined, the two covens become one. Michael’s coven could control Marcus’s.”
A screen in front of us flickered, and Anne’s image appeared.
Alena spun to face the feed. “We’re catching everyone up on Imbolc and the merging of covens.”
“The biggest question is: Do we trust Marcus?” Chalondra stated the obvious. “It could be a huge ploy to get all the children of light where they want them.”
“This is the in we needed,” Hunter said.
I didn’t trust Marcus. “If we do this, we can’t rely on Marcus to help us rescue Camille. We need another person we trust on the inside.”
“I’ll go.” Tyler raised his hand. “I’m the perfect choice. Marcus could say he found me.”
“Tyler, I don’t think—” Janine began.
“Are you listening? Marcus is helping us rescue Camille.” I motioned to the screen.
Grady knocked on the table top. “Maybe we should all sleep on this.”
I raised my hand. “I vote yes. If we put Tyler inside, then we have a backup if Marcus falls through.”
“Tyler will be locked up,” Janine emphasized.
“Not if we strike right when he arrives.”
“He isn’t strong enough to do much,” Hunter pointed out.
“Ugh.” Tyler hung his head.
“All he has to do is create a diversion,” I suggested.
“Now, I’m a distraction?” Tyler pushed his seat back. “I’m turning in.”
“We should all get some rest,” Orm advised. “This is a good start to a plan. We’ll develop it more tomorrow.”
“If we can go to Italy soon, I’m all for that.” I stood and stretched.
Too jumpy for sleep, I made my way to the gym. The guards had claimed most of the weight equipment, so I started to run.
“Can’t sleep?” Alena’s voice startled me.
“Lots going on.”
“You think Marcus is a good bet?”
I shrugged. “I don’t trust him, but we have to get in there and get Camille out, sooner rather than later.”
“She’s lucky to have you.”
“Well you have Hunter and Tyler too now.”
“Yeah, not sure that is in the plus column.” The corner of her lips turned down.
“Trouble with Hunter?”
“It’s different with other people here. It’s been just us for over three months.”
“So, do you run every night? Is it a vampire thing?” I asked as we rounded the first lap.
“Yeah, it’s harder for me to keep a daytime schedule here with being stuck inside. It’s easier since I became a full witch, but I’m still a night owl at heart.”
“Some people are.”
“All vampires are.” She laughed and sped ahead of me.
Having some semblance of a plan had me running through scenarios of how to rescue Camille, and although exhausted, I tossed and turned until after three.
“Okay,” Anne said as we conferenced the next morning. “Let’s put it to a vote. All in favor?”
Everyone’s hand went up but Janine’s.
Anne continued. “Okay, we accept Marcus’s help as long as he agrees to take Tyler in and plan the extraction simultaneously.”
“Do we have a date requirement?” I asked.
“Marcus won’t want to wait long. He’ll want her out of there before Imbolc.” Alena paced the back of the room.
I spun to face her. “I’m not waiting that long either.”
“Okay,” Anne began. “I’ll contact Marcus and update you on his decision. You should pack so the group can leave for Italy this evening.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice to be ready to move. I hadn’t even unpacked my bag. It could’ve been because I only had one more outfit, but I’d left it there on purpose so I’d be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. In my room, I stuffed the additional clothes they had provided in a duffle I found in the closet.
Motion caught my eye, and I spun to see Janine in the doorway. “Thank you for all you’re doing for Camille.”
“Sorry about the Tyler thing. It just makes the most sense,” I said.
“I get it. Doesn’t make it easier, but I understand. He wants to help his sister. I would be worried if he didn’t.”
“You’re coming with us, right?” I set the duffle beside the door.
“Don’t think I have anywhere else to go.”
“Things will get back to normal, you’ll see.”
“I’m the one that’s supposed to be saying that to you.” She sat down on the bed.
“I’m seventeen, and I’ve never had normal.”
“All I ever wanted for my kids was for them to be happy, have a good life.”
I leaned down so w
e were eye to eye. “They will. You will.”
“I don’t know, this seems like a kind of life-altering thing.”
“But it won’t always be bad.”
She stood and paced to the wall. “You think Thanatos is going to give in? That Alena, Hunter, and Camille will stop trying to get the sword?”
“Probably not. But I do know that I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure Camille is safe and happy.”
“My family owes you a lot.”
Tyler appeared in the doorway. “Mom?”
“Yes?” Janine answered.
“Dad, umm Grady, sent me to get your bags.”
“Okay.” Janine spun to face me. “Thank you.” She followed him out of the room.
Seeing the eyes that matched Camille’s seemingly so sad and worried, made me agitated. Sitting still would drive me nuts, so I changed into my swim trunks and headed for the pool.
“Are we going to the airstrip the same way we came?” I asked as we entered the garage.
“Yep. I don’t even know where we are,” Alena answered. “Better this way. Can’t afford too many of these safe houses.”
“You guys look like you do pretty well.”
“Mom’s job is challenging and dangerous, so they provide us with a lot of things.”
Two large sport utility vehicles approached, and two guards got out of each and helped us load our things into the back. Alena, Hunter, Orm, and Chalondra took one vehicle, and Janine, Tyler, Grady, and I took the second.
“Wait. Is this all the crew we’re going to have in Italy?” I asked before climbing into the vehicle.
“No, the vampires will meet us there,” Alena said.
“Do we have any more witches?”
Hunter shook his head. “We don’t know who to trust outside this circle, so no.”
On the ride, I wondered whether we had enough muscle. Hunter seemed solid, and I didn’t doubt Alena’s abilities. Something about her stuck in my brain though, I didn’t fully trust her. You’re being paranoid and negative because she’s a vampire and reminds you of your mom, I told myself. I moved on to thinking of Grady. I’d like to see him and Tyler train more and hoped we’d get more time in Italy.
My mind had to have something to do, or I’d go crazy. I started to plan strategies for Camille’s extraction. Marcus had shared his knowledge of the compound with us, revealing several wings I didn’t know about. By the time we landed in Italy, I had a mental list of the supplies we’d need.
Tyler ranted as we loaded into yet another windowless bus. “This is ridiculous, I’m going to go nuts if I don’t see the actual sun.”
“If they capture you, you won’t know the location of the safe house. It protects everyone,” I told him.
We drove an hour, and I assumed we were somewhere in the middle of Italy, I hoped on the coast, as the best way I could think to get Camille away from the castle was by boat. Half a dozen vampires greeted us as we exited the vehicles in the windowless garage.
“Dimitri.” Alena wrapped her arms around one of the bigger fellows.
“Princess, it’s been too long.” He spun her around.
When he set Alena down, Hunter locked arms with him. “Friend, it’s good to see you.”
“You too, master.”
Hunter held a finger up. “None of that.”
“It always will be.” Dimitri crossed his arm over his chest. “Anne briefed us,” he said as we followed him into a large service elevator. The downward motion surprised me, and I grimaced at the thought of additional days underground.
“I bet you can get a vehicle on this, right?” Tyler asked.
“That’s the point,” the vampire beside Tyler noted.
Dimitri gave us a tour of the facility and then showed us to our rooms. Glad to have space to myself, I pitched my bag onto the bed and changed to workout clothes. Gathering Grady, Tyler, and Hunter, we headed to the gym.
“Why wasn’t I included in this party?” Alena’s voice cut through the room.
“Both you and Hunter can’t go. We can’t risk them capturing all of you,” I told her.
“So, you have all this worked out without conferring with anyone?” Her hand went to her hip. “Orm thought I should go.”
I lowered my weight to the floor. “I’m just getting the kinks worked out from the long plane ride.”
Before I could blink, she had me in a headlock. “And this is why—”
“Hey.” Hunter tapped Alena’s arm. “We should get everyone together and finalize the plan.”
Alena tightened her grip on my neck. “Do you appreciate my skills now?”
“Yes, Uncle.” I slid from her grip as she released me.
Hunter clutched Alena’s hand. “Let’s meet up in the conference room in an hour.”
“You go tell everyone. I’m going to work out.” She hurled a rod at me, and I deflected it back to her.
Sparring for the better part of an hour, neither one of us got the upper hand.
“So, I’m serious,” she commented. “We should have a list of each other’s skills.”
Telepathy, I pushed to her brain.
“Sweet,” she said aloud. “I only have it with Hunter. That will come in handy. Do you know the range?”
“Nope.” I mentally rebuked myself for not continuing to try to contact Camille. I’d tried in LA and then the first two nights at the safe house, to no avail. When Hunter caught me, he’d told me not to waste my energy. They’d been trying for months, without results.
“We should test it.” Alena brought me out of my spiral.
I hurled an arrow at her. “How about you?”
“You witnessed my mind reading skills. I’m good at mind control or manipulation, even on witches.”
“That could come in handy.”
We switched partners, and I worked with Tyler and Grady. Dimitri appeared in the doorway, and we followed him to the conference room. Janine, Orm, and Chalondra were seated around the table, and five vampires leaned against the wall behind them. There was a bank of screens on the far wall. One held an image of Anne and another of Marcus.
When we took our seats, Dimitri introduced us to his brother Aaron, then Fahim, Peter, Thomas, and Michael. Once all the players had been identified, we spun to face the camera and Anne’s and Marcus’s video feeds.
“Thank you all for coming,” Anne began. “Marcus believes we have a window Saturday evening. The family usually gathers every Saturday for dinner. Marcus will teleconference with me. You can hear his feed but he can’t hear yours.”
“Don’t we want less people there?” Tyler asked.
Anne repeated the question to Marcus after she patched him in.
“More people means more distraction,” Marcus said.
I lifted my hand. “It’s how I got Camille out the first time.”
“Is two days enough to get everything we need?” Hunter asked.
Fahim picked up an electronic marker. He described our location on the coast and how we could take a small craft to Sardinia. “We’ve got three boats. All three will go together to this point.” He marked it on the grid. “And then a single boat with the entry team can travel to Michael’s compound.”
“It’s a pretty high cliff. We’ll need wetsuits and climbing gear. Who is piloting?” I asked.
“We can’t take vampires close to the compound. I’ll pilot,” Orm spoke up.
I prayed his magic and boating skills were more inspiring than his shuffling gait.
“So, the rescue team?” Hunter scanned the room. “Jude, Alena, and Grady? Any objections? I will coordinate the boats and be point on land.”
Marcus led us through the compound’s layout and the best entry point and route to Camille’s cell block. Planning Tyler and Gabrielle’s trade-off, we assigned Grady as the point person to get them to the boat.
“You good with this?” Hunter asked as we exited the room.
“Yeah, I think it will work. I’m glad Marcus got
us some guards on the inside. Everyone needs to practice their cloaking.”
“We’ll get her. Don’t worry.” He slapped my back and jogged ahead to Alena.
The next day they offered intravenous drips of vampire blood to each of us witches. Alena sat on a stool beside Hunter, sipping a Styrofoam cup of human blood and the whole scene had me sick to my stomach. Abandoning my chair, I stormed from the room.
Alena followed me down the hall. “What’s your deal?”
“It’s an unknown, and I don’t need it.” I cut my eyes to the floor, ceiling, anywhere but to look into hers.
“No, it’s not, my mother has used this before.”
“Oh, when she uses her witch friends like Marcus so she doesn’t get blamed when things go wrong.”
Alena’s hand went to her hip. “We’re the good guys. Marcus came to us. Where is this coming from?”
“I don’t care which side you’re on. I’m only here for Camille.”
“Is that your problem? Don’t want vampire blood in your system? Too much of a risk? Such a herald thing to say.”
“And Tyler wouldn’t say the same for you?” I spun my bracelets on my wrist.
“That’s irrelevant, do the injection.” She leaned towards me, and I could smell the human blood, Hunter’s blood, on her breath. It smelled like Camille’s, and the image of her sipping the blood from my arm played through my memory.
“I’m not doing the injection. Go sip your blood somewhere else.” Nose tingling, I took a few steps back.
“Wait, are you?” Her voice lowered to a whisper as she grabbed my arm.
I pulled her fingers from my bicep. “Don’t mess with me.”
“I can get you human blood. No one will know. But why are you hiding it? I’m a hybrid.”
“Camille’s family is a little sensitive.”
“They’ll find out eventually. You are aware creating hybrids is punishable by death, right? Michael’s coven has your father. You lived with them. How did they not find out?”
“Like your mom said, we are very good at hiding our identity.” I bent down to whisper in her ear. “According to my grandparents, my mom has no idea she’s a halfling.”
“And your father?”
Kingdom of Honor (Kingdom Journals Book 3) Page 10