That sounded somewhat logical.
Abruptly, Maggie turned her head back to her table, her pudgy little fingers grabbing another crayon. This time she drew right on the tabletop.
A simple picture of a face emerged, this one with pointy teeth.
She dropped the crayon and reached for a red one.
“Is that supposed to be blood?” I whispered as Maggie started scribbling like mad. She added more pointy teeth and more red. “A vamp, Maggie? Are you drawing vampires?”
Tally hovered over her daughter protectively. “She doesn’t know what a vampire is yet. That would be highly unlikely—”
“Yes,” Maggie said simply. “Vampires.” It sounded like van-pirates in her little rasp. So much to know when you’re only two years old.
My heart broke a little.
Surprise laced Tally’s expression. She was wary watching her daughter go through this ordeal. This was her baby, and knowing she would never escape these visions, this life, had to be incredibly tough.
“Is Marcy with the vampires?” I asked. That wasn’t ideal, but my insides relaxed knowing James was with her.
“They’re coming.” This time her soft voice sounded ominous. She glanced up at me as her eyes slid back to normal. For the first time I noticed they were the brightest blue.
We weren’t talking about Marcy any longer.
All the hairs on my arms and neck shot to attention. Nick coughed and Rourke ground his teeth.
Maggie picked up another crayon, this time in her left hand, and started to draw like something had possessed her. Her eyes fluttered and she rocked back and forth in her chair, chanting, “Run, run, run, run.”
All of us moved closer, craning our necks over the table, including her two witch nannies. This little child was going to run out of steam in about two seconds.
“What is she drawing?” I whispered. “Hurry, we have to figure it out before she stops.”
The drawing was a jumble of stick figures, all layered on top of each other. There were more wolves with pointy ears; some looked like they were ejecting something from their mouths. There were a lot of them.
“I think that’s the Vamp Queen,” Rourke murmured in my ear as he pointed to a stick figure with fangs and a long dress. It was a decent guess.
“What’s she doing?”
“Biting,” Rourke said.
Indeed, the Vamp Queen looked as if she was trying to bite someone. A wild guess said it was me. The victim had long hair like my own and she was screaming.
Perfect.
Maggie’s focus shifted slightly to the right and she started scribbling a single circle over and over again. It got bigger and bigger as she went. Then she uttered one last word.
“Demon.”
It sounded like denim, but we all knew she wasn’t talking about a pair of jeans.
Tally reached down and plucked her daughter out of her chair. Maggie sagged in relief, dropping the crayon and resting her head on her mom’s shoulder. “It’s okay, lovey.” Tally kissed the crook of her sweaty neck. “You did great. It’s time for us to take a break. Auntie Meryl is going to take you downstairs for some cookies and milk.” One of the witches strode forward, her arms outstretched.
Maggie’s head rose with effort. She was exhausted. “Okay, Mommy.” Her face was even more flushed now. As Tally shifted her toward the waiting Meryl, the child turned.
“Bad men coming”—she pointed her little finger directly at me—“for you.”
Tally paced over a well-worn Oriental rug to stand in front of a huge picture window that faced the lake. Rourke and I sat close together on an antique chaise, which almost wasn’t big enough to hold the both of us. We were in a well-stocked library that appeared to double as Tally’s office. It was lined with thousands of books, and from their crumbling leather bindings, many of them appeared to be ancient. Nick sat across the room in a high-backed chair, his hands clasped in his lap, his short brown curls falling around his worried face. This day wasn’t starting off very well and it wasn’t even dawn.
“You can’t stay here. Not with a Demon Lord after you,” Tally said.
Since Maggie had signaled out the demons, there had been little use to hide it, so I’d just finished telling her what had happened in Selene’s cave once the Demon Lord had showed up. “I understand your concern, but you’re the only one who can help us figure out how to defeat them. We know very little about demons, or their laws,” I countered. “It said I had a court date in the Underworld. There has to be some way to stop it, some information to help my case.”
“I’m sorry, but helping you is out of the question. Witches and demons are sworn enemies. Our magics have battled each other since the dawn of time. Our power is of the earth and theirs is of the blood.” She turned from the window and walked toward the large desk situated in the center of the room and sat. “If I involve myself in your mess, I bring the entire House of Witches, and potentially every Coven in the world, into your fight. I will not do it, so don’t ask me again.”
I scooted to the edge of the settee. “What about a simple swap of information? Nobody has to know you gave me anything, and to be clear, I’m not asking you to join my fight. I’m only seeking data, anything that can aid me, something to bolster my odds of winning a court battle or of finding a way out of it entirely. And we both know the only way to do that is by obtaining intelligence about the demons and their habits, of which I currently know nothing.”
She rested her hands on the desk and leaned over. “What kind of information do you have that I could possibly want enough to risk putting my Coven in jeopardy?”
She had a point. I was short on supernatural info. “Okay,” I said, thinking quickly, “what if the witches made a formal alliance with the wolves? Then you’d be privy to any information the Pack had, within reason.” It wasn’t unheard of for some supernatural Sects to join together during times of strife when it was advantageous. In those rare cases, there were formal agreements to sign, but certainly my father had something of value to give to the witches. I knew he would be agreeable if it kept me out of the Underworld. “The witches could also benefit from more protection, and in return you agree to give me something on the demons. Tally, you know it’s the only real chance I have. Knowledge is the only way I’ll be able to talk myself out of this sentence.”
On our long ride home, Rourke had filled me in on what little he knew about demons and their thing with language. We agreed if my defense was worded perfectly, and if I sighted enough overarching supernatural laws in my favor, I had a slim chance of wiggling my way out—and talking my way out would be infinitely easier than trying to fight my way out of the Underworld, which was our solid plan B.
Tally gazed at me so intently that a line of energy zipped between us. “I’m sorry, but I cannot align with you. If I do, the demons will consider us accomplices to your crimes.”
I rested my head in my hands. Suddenly I was very tired. “But there were no real crimes committed, so they have no actual case.” I glanced up, closing my eyes for a moment. “Everything I did was within my rights. I defended myself—yes, at the cost of their imps and pets, but I have undisputable proof they attacked first. The first imp had abducted a human teenager in a public place. That has to be against supernatural High Law. The second put a knife to my throat.” All supes had to follow High Laws, which were very strict about exposing ourselves to humans. Each Sect also had its own internal laws that had to be obeyed.
Tally rose out of her chair and started to pace. It was a move much like my father’s, and my heart constricted. I hadn’t heard from him in too long. “It doesn’t matter. The demons have you in their sights, for whatever reason. I can’t risk it.”
I nodded once, accepting her decision.
Rourke shifted in the small space next to me. His voice came out deep and rich. “We have an idea why the demons want Jessica,” he said, changing the topic. “The imp who attacked her in the parking lot alluded to her taking
control of their crown. But what doesn’t make sense right now is why the sorcerers would involve themselves. By abducting your niece they’ve started a war with both the wolves and the witches.” He moved and I adjusted. “That seems like a very hasty decision on their part. They are run by a council, not an entity. From what I know, they are almost monklike in their rituals and are known to be weaker than most Sects. Why start a war they have no chance of winning?”
“They want what they always want.” Tally shrugged as she came to a standstill behind her desk.
“And what’s that exactly?” I asked, leaning forward.
“Power.” She crossed her arms. “Their magic is born of the earth, like ours, but they have a much weaker gene pool. You have power, so they want it.” She inclined her head toward me. “They are always after some trinket or other that’s supposed to unleash ‘ultimate power,’ and they are willing to risk anything to get it, regardless of their chances of success. It makes them predictable.”
“But I don’t have a trinket to steal. In order to steal my power, they’d have to siphon off what’s living inside my body,” I said. “Is that even possible?” Did I even want to know?
“There are ways,” she said. “But none of them are very effective in the long-term. They are a bunch of fools.” She waved her hand dismissively in the air and pulled out her chair to sit. “You don’t have to worry. They won’t succeed.”
That didn’t sound comforting. Extracting raw power from someone had to hurt. But as much as the sorcerers were an irritant, the demons were still the biggest threat to me at the moment. “The demons still pose the greatest—”
An explosion ripped through the front yard, shaking the house on its foundation.
We all hit the ground.
Books toppled off the shelves and lamps crashed to the floor. The blast felt like an earthquake. I covered my head, expecting the plate-glass window to explode inward, but it held.
Tally was up first. “That was an Orb. The sorcerers have tracked you here. That was quicker than I thought they’d be able to amass themselves.”
I jumped to my feet. Rourke and Nick were already up. “Can they get in?”
“Of course not.” Tally sniffed. “But they’re going to try.”
Out in the hallway, there was a flurry of activity, but instead of panic I heard glee. There were several decisive “Bring it, Baldies!” All sorcerers shaved their heads. Rumors were it was some sort of magic-enhancing tradition—which I now knew wasn’t a rumor. Magic boosting must be their main focus.
“Sorcerers are cowards by nature,” Tally said, moving toward the window. “That Orb came from more than ten miles away or we would’ve sensed them. Close proximity would’ve triggered our alarms. But there’s no doubt they will be here shortly. This is your chance to get out of the Coven.” She turned and met my eyes. “I’m prepared to wait them out, but we could be locked in a standoff for weeks if you stay. They don’t give up easily, tenacious bastards, even if they only attack from afar. If you leave now, you have a chance to outrun them.” When I didn’t move immediately, she pointed toward the door. “Your window of opportunity is now. I suggest you take it.”
I turned, not needing any more incentive. We couldn’t afford to be locked in here for weeks, and now that we knew Marcy was safe, our agenda with Tally had changed. My staying here would risk unneeded damage to her Coven. Rourke was in front of me, and Nick’s hand rested on my shoulder. I glanced back before I went through the doorway.
She met my gaze and nodded once. “Marcy doesn’t trust many people, but she’s chosen to trust you,” Tally said. “I’ll consider your request to exchange information. That’s all I can do.”
“Thank you,” I said as we left.
Tally called behind us, “Head down to the carport. Take a vehicle, and once you’re out, get somewhere far from here. The sorcerers’ network is fairly small. If you get out of town quickly, you should be able to stay ahead of them.”
We didn’t look back as we raced through the house.
Another explosion rocked the grounds as we ran. The witches seemed eager for a fight. In the time between the two blasts, they had all donned heavy military gear: vests, boots, guns, knives, and bows. The house had become a militia in less than three minutes.
Note to self: Don’t fuck with the witches.
We followed our scent trail and Rourke skidded to a stop in front of the basement door. He yanked it open and we ran down the steps to the underground garage. We barreled into the room that held the hydraulic lift only to find it was completely empty.
Save one person.
Angie’s lips curled with distaste. The feeling was more than mutual.
I fisted my hands, forcing myself to ignore her with everything I had. I turned in a full circle, but the room was bare. No Humvee and no other vehicles in sight.
“Looking for something?” she sneered as she angled her body back against the concrete wall, clearly enjoying what she thought was her moment.
I turned to Rourke and he nodded once, needing no other prompts. He took a menacing step toward Angie, his shoulders back, his growl low. Her eyes widened, but she stayed put.
“Listen, you—” I said as Rourke continued to pace toward her.
Before I could get the words out, Nick’s hands went up, interrupting me. My eyebrows arched. Nick addressed the witch, “I know it doesn’t appear that way, but we’d much rather handle this without violence.” Angie was looking more alarmed by the second, which worked in our favor. “But only if you cooperate. Tallulah, your Coven mistress, ordered us to find a car. If we stay here, the sorcerers will keep attacking. We leave and they … eventually leave. She wants us out, and it seems you’re the only one who can help us.”
Nick was right to try and avoid catastrophe, but I was too mad to put things into perspective. It wasn’t going to be a fair fight, since Angie didn’t stand a chance against us, and if we did her harm, we could count Tally and Ceres as enemies. He had the right idea, and I was going to have to control my wolf, who was laser focused on inflicting some payback.
Rourke stopped moving, awaiting her decision to cooperate on her own.
A nasty smile lingered on her lips once she realized we weren’t going to tear her to pieces. “Yes, well, we’ve taken your vehicle as payment for your entrance, which is why you don’t see it here.”
“You … you can’t do that,” I snarled. “It was packed with all our supplies. You can’t just take what you want—” I stomped forward as Nick whipped his arm out to keep me back.
Angie moved forward as well, her irises sparking with a low scarlet light. “You just had your future foretold. Do you think that comes without a cost? Ignorance must be one of your best qualities. I’m sure your mother is very proud.” She knew shifters were raised by their fathers. My mother had died in childbirth.
I clamped my teeth together, and a fierce growl, fueled by my pissed-off wolf, echoed around the room. I wanted nothing more than to wring her beautiful neck. “I’m willing to pay the price for meeting with Maggie,” I managed with as much calm as I could muster. “But taking our vehicle and supplies without our consent is not in good faith.” Witches were notorious for charging exorbitant fees. “You are free to bill us for services rendered, but we want our vehicle back now.”
She cackled. “Well, it’s gone. Do you see it in here?” She mocked looking around the room.
Nick cleared his throat, but before he could speak, Rourke cut in, his voice laced with danger. “The truck doesn’t matter. We need a vehicle. Any will do. And I suggest you deliver one in the next three seconds or I will tear your throat out.”
Angie’s face changed for the merest second, but it was enough. “Well, I guess it’s your lucky day then, because I have one vehicle left.” She pushed off the wall and shouldered past me, her glossy hair swinging behind her.
By the smallest margin imaginable I resisted the urge to yank it completely out of her head, my hands curling inwar
d.
She lifted her fingers at a far wall. A door, seamlessly hidden, lifted, making no sound. Behind it stood a lone vehicle.
An ancient-looking Vespa.
My voice sounded savage in my ears. “You expect us to escape on a scooter? You must be out of your mind. We need something with four doors and a roof. And there are three of us, not two, in case you haven’t noticed.”
Hands on her hips, she declared, “This is what I have available. Everyone left after the first explosion. It’s actually the best-concealed transportation we have. Spells go by weight—the bigger the object, the harder to spell. Your precious Humvee will only stay spelled for a few hours at most. This one”—she gestured at the aged moped—“will stay spelled for a week.” Her eyes glittered with laughter. She was playing us, but another explosion hit and there was no more time to argue. “Take it or leave it. That’s all I have.”
I took a step forward and Nick wrapped his hands around my shoulders, steering me away from her and toward the battered Vespa. “Jess, listen to me,” he whispered in my ear. “Just get on it and go. You’re running out of time, and arguing with her is not doing us any good. The sorcerers will arrive soon. Head out while you still have time, and once they stop the assault, I’ll head back to the Safe House. Everything will work out.”
Rourke walked over and grabbed the scooter by the handlebars and lifted it out of its parking space with the effort it took an accountant to lift his phone. He strode over to the platform and set it down with a clang, snarling, “If this thing breaks down once we’re outside, I’m coming back in here to kill you. Do you understand me?”
Angie had the nerve to grin. “It won’t. It’s spelled in more ways than one, big fella. It doesn’t need gas and it can carry two people no problem.”
“There are three of us here,” I muttered.
She shrugged. “Like I said, this is all I have. I couldn’t care less if you use it or not. Stay in here if you want.” She spun around and headed for the door right as another explosion rocked the foundation. Light fixtures swayed and concrete cracked, sprinkling dust from the walls. We were several floors underneath the mansion, so that one had been closer. Angie angled her head back before making her dramatic exit. “If you don’t leave now, however, you’re going to miss your golden opportunity. The sorcerers will be here in moments, and we wouldn’t want you to die out there or anything.” She turned, slamming the door with a clap.
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