Throne of Oak (Maggie's Grove)

by Dana Marie Bell

  She darted a glance over at the yew. Over half the leaves had yellowed. They were losing Iva, and there was nothing she could do but pray that Dragos, Noah and Ash got to her in time. “Hurry.”

  * * *

  The boy woke up just as they arrived at Dragos’s house. The kid jumped as soon as he saw Dragos’s face, but Dragos’s did not break stride, carrying the boy into the house and right to the stairway. His Renfield would still be awake, waiting for him to come home. “Eddy!”

  A thousand rampaging elephants stampeded down his staircase, all embodied in the slim form of his Renfield. How someone so small could make so much noise was a mystery, one Dragos had been pondering since the boy first learned to run.

  Eddy hunched over in his now-familiar Igor impersonation. “You rang, master?”

  A soft snarl was Dragos’s only warning as Trajan descended the stairs in a far quieter manner. “You know I hate it when you call him that.”

  Eddy winked at Dragos. The little shit was doing it on purpose.

  From the expression on his face, Trajan was obviously aware of it too. His fond gaze rested on Eddy as he reached the landing, his arm automatically going around Eddy’s waist. “What do you have there, brother? Takeout?”

  Dragos rolled his eyes and carried the young Van Helsing into his office. He’d pulled the boy’s wallet on the way over, so at least he now knew his last name. “This is Cody Cheong, one of the Van Helsings who have been harassing the town. His friend should be here shortly. Parker’s bringing him.”

  “Why bring them here?” Eddy took a step as if to follow Dragos, but the arm around his waist prevented him from moving very far.

  “Melissa Weimer is dead.” He set Cody in the same chair Blake had so recently occupied. The boy was slowly coming around, blinking and crying out when he saw Dragos looming over him.

  “The coven leader? Holy shit.” Eddy began to tug on Trajan, dragging the reluctant dragon behind him. “What happened?”

  “You knew Selena wasn’t the coven leader?”

  “You didn’t?” Eddy finally managed to get Trajan into Dragos’s office. He settled his mate on Dragos’s leather sofa—then settled himself on his mate’s lap.

  “Obviously not.”

  Dragos winced as his front door slammed open. “Honey, I’m home.” Parker sauntered into the office with a boy slung over his shoulder. “Did someone order takeout?”

  Cody was shaking so badly his teeth were chattering. “You said you weren’t going to kill us.”

  Dragos put his hand on the boy’s shoulder, but he didn’t think his gesture eased Cody’s fears at all. “I think you’d be surprised how many bad vampire jokes we make around here.”

  “Oh, I got one.” Eddy was bouncing on Trajan’s lap. Dragos did not want to know if his brother’s pained expression was due to actual pain or... Yeah. He did not want to know. “What do you call a vampire duck?”

  “Oh, God. Eddy, no.” His Renfield could do this all night. In fact, when more than three Renfields got together it was something of a friendly competition to see who could come up with the worst vampire joke.

  As usual, his Renfield ignored him. “Count Quackula.”

  Parker snickered. “Good one. Haven’t heard that before. How about, why was Dracula so unlucky in love?”

  “Because he always loved in vein.” Eddie’s eyes were gleaming with mischief. He was enjoying himself far too much to stop on Dragos’s say-so. “What does Dracula eat at a baseball game?”

  “Pfft. That’s easy. Fangenfurters.”

  Dragos exchanged a pained glance with Trajan. “Kill me now.”

  Parker and Eddy looked at each other and cracked up.

  “You people are so weird.” Cody was staring at them all, wide-eyed, but at least he’d stopped shaking.

  “Parker, your guest?” Dragos gestured toward the chair next to Cody.

  “Peter Meuller. Little shit put up quite the fight. Sad to say, I had to knock him out.” Despite his harsh words, Parker gently put the unconscious boy in the chair next to Cody. He shook his head, all his normal good humor leached out of his expression. “Who sends children to do a man’s job?”

  “Harold Carpenter, apparently.”

  “He told Petey-boy here that Nelson Rhodes’s son was being held captive. Peter thought this was a rescue mission, which is why he fought me so hard even knowing what I am.” For just a moment admiration flittered across Parker’s face. “You have to respect someone willing to fight to the death for a friend.”

  “Carpenter must have told Cody the same thing.”

  “Where is Selena?”

  Dragos blinked, shocked. One moment Cody was sitting in his chair, slowly calming as Eddy and Parker joked with one another. The next, he was dangling from the fist of an icily angry dryad who glared at him as if he’d like nothing better than to slowly rip him to shreds.

  “So much for proving we’re not monsters.” Parker sighed and tapped Ash on the shoulder. “If I promise that the boy doesn’t know anything, would you put him down? There’s a good chap.”

  For a moment it looked as if Ash would refuse to comply with Parker’s request, but then he slowly lowered the boy back into his chair. “If she dies...”

  Both Dragos and Parker’s eyes turned blood red, but it was Dragos who answered. “Then we hunt, but not the boys. Cody and Peter are as much victims in this as any of us.”

  “I’ve got Greer conscious again. He has a nasty headache, but he’ll be all right.”

  The relief in Mina’s voice was welcome. “Good, I’m glad to hear that. Eddy is utterly calm around Cody and Peter. I think it’s safe to leave them here.”

  “Then I’ll meet you at Kate’s.”

  “Mina will be meeting us at Kate’s house.”

  That news seemed to startle Ash out of his angry funk. “Mina can leave the Throne?”

  “She broke Kate’s hex all by herself.” He had been terrified for her during her battle with Kate, but no one could be prouder of her than he was. Breaking a curse was no easy feat for a witch, let alone a dryad, but Mina had done it through strength of will alone.

  “That’s wonderful news!” Parker’s gaze became unfocused, the vampire passing the news on to his sotiei. “Amara says she’ll head over to Kate’s house as well. My sotiei doesn’t want Mina alone with her.”

  That left only one thing to do—double-check with both Eddy and Blake that Cody and Peter would not betray them. If the Van Helsings got even a hint of what Dragos had planned they would be prepared, and his people slaughtered. “Eddy?”

  “They’re both good. You can leave them here with me.”

  “Are you sure?” With Peter being unconscious, he wasn’t certain how accurate Eddy’s reading was.

  “Barring a Kate clone climbing into their heads and fucking things up, yes.” Eddy looked totally relaxed at the prospect of staying alone with the former Van Helsings.

  Trajan leaned in close to his mate and whispered something in Eddy’s ear, something that had the Renfield blushing so brightly Dragos feared for his heart. Surely pumping that much blood to Eddy’s face couldn’t be good for him. Trajan then stood, making sure Eddy was seated comfortably before joining Dragos. “I’ll be going with you to protect your sotiei.”

  That surprised Dragos. “I thought you’d remain behind, both to guard your mate and prepare Vasile for the upcoming challenge.”

  Trajan snorted his amusement. “Vasile will destroy Laurentiu—have no doubts about that. And my mate tells me he is safe around these men, and I choose to believe him.”

  “Eddy.”

  “Yes, master?”

  Trajan growled.

  Dragos ignored his brother. He would have to get used to the way Dragos and Eddy worked together if he was going to live here with them. “Go fetch Blake, please.”

  “Yes, maste—eee!” Eddy’s scream as he ran from the room was priceless. Trajan had turned on Eddy, chasing him from the room with a low, amused growl. />
  “Brat.” But the affectionate smile on Trajan’s face as they listened to Eddy thunder up the stairs belied his words.

  “Your brat.” Dragos was thrilled for his brother. He’d never seen Trajan happier.

  “Yes, he is.” The smug satisfaction in Trajan’s voice matched his expression.

  Parker was grinning like a loon. “You two have the strangest relationship.”

  “Says the man who is married to an eight-foot-tall weretree.” Dragos wouldn’t let anyone, not even Parker, make fun of Eddy and Trajan’s relationship. Even if he secretly wanted to say it himself.

  Dragos almost laughed at the confused expression on Trajan’s face. “Do I want to know?”

  “We don’t have time to play around. We need to get to Kate’s and find out where they’re holding Selena.” Ash practically vibrated where he stood.

  “I’m not leaving my mate here until I’m certain it’s safe.”

  Ash barely nodded his acceptance of that. Luckily Eddy arrived just then with Blake, who took one look at Cody and Peter and rushed to their sides. “Oh my God! Guys, are you all right? They didn’t hurt you, did they?”

  “I told you they were all right.” Eddy pointed toward Peter. “See, he’s even coming around.”

  Dragos watched as Blake and Cody fussed over Peter, relaxing even further as all three of them turned to Eddy for guidance. When his Renfield suggested a trip to the kitchen for some ice cream and explanations Dragos decided to leave their education up to him.

  If anyone could teach the boys that there was nothing in Maggie’s Grove for them to fear, it was Eddy. He would probably gather some of his friends together and introduce the former Van Helsings to them, allowing them to form their own opinions on how things were done here. He’d be able to show them they were just normal teenagers with a few extra...bits and pieces. It would have the added bonus of keeping the kids occupied and out of harm’s way.

  Of course, that also meant Dragos would be coming home to an absolutely filthy kitchen, but it would be worth it.

  Maybe.

  “Do we need to tuck the children into bed with a glass of water and a night-night story? No? Good. Let’s go.” Ash strode toward the front door, unwilling or unable to wait any longer.

  “Amara and I are already here.”

  Suddenly Dragos was just as eager to leave as Ash. “Stay hidden until we arrive.”

  She didn’t respond, but he could sense her impatience. If he didn’t get there quickly she would go into Kate’s house with only Amara as backup.

  “I mean it, Mina. Stay out of Kate’s house.”

  “Fine, Dragos. I’ll wait for you.”

  “Thank you, dragostea mea.” He focused once more on his friends. “Let’s go, gentlemen.”

  Parker rubbed his hands together gleefully. “Ah. Nothing like a little arse kicking to liven up an evening.”

  “Parker.”

  “What?”

  Dragos bit back a groan. Why did Parker have to come with him again?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mina desperately wanted to pace in front of Kate’s house, but she’d given her word and she’d abide by it. So there she sat, her ass parked on the cold, hard concrete of the curb two doors down from Kate, hoping like hell the witch came outside just so she could take her head off again for making her get a numb butt.

  “They’ll be here any moment.” Amara, her red curls pulled back in a poof-ball of a ponytail, jiggled her leg impatiently. They’d both dressed in all black like some idiot ninja wannabes. She’d barely managed to talk Amara out of putting black crud under her eyes.

  God, the men are going to tease the hell out of us over this.

  “I’m worried about the lack of movement inside Kate’s house.” They’d each taken turns creeping toward Kate’s front windows. The lights were on, but nobody seemed to be home.

  “You think she ran?”

  Mina bit her lip.

  “Shit.”

  “The fight we had should have killed her.” Or whatever she’d been communicating with had...

  Gods. That didn’t bear thinking on. Kate was a pain in the ass on a good day. If what Mina suspected was true, she could be ten times worse now.

  “She might have figured out a way around it. If she ran to the Van Helsings we might never get our hands on her.”

  That was exactly what Mina was hoping hadn’t happened. “And in revenge she might tell them how to get past the defenses.” Mina ran her hands through her hair. “I’m not sure, but I think she was in league with a demon.”

  “What?” Amara’s jaw went slack. “No way.”

  “Way. There was something odd about her, like there was someone with her... No, part of her, in my nightmares, watching.” She bit her lip. “I haven’t told Dragos yet. If she did make some sort of pact with a demon, we’ve got huge problems on our hands.” It had been centuries since a Queen had been forced to deal with a demon. Mina would have to research the older parts of the palace under the Throne. Some of the tomes hidden there might have a clue as to whether or not the demon had died with Kate, or if it had been freed by it.

  Gods, she hoped it was dead.

  Dead was good.

  “Are you certain it was a demon and not someone with psychic powers, using theirs to bolster Kate’s?”

  “Nope, not at all. The only thing I’m sure of is she wasn’t alone with me in my head.”

  “Shit. So it could be any number of creatures that could join with someone like that. Even a ghost.” Amara’s hair began to flicker with leaves as bark crawled up her hands. “How do you permanently kill a possessed witch?”

  “I have no fucking clue.”

  Mina and Amara exchanged a worried look. They stood and headed for Kate’s house. “They’re late.”

  “So they are.” Mina had a good idea what Amara was going to do. The hamadryad was far more suited to breaking and entering than Mina. Her abilities would protect her from quite a few things that would pulverize Mina.

  “I swear, honey, I stumbled into the door and it just broke.” Amara shrugged and smiled sweetly, but her eyes were glowing with green light.

  “And since I was leaning against it at the time, I just fell into the house. Honestly.”

  As one, the two women stalked up to Kate’s door. Amara didn’t even pause, lifting her foot and kicking the door down. She hit it so hard she sent it flying down the hall and into Kate’s living room. It smacked right into a sofa table, knocking over a vase and sending it crashing to the floor. The vase shattered, shards of porcelain scattering so far they almost hit the doorway.

  Amara shrugged. “Oops.” Mina started to step into the house but found herself staring at Amara’s back. “I go first. Duh.”

  Mina rolled her eyes, but Amara was right. It was her job to protect Mina, and that meant stepping into the house—and the possible line of fire—before her.

  Everything was eerily quiet. There was a stillness to Kate’s home that shouldn’t be there, as if something vital were missing. Mina shuddered as a chill settled into her bones. “She’s either gone or dead.”

  “You feel it too?” Bark covered Amara’s hands as phantom leaves appeared around her head in a pale green halo.

  “Yeah.” Mina walked slowly toward the living room. Whatever the wrongness was, it wasn’t centered there. Everything was pristine—the witch’s house just as cold and elegant as Kate had been. If the woman ever kicked off her high heels at the end of a long day she carried them into another room, because not even dust dared to mar the perfect picture.

  “Mina, look at this.”

  Mina walked over to Kate’s white marble fireplace and swore. Over it, in pride of place, was a large picture of Kate and Dragos, probably taken years before Mina had stepped into the town hall and met her destiny. Dragos had his arm around the witch, a fond smile gracing his face as he stared down at the top of her head. Kate, younger than she was now, gazed up at him lovingly.

  It was obv
ious the two had been a couple and, no matter how badly Mina wanted to deny it, at least one of them had been in love. “Do you think my mating of Dragos is what drove her over the edge?”

  Amara immediately shook her head. “Iva went missing about three weeks before Terri got here, remember? Besides, neither of you knew you were his sotiei until that day in the town hall, when he totally ignored Kate to drool over you.”

  Mina relaxed. “I knew he was mine when I was nine years old.” She’d forgotten that for a moment, too caught up in the visible love Kate had once had for Dragos. If Mina lost him to someone else it would drive her insane, so maybe she should cut Kate some slack.

  Nah. If what she suspected was right, nothing would justify Kate’s betrayal. Nothing. Kate had double-crossed them all long before Dragos saw Mina. Her mating had nothing to do with it. “So why did she bring in Van Helsings?”

  “Greed? Anger? Who knows. But most crimes have three key elements. Means, motive and opportunity.”

  “You’ve been watching Law and Order reruns again, haven’t you?”

  Amara shrugged. “Doesn’t make me less right.”

  “We know what the motive was. Kate told me she wanted the Van Helsings to deal with her enemies, and I’m thinking pave the way to power for her.”

  “But the means and opportunity? How did she contact them, and when?”

  “I highly doubt she used magic to contact them.”

  “Agreed.” Amara glanced around the room. “We need her computer.”

  They strode out of the living room toward the back. The house itself was modest—a simple two bedroom—but the finishes were lavish, with granite countertops, a marble fireplace and exotic hardwood floors. “I think we should check her bedroom first.” The feeling of wrongness was coming most strongly from there. Mina needed to see what was in that room before she went any further.

  Amara nodded and once again took the point, leading the way to Kate’s closed bedroom door. “Ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be.”

  Amara cracked open the door. “I don’t think Kate will be a problem anymore.”

  “What?” Mina couldn’t see past Amara until the hamadryad nudged the door wider.