by Keri Arthur
“That’s not unusual, is it? According to Riona—”
“She’s okay?” Gianna cut in quickly. Desperately.
“Yeah, no thanks to you.”
“You don’t understand—”
“You’re right. I don’t. Leaving one child to save another? Utterly unforgivable.”
“But they wouldn’t have hurt her or Naya—”
“Really? Because by the time I got there, Naya had been beaten to a bloody pulp.”
Her face went white and a soft ‘oh no’ escaped. Her knees buckled, and she staggered back several steps until she hit the wall separating the slope from the road.
I moved further up the slope, but she didn’t seem to notice. She thrust a shaking hand through her tangled hair and said, “No, it can’t be true. I won’t believe it.”
“I can give you the phone number of the detective in charge of the investigation, if you’d like.” My voice was harsh but I didn’t care. She’d left her daughter behind to save her son. There was no excuse for that. No forgiveness.
“Where’s Riona?”
“Do you care?”
Her gaze shot up. Despite the wash of tears, anger burned deep. “She’s my daughter—of course I care.”
“And yet you made her a sacrificial lamb in order to save your son.”
“Because I believed they wouldn’t hurt her—they have plans for her, just as they have plans for Reign.”
“Do you have any idea what those plans are?”
My voice was grim and she frowned. “Of course—Max intends to resurrect Witch King rule, and Reign will secure the line of succession.”
Hearing our suspicions confirmed in such a matter-of-fact manner somehow made it all that much harder to take. When it was just conjecture on Mo’s part, I could keep pretending he wasn’t the brains behind this hideous plot. But now? Now I had no choice but to accept my twin was a traitor. A killer. A betrayer.
What probably hurt the most was the fact that he’d obviously been planning all this for well over six years—and neither Mo nor I had had even the faintest idea.
How could we have missed it? Surely there must have been some sign of what was happening—of the dark path he was being led down. Or had we grown so used to his secretive manner that we ignored all the clues?
I didn’t know—and probably never would. Not now.
I shook my head in a vague effort to get rid of the agony that burned within and the tears that still threatened to burst free. “And you didn’t think him crazy?”
“Of course not. He had the coronation ring—he showed it to me.”
Was it the one stolen from the museum, or the one the Blackbirds supposedly had in safekeeping? “And how do you know it was the real thing?”
“Because I’ve seen it before—or rather, seen the replica—at the British Museum.”
Which didn’t clarify which one he’d possessed. I’d have to ask Luc to check whether they were still in possession of the real one when I saw him again.
“You surely didn’t agree to bear his children on the sighting of one old ring. Or was it the money that convinced you?”
She hesitated. “He did—and does—pay very well, but there was also the bible—”
My gut clenched. “What bible?”
She gave me a strange look. “The De Montfort bible, of course. It wasn’t in great condition—had some fire damage, from the look of it—but it showed a clear line of succession to the current crop of De Montforts.”
Where the hell had he found that? How had he managed to find it, when it had supposedly been destroyed in a fire that had partially destroyed the family home just before the First World War?
And if they had that, why had the demons been searching for the Valeriun family bible? Or was it more a matter of Darkside and my brother not wanting us to get our hands on it, because it would have confirmed there was a direct link between the Aquitaine and De Montfort lines?
There were too many damn questions, and far too few damn answers.
I scrubbed a hand across burning eyes and said, “You do know he plans this resurgence of witch rule with the aid and power of Darkside—”
“What? No—”
“What do you think Winter is?”
She frowned. “He’s strange, yes, but—”
“He’s a half-demon.”
“Half-demon? No, he can’t be—”
“Have you ever asked your children where Winter takes them?”
Her frown deepened. “To school. Max wanted them to learn languages. I told him they were too young but—”
“And do you know where that school is?” I cut in.
“Not far from where we live.”
Meaning there was a dark gate near them? Another thing I needed to tell Luc. “Darkside. They’re taken into Darkside.”
She stared at me. “You’re insane.”
My smile was grim. “Maybe I am, but that’s what Riona said when I asked, and I have no reason to disbelieve her.”
“But—” She stopped. “I can’t believe—”
“Really?” I broke in again. “Then why did you run when Max called to say he was sending someone over to pick up Reign?”
“He said that things had escalated sooner than he’d hoped and that he was taking him away for a while.” Her quick smile held little humor. “Whatever you may think of me, I’m not a bad mom. Something felt off, and I didn’t have much time to think. I just acted, as any mother would.”
Any mother would not have left their little girl behind. I pushed the anger down and glanced up as fat drops of rain began to fall. “We better get moving—not only is it about to bucket down, but we’re not safe here.”
“Why?” She frowned. “We’ve taken care of your brother’s men.”
“And how do you think they found you here, when you didn’t leave a note or any other indication of where you were going?”
She opened her mouth and then closed it again.
“Winter can speak to—and track—your children when they’re asleep.” I glanced down at the child in my arms. He had my brother’s features, and it was a knife to the heart. Max, how could you do this? Why would you do this?
I swallowed heavily and added, “Given they did find you relatively quickly, they were obviously close behind you when we sprang the trap in that cabin.”
“That was you?”
“Yeah. And if you’d succeeded in killing us, Reign would now be on his way to Darkside.”
“No—” She stopped. “How do I know you’re speaking the truth? How do I know I can trust you?”
“All I can do is let you speak to Riona, but until Reign wakes, I’m not taking you anywhere near her. It’d put her and her guardians in danger of an immediate attack.”
Her gaze swept me, lingering briefly on the blood staining my shoulder and sleeve. “You risked your life to save us. I guess I really have no choice.”
For now. She didn’t say that, but it nevertheless seemed to hover in the air.
“Let’s get back to your car and get out of here,” I said, as the skies opened up.
“My son—”
“I’ll carry him.”
Annoyance flicked across her expression, but she nevertheless climbed over the fence and strode toward the car. I followed. After clipping Reign into his car seat, I clambered over the console and dropped into the passenger seat. It would have been easier to use the doors, but there wasn’t a chance in hell I’d risk getting out of the car. The bitch would have taken off—the slight smile tugging at her lips was evidence enough of that.
“I take it you have a plan of action?” she said in a friendly and yet still snippy way.
“Yep. Get us out of here before someone calls in the cops.”
She shoved the car into gear and flattened the accelerator. As the old car shook, I grabbed my phone and called Mo.
“Where are you?” I asked the second she answered.
“Approaching Penrith. Did you find her?”<
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“Yes, but Darkside got there first. We’re all okay, though.”
“Good.” The relief in her voice made me smile. “I’ll arrange for Ron to come fetch them.”
“I’m not going anywhere with a damn stranger,” Gianna said.
“You already are, and you’ll continue to do so if you want to save your son’s life,” I snapped back. To Mo, I added, “What do you want us to do in the meantime? Reign’s been drugged—”
“Because he was screaming for his damn sister,” Gianna muttered. “It was attracting attention.”
“Perhaps he knew his sister was in danger.”
She snorted. “He’s five.”
“And a twin. We twins have a special bond.” And I couldn’t help but wonder when the one between Max and me had broken—and why I hadn’t even noticed.
“Just drive,” Mo said. “It may not be safe to stop, as it’s unlikely Winter got Gianna’s location details from Reign if he’s been drugged and hasn’t stirred.”
Something I hadn’t actually thought about. I glanced quickly at Gianna. “Did you pack anything of Reign’s that Max or Winter gave him?”
“Just an old teddy—”
I swore and twisted around. The teddy had been strapped into the middle seat next to the car seat. It was indeed old—a grubby-looking bear with threadbare cheeks, black ears, and a natty blue waistcoat. It was also, I thought with a stab to the heart, Max’s bear—one that he’d absolutely cherished as a kid.
Maybe, despite all his plotting, some part of him did actually care for his children—or, at the very least, his son.
And maybe I was just grabbing at something—anything—that meant my brother wasn’t totally lost. That some love, light, and decency remained.
“Hang on a sec, Mo.” I put the phone on loudspeaker, placed it on the console, and then leaned back to grab the bear. A quick but thorough examination revealed the existence of a small, circular object. The tracker, no doubt.
“Your instincts are spot-on, Mo—there’s a tracker in his teddy.”
“What?” Gianna said, horror in her expression.
“It may not be the only one, either,” Mo said. “Your brother’s never been one to leave things to chance. Ditch the teddy—”
“No,” Gianna said. “He won’t sleep without it.”
Max hadn’t either. I blew out a breath and drew Vita. After carefully unpicking a few stitches, I squeezed the small disk out of the bear’s fat little backside. “The tracker’s little bigger than a ten pence piece.”
“Which means it probably hasn’t a huge range. They might still be following you.”
I opened the window and tossed the tracker out. “We’ll drive around Penrith until you can give us a location,” I said. “If there is a second tracker, then at least there’s less chance of them hitting us in a busy market town.”
“Hopefully. Just be careful.”
“I will.”
I disconnected and then glanced at Gianna. “Have you got anything else of his—or even yours—that Max or Winter gave you?”
“The teddy and a few clothes was all I had time for.” She glanced at me. “Who’s Mo?”
“Our grandmother. Did Max never mention her?”
Her expression was amused. “This was a business deal, not a love match.”
“I certainly didn’t think it was love—he’s homosexual.”
She snorted. “Well, that explains his awkwardness over the whole sex part of the arrangement.”
I blinked. “You and he actually had sex?”
“How else does one get pregnant?” She raised an eyebrow, amusement evident. “Him being gay does explain the decided lack of enthusiasm and why proceedings stopped the minute I did fall pregnant.”
This was certainly a day for shocks. I wasn’t sure I could take too much more, especially where my brother was concerned.
“Do you have his phone number?”
Her eyebrow rose again. “You don’t?”
“I course I do, but it might not be the same one.”
She immediately rattled off the number. It was the same one.
“What about Winter? Do you have his number?”
She nodded. “But I don’t know that one off by heart—I was warned never to use it except in emergencies.”
“I’ll need you to give it to me so we can track it.”
“I will, as soon as I can access my phone.” She glanced at me. “Winter is … unpleasant.”
If that wasn’t the understatement of the year, I wasn’t sure what was. “Trust me, I’m well aware of that.”
Her gaze slid over me, then rose to the bloody sleeve of my arm. “If you knew what Max was up to, why haven’t you stopped him?”
“Because we didn’t know. Not until very recently.”
“But he’s your twin—”
“And we don’t live in each other’s pockets. Who was Naya?”
She blinked hard, several times. “My cousin. Max was paying her to homeschool the twins, as she’s a qualified teacher. She also had babysitting duties when I had to go out.” A lone tear trickled down her cheek. “Is she really dead?”
“I’m afraid so.”
One tear became two. She bit her lip and lightly shook her head, as if to loosen the grip of sadness. “Her parents will need to be informed.”
“The investigators will handle that.” I paused as she turned right around the roundabout and continued on to Penrith. “Did you ever meet Winter or Max outside your home with the twins? Or did they always come to collect them?”
“Generally the latter, but there was one time where I had to meet Winter in London. It was a fucking long train trip with two kids in tow, let me tell you.”
My heart began to beat a little faster. While it was very unlikely that whatever address they’d used would still be in use, it would at least give us a starting point. Right now, he very much remained an enigma. “Can you remember where in London?”
She wrinkled her nose. “It wasn’t far from Euston Station—Goodge Street, I think. There was a Botanicals place opposite it. I remember that because Reign pointed out the bear on the sign.”
“Can you remember what floor?”
“Top, I—”
The rest of the sentence ended in a yelp as the Estate was hit from behind and sent flying toward the side barrier and the thick pole of the overhead sign that stood behind it.
Darkside hadn’t quite finished with us yet.
Chapter Nine
“Brake!” I yelled, automatically bracing for impact.
The tires squealed and the car fishtailed violently as Gianna fought to keep control. But we were going too fast to stop so quickly, and we hit the metal barrier with a bone-jarring crunch that threw us both forward and sideways. As the seat belts snapped taut, the airbags exploded, filling the cabin with smoke and dust. It felt like someone had deployed a sledgehammer against my chest, and for several seconds, breathing hurt.
I sucked in the foul, powdery air and caught a glimpse of movement in the side mirror—a man walking toward the vehicle, a gun held against his right leg. They definitely weren’t playing this time.
“Gianna?” There was no immediate response, and I risked a quick glance at her. There was blood on the side of her face, and she was out of it. She must have smacked her head against the window when we’d slammed side-on to the barrier.
I swore softly, dragged Nex and Vita free of their sheaths, and then glanced at the side mirror again. The stranger with the gun had reached the back of the Estate. I undid the belt but didn’t immediately release it, allowing it to retract slowly to lessen the chance of the stranger seeing the movement.
Then, after silently praying the deflating airbag didn’t get tangled in my legs, I thrust the door open and pushed out.
The stranger was quick, I’ll give him that. There was a soft thwock, thwock and several bullets hit the lower part of the door, close to my torso.
I unleashed the power of the da
ggers and burned him to a crisp, then quickly glanced under the car and saw a pair of sneakered feet edging toward the rear door. I flicked a stream of lightning at him, heard a yelp that cut off abruptly, and watched his ashes spray across the ground. A heartbeat later, an engine roared to life; the truck that had sent us into the barrier was reversing. Whether he intended to leave or he simply wanted to gather enough momentum to finish us off, I couldn’t say. I certainly wasn’t going to wait and find out. I crossed the blades and sent a deadly arc of lightning straight at him. The front windshield exploded, and the driver disintegrated. With no one on the accelerator or guiding the wheel, the truck swung back into the barrier and stopped.
Our means of escape, if we moved fast enough.
I scrambled upright and tugged open the back door. Reign didn’t appear to have been injured—the car seat, with its inbuilt five-point harness, had obviously done its job, though it was hard to be certain given he remained fast asleep. I reached past him and shook Gianna. She swore—whether at me or in pain, I wasn’t exactly sure.
“Gianna, you have to wake up. We need to get out of here.” And before someone came around the corner and stopped to offer assistance. We’d been lucky so far—both sides of the road had remained empty, but I doubted such luck would hold for long. “Gianna? Move—now!”
“What happened?” She thrust a hand through damp hair. Her fingers came away red. “Why am I bleeding?”
“We got hit from behind and pushed into the side barrier,” I said. “Either something in your belongings is bugged or this car is. We have to abandon it and get out of here.”
“Abandon?” she said, sounding a little out of it. “Why?”
“Because I said so.” Impatience edged my voice. We didn’t have time for this. “You’ll have to climb over the console and get out through the passenger door—your door took the brunt of the collision.”
She muttered something under her breath, but nevertheless undid the belt and unsteadily obeyed. I quickly undid the tether points on the kid’s car seat, slashed through the top point because I didn’t have the time to fiddle, and then dragged the whole thing over to the other side of the car. It would be damn awkward to carry, especially with Reign still strapped inside.