by Patti Larsen
***
Chapter Twenty One
It was only a couple of blocks and I covered the distance in less than a minute. Which wasn’t long enough for me to bring my mind to order or figure out how I was going to make Quaid listen when he had a serious hate on for me right now.
Not that it mattered. And I refused to stop and think he was the first person I thought of when I needed help. Because that would mean admitting I needed him.
I just wasn’t in the right headspace for that at the moment.
I snuck around the back of the house, trying to quiet my breathing so Martin and Louisa wouldn’t hear me. My luck, just as I hit the corner, I heard their door open and the sound of their voices. I threw myself behind a bank of rose bushes and hoped they hadn’t seen me.
“But, Martin,” Louisa was saying, “she can’t do this.”
“We have to trust Miriam,” he answered. I heard a car door open. “She knows what she’s doing.”
Door slam. “I hope you’re— “ cut off by another door slam. The engine of their Econobox fired up and they spun away down the street toward my house. It didn’t surprise me Mom called on them to back her up. I could shortlist the coven members she trusted for this. Six was a magic number with her as seventh. Hopefully Mom had a plan and wasn’t just throwing herself at the problem hoping Meira was okay.
I had to believe she did, anyway.
I was just about to pick myself up from the ground when a voice said, “So this is what stopping to smell the roses looks like.”
That voice. How could it make me all warm and shivery and furious all at the same time? I looked back over my shoulder, up his long legs, death band T and broad shoulders to the familiar smirk I’d grown to know and despise.
No smirk. He actually looked concerned. Amazing, really. Aside from sarcasm and the occasional real smile, he never showed his emotions. He held out one hand. “I take it you’re done.”
I slid my fingers over his palm and let him pull me to my feet as a peace offering. “Rose inspector,” I said, voice lighter than I ever figured I’d manage under the circumstances. “Your specimens pass.”
He smiled and never let go of my hand. In fact, he opened the walls between us, letting his power slide over me and making my demon purr. So maybe he wasn’t as mad at me as I thought?
“Did they tell you anything?” I figured the Vegas hadn’t, but I could have been wrong. I didn’t have time to repeat what he already knew. A mental clock ticked inside my body, winding me up with every moment that passed until I either had to act or explode from the pressure.
He shook his head. “Just perked up and bolted. I take it something’s happened about Miera?”
I told him everything, from what Sunny said to the rift between me and my demon. That clearly startled him, his power diving inside me but I batted him off with my own and went on. He needed to know there was something about me that seemed to make Nicholas vulnerable to my magic. But worst was the agreement Mom made. And how she begged me to stay out of it.
I ground to a stuttering halt, feeling all the weight of everything that happened settling on me again, crushing me to the ground. After I gave voice to all of it I realized how desperate things were in all quarters and how cornered I felt.
I wanted to break down and cry.
Quaid must have known it, felt my emotions through our contact, because he pulled me close to him and hugged me. I clung to him, feeling him rest his cheek on my hair, one open hand pressing against my ribcage as he held me tight.
The weight lifted almost immediately. It didn’t matter, the fighting we’d been doing, his attitude. Hell, my attitude. None of it. Everything was erased that beautiful moment he held me in his arms and gave me all the support I could ever need or want.
Now I really wanted to cry. It was true. He was the one. The perfect one for me. There was no denying it anymore. We fit together like we were made for each other. And as much as a very tiny slice of my old, whiny self tried to be offended by it, when I lifted my head and met his eyes, the complaint was gone the moment his chocolate ones met my blue.
Quaid’s throat worked as if he wanted to speak but couldn’t.
“I know,” I whispered. “But we don’t have much time.”
He released me reluctantly. Once he did his focus returned.
“What do you want to do?”
He stood there looking down at me like I was supposed to have an answer.
“I…” It was so hard. What did I want to do? No, more accurately, what was the right thing to do?
I came to my decision just before Quaid said, “I’ll get my bike.”
***
We turned down an unfamiliar road before we reached the rutted trail to the site. I was so anxious about getting there in time I almost knocked on his helmet until my understanding kicked in. We couldn’t just pull up to the clearing on his motorcycle. Mom would have a fit.
He obviously had a plan.
Quaid turned off his headlight and then the engine, letting the bike roll to a stop about a half a mile or so from the site, from what I could tell. I swung off the back, handing him his spare helmet, already finding my bearings. I felt the embedded energy of it humming in the distance, the perfect compass.
Neither of us spoke. We didn’t have to. I let my demon flood my sight with her power and everything was suddenly very bright. Perfect. I’d lost a lot of the endurance I built up playing soccer, which almost made me glad my demon was running at night when she had the chance. At least one of us was making sure my body stayed strong.
She huffed a growl at me with an edge of amusement in it so I knew she took it as a compliment.
Quaid stopped me when we were almost there.
“We can’t just go busting in there,” he said, voice barely a whisper as if Mom would hear us even from here. “We need a plan.”
“We can’t let them leave with Mom.” I risked my sister by being there, and the last thing I wanted was to put her life and afterlife in jeopardy. But I knew Mom wasn’t thinking straight, as much as the rest of the coven wanted to trust her leadership.
“We attack,” I said. “Depending on how many vampires he has with him.” I had so little information. “Split up, get to either side of Meira. I know the second we strike Mom will go for her so we won’t have to worry about it.” Mom would leap on the chance to save Meira and kill me later.
Quaid nodded. His hand gripped mine, squeezed. “When this is over,” he said, leaning close, lips hovering over mine, “we need to talk.”
I rose up on my tiptoes, closing the gap between us, feeling his mouth so warm and soft against mine. My power flushed and pulsed from the kiss.
“No,” I said as I pulled away. “We don’t. We both know what this means.”
He smiled at me, his chocolate eyes almost glowing. “Be safe.”
Quaid ran off into the trees while I took a moment to hug myself and finally accept my fate.
Not exactly the future I had planned, but my complaints seemed to have vanished at some point while I kissed him.
But this wasn’t about me. I had to shake off the warmth and security of the way he felt and force myself to pay attention. My sister and my mother were at risk and no damned vampire was going to keep me from protecting them.
Whether Mom liked it or not.
***
Chapter Twenty Two
I eased through the last line of trees and peeked out at the people gathered in the center of the site. Someone lit a fire, not as large as our Samhain or Beltane blazes, but it glowed with the blue light of the coven so I knew it had to be Mom.
She was sending a pretty clear message. Don’t mess with the family.
Somehow I didn’t think Nicholas would be all that impressed.
I made sure to shield myself very well, despite my demon’s distress. The last thing I needed was for Mom to catch me before I could be of any use. This was supposed to be a surprise attack, after all. The only problem with this
plan? I had no idea where Quaid lurked.
I crouched in the long grass outside the fire light, finding a rock ringed by weeds for cover. While the family kept the center of the site mowed, the rest was allowed to grow wild. All the better for me. My vantage point was maybe thirty feet from the edge of the circle, far enough I hoped I could stay out of sight, but close enough I’d be useful when the time came.
Thank goodness my magic was keyed to the wards. At least being there and touching them wouldn’t give me away.
I heard the gathered witches talking quietly among themselves, the clear night air carrying the murmur of sound if not the specific words. I spotted Erica talking to Louisa and Martin, no surprises there. But I wasn’t expecting to see Celeste or James. Neither were Mom’s biggest supporters. But they were both powerful witches, so I guess I could understand.
The biggest shocker was the sixth witch Mom brought. Gram stood alone off to one side, her mouth working over and over. I could only imagine Mom gave her one of her favorite chocolate toffees to keep her busy. But why Gram?
I allowed a tiny sliver of myself out of my shields. It’s not as easy as it sounds. I shook and sweated from the effort, wishing yet again I’d spent more time practicing while knowing no amount of practice would take away my aversion to magic, so it was pointless to have this conversation with myself.
When I finally managed it, I understood Mom’s reasoning. Gram’s magic was family magic. Not as in family coven, but in blood. And Gram had been the leader of our coven before she faced the Purities and had her brains scrambled. There was enough residual power in her to boost Mom if she needed it.
Perfect. Now that I knew, I could infiltrate the link when the time was right and offer Mom even more.
At least, that was the theory.
I glanced at my wrist and made a face. Forgot my watch. It had to be close to an hour by now. I caught James doing the same, saw him look at Mom. Surely it was time?
Nope. My thighs started to burn from the crouch, my knees aching. I bounced a little, trying to encourage the blood to flow in my feet again. They were tingling, starting to go to sleep. The waiting was the worst thing I’d ever gone through. I’d have gladly faced Nicholas personally without magic to defend myself than wait another minute.
Not my choice, I guess. I gritted my teeth against my growing fear as my mind started second guessing the plan. What if we screwed this up and made it worse? What if me being here caused Meira’s death, or worse, pushed Nicholas to turn her into a vampire? What if Mom was captured anyway and I played right into his plans?
This was stupid. Stupid. What the hell was I thinking? This would never work. I had to leave, to let Mom take care of it before I ruined everything, just like I always did.
My breath came too fast, my anxiety making me shake. My demon howled her disappointment, but I knew I had to leave before I did something really and truly stupid.
I turned on one heel, wincing at the groan from my right ankle and came face to face with Sunny. I almost screamed, but managed to hold it in. She reached for me, hugged me quickly, her mouth over my ear, whisper barely audible, just loud enough for me to make out.
“What are you doing here?” She pulled back, nose practically pressed to mine.
I leaned in and copied her whisper. “Quaid and I snuck in. We’re going to attack when Nicholas is distracted.” I felt a whole lot better having Sunny with me.
She looked concerned for a moment then nodded. “My plan exactly.” She squeezed my shoulders. “Just remember I’m here to help, Syd. I’ve only ever been here to help.”
That sounded… odd. But I knew it was true. I bobbed my head at her, feeling my worry retreat. If Sunny backed this move, I was on the right track.
Now all I had to do was not make a mess of things.
Shadows rippled and landed at the edge of the site just to my right. Almost too close. It made me nervous. But a glance at Sunny’s calm face helped a lot. I reached out and squeezed her hand as Nicholas and his five vampires approached the inner wards.
And were stopped in their tracks. Nicholas hissed as the blue fire flared and lashed out, a lick of flame leaping free to slam into him as he tried to cross into the protected circle. Gram grunted then grinned at him and waved, her teeth dark from chocolate.
So that was Mom’s plan. She was using Gram as the core of protection and herself as offence. Nicely played. There was no way Nicholas could be as strong.
For a second my mind did the math and I wondered why after living a bunch of centuries Nicholas wasn’t able to count. Six witches and Mom. He only brought five.
Doofus.
“You go too far, Miriam Hayle.” He sounded really pissed about the whole fire thing. Patted at his chest, his clothes smoking a little. And that suit looked expensive. Sucker.
“No,” Mom said at her most regal. “It is you who goes too far, Nicholas DeWinter. Return my daughter as agreed.”
“Not before you lower your defenses.” He snarled at Gram who made shapes with her fingers. One of them slipped, a very rude one, and I wondered, as I always did, how much of my grandmother survived under all that insanity.
“You know that won’t happen until you return my child to me.” Mom didn’t move, stood just as motionless. And just as cold.
“Your precious girl is fine,” he said. “In a safe place. For now. I could arrange for that to change.”
Nice threat. Mom wasn’t having any.
“I have absolutely no reason to trust you,” Mom said. “So you either produce Meira this instant or the conversation is over.”
Nicholas laughed at her. “Then I suppose we are at an impasse.”
Craptastic. Now what? Until he brought my sister out, I was useless. There was no way I could make a move until everyone was present and accounted for.
I was a little surprised when Sunny let go of my hand and grasped my upper arm. “Syd,” she whispered, “I love you.”
A weird thing to say in the middle of a… wait a second. What was she doing?
Sunny suddenly stood up with me firmly in her grasp.
“Lord Nicholas,” she said in her beautiful voice. “You are betrayed.”
I gaped at her as she shoved me forward, unable to act at all. Even my demon was floored and speechless. Sunny? No way. Sunny?
He turned and smiled at me while Mom’s face crumpled for a moment. “Ah, yes. Hello, Sydlynn.”
I wrenched my arm free from Sunny’s grasp and rubbed at it. She might look delicate, but her vampire strength was something else. As she stepped up to Nicholas’s side I realized what an idiot I had been.
Nicholas could count just fine. And had a real way with traitors.
My rage surged forward, my demon thrashing in her need to destroy something, anything. I barely held her back as I advanced on Nicholas, amber fire leaping from my hands. “Where’s my sister, fang face?”
He actually backed off a step. Sunny refused to meet my eyes. Good for her. I’m sure had she managed it I would have found a way to kill her then and there just by looking at her.
I couldn’t believe I trusted her.
“If you harm me in any way,” Nicholas hissed, “your sister becomes one of us.”
He could have been bluffing. But I knew this was the dilemma Mom faced. If he meant it, if he was that willing to risk an all out war between our coven and his blood clan, I knew he would go ahead with his threat.
I shot a handful of fire at his feet, making him flinch and snarl before backing slowly away from him. I felt his vampires try to circle me, but they moved too late. One last step in reverse and I was firmly in the safety circle my grandmother sustained.
Well, not quite. Mom had a big hand in it. No way Gram could stay coherent long enough to keep that fire burning. I felt a shock when I passed over, however. That feeling of protection. I’d felt it before.
But when? And where?
I didn’t have a chance to explore the question. Mom was beside me in a flash, one
arm around me.
“Sunny,” she said softly, without accusation or anger. “Why?”
Sunny’s beautiful face twisted and a single tear tracked down her cheek. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I just couldn’t resist him any more.”
Nicholas laughed. I really, really hated this guy and wondered why Sebastian hadn’t killed his ass years ago.
Sunny turned away and vanished into the dark. Coward. Mom may not have blamed her, but I sure as hell did. This was her fault. She should have warned us earlier. Maybe then Meira would be safe.
I almost lurched out of the protective circle when Sunny reappeared and would have if Mom hadn’t had such a good grip on me. She had Meira with her. My sister looked totally fine, if really, really angry. She jerked her arm out of Sunny’s hand and crossed her little arms over her chest, the deepest scowl on her face. I could tell from the amber fire simmering in her eyes she was ready to attack her captors all by herself. My heart swelled with pride for her even as I reached out.
Don’t.
She hated it. I could totally see it on her face.
I’m going to kill them. Vicious little thing, my sister. All of them.
This could work. Quaid was out there. And with me in the circle… they’d obviously underestimated my sister’s abilities. But she was no ordinary child.
“There, you see?” Nicholas smiled, actually patting her on the head. “Perfectly safe and sound.”
He pulled back from her with a hiss, a thin column of smoke rising from his palm. Nicholas snarled at her and Meira snarled right back.
“Don’t ever touch me,” she said, flames licking out from her hands. “Ever.”
Without warning, faster than she could move, Nicholas lashed out and struck her. I practically felt the impact, chest constricting as she spun half way around from the blow and collapsed on her side. Blood oozed from her nose, mouth gaping wide as her eyes slid closed.
“You bastard!” Mom shook so violently I shook with her, the shields wobbling as Gram screamed an echo.