“Tea.”
“Yes. Tea. A true marvel. It has been centuries since I partook of food or drink.”
Wait, had I heard right? “You’ve been fasting for centuries?”
He nodded slowly. “It has been my curse for setting The Hunt free. The Hunt is a force of destruction, a weapon of war.” He held up the jewel. “And a long time ago, I foolishly unleashed it on the mortal world. My people, visitors from another dimension, left me here. They cursed me to follow The Hunt and witness its atrocities until the day I was able to catch it and trap it. I have traveled your mortal world over and over following in its wake. I have heard the myths be born and evolve, and had almost given up hope until we stumbled into this pocket of reality. This hidden place where I finally met you.” He held out his hands as if to cup my face, and I jerked back. His hands were seriously filthy. He curled in his fingers. “My apologies. I am overcome. I’ve always been a step behind, until today. Today you gave The Hunt pause, and that pause allowed me to utter the words to force it back into its prison.” He bowed his head. “I am in your debt.”
“Where are you from?”
“A place of starlight and rainbows, of bone, ash, and blood. A place that feels like a dream and sometimes can become a nightmare. But it is home.”
“You’re one of the ancient ones, aren’t you?” Bane said. “The race the sea dwellers are descended from.”
“Yes, many of our kind who favored the ocean procreated with man. I too considered it, but I was distracted by … other things. And then I made the most horrific error and have paid for it ever since.” He smiled. “But now. Now, I can finally return home.”
He thought he could go back to his world and his people. Poor fucker was in for another shock.
Bane and I exchanged glances. He cocked his head in a should I tell him or will you gesture.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Oleander. I’m afraid there is no way out of Arcadia once you’re inside.”
He blinked at me for a long beat. “No way out?”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry, no.”
He pulled a dagger from the folds of his clothes. Bane shouted out a warning, but I was frozen in place. It didn’t matter, though, because there was no aggression in his eyes, only resignation as he plunged the dagger into his chest and yanked it back out, unleashing a spurt of blood.
My body broke from the grip of paralysis. “No. No. What have you done?”
He slid off the sofa onto the floor and into my arms.
“No more. No more.” His words were a reedy whisper.
Oh, God. The blood. So much blood. I pressed my hand to the wound. My eyes stung as his sorrow, his fatigue, and his desperate yearning for home swelled inside me. He’d made a mistake, a stupid mistake, and instead of helping him to rectify the error, instead of helping him to hunt this Wild Hunt, his people had abandoned him in a land that was not his own. They’d cursed him. He didn’t deserve any of this, and he certainly didn’t deserve to die.
His eyes fluttered closed and a long sigh escaped him. He was dying and it was wrong. So wrong. He had to live and make up for all the time spent running, otherwise what was the point?
“Serenity. He’s gone,” Bane said softly.
“No.”
“Serenity.”
“Leave me alone.” I shrugged off his hand and gathered the wretched creature closer. He was here. Still here. I could sense his essence in the air, hovering. I had to stop him. He had to come back.
My hands grew warm, a different kind of heat, not the sting that heralded the daggers but something new and powerful. It was energy but the kind I’d never felt before. It seeped into my hands, coming from everywhere, from the very air around me, and then my hands began to glow. The light sank into Oleander and his eyes popped open as he took a sharp breath.
He looked up at me in bewilderment. “Oh. Oh, my. What did you do?”
I slowly removed my hands from his chest. His tunic was torn and bloody, but the wound had knit. He was alive and whole. A choked laugh escaped my lips. “You’re okay. You’re alive.”
He stared at me blankly for several seconds. His lip trembled, and he covered his face with his hands and burst into tears once again.
“Mal, we’re going to need more tea,” Adam said. “And maybe some shortbread too.”
***
My teacup was almost empty, and the kitchen was getting cold, but my body was loath to move.
It was almost time to head to the gates. With The Hunt gone, we all slept like the dead—fang, hairy, and Protectorate all under the same roof; who would have thought, eh? The few hours after healing Oleander had been awkward. Wary, curious glances from the Sanguinata and the Lupin seared the back of my head. I was the woman who’d wounded the shadows and then brought an ancient one back to life. But all I could think about was Drayton. I’d had this ability all along, this ability to manipulate Aether and pull a soul back from wherever it was headed and shove it into its body. I could heal the dead, but I’d been useless to him. The rest, all my other accomplishments today, meant nothing, because when it had mattered the most, I’d failed.
Bane joined me at the kitchen table, scraping back a seat and lowering his huge frame into it. “You couldn’t have known. There is no point dwelling.”
How did he always sense what was bothering me? “I know.”
“And we still don’t know how it works. It could be a one-off.”
“I know that too.”
“But it’s impossible not to wonder, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” But there was more. “I sensed his essence when it left his body. I knew he was going, and I pulled him back.”
Bane locked gazes with me. “Yes. You told me that.”
I caught my bottom lip between my teeth. “I didn’t sense Drayton’s essence. What if … What if he wasn’t dead when I left him?”
Bane blinked slowly. “Serenity. You were certain he was dead a few days ago. Don’t doubt your instincts now in the face of this new revelation. Besides, who knows if this ability has only manifested because you’ve finally become one with your demon?”
“In which case, I wouldn’t have been able to help Drayton anyway.”
“Or sense his soul.”
Did he really believe that, or was he just trying to make me feel better? It didn’t matter, I’d take it. I’d take whatever to stop this awful cramping pain in my mind.
He picked up an empty cup and turned it over in his hands. It looked like a toy between his fingers. “You were brave last night. You saved lives, and you refused to quit. Remember that.”
Why was he saying this stuff? Oh shit, of course. I’d failed in the main objective to save the humans from the House of Vitae.
I ran a hand over my face. “I needed a win, Bane. I needed to save the humans. And now Dorian owns me.”
“No. I won’t let that happen. He’ll have to go through me to take you, and trust me, he won’t want to do that. You’re Protectorate. You’re one of us. With regards to the humans, there will be plenty more opportunities to win. Plenty of chances to save human lives.”
Adam padded into the room. “It’s almost time to go. Are you ready?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Let’s get the heck out of here.”
***
We were minutes away from the gates trundling open, and my chest was tight with disappointment. All those humans …
Adam walked over to me and pressed a bag into my hands. “Take it.”
“What is this?” I took a peek and the band around my chest loosened. “Your flags.”
Adam smiled. “No. Your flags. You saved my life. It’s the least I can do.”
“But don’t you need the humans?”
Adam snorted. “I prefer my donors to be willing. Happy humans produce sweeter blood.”
“And the others?” I glanced over his shoulder at Mal and the other fang.
“We’re in agreement.”
“So are we.” Gregory handed
My throat was all clogged now, and the back of my nose stung. I would not cry. “Thank you.” My voice cracked, and I cleared my throat. “This means the world.”
“Yeah, well, it’s a one-off,” Gregory said roughly. But there was a twinkle in his eye.
“It’s good to see you in clothes.”
He chuckled and leaned in to whisper, “And I’d be happy to see you out of yours.”
My neck heated and my cheeks grew hot. Shit.
Ryker stepped between us; the move was casual but clearly a back-off signal. Gregory winked and stepped away.
“You got your flags,” Bane said. His gaze was speculative, almost somber.
“That’s a good thing, right?”
Bane inclined his head. “I hope so. I really do.”
This was about the balance thing. Sanguinata needed blood and humans needed protection. Giving the humans the option of breaking the contract could reduce the Sanguinata’s food supply, and hungry fangs could be dangerous. But winning the challenge against the White Wings was more important, and with this victory, we’d given some humans back their free will.
“Well, the Sanguinata will just have to start treating their donors better, won’t they? Happy donors will mean less turnover.”
Bane blinked in surprise and then let out a bark of laughter. It was the first time I’d heard him laugh, and the vibration of it travelled straight through me and down to my toes. It lit me up from the inside and made me want to lean in to him and trace the laugh lines on either side of his mouth. What the heck was wrong with me? But before I could examine this revelation in any more depth, the fizz of the gates died, and the doors began to slide open.
Chapter 21
The last time I’d crossed this moat, I’d been with Drayton. Was he watching over me now from wherever neph souls went? Did he know that I’d succeeded in achieving what I’d set out to do? I should feel triumphant and satisfied, but there was only emptiness, because when all was said and done, he wasn’t here to share this moment with me. He wasn’t here with his teasing smile or his lazy drawl.
“He would have been proud of you,” Ryker said. “I know he was against you doing the games, but it was mainly because he cared about you too much. But if he could see you now, he’d be proud.”
He steered the bus we’d hired through the entrance to Dorian’s castle and parked up in the courtyard. It was optimistic, I knew. But I was hoping to fill it with humans for the return trip.
“Let’s just get this over with.” I grabbed my flags and climbed out. Adam would have delivered the news of their loss to Dorian by now—we’d all agreed to keep the shadow riders a secret. They were gone and there was no point giving Dorian a loophole. The games had been pronounced a draw between Lupin and Sanguinata. Both had come out three men down and with no flags. We’d smuggled Oleander out once the human officials had made their head and flag count and recorded it in their ledgers.
The ancient was now ensconced at the MPD mansion until we figured out what the heck to do with him.
Dorian’s butler appeared beneath the arch that led to the entrance to the building. He inclined his head, turned on his heel, and clipped off.
Ryker shot me a look.
“We’re supposed to follow.”
The journey was familiar, the same corridors and the same staircases. My mental map flipped open in my mind, and the gaps in this route were filled in as we walked. He led us to the same chamber where Drayton and I had seen Dorian before, where we’d witnessed his brutal treatment of his humans.
The doors swung open to admit us, and Dorian sat up straighter on his throne. Even from this distance, his rage was evident in the harsh lines of his face and his stiff posture. Dorian obviously didn’t like to lose. My impulse was to slip into goading mode. To plaster a smug smile on my face and take what I’d come for. But my win had only been possible because of Adam and Gregory. They’d given me the flags. They’d liberated these humans, not me.
Speaking of Adam … He stood to Dorian’s right, his head bowed. Dorian tapped his fingers on the armrest to his throne.
“Well, come in. Gloat and do what you must.” His tone was light, but his eyes were like flint.
“I’m not here to rub my win in your face, Dorian. We had a deal, and I’m merely here to see that you deliver your part of it.”
He studied me through slitted eyes. “You are, are you?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that you’re a man of your word. That you’re an honorable neph, and I am here to witness that for myself.”
Man, Drayton would be so proud of me right now, with the pretty words and the diplomatic attitude.
Dorian relaxed a fraction. His elbow was resting on the armrest, and he made a backwards wave with his fingers. “Of course, that is simply my nature.”
The gathered fangs twittered in agreement.
“Jeffery, bring the humans who have expressed a wish to be released.”
The butler hurried off.
“I blame myself,” Dorian said. “If I had chosen a better team, then you would not be standing here claiming victory today. If my team had done their job …” He slid a sideways glance toward Adam. “Is that not correct, Adam?”
Adam raised his head and a gasp caught in my throat. His face was a swollen, bruised mass. One eye was completely fused shut and the other was bulging and red.
I took a step forward. “What did you do?”
Dorian stared at me sharply. “Why do you care?”
I grit my teeth. The fucker suspected something. No point giving him fuel for his suspicions. “I care because I’m not a sociopath.”
Dorian let out a bark of laughter. “There she is. The feisty neph I spied on your first visit. For a moment I thought your lover’s death had sapped all your fire.”
His words cut through me to the pain buried beneath the bluster. “Drayton was not my lover. He was my friend.”
That dismissive wave again. “Whatever. Drayton was always weak. Always trying to play the peacemaker, the diplomat, and look where it got him. It got him killed.”
“Serenity, don’t bite,” Ryker warned.
But blood was the roar of an angry sea in my ears, and Ryker’s words were carried away on a tumultuous wave. “Drayton was ten times the man you will ever be. You think that pimped-out chair makes you some kind of king? No. It’s these poor deluded Sanguinata that do that. They either haven’t realized what a poison you are, or they’re too frightened to admit it. But when they do, when they wake up and realize that they all feel the same, then that pretty throne will be whipped out from under your butt, because the way you’re going, soon you won’t have any humans signing up to be donors.” I turned away from him and addressed the gathered fangs. “The law has changed. Humans can dissolve their contracts, and if you don’t start treating your donors better, then you’ll starve. Do you understand me?”
Another murmur flitted over the crowd.
“Scaremongering won’t work on us,” Dorian said. But he didn’t sound too convinced.
The doors behind Dorian opened and Jeffery filed in followed by humans. Lots of humans. A gasp went up from the crowd.
Yeah. I rest my fucking case.
The blonde who’d implored me on my last visit spotted me and broke from the huddle of humans to come running down the red carpet toward me. She flung her arms around me and squeezed.
“Thank you. Thank you for coming back for us.”
My eyes pricked, and I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her back. “It was my pleasure.” I locked gazes with Adam over her shoulder, and his lips, although busted and bleeding, lifted in a painful smile.
The humans came toward Ryker and me.
“It’s a good job we brought a bus,” Ryker said.
I smiled.
“Take them. Go,” Dorian snapped, and then to the humans, “House Vitae protection is no longer upon you. You’ll die out there. You and your families.��
The blonde girl rounded on him. “No. We won’t die. We have the Protectorate.”
“Oh, boy,” Ryker muttered.
Our entourage spilled onto the bus, and then we were off, over the moat and up the drive toward the gate. The humans huddled in silence until we slid off Vitae grounds, and then a collective cheer went up.
“Thank you,” the blonde girl said.
I glanced back at her. “What’s your name?”
“Ava. My name’s Ava.” Her eyes gleamed in triumph. “And we won’t forget what you did for us.” Her emerald eyes glittered with gratitude and something more…the beginnings of a plan?
The bus bumped over a pothole and Ava fell back into her seat. I fixed my eyes on the road.
Ryker grinned. “You know, this actually feels really good.”
Warmth infused me. “Yeah, it really does.”
***
It was almost time for Drayton’s memorial service. Taking a deep breath, I headed out of my room and down the corridor toward the main staircase. A door to my left opened and Cassie strode out.
She stopped at the sight of me, her mouth parting in surprise.
Thank God she’d come back for the memorial. A smile tugged at my lips, and I took a step forward to give her a hug, but then my gaze fell to her hands, which clutched a small overnight bag bulging with clothes.
“You didn’t come for the memorial, did you?”
She snapped her mouth closed and stood tall. “I thought everyone was already out back.”
“You were waiting for us to leave so you could sneak in and back out again?”
She rolled her eyes. “You make it sound so clandestine.”
“Isn’t it?”
“Whatever.” She turned away. “I’ll be back for patrol tomorrow, but I can’t stay here.”
“You’re seriously going to ditch on Drayton’s memorial?”
“I don’t need a memorial to remember Dray.”
“Cassie?”
I glanced back to see Orin standing at the other end of the corridor, his face pale and drawn.
Cassie faltered, and for a moment, I thought she’d turn back, but then she pushed her shoulders back and continued to walk away.
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