by Tina Folsom
John closed his eyes, his jaw clenching now, his chest heaving as if to hold back tears. When he opened his eyes again, they were rimmed with tears. “I’ve fought with this decision ever since I was confronted with it. Every minute since Abel captured her. She’s tied up in some hut somewhere in the bayou, scared. I promised her that nothing would happen to her. That I’d come back for her.” A tear ran down his cheek. “But that won’t happen now. Because I can’t kill a man that I’ve loved and admired ever since I met him. Because of you, I can’t save the woman I love.” John’s jaw set in stone. “And right now, I hate you for that, Cain!”
Before Cain could react to the tearful confession, John’s hand went to the inside of his jacket. In lightning speed, he pulled a stake from it.
Cain jumped to the side, but instead of John lunging at him he jerked the stake toward his own chest.
“Noooooo!” Cain cried out and barreled toward John, slamming his fist against John’s arm. The impact loosened John’s hold on the stake.
At the same time, Haven tackled John from behind, while Thomas kicked John’s legs out from under him, making him tumble to the floor.
Moments later, Haven and Thomas had John pinned flat to the ground. Cain crouched down next to him. “That’s not a solution, John! Do you hear me? We’ll get Nicolette out of there.”
“How?” John spat, anger and desperation evident in his entire body.
Cain had never seen a man in so much emotional pain and hoped that he would never have to go through what John was going through this moment.
“Uh.” Wesley cleared his throat, making Cain snap his head to him and toss him a quizzical look.
Wes raised his finger as if he were in second grade, asking for permission to speak up in class. “Is Nicolette human?”
John turned his head, an impatient look on his face. “Why is that important?”
“Well, it is, because I assume you don’t know her exact location, right?”
“When I was brought to see her, they blindfolded me and then did the same when they released me. I only know it was some hut in the bayou. Maybe forty-five minutes from the palace.”
Wesley nodded. “Well, since she’s human, it shouldn’t be too hard to find her. I can scry for her, which I couldn’t do if she were a vampire.”
John made a motion to sit up, and Cain nodded to his friends to let go of him.
For the first time, a hopeful glint appeared in John’s eyes. “Can you really do that?”
Wesley nodded proudly. “I’m a witch. Of course I can.”
John sighed. “And once we know where she is? We might still be too late.”
Cain reached his hand out to his loyal guard and helped him up. “At least this way we have a small chance. We can send a few guys there clandestinely, while you continue to pretend you’re doing what Abel wants you to do.”
“Uh, actually,” Wesley threw in, drawing everybody’s attention back on him. “We have more than just a small chance. Once I have Nicolette’s location, I can put a protection spell on her so that whoever is guarding her won’t be able to harm her.”
“I recall you mentioning on the way here from San Francisco that you were working on one, not that you had actually perfected it,” John said with a good dose of skepticism in his voice.
Wes rolled his eyes. “I’ve had plenty of time to work on my craft. So why does everybody here constantly doubt my abilities?”
To Cain’s surprise, Blake slapped his colleague on the shoulder, grinning. “Maybe it’s time to redeem yourself and show them all that you’re not just a fuck-up.”
Wesley exchanged a look with Blake that appeared almost conspiratorial. “Maybe you’re right. Let’s show those vamps what the rest of us are made out of. Wanna assist?”
Blake chuckled. “As long as you don’t turn me into a pig in the process.”
Wes clicked his tongue. “Speaking of pigs, Blake, do me a favor. The next time you want to borrow one of my potions, ask me first, instead of messing with my stuff.”
“Huh?” Blake appeared utterly clueless.
“Well, never mind. I see why you have the need to arm yourself with some magic to defend yourself. Next time just ask first.” Then Wesley turned away from Blake and motioned to John. “I need something that belongs to Nicolette so I can scry for her. Do you have something she wore, or a lock of hair, something with her sweat or her scent on it?”
John reached to his neck and pulled a chain out from under his shirt, revealing a small vial dangling at its end. “Will her blood work?”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Wes said, already reaching for it. “That’ll make it so much easier.”
Cain glanced at the vial with the red liquid inside. “You carry her blood with you? Why?”
“I need to feel her close. You understand that, don’t you?”
Cain nodded slowly. He understood. Because John had not been able to blood-bond with the woman he loved due to the previous rule that the leader of the king’s guard wasn’t allowed a private life, he’d resorted to the next best thing: to always have her blood around him to be reminded of her.
Cain took John’s arm and clasped it. “Once this is over, I promise you’ll get to make her yours if that’s what you desire.”
John locked eyes with him, and in that moment their old friendship was restored.
Then Cain turned to Wesley. “How long will the spell last?”
“Twenty-four hours.”
“Good. That should be sufficient time. Get to work. Make it quick. Blake will help you.” And he hoped that the witch knew what he was doing. For all their sakes. “The rest of us, let’s get Abel and take him down.”
The cell phone in his pocket rang, and Cain impatiently pulled it out, glancing at the display. He answered it. “Yes, Gabriel?”
“You’d better come up here.”
“Stall them.”
“I’m afraid I’ve stalled as long as I could.”
Cain cursed. “I’ll be there in a minute.” He disconnected the call and looked at his friends. “Your orders stand. Find Abel and prevent him from making any phone calls to alert whoever is guarding Nicolette. And be subtle so nobody is aware of what you’re doing. We don’t know which of the guards are loyal to my brother. I don’t want anybody to warn him that we’re on to him.”
Not waiting for a response, Cain charged out of the room and ran up the stairs. When he reached the upstairs foyer, he could already sense the tension that rendered the air so thick he could have cut through it with a knife.
Two guards blocked the entrance door and immediately stepped aside when Cain approached.
On the porch, Gabriel and Eddie stood, two more guards at their sides, their backs turned to the palace. Cain marched between them and stared at the six vampires who stood on the driveway just below the steps. Behind them three black SUVs were parked, and the tinted windows made it impossible to see how many more vampires were inside. Or how many others were hiding in the forest bordering the palace’s grounds.
Cain took a quick look around. Several of his guards were standing watch along the driveway and the grounds, pistols at the ready and waiting for orders.
The visitors from Mississippi were similarly armed, carrying their weapons on their belts in a show of aggression.
Cain stepped down the stairs and walked up to their presumed leader who appeared surprised at seeing him but caught himself quickly. “Victor. Since you’re leading the charge, I assume you’re representing your king?”
Victor, whose skin was the color of milk chocolate, chuckled. His eyes were of a vibrant blue-grey, evidence of his mixed race heritage. “I am the king.”
“I see.” It appeared that there had been an unexpected change in leadership in Mississippi.
“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” the vampire responded with a smirk.
Cain acknowledged the reference to having killed the king of his own clan without flinching. “You’re
a day early. My welcome home celebrations don’t start till tomorrow night. So what do you want?”
Victor snorted. “Isn’t that obvious? You’re harboring two traitors, and I’ve come to collect them.”
“I’m afraid I can’t help you there.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Take your men and leave. We have nothing to discuss.”
Victor clenched his teeth. “We have plenty to discuss. But first hand over the traitors.” He glanced at his men. “Or we won’t be using words but deeds to make our position clear. If you want peace between our two kingdoms, don’t undermine my rule by harboring traitors.”
Despite Victor’s words, Cain knew that the Mississippi clan hadn’t come to make peace. They were using the fact that Cain sheltered the two defanged vampires as a reason to stamp out any peace negotiations in their infancy. But right now, Cain couldn’t afford this distraction.
“They’re not here.” Cain motioned to the guards behind him. “Show our visitors the way off our property.”
Victor narrowed his eyes when his gaze suddenly strayed past Cain and a grin spread over his face.
Cain turned his head and saw Lee, one of the guards on the porch, tilting his head toward the side of the palace where the plantation kitchen was located. Cain ground his teeth in displeasure.
“It appears somebody has spotted my errant clan members,” Victor said pointedly and marched past Cain. “Shall we see where they’re hiding?”
Not having a choice now, Cain followed Victor, his eyes silently communicating with Gabriel to cover him. Confidently Victor walked to the enclosed walkway that connected the plantation kitchen with the main house and opened the door.
“May I?” Victor asked almost politely.
Cain sensed the other men as well as his own guards follow him. “After you.”
“Well, let’s see who we have—” Victor marched into the kitchen.
42
“This way,” Faye whispered to David and Kathryn as she ushered them through the corridor and cast a look over her shoulder to verify that the two vampires were remaining close to her.
In a few moments they would be at her suite, and from there she could smuggle the two out of the palace and get them to safety by using the tunnels. Cain would be furious for revealing the location of the tunnels to strangers, but she didn’t feel that she had a choice. She’d seen the delegates of the Mississippi clan through the windows. They’d been heavily armed, and she was sure they wouldn’t give up until they’d recaptured the two unfortunate defanged vampires. And with their fangs still not having fully grown back, the two would fare poorly in a fight with their clansmen.
At the next bend of the corridor, she stopped and peered around the corner. Her breath caught in her throat. Abel came running and ripped the door to her suite open, storming inside without looking left or right. What did he want in her room? And he hadn’t even knocked! This wasn’t good.
She couldn’t bring David and Kathryn to her rooms now to use the entrance there. Abel couldn’t know about the tunnels. After everything that had happened and all the things Abel had done to keep her and Cain apart, she knew instinctively he couldn’t be trusted. What was she going to do now? If the Mississippians found the two defanged vampires, they would imprison and torture them. Death would be certain to follow.
Faye turned to them, pressing a finger to her lips to command them to remain silent, when a thought pierced her mind. The prison cells. Cain had escaped from there via the tunnels. She knew which cell he and Robert had been in. It couldn’t be too hard to find the entrance to the secret tunnel.
She motioned David and Kathryn to follow her as she rushed in the other direction, away from her suite. Since nobody was currently locked up in the cellblock, she didn’t expect any guard to be on duty there. Besides, they would all be upstairs, trying to hold off the Mississippians.
Careful not to make a sound, Faye turned the next corner and reached the entrance to the cellblock. She peeked inside. It was empty. A sigh of relief came over her lips.
“Come.”
David and Kathryn hesitated when they saw what they were entering. Kathryn froze.
“Don’t be afraid. There’s an exit through there.” Faye pointed to the cell that Robert had occupied. “Trust me.” She walked to the open door and took a step inside, nearly tripping at the threshold. She looked down and saw that the wood had worn down over time and was loose, creating a tripping hazard.
Faye glanced back. The doors to the other two cells were open, too, and behind the last one was another small room the guards used for supplies. She entered the cell fully and looked over her shoulder.
Hesitantly, David and Kathryn followed her to the entrance of the cell and waited there, clearly afraid to step inside the dim interior. Faye didn’t press them immediately. After all, she had to find the entry point to the tunnel first anyway, and there was no need for the two to wait inside the cell they so clearly feared until she’d managed to locate the tunnel entrance.
“Wait there,” she instructed them and went to work.
Methodically, her hands swept over the walls of the prison cell, feeling every indentation, every groove, testing them, before moving on to the next section. She knew what she was looking for: a series of indentations that would fit her fingers, allowing a certain sequence of pressure which would unlock the mechanism to open the secret passage. She knew both the doors in her and in the king’s suite were opened that way, and she had no reason to believe that this one functioned any different.
Inhaling the stale air in the room, she tried to remain calm. Rushing would only lead to her not noticing the indentations she needed to find.
“Are you sure there’s an exit?” David whispered from the door.
Faye cast a glance over her shoulder. “Yes, there has to be.” Cain had used it. And if he’d found it while still suffering from amnesia, so could she.
She felt her heart pound in her chest, beating rapidly against her ribcage. Memories of her own suffering at the hands of a cruel king resurfaced and made her double her efforts. She had to help these vampires. Nobody deserved to suffer like they had.
Her index finger slipped into a groove. She froze. Then her thumb found purchase.
“There,” she whispered to herself and pressed against the stone wall, feeling something click. She stepped back, a feeling of accomplishment already spreading within her.
“Somebody’s coming,” David suddenly whispered.
Faye whirled her head around and saw how David grabbed Kathryn. Faye rushed toward him, but he was already dragging Kathryn toward the far end of the cellblock where the supply room was located. At the sound for footsteps growing louder, Faye froze for a split second. She was about to dive after David and Kathryn to hide in the supply room with them, when she remembered the door to the tunnel. She spun on her own axis and saw that it was now fully open. Anybody stepping into the cell would see it. She dove back into the cell, but her foot caught on the uneven threshold and she tripped.
Reaching out her hands, she fought for balance, when the person entering the cellblock reached her.
An arm caught around her waist and she was jerked back.
“How fortunate.”
The cold voice in her ears made her blood freeze in her veins.
“Abel,” she managed to echo, pulling herself up to standing. She quickly turned in his hold, hoping to block his view so he couldn’t see the open door to the tunnel.
But when she saw his face, she knew it was too late.
“Well, well, well. So that’s how he got out.”
Faye’s breath hitched. Abel’s words could only mean one thing. He’d been the one who’d tried to kill Cain. “It was you!”
Before she could do or say anything else, Abel shoved a vial at her mouth and forced the contents down her throat. The bitter liquid sent a shock through her system, making her spasm involuntarily. Then her movements slowed and though she tried to push
against him and refuse to swallow, her body wouldn’t follow her mind’s command.
She concentrated, collecting her strength to send a mental message to Cain, but she couldn’t form any thoughts.
“Gotcha now,” was the last thing she heard Abel say before darkness engulfed her.
***
“Oh, hello, can I help you?” Maya’s voice cut off the Mississippi vampire.
Cain entered the kitchen behind Victor and looked around. Only Maya was present. He sighed in relief. The two defanged vampires were gone, as was any evidence of the operation that had taken place the night before. The place looked spick and span, a hint of bleach still in the air. It appeared Maya had scrubbed the place down to get rid of David’s and Kathryn’s smell.
Victor turned back to him and stared to the door where others were gathered, tossing the vampire who stood there an annoyed look. Cain didn’t have to turn around to see who he was communicating with. Lee had already outed himself as being loyal to Abel by giving Victor a hint at where he could find the two traitors.
“Well, it appears I was mistaken,” Victor said calmly and nodded. “We’ll be on our way then.”
Cain stepped aside. “A misunderstanding, I’m sure.”
“This is not over.”
“It is for now.”
Without another word, Victor left the kitchen. As soon as he was out of earshot, Cain glared at Lee before issuing his order to Gabriel. “Tie him up.”
“But, Your Majesty . . .”
Gabriel grabbed him and took him away.
Looking at Maya, Cain asked, “Where are they?”
“Faye is trying to get them off the property.”
“How?” he asked, his heart already thundering.
“She didn’t say.”
“Fuck!” he cursed, guessing what Faye was planning. She was going to get them out through the tunnels.
Faye! he called out to her via their bond. Faye, where are you?
But there was no reply. No wonder. She had to know that he was furious at her for revealing the most closely guarded secret of the kingdom. But that wasn’t even the reason his heart was pounding like a jackhammer: Faye was taking a risk by navigating the tunnels on her own. She wouldn’t know which exit to surface at and could still run right into the hands of the Mississippians. While they were leaving the property now, Cain was certain they had some of their men dotted around the forest to keep watch on them. If they caught Faye trying to smuggle out the two defanged vampires, they would capture her.