by Rye Brewer
Meanwhile, outside the alley, life went on as usual. As though we didn’t exist—because, of course, we weren’t supposed to.
I wasn’t supposed to.
My existence was a crime Gage would have to pay for.
38
Gage
The first thing to register in my consciousness after I opened my eyes was the sole light bulb hanging from a cord in the center of the room. A bare bulb, no shade or ornamentation. Barely any light, either. It did little to pierce the foreboding darkness which surrounded me.
I blinked hard, shaking my head in the hopes of clearing it but only serving to send shooting pain all through it then down my neck and across my shoulders. Something had hit me. Something hard. Or someone. Someone wielding a weapon.
It hurt to think. It hurt to blink, for that matter. But I had to think. I had to make sense of what was happening, how I had ended up where I was. Where I was, too.
I recognized nothing around me, but that wasn’t surprising. The only place in Paris I had any experience with was the catacombs, and I was not there. The smell of death wasn’t prevalent, the way it was there. Not that it smelled wonderful here by any means, but there was a distinct difference.
Cari. Where was Cari? “Hello?” I whispered, wincing as fresh pain slashed its way through my head. There was no response. “Cari?” I attempted. It came out as more of a whimper than anything else, but to no avail. I heard nothing but the sound of my breathing and a steady dripping sound from somewhere nearby.
What happened, damn it? I had to focus, no matter how much it hurt. I needed to know who I was dealing with. Or what. I told myself to ignore the steady thudding in the back of my head, where I’d been hit—turning my head to the side, so it was no longer against the floor, was helpful. I was definitely on a floor. A cold, damp floor. Not the most comfortable surface I’d ever slept on, by far. Who in the hell would put me on a floor in what was starting to appear more and more like a cell the longer I spent looking around? There were bars in front of me, or rather to the right of me. My face was merely turned in that direction. On the left was a stone wall.
I checked in with my body next. I could feel everything—legs, feet, arms, and hands. Good thing, too, since something scurried around nearby and I waved my hands to scare it off. Being unable to move while rodents inspected me would’ve been a special kind of torture.
I felt the stone under my back. I took a deep breath and my lungs filled with no trouble. It seemed as though the only real problem was with my head.
I remembered being on the street, and… something. Something sudden, something unexpected. A… something.
Come on, Gage. Think. Think!
Bright light. A flood of bright light. And a sharp pain. Hands gripping my arms, throwing me into a car. I remembered hitting the seat and being unable to pull myself up, being shoved around as others joined me. Dark clothing. The swaying of the car as we sped through the night, while I went in and out of consciousness before staying out until I awoke on the stone floor.
I was underground. It was the only guess that made sense. I heard none of the sounds of the city—in that respect, it wasn’t unlike being in the catacombs. A basement, a dungeon. Something like that. I couldn’t imagine who would do such a thing, unless there was a branch of the league in Paris that I hadn’t known about.
The league!
My pulse quickened, I stared out at the unknown beyond the rusted bars. Were they behind this? It was more than likely so. They must’ve found out where I’d taken Cari and had come for us. Was it Jonah? Had he sent them? Was he that evil? My own brother. Would he do that to me?
Footsteps.
My heartbeat quickened as I wondered whether to pretend to be unconscious or face my jailor. I wished I had some clue as to who I’d be facing. It wouldn’t be Jonah, would it? No. Even if he was behind it, he wouldn’t do the dirty work himself. That was for underlings, not the interim leader of the league. Not for the head of the Bourke clan.
Bile rose in my throat when I sat up, and the cell spun dangerously. It didn’t stop me from standing, though I felt myself swaying a little.
I leaned against the wall for support and flinched when the cold wetness coating the stones seeped into my shirt.
The steps grew louder, louder.
I held my breath as a figure emerged from the thick darkness and came closer to the bars. A figure dressed in black. Tall, dark-haired…
I should’ve known. I should’ve seen it coming. It had been a fatal move, exposing so much of myself to him. Showing my hand, telling him I would leave and take Cari with me. He couldn’t let that happen, could he?
“Micah.” The name soured in my mouth. “You did this?”
“Did what?” He looked around with a sneer. “Oh, this? It didn’t take much. Only determination and the certainty that I couldn’t let you take her away.”
“I knew this was about her the moment I recognized you. I didn’t think you’d be one to let a woman destroy your common sense—then again, it wouldn’t be the first time, would it?”
He cringed, and I knew I shouldn’t have brought it up, but I needed to at least feel as though I had a little of my own back. I wouldn’t be his victim, cowering and begging for mercy.
When he recovered, a nasty smile crept across his face. “Yes, well, you should know. Right?”
“Right.” I fought the need to throw myself at the bars, to snarl and curse him and foam at the mouth. That would only give him what he most wanted: the satisfaction of breaking me down. “Does she know anything about this?”
“Naturally, she knows you were taken away. I led her to believe it was the league who did it.”
Yes. He would. She’d be terrified and fall into his protective embrace. The filthy bastard. I had to find a way out. There was no choice. I had to save her from him.
“Hmm. Has anyone ever told you, old friend, that you would make a terrible professional card player? Everything you think writes itself on your face.”
“What am I thinking?”
“That you’re going to find a way to break out.”
“I don’t think that’s a stretch. Do you? Who wouldn’t want to break out of here?”
“Fair enough.” He took the bars in his hands, shaking them as though he tested their strength. “You could try. Do not take it personally when I tell you I have little faith in your success.”
I sneered. “Why would I take that personally, now?”
He stepped back, farther and farther away. The visit was over, I supposed.
“You have nothing to worry about, Gage,” he assured me as he drifted into the shadows. “All you have to do is stay here for the rest of your life. I’ll take care of Cari for you. We’ll be very happy. I’ll even make sure she never forgets you.” His dry, humorless laugh faded into silence.
I folded my arms over my knees, resting my forehead on them.
Alone.
Keep reading for an excerpt from the next in the League of Vampires series!
The seventh book in the League of Vampires series brings you more witches, vampires, fae, shades, and sexy characters in swoonworthy romances and nail-biting action.
When revenge is a being’s sole purpose in existence, does this soul burning passion for vengeance end after vindication is achieved?
Chapter 1
Jonah
The difference between Avellane and the human world was stark as Anissa and I stepped through the portal dividing the two.
I blinked hard, still halfway in the realm we’d just left. No wonder Anissa liked it so much here.
“You all right?” she asked with a knowing smile.
“That place…” I shook my head, blowing out a sharp gust of air. “It’s beautiful.”
“An understatement,” she murmured, looking back in the direction of the swirling energy vortex.
Was there longing in her eyes? Yes, but not for the lush landscape or the heavy scent of flowers. She longed for her fathe
r’s happiness and was hurting on his behalf.
I took her hand. “I’m sorry about Tabitha.”
She pressed her lips together hard enough to make them all but disappear. “I can’t believe life is this cruel. I just found her again.”
“I know.” I hoped mine was a reassuring tone. I knew how hard it was, losing her mother again.
The fact was, Gregor’s and Felicity’s accounts made it seem fairly clear Tabitha had met a bad end. Anissa was right, and it was something I had known for a long time: life was cruel, especially in our world.
She halted short of entering headquarters, pulling me to a stop along with her. “Promise me something, Jonah.”
“Anything. You know that.”
She bit her lip, eyes sparkling in the low light coming from the cathedral’s many windows.
Sirene had lit the place up a little while we were gone.
“Please, don’t squander the chance to patch things up with your father.”
I couldn’t help my hackles going up a little at the mention of him. “It’s not the same situation,” I reminded her.
“But it is. It is.”
“You’re upset, and I understand. But it really isn’t the same. He’s not my father anymore—or didn’t you hear him insist so every time we’ve been together? He makes it a point to remind us whenever he gets the chance that he’s Fane now. Not Dommik. It simply isn’t the same.”
“But if you had the chance, you wouldn’t waste it. Would you?”
I sighed, doing what I could not to roll my eyes too obviously. She was only trying to do her best and fix relationships. It was her nature, much more so than the assassin Marcus had once turned her into. She cared deeply, passionately—sometimes too much.
“No,” I admitted, the word wrenching itself from my chest. “I wouldn’t waste the chance. But there’s a lot more to it.”
“It’s only I wouldn’t want you to ever look back and see the chances you wasted. That’s all. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but especially not somebody I love.”
I raised her hand to my lips and planted a gentle kiss on the backs of her knuckles. “Which is why I love you. You have a good heart. And remember, there’s always a chance your mother survived whatever happened in ShadesRealm. Think of at what she’s already survived.”
I loved Anissa. She was so much more fae than vampire, though I doubted she realized it. She didn’t quite have the mercenary ways of my kind, no matter how Marcus had tried to instill them in her.
Her smile was wise, wistful. “I think there’s only so many second chances a person can have. You know what I mean? What if my mother used all of hers up?”
I didn’t have an answer for that, but she wasn’t waiting for one.
“Come on,” she whispered, squaring her thin shoulders. “You’ve got a bunch of vampires to look after.”
“Thanks for the reminder.” I chuckled wryly in an attempt to add levity to the situation.
As before, the interior of the cathedral was quiet. Too quiet.
“What do I have to do to get these guards working?” I growled, forgetting about the conversation we’d had in favor of the seemingly hopeless situation I was in.
“All’s quiet,” Anissa reasoned, her voice echoing despite how low she kept it. “That’s a good thing, right? We could’ve come back to World War Three. Let’s be grateful for small victories.”
I snorted, glancing around. “You’re right. I’m too tense.”
“Sirene’s enchantment is working, too,” she pointed out. “Keeping things under control.”
That was what bothered me most, and she’d put her finger on it before I could. “Where is she, anyway?” I wondered aloud as we crossed the length of the Great Hall, wandering down the corridor leading to the room in which the guards had been playing cards, among other side rooms.
They were all empty, silent except for a single guard who stood sentry at the back entrance.
“Where’s the witch Sirene?” I asked him as I approached, my tone instantly turning clipped and official. They needed to know who was boss, even if it was only in the interim, until a new leader was put in charge of the League of Vampires.
He shrugged. “I saw her once, I remember, but she was busy doing whatever it was she was doing. I haven’t seen her since.”
How helpful.
Only Anissa’s pointed stare at me over his shoulder kept me from pressing harder. I was far too wound up—never, in all the years I had led the Bourke clan, had I taken such a hard stance on those working under me. Not even in the early days immediately after the disappearance of my parents, when I’d been half out of my mind.
“If you see her, let her know I’m looking for her.” I turned away before he could get a look at the conflict working its way across my face.
I wanted to berate him, yell out my frustration at the sense that everything was slipping out from between my fingers like sand. I couldn’t seem to keep all the plates spinning at once, and it seemed as though my sanity was suffering as a result.
“You have to relax a little,” Anissa whispered as we hurried side-by-side down the corridor.
“You’re one to talk. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you relax.”
“Right, right, and I’m sure I’d be just as tightly wound as you are if I were in your shoes. This has all happened so quickly, and I’m afraid you haven’t been able to catch up to it.”
“You’re probably right.” I couldn’t remember the last time I’d drawn a deep, full breath.
Maybe back when I proposed to Anissa, when we were alone. Why couldn’t we have more time like that? That was what I needed more than anything else.
“Just calm down. Sirene’s around here somewhere. This place is huge, after all. The dungeons, maybe? She might have gone down there for the sake of checking on the prisoners, to be sure the enchantment kept the dungeon secure?”
“Could be true.” I forced my muscles to relax, realizing how tight my shoulders, neck, and back were.
Nobody respected a leader who led through intimidation—not for very long, at any rate. And anyone in the position to guard the cathedral labored under a rather violent, threatening leader for decades before I came on the scene. They were immune to me after having lived through Lucian for so long.
With this in mind, I was much calmer as I descended into the dungeon. Sirene wasn’t there, either, and the guard couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen her.
By this time, Anissa was starting to worry. “Where could she be? I hope the baby is all right.”
All it did was give voice to the concern at the forefront of my thoughts all along. Fane’s request that I keep her and the baby safe rang in my ears as we picked up the speed with which we searched.
“Jonah! Here!”
In one of the small alcoves which peppered the ground level of the building, a small splash of blood had already half-dried on the stone floor.
“No…” I looked around, panicking all over again. This couldn’t be happening.
“Where would she go?” Anissa asked as we jogged side-by-side.
“I have no idea. I don’t know how long it takes a half-vampire, half-witch baby to come to term.” I glanced at her from the corner of my eye.
“How would I know?”
“I thought you might have an idea, is all.”
“Remember, I didn’t know I was half-fae until not long ago. I’ve never known a woman pregnant with a hybrid—at least, not that I was aware of at the time.”
“Of course. I’m just grasping at straws.”
A pitiful excuse, but true nonetheless. I was at sea, totally unaware of what the true emergency was. If the baby was early, that would only put more strain on Sirene—and she didn’t need any extra complications, as delivery could kill her under the best circumstances.
“Poor Sirene,” she whispered, rubbing her hands together in anxiety. “She’s all alone somewhere. Do you think she’d go to the high-rise on her own?”
“Maybe. Though she’d be running the risk of crossing paths with somebody less friendly than me.” But if she was in labor, she’d want to be someplace more comfortable than headquarters—and more welcoming.
“Should we course back there?”
We stepped out of the building, and the sight of miles of abandoned, overgrown space in all directions did little to soothe my nerves.
Or Anissa’s, judging from the way she plucked at her fingernails. “It will take a little time to get there, but it’s better than wasting any further time here.”
“It makes sense,” I admitted, although it didn’t feel quite right to me. Some instinct urged me to stay put, to keep searching. I was never the type to pay heed to superstition or anything like it, but there was no denying some force larger than myself held me in place. The presence of her baby, my half-sibling?
Who knew what an unborn witch or warlock was capable of?
A soft groan floated to my ears on the breeze. Anissa’s, too, as our eyes locked a moment later.
She was here, somewhere. Nearby.
Chapter 2
Anissa
“Sirene?” I cupped my hands around my mouth and turned in the direction it seemed the groan had come from. There was almost no way of telling for certain, though, since the cry was so soft.
Jonah scoured the ground for more blood, half-crouching as he went.
“Here.” He pointed, and sure enough, there were a few drops of blood in the dirt.
We followed the trail, him scanning for blood and me looking for her, when I caught sight of the hem of a robe protruding from a clump of tall weeds.
“There!” I was running before I even spoke, breathless with worry.
Sirene was on the ground, curled into a ball, arms crossed over her belly. Sweat stuck her hair to the sides of her face, forehead, and neck.
The sight was chilling. I had never seen her anything less than calm, in control. The pain of labor had torn all of that apart, leaving her vulnerable and whimpering like a wounded animal as she rocked back and forth on the ground.