High Stakes and Vampires (Pandora's Pride Book 2)

by Annabel Chase

  “Fine. I won’t fight Evadne. I’ll spend my hour doing something productive though.” I rose to my feet, ready to hightail it to the snack bar. I was desperate for salty carbs.

  “Don’t go yet, Callie,” Doran said. “We’d like a word.”

  Inwardly I groaned. “Just me?” I shot Saxon a pleading look.

  “If it concerns the team, I’d like to stay,” the hybrid said, lingering in the doorway.

  Natasha fixed him with a hard stare. “If it concerned the team, then we’d be discussing it with the team.”

  Saxon reluctantly left the room.

  Abra gestured to the chair across from her. “Have a seat. The snack bar isn’t going anywhere.”

  My guard went up as my butt went down. This didn’t bode well. “Am I in trouble?”

  It was Doran who jumped in and tried to put me at ease. “No, of course not,” the angel said. “We only wish to get more information about Minnesota and thought you might feel more comfortable without an audience.”

  “You look like an audience to me.”

  “How were you able to communicate with Dr. Sutton?” Natasha asked. No kid gloves for the vampire then. She was as direct as Abra was evasive.

  I steeled myself for the lie and hoped that my defenses were up so that Emil didn’t read my mind.

  “I told you that Cecily used magic to wake him up,” I replied.

  “Then why is that you were the only one able to speak to him?” Natasha asked.

  “Because everyone else was in the kitchen,” I said.

  “Tell us more about this spell,” Abra said, watching me carefully.

  Ugh. Who needed a mind-reading fae? They knew I was lying. My mind raced through the possible scenarios, including my father’s warning to trust no one. Of course, he couldn’t have foreseen my current predicament. The Achet was dangerous and I needed to do what I could to help, even if that meant divulging the truth.

  “I was in Dr. Don’s dream or maybe his memory,” I admitted.

  “That’s why your artwork was so detailed,” Natasha said. “You saw them with your own eyes.”

  Emil studied me. “It sounds like you were able to dream walk.”

  I shifted uncomfortably. “It’s a recent development.”

  “Then you’ve done this before,” Abra said.

  “Only a few times and only recently,” I said. I wasn’t going to invoke Saxon’s name. They relied on him as the team leader and I refused to do anything to jeopardize that.

  Natasha balled her hands into fists on the table. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “Because I wasn’t sure what was happening or why.” I debated mentioning the fangs but decided against it. I didn’t want to distract from the current predicament.

  “Your father,” Emil began, “you said he was a mage.”

  “That’s right.” I exhaled. “And we come from a line of ancient mages. I’ve had weird, realistic dreams my whole life. It’s only been recently that they’ve been realistic with others I recognize.”

  “It isn’t simply realistic,” Doran said. “You’re there, in the dream. You have a measure of control.”

  Natasha looked at him. “If she can truly dream walk, then you can help her.”

  The angel nodded.

  “How is that even possible?” I asked. “I thought only angels could dream walk.”

  “And not even all of us,” Doran said. “Only the most powerful of our species.”

  “It’s probably not dream walking the way angels do,” I said. “It’s probably a magical ability I inherited.”

  “Either way, I can help you master the skill,” Doran said. “After this Tefnut business is over, I’ll have Jonas add it to the schedule.”

  “How optimistic of you,” Natasha said.

  I pushed back my chair and stood, eager to get out from under their microscope. “Can I go now?”

  “You may, but Miss Wendell, it’s important that you come to us with important information,” Abra said. “We’re here to help you as much as you’re here to help us.”

  I lingered by the table. “If that’s true, then tell me why Harmony was fired.”

  “I don’t see why that should concern you,” Abra said. “It was a Pride matter.”

  I observed the elders for a long, disappointed moment. “Trust works both ways, you know,” I said and promptly left the room.

  Chapter Eleven

  “So this is Philadelphia. I expected it to be…” I scrunched my nose as I scanned the horizon.

  “Brighter?” Liam offered. “You’d probably need to be here during daylight hours for that.”

  “I was going to say cleaner.”

  “Its nickname used to be Filthadelphia,” Liam said. “What about that screams cleanliness?”

  “That was before the Plague,” Tate said. “The witches and wizards took over the city and they’ve made great strides in cleaning it up.”

  “I’ll take your word for it,” I said. It didn’t hold a candle to the mountains.

  “I guess you’ve never been here before?” Tate asked.

  “Nope.” My gaze settled on a cracked bell at the top of a building. “Is that the Liberty Bell?”

  “Yes, the witches moved it after they locked down the city and rang it to let everyone know that the demons had been forced out,” Saxon said.

  “How did the witches manage to secure a city this size and the vampires got stuck with Atlantica City?” I asked.

  “Can we hold the history lesson later?” Evadne asked, her lip curled in an agitated snarl. “We have a scepter to steal.”

  “Can’t we walk in and ask for the scepter?” I asked.

  “Apparently not,” Saxon said. “Abra called and tried to reason with the museum, but they didn’t seem to appreciate the urgency of the situation. They asked her to submit a request in writing.”

  Evadne rolled her eyes. “Yes, because Plague demons will be happy to operate on a bureaucratic schedule.”

  “They’re closed anyway,” Tate said.

  We rounded a corner onto Ben Franklin Parkway. The long street was lined with flags of all the covens in the country. The images ranged from cauldrons to severed limbs. Lovely.

  “There’s the museum,” Saxon said.

  The red brick building was reminiscent of Lothar’s house in Virginia and I wondered whether they’d been constructed in the same era.

  Saxon looked at Tate. “You breach the ward and immobilize anyone on the night shift. Evadne, you sweep the left side. Liam, take the right.”

  The three of them fanned out in their assigned directions and I glanced at Saxon. “What about us?”

  “That’s a question for another time,” he said.

  “Very funny.”

  “As soon as the ward is down, we’ll head to the exhibit on the first floor.”

  “Good, while we’re waiting, I have a question. Who was Jade?” I’d been sitting on this question since our meeting and my curiosity finally got the better of me, as it always did.

  Saxon stared straight ahead, watching for signs that the ward was down. “I don’t remember her that well. She was a few years older than me. I wasn’t actively on the team yet, just training.”

  I laughed. “How old were you when you started training? Like five?”

  “Since I was old enough to hold a weapon.”

  I looked at him askance. “Are you serious? Your parents were that hardcore about safety?” I knew my father had been adamant that I knew how to defend myself, but I’d always imagined it was due to our environment and my mage heritage more than anything.

  His brow creased. “Not my parents. I learned at headquarters.”

  I shook my head in confusion. “Your parents sent you away to the Pride like it was some kind of military school?”

  “I was an orphan, Callie. I would’ve died if the Pride hadn’t taken me in. I’ve lived there my whole life.”

  This is a dangerous job. We all know the risks.

&n
bsp; Maybe now we do, but not always.

  Tate’s comment suddenly made sense to me. “Tate too?”

  “All of us,” he said. “Except you.”

  “All of you?” I gaped at him. “You’ve been training and fighting since you were children?”

  “Pretty much.” He seemed remarkably unconcerned by this revelation.

  “You were children.” My head was still reeling when we saw Tate’s signal and started forward.

  “They gave us a home and a purpose,” Saxon said.

  “But did they give you a choice?” I asked quietly. It wasn’t the same for me. I’d had a choice in whether to join their organization.

  “Can we drop this, please?”

  Another thought occurred to me, this one even more disturbing. “In Minneapolis, Evadne mentioned that her mother sold her.” A lump formed in my throat. “Gods above, was Evadne sold to the Pride?”

  “It isn’t like that,” Saxon said.

  My chest felt like it was being cracked open. “Do they seek out mixed species on the black market or something? Brainwash you while you’re young?”

  “You’re getting the wrong impression and now isn’t the time to talk about it.”

  I ignored his stonewalling. Despite the immediate dangers ahead, this revelation seemed to have more far-reaching consequences than Dasim and his scepter. “Were there others besides Jade?”

  Saxon gave me a long look. “Callie, I asked you to drop it. We need to concentrate on the enemy. Dasim is an extreme threat and he’s going to require all our attention. We can’t afford to be distracted.” He averted his gaze. “It’s one of the reasons they don’t like us to get romantically involved. Like I told you, it compromises our safety.”

  We lingered at the entrance. “Then by all means, we should get inside so we don’t compromise anyone’s safety.”

  “Callie,” he said, more softly now, “I wasn’t trying to be hurtful.” I felt his hand warm on my shoulder and shrugged it off.

  “I only want to keep everyone safe.”

  “Good luck with that. Let me know how it works out for you.” I stormed ahead to find Tate in the cavernous lobby with two dead security guards at her feet.

  “What happened?” Saxon asked.

  “The ward was already down and so were these guys.” Tate motioned to the fallen guards.

  Saxon’s jaw tensed. “He’s already here.”

  “I don’t think he’s been here long,” Tate said. “This guy was still twitching when I got inside.” Her expression softened. “I tried to help him—that’s why I delayed sending the signal, but…” She gave a mournful shake of her head.

  “We need to get to the exhibit now,” Saxon said.

  We rushed to the stairwell and up the flight of steps. Liam was outside the exhibit entrance swatting at the swarm of Tengu surrounding him.

  “They’re like ugly mosquitos,” he complained.

  Evadne came skidding around a corner with a trail of Tengu flying behind her. If the situation weren’t so serious, the scene would’ve been comical.

  “He’s using the Tengu as a barrier,” Evadne yelled. “He’s in there now getting the scepter.” She slowed when she reached us and the second set of flying goblins joined their friends in front of the entrance to the exhibit. “I knocked down a few of them, but it’s pointless. There are too many.”

  The Tengu didn’t seem particularly dangerous. Their density, however, made them highly effective at blocking our path.

  Saxon turned to Tate behind us. “Can you take care of the Tengu?”

  “Liam, I need you to get out of the way unless you want to be blasted along with them,” Tate said.

  “There’s another room that connects to the exhibit hall,” Evadne said. “I tried to get in that way, but the stupid Tengu were everywhere.”

  “Not for long,” Tate said, her jaw set in grim determination. She focused on the group in front of us. “Diduco.”

  The Tengu scattered long enough for us to enter the exhibit hall.

  Across the hall, Dasim was reaching into a broken display case to retrieve the scepter. He wore the same red coat and cowboy boots as I’d seen in Dr. Don’s mind. It struck me that he looked thinner in person, almost bony.

  “Someone’s not interested in blending,” Liam said.

  “Saxon, unleash the fire,” Evadne said.

  The demon turned to face us and I noticed that his eyes seemed to burn with two small orange flames.

  He’s a demon of discord, I reminded myself. That means strife, conflict, and possible emotional torture.

  “Who are you?” Dasim asked.

  “We’re here for the scepter,” Saxon said. “Now hand it over and we won’t hurt you.”

  Dasim regarded him coolly. “I think you should be more concerned with not hurting each other.”

  “Don’t let him get in your head,” Tate whispered.

  “If I can keep out Evadne, I can keep out that guy,” Liam said.

  Evadne scowled. “Trust me, I don’t want to be in your head.”

  “It seems you all want the scepter,” Dasim said. “I suppose you’ll have to fight for it.”

  “How about that celestial fire, angel vamp?” Evadne demanded.

  Saxon hesitated and I knew why. He was worried about losing control and hurting us. The problem was that if he didn’t attack Dasim now, he might end up hurting us anyway.

  “Extrico!” Tate shouted.

  The scepter slipped from the demon’s hand and clattered to the floor. His angry gaze settled on Tate. “You’re a witch.”

  She didn’t get the chance to answer. Her body stiffened and her eyes turned stark white.

  “No,” I whispered.

  Dasim reached down to scoop the scepter off the floor, his eyes burning with hatred. “I loathe witches.”

  Before he could reach it, Saxon spread his wings and launched himself at the demon; they tumbled to the floor.

  Tate turned and focused the whites of her eyes on us.

  “We’re not the droids you’re looking for,” Liam said, taking a step backward.

  As she raised her hands against us, we ducked for cover behind the display cases. Lloyd had said that offense was the best defense, but right now it seemed that defense was the best defense.

  “Tate, stop. I know you’re in there,” I yelled.

  I peeked out from behind the case and saw her hand sparking with magic. A blast of white light hit the floor in front of me and I hurried to hide behind the next case. Dasim was smart. He knew if he turned us against each other, he’d be able to waltz right out of the museum with the scepter without breaking a sweat.

  Evadne scrambled to join me behind the case as glass shattered nearby. “Saxon wants us to find out where the tomb is from one of the minions.”

  Plan B.

  “Isn’t he fighting Dasim?”

  She rolled her eyes. “He lets me in his head when he wants to bark orders. I hit a few of them earlier and I’m pretty sure there’s one down in the next room.”

  I took a deep breath and bolted from my hiding spot, my heart hammering in my chest. I threaded through the maze of display cases to the next room with Evadne right behind me. I had no idea what was happening with the rest of the group. I only hoped that Tate would be okay.

  “There,” Evadne said. She pointed to the left where I spotted a single Tengu on the floor. His feathered robe was in tatters and his tiny wings were crushed. Thick black liquid oozed from his chest and his large, aquiline nose had been broken.

  I raced over and crouched beside him. “He’s still alive.”

  Evadne loomed over him. “I can heal you or I can hurt you. Your choice. All you need to do is tell me everything you know, starting with the location of Tefnut’s tomb.”

  “I don’t know,” came his hoarse reply.

  “I think you do,” Evadne said. She pressed the heel of her boot on his forehead.

  The Tengu tried to move his head to the side, which
only made her press her boot harder. He was only a small goblin; she could easily crush his skull if she applied enough pressure.

  “Tell me now,” Evadne ordered.

  The Tengu wore a fierce expression. “Never.”

  “You’d rather die than reveal the location of the tomb? Is that your final answer?” She let her fangs drop. “Because that is easily arranged.”

  I pushed Evadne’s boot aside. “Listen, nobody wants to hurt you.”

  “She does,” he said weakly.

  I craned my neck to glare at Evadne before turning back to the Tengu. “We have to stop Dasim from reuniting Tefnut’s soul with her body. In order to do that, we need to know the location of the tomb.”

  He focused on me with his birdlike eyes. “Why would you seek to do such a thing when together they can rule the world?”

  “That’s not necessarily a plus,” I said.

  “Do as you wish. I answer only to Dasim.”

  “Awesome,” Evadne said and lifted her boot.

  I pushed it aside again. “No, wait. I have another idea.”

  Evadne folded her arms. “Does it involve killing him? Because that’s the only idea I’m interested in right now.”

  My shoulders tensed at the sound of shattering glass in the next room. “Just watch my back. Make sure no one comes for him.”

  Evadne’s mocking laugh echoed in the room. “No one’s coming for him.”

  I focused on The Empress in my pocket, drawing its power. “What’s your name?”

  “Cyrus,” he said. His eyes rounded. “How did you do that?”

  “Magic,” I said. “Where’s Tefnut’s tomb?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Okay, he was telling the truth. “Does Dasim know?”

  “Not yet, but he will now that he has the scepter.” Cyrus gasped at his own revelation.

  “I thought the scepter was important because it acts as a key for the Ab,” I said. “What does it have to do with the location of the tomb?”

  “The Achet…” He coughed.

  “The Achet subdues Sut; we know that much.” It sounded like both the scepter and the Achet performed double duties. “What else do they do?”

  “Can read the book,” the Tengu said. His voice was so weak that I had to strain to hear him.