Tommy met Amber’s eyes. She looked like she was having just as much trouble not losing it as he was.
“Neia,” Amber said, sounding like she was being strangled. “Who attacked you?”
“Wolfie boys and wolfie girls.” She lifted her head off the table and frowned exaggeratedly. “My daddy was there.”
“Thallan was there when you were attacked?” Tommy asked. Surely she had to be misremembering.
“Yup. Yup yup. He saw it all. Set them on fiyah! But he was helping them. I heard him. Heard him telling them allllll about you guys.”
There was a loud banging on the front door and the house shuddered. Everything groaned and moved, sounding like a roar.
Genevieve ran into the room. “Thallan is at the door.”
“Did anyone follow him?” Amber asked, wiping her bloody hands off on a rag.
“No, doesn’t look like it.”
Derek jogged up behind Genevieve with his shotgun. “Want me to make him leave?”
“No,” Amber said, her expression going hard. “He’s going to tell us what the hell he’s been doing. Ceri, do you have anything that can make Neia less…” She waved her hand at the loopy elf.
“Yeah, but it will bring back the pain,” Ceri said.
“Give it to her. I think she’ll want to be coherent for this. If not, we can dose her with the good stuff again.”
Ceri nodded and opened a small jar with a murky brown liquid, holding it under Neia’s nose. Tommy grimaced, even from here it burned his nose.
Neia jerked, the glassiness leaving her eyes as she came back to full coherence. Her jaw tightened as the pain returned with it.
“Where is he?” she demanded.
“Outside. He can’t get in the house. Your mom…banished him,” Ceri said uncomfortably.
“My mom is dead,” Neia said in confusion.
Amber shook her head when Ceri looked to her. “We’ll explain later. Do you want to talk to him? We need to know what he’s been doing.”
“Yes. I want him to look me in the eye when he tries to explain why he’s been working with those assholes,” Neia said through gritted teeth.
“Alright. I can carry you outside,” Amber offered.
Neia tried to move her legs, but stopped, panting from the pain. “Yeah, can’t walk.”
Amber very gently scooped her up, but that still caused the elf pain. With all her injuries, it was unavoidable.
The pack moved to the door as one. Genevieve waited until they were all there, then opened the door.
Thallan was pacing angrily in front of the porch, his hair disheveled and his shirt scorched. “Where is she?”
Amber moved to the front. “You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here making demands.”
“I made a mistake,” Thallan whispered hoarsely, hunching in on himself as he took in his daughter’s injuries.
“What did you do?” Neia demanded.
“I didn’t know you’d get hurt,” he pleaded, reaching for her despite the distance between them.
“What did you do?” she demanded, biting off each word as she said it.
His eyes skittered to the ground. “A woman came to me. An angel. I told her they knew where the half breed demon was. That they’d protected her.” He pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with shaking hands. “I didn’t know they’d hurt you.”
“You idiot,” Neia snarled. “How could you betray these people?”
“I just wanted that demon to get what was coming to him,” Thallan said, sounding unconvinced by his own words.
“That demon saved my mother from a slow, painful death. I wish she was still alive too, but he had nothing to do with that car accident. He helped us.” The anger had faded from her voice, replaced with sorrow, which Tommy understood. Thallan was a great man brought low by grief and bitterness. It was hard to hate someone so pathetic.
Thallan took a long drag on the cigarette, not looking at anyone. There was no defense to what he’d done and he knew it. It was just another mistake. Another betrayal.
“What’s done is done,” Tommy said, crossing his arms and turning his attention to Icewind. “The angels were going to target us eventually regardless. The only thing that matters is getting to Deward.”
Amber nodded. “Ceri, can you make it to where Thallan can’t leave his house?”
The elf didn’t react to the request, just kept sucking on the cigarette like it was his lifeline.
“I can,” Ceri said without hesitation.
“Genevieve, take Thallan to his house with Ceri and make sure he doesn’t get away.”
“No problem,” Genevieve said, walking toward Thallan and cracking her knuckles.
“With me.” Amber led the rest of the pack back inside. She laid Icewind down on the couch. “Tommy, get the good painkillers again.”
He hurried into the dining room and grabbed the last green potion. Icewind took it, drinking down the contents greedily. It hit her fast and she collapsed back into the cushions with a giggle, her eyes drooping shut.
Amber crossed her arms, shoulders tight with frustration. “We don’t know what move the angels will make next so we have to be ready for anything. No one is going anywhere on their own until this is all over.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Tommy asked, looking at the now sleeping elf.
“Yeah, I think so.”
Tommy’s phone rang. He pulled it out and saw Ithra’s name on the caller ID.
“Hello?”
“Tommy, we’ve found it.”
His heart jumped into overdrive. “The rest of Raziel’s key?”
“Yes. We’re on our way to your pack’s house. We’ll need a plan if the tablet is where we think it is.”
Tommy met Amber’s eyes and she nodded. “We’ll figure something out. We’re going to get Deward back, no matter what.”
Chapter 69
Kadrithan (Angel)
Kadrithan sat across from Zerestria, lost in thought. She held her glass out for a refill. He poured her the rest of the elven wine.
She tilted the glass in a slow circle, watching the plum-colored wine cling to the sides of the glass. “Despite my misgivings, I agree that the time for caution is past.”
“This will start a war.” He’d been arguing for this for the last thirty minutes. It was ridiculous of him to hesitate now, but he was. This would change everything. There would be no going back to their semi-peaceful enslavement.
“Yes, it will.” Zerestria drained her glass. “The elders are in agreement. They gave their approval last night.”
He looked up sharply. “Then why did I have to waste a half an hour convincing you it was the right thing to do?”
She snorted. “You were convincing yourself, not me.”
“That was my favorite wine,” he muttered, grabbing their empty glasses and tossing the bottle into the trash.
“Mine as well,” she said with a laugh. “Go to your wolves and get the rest of the key.” She paused at the door and looked back. “Be careful.”
He inclined his head toward her. “Always.”
Kadrithan stood at the window for a few minutes after she’d left. Red dust kicked up by a wind storm pelted against the glass like rain.
He pulled the worn picture of his younger sister from his breast pocket, smoothing his thumb over the wrinkles. Her smile was bright and carefree. She should have been able to stay that way.
“We’re almost there, Faylen. Just like I promised.” He tucked the picture away and pulled his mind back to the task at hand. It was time to fight back, just like he’d wanted for so many years. He hadn’t expected to be so hesitant to finally take action.
He laid down on his chaise lounge and shifted around until he found a comfortable position. This was going to take a while.
Focusing on the warmth of Amber’s mark, he let it guide him through the darkness, fire, and cold. Sounds and sights slowly flowed toward him as he stabilized, choosing to remain unseen until he knew wha
t was going on.
There were more people here than he expected.
“Xenya says the other elders are still uncertain. She is talking to them now,” Olwen said, shaking his head unhappily.
“The temple Raziel built is only twenty minutes away. We should go tonight even if the tribe won’t help. We should just go now,” Tommy said with more heat than he realized the boy even had. His normally placid features were screwed up with anger. Anger directed at his alpha.
“And then what? Kill everyone inside and hope the tablet is actually there?” Amber replied calmly. Inside, she was anything but calm. She was frustrated, angry, and terrified. It always amazed him how tightly locked down she could keep her emotions when she wanted to.
“So you won’t let us do anything?”
“That’s not what I said,” Amber snapped, some of that frustration leaking into her voice. “I just want to try to scout the temple out first. We’re going to get Deward back, Tommy. I promise.”
They must have found the tablet, or at least found something worth checking out.
Ithra –– the missing troll’s mother that he had met recently –– laid a hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “She’s right, Thomas. Rushing in blindly could result in our failure and death, then there would be no one to save my son. Take a deep breath and think it through.”
All the bluster went out of the boy and he turned away, pacing restlessly.
Kadrithan drifted through the group, trying to better gauge the tempers of everyone involved. Surprisingly, Ceri, the witch, wasn’t in the room. Normally she had a voice in these decisions.
Genevieve was standing near the front door with her arms crossed and her lips pressed into a disapproving line. She seemed unhappy with all the options being discussed.
Deward’s parents were calm despite the tension they clearly felt. They were ruled by reason which could make them easier to deal with. More predictable than the others if nothing else.
“We need help,” Amber said, rubbing her hands down her face. “I don’t want to leave the house or Icewind unprotected but we’ll need everyone if we’re going to attack a place that big.”
This was why he liked Amber. She made things easy on him.
He flowed into a visibility, taking on his human form. “I may be able to help.”
Every eye turned to him. The trolls looked startled but the pack, who knew him better at this point, simply looked annoyed.
He smiled pleasantly.
Amber narrowed her eyes at him and put her hands on her hips. “Help, how?”
He ignored her and looked at Ithra. The mother. She was the one he needed to sway to his way of thinking. “The curse that affects all fae limits my ability to use magic. Without those limits, I could help the pack find and reclaim the rest of Raziel’s key. I could find your son.”
Ithra cocked her head to the side curiously, suspicion growing in her eyes. “What is your point?”
“The only way I can temporarily lift the limits of the curse is through the so-called demon marks. These deals allow me to act in the interest of whoever bears my mark in order to accomplish whatever they have requested.”
Tommy’s head jerked up. “You want her to take your mark.”
Kadrithan nodded, unconcerned. “I want to help.”
“Like hell you do––”
“Enough,” Amber cut Tommy off.
She didn’t look convinced that his motives were pure but she was defending him. That was good enough.
“Kadrithan, why are you offering to ‘help’?” she asked, putting a rather derogatory emphasis on the last word.
Once again, he looked to Ithra when he answered. It was her that he needed to convince. “I’ve been fighting the angels for centuries. They have killed my sister and others I cared for. I am offering to help you because I need the rest of the tablet. My motives are entirely selfish.”
“You have got to be kidding me,” Tommy muttered in the background.
He ignored the kid, holding Ithra’s gaze. She did not appear to be upset by what he had said.
Ithra looked back to her husband. He nodded slowly, a sad expression on his face. She returned her attention to him. “You are not offering to find Deward, specifically, are you?”
“No.” He clasped his hands in front of him, as close to begging as he was willing to get. “Like Tommy has stated previously, if we find the tablet, Deward and this elf will come to us. The curse that binds them to the prophecy will drive them to seek us out. Take my mark and ask me to help the pack retrieve the tablet so that I can put all my power behind this task.”
He made the mistake of glancing at Amber after he said that. She looked…disappointed. As if he’d betrayed her trust somehow. He’d been honest, just like he promised her –– something else that was likely to turn out to be a mistake.
“I will accept this deal,” Ithra said, surprising him with her quick decision.
“If you’re not sure, we can figure something else out,” Amber said hesitantly.
Ithra looked back at her with a calm smile. “You have said the demons are not our enemies. Do you think he will try to harm me later?”
“Not intentionally, but he will use you. He will call in the debt the mark represents.”
“Just as I am using him now to help my son? That is something I can accept.”
Amber nodded in acceptance. “As long as you’re aware of the risk.”
Ithra looked back at him. “I’m ready.”
“When we go to the temple I will give you my mark. I only have so long to act after making a deal.” He held his hand out to her. “Until then, let us shake on it.”
Ithra put her green hand in his and shook it without even the slightest tremor of uncertainty.
Chapter 70
Amber
It felt like everything was moving at light speed and slow as molasses all at the same time. They were hurtling toward something they couldn’t take back. Toward a fight with an enemy bigger than any they’d ever faced.
Ever since she’d given Ceri the pack bite, those changes had been flowing through the pack as well. She felt out of control.
A warm hand squeezed her shoulder. “Hiding in your room is very thirteen-year-old girl, not what I expect of an alpha.”
“Shut up, Angel.” She stared out her bedroom window, refusing to look at him. “This could get my entire pack killed.”
“I’ll be there. Your pack has a good chance of success.”
She turned to face him. “Will you do everything you can to keep them all safe?”
“I made a deal––”
“I’m not talking about the deal with Ithra. I’m asking you if you will do everything you can to keep them safe.”
The demon stilled, accepting the gravity of her question. “Yes, Amber. I will.”
She nodded, swallowing down the fear that had left a lump in her throat. “Good.”
With a decisive nod, she marched out of her room to rejoin the rest of the pack. Kadrithan was right, hiding in her room right now was inexcusable. The pack needed her there and they needed her to be strong.
Before she reached the living room, her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket with a groan. It was an unknown number. She contemplated dismissing the call but she didn’t like the timing.
“Hello?”
“I’ve been looking at your most recent portrait and I think it may be one of my favorites,” the vampire said, practically purring.
“Bram?”
He chuckled. “The one and only.”
“Oh. I’m surprised you’re calling.” She slipped back into her room, shooing Kadrithan away when he tried to listen in. “How can I help you?”
“When you visited last you chastised me for not warning you about Selena Blackwood’s involvement.”
She waited but he didn’t continue. “I guess I did. It wasn’t intended to be disrespectful––”
“Oh hush,” he said, cutting her off. “Don’t get all he
sitant on me now. I’m calling to make up for it.”
“Make up for it how?”
“A rather surprising delegation comprised of Alpha Dominus Ito, Alpha Carter, and a few other important packs are headed to your house.”
She ran through the house, jerking the blinds aside, half-expecting them to be rolling up the driveway right then. “Why?”
“I think you already know. I would not recommend running, by the way.”
“This is the ambush you were talking about, isn’t it? The one where I just have to beat them.”
“Indeed it is. You have half an hour. Good luck, Amber.” He hung up without further pleasantries.
“What’s going on?” Genevieve demanded, jogging up behind her.
She lowered the phone, a million thoughts running through her mind. This was the worst possible timing. They were too close to getting the tablet and rescuing Deward.
The tarot card appeared in front of her. The figure on it seeming at peace despite the discomfort of his situation. She knew what she had to do.
Grabbing the card out of the air, she turned to the others. “The rest of you have to go find Deward and the tablet. You need to leave now.”
“What are you talking about?” Kadrithan asked.
“Carter is headed here with Ito. I don’t know what they have planned but I know it’s meant to stop us. Y’all can still do this without me. You have to, and you have to go now.”
“No, I’m staying with you,” Genevieve objected, throwing her hands down.
“You aren’t. You’re going to protect the others since I can’t go. That’s an order, as your alpha.” She drew herself up, letting her authority flow into her words. “This is not up for debate. This fight is mine and I have to do it alone so the rest of you can save Deward.”
Ceri, who was standing at the end of the hallway nodded. “With the pack bond, we’re never truly apart. Don’t forget that.”
Genevieve, who still looked pissed, turned away. “Let’s go. Ithra, you have the address?”
Amber met Kadrithan’s eyes. He nodded, and mouthed I promise. He would protect them.
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