The sleep vanished from her eyes between blinks. “Okay.”
“Pack a bag, quickly.” I shooed her toward her bedroom. “You have until he finishes, and then we have to go.”
With renewed purpose, Amelie ran into her room and closed the door behind her. Drawers opened and shut, and a loud zipper rent the air.
“Do you need another set of hands?” I stood over Linus, who crouched in the doorway with a frown.
“No.” He wiped a rag wet with horned owl tears over the sigils carved into the wood. “Thank you.”
With a clock ticking in the back of my mind, I nodded. “I’ll go check on Amelie.”
Leaving him with a modified pen in hand, I set off down the hall and almost smacked into her.
“I’m ready.” Two bags hung from her shoulders. “I unplugged everything and turned off all the lights but this one.”
“Thanks.” I hadn’t even thought that far ahead. “You beat Linus.”
“I’ve had a lot of time to make a packing list for when I got out of here. All I had to do was check off each item as I tossed it in my bag.”
“Smart.”
“Bored,” she countered.
Back in the living room, Linus was capping his pen and standing. “I’m done.”
“Excellent.” I exited into the garden and he followed, then we turned to wait on her. “Come on, Ame.”
The use of her old nickname jolted her focus away from the wards and onto me.
“Here goes nothing.” She jumped across the threshold and landed in the grass. “Well, I didn’t explode.”
Linus was already moving toward the back porch. “What kind of ward did you think I set?”
“The kind meant to keep a killer away from your girlfriend?”
“Linus doesn’t explode people,” I reassured her. “He’s more likely to cut off your head.”
“Yeah.” She rubbed a hand across her throat. “I remember.”
During her time as Ambrose, she had glimpsed Linus in all his dark glory. The vision haunted Amelie, and she used to have nightmares about him separating her skull from her spine. As usual, I said the exact wrong thing to her. About to apologize, I smacked up against Woolly’s wards and bounced off them.
“What is your deal?” I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “Are you hinting I need rhinoplasty?”
The old house rattled her shutters, her lights flashing like a disco.
Linus stood on the porch, safe within the wards, so that was something.
Hood, Lethe, and Shane stepped out of the kitchen to join him, and that puzzled me even more.
“You’re going to get your cornices in a bunch now? Really?” I flung out my arm toward Amelie. “She’s in danger if she stays in the carriage house, and we can’t let her run around unsupervised. The Grande Dame would have a cow and force me to listen to it moo for the rest of her life.”
“Maybe if you leave the wards on the carriage house down?” Amelie adjusted her bags. “That way I could escape if they come here.”
“Woolly,” Linus said, “be reasonable.”
A bolt of lightning struck my skull and filled me with images of Amelie, Boaz, and—now that she had a face to go with the name—Adelaide.
Woolly crammed me to overflowing with her perspective on my heartache. Every tear, every sob, every tissue balled up and flung across the room. Every plea to the goddess, every red-rimmed eye, every hoarse voice.
“I get that she hurt me. I get that Boaz hurt me. They hurt us, but this is bigger than bruised feelings. She will die if she’s left undefended.”
The ward’s hum turned sharper, a bow sawed across violin strings, her attempt to drown out what she didn’t want to hear.
“Lacroix will come here. He’s ordered his vampires to take me. He will burn the carriage house to the ground if he thinks torching my friend will draw me out of you.” I rested my palm on the barrier. “But I won’t be here. I will be with Linus, trying to save as many lives as I can. That means if you turn your back on Amelie now, you’re the one who will have to live with the memory of her screams and the guilt of knowing you could have spared her life and chose not to care.”
The ward rippled, its song growing fainter, and my hand sliced through the air.
Woolly turned off every light, curtained every window, and her consciousness arrowed toward Oscar’s room.
The message was clear. Amelie could stay, but that was the extent of hospitality she could expect.
“It’s fine.” Amelie hesitated before the lowest step, bit her lip, then let the wood accept her weight. “I’m in.” An exhale moved through her shoulders. “I can take it from here. I’ll call if we have any trouble.”
“Thank you.” I walked up the stairs and wrapped my arms around the nearest column. “Your heart is a giant marshmallow, you know that? It’s part of why I love you.”
The porch light flickered to life, its warm glow a benediction.
Linus trailed his fingers across my shoulders then walked out onto the lawn. Hood and Lethe followed.
“I have to go.” I withdrew with a final pat. “I’ll text Amelie, so she can give you regular updates. This time, I promise I won’t forget.”
The front door swung open on a sigh of wind through the eaves, wiggling a bit, inviting Amelie in.
Woolly really was a big softie, even if she nurtured her grudges like Maud’s prize-winning roses.
With that done, I joined the others in the grass to face the gwyllgi issue. The Elite had their hands full. No help was coming from that quarter. And we were about to enter the fray, meaning the gwyllgi could track down Lethe and ambush her.
“We need them,” she said to no one in particular. “I’m going to challenge their leader.”
“Lethe.” I grabbed her arm. “Please, don’t do this. Not for me.”
“Can you imagine the stigma my child would carry if I was in Savannah when it fell, if it comes to that, but did nothing to help? I would be branded a coward, and I would deserve the title. I won’t have my daughter’s reputation tainted by my actions—or worse—my inactions.”
Wrapping my arms around myself, I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted blood.
“Grier.” She enfolded me in a hug, the swell of her stomach pressing against mine. “I can win this. I won’t make the same mistake twice. They’ve proven they fight without honor, and that means I don’t have to play by the rules either.”
“You got this,” I croaked, because it was what she needed to hear.
“Damn skippy.” She released me then turned to Linus. “Trap her in a circle if that’s what it takes. Don’t let her interfere. We need to end this. I need a clean win. As clean as it’s going to get with this crowd.” Traitor that he was, he agreed. With a nod, she pulled Hood into a kiss that singed my eyelashes from watching them. “Get ready to break out your pom-poms. You guys are my cheering section.”
Careful neutrality shrouded Hood’s features, transforming him into just another spectator in the crowd.
Thanks to Linus, I understood what that disconnect cost him. He was locking down his emotions, going cold.
“I’ll do my best,” he said gruffly then knelt and pressed a kiss to her belly button. “Keep your momma on her toes, sprite.”
A hush settled across the yard as the three gwyllgi approached the ward holding the pack at bay.
Lethe stepped out in front, the point to their triad. “Who among you is dominant?”
“I am,” a thin woman with black hair barked at Lethe. “You killed my brother.”
“Your brother fought dishonorably,” I yelled, “and he deserved what he got.”
“Grier,” Linus chastised. “You heard Lethe.”
“She told you to stick me in a circle if I tried to interfere. She didn’t say squat about smack talking the other team. She told us to break out the pom-poms. Well, this is me cheerleading.”
“Stick a muzzle on her,” the woman snarled. “She’s an outsider. She has no place
here.”
“You’re standing on her lawn,” Lethe said dryly. “That means it’s literally her place.”
Hood chuckled under his breath, and the woman’s hackles rose.
“I challenge you,” the furious woman shouted. “We fight to the death.”
“Dominance fights are until first blood or until one of the challengers submits,” Hood said. “There’s no need for another packmate to lose their life.”
“I’ll fight,” Lethe allowed. “You win, I die. I win, and you all help protect Savannah from the vampires.”
The woman frowned at the part where Lethe glossed over her impending death, not yet understanding that Lethe wanted to spare her. “Agreed.”
Magic spouted up Lethe’s legs, bathing her in crimson and washing away her human visage. She melted into a muscular beast that was one part Komodo dragon to one part bullmastiff. Dusky scales protected her vulnerable spots, and a reddish-blonde ruff stood on end around her blocky face. Needlelike teeth filled her mouth, and her smile curdled my blood.
Her opponent was slower to shift, and her other form was smaller. That didn’t make her any less deadly.
Small fighters learned quickly how to even the playing field or they got dead fast.
The challenger rushed her, a snarl twisting her lips away from her sharp teeth. Righteous fury propelled her at breakneck speed, but it dulled her wits. Lethe stood her ground, legs braced wide, claws sinking in the dirt, ready to end this.
For the baby’s sake, I mentally pleaded with her to dodge the strike, but the resounding clash when their bodies hit made me flinch.
A steady growl poured from Hood’s throat, and his eyes gleamed a furious red.
“Breathe,” Linus whispered in my ear, but it was no use. “Lethe is second in the pack for a reason.”
“Rip her throat out, Tess,” a man called from the innermost ring of spectators.
The challenger, Tess, took the order to heart and lunged for Lethe’s neck. This time, Lethe whirled aside and let Tess collide with the crowd. Some scattered, others flung her back in the ring they formed on the lawn.
“Please be over,” I chanted, eyes squeezed shut. “Please be over.”
“You’re pack now,” Hood said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “You have to watch.”
His grip hurt, and the tips of his fingers had shifted into claws, but I didn’t say a word as blood wet the sleeve where his hand rested. This was his mate, who was carrying their daughter, and I could deal with a little pain if it kept him steady.
Linus’s frown promised violence when he spotted the spreading crimson stain, but I shook my head.
Nodding once, he took my hand, the metal twist of his engagement ring stabbing me.
If it had been jabbing me this whole time, the way it must have been poking him, I would have yanked it off and chucked it in the weeds by now.
Okay, okay, fine.
I didn’t have the heart to toss an engagement token either. I would have tucked it in my pocket, though. Not Linus. He would wear it until I twisted it off myself, and then he would shelve it wherever he kept his treasures. I had to be the lousiest rich girlfriend a guy ever had the misfortune to date.
For Hood’s sake, I forced my gaze back to Lethe. Tess was, as predicted, a spry and dirty fighter. Lethe was elegant, vicious, and…she was holding back. “Why hasn’t she ended this?”
“She could have killed the girl before Tess finished shifting.” Hood kept his eyes glued to his mate. “But it would shame Weber’s family, and that’s what started this whole mess. She’s letting the girl land her hits, playing to the crowd, allowing them to think she’s getting the beating she deserves.”
“She’s getting hurt,” I protested.
“This is our way. Lethe has no choice but to uphold the rules if she wants to be alpha one day.”
The clock must have run out on Lethe’s patience when Tess started nipping at her sides, perilously close to her vulnerable stomach. When Tess sprinted in to take a larger bite, Lethe whirled, catching the girl’s front forepaw in her jaws and crunching down with an audible snap.
Tess shrieked an animalistic cry that tapered into a soft whine as she toppled onto her side.
Lethe circled her, lowered her head, and closed her jaws over the girl’s throat in a gentle hold.
The younger gwyllgi urinated on herself, and the pack lost interest in the show.
Lethe had won. Tess had shamed herself and her family. It was over.
Satisfied her point had been made, Lethe released Tess and gave her room to stand.
Lip curling, Tess rose—and lunged for Lethe’s throat, bloody teeth bared.
“Lethe,” I screamed a warning that came too late. For Tess.
Using her greater reach, Lethe clamped her jaws around Tess’s throat and sank her teeth in. She didn’t shake her head to shred flesh the way I had seen Hood do, but she didn’t let go when the pitiful thing ripped out her own throat trying to escape the reprimand.
Tess’s body hit the ground, and the light faded from her eyes.
Lethe shifted forms above her and knelt to check her pulse. “Dead.”
A solemn hush fell over the gathering, and a man who looked to be in his thirties stepped forward.
“Grief made Tess act with dishonor,” he said. “After Ernst, you must believe it’s a family trait.”
“The thought had crossed my mind,” Lethe replied dryly.
“I have no excuses for them and only an apology for our part in this sham of a challenge. You have served as second to Tisdale for decades, and you have never been unjust in your punishments.” He tilted his head to one side, exposing his throat. “Let us prove ourselves.” He held the pose. “Lead us. We will follow.”
“I regret this was the cost of your revelations, Devlin.” Lethe stared at the dead girl. “She was a promising dominant, and she will be mourned.” She scanned the gathering with a critical eye. “You heard the terms. Vampires are attacking Savannah. Fight with me, for me, and you will earn back the honor you’ve lost. Otherwise, I will be forced to give your names to Mom. I think you can all guess how well that will go for you. Whether I’m here or in Atlanta, I am her heir, and you have all challenged my position. Count yourselves lucky I don’t require each of you to fight me to retain your own rank.”
A whimper worked through the gathering, and a few people hit the ground, belly-up in human form.
A text message chime jerked my attention to my phone and away from the gwyllgi drama.
>>Is Amelie safe?
The number was unfamiliar, but it could only be Boaz.
She’s staying in Woolworth House for the duration.
>>Goddess bless and keep you.
Has Lacroix been spotted yet?
>>He’s walking down Bull Street, headed for the Lyceum.
Linus and I will be there in ten. We’re bringing gwyllgi backup.
>>I’ll let the others know they’re friendlies.
Hood touched my arm and gave me a moment to pull my thoughts from the texted conversation. “Yes?”
“Can you handle the van?” He had trouble pulling his gaze away from Lethe. “I don’t want to leave her alone with them. She’s acting as alpha, and she needs a second she can trust at her back.”
“We can handle it.” I gave him an impulsive hug. “You go take care of our girl.”
“My girl.” Hood narrowed his eyes at me. “I saw her first.”
As he stalked off to join his mate, I laughed under my breath. Until another ping drew my attention.
>>You’re clear to make your way to the Lyceum. No one will stop you. If they try, give them my name.
Are Macon and Adelaide safe?
>>They’re in the panic room with the rest of the family.
>>Thanks for asking.
>>You don’t owe us anything.
I don’t hate you.
>>You should. I would. Adelaide does.
Hate is a strong word. She wouldn’t w
aste her breath telling you off if she didn’t want you guys to work.
>>You think so?
Relationship counseling for my ex is outside my comfort zone. Talk to her. You’ll figure it out.
Glancing over my shoulder at Linus, I asked, “How much of that did you get?”
“None.” He homed in on me. “Your texts with Boaz are private unless you tell me otherwise.”
Ah ha. “How did you know it was Boaz if you didn’t look?”
“You grumbled douche canoe under your breath when you saw the notification, and I made an educated guess.” A smile danced in his eyes. “Lethe is having a civilizing effect on you.”
I growled low in my throat, but he wasn’t intimidated. His eyes darkened, leaving me tingly all over.
There was no time for testing the flavor of my fiancé’s smile. I had to keep on task.
Fiancé.
Linus Lawson was my fiancé.
I had asked him to marry me, and he said yes.
Maybe in fifty years, maybe in a hundred, but this—us—was forever.
Focus, Grier.
The curve of his lips beckoned, twitching with his amusement.
Focus harder, Grier.
His tongue darted out to wet his lips, and his smile glistened as he taunted me.
“You have a mean streak,” I informed him, tucking in my hormones. “I didn’t know that about you.”
“There’s a lot we don’t know about each other.” He traced the line of my jaw with his fingertip. “And we have lifetimes to learn.”
I nipped his finger when it neared my mouth, and his eyes flared with molten heat.
I might not be a vampire, but I don’t think either of us would mind if I accidentally on purpose bit him.
Closing his eyes, he gathered his focus. “What did Boaz want?”
“To check on Amelie.” I locked down the warmth curling through my stomach to get back to the task at hand. “I told him she was okay and asked if Lacroix has been spotted. He’s marching on the Lyceum, safe behind the first wave, so that’s where we head if we want to intercept him. The Elite have given us the go-ahead, and they’ve been made aware the gwyllgi are on our side.”
“I’ll drive.” Linus set out for the gate. “Boaz might have cleared you, but the Elite won’t question me.”
How to Live an Undead Lie (The Beginner's Guide to Necromancy Book 5) Page 24