“I have my doubts.” Evan said aloud, but pushed into his mind, I can’t read her thoughts. I can tell she’s coming, but I can’t see inside of her mind.
Instantly, Julius relaxed. “Is that all?”
Why would she be hiding her thoughts?
“It’s Verna,” he said, then added only to Evan, She doesn’t trust anyone.
When Asher appeared from inside of the room, Evan pointed to the elevator. “Guard it with your life.”
“Yes, your highness.”
Asher bowed and walked up to the elevator. Julius rolled his eyes. They were completely overreacting. He was going to tell them as much, but when he looked down to the woman on the sofa, he closed his mouth. It wouldn’t hurt to use a bit of caution.
When the elevator dinged, the doors opened to only Verna. He relaxed. At least she wasn’t hiding henchmen in her coat.
“V!” Julius greeted her from behind Asher.
Asher blocked her way for a moment, then searched her. “She’s clean.”
“I’d like to think so.” Verna made a show of straightening her leather jacket back into place before tentatively looking around. “I didn’t mean to disturb the whole house.”
“We’ve had a long night.” Julius brought her to the table and encouraged her to sit. She thumbed the back of the chair but made no move to sit down. Then, he saw the crack in her veneer—the flash of something that was well-hidden by the camera in the lobby.
She looked more weather-worn than when she’d busted in on him with Erica in the studio. Usually, magic kept a mage from appearing as aged as she was. Now it seemed her magic had waned. Her skin was ashen and pale, her lips cracked and dried. Even the violet of her eyes had weakened to more of a lavender. She was completely forlorn. Spent. The only thing with any vibrancy was the shocking shade of purple on top of her head. But there was something more. When her eyes darted over to Asher, then Evan, he saw it. Fear. Guilt.
“Verna?” He looked at the mage. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry your highness,” Verna mumbled. “It shouldn’t have been you. I didn’t know, I swear. He said she was a shifter’s girl…”
“Verna, you’re not making any sense.”
“You don’t understand. Not even selling you my studio was enough. I have to pay him. I am bound by magic to pay him. And I owe him big. He always gets what he’s owed.”
That was not the first time he’d heard that expression, and as soon as she said it, he knew exactly who she owed.
“Verna, whatever you owe, we can pay it.”
When the mage glanced at Erica, it became very clear she was the currency he was expecting. No amount of money would do. He only wanted Erica. This is what Evan saw in the shifters’ minds. Their collective consciousness was compelled, solely focused on his mate, to bring her to Splinters.
“I’m sorry, your highness. I swear, I didn’t know.”
“Verna,” he tried to reason. “I will kill for her. You know that. Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t.”
“You don’t understand. I have to.” Her voice was soft. “It’s a magic debt. I have to pay it. I have no choice.”
“We protect Erica,” he said, alerting his siblings. They were already ready. “No matter the cost.”
Tears bubbled in the mage’s eyes as she put a hand to her mouth like she had no control over her actions.
“I’m sorry your highness.” Verna blew an orange powder into his face, then forced more of it around the room. It looked like colored chalk being puffed into the air. It stung. His eyes watered. He blinked several times, trying to clear it away, then staggered backward. It was an irritant. At quick glance, the entire room was affected. Except Erica.
“What is this?” he asked, inhaling some of the powder in the process. That was a mistake. It felt like someone put their mouth to his and sucked all the air out of his lungs. His airways were blocked. He coughed, unable to catch his breath. It forced him to his knees.
Asher sprang up, plugged his nose, and lunged for Verna. The warrior was precise in his movements and swift, but Verna was quicker. A spurt of energy blanketed them, freezing Asher in the air just before he collided with the table. She blew more of the powder into his face. It constricted him just the same.
By then, it felt like Julius had grown a mountain on his shoulders. He looked up at Erica. He had to get to her but was helpless to do anything but watch while his body was forced flat to the floor.
“Wh—” The words wouldn’t form around the coughs. He looked to his mate. “Er—”
He tried to tell her to run, but the words wouldn’t form. He pointed vehemently at the elevator doors instead. Erica got the hint. Her golden hair bounced against her back as she raced to the elevator.
“I’m sorry.” Verna appeared in front of Erica, lay a single finger on her, and Erica stopped like she’d been frozen in ice. No. She had to get away.
“You—” the word barely made it out before he coughed again. This time blood ended up on the floor by his face.
“I’m sorry, your highness. He said if I did this, I’d be free. He’s offering me a fresh start. I didn’t know it was you. They said they traced her here. It was supposed to be the wolf. Not you. I wouldn’t have agreed if I knew. I wouldn’t betray the crown.”
But she was. Julius tried to force the substance from his lungs, but whenever he tried to get air in, it wouldn’t come. His chest hurt. It felt like his lungs had been burned to ash.
Please Verna, he pleaded inside of his mind. Please don’t take her. I’ll do anything. I’ll trade my own life. Just don’t leave.
The mage couldn’t hear it, but his brother could.
We’ll get her back. Evan said to him. Verna sides with us.
She clearly didn’t. Not when she was taking Erica away. He cursed and he screamed inside of his mind. He was ripping from the inside. It started in his chest, then gouged his insides when Verna put her hand on Erica’s shoulder. He tried to get his body to work. Tried to force it upright, but her magic was too strong. Verna stirred a green electric glow around them. It traveled around the base of their feet and swirled up their bodies.
“You’ll heal soon. Doc 94 in Bingham Park.” Verna said, staring at his immobile body. She bowed deeply. “Please hurry.”
Then she vanished.
19
JULIUS
WHEN THE MAGE LEFT, HER MAGIC lifted. Julius sprang to his feet as soon as the heaviness fizzled. Breathing was still hard, but manageable. Rage ripped through him.
“Calm, brother,” Evan said.
He seethed. “She took her. Splinters has Erica.”
“We’ll get her back.” Dani was already calling for their car to be valeted to the front of the hotel.
“Verna said something about the docs in Bingham park. Where is that?”
“I’ll look it up.” Dani’s nimble fingers dashed around her phone.
“Julius, Verna’s not our enemy,” Evan said.
His eyes cut to Evan. If his brother thought for one moment Verna wasn’t an enemy to the crown, he was vastly mistaken.
“She tried to warn you. She let me into her mind, and I saw it. She’s bound by blood magic. She couldn’t help it. She tried to warn us. That’s why she had the front desk call the room. That’s why she told us where she was taking her.”
“I don’t care.” Julius grabbed his coat to search for his keys. His mate was gone and it was Verna’s fault. Blood magic or not.
“I’ve got it,” Dani finally said, looking down at her phone. “Doc 94 is a warehouse in Bingham park.”
She pulled it up on a digital map and showed it to him. He and Evan shared a look. That was the heart of shifter territory.
That’s uptown,” Evan said. “Half an hour out.”
“How do we get there?”
“The map will guide us.”
Good. He zipped to the elevator and mashed the button.
“Wait,” Evan called, babying his stoma
ch as he hoisted himself to his feet.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Julius asked.
“We’re going to get Erica,” he replied. “It makes the most sense for me to go. I can read minds.”
“You’re still hurt.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“The last time you said that, you ended up with a knife in your stomach.”
“To-may-toe, To-ma-to,” Evan said with a wave of his hand. Then, reading the question on his brother’s face, began, “It’s a human saying—”
“We don’t have time for this,” Julius said and pushed the elevator button again. Where the hell was this thing? “You’re not coming. I can’t protect her and look after you at the same time.”
“I need to help.”
“You want to help? Rest. Get better. That is how you help me. Asher will secure more blood for you.”
“You need backup.”
“What the hell do you think I’m here for?” Dani cut in, putting a hand on her hip and giving Evan a frown. When Dani reached for her own coat, Julius grimaced. She was coming with him, of course. She shouldn’t. Her fingers weren’t completely healed. But it seemed his busybody sister couldn’t help herself. For the all gods, where the hell was the elevator?
“You should stay here too.”
“No dice, you heard Evan. You don’t know what you’re up against. You’re not going alone.
“Your hands are not yet healed.”
“They’re fine.” She tucked them into her pockets. “Besides, I should be the one to do the talking. I’m a better negotiator.”
Julius remained silent. He had no plans to talk. If his sister wanted to believe that he’d be able to keep his vampire from ripping throats out, she’d be better off staying behind.
“Accept the help.” Evan made a face but settled back into the sofa and clutched at his stomach.
You think I want to put my little sister in danger? His sister had not trained like a warrior the way the rest of them had. Basic self-defense, nothing further. If the stubborn fool on the sofa had been more careful, he’d be in fighting shape already.
You know I can hear you.
“You should,” Julius said aloud. “And you should feel very guilty about it.”
“Go to hell.”
“I know there’s only one place for me in the end. Asher, guard him with your life.”
“Yes, your highness.” Asher nodded despite Evan’s reluctance.
With that, Julius boarded the elevator from their suite and pushed the express button to the garage and took off after Erica. Both of their lives depended on it.
____
DOC 94 WAS ABANDONED. When they stopped at the address the GPS said was the correct one, Julius thrashed at the steering wheel. Not a soul lurked around it.
“Are you sure we’re at the right place?” He looked at Dani, then down to the phone in her hands.
“Yes, this is Doc 94.”
“Does it look like anything exists here?” He pointed at the empty building with several broken windows.
“Looks can be deceiving. If I were trying to hide a secret operation, I’d put it here.”
He had to believe that, even though everything inside of him twisted in doubt and refused to relinquish its hold. Erica was there. She needed to be. He shot off to the warehouse.
“Jules, wait!”
He ran inside despite his sister’s protests. He couldn’t wait one more minute. He had to get to his mate. When he got inside, it looked no less vacant. Large wooden crates, metal shipping containers, and the like were all stacked on top of one another in an endless labyrinth. If she were here, she could be anywhere. His vampire rose to the surface and sniffed the air. Shifters. Faint, but it was a concentrated sort of faintness.
Focus. He forced his vampire to think of Erica’s scent. Find her.
To his surprise, she was there. But locating her was going to be like pulling a needle from a hay heap. Everything seemed to hold traces of his girl, but none of it was distinctive. He couldn’t pinpoint her exact location.
“Your highness! What took you so long?”
Julius’s vampire took control when Verna appeared in front of him. His eyes pooled to black. His fangs drew down. He hissed at his subject. So much for her oath to lay down her life for the crown. She’d poisoned him, left him for dead, then took his mate. If she was on their side, the mage had better show her allegiance, fast.
“Where’s Erica?”
“I’m sorry, your highness” The mage backed away, a current of purple electricity floating around her fingertips.
“Tell me where Erica is. Evan says you side with us.”
The mage looked over her shoulder for a split second. He rushed her and put his hands around her throat.
“Where is she?” he roared.
“She’s in the back by the dock,” Verna choked out. “But—”
He squeezed tighter, cutting off her words. “You will never cross the house of Craul again.”
“Jules, stop!” Dani gripped his wrist. “Let her speak.”
“No.” Seething, he tightened his grip. His vampire was thoroughly enjoying the feel of the soft tissue in his grasp. Verna gathered just enough of herself to put her hand on his other wrist. Electricity jolted through his legs, forcing his knees to buckle. By the gods, it was excruciating. As if trying to outdo itself, the pain traveled up his spine and ripped through his skull like someone was driving a nail through his temple. He let go, and she dropped unsteadily to the ground. She started speaking before he could launch another attack.
“He’s draining her,” Verna said between gasping breaths, pressing her fingers at her neck like she was trying to rip his phantom fingers away. “Taking her blood. I gave her a healing drought. It’ll work on vampires too, if needed. There’s only enough for one.” Her pale purple eyes flickered between Dani and him. “She’ll be fine, you just have to get to her. Also, he’s well protected.”
“How many?”
“A handful at most, but they’re shifters. They can regenerate. They also carry poison-laced weapons.”
“Anything else?”
The mage shook her head. “You’re running out of time. I wish I could make this up to you.”
In a split second, he knew exactly how. “You can. Get my sister out of here.”
Dani backed away from them. “What? No.”
She nodded, then bowed. “To the crown.”
“Stop, Verna. I command you.”
“I outrank you, sister.” Julius nodded at Verna. The mage latched on to Dani, and just like with Erica, a green hue swirled around them before they vanished.
Good. At least he wouldn’t be worried over his sister. He turned back in the direction Verna had pointed and ran at full speed, trying to trace her scent. It became both stronger and weaker as he ran, coming in plumes, then vanishing.
What the hell were they doing to her? Dread urged his vampire to push harder.
Thankfully, he didn’t run into anyone on his way to the back of the warehouse. Gusts of late autumn wind swirled around him, and in an instant, he could smell it. Blood.
A lot of it.
He sprinted.
In the middle of an open area, flanked by an opened bay that led to the stench of the river, was Erica, tied to a chair. Her head hung. She wasn’t conscious. Her heartbeat was irregular. Although she had a needle taped to the inside of her arm, there was no blood around her. That bastard had harvested it from her. He took a step forward. Everything about the scene in front of him should have screamed caution. But with Erica like this, he didn’t hesitate.
He didn’t think.
He raced to her.
“Erica,” he said softly, cupping her chin and lifting it. “Love, can you hear me?”
She murmured something, but otherwise didn’t respond. He looked down at the restraints and began to untie them. His senses were off. It wasn’t until he heard several steps behind him that he
realized he wasn’t alone.
“I told the wolf he had one hour. I didn’t realize he’d send a fanger instead.” The voice was greasy, slick, and rough. “What is it with her? You all have some sort of threesome or something?”
Julius jerked upright and spun around to find a collection of men in dark blue construction uniforms surrounding him. They parted, allowing a much smaller, gaunt man through. He looked sickly. Frail. Perhaps it was the sagging of his near translucent skin or his weathered, beady eyes.
“It seems you have stolen something from me.” Julius looked the gaunt man directly in the eye.
“Is that right? What is it you presume I took?” Splinters’s smile was vicious and taunting. “I think you’re barking up the wrong shifter, son.”
Julius’s jaw snapped tight for a moment, staying his vampire from lunging. He needed to see if more shifters would emerge inside the warehouse.
“I’m here to make a trade.”
“A trade?” Splinters looked surprised. “What could a fanger possibly want with a human? If it’s her blood, I’m afraid you’re a bit too late for that. It’s gone, being shipped. Unless you want what little there is left.”
Julius forced himself to calm. Splinters was taunting him, testing to see how much leverage he had. He’d betray no more than he needed to.
Julius took control of their conversation. “What I want with her is my business. Are you ready to hear the terms of my deal?” When Splinters didn’t speak right away, he added, “It would be in poor form to turn your back on prime business. Especially when it will keep you and your pack eating well for years to come.”
When a gurgle of murmurs rippled through the men behind him, a vein in the trader’s jaw jumped. They were itching for their next big payday. From the look on the trader’s face, he didn’t seem pleased by their collective excitement. He turned to his men. Immediately, they went silent. When he turned back around, the trader spit at the floor between them. Julius didn’t flinch.
“Fine. What is it?”
“You let us walk out of here, and I let you all live.”
Splinters laughed, and the collective joined in.
Love Bitten (Vampire Blood Royals Book 1) Page 17