“We are a refined race,” Eudoxia snapped. “Unlike you filthy animals. But that does not mean we are weak.” Her power sparked, white forming at the tips of her fingers for the first time. It was building fast, repairing her to full strength. She grinned, her fangs still sharp. “We enjoy a good fight, and tearing you apart limb by limb would be an especially welcome treat.”
I waved my hand, dismissing her threats. “Here’s the deal. I let you go, but you cast the ward when I say so, not a moment before.”
She balked. “As your feline just pointed out, it will be full dark momentarily. I will not wait.”
“You will.”
“And why should I acquiesce to such a demand?”
“Because I’m waiting for my Pack to arrive.” My father needed every opportunity to arrive, and I was going to make sure I gave it to him. “It’s the main reason I took out your barrier. Once they reach us, we will have enough backup to fight the demons, with or without your help.”
Her lips pursed. “Fine. I will wait until the last ray of sunlight filters out of the sky, but not a moment later. I care not if your precious Pack arrives.”
I turned to Naomi. “Check Valdov’s pockets for a key to these.”
“There is no key, fool,” Eudoxia retorted. “They were spelled to my signature and mine alone. You can break them.”
“Valdov pulled out all the stops,” I said, reaching for the chains. “How did he get you into these willingly?”
Her eyes slid to full black.
I wasn’t going to get an answer, but they had obviously laid some elaborate plan and, in the end, something that had gone very wrong for Valdov. He would never have chosen to die. “Let’s not forget, Eudoxia,” I said as I pried open a silver cuff, “I still have something you want. Keeping me alive is still in your best interest.” I ignored the burn and crushed the manacle. It popped off her wrist. Then I reached over and did the next one.
She stood immediately.
Her hair had fallen from the elaborate coif of curls she wore tightly pinned to her head. She was several inches shorter than I was, and her long pale ringlets made her appear very young, possibly in her teens as I had originally guessed. The only thing marking her true age were her shrewd eyes, which were latched on mine. “I have not forgotten. It is the only reason you still live.”
In the next blink she was gone.
21
The Queen had disappeared out the window so quickly that it appeared she had vanished.
The moment she left, my entire body relaxed. I walked over to an empty chair and sat down with a thump. Tyler and Danny paced back into the room. “Danny, take the muscle vamp and toss him somewhere, will you?” I asked.
Without hesitation, Danny picked up the vamp and slung him over his shoulder and headed straight for the windows. I was too tired to argue, and Conan likely wouldn’t die from the fall.
Plus, he kind of deserved being tossed out a window for being a stone-cold asshole.
“We need to regroup. Tyler, can you fix the door or at least shut it?” I glanced over at Valdov’s dead body. Without its head, it had withered to bones. I met Naomi’s gaze. “There must be a time limit to the severed-neck rule?”
“Oui,” she responded. “If the head is completely severed from the body with no connecting tissue, it is only a matter of moments. If the vampire is very strong, they can last longer, but the head must be replaced.”
“Ugh,” I said. “What did Valdov do to you? You were down by the time I broke through the windows.”
“It was not Valdov,” she said. “It was the Queen.”
I sat up in my chair. “The Queen?”
“I came into the room and she said only three words—do not interfere. And then I remember nothing. Her power still aches in my chest.” She rubbed her sternum absentmindedly.
“That solidifies my theory,” I said. “This was something they had cooked up together.” I ran both hands through my hair and exhaled. “These games make my brain hurt. She risked death, and for what? What does she want from me?”
Rourke stood next to me. “Vampires are not skilled fighters, but they are known for their conniving ways. There’s no doubt she had plans in place from the moment you left her weeks ago. All she needed to do was pick which one to implement once you were here.”
“Her manipulation agitates me,” I said. “We all know she wants my blood or my life force or whatever, and she’s going to scheme until she gets it. But in this particular scenario she didn’t have a chance to get what she wanted. Something went very wrong here, but hell if I know what. I hate being her pawn.”
Rourke growled. “The Queen isn’t the only one around here with power or plans. She can connive all she wants, but it was clear her second-in-command was equally as scheming. Valdov used the plan to a perceived advantage, but neither of them got what they wanted and Valdov died for it.”
I sized up my mate. Just being this close brought me some much-needed calm. His warmth radiated into my body. I was happy to see him again. I hadn’t realized how much I missed being near him until right this minute. “How did you get into the crypt with Yuri, by the way?” I asked.
“I dug my way in.”
“From the outside? Like”—I blanched—“with your bare hands?”
His eyelids went to half-mast and a sexy growl sent the hairs on my arms jumping to attention. “Yes. Did you expect me to do any less?”
Danny exaggerated a cough. “Okay, let’s stay on track, shall we? Or your combined pheromones may choke us all before we can defeat anyone properly.”
“That’s poetic justice coming from you,” I chuckled, turning toward Danny, “since I’m the one usually telling you the very same thing.” I stood from the chair and maneuvered myself against Rourke’s chest. I needed to touch him. Pheromones be damned.
Are you purring?
Yes, Rourke answered.
I like it.
Time to get back to business. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on wonderfully purring mates. With effort I directed a question at my brother. “Did you find Ray?” I asked. Ray wasn’t here with us, so it was a good guess they hadn’t. “Or do you at least know where they’re holding him?”
“We think they’re keeping him in one of the crypts,” Tyler said. “There was no trace of his scent out there, but that was before the ward came down. We should be able to scent him now.”
“Okay, our first priority is to find him,” I said. “Since we don’t know exactly where he is, we split up. Once we have him, we regroup. Rourke and I will take the interior. Tyler, I want you, Danny, and Naomi to take the grounds outside. Search until dark; after that I want you to shift. If Dad is in New Orleans, like we hope, keeping the lines of communication open becomes the top priority.”
Tyler nodded. “It’s going to be dark very soon. That doesn’t give us a lot of time, but if we find Ray, I’ll alert you. After Danny and I shift, we meet up with you guys no matter what. The only thing we’ll have once the demons arrive is strength in numbers.”
Rourke voiced his agreement. “He’s right. We need to stand together. If the Queen’s ward works, we will have an advantage, but it will only be a slight one and won’t mean anything if we’re not united.”
“Okay,” I said. “We meet on the east side of the mansion in twenty minutes. Doesn’t give us a lot of time, but we can still cover ground. Has anyone seen Nick?”
“Once we all left, he went over the wall like you asked him to. Haven’t seen him since,” Danny answered.
“Good,” I said. “That means he’s found something. I can only hope it means James and Marcy are here somewhere and they’re rallying the wolves. If there’s enough time, circle around to the front and see if you can find him, but don’t leave the grounds.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Danny saluted me with a grin.
“Very funny. The salute was a nice touch.” I chuckled. “You’re the embodiment of the word ‘cheeky,’ Daniel Walker.”
“The cheekiest,” he said with a straight face. “But that’s why you adore me.”
It was true. I did adore him. He was proving to be the perfect underling to my temporary Alpha. I was going to miss my connection to him when he swore his oath back to my father. “Danny, you always provide a bright, shiny spot in my day. Though I’m not surprised my father had you stationed two hours away.”
He gave me a sardonic grin. “Yes, my humor is lost on the old dog. It’s a shame really, because most of the time he could use a good laugh.”
Talk of my dad brought me back quickly. “Let’s get moving. Instead of roaming through the cemetery, there’s a trapdoor in the Reliquary that leads into the tunnel system below the graveyard. You may have an easier time locating Ray’s scent down there. The ghosts said something about a bad man. I don’t think they were talking about Ray, but it wouldn’t hurt to investigate.”
“Ghosts?” Danny balked. “Don’t tell me you’ve been communicating with the undead now? You can’t be serious.”
Tyler appeared uneasy as well. “You want us to go down in a tunnel and try to talk to ghosts?”
Their faces were comical. “You’re both badass werewolves. I had no idea you were scared of ghosts.”
“I’m not scared of spirits.” Tyler cleared his throat. “‘Wary’ is a better term. I’ve never actually seen one, but it seems like it would be impossible to defeat something without substance. Badass werewolf or not.”
Danny added, “Exactly. It gives them a bloody unfair advantage.”
“You tough guys don’t have to worry, because once I broke the ward, they all left. Plus, they can’t really fight,” I said. “They just sort of poke and prod you with their ghostly fingers.” I couldn’t help smiling. “They’re completely insubstantial with no magic, but if the Screamer had come to life, that would’ve been a different story.”