Avenge (23 page)

I stopped walking for a second and
closed my eyes. Something wasn’t right. Why did I feel all floaty
and lulled? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say I was high. Were
my eyes all black right now? That thought caused alarm bells to go
off in my gut, but before I could think more about it, the euphoria
washed over me again and I sighed blissfully. I didn’t want
anything to be wrong. I wanted to enjoy this, no matter what it
meant. If only Max were here with me.

I ended up at the Castillo de San
Marcos, the oldest fort in North America. It was several hours past
closing time, but I easily slipped inside through the drawbridge
walls. I somehow knew I needed to be here, but I didn’t know why. I
wound my way through the long, narrow corridor, inhaling the musty
scent that reminded me of a very old library. I traced my fingers
along the coarse stones that adorned the walls, keeping my pace
slow and concentrating on the timbre of my heartbeat as it
increased with every step I took.

The building itself made a large
square, with an open courtyard in the center. I traced the outer
edge of the building and then found a set of steps that led to an
underground area. Defying the red rope that warned patrons not to
enter, I glided down the stairs. Along the way, several gas lit
torches came to life, guiding my path as I walked.

Somewhere deep inside, I knew that
should have been a warning, but with each step I took, I could feel
myself coming closer to Max. And I needed that connection. I craved
it with every fiber of my being. So I kept walking down the steps,
going deeper and deeper into the crypt. My heart sped up—though I
couldn’t say if it was due to nerves or anticipation of seeing Max.
I forced myself not to walk any faster and attempted to be cautious
of my surroundings.

Finally, I reached the bottom of the
stairs and the end of a narrow hallway. It led to an open interior
room that was filled with antique guns and ammunition. I assumed
that the museum now used the area as storage. In the center of it
all was Alastair, surrounded by a group of goons. His arms were
folded in front of him and he was smiling, as if I posed no threat
and he wasn’t worried in the least about what I might
do.

For a moment, I itched to conjure up a
solid silver stake and throw it at his heart. But only for a
moment. Before I could think about moving my hand, the urge
subsided and I wanted nothing more than to see Max and be with him.
I scanned the room, but he wasn’t there. My heart told me he was
close, but I couldn’t decipher an exact location.

“
Welcome back, Lucy,”
Alastair began. Had he been expecting me? Could Max feel me too?
Did he tell them I was coming?

I didn’t reply; instead I curled my
lip and growled. Finally, something I could focus all my anger and
hate on. I fisted my hands and took a step toward him, but he held
up a finger to me.

“
Uh-uh, little girl. You
don’t get to lay a finger on me this time. Not if you want your
precious Max left in one piece.” I paused mid-step but kept my
hands fisted. “That’s better. Now, let’s get down to
business.”

“
Where’s Max?” I
interrupted. Yes, I came here to make a deal, but I needed
reassurances first.

“
All in due time. I can’t
show all my cards if we’ve only made it to the flop, now can I?”
The goons behind him snickered at his stupid poker reference. If he
were smart, he’d realize that if his hand were good enough, he
could show it pre-flop and still win. This told me I had leverage
to negotiate and maybe even win. Either that, or he knew nothing
about Texas Hold ‘Em.

“
Why exactly do you think
I’ve come here today?” I knew I’d come here to make a deal, but how
did he know? It bothered me that I might not have the edge I
needed. Could Max somehow be reading my thoughts? I couldn’t see
how, especially given I couldn’t hear his.

“
There’s only one reason
you would’ve come here. You want your man back. Am I right?” I
nodded once and let him continue. “There’s no way I’m going to let
him go without a hefty price being paid, and I don’t mean
cash.”

“
I don’t understand. Why
did you keep him a vampire? I thought you wanted him for his
blood?” The question plagued me, and now that I had the chance I
was going to ask.

“
Because I play chess, my
dear, not checkers.” He shook his head like it was the stupidest
question ever, and his goons echoed him. He took a few steps
backward and found an oversized, old, wooden chair to sit on. The
symbolism wasn’t lost on me. His throne may not have been ornate,
but it was still a seat of power.

I smirked at his cryptic response,
reminding me of what James said in our meeting all those weeks ago.
I wished he were here, he’d be so much better at this. I knew
Alastair was up to something, but I had no other choice. I needed
to keep moving forward.

“
What is it exactly that
you want, Alastair?”

“
What is it that you are
offering, Lucy?”

I huffed, hating this stupid game. “I
want them back. Both of them.”

“
I already know this. What
are you willing to give up for them?”

“
I don’t suppose I could
offer myself as a willing sacrifice, could I?”

He scoffed, leaning forward in his
chair. “I’ve already…how do the kids say it? ‘Tapped that,’ so I’m
going to pass.”

My blood boiled as my face
flushed red with embarrassment and anger. “You did
what
?”

He laughed heartily, clutching his
stomach like I told the funniest joke. “Relax. I meant your vein.
Trust me, I have no interest in any other part.”

My cheeks got even warmer at his
mocking, and I wanted to punch him. “What exactly is it that you
want then?” I bit out.

He took a few moments to calm down,
actually pretending to wipe a tear from his eye before answering.
“My spy right now is doing an adequate job, but since that player
is left out of your little clique, I don’t have all the information
I need.”

“
You want me to spy for
you?” I asked incredulously.

“
I want you to feed me
information you already know. I don’t plan for you to make it out
of this room alive, so it really is your only option. Tell me what
I need to know, and I’ll return your boyfriend to you exactly how I
found him.”

“
And my sister?”

“
Gee, for that sweet little
soul, I may need more. You know the more pure the soul, the more
I’m able to manipulate it? That’s why we love the little ones so.
And hers, well, she’s been able to do things for us we haven’t done
for years.”

I cringed imagining what
exactly they had my sister doing, but I didn’t ask. I didn’t think
I could live with those images haunting me. I turned away from
him—a risky move considering it left me vulnerable—but I needed a
new plan. I paced back and forth for a few minutes, tapping my
fingers on my thumbs like I was adding something up in my head. An
idea formed, but it was extremely risky and depended solely on a
lot of elements falling into place that were out of my control.
This whole plan was dependent on a lot of “what ifs,” and I wasn’t
sure it was going to work. It was a huge risk, but I needed to
try.

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

“
What about this,” I
started as I turned around and faced Alastair. “I already know you
plan to kill me, but even if I spill every secret I know, things
could change in a week. The information would be useless to you.
You need a way to get your spy to be a member of the
team.”

Alastair sat up a little straighter in
his chair. “I’m listening. What do you propose?”

“
In order to accept any new
member at this point, it’s going to take something big. James and
the others don’t trust as easily anymore. What if your spy were to
be a hero? Do something so big that the team would be compelled to
let him join. Provided the bastard was convincing, that
is.”

“
Oh, my spy is very
convincing. It’s been this long and you’re no closer to discovering
their identity, are you?” He proudly wore a smug smile—one that I
promptly wanted to smack right off him.

“
No, we’re not. But there’s
no way this person be allowed on the team unless something major
happens. I promise you that.”

“
So spit it out already.
What exactly do you think should happen?”

“
The spy—for now let’s call
him or her ‘Prick’--needs to rescue Jessica. Make it look like
Prick had been investigating and getting closer to you, but since
Prick wasn’t on the team, Prick didn’t know who to go to and kept
it to himself until Prick was sure. Then Prick tried to save me,
but it was too late.”

Alastair scrubbed his jaw. I held my
breath waiting to see if he’d go for my plan. “This ‘rescue’ would
have to take place before I release Max. I can’t have him having
any prior knowledge of the spy, and if I turn him back now, he’ll
know.”

“
No, he needs to be
released before I agree to anything. Take him somewhere if you
must. Have my team out searching for him while your spy goes about
this rescue mission. But I will put up a fight like you’ve never
seen if you come one step toward me without him being freed.” I
pulled out my new power, allowing the liquid silver to engulf my
arm only and turned back to Alastair. “Or you and your little
cronies will face a hurt like you can’t imagine and still not be
able to take me down.”

“
Have you not noticed that
since you’ve been here, your thoughts have been rather clear and
focused? Or warm and tingly?” I flinched but kept my face even and
calm so I didn’t give anything away. I assumed with Max so near I
was finally able think clearly again.

“
We figured a few things
out since I’ve seen you last, deary. And while we don’t know why,
we do know that you seem to be directly and adversely affected by
what we do to Max. If we feed him and satisfy him, you’re calmer
and happier. If we punish him or withhold nourishment, you tend to
get…cranky. Our spy has been keeping an extra close eye on you. And
I know that as long as I keep the big guy suckling away at the teat
he’s currently enjoying, you’re fine. But if I cut him, if I bleed
him and drain him to the brink right this moment, your whole world
will turn upside down and you’ll be powerless to fight back against
me. I have the power here, not you. Remember that.”

My jaw stood agape, and I couldn’t
believe how quickly the tables turned and I lost any edge or
advantage I thought I had. I knew the fogginess I’d been feeling
was related to Max, but I didn’t realize Alastair knew that. Or
knew how to control it. I clamped my eyes shut. While I’d been
sitting in that shed, realization hit. We were half of each other’s
soul, so anything that happened to him affected me. And with his
soul now corrupted, mine became tainted.

No choice remained. I would sacrifice
myself. At least if my soul was gone, Max couldn’t be affected by
it any longer. I only hoped that whenever it came back however many
years from now, Max would be able to find it again. I hated that
he’d have to wait for it and possibly suffer again, but it was
better than the alternative of him remaining a vampire.

“
Listen, Alastair, I’m
tired of playing these games with you. Decide. You either free
Max’s soul, take it somewhere to be found by my team and accept me
as a sacrifice before your spy pretends to rescue my sister, or I
alert my team of your location and have this place surrounded by
dozens of Patroni before you could stand up.”

His eye twitched, but that was the
only tell that he was nervous. “You’d risk Max and your sister by
calling your team? I don’t think so.”

“
If I’m
not going to get them back anyway, why bother keeping you alive? At
least I’d have the satisfaction of knowing you’re dead and gone.” I
smirked, but inside my chest was beating wildly.
Please go for this, please,
I silently thought.

Alastair snapped his fingers, and one
of his goons went to stand before him. “Retrieve the Patronus from
where we left him and put him…” He trailed off and looked over at
me, then leaned over to whisper the location.

“
Seriously? Telling secrets
like you’re five, Alastair?” I rolled my eyes at him.