Bloodspell (41 page)

Gabriel was still out there, she could feel it. He wouldn't leave Christian's side, he was far too careful for that. Although her power over the blood magic had grown, there was no guarantee that she could control it, face Gabriel, and save Christian
and
Holly at the same time. Her arrogance had cost her dearly the last time and she wouldn't make that mistake again, not with Christian and Holly's lives hanging in the balance.

Victoria didn't know whether Gabriel would indeed keep Christian alive as he had said, but she was banking on the fact that as long as Gabriel knew that she would never give herself to him without Christian's life as an exchange, then she had a little time and something to bargain with. She needed to get to the one person who could help her, the one person who cared for Christian as much as she did.

Enhard.

He was the only one powerful enough to protect Christian if she failed. If she invoked her blood's deadly power and lost control, then Christian too would be at risk. Enhard could get Christian to safety should anything go wrong.

The blood magic swirled, cognitive. Every shred of her wanted to teleport into the main room where Christian lay so weakly on the marble floor and whisk him away, but she didn't trust herself to control her blood. And she could never leave Holly.

Gabriel was powerful, and cunning, if the last few days had taught her anything. Underestimating him would be her downfall. The only solution was to go for help.

She wrapped her consciousness around Christian, willing him to hear her.

Don't give up,
Christian.

The slight flutter could have been her imagination but she grasped it as hope. She would do whatever it took, she vowed fiercely,
whatever
it took.

ANGIE? ANGIE, I
hope you can hear me. You're in danger. Gabriel knows you helped Christian. Get away if you can.

Victoria hoped that Angie would be able to hear her. She wouldn't want her to come to any more pain from Gabriel's sadistic ways, and she knew without a doubt that her brother would punish her severely for what he would consider to be unforgivable disloyalty.

Despite Charla's cruelty and duplicity, Victoria couldn't believe that Gabriel had killed her so heartlessly when her only mistake had been to fall in love with him. He had used her and then abused her in the worst possible way, murdering her while she had been helping him. He was sick and twisted. Victoria knew that she would have to be the one to end him.

She looked around her small prison, looking for a weapon, anything she could use to cut through her skin. She needed to spill her blood, and a lot of it, for Victoria intended to invoke the blood craft she had been born with, something she should have done even before Christian became involved. But she'd been afraid—afraid to release the blood magic and not be able to control its terrifying power. She'd almost killed Christian the last time! Now, she had no choice.

After a frantic search, she disconnected a thin wire she'd found behind the rusty radiator in the room and inspected it critically, touching its sharp ends. With some pressure it would do. She sat in the middle of the room and pulled her energy into herself, commanding her blood into action. She could feel it surging through her body waiting for the release it would soon be granted, and she awarded it decisively, digging the thin wire across her wrist and severing the skin with barely any pressure. Brackish dark blood spurted out and she felt the magic of the blood craft suffuse her as her blood welled from the wound. It was sacrificial blood.

Murmuring a word, she healed her wound and felt the magic soaking her soul, until her eyes were black with it and her body trembled. It was almost too easy, the binding wards falling before her fingertips like they were air, and the confidence it gave her made her think for a second that maybe she could take Gabriel on her own. But she knew that would be her destruction. She was well aware of the risks that came with invoking the blood magic's devastating power—it would take advantage of any weakness, including pride. She needed to be smart and stick to her plan.

As the amulet warmed at her breast, Victoria belatedly realized that she could have used the amulet to release the blood—after all, that was the purpose of its sharp edge, she realized with dawning understanding. It made sense ... sacrifice to summon the blood magic. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Holly first.

"Transeo," she said, and the room disappeared into nothingness; the power of the word combining with the power of the blood was consummate. Victoria's mind envisioned the room two doors down where she'd seen Holly. Before she could even take a breath as her body re-materialized, she grabbed Holly and teleported again, this time to Christian's home in Canville. Holly would be safest there under Anton's care.

The third and final time she murmured, "Transeo," holding the destination clearly in her head, she emerged in Christian's Paris apartment. Victoria felt none of the normal effects of the teleportation. In fact, she felt even better than she had when she had left earlier.

Unable to teleport safely given her unfamiliarity with the building, she took the metro to La Défense and entered the looming black monolith that was the Tour Areva. She went to the top floor without hesitation, expanding her awareness, searching. She found what she was looking for in the boardroom where they'd had the Council meeting. Without knocking she walked straight in, and found herself face to face with seven furious vampires. The leader stood slowly and stared at her with incredulous surprise.

"Enhard," she said by way of greeting. She stared coolly at the other six vampires watching her with varying degrees of shock and fury. After all, she had just entered their haven without having been invited. Remembering that Christian's life hung in the balance, she moved toward Enhard and was immediately surrounded by four snarling vampires. "Wait!" she said. They ignored her, their faces feral. She was the enemy.

"Confuto," she said, waving her hand. Incredibly they all froze, unable to move. She could feel their shock and hatred burning through her as she walked toward Enhard whom she had left free of the hold charm. She knew that they were stunned that she had been able to use magic against them in their own space. Too bad it wasn't warded for blood magic. Knowing she had to be careful whom to trust, she turned to Enhard.

"I need to speak with you privately," she said urgently. Just because she had put a hold charm on the other vampires didn't mean that they couldn't hear what she was saying. Enhard stared at her and then nodded. She released the charm, and the vampires exited staring at her with caution. She waited until they were alone before beginning. Enhard stared at her, guarded but curious as to her intent.

"Enhard, I need your help," she said. His dark eyes reflected their surprise. "Christian is in great danger and I know that he is considered a royal—" She had barely finished the sentence when he jumped to his feet. She could read the alarm in his face.

"You know of Le Sang Noir? What my people call the Cruentus Curse?" she asked. At his nod, she continued. "Well, it's real." Enhard's face remained unmoved. Victoria took a deep breath and looked him full in the face. "I'm the one you've been looking for."

Enhard's went from surprise to disbelief to shock and finally to anger. "What do you mean?" he snapped.

"How do you think I was able to do magic here, in this place?" she said. Enhard still looked unconvinced. She sighed; she had expected this and there was only one way to prove it to him beyond the shadow of a doubt. "Do you have a knife?"

Victoria did not want to take out the amulet even though she was there requesting Enhard's help. That was private.

"Are you serious?" he said. "You do remember what I am, what we are here?"

"Yes. A knife, please."

Enhard reached into a drawer and handed her a small pocketknife. Without hesitation, Victoria ran it across her palm, the black blood welling. She healed it immediately and watched Enhard as he struggled for control, his eyes bright and wild. It was a losing battle she knew, her blood was like an aphrodisiac even to the most seasoned vampire, and she was unsurprised when he bounded over the table in one leap snarling hungrily. Victoria wasn't worried, she'd been under a shield charm since she had entered the chamber—he couldn't touch her. Still, she didn't prolong his agony and reached out to gently touch his hand.

"Vicissitudo normalis," she said, watching as his glistening, sharp teeth retracted and his wild eyes calmed in immediate response to her command. He stared at her in incredulous silence.

"What did you do? Am I human?" he asked, running his tongue against his blunt teeth and still smelling the blood but feeling no answering, immediate desire.

"No, not really, I just took away your hunger temporarily," she said. "My blood would have killed you had you taken it. But it was the only way I could make you believe that I am who I say I am."

Victoria explained what had happened with Gabriel and finally to Christian.

"Do you have any proof that what you say is true?" Enhard said.

"Call Lucian and ask if he can reach Christian. He'll know."

She waited as Enhard made the call and watched as his face darkened. He shut the tiny cell phone and stared at her. "He said that Christian is fine."

"He's lying!" Victoria said. "Enhard, listen to me. You know our secret, I love Christian, but I also know how you feel about us, and yet here I am in front of you asking for help. You want to see Christian with your own eyes, here!"

Victoria grasped Enhard's face and shoved the images of her last view of Christian into Enhard's head, not even knowing beforehand whether it was possible or even dangerous. She just did it, demolishing his walls like tissue paper, and watched as knowledge followed by horror crossed his face. She pulled back and he slumped in his chair.

"We must be quick. Tell me what you need me to do," he said weakly, after he had regained his composure.

A plan in place, they made their way to the lobby. They would meet in New York at Enhard's home. In spite of the precious added time, Victoria didn't trust herself to teleport Enhard safely. If anything happened during the transfer, all would be lost. She needed him, and she could only pray that Christian would hold on.

"How fast can you get there, Enhard?" she asked, her face worried.

"I will fly."

Victoria calculated the distance and time in her head, panicked. "But that's seven hours if we're lucky!"

"No, you misunderstand me, I can
fly,
" Enhard said calmly. Victoria looked at him, confused, until comprehension dawned.

"Oh," she said. "I didn't know you could do that."

"I will meet you there in an hour," Enhard said. "Do you have transport?" Victoria lifted an eyebrow, and he inclined his head at her silent jibe. She would teleport from somewhere safe. She entered the elevator.

"Thank you, Enhard." His face remained inscrutable.

Victoria allowed herself to breathe the minute the elevator doors closed. It had been nerve-wracking to try to convince a vampire predestined to mistrust her every word to help her, but somehow she'd done it.

The elevator stopped on the fortieth floor, and as the doors opened, the heat of her amulet scorched her chest. Her eyes snapped to a pair of slate-gray ones. The shock of recognition was followed by the immediate souring of her stomach as Christian's twin brother stepped in.

Again, she was struck by the similarities between them, although each time she saw Lucian, their resemblance became less and less pronounced. Their height, coloring and eyes would always be the same, but Lucian's face was narrower and colder, and his hair was shorter, emphasizing the harsh angularity of his face. Victoria knew in no uncertain terms the danger she was in from the minute he crossed the threshold. The elevator felt suddenly very confined. She felt the steel handrail digging into her hips. Lucian smile was filled with malice.

"Well, isn't this a charming surprise," he said. "So to what do we owe the honor of your presence in Paris?"

"Why did you lie about Christian?" she countered. A good offense was a better defense. He smiled wider.

"I didn't lie. I said he was fine. And he is fine, for now anyway," he said. "But you know more about that than I do, don't you? Where is my dear brother then?"

"As if I would tell you."

"I could make you, you know," he said.

"You could try," Victoria shot back.

Her defiance and complete fearlessness threw Lucian for a loop. All he had to do was take one step and her neck would be in his hands, and he would be ready to tear her limb from limb. Yet here she was openly taunting him and being excessively bold about it, her green eyes flashing fire. He liked it. When he finally got rid of Christian, maybe he would keep her as his own private entertainment.

He pulled the stop button in a smooth motion and the elevator lurched to a sudden stop. Her hands gripped the rail, white-knuckled.

"So why are you here, Tori?" He said her name with a caress, and it sickened her just like it had the last time he had used that suggestive tone at the masquerade.