Cold Blooded (17 page)

And go where? There’s no safe place to get to before dark.
I eyed the vamp stronghold.
There’s nowhere left for us to run.

Well, you have about three minutes to decide. Five vans full of sorcerers are behind us on this road alone. It’s taken them time to regroup, but even if we don’t lead them to you, your signature is all over. We’ve been able to track you with the windows down. Once they stop and get a plan, they’ll be all over you.

Damn.
Then we only have one choice left. We barter with Eudoxia for refuge until we can reach Dad.

The vamps are not going to protect us
, he argued.
We’ll be walking straight into enemy territory. I’ve told you all along this is not a good idea.

I don’t agree and neither does Rourke. The Queen wants my life force too—let’s not kid ourselves. If stealing my power is on everyone’s list, there’s nowhere I can go. As long as I’m still tantalizing to Eudoxia, we have something to bargain with. The goal will be to stay in control at all times. If she denies us, we get Naomi and Ray and fight our way out. But taking refuge in the vamp stronghold is the best we’ve got.

Tires squealed down the street.

I turned to Rourke. “Tyler has five carloads of sorcerers on his tail. We have to move now.”

The Suburban, with Nick at the wheel, rounded the corner, going up on two wheels. There was a loud explosion and an Orb flew over the trees, coming at us like a heat-seeking missile.

Rourke leaned over and threw open my door, yelling, “Go! I’m right behind you.”

I sprang from the car and took off at a dead run. The Orb exploded behind me, taking out the Porsche.

Car doors slammed and Tyler, Danny, and Nick joined us as we ran for the huge stone wall surrounding the mansion.

“Let me go first. If I get through, follow me,” I called over my shoulder, clearing the massive height in one leap. Nothing kicked me back, but a strange pulse of energy whipped through my body as I crossed the boundary line. Thank goodness it wasn’t warded.

I landed easily and kept running. I was up the steps to the front door, happy that nothing exploded behind me, before I took my next breath. I slid to a stop just short of kicking in the door, which would be considered bad manners for a visiting guest. I turned and glanced back for the first time and realized no one was behind me.

I watched as each of them tried to clear the wall again and was repelled backward.

Damn.

It was warded. I just hadn’t been affected by it.

I ran back to help and Rourke called, “Jessica, stay inside the boundary. We’ll find another way in.” Another explosion rocked the wall from the outside, but none of the Orbs were breaching the ward.

Before I could decide what to do, huge French doors directly above the portico of the mansion shot open and the Vamp Queen strode out into the morning light, a single finger pointed directly at an Orb hovering in the sky.

The thing froze in place.

Half a beat later, with one flick of her wrist, it evaporated into nothingness.

“You dare declare war on me?” her chilly voice rang out.

It seemed the Queen had no problem with sunlight and she was wide-awake.

That was a bonus.

I stayed inside the yard and moved to the top of the stairs so I could get a better vantage point. The sorcerers who had jumped out of their vans were now tumbling all over themselves trying to get back in them. So much for badass.

“Yes, scurry away like rats in a sewer,” the Queen’s voice raged. She shook an extremely pale fist toward the errant sorcerers. “Tell your High Priest he owes me restitution for this attack or he will pay the price in blood.” To punctuate her statement, the tires on one of the vehicles blew and the thing did a triple spin in the air. Her magic had manifested physically in a shock of white. The same shock of white that had hit me in the chest just a short time ago. I knew how powerful she was and now so did they.

The vans carrying the sorcerers peeled out, tires screeching as they went. I turned discreetly, trying to stay out of the Queen’s line of vision, and edged my way back toward the wall. I needed my team in here with me.

“You,” the Queen called. “Little Wolf Girl. You play with fire coming to my door unannounced, trailing trouble right behind you.”

I turned to face her, moving into her sight line. No use pretending I wasn’t here. “I apologize,” I replied. I had to play this right. Even if the sorcerers had temporarily left, the demons would be here soon and I still needed to bargain for shelter for the night. “Our Pack became separated on the road and it was either come here or risk death. I figured you were interested in keeping me alive, at least for a while. My duties to you don’t start for a few weeks, but as you can see, I’m ready and willing to meet with you now.”

She cocked her head at me, calculating. “You may enter, but know that I am not bound by our oath until three weeks from this date. You come into my Coterie at your own risk.”

“Hmm, as tempting as that sounds,” I responded, “how about we make a deal instead? I’m not entering without my companions, and we enter as your guests for the duration of twenty-four hours and are free to leave alive and unharmed at this same time tomorrow.”

“And what would interest me enough to welcome you into my home and keep all your lives intact?” she asked.

“If I die, you don’t get what you want. It’s pretty simple.” She moved to the edge of the railing that ran around the portico. I had chosen to call her bluff right from the get-go and I had her attention. “The sorcerers want my power and so do you. You want it through my blood and they want to somehow pull it out of me, but it’s the same thing. So if you keep me alive, you keep the power alive. Next, if you don’t offer us shelter, you risk war with the wolves. By denying us, you act against us.” That wasn’t technically true since we weren’t formal allies, but if she denied us and I was harmed as a result, it would be a valid enough reason for my father to declare war. “You already know my father is itching for a fight after the last time we met.” I tried my final tactic. “He would do almost anything to keep me away from you, including fight you before I’m due to honor my deal. But I’m here right now. This might be your last chance, Eudoxia. I wouldn’t let it slip through your fingers.”

She didn’t try to deny any of it, which earned her a few points. “What are your terms?” she asked coolly.

“I will agree to follow your rules once inside and you agree no harm comes to me or my team. I think that’s fair enough for now.”

“Ah, but you seek protection, do you not? Protection comes with a fee.”

I exhaled slowly. Of course she was going to make me work for it. “Then I guess the bigger question is, what do you want from me, Eudoxia? If protection comes at a cost, what is it going to cost me?”

Her face showed a hint of surprise. She hadn’t expected me to turn the tables so quickly. “The sunlight is burning my retinas. I will meet you all inside the foyer.” She flicked her wrist once toward the perimeter and left her perch without glancing back.

I turned to see the boys coming into the yard, Rourke in the lead.

“Jess,” Tyler called as he ran forward. “You can’t do this. You can’t make another deal with her. We don’t need protection that badly. The sorcerers are gone for now. We can hit the road and take off. Anything you agree to once we’re inside will put us at too great a disadvantage.”

“I believe he’s right,” Danny added. “We’ll be sitting ducks if we take up with these biters without a prior agreement. Anything you offer the Vampire Queen to keep us safe will be too high a price in my estimation. I say we cut and run.”

“Cut and run
where
?” I asked them both as they came to a stop, lowering my voice to barely above a whisper. “Right now she thinks the threat is sorcerers. We don’t have to mention we are having
another
issue. And don’t forget Naomi and Ray are inside. I’m not leaving here without them. It’s not ideal, but I agree to her terms and we stay. For one night. Enough to get in touch with my father, get the rest of our team, and come up with another plan.”

“We can’t forget the child oracle said we had to be in New Orleans,” Rourke added, directing his words at Tyler. “The sorcerers know we’re here. As soon as we leave the grounds, they’ll hunt us down. Even if we get out of town, there’s not another sanctuary near enough. I support Jessica. We stay here overnight, and if things improve, there’s a possibility we can head out tomorrow. If not, we renegotiate with the Queen. Jessica’s in more danger out there”—he pointed over the wall—“than she is in here at the moment.”

Tyler’s anxiety pinged through my system. He knew Rourke was right, but we all hated being in this predicament. This was a little more dire than being stuck between a rock and a hard place—it was more like being stuck between fangs and death. “Fine, but I’m not putting up with any of their shit. If they try to bite us, it’s going to be anarchy,” he growled. “I will kill any vamp who comes near me, no matter what we agree to.”

“They won’t risk biting us if their Queen doesn’t want a war,” I said. “And maybe it’s no accident we’re here.” I pondered that. “It makes the most sense. This is the first place Dad would look for us.” I glanced around the group. “I have to trust my instincts, and this feels right—”

Like a cue from a B movie, the massive front doors of the Coterie slowly creaked open on their own, signaling us to enter.

“Well, that was a bit creepy,” Danny said. “Let’s go on, then. We’ve reached our decision. And I don’t like the idea of leaving our mates in there any longer than necessary, so I guess it’s time to have a little fun fraternizing with the enemy.”

“That was a quick turnaround, Daniel Walker. From against to for in less than two minutes.” I chuckled as we all moved forward.

“What can I say?” he responded. “You’ve convinced me. And this choice happens to be a tad better than getting charred by an angry demon. As long as the vampires keep their distance, we should be able to cope. Plus, I wouldn’t mind learning a thing or two about their habitat. A bloke can learn a lot if he pays close attention.” He winked.

Rourke splayed a warm hand on the small of my back as we walked.
Eudoxia is shrewd, but this is your game to win
, he said in my mind.
She’s not going to let this opportunity pass her by. Whatever she wants, she wants it badly enough to give you refuge, so use it to your advantage.

We ascended the massive marble steps and went through the open door.

That’s my plan
, I replied.
Once we have Naomi and Ray we can—

13

As soon as we stepped into the ornate mansion, with its dark mahogany interior, our mind-connection abilities snapped off. I wasn’t surprised, since that’s exactly what had happened to my father and me last time. Eudoxia had some sort of interference spell that kept mind communication closed. It made sense that she’d want to protect herself. If her minions could talk, they could plot.

The gigantic foyer was draped with gold fixtures and deep red carpets, all the furniture polished and well kept.

The Vampire Queen was nowhere to be seen.

A moment later a voice chirped from the top of the staircase. We all glanced up to see Valdov leaning over the banister. He brought his long white fingers together in his standard steeple pose as he cackled, “So the rutting was a success, I gather?” At our last unfortunate meeting, he’d guessed correctly that Rourke and I were a mated pair.

I took a step forward. “It was actually mind-blowing, but we’re not here to discuss private affairs. Where is your Queen? She said she’d meet us here.”

“Eudoxia is lying down, mending her eyes. Sunlight is so very powerful and nasty on us, you know.” He made a clicking sound with his tongue. “She handled the threat against us perfectly, however, and with great authority. You have been ordered to deal with me. When she wakes at sunset, she will meet with you then, if you …
er
… decide to accept our demands.”

“I’m not swearing anything to you, Valdov,” I said, clearing things up from the start. “You have no honor and I wouldn’t loan a guy like you five cents. I’m certainly not going to bind myself to you. So you and your Queen are going to have to rethink your tactics. Go see what else she has in mind and we’ll wait here admiring her Ming vases.”

Before any of us could blink, he launched himself down the stairs in a rage.

As he came at us, his face slid and his fangs elongated. We all took a few steps back because it was so unexpected. “You will not question my honor!” he slurred through his pointy incisors. He huffed to a stop a few feet in front of me, his eyes fully black, no white showing. “You are below me in every sense, you rotten mongrel. Do you hear me? You will swear whatever I ask in return for the Queen’s favor. There is no other compromise! You should count your blessings you are even allowed to stand here in our home.”

I didn’t flinch.

His power was strong, but nothing like his Queen’s, and I’d learned a thing—or several—since we’d last met. “If there’s no compromise, we’re leaving,” I said. “I don’t need anything badly enough to swear to you, Valdov. You can tell your Queen you let her prize slip right between your bony white fingers. I’m sure she’ll be extremely happy when she wakes up and finds out I’m gone.”