Fire Storm (31 page)

Once they were on the road, Ari nudged Andreas. “I know you have a lot more story to tell, and Sophie needs to hear part of it.” She told him most of what the werefoxes had witnessed. She saved the part about the woman until later. That was her own private worry.

Andreas bent his head toward her. “You mean Sophie wants to know if she wasted her time in rescuing an ally of the elders.”

“Something like that.”

“And you, little witch?”

“Don’t give her grief.” Lilith chimed in from the front passenger seat, where she was riding shotgun. Literally. With an assault rifle in her lap. “She never doubted you for a second.”

Andreas’s arm tightened around her waist, and Ari knew he was smiling. A twinge of guilt reminded her Lilith wasn’t exactly correct. There had been doubts, but not for long. Not when it counted, and never again.

“The first few days I was confined to a dungeon. Visits were infrequent, as they waited for me to weaken from blood deprivation. Then the interrogation began: Ursula’s disappearance, Sebastian’s death, details on Prince Daron’s staff and our compound in Riverdale. Finally, they demanded that I abdicate the crown. When I refused to answer or do as they asked, the…persuasion began.”

“The torture, you mean. I felt it once,” Ari said in a small voice.

“I tried to protect you from it, but I am afraid my shields faltered. I am sorry.” He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “I did not want you involved in any of this, Arianna. It would have been excruciating for me to watch you die.”

She heard the raw truth in his voice. “That’s why you’ve been shielding from the beginning.” She sighed, running her hand over the front of his shirt. “You can’t protect me from everything, but I’m not sure I want to know what they did to make you lose control.”

“It is unimportant now. In any case, it became obvious that they had no intention of releasing me nor had any immediate plans to kill me. Then I heard from the guards that you were in Germany, and I knew—despite my efforts to keep you away—you would eventually attempt a rescue. I started thinking about what I could do to help, and I changed my strategy.”

“So why didn’t you open the link then?”

“They would have traced it to you. Some of the elders have exceptional psychic powers. Anyway, I figured the first thing I should do was get myself out of the dungeon, so I gradually let them think I was dissatisfied with my current life. I complained to the guards about the laws in the States, mentioned how much I detested blood banks, and revealed a couple of unimportant facts about Daron’s staff. When they began to send rewards, in the form of small amounts of blood, I talked more freely with the jailers. I counted on our conversations going back to the elders.”

Sophie swerved over two lanes to make the Frankfurt exit. They’d chosen to drive north, hoping the vampires would logically expect them to go south to Zurich.

Andreas leaned forward to peer out the window and gestured toward the airport signs. “I gather I should speed up my story.”

“You’ve got another fifteen minutes,” Sophie said. “So what did you tell the jailers that was so convincing?”

“False stories about disagreements with Daron. But the deciding factor was my complaint that he had unfairly taken over Toronto, when it should have been mine. They could not imagine I had voluntarily relinquished such a rich prize.” He knuckled Ari under the chin. “Remember, even you were surprised.”

“I was, until you explained you and Daron had traded territories and a few other things like the jet. Besides, it allowed you to come home.” She squeezed his hand. “But that can’t be the whole story.”

“Well, not quite. After that, it took my pledge of loyalty, a lot of fast talking, and a little bit of acting.”

“Which apparently included convincing them I meant nothing to you.” The moment she said it, she wished she’d waited until they were alone, but Andreas handled it with ease.

“Of course. My defection would not have been complete without renouncing their enemies, and I hoped it would turn their attention away from you. It might have worked if not for the warlocks.”

“So the elders believed all this?”

“Not all, but enough. Bastian swayed many of them, I think.”

“About him, I can’t figure out his part in this.” She stopped when Andreas squeezed her arm, as if cautioning her. Had he figured out Bastian was Daron’s sire?

“Hard to say why any of the elders act as they do.” His voice betrayed nothing. “The O-Seven court is a hotbed of political intrigue. Whatever he intended, his actions turned out to work to my advantage. When I was brought before the council, he demanded my personal pledge to him, and then offered me his protection in return.”

“I hope that pledge isn’t binding,” Sophie said. “He must have had some terrible use for you. I think the farther you get away from him, the better.”

Ari frowned. The priestess had been quiet during most of Andreas’s story. Maybe too quiet. Was she satisfied with his explanation? Ari couldn’t tell.

“The pledge meant nothing to me,” Andreas said. “And it was never sealed in blood. Bastian cannot hold me to it.”

Ari let out a soft sigh. Would Bastian see it that way? What game was the elder playing? Maybe he didn’t hate his First Son as much as they thought, and had protected Andreas for Daron’s sake. Or was this part of some evil plan of his own? Maybe they’d never know, but she’d be glad when they were on the plane and away from everyone in Germany.

“So, what about the note? You tried to warn me it was a trap, but you must have expected me to come. Did you have a plan for getting out?”

“Not exactly, but I knew you did.”

“What? How?”

“Remember how I knew about the attack in the vampire compound two years ago?”

She sat up and tried to read his face in the dark. How could she forget? It was the first time they’d experienced their telepathic link, and it had scared her to death. She’d woken him from his vampire sleep with visions of the werewolf attack. “You saw us practicing the teleport?”

“Yes, and writing the spells. I saw pieces of everything that happened to you. Whenever I was asleep, I could not keep you out of my head.”

Just like she kept seeing images of the castle off and on. Their magics really had an uncanny affinity for one another.

“You can thank Gerhard for the idea of luring you to the castle with the note.” Andreas squeezed her hand again. “He knew you would not pass up the opportunity. Since it seemed to fit in with your plans, I agreed, but I thought we could escape in the forest that night. Then you resisted capture, and they knocked you unconscious. I could not believe they had so easily overpowered you.”

“My lost Guardian powers,” she said softly.

“Ah, of course. I still need to hear how that happened.”

Yes. Just like they needed to share so many other things.

They pulled up to the terminal, and everyone climbed out. At the last minute, Sophie asked to speak to Andreas in private. Ari watched their whispered exchange, waiting to have her own last words with Sophie. Afterward, Andreas went inside to check on the flight, and Lilith discreetly followed him, leaving the two witches alone.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” Ari said. “You got us out, and you saved his life with your water spell. If there’s ever anything I can do…you know where I am. Just call.”

“I did it for you. But after listening to his story, I know it was the right thing.” Sophie reached out, and the two women hugged. “I’ll miss you. Come see us, if you get back this way.”

Lilith beckoned from inside the terminal. Ari turned to leave, but Sophie caught her sleeve. “If Andreas doesn’t bring it up on his own, ask him what we talked about.”

Ari widened her eyes in question, but the priestess just smiled. “Ask him.”

She nodded and hurried inside, finding Andreas and Lilith waiting by the corridor to the departure gates.

“Our flight is already boarding on gate 17.” Andreas threaded their way through the crowded terminal.

As they approached the gate, Ari noticed their posted destination.

“Italy? I thought we were going home.” She hung back. “Andreas, I don’t like this. The O-Seven will find you there. You’re safer in the States.”

“It will only be a brief stop. I have spoken with Samuel, and he will meet us tomorrow with the jet.” She was still unconvinced, and he tugged on her hand. “Arianna, I cannot go home without making arrangements to protect my people from retaliation.”

“Oh, sorry. Of course you do.” She had tunnel vision when it came to his safety. “But I don’t suppose you’d let Samuel handle it?”

He shook his head, and she followed him onboard.

She still had a nagging sense of urgency. A hundred miles separated them from Castle Verdammung. She’d had two hours to get over that awful feeling of inevitably that hovered over the elders, that sense of unstoppable power. Yet, her skin tingled. She wanted to put an ocean between them. Ari wasn’t going to feel safe until they were back in Riverdale. And maybe not then. Maybe not ever again.

* * *

Although she was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to curl up against Andreas and sleep on the short flight to Tuscany, Ari couldn’t wait any longer. As soon as they were buckled in, she turned to him. “Who was the woman?”

Andreas raised a dark brow.

“At the elders’ court, the foxes saw you with a woman.” She struggled to keep it from being an accusation.

He studied her for a moment, his hooded gaze giving away nothing. “This is the first thing you ask me when we are finally alone?”

Ari swallowed. He was right, after all he’d been through, she was acting like a jealous lover. Which she was.

He leaned over, placing a finger under her chin. “Do not look so stricken, cara mia. I did not mean to tease you. You have every right to ask, and under similar circumstances, I certainly would.” His eyes met hers. “She was a human donor. The only source of blood the elders allowed. I took only what was needed from her wrist. Nothing else happened.”

“OK.” She nodded and heaved a silent sigh. Maybe she’d ask him for details later, maybe not. For now she let it go and cuddled against his side.

“I have something for you.”

She raised her head. “From the castle?”

“Not precisely.” He dug in his pocket and pulled out her charm bracelet. “I knew you would want this. It was dangling in plain sight on the way back to the stronghold, but no one was willing to touch it. When they threatened to get a raptor to rip it off, I took it from your arm and hid it away.”

Touched by his thoughtfulness, she leaned up and kissed him on the mouth, ignoring the interested looks from other passengers.

Although flight time between Frankfurt and Florence was under two hours, dawn was threatening to break when they arrived, and Andreas was hustled into a limo with the back windows blackened. Two bottles of blood brought a momentary gleam to his eyes, but the sun’s pull was irresistible. Arriving at the casa, his staff immediately transferred his nearly comatose body to his room.

The enforced inactivity of the next hours chaffed on Ari. Although there were so many guards the casa looked like an armed camp, Ari paced the house, edgy, irritable. Her apprehension grew, an insidious fear that dogged her every step. Her neck prickled, her fingers twitched, and her arms itched like ants were marching up and down. Every witch sense told her they needed to get out of Europe.

The noon arrival of Samuel and Russell in the jet from home was a momentary relief from the waiting. Russell hadn’t been expected, but he claimed he wanted to get a peek at Italy. Yeah, right. He’d missed his wife, and after a whispered conversation, he and Lilith disappeared on a long walk.

Complying with Andreas’s pre-dawn instructions, Samuel arranged for a meeting with local lycanthrope leaders at 4:00 that afternoon, shortly after Andreas would rise for the day. Any discussion with the scattering of vampires who lived in his territory—mostly loners that he had granted sanctuary—would have to be done by staff at a later hour. The jet would be ready and waiting for their departure at 5:00 before most of the vampires were awake.

At 3:00 Ari was hovering outside Andreas’s quarters. When she felt that familiar power surge, she knocked on the door, and he opened it immediately.

“Everything is arrang—” She gasped as he grabbed her and his lips descended in a long, hungry kiss.

“I’ve waited too long to do that,” he murmured against her throat. “Everything else can wait.” He kicked the door closed with his foot and carried her to the bed. “Do you know how dreams of you tormented me?”

Her own dreams, and even the daylight touches of his magic, flashed through her mind. “You were always with me.” Twining her arms and legs with his, she met his passion with passion of her own, putting all the love and longing into actions, molding her body to his, willing them to be one. He seemed more than happy to oblige.

* * *

“You need to hurry.” She laughed up at him forty minutes later. “The leaders will be waiting.”

He toweled the water off his muscled body, ran a hand through his wet locks, and looked at her sprawled on the bed. “If you don’t get into the shower, they will be waiting a lot longer.”

Much as she was tempted to lure him back to bed, Ari scrambled off the side. She eyed her blouse on the floor, missing two or three buttons from their earlier impatience. “It appears that I need a change of clothes, so I’ll clean up in my own room.” She threw on a long shirt of his, just enough to be decent, and grabbed her jeans. With one hand on the door, she turned to throw him a kiss, but he was beside her, claiming her lips before opening the door. When he lifted his head, she saw the smoldering fire in his eyes and fled down the hallway. His deep masculine laugh followed her.

Showering and dressing in record time even for her, Ari descended the stairs five minutes later and entered the library. The meeting hadn’t yet started, and Lilith met her at the door.

“You’re glowing,” the lioness whispered.

“What?” Ari caught on to the teasing and gave the lioness a once over. “Likewise. Did you and Russell have a nice walk?”