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Trenyth waited for a beat and then, seeing that we had run out of steam, brought the conversation back to the present day. “Quall is under orders to infiltrate his father’s inner circle. His father is a known sympathizer to the sorcerers. ”
Delilah voiced the question running through my mind. “What if Quall takes a notion to change sides when he meets his father? He may have grown up in Elqaneve, but if he’s a desert raider by birth, what’s to say that blood won’t out and he’ll return to the fold?”
“There’s never a guarantee that something like that won’t happen,” Queen Asteria said. “Anyone can go rogue at any time. However, remember—his father sold him. There’s no love lost there. And despite his demeanor, Quall is one of the most loyal hires we have. He’s been on a number of missions and come through with not a single smirch on his record. ” She gave us a quiet look, indicating the matter was settled. “We have to trust him. He’s our best chance at finding out just what Telazhar is plotting. We know what, but we don’t know how. ”
We’d have to be satisfied with that.
“And now, I must attend another matter. Trenyth will see you out. Thank you for answering my summons so quickly. ” The aged queen swept out of the room, still a fountain of power.
“Then we wait for Darynal to contact us through the Whispering Mirror,” Camille said. She glanced at me. “How long before morning?”
I closed my eyes. “A while yet. It’s barely past midnight. ”
“Your evening is far from over. As we told you earlier, you must go to Y’Elestrial. ” Trenyth sighed, pushing himself back away from the table.
“Yeah, about that. You mentioned that our father wanted to see us. But that’s not possible. Camille’s proscribed from setting foot through the gates. And didn’t you tell us some time ago that our father and Tanaquar are on the outs?”
He grimaced. “Your father is muchly changed this past month. He’s become withdrawn and silent, and while he is still working for Queen Tanaquar, he confided to me that he made a grievous mistake when he did not stand behind your choice, Lady Camille. ”
Her lip trembled. Father’s denouncement had cost her a price far more than any she had ever paid. It had cost all of us. We’d always done everything to make him proud, but he was quick to judge. He’d judged me since the day I came home a vampire—he hated vampires, and I knew it took every ounce of self-control he had to remain civil to me. But I didn’t care. Not like Camille.
“He truly wants to see us?” A flicker of hope lit up her voice, but I heard doubt behind it. And fear.
Trenyth pressed his lips together, a gentle smile playing across them. “Yes, my dear. He truly wants to see you. ”
And so, without another word, he bundled us back in the carriages and we were on the way to the portals, to travel to our home. For the first time in several years, we’d all be together at home again.
Chapter 3
As we were on the way to the portals, Camille pulled her cloak around her shoulders and shivered. “Is it just me, or does it feel colder than usual out here?” She rubbed her temples. “I have such a headache. What the hell are we supposed to do? I don’t want to go but we don’t have any choice. ”
“We do have a choice. We can go home. We’ve been obedient all of our lives, but this time…” I’d had it. I’d had it with everything. “We can still fight the demons, but on our terms. We aren’t beholden to Tanaquar or to Father anymore. We work for Queen Asteria. ”
“Yes, we work for her and she gave us specific instructions to journey to Y’Elestrial. ” Camille kicked a pebble on the street and watched as it bounced over to the gutter. “But if he so much as raises his voice to me…”
Trillian caught her hand. “My love, you will do as you always do—follow your heart, and follow your gut. I’ll always back you up. ” He raised her fingers to his lips and kissed them gently.
Chase cleared his throat. “Maybe your father has come around. Why else would he send for you?”
“Any number of reasons. But perhaps he’s actually sorry. ” Even as I said it, I wasn’t sure I believed it.
Father was a stubborn fool, and once he made up his mind, he stuck to his guns. Camille took after him, and they’d been butting heads since we were young. He’d expected more out of her than out of Delilah and me, and she’d chafed at his demands. She wasn’t cut out to play mother, though she tried, and while she’d become our rock, it had—in the long run—hurt her.
Delilah and I had been freer to make mistakes, to go our own ways. In some ways, I knew it was because he’d loved Camille most, but his love came with a price that was too high for me to ever want to incur.
I stared into the night as we passed through the streets. We were going home. To Y’Elestrial. To the place where we were born and raised. To the town I’d renounced the day we went Earthside.
A trip through the portals is the wildest roller-coaster ride you’ve ever been on. Toss in a bungee jump, skydiving, and a few hallucinogenic drugs to the mix, and you might come close to what it feels like. You get yanked apart in one place and thrown back together somewhere else. And you remember everything in between those frozen seconds when you’re noncorporeal and shimmering in between the worlds.
We arrived in Y’Elestrial, expecting the Des’Estar—the formal guard of the Court and Crown—to meet us, but all we ran into were a couple of louts trying to persuade the portal guards to give them a free ride. It wasn’t working, save for one drunk bitch who had hiked up her skirts and was fucking the lot of them, two or three at a time. We stared at her for a moment, then, shaking our heads, turned and walked into the streets.
During the day, Y’Elestrial was gorgeous, bustling and filled with the cacophony of street vendors and open markets and the lush shopping districts that attracted visitors from hundreds of miles around. It was probably one of the most beautiful cities in Otherworld; gleaming domes with spiraling minarets topped the city buildings, and marble retaining walls surrounded the upper-crust gated communities where the nobles and Court favorites lived—those who weren’t quite popular enough to reside within the Court itself.
But at night…at night, Y’Elestrial took on a darker edge, a dangerous and glittering appeal that filtered into the streets in the sweet, cloying scents from the opium dens and the raucous music that came from the brothels and nightclubs. The shadows were filled with thieves and thugs, with assassins and slavers and gamblers looking for an easy mark.
I looked around for a carriage, but there were none in sight. “So Father didn’t send an escort for us. That figures. But if he wants to see us, he can jolly well pony up for transportation. It’s a good two miles and while that’s not all that far, I would think he’d have better manners, since he was the one who sent for us. ”
Delilah glanced around. “I don’t like this. Why aren’t they here?”
Camille let out an exasperated sigh. “Fuck this. We need to get moving. There are gangs in this area that could take us on and win, even with all our firepower. ” She glanced at Roz and smiled. “You do have your arsenal under that duster, don’t you?”
He slyly flipped it back, flasher-style. Metal and wood and magical bombs glinted out from within the folds, under the eye catchers that floated through the streets. “I’ve got what you want, babe. ”
Trillian snorted. “You’re lucky I’m not Smoky. ”
Roz snickered back at him. “As much as I admire the thought of being in your shoes, when it comes to Camille, I wouldn’t trade places with you for a million bucks. Sharing a woman, no problem. Sharing a woman with a testosterone-laden dragon whose temper has a flashpoint of zero—not so much. And I’ve already been on the receiving end of that temper. ”
“If you’ve finished discussing this scintillating matter, I suggest we get a move on. ” With a hrmph, Camille pushed past the two men. I swung in beside her, and Delilah took the other side. The
guys fell in behind us, as we headed down the cobblestone street in the direction of the palace.
The scent of opium wafted out of the buildings by which we were passing, and then, with a little gasp, Camille stopped, staring at one of the nightclubs.
“The Collequia. ” She turned to Trillian, who slid his arm around her waist.
I leaned against the stone wall of the opium den. So the old joint was still up and running, and probably still owned by our father’s friend, Jahn.
“It seems hard to believe it’s been thirteen years since we first met here. ” Trillian gently pressed a kiss on her lips. “Do you want to go in?”
She stared at the door for a moment but then shook her head. “Too much water under the bridge. I’ll always remember the first time I laid eyes on you, but it wasn’t because of the club. It was because you were…the most striking man I’d ever seen. And you came to my defense when I needed you. We were meant to be together. You’re my alpha. ”
Without a word, he swept her away from the door, and they began walking down the street again. We followed.
Chase caught up to me. “Is that where…”
“They met? Yes. Camille was on assignment. This city holds our past, Chase. It guards our secrets and dreams. Our childhood and our memories. ”
“Where were you when…I mean…I suppose I shouldn’t ask but…” He floundered for words but I knew what he meant.
“There’s a cave not far outside of the city limits. Dredge kept his nest there. In Y’Elestrial, vampire nests are forbidden to have more than thirteen members before they have to hive off. But Dredge defied the order. He was attempting to set up a Vampire Court—which is against the law within the city-state. Since the land the cave’s on is Y’Elestrial territory, he was breaking the law. And I was sent in to spy on him, so we could raid them. ”
“Have you ever gone back?” Chase’s question hovered in the air, and if I had been breathing, I would have caught my breath. As it was, I stopped in my tracks. I guess the look on my face was either terrifying or terrified, because he quickly began to backpedal. “I’m sorry—I didn’t mean anything by it—”
Not wanting to scare him, I forced myself to speak. “No, I’ve never been back there. ” A wave of horror swept over me at the thought of setting foot back in the cavern. I’d thought myself over the fear. Dredge was dead. I had staked him. I was free. Or, at least, I thought I was free.
“I’m so sorry. Menolly, I should never have asked. I’m so stupid. ” Somehow, Chase’s contrition was worse than the question he’d asked.
“It’s not your fault. ” I hurried to reassure him. He’d asked a simple question. The fact that the question had hit me so hard worried the fuck out of me.
The others had noticed our conversation and stopped. Camille and Delilah surreptitiously moved to stand behind Chase, and I realized—again, with a touch of horror—that they feared I might attack him.
Feeling both mute, and muted, I shook my head. “I’m okay. Just…I never…nobody ever asked me that before. I’ve never thought of going back. Ever. ”
Camille stepped back. Delilah, more slowly. But Chase didn’t flinch. He just stood there, his gaze softly fastened on my own, and held out his hand. I stared at his fingers, warm and pulsing with blood, and a thirst welled up in me that I didn’t like.
“Take my hand. I trust you. ” His words hit like a ton of bricks, and I realized he was offering me something that few mortals would ever dare. Trust that I wouldn’t hurt him, that I wouldn’t fall prey to my nature.
I swallowed my thirst and tentatively took his hand, entwining my fingers in his. I didn’t like touching people—or being touched unless it was on my own terms. But this was important. He squeezed my hand and I returned it, though cautiously. I could crush his fingers with one quick grip.
And then the moment passed and the tension lifted. As I let go of his hand, I gave him a silent nod, and he smiled.
“You can never go home again. ” Delilah looked at me. “But that’s not what we’re doing. Even if we go back to the house, we’re not going home. We’re going to…the place we were born. ”
Shade slid his arm around her waist. “You have a home Earthside. And if you return to Otherworld, you’ll build a new home. ” And then, everything was normal again, and we continued down the street.
But something still felt off. I sidled over to Camille. “Use your senses. Something’s wrong. ”
She stopped, and I could feel the swell of magic as she started to close her eyes. But before she could do anything, a crash broke through the night as a large group of men emerged from the shadows of the nearby alley.
They weren’t Tregarts, they were Fae, but one look at their faces and I realized that they wouldn’t be any picnic to deal with. Armed with long knives, they were dressed in black to cloak themselves within the shadows. The leader, at least I thought he was a leader, was slender, with long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, and a silver bandanna wrapped around his head. Silver chains draped around his neck, and in his hand, he circled a nasty-looking serrated blade at us. But that wasn’t what made me nervous.
As he approached, I knew what he was. There was no mistaking the grace and fluidity with which he moved. A rogue jian-tu. Which meant he’d be more flexible and quicker than anyone in our group except for me. He and his group arced around us in a half circle, cutting off our path.