Thicker than Water (Fangs and Feuds #1)

A complete, absolute fool

A COMPLETE, ABSOLUTE FOOL

Celine

Fury envelopes me, a prison of red.

The line clicks and the curt voice of the concierge comes through.

“Yes, Ms. C?té?”

“I need a cleaning service for my suite.”

“Of course, Ms. C?té. How extensive?”

“Not very. Only the duvet needs changing, and the floors mopped.”

“I’ll send someone right away.”

“Thank you.”

I hang up the phone, and place the stake in the bottom drawer of my desk.

I wait five minutes.

What a complete, absolute fool I’ve been.

Three hundred years, and I’m still making the same mistakes.

Still falling for the same trap.

But never again.

Never, ever again.

I rise, and go to the elevator. I don’t want to be here when the cleaning service comes. I’m not sure what I would do.

The elevator chimes, and I enter.

Hmm. Not the club. Not the casino. Not the lounge. Certainly not the event room.

The office. I’ll look over some paperwork before dawn.

I try not to pay attention to how incredible I feel. The magical power coursing through my veins. Vampires don’t often feed on witches. If I wasn’t so old, I might not have even recognized it as such.

Before realization set it, it was so delicious. Her blood like ambrosia. Rich, full of sunlight.

But more than that…that it was her’s …that she could share something so essential of herself…

And so powerful. She wasn’t a novice witch. I can tell that from how strong I feel, the promise of magic right under my skin.

Should I have let her go?

No, I can’t think about it now.

Just focus on work. Work, then my coffin, then tomorrow night, find another breather to drink from and put this all behind me...

The elevator doors chime open.

To my surprise, Tudor is standing in the office hallway, with Renata, Lexi, and Oana circled around him.

“Celine! We were just looking for you,” he says.

I stiffen, annoyed at the intrusion. I had assumed they were all still at the party.

“What is it?” I snap.

“Our plan is formed,” Tudor says, a maniacal glint in his eyes. “Tomorrow night, we act. We’re going to break the Arundel wolves out of the Cave.”

“The Cave ? How do you expect to do that?”

Oana steps forward, her crimson lips curved in a self-satisfied grin. “I helped the Hecate witches to imprison them. I think I know how to get them out. I’ve been consulting with Xia to develop our strategy.”

Renata shakes her head. “There’s no way Xia will agree to attack Elmwood Academy.”

I give Tudor a sharp look. “You’re…you’re going through with it?”

“Xia is working at the hotel, so she won’t be at the school,” Tudor says. “She’s not part of this plan. We can’t trust any of the witches, even our own day guard. All we need are the Arundel wolves. You heard Amrita, it’s only her and Lydia Craft defending the school. We can easily overpower them.”

Renata rubs her temple nervously. “I suppose if they can’t get a message out, the Hecate witches won’t know what’s happened. ”

“Exactly,” says Tudor. “It will give us enough time to fortify our position.”

“What about Hallie?” Lexi asks with a scowl. She’s clearly upset that Tudor has interrupted her party, but he doesn’t seem to notice or care.

“She’ll join us. She’s still young, but she’s unusually strong for a newborn,” he says. He turns to me. “You’ll come with Oana and I, and we’ll meet up with Hallie at the academy. Renata and Lexi will remain here, at the hotel. I believe we have the element of surprise, but I don’t want to bank on it. The hotel should be well defended while the four of us are strengthening our position at the academy.”

Although I don’t care for his plan, I don’t have the will to defy him. The look in his eyes and the wide grin on his face indicate how dedicated he is to getting his way. He’s been itching for a confrontation with Lavinia Nox.

An image of Amara’s face enters my mind, golden light emanating from her fingertips, her lips parted in guilt. Or was it just disappointment that she had been caught?

I shake my head, pushing away the thought of her.

Renata shoots me an anxious look. I can tell she’s not completely behind this plan either.

But right now, I just need to distract myself.

“I’m with you, as always,” I tell Tudor, firmly.

“Excellent. We leave at sundown tomorrow, for the Cave, then the academy.”

Amara

The faintest hint of dawn appears over the shining, silver buildings.

I wasn’t able to get my shoes from Celine’s suite, so I walk barefoot down the sidewalk, clutching my purse to my side. I don’t mind. I’m used to being barefoot. Witches rarely wear shoes.

I never belonged here. I never should have come here. I’m not a spy. I’m a fighter. A knight in Lavinia’s chess game with Tudor. One that she was willing to sacrifice for Tudor’s queen.

Should I have staked her? I easily could have, in that vulnerable moment. I could have staked her a thousand times during the past few months. If I had been a better soldier, I would have. Callista is right. Celine is a powerful enemy, who wouldn’t hesitate to kill dozen of witches if Tudor bade her to. She would have killed me.

But…she didn’t. She let me go.

And I know, without having to think about it, that I could never have staked her. It’s not who I am.

A woman passes me on the sidewalk, wrapped comfortably in a dark peacoat. She gives me a sharp look as she hurries by.

I must look crazy. The wound on my neck clotted on its own, although not as neatly as it would have if Celine had licked it, or if I had more of my magic available to me. I’ve never been good at healing magic, but even if I was, I wouldn’t have much in me right now.

My heart is heavy in my chest, and my head is pounding. I can’t begin to wrap my mind around what just happened. I just want to go back to my apartment. To get into a hot bath.

Then I have to call Lavinia and Callista. I have to tell them that my cover was blown.

I’m going home. Going home to Hemlock Haven.

It’s all I’ve wanted for months. But the thought fills me with sadness and dread.

I’ve failed. Now that Celine knows I was spying on her family for the Hecate coven, Tudor will immediately retaliate. And he’ll have good reason to. He can justify his actions to the Triple Council, to the other magical factions. It will ignite a war across the entire northern region.

And Celine…I can’t get her face out of my mind. The icy veneer of her hatred, masking the deep hurt in her eyes.

I’ve let down my coven, but worse than that…

I let her down. I betrayed her trust.

Part of me wishes that she had killed me. My guilt is unbearable.

“Amara, what happened?”

Merlin swoops down from a nearby tree. His beady eyes widen in shock when he sees me.

“Good Goddess, are you all right?”

I barely have the strength to answer. My voice comes out thick and shaky.

“She found me out, Merlin. Celine did. ”

“ What ?” Merlin hovers beside me. “Amara, your neck! Did she attack you?”

“No, she…”

But I’m interrupted by a dark car screeching down the street. It’s early in the morning, and it’s the only car on the road. I jump in surprise when the car stops right beside me. The passenger doors open and two men wearing sunglasses and dark clothes emerge. Their features are set. Their intentions are clear.

My stomach drops.

“Merlin, go!” I shout. He shoots up into the air, hooting.

One of the men grabs me from behind, his strong arms easily pulling me toward the car. He’s got to be a vampire, given his unnatural strength.

Even if I was at my full power, I couldn’t fight right now. Another man pulls down his sunglasses, his light purple eyes making contact with mine. The tug of his glamour enchantment is irresistible, especially because it’s the second one I’ve experienced tonight.

And I have nothing left in me to resist.