Chapter 14
Corvinus
The entire transport doesn't take terribly long but it does give me time to think and all that’s on my mind is Embry and the future now that she knows the enormity of the powers she holds.
When she said there could be other factions out there just watching and waiting for a chance to step in and find a hole in our armor, especially at a time when we no longer have the warriors in place and could foreseeably be at our most vulnerable time ever, she was right.
Her powers need to be safeguarded, she needs to be safeguarded, which gives me pause as I consider what the needs are for the warriors and for the vampires in the future.
Fortunately, I'm not the one that goes through the selection process before they come to me. Perhaps I could step in and throw a little weight around, but I've never done that and I'm not planning to do it now. No, we’re going to let the same process we’ve used for other things ride out, especially now that we’ve got more stringent screening in place to vet loyalty, commitment, and dedication to the vampires because that has to be our first priority.
Then, when we know that they are completely loyal we go to the mats.
Then we test their brawn, then we test their skill, and we determine how well they can fight.
And Embry will be given the same opportunities, screening, and chances as everybody else.
I’m committed to making sure Embry gets every chance possible to be on the team her heart desires.
She’s earned this in so many ways but it would be a huge disservice to her too if I gave her a leg up and she didn’t do it all by herself.
I’m sure the minute we get home to Descallia he is going to want to go over plans and find out exactly what happened in that cavern.
While I’m sure that between mine and Embry’s messages he’s got a pretty high-level picture I also know our fearless leader.
He’s going to want to go over every single detail and then bring the entire thing to the masters’ attention.
I’m not wrong. The minute we get home, we’ve barely put our things away when Overmaster Descallia and Lucianna ring the front doorbell.
Bernard heads toward the entrance but I wave him away with a smile.
“Do you want to stock the bar? We may have other guests in and out throughout the day. I’ll get the door. ”
“As you wish sir,” he says, trying to hide a smile as he turns his face and heads back into the great room. Bernard has heard far too many of Overmaster Descallia’s outbursts throughout the years and he just may hear another one today.
I open the door and welcome them both. “Come in. Embry and I just returned. I was going to fix her a drink and give her some blood. Bernard is stocking the bar.” If they think it’s odd that I brought her back here they don’t say, but not one person has asked if she decided to move back into the place she shared with Lucas. Perhaps they just assumed.
My chest beats harder with the thought, because illusion conjured up or not, the real Lucas shared a life with Embry, one that I’m not so willing to let her go back and worry herself sick about.
She’s with me, staying at my estate, and if anyone asks today that’s the fucking answer they are going to get.
But yet neither of them raises an eyebrow when she comes downstairs.
Do they not wonder what we’ve been up to or do they really already know?
I exhale a deep breath. Descallia is a man of mystery and not easy to read on a good day. “Descallia Red?” I ask him and Lucianna as Embry gives Lucianna a big hug. Descallia gives me a nod. “Thanks.”
I pour one for each of us and carry the glasses in two trips, handing the ladies their glasses first. I bring mine back to the bar and take a few drinks from the soothing mixture before pulling four quarts of whole blood from the refrigerator.
“Embry and I are going to refresh. Would you like a quart?”
They both shake their heads at the same time, and I take two opened quarts to Embry before beginning to drink my own.
She takes a sip of the blood. Embry hasn’t been fed like this for quite some time.
It rubs me the wrong way watching her take life sustenance from a glass jar instead of me feeding her while she lies in my arms. But it’s a necessary task if we are to keep up appearances in front of these two and rejuvenate at the same time.
I hold my glass up to her. I’ll feed you our way later, love. For now, replenish.
Lucianna is the first to speak. “We pieced together all the messages. You’re both okay, not hurt in any way? Devora didn’t try to put a spell on you, did she?”
Embry shakes her head. “No, that bitch never even came out of her bubble. She sent the ghouls after me, but clearly she doesn’t know how hard we have to fight them in order to transition.
And until then, I don’t really think she knew that we had deciphered the shadow books and knew the secret to their demise. ”
Lucianna takes her hand. “I know you said that in your message, but we,”—she points a finger between her and her mate,—“we’re not sure we know what you mean by that. Raven, Willow and Madria were not sure what you were referring to when we asked them.”
Embry takes a long swallow of blood, and I can feel her heart begin to beat stronger, rejuvenated by its dense nutrients but also fueled by whatever it is that she needs to say.
“They wouldn’t know, because I didn’t tell them.
” She inhales a deep breath. “It’s not that I didn’t trust them, I just needed to do this on my own.
My accomplishment or my fail. That’s all. ”
Descallia scowls. “There is no room in the vampires for glory seeking.”
Lucianna touches the back of his hand, and her eyes begin to glow. “That’s not what Embry is saying. She feels like she had something to prove although we told her time and time again that she did not. Still, she put her life on the line. Tell me what you discovered that we don’t yet know.”
Embry crosses her legs, letting her foot dangle clad in her shortie boots.
“It’s said that the way the witches will ever get the best of the vampires for good is to surround them in a ring of fire and drown their very souls.
Descallia has managed to keep the masters safe knowing this, but apparently, I am half witch, half human with very powerful psychic abilities.
I also read about the fires being the demise of the witches, and how one very powerful woman, my great, great, great gramma harnessed her own powers to best the witches years ago. ”
Embry looks at Descallia. “She helped get the best of the witches after they tried to ruin the vampires. Devora lost the sacred land to the vampires, to your predecessor years ago. But as long as they could keep my great, great, great gramma and her powers from exposing the secrets, no one, including you, would ever know. But she passed down the secrets, little by little, in different stories that at the time didn’t make any sense.
Now, they’re like the perfect puzzle, and all the pieces are starting to fall into place.
I used my powers to create a dual ring of fire that annihilated the ghouls who were attacking me. ”
Lucianna’s eyes have begun to glow so bright. “That’s why they tried to kill us? Lucas and Isala, how are they involved?”
“I believe they’re both gone. I have confirmation that the witches conjured up Lucas toward the end.
When I saw ten of him coming at me, trying to kill me, laughing maniacally.
It was the witches. I’m sure he was already dead, but Isala, I’m sure her coming back is simply a mind game the witches are playing with us too, but that I don’t truly know. We need to be sure.”
Corvinus clears his throat. “Embry and I were in the vampire cavern, right in the middle of the sacred area of the mountain range. It is an impressive cavern. Our logo still shines brightly on the wall, and when Embry tells you that she annihilated the ghouls, she burned at least a hundred of them coming in from all directions. I was ready to jump in, but she didn’t need it.
She drew them in exactly where she wanted them and lit their asses up. ”
Lucianna gasps. “And Devora?”
I shake my head. “I was waiting for that bitch to come out of her bubble, but Embry gave her an ultimatum, and she left. I don’t think she wanted to start an all-out war without checking with the high priestess and obviously we wanted to talk to you.
Although we would have lit her up too if she had tried to strike out and not retreat. ”
Overmaster Descallia swallows the rest of his Descallia Red. “Tomorrow, we hold an emergency meeting with the masters. We’ll bring everyone here to Chicago.”
Embry’s hand raises. Her voice is strong and with conviction. “Devora wants us all in one place. Right? So she can get rid of everyone at once.”
His fiery eyes scan the room and begin to glow bright red. “I want you to get on the phone and make sure in addition to all the masters, every regional lord is at that meeting, along with yourself and Embry.”
Embry’s eyes meet mine. Oh shit…