Chapter 24
Amara
Despite the fact that I found myself surrounded by a group of beautiful, blood-sucking vampires, I was not freaking out as much as I probably should have. Maybe it was because Dylan erected herself like a shield at my side, standing so close she was practically on top of me. Or maybe it was because they didn’t act like how I’d imagined vampires to act.
“Amara, you look lovely.” Maxine’s lips moved slowly and spread into a warm smile as she adjusted a pristine white blouse. “I’m sooo sorry I left you stranded at the library yesterday.”
“Please.” I caught Dylan’s sneering retort in my peripheral. “Your hair appointment nearly cost Amara her life. None of this would have happened if you’d just kept her out of Don’s reach.”
After learning about the tainted perfume, Jordan had called a meeting. I learned from Dylan that these coven meetings were a regular occurrence, one of the reasons she disappeared from the apartment as often as she did. This time, Jordan was inclined to include me, albeit begrudgingly.
I suspected the Leyore vampires were still a little suspicious of me, but I was a goldmine of information for them, being the turncoat daughter of Don Leone. River and Maxine were there too, along with a few other Leyore vampires I hadn’t met before.
River, ever the odd presence, gave me a knowing smile, painted lips mouthing the words with intention. “Your aura is quite interesting, Amara. And it must be having an effect on Dylan. Her energy has become more... harmonious since you’ve been around.”
I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but I tried for a watery smile. Dylan rolled her eyes and I watched her mutter, “Ignore her,” and then turn to Jordan. “This is serious. I don’t know what Don’s up to, but it’s bigger than we thought.”
Hunter, the quietest and most intimidating of the group, leaned back in her chair, her eyes dark and inscrutable. “Don’t scare her off, River. She’s only just coming to terms with the fact that her wife is a vampire. Maybe hold off on the woo-woo bullshit for the time being.”
I nodded, unable to suppress a nervous smile. It was true. The sheer beauty of the vampire women around me was almost overwhelming. Maxine’s petite frame and fashionable appearance, River’s enigmatic and almost otherworldly demeanor, and Hunter’s relaxed but commanding presence made me feel like a bug in comparison. They were all stunning, but still, none of them held a candle to Dylan in my eyes.
River leaned closer, her eyes sparkling, and I read her lips. “Dylan never tells us anything. Is she treating you well? She can be so... intense.”
Dylan shot her a searing glare. “I’m right here.”
Considering River’s blood still stained our living room floor after Dylan went at her, ‘intense’ was an understatement. But her smile had me feeling a bit more at ease. “She’s been wonderful,” I typed quickly on my phone, letting the app speak for me. “Ferocious bloodlust aside…”
Jordan waved an arm to hush whatever retort Dylan was about to fling, bringing us back to the matter at hand. “We’re not here to discuss Dylan’s temperament. We’re here to discuss why Don Leone would want his own daughter dead.”
I winced as her mouth formed the words, something snake-like and alive writhing in my stomach. Right… that.
Of all the terrible things I had come to expect from my father, it had never occurred to me that he’d go so far as to orchestrate my demise to further his agenda. And while I still wasn’t sure exactly what his agenda was, it was pretty clear – painfully clear – just how little my father thought of me. Despite everything Don had put me through, it still hurt.
When I looked up from licking my wounds, I saw Jordan speaking and pushed all other thoughts from my mind. There would be time to grieve a loveless childhood later, for the time being we had to figure out Don’s next move. I couldn’t protect myself from Don, but I could damn well try to protect Dylan.
“We tested the substance out on a few volunteer vamps.” Jordan’s lips moved quickly, but I could just catch on to her words. “Whatever was mixed into that perfume, it was definitely intended to target our kind. Every single one of them went into bloodlust almost immediately. It took three of us to subdue one. And not without injury.”
When Jordan paused and looked toward me, all eyes followed. “And yet, somehow, you snapped Dylan out of it without getting so much as a scratch.”
My eyes snapped to Dylan in alarm. Dylan looked uncomfortable and adjusted the collar of her jacket.
It hadn’t occurred to me just how much of an impact the perfume had on her. Sure, she’d been terrifying, but I thought that was just how vampires were. I thought maybe she could sense I was about to start my period… I blushed slightly at that mortifying thought.
“Maybe it’s because of the mating bo–” Maxine’s lips moved briefly, but she was abruptly cut off by Hunter's hands coming up to cover her mouth.
“The what?” I signed my question at Dylan, but she only looked more uncomfortable.
“Later,” she signed back, looking like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole. “I’ll fill you in later.”
“Anyway,” Jordan continued, but I noticed the slightest smile twinge the corner of her mouth, “it’s safe to say whoever made that perfume knows what we are. It was tailored perfectly to mess with our senses.”
Her burgeoning smile fell away and she leaned back in her seat. “Meaning Don Leone knows more about us than he’s let on. It’s also highly likely he’s working in tandem with the dragon shifters – another anomaly we still know very little about.”
“What happened on the mission to the warehouse?” Dylan leaned forward beside me and I strained to catch sight of her lips.
“There was no one there when we arrived.” River was the one to answer, tugging at a tassel on her coat. “They cleared out before we got there. Probably got spooked once they knew their hideout was compromised.”
“So basically,” Hunter piped up, lips moving decidedly slowly and I imagined her speaking with a bored drawl to match her expression, “we know jackshit and fuck all and our list of enemies keeps getting longer.”
“We have an idea of what Don’s plan could be.” River shot a disapproving look at Hunter, most likely for her foul mouth. “According to vampire rules, Amara is a human we agreed to shelter. If she were killed by a Leyore vampire, Don could demand a life for a life. He could seek revenge, and that would give him the excuse to go after one of us.”
Dylan cocked her head to the side. “Couldn’t he have just done that from the beginning? Why offer up his daughter on a silver platter and not just aim to kill from the start?”
“Because he’d lose,” Jordan cut in. “If he just attacked us it would mean losses on his side. We’re vampires, he knows what we’re capable of.”
“So…?” I watched Dylan’s questioning expression and molded my own to match.
“So, he’s playing by our rules instead. He surrendered Amara to keep the peace. If Dylan were to have killed Amara – sorry – then he would be able to demand compensation. A life for a life.”
I gripped Dylan’s arm in horror, holding tight like my father could appear any moment and tear her away from me for good. Dylan put a reassuring hand over mine, squeezing my leg under the table as she faced Jordan. “But what good does it do him to just have me killed? He’ll be down a daughter and back at square one.”
“He doesn’t want you dead,” Jordan replied, deadpanning as she laid out the facts. “He wants me. If he can take me out in a fair fight, then the Leyore coven crumbles. I haven’t named a successor yet, and no new leader would be able to come into their power until the next Black Moon, which is months away.”
“Maybe that’s where the dragon shifters come in.” River shifted in her seat and I snapped my head up to catch her words. “If they’re working together, Jordan’s death would pave the way for them to take over completely. It’s Jeremy all over again.”
I aimed a quizzical look at Dylan and mouthed. “Jeremy?”
Dylan shook her head, rubbing at her brow like the whole conversation was draining her.
Jordan ran her hands through her hair, looking suddenly fatigued herself. “It’s clever, I’ll give him that. He only has to kill one vampire rather than face off against our forces.”
“But can he kill you?” Dylan gestured at Jordan with a raised brow. “I mean, a human going up against a vampire. I wouldn’t call that a fair fight.”
My head ping-ponged back and forth on my shoulders as I struggled to keep up with their debate.
I was just in time to see Maxine pipe up, lips pouted more so than usual. “Don would be allowed to choose a champion. He doesn’t have to fight Jordan himself. He could very well pit her against one of their strongest dragon shifters. Though I wouldn’t call that much of a fair fight either. Those guys are terrifying.”
Jordan looked pensive. “It’s a plausible theory. Don has always been power hungry, and eliminating me would give him a clear path to domination.”
I jumped slightly when Dylan’s fist ghosted past my nose and slammed onto the table, and I swiveled my head to catch her words. “So what do we do?!”
I followed her gaze to Jordan, who had her fingers laced in front of her, brooding over something.
“We catch him out.” She moved her fingers so I could see her lips and shot a wary glance my way. “But we’re going to need some tantalizing bait.”
Dylan looked from Jordan to me and back again, confusion morphing into downright fury when she caught on to what Jordan was implying. “No. Hell no! Absolutely not!”
“Don wants Amara dead by your hand. If he can’t have that, no doubt he’s going to try and make it happen himself. We need to catch him in the act,” Jordan said firmly. “We need to expose his plans and draw out the dragon shifters. And when we do, we kill him.”
Dylan’s grip on my leg tightened. “No. It’s too risky. I won’t let you put her in harm’s way.”
“It’s not up to you,” Jordan continued, unfazed. “Amara has to decide for herself.”
I swiveled my head between them, turning it over in my mind. The idea terrified me. I wasn’t even sure I could truly trust these vampires, despite their reassurances. But I trusted Dylan. I wanted to keep her safe.
My feelings toward Don were complicated, a tangled mess of loyalty, fear, and a desperate hope that he would one day love me the way fathers are supposed to. But his actions had shown me time and time again that his heart was made of stone. He didn’t care about me, not really. Not at all. I had to stop clinging to the false hope that he might. His latest stunt was the final straw.
I squeezed Dylan’s hand back, offering her a reassuring smile.
“I’ll do it.” I typed into my cell and the app read out my words. “We need to stop him, and this is the best way. I’ll just have to trust you all to keep me safe.”
Dylan rounded on me with a disbelieving expression, mouth and hands moving in a flurry as she vehemently protested. “Are you fucking crazy?!”“Not crazy.” I hushed her, signing slowly with a weak smile. “Just stubborn.”
Jordan nodded. “We’ll set the trap at the gathering. We’ll make sure Don believes everything is going according to his plan. Until Amara comes out unscathed.”
“And when he makes his move,” River added, “we’ll be ready.”
Maxine leaned over to me, whispering lips moving conspiratorially, “You’re so brave, Amara. I can see why Dylan is so smitten.”
Dylan turned a ferocious scowl on the poor woman. “Maxine, I will turn you over to the dragon shifters myself.”
“Oh, lighten up, Dylan,” River teased. “You’re always so tense. Not exactly team player material.”
Dylan shot back with a withering glare, “You’re planning to use my wife as bait. Forgive me for not being ecstatic about it.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, the tension in my chest easing a bit.
The meeting continued, plans were made, and roles were assigned. Dylan oscillated between fawning over me and glaring at the others like a medieval dragon guarding her gold.
The gathering at the Leyore hall was going to be a turning point. Don had gone too far, and it was time to put an end to his schemes. With the plan in place, I felt a newfound resolve. This wasn’t just about survival anymore – it was about protecting the person I had come to care for and ensuring a future free from my father’s manipulations.
As the meeting adjourned Dylan pulled me aside, her eyes searching mine as she signed, “Are you sure about this?”
I nodded, touching a hand to her chest before signing back, “I’m sure. We need to do this.”
She held my gaze for a long moment, then pulled me into a tight hug. When we broke apart, she signed again, “I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
“I know. I trust you.”
And, maybe for the first time since we’d been married, I meant it.