Chapter 17
Cirrian’s invasion of my home had been a source of irritation until now. I welcomed seeing him standing at the console inspecting William’s gifts.
“Why do you have these?” he asked before I could speak.
“They’re gifts from William.”
“The sentinel?”
“Yes, if by sentinel you mean William, the lethal vampire whose name spoken in most rooms instills fear.”
Cirrian was unimpressed.
“Why did he give them to you?” He picked up one of the hand-carved figurines, closely examining it from different angles, seemingly fixated on the script etched into it. “Your name is on this,” he pointed out.
“It’s on all of them,” I said, impressed that he could recognize it in the various languages. I knew what the inscriptions were because William told me when I asked.
Cirrian’s brows drew together.
“He likes to bring me souvenirs from his travels,” I said.
He glanced at me but didn’t seem satisfied by the answer. “I don’t believe that’s the case,” he whispered. He picked up a glass sculpture to study it. The frown on his face deepened.
“You can ask him about the gifts yourself. He should be here soon.”
Despite discovering Jonah’s link to the draveths, I’d managed to set up meetings with the Houses of Knight and Hollows at my home.
I’d chosen to meet with the House of Knight first. It didn’t feel good, but they were my preferred option, although I hated exploiting the kindness William had shown me.
The House of Hollows was the highly unlikely backup plan.
If they both declined, I was screwed and would have to petition the smaller houses.
My role with the Houses of Knight and Hollows would make the smaller houses less willing to help, and their declination would cue others to not even consider it.
I was willing to offer anything and everything for their assistance.
“That would break the terms of our agreement.”
“Oh right.” I rolled my eyes. “You’re supposed to be gone and no longer a thorn in my side.”
“There are far worse places to be,” he said, smiling suggestively and looking at my waist.
Heat rushed to my face and through me. “I found an acolyte of the draveths,” I blurted, a subject that would chill the hottest room.
He shrugged. “Why should I care? They have discovered a location where they can thrive. We no longer have to worry about them trying to return to Umbryth and attempting another coup for magic.”
“If the draveths did the spell to imprison your lycan friends, then surely they can undo it. The witch acolyte could direct them to you.”
“That would involve us giving the draveths access to Umbryth.”
“They currently have magic and the ability to release the lycans,” I said.
“You’re suggesting I spend my time searching this realm for them?” he asked, seemingly bored with the topic.
“No, you can just ask the witch. Persuade Jonah to direct you to the draveths’ location.”
Cirrian’s eyes gleamed with a deviant delight. “Persuade.” His voice was a husky velvet sound. Before I could register the movement, he was in front of me. He pressed his finger to my chest. Heat raged over the area.
“There is some darkness lurking in you. I like it,” he teased.
Nope. Not going there. Stepping back.
“Persuading doesn’t have to involve cruelty or violence. Offer him a favor.”
“Of course that’s what you meant,” he responded in a deep, saccharine voice full of doubt. “I’ll let you believe that you are above cruelty and violence.” He returned to studying the objects. I had no idea why they garnered so much of his attention.
“Even if I wished to do it, I don’t have the ability. The spell responsible for exiling them was a joint effort by us…” He waved away the ending, looking away from me.
Goddess Annessa. He always spoke her name with difficulty, accompanied by a twinge of hurt and mourning. Now even a non-mention of it had placed sorrow on his face.
He smirked. “Besides, I have you.” He returned to the console and the items on it. Then he looked over his shoulder. “Have you abandoned your task?”
Before I could explain the delay—the vampires arrived.
Standing at the window, I watched a cadre of vampires exit a heavily armored G 580, as if I were receiving a visit from a head of state, delegate, or important government official.
My subdivision and my neighbors often ogled my visitors and me with disdain and looks that emphatically said I had ruined the neighborhood with my nonsense.
If the occasional presence of vampires and witches bothered them, this ostentatious BS certainly would.
As the vampires approached the house, I gripped the Syphr like a security blanket. It didn’t ease my anxiety. Amelia’s life hinged on a vampire accepting the uncertain result of assisting me with the spell.
I wasn’t a hundred percent certain it wouldn’t harm them, and that was on my mind when my doorbell rang.
Cirrian’s attention slipped to the window, watching Belham and William getting out of the car accompanied by three other vampires.
I had asked to speak with just the two of them; I had no idea why they’d brought an entourage.
It had to be Belham’s idea. He didn’t approve of my neighborhood and had commented several times that it had the makings of a vampire hate crime.
My subdivision comprised only humans, and not the ones who appreciated the tandem lives supernaturals and humans lived.
Rather, the ones who wished they lived far away from them.
In their own country, never to be confronted with supernatural existence.
I liked it because the neighborhood consisted of older people; I was certain Memaw and PawPaw weren’t forming a militia to wipe out vampires, witches, or werewolves.
When the doorbell rang, I hoped Cirrian would take it as a cue to leave. Instead, his cloaking shimmer covered him, and he wandered to the wall, crossing his arms and resting against it.
I opened the door to Belham’s concerned, furrowed brow. “Takara.”
Ugh, not my government name. But it was that serious, and I couldn’t deny it.
Addressing the situation with both houses simultaneously would have been more efficient, but I didn’t have it in me to deal with the Amelia situation and their petty bickering.
It cemented something I knew all along: I was an overcompensated toddler wrangler.
“I really need your help,” I relayed the moment they were in the house, casting a look over their shoulders at the three additional vampires. A simple nod from Belham and they left the house, I assumed returning to the car.
I explained the situation. “A vampire is the last requirement for the removal of the curse,” I admitted.
“The curse steals the life essence, and for that reason, someone without it is the only option. I have no idea what will happen to you if you help. I’m almost certain nothing.
But I’m not a hundred percent and I want to be transparent about any pitfalls.
From the spell, it appears you’ll only be used as a conduit.
” Saying it aloud made the ask seem totally unreasonable.
This wasn’t just a favor; I was asking them to risk their very existence.
Minutes ticked by as they exchanged looks and sotto voce conversations, with me keeping my patience in check, looking at the clock and my watch periodically.
When their discussion stopped, I was moving closer, my heart pounding with anticipation, when the door swung open and Corrine entered.
Stopping abruptly at the sight of Belham, her lips automatically furled into a snarl, instinctively exposing her fangs like weapons.
In desperate need of a barrier, I slipped between them. “Please don’t,” I implored.
As I used my body as a wall between them, I clung to the hope they wouldn’t hurt me. Annoyed that I had to be one. Through my irritation, I managed a smile at Darby, who’d entered behind Corrine. Moving closer to Corrine, Darby angled toward her, creating another obstacle between the two.
“Why were we called here?” Corrine inquired, her eyes softening as they landed on me. They chilled over when they moved in Belham’s direction. The indifference she held for William was stark compared to his disdain for his counterpart.
I quickly provided the same explanation verbatim, looking to them all for an answer, including the vampire from Corrine’s security who’d accompanied Darby.
William and Belham had several more nonverbal exchanges.
“Kara,” Belham started quietly, and I knew his decision before he said it.
“We adore you in a manner that can hardly be expressed in words. But you are asking us to perhaps sacrifice our lives for Amelia. I can’t agree to that if there is any uncertainty about our survival. ”
He wasn’t wrong. I nodded, my response stuck in my throat, tears blurring my vision.
Corrine’s brow rose, her expression nestled between bewilderment and surprise as if she was trying to piece together missing information.
Her lips parted slightly before pressing into a rigid line.
She took several considering moments before she said, “Well, this is hardly the issue you made it out to be. I’ll turn someone and you can use them.
If they survive, we have another member of our house. If not, we saved Amelia’s life.”
“No. I will not allow you to make someone a vampire for the sole purpose of being sacrificed against their will. This has to be by consent.”
“Then you aren’t desperate enough. It won’t be some random person. There are plenty of people who would love to join my family and be part of my house.”