Chapter 28
THIS IS AN ACT OF WAR
CORA
“Ican’t believe it exists,” Milas says.
The clan sits around the behemoth stone table in the courtyard, bathed in afternoon sunlight. Two worn pieces of parchment lie between us, along with the three canisters of Cursed Grounds’ sand.
Milas lays his severed werewolf ear—which he inexplicably carries everywhere these days—on the table. If I weren’t so eager to get started on the sunwalker spells, I’d ask why the hells he always has that thing with him. Milas takes one of the canisters and carefully unscrews the lid.
“It exists,” I say. I stand to Sebastian’s right, too anxious to remain seated. I look from Milas to the others, scanning each of their expressions.
Beatrice looks skeptical, of course, but the others are intrigued.
Excited, even. They should be, though I hold back from saying that.
The plan speaks for itself. If Elliot’s right—which after reviewing his notes, I think he is—this sand will be strong enough to conjure a widespread ritual.
Within a few weeks, we’ll have every vampire in the Echo walking in sunlight.
“You’re amazing, Cora,” Amelia says. She leans back, slouching against the ivy-covered stone. “I knew you would figure it out.”
“I didn’t,” I say pointedly. I know everyone is suspicious about Elliot, but this should prove exactly who he is. “Elliot did. It will cost him greatly.”
“Who knew you were so good in bed,” Beatrice scoffs.
I smile. If I didn’t know Beatrice as well as I do, I’d feel insulted. Instead, I recognize the envy in her voice, the held-back praise. She’s happy for me, whether she’s willing to admit it or not.
“Enough,” Sebastian barks. “Go over it again.”
My smile doesn’t waver. Sebastian doesn’t need to hear it again.
The new ritual isn’t all that different from the one I’ve been using for years.
The only difference now is a few minor tweaks and the addition of the black sand.
It was an essential ingredient in Madam Lyrie’s curse against the vampires, making it the perfect vessel for setting them free.
“Do all the vampires need to be in the circle?” Grace asks.
She snatches one of the parchments off the table, squinting to read the smudged ink.
She rolls her eyes and glares at Sebastian.
“What do you people have against modern conveniences? You could go buy a few reams of paper and some pens, but no, here’s some paper a kindergartner made out of pulp and glue. ”
Sebastian smiles at her, as if she’s the most precious thing in the world.
“No, they don’t need to be in the circle,” I say. “The ash will go around the other ingredients. I’ll stand at the center. I might need some vampire blood or maybe a fang—”
“Your lover is here,” Milas interrupts. He’s holding the werewolf ear again, absentmindedly tracing the outer shell. It’s disgusting enough it takes a moment to process his words.
“Elliot?” I say. I look over my shoulder, expecting to see him. The courtyard is empty though, and the only movement I see through the manor’s glass wall is a wandering vampire.
“Yeah,” he confirms. “Even with dulled senses, I can fucking smell him. He’s almost as potent as you are.”
I don’t take time to respond or feel offended. I’m already off, running down the corridors until I reach the entryway. The only vampires I’d trust with Elliot are in the courtyard, which means someone else met him at the door. And if they so much as—
I skitter to a stop. Elliot stands at the front door as a pair of vampires leer at him. They’re standing too close, pupils blown as he stammers through his reason for being here. One of them grabs his shoulder and presses her nose against the side of his throat.
Within a second, I’ve got that vampire across the room. She’d been holding Elliot hard enough to pull him down. I throw the second vampire as Elliot gets to his feet. He stares at me with an intensity I feel straight between my legs.
“That one wasn’t touching me,” he says. He’s breathless, chest heaving as he brushes the dust off his pants.
“Yet,” I say. Then, “What are you doing here?”
He was supposed to stay in the Day Realm for the next couple of days.
If he’s here, something happened. Or he changed his mind.
He’s realized he can’t let me use the Cursed Grounds’ sand after all.
His mama threatened to disown him, and he realized I’m not worth the risk.
He’d rather have peace amongst his people than mine.
It’d be more than fair. I won’t blame him. I’ll—
“I missed you,” he says.
I don’t respond right away, sure he’ll continue, but he doesn’t.
“You missed me,” I repeat finally. I cross the wooden floor, glancing at the two unconscious vampires. One’s neck looks broken. She’ll be out for at least the day. The other will be up shortly, but if he’s smart, he won’t cause problems.
“Yeah,” Elliot says. He releases a breath, so tight it seems painful.
He closes the distance between us, capturing my mouth in a kiss far too passionate to be in the middle of Sebastian’s entryway.
Still, I don’t deny him. I lean into it, letting his tongue smooth over mine, gasping when he finally pulls away.
“You were supposed to wait a few days,” I say, as if perhaps he’d forgotten.
“I missed you,” he repeats. He trails his thumb over my jaw and glances over my shoulder. Without looking, I know we’re no longer alone.
“Which one?”
“Sebastian,” he says, looking back to me. “A couple women. I don’t know anyone’s names, Secora.”
“Secora,” a voice echoes. Without looking, I recognize it as Grace’s. “Is her name Secora? Why am I just learning this?”
I finally look over my shoulder. Sure enough, Sebastian stands at the mouth of the hallway, Grace leaned against him and Beatrice lurking behind his shoulder. She glares at Elliot in a way that warms my chest. She is the terrible big sister I never wanted but begrudgingly appreciate anyway.
“We’re going to my quarters,” I announce. I grab Elliot’s hand, but I only make it a few steps before he stops me.
“Actually, I’d like to speak with them,” he says. He meets my confused gaze with a soft smile. “We need to adjust our plans.”
“I knew you didn’t miss me,” I accuse.
“Believe me, I did,” he says.
He leans forward to kiss me, but Sebastian steps forward, clearing his throat.
“You want to speak?” he growls. “Then speak.”
“I can’t tell if you’re serious,” I say.
We’re back in the courtyard. Sebastian and Grace sit at the head of one side, and Beatrice sits opposite them. Milas and Amelia take the bench nearest the stone wall, and I sit with Elliot on the other side.
“Unfortunately, I am,” he says. He pulls a parchment from his pocket and smooths it over the table.
Everyone leans forward, clambering to read it at the same time.
“She says she’s found a way to strengthen the sun curse.
If she’s right—and I’d be shocked if she misjudged—you’ll burn beneath the sun and moon alike. ”
The ritual on Elliot’s parchment is half-formed and scattered. It’s written in his hand, and it’s clear this was done from memory.
“This implies she would die,” Beatrice says, looking up from the parchment. She arches a thin brow. “We’re supposed to believe your mother is that determined to kill us?”
“She’s already dying,” he says. He swallows as he speaks, hands fidgeting, but he holds Beatrice’s unrelenting stare.
“A consequence of the curse sealing. She’s got less than a month.
This is her way of making it a meaningful death.
She was the one to cast the curse; she’s the one who can strengthen it. ”
“What does this mean for us?” Grace asks. She twists to Sebastian, grabbing his shoulder. “Are we going to die too?”
“No, love. Nothing is going to happen to you. We have the sunwalker spell,” Sebastian says. He kisses the crown of her head, but he pointedly avoids my gaze as he looks back to Elliot.
Truthfully, I don’t know if the sunwalker spell will be enough to protect them. I’ll have to test it before any of them venture outside.
“How do we stop it?” he asks.
“I have a plan,” Elliot says. Beneath the table, he grabs my knee, squeezing firmly. “It will require a lot of trust.”
“In you?” Beatrice snarls. She looks between the rest of us. “This is obviously a trap.”
“It’s not,” I say. I ignore her scathing glare and focus only on Elliot. “What’s your plan?”
“They’re meeting tomorrow afternoon,” he says. “We’ll need to reach her before then. Once they’re in the augur house, it will be far more difficult to interfere.”
“And do what?” I ask.
“Change her mind?” Grace suggests.
“Kill her?” Beatrice offers at the same time.
“No,” Elliot says. He closes his eyes and moves both hands to the table, tapping erratically.
“We’ll have to take her somewhere. I’m not sure where, but I’ll figure it out.
We’ll have to hold her until we can mass produce sunwalker spells.
We’ll make sure they can withstand moonlight too, if it comes to it. ”
“What you’re describing…” Sebastian trails off. He looks between his inner circle, to me, and finally back to Elliot. “This is an act of war. Do you understand? If we hold your mother hostage, people on both sides will inevitably die.”
“If we don’t, all of your people will,” Elliot says. Then, “I know it’s a lot to process, but time isn’t on our side. I don’t think they’d attempt the ritual right then and there, but we can’t risk them finding out. We need to get to her before she reveals anything.”
It’s honestly repulsive how much I believe the words.
It’s been over a decade since Elliot killed Harrison on my behalf.
He could be a changed man. He could have spent the past twelve years being manipulated by his mama.
Our past several weeks together might be nothing more than careful groundwork, a way to trick me into trusting him.
But I know it’s not. I wouldn’t only bet my life on it—I would bet everyone’s at this table.
As the others whisper amongst themselves, Sebastian turns to me. His jaw works as he studies me, and even before he speaks, I know what he wants to know.
“He wouldn’t betray us,” I say. “If he says his mama’s planning this, she is. If he has a way to prevent it, we should listen.”
Grace presses against Sebastian’s side, her blue eyes widening in horror. Sebastian’s green ones close, briefly, before opening with renewed determination.
“All in favor?” Sebastian asks. He doesn’t look around the table, but he doesn’t need to. Within seconds, everyone has agreed.
My brows lift in surprise, but Amelia only scoffs.
“We’re trusting you, Cora, not him,” she says. Then, sliding her attention toward Elliot, she adds, “Though I do trust you too, Elliot. For the record.”
“I don’t,” Beatrice snarls. “But if your plan includes wreaking havoc over the Day Realm, I obviously want in.”
“It’s settled then,” I say, turning to Elliot. “What exactly is the plan?”
“According to Mama’s assistant, she should be at her office until the meeting tomorrow,” he says.
“I’ll stop to see her first thing in the morning.
I’ll pretend to feel ill. If we’re lucky, she’ll offer to help me home.
If she doesn’t take the bait, Secora should be nearby to help transport her by whatever means necessary. ”
I close my eyes. Elliot speaks as if he’s talking about a strange enemy, rather than his own mama. He loves her—I know he loves her—and yet, he’s so ready to go against everything she’s ever wanted. Is it because he knows better? Or is all of this because he thinks I’ll demand it.
And wouldn’t you? I can’t help thinking. Wouldn’t you beg him to save your family?
“Where are the rest of us in this little plan of yours?” Beatrice asks.
“Indoors, seeing as it will be mid-afternoon,” Elliot says dryly. “A few of you can stand guard at my house. You can help us once we arrive. We’ll need to move locations as soon as it’s dark. If you could have backup ready during nightfall, that would be ideal.”
“And then?” Sebastian asks. “How long do you imagine this hostage scenario can last? How long before the council arrives on our doorstep?”
“We wouldn’t need to keep her here,” Elliot says, balking.
“Where else are you planning to keep a prisoner?” Sebastian counters. “She’ll come here. Just tell me how long she’ll be here.”
“A few weeks at least,” he says. “That should give us enough time to get the sunwalker spell ready. Even if there’s no curing Mama, that will ensure the safety of your species.”
Sebastian and Elliot regard each other for a long moment, and I hold my breath in the painful silence. I’m desperate for something to say, but I can hardly think straight. Every time I feel the ground solidly beneath my feet, the whole world shifts again.
“Very well,” Sebastian says finally. He rises from the table, offering his hand to Grace. “We’ll leave tomorrow at first light.”