Chapter 14 #4
I turned to see a woman walking toward me. She was tall and willowy, with olive-toned skin and dark hair. Her eyes were amber and somber as she came toward me.
“Do I know you?”
She shook her head. “No, but I know of you.”
I snorted. “I’m sure the Prime has told his entire Hive about the foolish witch coming to dinner tonight.”
The woman winced. “Actually, no.” She jerked her head to indicate a side alcove. “If you will. I’ll only take a moment of your time.”
My hands tightened around my purse. “I’m sorry. I was just on my way out. Maybe another time.”
The woman leaned closer. “I knew your mother,” she whispered in my ear. “A moment only. Then you can leave.”
My heart lurched. I did not know this woman.
She’d never come to our house, and we’d never gone to hers.
I’d be a fool to believe Mom did not have friends I hadn’t met, but she hated vampires and never made a secret about it.
She’d warned me multiple times about getting entangled with one.
Why then would Mom have a friend, or even an acquaintance, who worked for the Prime?
I hesitated. Was this another of Alric’s tricks?
“I’m only here to help,” the woman whispered. “I promise.”
Too many people had lied to me to truly believe her promises, but this person claimed to know my mother.
How could I pass up the opportunity to learn more about the woman I’d lost far too soon?
Against my better judgment, I allowed her to lead me inside the alcove.
She pressed a space in the wall, the responding click revealing a sliver of light.
“Inside, if you will,” she said as she pulled open a stone door.
The woman didn’t seem dangerous, but I was inside the Prime’s Hive. Everyone here was dangerous.
“Please,” the woman whispered. “You are in no danger from me.”
I could leave here now, no better or worse off, and justify my actions because I believed this woman had meant me harm.
Or I could follow and learn something new.
My greedy heart yearned for knowledge, anything to help me understand who she was and maybe even what had happened to her after she’d left me.
I stepped inside. The door closed behind us with a click. We stood inside a small room lined with bookshelves on the back wall. A recliner and a small table sat next to the shelves. Someone had carelessly tossed a blanket over the back of the chair, and a steaming cup sat on the table.
“Have your implant looked at immediately,” the woman said. “You’re lucky the Prime didn’t sense the magic.”
I took a step back. “Excuse me?”
She waved a hand. “Your mother and I were friends. She and I designed the implant together, though the final design was kept secret from me.” A sad smile. “By the time you wore the implant, we no longer spoke.”
“You’re a witch.”
Another sad smile. “Of a sort.”
I didn’t smile back. “Who are you?”
“My name is Imelda. I am the Prime’s Head Witch.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell him?”
She stared at me. “He is my employer, not my friend, Alex. Your mother and I were friends for many years.”
“Then why haven’t I heard of you?”
Sadness pooled in her amber eyes. “Because I’ve been employed by the Prime since you were five years old. The Prime is not an evil man, but I choose to keep my personal life separate from my work life, and your mother did not approve of my employer.”
“Won’t he know we’re speaking?” I had no doubt Alric had eyes and ears everywhere, maybe even cameras. Was he watching me now? A shiver rolled down my spine. I rubbed my hands over my arms, but the feeling didn’t subside. I would not feel safe until I got the hell out of this mansion.
“The Prime has been pulled away for a moment for other business, but I will know when he’s close.” She shook her head. “None of that is important. You must get your implant fixed. Your magic is leaking and it won’t be long before it attracts other attention, not as friendly as mine.”
“I don’t understand. Why does that matter? I have an appointment to have the damage fixed, but why would this attract anyone else?”
Imelda’s brow furrowed. “Your mother didn’t tell you.” She closed her eyes for a brief moment and exhaled.
“Obviously not.” My gut clenched at the evidence of more secrets my mother had kept from me.
“I assumed the implant was there for a reason, but Mom never explained what it was for, only that it would hide my power. After a while I stopped questioning things.” Looking back, that seemed foolish, but I’d had the implant forever and nothing bad ever happened. The thing just became part of me.
Her head snapped up and tilted, a hint of magic glowing in her eyes. “He’s coming this way. You must go.” The door clicked open. “I will find you when I can.”
All vampires were bonded to their masters, but I was surprised Alric had a blood bond with a witch. It was highly unusual. Most witches wouldn’t allow it. Why had Imelda?
“But—” I argued. I wanted to hear more about my mother and my magic.
She gently pushed me from the room. “Hurry. The Prime will be out in a moment. Be wary of him. He is too curious about you.”
“Why can’t you just tell me?”
She shook her head. “It is not my story to tell, and I don’t know everything. Only a fraction. Ask your mother to tell you.” Her lips thinned. “I’m surprised she hasn’t already told you about this.”
I stared at her for a long moment. “My mother is missing. More than likely dead.”
Imelda sucked in a shocked breath. “When?”
“A few years ago.” I studied her with suspicion. “If you were such good friends, you should have known.”
Imelda flinched. “I serve at the pleasure of the Prime. You would not understand.” She gently pushed me from the alcove. “Leave, Alex. While you still can.”
She stepped back into the room and closed the door. Unnerved, I hurried down the hall and out of the mansion.
Leo waited by the passenger door of the Rolls Royce wearing an unreadable expression. He held the door open but stepped in front of me when his attention caught something above my head.
“Alex.”
I closed my eyes and let out a breath. “Almost had it,” I muttered, knowing without a doubt that Alric was behind me.
Leo glanced at me and shook his head. He wiped his mouth to keep the Prime from seeing him speak. “Careful,” he whispered.
I turned to watch as the Prime came down the steps, his pace unhurried. He looked at Leo, seconds before the driver turned and got inside the vehicle, shutting the door behind him.
Alric stopped before me, reaching around to close the passenger door—whether to keep me here or to keep Leo from overhearing, I wasn’t sure.
“I have nothing to say to you.”
A small smile curved one side of his lips. “You’re displeased with me.”
It took a herculean effort not to fire off a scathing retort. “I’d like to leave now.”
“In a moment. I did not finish my proposal.”
“You had no proposal, only a show of power I didn’t appreciate.”
Alric lifted a shoulder in a careless shrug. “You needed to understand how powerful a vampire can be, even to those who believe they are immune.”
“Everyone already knows. There was zero reason to do that, other than to flaunt your own greatness right under my nose.”