Chapter 23 #2
He drew himself up to face them, tonguing his cheek.
“As I said earlier, karma is a sticky wicket, and as much as I loathe the natural order of things, a certain balance must be kept. Fortunately for me, the ends often justify the means.” That grin slicked across his face again.
“Otherwise, I’d never have any fun at all. ”
Jena put a hand to her temple. “That makes absolutely no sense.”
“Doesn’t it, though? Order through chaos, chaos born of order.
My specialty’s the latter, though I have been known to dabble in both, and I can assure you, I’ve quite the work ethic.
” He flicked out his pocket square again, offering it to Ophelia.
“Do clean yourself up, darling, we need to meet up with my associates shortly.”
Ophelia’s mouth went dry. “A-associates?”
“Why yes, of course. You didn’t think this was our final destination, did you?” He grinned with a low chuckle. “Oh no, my little queen, as eager as I am to become reacquainted with my daughter, there’s someone still waiting who’s equally keen to be reunited with you.”
Oh, hell no.
Ophelia dove for the nearest shadow and landed hard on the flagstones. What the fuck? Why wasn’t it working? She screwed her lids shut, praying that when she opened them, she’d be in the bathroom of the sushi restaurant back in Klineville.
William chuckled and Ophelia opened her eyes to glare at him. Had she thought he was charming? He wasn’t, and Jena’s attitude toward him was making more sense than Ophelia wanted it to.
“What did you do?” she snarled at him.
“Me?” he asked, a hand to his chest like he was affronted.
“Oh, no, not this time. I’m afraid blocking your little shifty shadow skills is entirely the node.
It’s quite invested in the outcome to this little soirée, and we can’t have you wandering about when there’s places you need to be, now can we?
Do get up, you look incredibly undignified rolling around on the ground like that. What would people say?”
“The node wouldn’t do that,” Jena spat, helping Ophelia to her feet. “And there’s no way it would let you just hand her over to a bunch of vampires!”
He buffed his nails against his jacket. “Are you sure, darling? As Ms. Diamondé so helpfully pointed out, it doesn’t seem to object to my person. Why would it quibble over my intent to deliver her to a few undead if that assured its safety? Well, I shouldn’t say ‘few,’ it’s to be two, precisely.”
Sweat broke out over Ophelia’s brow, and she dug her fingers into Jena’s arm.
“I-I can’t go back to that, I can’t.” Her gaze swept around the circle, looking for anything she could use to stake herself, and landed on the bonfire.
Her throat bobbed. It would be over quick.
Visions of that burned marshmallow went through her mind, and she whimpered.
“Huh, you’d think you’d be more pleased about satisfying your contract,” William said, cocking his head as he planted himself squarely in her path. “And they were so happy at the prospect of being reunited with you.”
“Look, you asshole, I don’t know why you’re doing this or what you did to the node, but it stops now,” Jena growled, pushing Ophelia behind her. Karma sparked purple at her fingertips, and her hair stirred around her in an ethereal wind.
A sly smile spread over his face. “Oh, no. Not this time, darling. You’re just going to have to trust that Daddy knows best and sit this one out.
” Her father made a gesture, and shadows sped from the edges of the circle, cocooning around Jena and snuffing her power.
He caught her as she fell and lowered her against a pillar with a gentle pat to the head.
Her eyes fluttered and closed. “There we go, sleepy time for you.”
Ophelia stared at him, agape, trembling. “What are you going to do to her?”
“Hmm?” He straightened up and turned to her. “Why, absolutely nothing. Not yet, anyway. It’s all about timing, and certain bargains must be kept. If nothing else, I am a man of my word.” Ophelia cringed back as he stepped toward her and brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.
“There, there, little queen. You have no reason to fear for her safety. I can feel that diabolical witch’s spell to locate me pricking across my skin as we speak.
How irresponsible of me to leave Chambers’s corpse behind.
” He smiled, and there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt that it hadn’t been an accident.
“That brawny beau of my daughter’s is probably already on his way to collect her with your gargoyle in tow, which means it’s time for us to leave. ”
Tears stung her eyes. “Please, don’t do this,” she whispered raggedly.
William dabbed her cheek with his pocket square. “If I were you, I’d be less concerned about what I’m about to do and more focused on what’s already been set in motion.”
He glanced past her, his gaze catching on something. She went to turn, and his grin was the last thing she saw as the stones around them winked from view.
Gideon tore up from the basement, back toward the third floor with Chase limping after him. He’d found a pair of sweatpants somewhere, and his body was gouged and bruised from the revenants. Gideon was honestly surprised the were was still standing.
“She wasn’t there?” Chase panted, trying to keep pace.
“No,” Gideon spat. “That creature has her, and I’ll be damned if he left any indication as to where they’d gone.” And as much as he wished to rage, flying off half-cocked wasn’t going to do anyone any good. He needed more bloody information. A direction, a clue, something to go on.
Matilda had best have answers.
Gideon sprinted up the last flight of stairs, to the main room.
That group of warlocks was still arguing.
They stopped abruptly as Gideon strode into the space, stripped and stippled with gore.
He ignored the lot of them and headed for Matilda.
She frowned, polishing the blade of her sickle knife, the weasel’s corpse splayed open behind her on the altar.
“Well?” he demanded without prelude. “Did your spell work?”
“Oh, it worked.” The little witch’s frown deepened. “But I don’t like it.”
Gideon raked back his hair, struggling to keep from throttling the woman. “I care very little for your preferences at the moment,” Gideon growled as Chase joined them. “Where are they?”
Matilda let out a heavy breath. “At the ruins. I saw the three of them amid the standing stones, then I swear to God, that son of a bitch looked directly at me, smiled like this was a game, and disappeared with Ophelia.
Chase came to full attention. “Jena’s still there?”
Matilda nodded. “It’s a safe bet.”
“Let me grab my coat and I’ll meet you at your truck,” Gideon seethed, not waiting for Chase’s response.
He needed to check his damned phone to see if Renard had gotten some information on the creature by now.
None of this was making sense. The node should never have let him cross its wards, never mind get that close.
And why would the fiend take Ophelia and leave Jena behind?
What the hell are you thinking? he bellowed at the node.
The cursed thing didn’t reply, its childish whispers oddly absent from his psyche. Gideon flung the door to the roof open and swept up his coat, digging for his phone.
One message flashed across his screen, but it wasn’t from Renard.
It was a photo of Ophelia, and she was aboard a ship.