Chapter 2
TWO
SLOAN
Two Azra guards turned the corner to find Sloan crouched down beside the door.
The game was up. Sloan had to make a lightning fast decision.
Running would be pointless; they had already seen her and it wasn’t like she had anywhere to go.
Fighting the guards would lead to their serious injury and shatter any alliance with the Azra people.
So Sloan did the only thing she could think of: She grabbed the doorknob and twisted. It was locked, of course, but the bolt was no match for Sloan’s vampire strength. With a thick snap, Sloan walked into the room.
“Hey, stop right there!” the guards shouted behind Sloan as they pounded down the hall. “You can’t go in there!”
Sloan walked into the room where Theo stood up, brown eyes wild. His hunched form and wide mouth told Sloan he was prepared to shift at a moment’s notice. Croft leaned against a bookshelf, her yellow magic already alive and glowing in her hands.
When she saw it was Sloan walking into the room, she allowed the magic to dissipate. For the first time she let weariness spread across her strong features. “Well, I guess our secret’s out of the bag.”
“Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?” Sloan looked from Theo to Croft. “I knew Theo was hiding something, but I never expected this.”
The guards who had discovered Sloan were already in the doorway, their axes brandished in front of them. They looked from Croft to Sloan and back again, waiting for direction.
“You can go.” Croft waved them away. “I’ll take it from here.”
Without question, the guards turned to one another, then left the room.
“You too, Theo.” Croft looked over at the stand-in governor. “Unless we plan to kill Sloan, there is no reason for anything but the truth, going forward. And if you turn into a bear in my office again, I’m going to kill you myself. There was so much hair last time.”
Theo straightened his stance and closed his mouth. “Understood.”
“In fact, if you can give us some privacy, Theo.” Croft walked over to a leather-bound chair in the corner of the room and took a seat. “I think this is going to take some time.”
“Are you sure?” For the first time since meeting the shifter, Theo looked at Sloan with anything but kind eyes. “Maybe I should stay, too?—”
“Leave.” Croft didn’t look at him as she gave the order. Her eyes were on Sloan. “And make sure we’re not disturbed. I hate being disturbed.”
Thus far, Sloan had remained quiet. Her mind was still reeling with the information she had discovered. If Croft was a sister to Queen Eleanor and Leah Noble, did that mean she was aligned with them as well?
There was a dull thud as Theo closed the broken door behind him.
“Well, you might want to take a seat for this.” Croft extended a hand as she crossed her slender legs. “It’s a long story.”
“I’m fine standing.” Sloan raised her eyebrow. “And I like stories. Start from the beginning—the very beginning—and don’t leave anything out.”
“Suit yourself.” Croft cleared her throat and began. “There were four of us. Born in New Hope to a wealthy family, we had everything we could have wanted. I had two older sisters and one younger brother. Eleanor and Leah were always close. My younger brother and I were more of the introverts.
“Our parents were kind without being loving, if that makes any sense. We had everything we could ever have wanted, but at times, I wondered if we were produced to simply carry on the Eckert family name. After all, they stopped as soon as my brother was born and they had their male heir.
“It was while we were in our teens that Leah and I discovered we had the ability over magic. We inherited it on our father’s side. He was ashamed of the trait, didn’t practice and forbade us to learn and harness our power. Well, I guess it’s safe to say Leah and I didn’t follow his advice.
“Over the years, Leah and I both practiced our magic, mostly separately.
Leah was always a cruel child and had spent her time experimenting with her magic on insects and animals.
I was happy to lift myself into the air or pick flowers with my mind.
I regret those years of leisure now. If I had been smart, I would have started to train then.
“As we entered our college-age years and our twenties, we began settling into our desired roles in life. Despite my father’s and mother’s desperate attempts to get my brother to make a run at politics, he removed himself from the family.
They always placed a tremendous amount of pressure on him being the only boy among us.
They wanted him to one day be the King of New Hope.
“I was the only one who saw it coming. He told me he was going to leave. He was going to pick up and just go somewhere far away where no one knew him and he could be his own man. I was sad, but I understood.
“My parents took it hard. My father was involved in a fatal accident, and my mother drank herself to an early grave. Eleanor took it upon herself to continue the family name, so she abandoned everything from relationships to family in her quest.
“Leah was her little sidekick. When Eleanor was running for her position as queen, Leah changed her last name. It wouldn’t do to have the sister of the soon-to-be-queen of New Hope involved with magic. Likewise, I was asked to leave or change my name.”
“You chose to go,” Sloan said, nodding along with Croft’s words as she guessed the rest of the tale. “You left for Burrow Den, met Elijah and started a family.”
“Well, yes, I guess that’s the simple version.
” Croft was looking at Sloan, but her gaze was a million miles away.
“A lot had happened to me from leaving New Hope to settling down in Burrow Den, but that’s a story for another time.
What you need to know is that I was running away from a family problem, one I should have dealt with before starting a family of my own.
When I found out what my sisters were up to, I knew that to save my daughters, I would have to leave them and prepare for the fight that now knocks on our door. ”
Sloan’s mind reeled with all of the implications of what Croft being an Eckert actually meant. “What about your brother?” Sloan asked.
“I never heard from him.” Croft shrugged. “Wherever he is, I hope he’s far away from this mess, able to live his own life and start his own family in peace.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me the truth from the beginning?” Sloan folded her arms over her chest, finding herself more upset than she thought as memories of the queen’s lies and her betrayal swam to the surface.
“Would you have listened to me?” The left side of Croft’s mouth twitched in an almost-smile. “If I told you I was an Eckert sister and mother to Abigail and Elizabeth, you would have called me a liar. You would have walked out on my proposal to fight as allies.”
“You have a point there.” Sloan was about to open her mouth to ask another question, when Croft interrupted.
“No, I don’t believe Eleanor knows who my daughters are, but I have a suspicion Leah does.
” Croft’s brow furrowed in a combination of worry and anger.
“As part of the magical realm, those of us who have dedicated our lives to our craft can sense certain things. I believe Leah has sensed that Elizabeth is my daughter, and thus Abigail is, as well.”
“That’s important to know.” Sloan leaned forward. “But that’s not what I was going to ask. Why did Theo call you ‘governess’?”
“Well, I guess you heard more than I thought.” Croft stood, signaling a close to their conversation.
“Theo and the council who rule the city are only a puppet government I’ve used to control things from the shadows.
You can imagine what the people of Azra would think if they found out a witch was ruling the city.
Too many questions would arise. Eventually, word would be out as to who my relatives are and well …
people here aren’t fond of the queen, if you hadn’t noticed. ”
Sloan nodded along with all of Croft’s words. Everything she said made sense. Although Sloan hated being lied to and would have much rather the Eckert sister have been honest with her from the beginning, she understood why the witch had chosen this certain path to follow.
“I’ll take your silence for anger.” Croft walked to the door and turned the broken handle, allowing it to swing open.
The handle came off in her hand. She looked down at the brass knob with regret.
“I’m assuming you’ll want to leave now. It’s a shame; we would have had a real chance with you as an ally. ”
“Who said I was going anywhere?” Sloan placed her hands on her hips.
“You should have told me the truth from the beginning. But with that said, you’re right.
I don’t know how I would have taken it. I may have walked out on you.
But we can’t change the past. I’m here now.
Look me in the eyes and tell me there will be no more lies between us. ”
Croft stood stunned. It was obvious the witch had thought Sloan would walk out on her after the conversation. Her mindset didn’t allow for such grace in the moment.
“I swear there will be no more lies between us.” Croft looked Sloan dead in the eye. “We share a common enemy, and united, we have a chance. Not a great chance, but still a chance to take her down.”
“Okay, then.” Sloan bit her lower lip, deciding to trust Croft at least one more time. “Let’s look at this list of soldiers you have who volunteered to be transitioned into vampires. I’ll need a strong squad if we’re going to have a chance.”