The moment my knuckles touched the door it sprang inward as if the sweet-faced old woman on the other side had been standing there waiting for me.Violet clapped her hands in glee, bright eyes sparkling. She lunged forward, grabbing my hands, the courtesy of power shared in a rush as she latched onto my magic and hugged it like I was a favorite granddaughter come to visit at last."Oh my dear," she gushed, pulling me down to kiss my cheek, the scent of rose powder and wine floating around her. "I'm so delighted to finally meet you!"I couldn't help but smile at her, letting her drag me inside, kicking the door shut behind us with one foot. She slid across the polished floor on her sockettes, tugging me down beside her on a settee while a sweetly smiling woman who looked like she was perfectly round poured us a glass of wine.Um, wine? I shook my head gently. Alcohol and witches were a big no-no, though some could handle it. Violet was obviously one who could.Or thought she could.
This time I didn't wait for everyone else to file out. I needed to talk to Sunny right away. For once, I really believed Batsheva was right, though for totally different reasons. Sebastian was important in all this. If we could find him, free him, bring him here...If he fulfilled Batsheva's promise, showed up and ordered the witches out, this could all be over very quickly.I reached out to the beautiful blonde vampire as gently as I could and felt her latch onto me. Her anger was still turned to HIGH but she was doing a better job hiding it. I rushed out into the main hall and found her there, waiting for me, surrounded by jittery, pissed off vampires. But there were only two faces in her particular group I cared about.Uncle Frank held himself rigid next to Sunny and I made no attempt to hug him or show any kind of personal attachment. Not while we were being watched by Enforcers and other witches who seemed uncertain as to what to do now, milling about with uncomfortable looks o
The shockwave hit like a freight train, rocking both myself and the person pinning me to the ground, the wash of intense heat making my lungs ache, my skin tight. I blinked against the dust blown behind the explosion, choking on it, trying to draw breath into compressed lungs."Off," I managed around my gasping. The body on top of me rolled free, landed next to me. I locked eyes with Charlotte, the werewolf Galleytrot freed long ago. Her eyes were a wolf's eyes, but the rest of her was still human."You're well?" She asked in her softly accented voice. The thrum of sound the concussion left behind made it hard to hear.I nodded, gasping for breath, staring at the burning wreck that had been Minnie.Damn it. I loved that car.Charlotte found her feet, springing up like she'd been on the ground by choice, her hands reaching for mine, pulling me up."Smelled the bomb components," she said."Thank you." I felt my hands clenching into fists. Why wasn't I scared? My demon snarled her
I planned to ride the veil to get home since Minnie was no longer an option. But the approach of two Enforcers put a damper on my idea."This way, coven leader." They glared at Charlotte and her pack mates, but I put myself between her and the black-robed witches and glared right back."Thank you for the escort," I grated. "We're ready to leave now." I pushed past them, not sure where I was supposed to be going, only wanting-needing-to show them who was boss.No way were they pushing me around. I was so not in the mood.Luckily, I didn't have to go far to figure out my ride. A large family van pulled up in front of me, the back door opening with a push of Enforcer magic.Arrogant asses. Whatever.I waited for Charlotte to precede me, or tried to make it look that way. She latched onto my arm and pulled me to a halt, swinging past me with her friends flanking the vehicle. They circled it, snuffling and talking in their Eastern European language. The two Enforcers with me looked an
They argued. They shouted, listed the reasons why this was a very bad idea. But in the end, I won. Because they knew I was right.With Sebastian on our side, Mom would be home free.She was worth the risk.I sat in Quaid's lap again, feet swinging, feeling his breath on my neck as he bent to press his lips to my cheek. The connection of our power was instant and full of fire, but I didn't have time for it at the moment and, to his credit, he pulled away with a sigh, clearly understanding it too."We need him," I said, though I inwardly shuddered at the thought of the blood clan leader. The last time I'd seen him, he was a shining star, an angel of death, the most horrible and beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on. Already devastatingly attractive, the vampire virus he'd ingested, taken from those of his clan who had fed on Cesard before he died, turned Sebastian into some kind of super vampire, an incarnation of what his kind was meant to be. The former Firblog magician, host to th
I remembered that walk, taken with Quaid, down the long, dark tunnel, on our way to face Cesard and rescue the people he'd taken. It seemed like so long ago, yet the feeling was so familiar it all flooded back as if it was happening all over again. I fought the urge to look around, to feel for Quaid, knowing he wasn't there with me, that two vampires followed my lead instead and this time, I was the one in charge.Not my mother.The idea scared me more than a little bit.The soft glow of permalight beckoned from up ahead. I emerged into the large cavern with a sharp exhale, only then realizing I'd been holding my breath. Part of me worried the vampire would jump out at us, and I'd either succumb to the pull of his power or be forced to kill him. Neither of those options worked for me.At least the demon binding was no longer in place. Whoever restored the elemental wards had failed to return the muffling pressure of the demon proofing which held the demon Torsh here for millennia,
Dad arrived in a rush of energy, the veil tearing as he burst through. He wavered above me, in full demon form, his energy nearly as powerful as when he crossed into his effigy. It made me wonder how strong he was on Demonicon and if it made a difference."Syd." His voice boomed in the cave. "Tell me what you need."Love and gratitude surged inside me and I caught myself blinking away even more tears. I was turning into my mother for sure, a freaking supernatural faucet. But I loved the fact he didn't hesitate, didn't ask questions, just offered his support.No matter what happened before, the old resentment I'd finally released, tied to his life-long absence, I knew then I had the best dad.Ever.I filled him in quickly. Or started to. Just as I began to tell him everything, the veil parted further and the glowing image of Theridialis appeared next to him. I felt my hope rise even further. Sassafras's father was a preeminent demon scientist, a brilliant mind. If these two demon
I sat with my head in my hands, whole body trembling from the aftermath of agony I'd endured. I was sure if I tried to move or speak I'd shatter into a million, bite sized Syd pieces.The world went on around me, Theridialis chattering with great excitement."Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Have you ever felt anything like it, Haralthazar?" Dad must have answered to the negative because Theridialis went on. "Nor I, my friend. A living entity whose sole purpose is to feed from the life force of another. Like a parasite, only spirit based."Someone groaned. It was enough for me to risk looking up. I'm glad I did, because it proved to me I wasn't going to fall apart after all. And better, I was there to see Sebastian sit up, shake his head, raise his gaze and meet mine."Demon child," he whispered, voice still slightly hoarse, but completely recognizable. "Are you well?"Hell of a thing to be asking me considering what he'd just gone through. I managed a nod, weariness making my h