Oh, shit! Max moaned. Tell him to throw it. Now!
“Throw it!” I shrieked, echoing Max’s command. From the corner of my eye, I saw Leo’s lids flash open, his eyes now bright, alert. His lips were moving quickly but I couldn’t hear him over the sound of rushing blood in my ears.
Julian roared as he swung his arm back to launch the antlers at her—just as a purple light shot out from Ursula’s outstretched hand, heading straight for his chest.
I stopped breathing altogether and squeezed my eyes closed, waiting. Expecting the shriek of pain, the thump of a body hitting the floor.
Instead, I heard a drumbeat.
7. And So It Begins
“Do you feel that?” Mage hissed as the six of us made record time back to our Fifth Avenue base, distancing ourselves from the ring of suspicious ashes and incoherent babbling of rave attendees at the underground club. It would certainly make the news later today.
I did feel it; it was impossible to miss. An awesome amount of magic was being channeled somewhere nearby, more than anything one witch could summon. It only strengthened my concern that this went beyond Ursula’s meddling. “I don’t know what they’re planning, but we need to get inside now, and scaling the wall with each of you will take too much time.” Everyone nodded their agreement. With that, we headed straight for the main door.
Getting back into Viggo and Mortimer’s fortress was easy. I punched in the code—Evangeline’s birthday in two different formats—and ran in, Mage’s limp body draped over my shoulder. I didn’t give a second’s consideration to leaving her within the Merth this time. We had bigger issues than a vampire with magical abilities.
Mage was alert and dropped to her feet as soon as I stepped into the atrium. We found Viggo and Mortimer in their customary warding positions on either side of Veronique, but their normally controlled expressions gave way to shock as they watched us enter from the outside. It was such a rare sight. “What the . . . .” Mortimer began.
“Hold on a sec,” I called, already on my way out.
In seconds I had Evangeline’s friends safely inside. It took only that long for Viggo and Mortimer’s shock to disappear. Now they wore glares that could have incinerated me, if they had any sorcerer magic in them.
“In private?” Mage suggested before Mortimer could explode. She accentuated the suggestion with a pointed stare at the horde of Ratheus vampires surrounding us.
The anger slid from Viggo’s face immediately, replaced by a fake grin and a polite gesture toward the library door. “Certainly. Right this way . . . ”
Mortimer uttered not a single word. He spun on his heels, jaw visibly clenched, and grabbed the elbow of a sickly-looking Ileana as he passed her. The six of us trailed behind them into the library, Mage shutting the French doors behind us.
Viggo turned to the witch. “A sound barrier, if you would be so kind, Illie?”
I caught the fleeting wince, likely due to Viggo’s nickname, but she nodded and quietly went about casting the common spell. I watched Mage’s eyes follow the purple-hued bubble as it expanded to reach the outer walls of the room. I can’t wait to sit down and learn about that vampire’s uncanny sense for magic! It was beyond annoying.
Only after Ileana nodded to Viggo did Mortimer react. I knew it was coming; I expected it—yet the vicious blow that instantly shattered my jaw caught me off guard all the same. The crushing pain dropped me to one knee where I remained, waiting for my bones to mend themselves. Five seconds later I was on my feet again, throwing a catty response at him. “Haven’t you heard it’s not nice to hit ladies?” I couldn’t help it, though I knew I was only throwing fuel on already roaring flames.
“Lady,” Mortimer grated through clenched teeth, “you belong in Hell.”
“I have to agree with you on that one,” Viggo murmured, his back to us as he gazed at Veronique’s painting above the mantel. He turned, the fireplace poker gripped casually in his hand. He lifted it up to show a glowing point, as if it had sat within the flames.
“What are you going to do, Viggo? Brand me?” I joked, trying to defuse whatever panicked reaction he was hoping to get from me.
“What would be the point of that? You heal too fast and you’re tough as nails, you old hag,” he retorted with a condescending smile. Instead he grabbed Ileana by the back of the neck and pulled her close. Without pause, he pressed the poker to her cheek. The smell of burning flesh curled everyone’s nostrils up in disgust. The young witchling’s eyes began to tear up and she let out a howl of pain. “Quiet, now! You are here to be our eyes and ears, Illie. Your one task is to watch that devil woman over there. And yet somehow she managed to escape, unnoticed. And with five vampires! What do you have to say for yourself?”