Back in the nest of vampires. Damn it all to hell and back, this was the worst kind of déjà vu.
A scream, high-pitched and violent, echoed down the hallway and Alex bolted past me. “Pamie!”
I leapt after him, Liam right behind me. There was no thought as to what we were running into, there couldn’t be, not with her screams echoing in our ears. Alex galloped down the carpeted hallway, putting distance between us.
“Keep up with him!” I shouted at Liam, as a vampire’s servant stepped in front of us. How did I know it was a servant and not a vampire? The bastard was missing an arm. I’d fought him once before and obviously needed to finish him off. I brought my sword up in an arc that removed his other arm. He fell to his knees and sucked in a lungful of air to shout or scream. It didn’t matter.
On the back swing, I took his head.
I didn’t stop to wipe my blades, just ran. Alex was gone from sight, but we were close now. Curving around a corner, we ran down a single flight of stairs, skidding to a stop as we hit the ballroom that we’d escaped only weeks ago.
Motherfucking pus buckets, I did not want to be here. In a matter of heartbeats, I took the scene in.
Like an arena, there were vampires in a semi-circle around the main event, their faces intent on the spectacle before them. In the center, Pamela stood with her legs apart, hands stretched out in front of her, and a snarl on her lips as she poured out her magic. She was cut and bruised, her hair was a mess, but she was at least alive and still standing. And Berget, she stood there, cocky and sure of herself, one hand on her hip, a golden gown clinging to her curves while she almost nonchalantly batted Pamela’s magic away.
My sister acted as if she was truly just at a gala event and not in a fight. Alex stood between them, his back to Pamela, his face a wicked visage of teeth and fury that for once, didn’t seem out of place on him.
Before I could do anything though, a crossbow bolt flew from behind me, catching Berget in the middle of her chest. Blood blossomed over the shimmering golden material, but Berget barely flinched. Liam cursed under his breath.
I yanked the three firebombs out and threw them toward the onlookers. The fire burst open, clinging to anything and everything. Screams erupted out of the melee, and most of Berget’s shadows fled.
Berget turned her face toward us as she flicked her hand toward Pamela. The young witch dropped to her knees, panting for air, her head lowered.
“Sister.” Berget took a few steps toward me, a smile on her lips that I didn’t trust for one second. “I’m so glad you could come. I need to speak to you about a deal.” She flicked her fingers and Pamela went flying toward her, caught by Berget with a single hand. My sister clutched Pamela to her chest, so that Pamela faced us. Son of a bitch, how the hell was I going to get Pamela away from her?
Berget, Child Empress, drew them both back closer to the throne. Her smile, tight with anger, only made her look less like the Berget I’d seen in my unconscious state. She looked like she was about to throw a temper tantrum.
I glared at her, steeling myself for what I was going to have to do. With a slow, precise movement, I lifted my swords, my intent clear. I might not be able to say it, but I would do it. I had to.
She’s not Berget; just remember that.
Easier said than done. Berget’s blue eyes widened and she put a hand to Pamela’s throat, squeezing just enough to get Pamela to react.
Berget tipped her head again to the side. “You would kill me?”
“Let her go,” I said, walking toward them.
She tipped her head from side to side, not shaking it, but touching it to her shoulders, back and forth. Her eyes clouded and the blue faded to a shimmering green. The color of the late Empress’ eyes. Doran hadn’t been kidding about where Berget’s powers had come from. When she spoke, her voice had a lilting accent to it, one that was most definitely not her own.
“I will kill her one day, but not today if you agree to help me. You are a Tracker, and the prophecies state that you must help me find the last of the Blood.”
Of course, maybe if things had been just between me and Berget, maybe I could have convinced her. Or at least I would have had a better chance than with what happened next.
Faris strolled into the ballroom, taking us full circle. Hell, the only difference was this time Alex was with us. I glanced down at him. He’d moved back to stand with me and Liam, but he hadn’t gone back to being submissive; he still had his teeth bared and he continually grumbled under his breath.
“Bad, bad, yuppy doody, bad.”
Berget’s hold on Pamela tightened. “Well, isn’t this lovely, we’re all back together again.”