And then something—someone, I realized—jumped right on top of Matthew. I heard him grunt, the breath knocked from his body as he slammed against the ground, face-first.
“Just a lowly mortal,” the vampire growled, moving off Matthew’s body so that he could flip him over, neck exposed. “He’s no match for me.”
“No, but I am.” Adrenaline surged through my veins as I lifted my stake high in the air and launched myself at him. Just as I expected, the vampire turned toward me, his body angled just enough for me to accurately skewer his heart with my stake in one clean stroke.
I saw surprise widen his dark eyes at I hit my mark, and then his body went slack, slumping to the ground beside Matthew’s prone form.
Terror paralyzed me as I just stood there and stared at my Megvéd—my protector—lying so still and quiet. Please be okay. Please, please.
Luc was beside him in an instant, his fingers on the pulse at his throat. “He’s fine. Just knocked out cold.”
Thank God. Oh, thank you, thank you.
“Aidan, get them both back to the apartment. I’ll stay and finish off the corpses—just leave me that sword.”
I turned to find Aidan standing there, looking pretty much unscathed. “You have matches?” he asked Luc.
Luc nodded. “Yes. Now go. We don’t want to draw unwanted attention.”
Aidan reached for my hand. “I can’t take you both, not with Dr. Byrne unconscious. He’ll be dead weight. I’ll take you first and come back for him.”
I pulled away from his grasp. “No. Him first. I can wait.”
“He’s better off here with Luc for now,” Aidan argued. “Otherwise, I have to leave him alone while I come back for you.”
I swallowed hard, realizing he was right. Of course. Nodding my assent, I reached for Aidan’s hand. “Let’s go,” I said. “Make it fast.”
An hour later, we all sat around Aidan’s kitchen table, Matthew holding an ice pack to his head. His face was bruised, several shades of purple and blue, but otherwise he seemed okay.
“We’re sitting ducks here,” Aidan said. “This is crazy. How long until Nicole calls for us?”
“Soon,” Luc said. “And until dawn, there’s an entire squad of guards surrounding the building. You’ll be safe.”
“Well, where were the guards before?” I asked sharply. “Maybe they could have prevented that whole fiasco back there.”
Luc’s obsidian eyes met mine. “The sun had only just set. Besides, we had not expected an ambush. My guess is that they were telling the truth about acting on their own, not following anyone’s orders. Two rogues, thinking that they might be rewarded generously for bringing Aidan to our enemies.”
I glanced over at the window above the sink and shuddered. “Well, whatever they were, I’m willing to bet there’s more of them out there.”
“The guards will keep watch throughout the night. The Wampiri haven’t yet arrived, and they’re the only ones of our kind who can hunt during daylight hours. You’ll be safe. I promise you.”
I turned toward Aidan. “Why are we trusting him?” I asked. “Seriously. This is one of the vampires who locked you up, who helped torture you. And we’re supposed to trust him to keep us safe?”
Aidan let out a sigh. “I trust him, Violet. I do.”
Luc offered me a tight smile. “If it’ll make you less uneasy, feel free to breach my mind. I’m certain you’ll be assured by what you find in my thoughts.”
“No, thank you.” I rose, pushing back my chair. “Fine. If you say we’re safe, I’m going to sleep. I’m exhausted, and I want to be ready for whatever comes next. Matthew, you should . . . I don’t know . . . probably try to stay awake or something, right? I mean, you probably have a nice concussion there. Aidan, can you keep an eye on him?”
“Of course. You go lie down. Luc will post a guard outside the bedroom window. Get some rest, okay?”
That was it? He was simply dismissing me, sending me upstairs like a child?
With a huff, I stormed upstairs toward the master bedroom. Truthfully, I had no idea why I was so mad. I was frustrated, I guessed. Scared. No one had expected a fight before the fight.
I was so tired, I didn’t bother to change into pajamas. I just collapsed onto the bed and pulled the covers up around me. Before I knew it, I drifted off into oblivion.
There was a loud knocking somewhere. I sat up, disoriented. The sun had risen, the first lavender light of dawn slanting across the bedcovers. Something that sounded like a doorbell chimed, sending shivers up my spine.
I flung off the covers and leapt out of bed, hurrying downstairs as fast I could. Aidan and Luc were already there, moving toward the door.
“Who is it?” I asked breathlessly. “Not more of them. Please tell me it isn’t more of them.”
“I doubt it,” Luc said. “They wouldn’t be out during the day.”
“Where are the guards?” I asked.
“Gone until sundown.” Luc tipped his head toward me. “Let her answer it. You can’t expose yourself like that.”
“I’m fine. The elixir, remember?”
“Which you should not have taken, not with the threat we’re facing. You need all your capabilities.”
“My capabilities are good enough. Anyway, they can’t destroy the Dauphin, remember? At least, that’s what you keep telling me.”
“She gets the door,” Luc growled.
“I’ll get the door,” I said, slipping between them just as the doorbell chimed once more.
“Your stake,” Aidan said, handing it to me.
“Gee, thanks. Coming,” I called out, hurrying into the foyer with the length of smooth hawthorn clutched tightly in my right hand. My bracelet was fine—no glowing stones, except for the white ones. Harmless. We were safe—I hoped.
Aidan unlatched the lock, and I reached for the brass door handle and turned it, opening the door just the slightest crack as I peered out. “Who is it?” I asked.
“Bonjour!” came a familiar voice.
What the heck? I threw open the door, gaping at the sight before me. Tyler. Oh my freaking God, it was Tyler. Cece. Sophie. Joshua. Marissa.
“Sorry. Max couldn’t come,” Marissa said. “His parentals were not very accommodating.”
“Wh-what? How?” I stammered.
“My aunt works for Air France,” Marissa said with a shrug. “She managed to hook us up with a last-minute standby.”
“I can’t believe this,” I said, blinking hard. I must be dreaming—still upstairs, tucked cozily in bed. Except . . . I was pretty sure I was awake.
“Hey, bestie,” Cece said with a smile. “Did you really think we were going to let you guys fight this battle without us?”
I just shook my head, completely flummoxed.
“This is a bit unexpected,” Aidan said, stepping up beside me. “But please, do come in.”
30 ~ The Dauphin
We’ve been summoned,” Aidan said, glancing up from his cell.
My heart leapt into my throat, my stomach lurching uncomfortably. We’d been sitting silently side by side on the little velvet divan in the master suite for more than an hour, my body fitted alongside his as we waited for the call.
And now I would’ve given anything to ignore it, to continue sitting there long into the night, Aidan’s fingers stroking my hair as I listened to the rhythmic beating of his heart. Cece, Joshua, Sophie, and Marissa were all scattered about the room—Sophie in a chair by the window, reading; Cece and Joshua on the floor near our feet, playing a quiet game of Scrabble; Marissa on the bed, texting Max.