A glance from Onyx asked Molly to trust her, but there was no need. Onyx never needed to ask that. Instead, Molly simply hoped that they’d survive the rest of the night.
* * *
Repetition of prayer was unlikely to help. Nor was variation from religion to religion. Rachel knew that, but prayed anyway. The warding circle held strong. She still couldn’t see Alex. The unwelcome physical arousal ceased a short time ago, but nothing else had changed.
All she could do was pray unless her captors died or relented. Despite her frustration, they clearly had Alex’s best interests at heart. She wished them no ill will. She just wanted this motherfucking warding circle to vanish, for the love of God and-
— and just like that, it did.
The wax, salt and ashen circles remained, but she could feel her freedom. She didn’t question the opportunity. Rachel’s wings spread wide, and in a heartbeat she shot like a ghost through the ceiling, through the apartment above it, and into the night above.
For late September in Seattle, the sky was surprisingly clear. Rachel could see stars. She could see the moon. She didn’t spare them any appreciation, though, because she still could not see Alex.
That meant her relief was only partial. Rachel flew to his home, covering miles in seconds. As she expected, she found no clues. If anything, there was less than nothing. Everything looked perfectly in place. Rachel swore bitterly at nothing in particular and soared into the sky again.
She flew up until she could see the whole of the Seattle metro area beneath her. If Alex’s captors put him on a plane or sent him through some magical portal, he was long gone. That meant she still had to hope that whatever obstructed her guardian’s sight would lift before it was too late. Barring those possibilities, however, there was only so far he would have been taken.
Rachel hovered in the sky and watched the land below for any sign of her love. With any luck, it would be something bright, shiny and easy to spot.
* * *
“This oughta make ‘em shit their pants,” Wade declared. He looked over their collective handiwork on the vampires’ SUV. The interior behind the driver’s seat was absolutely soaked with oil and gasoline. Gas-soaked newspapers and other combustibles were stuffed into the back and everything useful to the crew had been stripped from its insides.
“If we can get it close enough,” Jason scowled.
“We’ll get in. Only two guards at the front gate from the looks of things. It’s damn easy t’ get complacent when you’re guardin’ someone else’s party in whut should be a quiet area.”
“Anyone still not down with this?” Drew asked.
“I’m down,” Taylor put in, “but I’ve got a question. You aren’t driving this thing in, ‘cause you’ve gotta be ready to follow in and cover with the gun, right?”
“Yup,” Wade nodded. “It’s gotta be Jason or Drew.”
“Rock paper scissors for it?” Drew asked Jason. The other shrugged in consent.
“Uh, guys,” Taylor broke in, “Drew hardly ever drives.”
“She’s got a point,” Jason frowned. “Guess it’s gotta be me.”
“Yeah, but Jason-do you know how to drive stick?”
Jason blinked. “Oh no,” he groaned. His eyes darted between Drew’s and Wade’s, and then he covered his face in his hands. “No. Seriously, Taylor, you can’t.”
“No way,” Wade shook his head.
“Uh-uh. No. Not doin’ it, girl,” Drew said firmly.
“It’s gotta be me, guys,” Taylor pressed. “It can’t be Wade and it can’t be Drew, and Jason would break his neck anyway.”
“I would not!”
“You would, too. You’ve never done anything like this. And you’re the only one besides Wade who’s ever even handled a gun. The only two of us who can even maybe handle something like this are Drew and I, and we don’t have time to get Drew used to driving this thing.”
“Oh, like you have done something like this before?” Jason countered.
“I’ve got the closest skill set anyone else here, yes,” Taylor said. “I’m not calling you a wimp, Jason. I wouldn’t do that. I know better. But we’ve gotta roll with what we’ve got, and that means I’m the best candidate.”
“Wade,” said Drew, “this plan sucks ass all of a sudden. We need a new plan.”
“You got one? Ah’m listenin’.”
Drew scowled, looking warily at Taylor. “It’s a lot to do all in a heartbeat, and you’re gonna be exposed.”
“I know,” Taylor swallowed. “He’d do it for any of us. We wouldn’t be here otherwise.”
“Alex doesn’t know how to drive stick, either,” Jason muttered bitterly.
“Okay,” Drew said after a deep breath. “Okay, but I’m goin’ in with you.”
* * *
“Now is not the time for changes, Mr. Warren,” Lord Blackthorne said through gritted teeth as he smiled and applauded.
Lady Anastacia stood ahead of Blackthorne at the landing of the grand staircase, graciously accepting the applause of her undead subjects and their sorcerous guests. Beside the Lady stood Lord Stefan, who turned ever so slightly toward her as he, too, applauded her.
The wide, ornate stairs rose up as a single incline from the broad, open foyer of the mansion, then split both left and right at a landing above the bottom floor. Anastacia stood at the central landing overlooking her subjects. A handful stood with her while a handful more were on the steps going off to either side from it. All seventeen members of the Brotherhood were present in the foyer below, mostly in a clutch not far from the oaken double doors leading outside.
“These matters do not run on a precise schedule, Lord Blackthorne,” Warren explained.
“You didn’t know that you had to watch Carlisle when you were downstairs with him?”
“I did not expect to be roped into these formalities, good sir. I need only your approval and someone who can open the door downstairs.”
Blackthorne turned, not quite allowing himself to scowl. “Jack, take Warren here downstairs to look over Carlisle.” He glanced at the robed mage, and then back to the vampire in the pin-striped suit. “You and the other gentlemen downstairs may use your best judgment if anything unexpected should happen.”
“Gotcha,” Jack nodded. “Come on, Merlin,” the vampire sneered.
“My people, and my honored guests,” Lady Anastacia began as the applause died off. “I believe we would all agree that tonight has been a long time in coming. The unfortunate tension between us has always been a tragedy, one that I longed to resolve with friendly overtures and understanding. Lord Stefan and I have worked to bring our respective peoples under a single unified society. Others of my kind have tried this in the past in other cities, in other lands, and failed. Some here naturally had their doubts. I do not hold their trepidation against them.
“Yet it was not until we found for ourselves a common task and a common ally that our two peoples could truly establish a first, vital common ground. For that, we must give our thanks to our honored guests, Mistress Lydia and Lord Baal.” She gestured to one side, where Baal stood with Lydia clinging to him like an accessory. The pair accepted the applause with only the slightest nod. To Baal’s other side crouched Lorelei, still bound in chains and with one hand trapped under Baal’s foot.
“It is my hope that our work for our guests will be but the first of many shared undertakings,” Lady Anastacia went on, “through which we will build our trust and our community.”
Neither demon followed the rest of her speech. “What will you do when I return to the Pit?” Baal murmured to Lydia.
“It’s a good question,” Lydia said, shamelessly tracing kisses up the side of his neck. “I have to finish off dear Alex, of course. Beyond that, I considered destroy Anastacia here and claim her power base for us. I’m sure we could make use of it.” She laid her head against his shoulder. “I simply cannot decide which to do first. They both seem like so much fun.”