Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

I woke with a gasp and sat bolt upright in bed. Aiden wasn't beside me, but I could hear him speaking in the living area, his words urgent but barely audible against the cacophony of sound coming from the street beyond the café—alarms, explosions, and screams.

I flung off the sheet, climbed into my shorts and a T-shirt, and then ran out, barely avoiding Monty as he stepped from Belle's room.

"What the hell is going on?" His gaze shot toward the glass sliding doors, where the night sky burned bright with smoke and fire. "Ah, fuck."

"Yeah." I ducked past him and ran into the living room.

Aiden was on the phone but swung around as we entered. "The station was hit by a fireball. A purple fireball."

Meaning it was mage fire, not regular. "Anyone hurt?"

"Don't know. Ric had patrol duties tonight, but it's close to knock-off time, so I have no idea if he was there to sign off or not."

Ricardo Pérez was the newest of the reservation's rangers and had come here under the reservation's exchange program—a program designed to prevent inbreeding—as a replacement for Byron, who'd been murdered by one of our "monster of the month" invasions.

It would be the mother of all ironies if Ric had also been killed by one of them.

I moved past Aiden and headed for the glass sliding doors and the patio beyond, Monty and Belle two steps behind me. The night was stinking hot and filled with not only the acidic scent of burning plastic but the foulness that came with a spell created from blood. I stopped at the balustrade and stared in horror at the chaos in front of me.

It wasn't just the ranger station that had gone up in flames; half the damn block was little more than fragmented bits of burning rubble. And visible through the sweep of smoke and fire were the broken remnants of a spell.

Even without knowing mage fire had created this mess, those remnants were evidence enough this hadn't been an accident.

Monty stopped beside me. "Why on earth would they hit the damn ranger station?"

I glanced at him grimly. "I think you'll find they believed they were hitting the café."

"But why—" Belle stopped abruptly. "The pin. They thought it was here ."

I nodded. "Jaqueline called me onto the astral plane again tonight, and it was obviously meant to distract me while Marie launched her destruction spell."

Monty's gaze was on the burning mess ahead of us. "Given the damage they've done, I'm thinking it was designed to break through the protections ringing this place."

I nodded. "Jaqueline was pretty damn sure she'd just seen the last of me."

"And with good reason," Belle murmured. "I'm not sure even the wild magic could repel such a spell. It's certainly not infallible."

"No, but there's a reason few witches dare mess with it. We're just going to have to boost the protections around the place to counter that"—I grimly waved a hand toward the destruction—"happening to our block."

"What we're going to have to do is get on the front foot with these bitches," Monty growled. "Maelle must know where to find them. Punch monster or not, we have to confront her and demand she give up any and all information she has?—"

"While it may yet come to that," I cut in, "it's not necessary right now. I know where Jaqueline is, and I believe we need to hit her hard and fast, before she can move again."

"And before she realizes their ploy has failed," Belle said.

Monty frowned. "How did you uncover that information? I can't imagine she'd have willingly given that sort of information out."

"I used my psi talents while threatening her. She didn't really react to said threat, and now we know why."

He nodded. "We'll need Eli and Ashworth in on any attack—even if we have the element of surprise, any place Jaqueline and her mad maker are in will be ringed by protections. It might be wise if we go to their place rather than convening here."

"It's far safer here, what with all the?—"

"Not if Marie's people are watching the café," he cut in. "The last thing we need is to give them additional targets."

"Monty, we're already all targets. Aside from the fact Marie and Jaqueline did their research before they arrived, they tore all the pertinent information from Roger's mind."

"Yes, but at this point, they're focused more on you than anyone else. Hate to say it, but it's probably best it remains that way."

His words had me remembering the hazy figure on the astral plane. Were my psi senses warning me that while fate had yet to be decided, someone I cared about would take Roger's place if I wasn't very careful?

Possibly. Very possibly.

"Fine. We'll go there."

"And just to be safe, I'll weave a concealment spell around the SUV before we leave. Even if Marie's people are watching this place, they won't have time to counter the spell or place a tracker before we're gone."

"Good idea." I glanced around as Aiden came through the door. Fury dominated his expression but there was also relief. "Is Ric okay?"

"A few cuts and scratches, but alive. Apparently he was waiting for the gates to open so he could get into the rear yard when the fireball hit the station. The force of the explosion sent the vehicle tumbling, but he managed to crawl clear before the thing caught fire."

"And the nearby buildings?" Monty asked. "Any casualties there?"

"Won't know until we get the fire out, but Ric's vehicle wasn't the only one caught in the explosion." He glanced at Monty. "I've ordered everyone to keep out until we know it's safe. I'll need you to come down there to check the place over magically."

Monty nodded and glanced at us. "It shouldn't take me more than ten or fifteen minutes to do the check. If I do happen to find anything, I'll give you a call and meet you over at Ashworth's."

"Ashworth's?" Aiden asked sharply. "Why? What's happened?"

"We've a possible location for Jaqueline," I replied. "We're going to hit her tonight."

"Then you should probably contact Maelle. As much as I don't want her roaming around the reservation willy-nilly, she should be involved in any hunt for her daughter."

"I'll contact her once I know for sure Jaqueline is there." Calling her before we were certain risked making the crazy vampire even crazier.

"Be careful, then, okay?" He glanced at Monty. "Ready?"

Monty nodded again. Aiden dropped a kiss on my cheek, then turned on his heels and ran back inside, grabbing a T-shirt and his shoes on the way through. Monty followed him down the stairs, and the two of them appeared on the street below a few seconds later, running toward the wreckage of the station.

"I'll go collect our gear," Belle said. "You'd better call Ashworth and warn them we're heading over."

I nodded and followed her inside, locking the sliding door, then heading into my bedroom to grab my phone. It rang just as I was reaching for it—and it was Ashworth.

"Is everything okay, lass? We heard the explosion, and from where we are, it seemed a little too close to you and the café."

"Marie hit the ranger station with mage fire, and it's taken out half the block."

He swore. "Any casualties?"

"At this point, no rangers, but until they put out the fires that started after the mage fire hit and get into what remains, no one can be sure if there was anyone in the other buildings."

"At least it happened at midnight. Had it been midday, it would have been far worse." He paused. "Why hit the ranger station though?"

"They thought they were hitting me?—"

"The magic on the pin," he cut in with a groan. "It was a tracker."

"Yep. You want to put the kettle on? Because we're planning a little vengeance and we're coming over there to plot."

"Putting it on now. We'll see you all soon."

I hung up, swapped out the shorts for jeans and boots, then grabbed my purse, keys, and phone and headed downstairs to wait with Belle. Monty appeared nearly twenty minutes later.

"Sorry," he said, sweat trickling down the side of his face and staining his T-shirt. "Most of the spell had disintegrated, but there was a tiny kernel of magic left in the remains of the ranger station, and it took me a while to dismantle it."

"Any idea what the kernel was?" I asked.

He caught the bottle of water Belle tossed him and opened it up, taking a long drink before answering. "It was some sort of ‘Eye' spell, designed to send images back to whoever spelled it."

"So that they could admire their handiwork, no doubt," Belle said. "Although if you killed it, they'd know their destructive efforts failed."

"Maybe not, because they'd have seen me rather than Liz or you, so it's possible they could still believe their plan worked."

"At least until I start spelling again," I commented.

"Indeed, so hold off doing so until we're ready to hit them." He drained the bottle, then tossed it into the bin. "Let's get out of here."

He grabbed our packs and led the way out. After opened the passenger doors for me and Belle, he tossed the packs into the back, then wrapped the SUV in what I presumed was an invisibility spell—from the inside, it was hard to tell, because the spell was external and the vehicle visible for us—then climbed into the driver's seat. After starting her up, he reversed out, then switched over to drive and hit the accelerator. Tires squealed as we shot toward the street. Thank God no one happened to be walking across the entrance to the lane at that particular moment, because they'd have been mown down.

As he swung right, I twisted around and looked out the rear window. I couldn't see anyone—or anything—obviously following us, but tension nevertheless rode me. The streets remained empty, though, and we reached Ashworth's in good time, parking out the front.

After Monty had dismantled his spell to ensure no other car would crash into it, we grabbed our packs and headed through the gate and up the rose-lined path to the front door. Ashworth quickly ushered us inside, the house delightfully cold compared to the night.

Eli placed the teapot and a jug of milk on the table, then went back for the cups and a packet of Scotch Fingers. "Sorry, Monty, we're out of cakes."

"Anyone would think I am nothing more than a walking stomach," he said, even as he reached for a biscuit.

"Well, not entirely a stomach," Belle noted, a teasing light in her eyes. "You do have one other notable attribute."

A smile twitched his lips. "A biggus dickus?"

"Biggus feetus."

He laughed and nudged her. "With one comes the other, I'm afraid."

I rolled my eyes. "When you have finished the sexual byplay, we have a raid to plan."

His amusement instantly fell away. "Where is Jaqueline holed up?"

"In a house on View Street, about five minutes away from here."

"Is she alone?" Ashworth asked. "One or two additional vamp mages we can probably deal with, but if it's the lot of them, well, that'll take more planning."

"The pillow beside her was dented, so there's possibly one other person there, at least."

"Could it be Marie?" Belle asked.

I wrinkled my nose. "I'm not sure they'd risk cohabitation, given what Maelle did up in Moonlight Flats. Besides, Maelle said that she forbade Marie from taking Jaqueline as a lover."

"After what Maelle did to the coven," Monty said, voice dry, "I'm thinking any agreements the two might have had were rendered null and void."

"The one preventing Maelle from attacking her maker still holds, so it's likely the others might, too."

"I'm also thinking there's plenty we haven't been told about that particular agreement." Monty got out his phone and brought up Google Maps. "What's the address?"

I gave it to him and reached for a Scotch Finger before he could snaffle them all.

"I'm guessing the place would have been unoccupied," Eli said, pouring the tea while Monty googled. "Because vamps wouldn't be able to enter it otherwise. Not without a freely given invite to step over the threshold, anyway."

Belle frowned. "I thought residences, even if empty, were a tricky prospect for vamps? Isn't it more usual for them to use commercial properties or even ones that are mixed?"

"It's something of a gray area," Eli said, "and generally depends on the length of time it's been vacant and whether there's a lingering connection to past owners."

"They got into our ghost's place, though," she said, "and he definitely had a lingering connection to it."

"As I said, it's a gray area."

"Got it." Monty put the phone down so we could all see it. "From the look of things, it's a pretty standard triple-fronted brick house from the seventies."

"It's also on a big, raised triangular block with nothing more than grass between the street and the house," Ashworth noted. "They're going to see us coming."

"They're more likely to hear our heartbeats before they ever see us," I said. "And that, combined with the fact we're dealing with vamps who have shown a penchant for spelling in and out of locations, is going to be a problem. We need to find a way to stop them transporting away."

"What about the wild magic?" Monty said.

I picked up my cup and took a sip. "What about it?"

"Well, it's basically immune to dark magic, is it not?"

"If it was immune," Ashworth said, "history wouldn't be littered with fresh wellsprings being stained by the influence of evil and the town and people surrounding them destroyed."

Monty waved a hand. "Fresh isn't what we have here, though. It's partially sentient thanks to the hundreds of souls it's got lurking within it, and it's very determined to get rid of the evil that has now infested the reservation. And it has a means of directing its power, thanks to Liz's connection to it."

"You did use it to contain those vampires who attacked the O'Connor compound," Belle said. "That isn't much different to what we need here."

"Except it is, because I could feel the weight of those vamps on the earth, whereas here"—I waved a hand to the image still on Monty's phone—"we're dealing with a vampire hiding in a house. The house has the connection, not the person, if that makes sense."

"Can't you just send the wild magic in to investigate?" Monty asked. "It's not like it doesn't float about everywhere anyway."

"It doesn't go inside as a general rule, though. Not unless it's the café or it's directed to do so by me or Katie. Besides, Jaqueline is well aware of my control over it and will bolt the minute she sees it." I half shrugged. "What about a regular old cage spell? They're designed to imprison all manner of beings, supernatural or witch, so surely a combination of all ours will prevent her transporting out and hold her in place long enough for Maelle to get here."

Especially given it now appeared Maelle was as capable as her maker and her daughter at creating and using transport spells.

"Cage spells are not instantaneous," Eli said. "The minute we start raising one, she'll run."

"The wild magic is instantaneous, though," Monty said. "Why can't you just wrap the wild magic around the entire house and cage the bitch inside that way?"

"If that is possible," Ashworth said, "it's a rather good idea."

"I do have them occasionally," Monty said, amusement evident.

A smile touched Ashworth's lips, but he didn't make the very obvious reply and glanced at me instead. " Is it possible?"

"Probably?" I wrinkled my nose. "I'd have to check, because the Fenna did make a point of saying my usage would be restricted to what I could physically handle, and raising enough power to encompass such a large building might push those limits."

"Caging those vamps didn't pull on your energy, though, did it?" Monty asked. "The wild magic doesn't actually run through you, does it?"

"It generally doesn't for the smaller stuff, but I still have to connect to it and that is what pulls on my strength." That, and having to envisage what I wanted and then direct it into being.

"It's still worth checking whether it is a viable option or not. Otherwise, we'll have to switch to plan B." Monty paused, a smile twitching his lips. "Which, of course, has yet to be developed, because plan A is simply brilliant, even if I do say so myself."

I rolled my eyes. "There is one other problem—Maelle's not going to get past a wild magic barrier, and if we do anything more to Jaqueline than capture her, Maelle will be pissed."

"And given she's already sliding off the edge of sanity," Belle murmured, "that would not be a good idea."

"Could you retract it once she's locked inside the house?" Eli asked. "That will allow Maelle to confront her daughter without having to breach the wild magic."

"Retracting it should also cut down on any pull the bubble has on your strength," Ashworth added.

"In theory, yes." In reality? Who actually knew. But I could at least get an answer on that one. I finished my tea and rose. "Mind if I head out the back to see if I can commune with the wild magic?"

"Go right ahead," Eli said. "Spotlights are to the right of the door."

I grabbed another biscuit and headed out. Their rear yard was on the narrow side but very long, consisting of a decked patio area with steps leading down onto a white stone path that wound its way through a series of garden beds, roses, and Japanese maples, in all of which small lights twinkled and shone. There was a lawn area three-quarters of the way down, and beyond that lay a small wildflower area. I couldn't help smiling. It was pretty enough in the daytime, but at night, with the spots and all the fairy lights in the flowerbed and winding along the path, it was pretty damn special. And absolutely perfect for a night wedding.

Aiden and I hadn't yet discussed the timing of our marriage, but seeing this … it had to be at dusk or night. If we could get the celebrant to agree.

I headed down the steps, munching on my biscuit as I followed the pretty path down to the lawn area. Once there, I brushed the crumbs from my fingers, then knelt and pressed them into grass that was thick and lush despite long days of heat. Ashworth had a number of water tanks installed along the left side of the house and was obviously using them to keep everything green.

I closed my eyes and reached for the wild magic. Unlike previous occasions, there was no immediate connection, making me wonder if perhaps I needed to directly touch the earth rather than having anything—even grass—between us. Or maybe it was simply that, at this point in time, they could not sense the presence of darkness or evil in my location, and simply weren't responding.

It's not like any of us really knew how this stuff worked.

Then a tiny, luminous thread—something I saw more through my mind's eye rather than real—floated toward me and twined itself around my wrist. The connection instantly flared to life, and the whispers once again filled my mind. I posed my question, and their voices retreated. I waited for what seemed an interminably long time, but was in reality probably only a few seconds. When the whispers returned, it was with an affirmation but also with the warning that I would need a direct connection to the ground to ensure the power I was drawing didn't remain in my body, but could loop back out.

Meaning, basically, they wanted me grounded, in much the same manner as electricity was grounded.

Was that why I'd been walking unshod through the forest in those astral dreams? Had my subconscious realized it was a means of curtailing the danger the wild magic presented to me personally?

More than likely. It did have a history of recognizing problems before my conscious self did, after all.

I thanked them and withdrew. The tiny thread unleashed from my wrist and floated away, though it didn't venture too far. Which was a good thing, given I had no idea what state the earth around Jaqueline's retreat was in, and I might yet have to draw on that thread to enhance my connection and create the sphere cage.

I returned inside, scooting through the rear glass sliding doors quickly and sighing in relief as the colder air hit.

"How'd it go, lass?" Ashworth asked.

"They agreed it was feasible." I sat down, picked up my tea, and took a sip. "No guarantee it'll stop a transport spell, though. Apparently, none of them have ever had to deal with such a situation."

"Which I find rather hard to believe, given there are centuries of souls down there," Monty said. "One of them surely would have at least come across a blood mage before."

"Yes, but said mages are generally intent on claiming the wellsprings, rather than transporting to and from them. Did you figure out a plan of attack while I was gone?"

"Given the position of the house, our best bet is to come in from the side street." Eli, who was sitting the closest to me, slid his phone toward me and pointed to the street in question. "If the satellite images are correct, there's no front fence and the corner point of the block has been planted out with a gum tree and some shrubs, which should hide your presence while you raise the magic."

"Our main problem still remains, though," I said. "It may be faster to raise the wild magic than a spell, but she'd still have a second or two in which to flee."

"Which is why Belle will create a distraction here." Ashworth leaned past his partner and pointed to a gravel driveway. It belonged to the house next door and ran all the way up to the back of the property. "She'll raise a protective circle and start a snare spell, which should keep Jaqueline's attention long enough for you to raise the wild magic."

"The minute she senses the snare, she's going to react," I said. "And, more than likely, attack."

"Yes," Belle said. "But even if she hits me full force with her magic, the protection circle will hold long enough for you to lock her down. Besides, your personal wild magic runs through our charms now and that might prove to be the best protection yet."

I hoped so, especially given that insubstantial figure I kept seeing on the astral plane. I hadn't noticed if he or she had been wearing the charm, but with the wild magic woven into it, darkness shouldn't be able to take it or break it. Not without major effort anyway.

Of course, you didn't have to break the protections to kidnap someone. All it would take was catching them unawares and knocking them out.

"Monty and I will sneak in through this yard—" Eli pointed to the white house behind our target. "And deal with any guards or spells they might have. Ashworth will shadow you, protecting your back as you raise the wild magic."

Trepidation shivered through me, but I did my best to ignore it. "Sounds good."

"Then give us a few minutes to gather all our gear, and we'll get going."

Ten minutes later, we were back in the SUV and heading for View Street, Monty driving at a far more genteel pace this time around. I dragged out my phone and sent Maelle a quick message, giving her the heads-up that we might have located her daughter.

Where? came the immediate response.

I'll send the address once we know it's not a trap.

Send it now.

Can't. There're several possibilities. Better to lie than having to deal with her unstable presence, especially when I was trying to raise wild magic.

When you know, do not delay.

The "or else" remained unwritten, but it was nevertheless there.

I blew out a breath and shoved the phone away. Once we reached View Street, we dropped Belle off a few houses down from our target house, then continued on around the corner. Monty swung in behind a lovely old paperbark tree, killed the engine, and took out the keys. "I'll tuck these in the center console storage, just in case things go wrong and someone needs to grab the SUV in a hurry."

"Hopefully, things will go as planned for a change," I said. And having said that, it probably wouldn't.

I opened the door and climbed out. The night was still and clear, the storm that had looked so promising earlier having passed us by without providing any relief. I couldn't see Jaqueline's hideaway from where I was standing, just the end of her block and the thick mat of shrubs that hugged the area. That hopefully meant she wouldn't see or hear us. Not until it was too late, anyway.

Ready when you lot are , Belle said.

Are you sensing anyone lurking in the shadows?

She hesitated briefly. I can't get a reading on our target's house, which suggests they've got some sort of telepathic barrier in place.

Makes sense given they know you're telepathic. What about the surrounding area?

There're five people asleep in the house below me, and three in the house behind our target's . She paused. There's also someone in the yard of the house on the other side of the street, but he's right on the edge of my telepathic range and I'm not getting much information from him.

Meaning if he is a guard, he might also be wearing a protective device.

Possibly. I'll keep an eye on him, because if there's one guard, there might be more.

I think "will be more" is more likely than "might." I returned my attention to the men. "Belle's in place and ready to go. She said there's a man standing in the yard directly opposite our house, but he's right on the edge of her range, so she can't tell if he's a problem or not."

"And at Jaqueline's? How many are in there?"

"It's protected against telepathy."

"Damn," Monty said. "But I guess not unexpected. We should get going."

"Indeed," Eli said and glanced at me. "Give us a minute to get into place."

As he and Monty grabbed their packs and headed in, I took off my boots and socks, tossing them into the back of the SUV before grabbing my pack and slinging it over my shoulder.

Once Ashworth had shouldered his own pack, he hit the button to close the hatch door and then glanced at his watch. "Let's go. Eli and Monty will be in place by now."

I nodded, and we headed down the slope, walking along the edge of the still-warm road simply because there were no footpaths. The street remained empty, and the only sound to be heard was the occasional hum of distant cars. Tension nevertheless crawled through me. I had absolutely no doubt there'd be other guards here somewhere, even if we couldn't see them—especially after the mess that was Moonlight Flats—but it was unnerving not to have any scent or sense of them at all.

When we reached the intersection, I padded across the prickly grass verge into the shrub-filled corner of the block. The second my feet touched the bare ground, energy stirred around me. A heartbeat later, a tiny luminous thread wound itself around my wrist.

The wild magic was ready and waiting.

The old gum tree that dominated the corner was ringed by bushy native brooms that almost entirely blocked the house from sight. Which, while necessary to stop any watchers within the house from spotting us, was also something of a hindrance. While I technically shouldn't have to see the house to guide the wild magic, I suspected things would go a little faster if I could. I shifted around and eventually spotted a small gap between the bushes low to the ground. After drawing in one of those deeper breaths that did nothing to curb the growing tension, I glanced at Ashworth. "Ready?"

He nodded, a cage spell already buzzing around one hand and a repel spell around the other. "Tell Belle to go."

I did so, and her magic rose, sharp and clear across the night. I knelt, dug my toes deeper into the dust and then pressed both hands against the ground. The Fenna's chorus briefly rose, but they already knew what I wanted and intended, and the wild magic responded instantly. Its force surged into my hands then up my arms, across my body, and back through my feet, before racing across to the house. Between one heartbeat and the next, a net of sheer wild magic crawled around the outside of the house, wrapping it in a pulsing, luminous sphere of energy.

A scream rose, fierce, sharp, and familiar. Jaqueline. We'd got her. We'd fucking got her…

Her magic surged, a dark spell designed to destroy. It hit the sphere hard, and the wild magic rippled briefly under the attack, but held. Another spell rose, this one unfamiliar. The result was the same, and another scream rose.

"That," Ashworth said, "very much suggests your sphere was successful."

"Yes, though I can't guarantee how long it'll hold if she keeps hitting it magically." Because every time she did, it rebounded through my brain. I pushed to my feet and brushed the dirt and bits of pine from my hands. "I'll ring Maelle. You, Monty, and Eli had better?—"

I cut the rest off as movement caught my eye. Two men, coming in fast from the right. Ashworth swore and unleashed his repelling spell, hitting one in the chest hard enough to knock him high into the air. The other neatly avoided the cage spell and kept on coming, but before I could react in any way, Ashworth flicked his cage spell around and snared the bastard from behind.

They weren't alone, however. There were others, but I couldn't tell how many because they were wrapped in shadows, making them invisible to regular sight, and I couldn't even feel their weight against the ground thanks to the thick layers of tarmac.

"Apparently the showers aren't working wherever these lads have been hiding," Ashworth said, voice wry. "You should ring Maelle, then go do whatever you can to keep that sphere up until she gets here. I'll deal with these bastards."

"Four against one isn't the greatest?—"

"For them, not me, lass. Go, before Jaqueline calls in more reinforcements."

I hesitated briefly, then thrust to my feet and ran around the shrubs, the scattered pine bark digging into my feet but not really hurting. I dragged out my phone as I ran across the grass and made the call. Maelle answered immediately and I gave her the address. She didn't reply, didn't say thank you, didn't even say she'd be there soon.

She didn't need to, because I'd barely hung up and shoved the phone back into my pocket when the air shimmered on the footpath below and she stepped into existence.

Her face was pale and thin, her clothes black, and her eyes as luminous as the moon, with no discernible difference between their sclera and iris. Hell, even her pupils were almost nonexistent. It was a frightening sight, made more so by the darkly dangerous river of energy that rolled around her. It was a protection spell and something else. Something that wasn't so much a spell as a presence.

Goose bumps trailed across my skin, and I swallowed heavily. I had no idea what that presence was, but I had a very bad feeling it was something supernatural. It just felt … wrong, in the same way demons felt wrong.

In the same way the basilisk had felt wrong, though not as foul as Maelle's leashed demon.

This insubstantial, ghostly presence wasn't a basilisk—it was far too small—but that didn't discount the possibility of some other sort of demon snake. She had admitted that they were hers to call, after all.

But why in the hell would she bring one here to confront her daughter?

I really didn't know—really didn't want to know—but feared I'd find out soon enough.

Her white gaze went briefly to the house and, just for an instant, a myriad of emotions flowed across her flawless features, the strongest being anticipation, determination, and perhaps a touch of fear. The latter surprised me. Why would she fear Jaqueline, given she was so sure she was the stronger mage?

Or was there something else going on? Something to do with that ghostly presence and her earlier statement that Jaqueline's fate had always been hers to decide?

She leapt lightly from the footpath to the top of the raised bank and strolled toward me, her movements elegant and unhurried despite the tension radiating from her. Once close, she motioned toward the house with a gloved hand. "I cannot step through your barrier."

"I know—I'm going to retract it." I hesitated as the sound of fighting increased. "You'll have to watch my back while I do so, though."

"Oh, trust me, any vampire foolish enough to come near either of us will quickly be apprised of their mistake."

She flexed her fingers as she said that, and it was then I noticed not only the length of her nails but how sharp they were. She wasn't intending to dine on them. She was intending to gut them, and no doubt swim in their remains at a later point.

I shivered again and pushed away the gory images my imagination was unhelpfully providing, then bent to press my fingers once again into the ground. As the looping connection reformed, I contracted the sphere. The glimmering weave of luminous energy pulsed and glimmered as it tightened in response, its light briefly caressed the red bricks before sinking into them, disappearing from sight but not from my inner eye. Though I couldn't feel the weight of darkness resting on the floorboards, as the sphere grew ever smaller, the thick wash of dark wrongness grew ever closer.

Another scream of frustration echoed, and once again, dark magic rose, the spell beating, tearing, at the luminous threads.

They held, but every blow shuddered through my brain and echoed into my body, and I wasn't sure how long I could ignore it before I was forced to break the connection.

"Jaqueline has definitely inherited my temper and my power. That is as pleasing as it is troubling." Her gaze came to mine. "Your power shines from you, Elizabeth. It is … tempting."

I pointed to the house. "I suggest we get in there and deal with your daughter, before that power fades and we lose her again."

Her too-sharp teeth flashed in what I presumed was amusement, then she nodded regally and led the way forward, moving fast and yet somehow gracefully across the remaining bit of grass before climbing the concrete steps. Her gaze briefly scanned the thick shadows to our right, and her amusement seemed to sting the night.

At that exact point, the shadows parted, and two vampires appeared, running straight at us. I stepped back automatically, forgetting where I was, and fell off the porch, arms flailing as I fought to keep my balance. I landed awkwardly but on both feet, felt the caress of air, and glanced up sharply. Saw the vampire in the air, coming straight at me. I swore, ran backward, and raised my hand, a repelling spell buzzing around my fingers. But before I could unleash it, Maelle lunged forward, caught the vamp by her feet, and hauled her back down onto the concrete patio with enough force to split the woman's chin open. Then she flipped her around, bent down, and casually sliced the woman's gut open with one clawed hand. Blood sprayed, but the woman kicked free of Maelle and scrambled upright, her wound opening up and her guts spilling out. It was almost as if she wasn't even aware that she'd been hurt … My gaze jumped to her eyes. There was no life within them, just blankness. She wasn't in control of her body; her maker was.

Once again she tried to launch at me from the porch. Once again, Maelle caught her feet. This time, she threw the other woman hard against the corner of the building. Bones cracked, the sound as sharp as a gunshot.

Vampires were capable of many things, but even they weren't capable of movement when their back was shattered.

The blankness oozed from the woman's dark gaze, and awareness returned. Awareness and pain. Maelle drew in a deeper breath and sighed happily. Meaning the bitch didn't only draw enjoyment from swimming…

I shuddered and walked back to the patio. The other vampire lay dead at her feet, his throat cut, and his head all but severed from his neck. The blood had sprayed across the nearby brick and door, and dripped from Maelle's dark clothes and face. As I climbed the steps, her tongue flickered out, tasting the dark liquid. Delight and hunger briefly touched her expression. I flexed my fingers, itching to unleash the spell that buzzed around my hands and send her far, far away, but didn't. She'd only come back, madder and nastier than ever. I motioned her to continue, then followed, but just as I was about to enter, Ashworth appeared. He had a bloody scratch along his left cheek and another down his right arm, but otherwise appeared fine.

"We're going to loop a protection circle around the house," he said. "So don't panic when you feel it activate."

I frowned. "There can't be too many more of Marie's vamps left, not if Maelle's estimates are right."

"And they are," she said from inside the house.

Ashworth cast a grim look her way. "I'm thinking more about Marie attacking us magically, now that you've retracted the wild magic."

"She will know I am here and will not attack me directly," Maelle said. "To do so would shatter the bonds preventing me from attacking her, and I doubt she is willing to do that as yet, not even for my daughter. You witches, however, have proven to be inconveniently resourceful and could certainly become a target."

"Then we'll definitely be raising the protection spell." Ashworth's gaze met mine. "Be careful in there. No heroics, okay?"

I nodded and quickly continued on. The entry hall was surprisingly wide, with three doors on the left, one on the right, and a bathroom directly ahead. The hallway went right, which was where the main concentration of wild magic was.

Maelle was just disappearing around the corner, meaning she must have been waiting for me. I hurried after her. There was a second entry point into the living room to our right, and the strong metallic scent of blood rolled from it, making me wonder if the person who'd shared Jaqueline's bed had ended up as dinner. I certainly couldn't smell anyone else in the house besides the three of us.

Down the far end of the hall was the kitchen … and Jaqueline. She paced back and forth, her magic boiling through the air, powerful but impotent, held at bay by the sphere of wild magic encircling the entire room, not only preventing her escape but also curtailing her ability to hit us magically.

She saw us and stopped. Another spear designed to tear hit my barrier; the threads bowed against it briefly before snapping back into place. A red-hot lance of pain stabbed through my brain, briefly making my eyes water, and my knees buckled. I stopped and pressed a hand against the wall to keep upright, but ignored the growing ache in my head, all my attention on the two women ahead of me.

"Jaqueline, dearest," Maelle said, her tone low and warm, "how lovely it is to see you again after such a long time."

She stopped inches from pulsating threads of wild magic, but if their closeness in any way made her feel uncomfortable, I had no sense of it. All I could see, all I could smell, was the dark caress of the presence that swirled around her. Though it remained insubstantial, there was a purplish-green luminosity to it now that very much reminded me of the basilisk's scales.

Trepidation stepped into my heart, and the urge to get the hell out of this house was so damn strong that I actually took a step back. I forced myself to stop. I couldn't leave, as much as I might want to. I needed to be here, so I could instantly react to protect the wild magic. I could not let it be stained by whatever was about to happen, especially if what was about to happen was a bloody brutal death within the confines of its net.

Though why on earth would Maelle want to kill her daughter? Especially when she'd been so adamant that we didn't kill her?

"Let's not pretend that you in any way care about me." Jaqueline's fists were clenched and almost invisible thanks to the storm of darker magic that swirled around them. "You were an absent parent at best when I was human, and that only got worse when I crossed over. You certainly offered little in the way of help or support."

Every word was filled with a bitterness centuries in the making. I couldn't help but wonder yet again if Jaqueline really had been a willing participant in the crossover ceremony.

Couldn't help but wonder if a similar bitterness was what I might yet face. I had no sense that the Fenna whose souls now haunted the wellspring regretted the decision that had been made for them, but that didn't in any way ease the kernel of fear.

I just had to hope that, by doing what Maelle obviously had not , and being by my daughter's side every step of the way to guide and support her, I would avoid this sort of confrontation. Because her resenting or hating me for the decision I'd had no real choice in would break me, I was sure of that.

"Because," Maelle said evenly, even as her creature continued to wind around her with increasing intensity. "It was not my duty or my job to care for or support you. You were Marie's creation, not mine. That is the way of our kind?—"

"That is bullshit, and we both know it."

"I know many things that you do not, dear Jaqueline, and it is perhaps time you understood the true reason for your being." The insubstantial presence partially solidified. It was indeed a snake. A snake whose body was as thick as an anaconda's. "The lies have dripped from Marie's lips since your rebirth, and you have swallowed them all without thought or reason."

Jaqueline snorted. "She loves me in ways you couldn't even understand."

"She doesn't love you, my dear. She has never loved anyone in her entire life, not even me, and I was her consort for more decades than I care to remember. She uses you, uses your abilities and powers to benefit herself. Nothing more, nothing less."

"You lie. You have always lied. This is nothing more than a game to you?—"

"And the biggest game of all is the quest for power, Jaqueline. You know this. It is the creed by which we all have lived."

"Until you fucking destroyed the coven and my life."

Meaning Jaqueline really hadn't gotten over Maelle destroying her lover. That was definitely something I could understand, because if any of these bastards threatened anyone I loved, I would hunt them down and kill them without a goddamn second thought.

"Marie crossed a line," Maelle replied, in that same calm and controlled manner. "She broke a promise and faced the consequences. By killing Roger, she broke it yet again."

"Roger was a thrall," Jaqueline bit back. "He was your strength and your sanity, and as such, always fair game in any revenge or war."

"Except our darling maker swore an oath never to turn or kill any of my line without my consent. She broke that oath with Augustine, and then with Roger." She paused, and just for an instant, her anger rose, so thick and heated it sucked my breath away. "He, my dear child, was Augustine's brother. Your great-great-uncle."