Chapter 23

Despite being sure—yet again—that he was dreaming, Julian blinked a dozen times and still found himself on the new leather couch in the second-floor lounge of Infinity. A large, tinted window overlooked the empty, dark room that once held reveling vampires and veravin. And seated next to him, bare feet propped up in his lap, was the love of his life.

Scarlett's cheeks were flushed thanks to her second glass of wine, and she was smiling brightly as she told him stories about her years in boarding school. He was entranced with her, realizing that playful streak he'd known before was still there, even if it came out in the form of putting homemade costumes on skeleton models in the biology lab rather than artfully removing the buttons from one of his coats and feigning complete confusion as to where they'd gone.

After sitting through Shoshanna's spell on Kova, Scarlett had wanted to stay and watch over him. But she was distressed as she watched him shaking and writhing, his skin stretched parchment thin over his skull in a terrible rictus of pain. Finally, Julian had taken her hand firmly and led her out of the workshop with a promise to return when the other man awoke.

It had been a full day since Kova had gone under. Julian had stayed awake with Scarlett during the day, putting her to work helping Olivia identify locations where Armina might go. Scarlett had been embarrassed to admit she didn't know where some of them were; she'd gotten in the car when she was told and just followed orders. She thought Kova might know more.

While Scarlett worked with Olivia, Julian sat with Paris, who had wryly joked about how much he did not miss staying up all day to work. Just as they had when Shea was still attacking, they partitioned Midtown and downtown Atlanta into regions and sent the Nightwatch to patrol. They combed the news and spent a few hours doing interviews with new veravin, which felt like getting back to normal.

He'd even had a chance to see Nikko. The wooden bullets had made a mess of his handsome face, shattering his lower jaw. But between Rachel's care and a hefty dose of Misha's magic, he had regained consciousness and managed to give Julian a determined blink to answer the question of are you in there?

And when the work was done, he had returned to pick up Scarlett from Olivia's renovated office. He'd made up some story about needing her opinion, led her into his tiny room in the barracks, and laughed when she shoved him back onto the bed to plant herself in his lap for a kiss.

Lazy kisses had turned to more, and he spent a lovely portion of his afternoon with his face between her thighs. He had so much lost time to make up for, and it was her orgasmic burden to bear.When he was lost in her, listening to the way her breath quickened, feeling the shift of her muscles around him, the warm wetness of her on his tongue…he could forget the rest of the world. He could forget that he might lose her again.He could forget that everyone depended on him to make the right call.

And then she'd surprised him when she tied back that long red hair and fixed a determined look on her face. "My turn," she'd declared, barely giving him a chance to sit up before she took his cock into her mouth.

What she lacked in experience, she made up for in enthusiasm, and she quickly learned that his groans and muttered oh fucks were a positive sign. He'd been torn between lying back and melting into the sensation and watching her, flushed lips stretched around him, long waves of hair streaming over his legs as she fought to please him.

"Scarlett, I'm going to—" he began to warn her, and then the white-hot sensation hit him. It had been so long, and he couldn't hold back as the heat of it slammed into him, blinding him, and his hips surged.

She let out a little sound of surprise and backed away, coughing slightly. He sat up and cupped her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, I tried?—"

She burst out laughing. "I'm fine. Did…did that feel good to you?"

He kissed her lips, catching the taste of himself on her lips. "Incredible," he said, nipping gently at her lip. He felt that curve of her cheeks, the smile beneath his lips.

"I searched on my phone for tips," she said. "My browser history is completely ruined."

He laughed. "Of course you did."

They'd retreated upstairs for drinks, and while she laughed her way through her school stories, he realized how light she seemed. She was comfortable with him now, and that was somehow even more satisfying than the physical release. She liked being near him.

He wanted more, but he didn't want to frighten her, nor make her think she was somehow obligated. As she talked, he saw glimpses of Brigitte, but realized how different Scarlett really was. Her life had shaped her differently, like she'd been carved from the same stone but with different tools.

His phone buzzed, and he squeezed her ankle. "Just a moment." Upon reading the message, his chest tightened.

Alistair:

Kova's up and ready to meet with us. He wants to speak to the Shroud.

Scarlett frowned at him. "Is everything okay?"

"Kova's awake."

An hour later,the Nightwatch and a few companions gathered in one of the renovated conference rooms at Infinity. The light fixtures in the main room of the club were shattered and several of the fuses blown. They'd had other priorities besides another round of renovations.

The faint smell of smoke still lingered in the conference room, but it had been repainted, with new digital screens mounted on the dark gray walls. Olivia had still put her touch on the room, with several small vases of roses on the table and crystal glasses set at each high-backed leather chair. Warmed carafes of blood were placed at meticulously measured intervals down the table.

The Nightwatch, changed as it was, settled into their seats around the table. Since the splintering of the court, he hadn't assigned them rankings as they'd had under Eduardo's reign. Still, they'd subconsciously placed themselves in order, with a few additions. Next to Julian was Scarlett, but they followed nearly in order—Paris, Safira, Dominic, and Sasha. Joining them were Alistair, who hadn't served the Shroud for many years, Misha, and Shoshanna.

Several more vampires currently served the Nightwatch, but had come along well after Kova left them. This was the business of the inner circle, not the entire court.

Olivia had left a seat at the end of the table, and Kova stood there as the rest of them settled. His eyes were downcast, his shoulders slightly hunched. He'd always cut an imposing figure, but he looked defeated now, like a little boy standing before disappointed parents.

"Kova," Julian said quietly. "Whenever you're ready."

The other vampire's throat worked, and he stood up straighter. Inch by inch, he drew himself up until he finally looked up. He looked from side to side, taking them all in, then fixed his eyes on Julian."I owe all of you an apology. I let you think I had taken my own life, and I gave myself to the witch. I meant to offer myself in exchange for Lucia, but I was a fool to think she would make it that easy. I'm sorry for the hurt that I caused you, and?—"

"You should have told us the truth," Dominic interrupted. It was not the icy mask Dom had worn for decades to conceal his endless pain, but genuine hurt, even anger.

"Dom. Let him finish," Julian said.

But Kova shook his head. "Let him speak."

"We would have helped you," Dominic said, swiping at his eyes. He had taken Kova's presumed death quite hard, especially after they lost Lucia. The somber man had never said as much, but Julian had long suspected that Dom once had feelings for Lucia, though he'd treated her and Kova both with the utmost respect after they met. Dominic had been devastated by Lucia's loss, and hadblamed himself for years for not realizing what Kova intended to do. He had lamented why Kova hadn't asked for their help, why he didn't trust anyone to have his back.

I would have fought to the end to save her! Dominic had protested. They'd even had an impromptu funeral for Kova, but Dominic refused to attend.

"I know. And you would have convinced me not to go. If anything, I trusted you too much," Kova said. "Which would have been wiser. I gained nothing and lost everything."

Dominic's nose wrinkled, his fingers drumming quietly on the table.He wasn't baring his teeth yet, but through their Covenant, Julian could feel his simmering rage.

"Dominic Cattaneo, don't pretend for one second that you wouldn't have done the same for Rachel," Paris said sharply. "You did not have the consideration of a soulmate back then."

"Do not presume to tell me how I am allowed to feel about my brother letting us all think he killed himself," Dominic replied. Safira shifted uncomfortably, casting a glance at Julian. She'd also wanted to find Kova, to at least have closure, but Julian had told her to let it go.

"He's right to be angry," Kova said without looking away. "I humbly ask for your forgiveness, but I won't demand it. I only ask that youlet me help you, and if you want me to leave when Armina is dealt with, I'll leave."

"Don't be so dramatic. Dominic will be over himself by then," Paris said. When Dom began to protest, Paris interrupted, "This may come as a surprise, but you are not the only one who cared for him. Could we table your emotional turmoil until we've averted Scarlett's impending death?"

"Paris!" Julian exclaimed. The Frenchman smiled, clearly pleased with himself.

"I see not much has changed," Kova said mildly, pointing to Paris and Julian in turn. "Big mouth, big brother."

"Have a seat," Julian said, pointing to the open chair. "Tell us what you can about the witch."

Dominic shifted, his chair scraping back as if he meant to leave the table. Paris fixed him with a glare, and the other man paused. He folded his arms across his chest, leaning back in the chair without looking at Kova.Well, that was something.

"Tell us how to deal with the witch. Anything you couldn't talk about before," Julian said.

Kova nodded. His brow furrowed as he looked at Scarlett. "Do you want to know about the curse or the witch first?"

"The witch," Julian said, though he wanted to scream, The curse, obviously. Save her!

Kova nodded. "She has several other safehouses, including two in Charlotte, and one in Virginia. If she retreated, she's probably at one of those places. I'll be glad to help you investigate."

Julian nodded and said, "Get the addresses to Olivia now."

"We did it on the way over," Sasha said quietly. "I assumed you'd want that."

Kova cleared his throat. "She's refined her technique to control vampires. With me and Shea, it took a longer time and her control wasn't as strong. I could still resist sometimes, but at a cost. Her apprentice, Lux, has stepped up the game. You saw the dark-eyed vampires at her house, and here in Atlanta, as I understand it."

He winced at the memory. Misha nodded and added, "They had a Covenant mark I'd never seen."

"I'm not sure about that. I know that they rounded up as many of Shea's former followers as they could," he said, shaking his head. "I helped. Something about controlling him made it easier to control them. They even made a few more."

"But they're different from you," Misha said.

"That's right. Lux has created a stake that can break the Covenant instantly while binding the vampire to her will," he said.

Shoshanna cleared her throat. "She stole your idea." Misha wrinkled his nose, but didn't speak.

"Once it's done, she can do her new spell. Whatever she's doing, it completely takes over their mind. Lux gives them an order, and they follow it." His gaze fell on Paris, then Dominic. "When they came after Scarlett, they had orders to leave the three of you standing. Everyone else was fair game."

"Why them?" Dani asked.

"Because we're the ones who killed her husband," Julian said. He glanced at Misha. "That's why they were all over you at the hotel. And Safira in Charlotte."

"They're also stronger than most vampires," Scarlett said quietly.

"Because they have no survival instinct. They follow their orders until they're done or they die," Misha said. He cleared his throat. "Is this something she could do to us?"

"Or to Rhys," Julian murmured. "Could she have bound him?"

Kova shrugged. "I don't know. As far as I know, all of them were Carrigan Shea's Vessels or part of his court. His blood had something to do with it."

Julian shifted uncomfortably as the others turned to stare at him. "I guess we're safe for a while, given that she wants me to live long enough to see Scarlett die." Scarlett shifted uncomfortably, and he lifted his chin. "What else does she want?"

"Other than to make sure Scarlett dies? She wants the rest of us to continue to suffer. And Shoshanna York has very much gotten in her way," Kova said, glancing down the table at the human witch. Her fingers tightened around her glass. "And it's not just a wounded ego. For months, she's been having trouble controlling her magic like she did before. Something about the threads being unstable. Do you know what she means?"

Shoshanna frowned. "Part of Armina's magic relies on binding these spirits… I call them fati aranaeum, but they're sort of like a manifestation of fate, at least as I understand it. And they don't like being bound. In fact, several of them gave me knowledge when I broke the curses, like they were finding a loophole to get revenge on her. It's possible that by returning to their natural order, they're making her magic harder to control."

"No offense to you, because I support anything you do to make her miserable. But she's not happy with you, and she wants you dead," Kova said. "And she knows where you live."

Alistair covered Shoshanna's hand with his. His jaw ticked, and Kova knew he wanted to make a bold claim. But there was that bloody, fanged elephant in the room. Kova had very nearly killed him; the only reason Alistair was still alive was because Armina hadn't given the direct order to kill him, only Shoshanna.

"If I had to guess, I'd say that Armina will come here to make sure she finishes what she started with Scarlett. And then she's going to do whatever she can to hurt the rest of us," Kova said. "She has two apprentices, both of which you've met. Lux is the stronger of the two. She helped Carrigan Shea and built a security spell for him. She was tangled up in his court at the end, and she talked him into starting the binding spells. Apparently she told him she was going to make him stronger than any vampire alive, and that made her job much easier in the end. Stupid bastard," he said, shaking his head. "Stella's younger. She's only been with Armina for a few years. She's got a lot of raw power from what I can tell, but I don't think she's entirely onboard with what Armina's doing. Lux is the one to worry about. And of course, she's got her hunters."

"And the curse?" Shoshanna asked. "I can barely even look at Scarlett without the magic drowning me out. I think we might be able to dampen it like we did with you, but it's so much stronger. Having her books helps, but if you know anything…"

"Sorry, but magic is way out of my league," Kova said.

"We think it could change after her birthday," Misha said. His brow furrowed as he looked at Scarlett. "Sorry. Your birthday. Given that in the past, it's always been afterward, I wonder if there's a protective element that lasts until Armina is ready to strike."

Scarlett was quiet. "Well, you can find out tomorrow," she said. The others looked to her slowly. "Tomorrow is my birthday. Assuming she told me the truth."

A cold chill settled over Julian. Of course it was. Something in his mind had been trying to block it out, but they were nearly here.

Paris nodded to her. "Shoshanna, could you make some sort of protection for her? Like a shield?"

"If she was a house, sure," Shoshanna said wryly. "People are far more complicated, even the ones without ancient curses. It would be betterto focus my energy on untangling her curse,"

"But…" Paris sighed. "Forgive me for laying out everyone's business, but the time has passed to be coy. In the past, you needed a soulmate bond strong enough to use. Is their bond not already strong enough? He's loved her for a hundred and eighty years. If you could fix Sasha after four weeks with no memory and no fucking, surely you can do this."

"Paris," Sasha complained, shaking his head as he took a drink.

The casual words were a fist to the gut, and Julian looked over to see Scarlett's eyes widen. Her heart raced, although her face remained stoic.

"Their bond is incredibly strong," Shoshanna said without hesitation. And even knowing what he had felt for all these years, hearing her say it still filled him with relief that it was real, not just the obsession of a grief-stricken mind. "The problem is that I have to be able to see the shape of the magic. It takes time, and none of you were anywhere near as complex as this. And we're back to the original problem, which is that I can barely look at her without losing my grip on reality."

Scarlett cleared her throat. "She's right. Don't waste time trying to protect me if you think you can break it."

"It wouldn't be wasted time," Julian said quietly.

"I'll get to work on it. I need to sleep after helping Kova, but if you guys can come see me this evening, I'll get to work. Misha stockpiled some of the pagos when he made it for Kova. It could take me a while, but I'm ready," Shoshanna said.

Julian nodded. "Then get to it. We're at your disposal."