Chapter 26

The thick, unpleasant smell of the pagos filled Shoshanna's cramped workshop, and Julian did not envy his mate's predicament. She met his eyes, nodded, and then took her first tentative sip of the viscous green liquid. He gripped the doorframe to keep from running to her as she jolted. One hand clapped over her mouth, but the other went up in a stop gesture.

Misha took the flask from her, watching carefully. "Is your body rejecting it, or is it just the taste?"

With her free hand, Scarlett put up two fingers, prompting a little laugh from Misha.

"Sorry about that," Misha said.

"I told him a little cardamom and honey would go a long way," Shoshanna said as Scarlett took another long drink from the flask.

"Adding ingredients is risky," Misha said.

Shoshanna just chuckled. "I need to introduce you to my friend, Ruby. Give her a couple of weeks, and she could sell this at Starbucks."

He ignored the bantering witches and focused on Scarlett, whose pulse was slowing. The unpleasant medicinal smell partially masked her scent, though he still smelled her clearly amidst the others. Her eyes finally opened, meeting his gaze.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly. She nodded, her lips twitching in the faintest smile before she looked away. At her request, Kova had stayed back from the mission to find Armina's safehouses. Knowing that Shoshanna planned to drug her to the gills, she wanted the security of her old friend nearby. That stung, but Julian couldn't blame her, given that she'd known Kova her entire life, during which she'd been informed that Julian and his allies were the scum of the vampire earth.

"Does she need another dose?" Misha asked.

Scarlett winced, but didn't complain as Shoshanna gently took her hand. The human witch sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I know it's terrible, but we have to bring you down a little more."

"If this is what it takes, let's do it. I'd rather choke down that sludge than die next week," Scarlett said.

Her casual tone masked her fear, but it was still a gut punch to hear her say it, awakening that howling terror deep in his mind. While Scarlett forced down another flask of the foul-smelling potion, he retreated into the hall to check his phone and walk off the panic threatening to overtake him.

If there was anyone who could fix this, it was Shoshanna York, especially now that she had Misha's help. And no amount of him crawling up their asses would make things better. Instead, he had to do his job as the Elder of the court.

The Nightwatch had been dispatched to Armina's known safehouses, carefully split up to keep several of them here in Atlanta. Some of the younger vampires had been sent along with the higher-ranked ones, along with former hunter Thomas Moon and Danielle Pierce, who was beside herself with excitement to be accompanying Paris on a real mission. Olivia was none too happy about it, but her sister was more than capable of protecting herself now that she had supernatural strength, and Paris would keep her out of trouble.

The evening's first updates came from Kristina, who reported that Jonas Wynn was up and walking, though still in the hospital. Avery Martin was investigating an attack that had taken place near the wreckage of the Constitution building, Shea's former stronghold. And Paris had reported that he and Danielle were an hour from Charlotte, where they'd check on the first of the safehouses.

He sent a quick text to Olivia.

Any word from Eslinger?

After much deliberation, he'd asked her to reach out to Jack Eslinger, the leader of the Shieldsmen in America. Until his daughter was forcibly turned and made him question his loyalty, Jonas Wynn had answered directly to Eslinger, who called the shots here. He didn't know if Eslinger had any sway over Armina Voss, but he was willing to initiate communication.

The younger, more brash man of his past would have said fuck Jack Eslinger, and fuck the Shieldsmen. But the man who had lived through these last four centuries knew better. The Midnight War had been brutal, but necessary. Times were different now, and if sitting down with the man who would happily have his head on a platter meant peace for his court, then so be it.

But that required getting Eslinger in the room, or at the very least, on the phone, and so far, that had been a non-starter.

When Julian slipped back into the workshop, Kova glanced at him. "Anything yet?"

Julian shook his head. Scarlett looked feverish, her cheeks flushed bright as she leaned back in the chair. Her scent was nearly gone beneath that thick, unpleasant medicinal smell.

"Let's give it a try," Shoshanna said, nodding to Julian. He approached her, taking her arm and helping her up.

"Oh, shit," Scarlett murmured, her legs buckling. Holding her carefully, Julian eased her down to the ground, where several large cushions had been laid out in the center of a large geometric design drawn in chalk. When she lay down, he carefully swept her long hair away from her face, prompting a soft smile that warmed his heart. "Thanks."

While Shoshanna prepared a tray of tools, Misha lit several tall white candles. Finally, he glanced at Kova. "The lights, please," he said. Without the overhead lights, the room was pleasantly dim, candles sending flickering shadows over Scarlett's face.

"This feels spooky," Scarlett commented.

Shoshanna let out a nervous laugh and crouched in front of her. "Hopefully not. I'm going to do my best to analyze this curse. If it hurts you, I need you to speak up."

"I will," Scarlett said. "Is that potion working?"

"We're going to find out," Shoshanna said.

He hadn't seen her work like this, had only heard the others talking about it. As she settled onto the floor, she began to speak in French, her voice low at first, but taking on a powerful resonance. Even with no magical ability whatsoever, he felt a strange thrumming in the air, an electric tension that frightened him. The white chalk lines ignited with silvery light.

Julian glanced at Misha, looking for reassurance, but he was staring intently at Shoshanna. Half a dozen large red stones lay on the floor at his reach. After seeing her try to reach Scarlett before, he understood this was the emergency brake.

Scarlett gasped, back arching away from the cushions. Misha startled, one hand reaching out as if to touch her, but Shoshanna murmured, "It's all right."

His gut twisted with anxiety as he watched Scarlett's chest heaving. The grassy scent of the pagos took on a strange smoky smell, as if it was burning away.

"Shoshanna," Misha said quietly.

From behind, Julian could see the shadowy tendrils slithering across Shoshanna's skin, up her neck and down her arms. Her form began trembling, and Julian blurted, "Do something!"

But Shoshanna released Scarlett and reeled backward, breathing rapidly like she'd just sprinted a mile. "I'm fine," she said, rubbing her temples. "Scarlett, I need you to take another dose. It's burning off too fast. I'm going to try something different."

While Misha prepared another dose of the foul-smelling brew, Shoshanna took Scarlett's hand. "I'm going to call on one of the spirits. She's not exactly a friend, but she's helped me before. And given how much Armina has twisted your fate, I think she could help. If you see something strange, just focus on my voice. There will be a light, or something else you can anchor onto. I promise I'm not going to let anything happen to you, okay?"

Scarlett nodded. "Okay," she said, though her eyes cut to Kova. He inched closer, eyes fixed on her as he smiled.

"Shoshanna, are you sure?" Julian asked.

"I'm not sure of anything," she said, closing her eyes as she began to speak again. Her brow furrowed, and then her posture went rigid. And then, it was as if time stopped. She was still as a statue, Scarlett's hands clutched in hers.

"Are they?—"

"Shh," Misha urged. He tapped his chest, then his ear.

Two heartbeats. They were fine for the moment.

He stared intently, wishing he could hear whatever was going on. Shoshanna's lips moved without making a sound, and the markings on her arms glowed. But she remained still, and Scarlett looked frozen in time. If not for her heartbeat, Julian would have feared she was dead.

The arcane markings glowed brighter and brighter, almost painful to gaze upon. Finally, Julian nudged Misha and silently put up his hands in a questioning gesture. Misha shrugged, then tapped his chest again before flashing two fingers.

Two heartbeats.

It was agonizing to wait, but he held back his impatience. They were still working at one in the morning, when he received an update from Paris. They'd thoroughly investigated both of the Charlotte safehouses and found no sign of Armina. Having learned from Carrigan Shea, they'd even circled back to Armina's mansion. Someone had been there since they left, but it was currently empty. Phoebe and Alistair were still on the road to Virginia.

Around two-thirty, Olivia sent him a brusque message.

Olivia

Avery Martin saw this near the Constitution Building. He sent me this about ten minutes ago.

Three pictures and a video followed, clearly taken from above.The red brick building still lay in ruins after their raid on Carrigan Shea's court. Half a dozen police cars and ambulances were parked nearby, lights flashing. Avery's voice was quiet on the video. "Dead bodies. Two, maybe three. And I smell vampires. Not us," he said. "Just heard someone say it looked like they were bitten."

Julian sighed. This was what they got for being grateful for a quiet night. He called Olivia, who answered quickly."I told him to stay put and watch. What else?"

"That was the right thing," he said. With the Nightwatch spread out to investigate Armina's safehouses, Olivia was acting as a dispatcher for the evening. "Is anyone else available?"

"Dominic is free," she said. "I'll send him that way if you want."

"Tell them to keep their distance from the police. If this is more of those zombied-out vampires, I don't want them tangling with it, especially Avery," Julian said.

He was pacing in the hall when he heard Shoshanna gasp, then blurt, "I'm fine. Check on her."

He nearly ran into the door in his hurry to get back, where he found Shoshanna squirming as Misha held her hands firmly. The glowing marks on her arms were painfully bright, and seemed to be burning her, judging by the way her fingers twisted and clenched in open air.

Kova knelt by Scarlett, who was breathing raggedly, but still lay flat on her back. Fraught with fear, Julian knelt next to her and took her hand. "Is she all right?" Cupping her cheek, he found her skin clammy and cool to the touch. "Scarlett?"

For one awful moment, he remembered the way she felt when she went cold, something he had felt more than any man should ever have done.

"Scarlett," he said insistently. His voice trembled. "Is she?—"

"She's breathing," Kova said gently.

Misha put a hand on his back. "She's had enough of the pagos to put her to sleep for a while, and magic takes a toll. She's fine."

"What did you find?" Julian asked.

Shoshanna was still scrubbing at her arms, covering them in a floral-scented balm. "I need a few minutes to stabilize myself. Why don't you take her to one of the guest rooms and let her rest? Then we can talk."

He nodded and carefully lifted her. In her drugged daze, she nestled into his chest. Savoring the rare, unguarded moment, he smiled and crept down the hall to one of the guest rooms.

Maneuvering carefully, he pulled back the covers with one hand, then laid her down and combed her hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered, but she didn't wake.

"I can't lose you again," he said quietly. With solemn reverence, he bowed his head and kissed her brow, then pulled the quilt up to her shoulders. When he returned to the workshop, he found it empty, but heard the low voices from downstairs.

In the kitchen, Shoshanna sat at the kitchen island while Kova filled a kettle for her. "She's all right, isn't she?" she asked.

Julian nodded. "I think so. I hope so. What did you find?"

"I was able to communicate with one of the fati aranaeum," she said. "My friend Ursula," she added with a laugh. When Kova gave her a quizzical look, she shook her head and said, "Long story. The spirits are very insistent that they aren't supposed to meddle with fate; fate flows as it will, and their job is to maintain the web. However, they also have not forgotten that Armina Voss and her apprentices bound them into contracts that corrupted their purpose. And they are very good at finding loopholes to set things right."

"Shoshanna, please speak plainly for your colleague who knows little about magic," Julian said.

She raised an eyebrow. "You guys ask a lot of me, so humor me," she said. At that, Misha smiled, then pawed through the refrigerator for blood bags, which he distributed. "The pagos held back Armina's magic enough that I could get a closer look at the curse, and Ursula was able to tell me more about it. Our theory was right. It's been protecting her in a way, but it's about to change. Ursula said it was like a cocoon about to split open. Well, she said it in a much more roundabout and esoteric way, but that was the gist of it. The last threads are about to burst."

"And then what happens?" Julian asked.

Her smile faded. "Then it summons death. She couldn't explain it in a way that I understand, but the curse inverts itself. Instead of pushing away harm, it draws it in. Something will be set in motion, but I don't know what or when."

"We knew that already," Julian said.

She scowled at him. "You had a theory. Now we know that we can break it once she's…" Her eyes flicked up to the microwave, where the numbers 12:07 glowed in red. "Once she turns twenty-nine."

"How precise is it? I don't know what time she was born," Julian said.

"I don't know if it matters," Shoshanna said. "I got a glimpse of the magic, but the curse was burning through the pagos faster than I could process. Once it unravels, I should be able to get a closer look."

"And you can map it within a few hours, right?" Misha said.

Shoshanna nodded. "Usually. This one will take longer, but I know I can do it."

"The question is, can you do it before the curse catches up to her and kills her?" Julian asked.

Her eyes lifted to Julian. "That is the question. I hope I can. This time, I have an advantage I've never had before. We know you're soulmates, and the bond is like nothing I've seen."

"I suppose that happens when you love someone for almost a hundred and eighty years," he said quietly. Her expression was sad, but she still smiled. "What does it look like to you?"

"Blinding," she said. "I can barely look at it, but it's beautiful. And that means there's a hell of a lot of power to resonate and break the curse."

"I hope you're right," Julian said. He frowned. "Shoshanna, the others passed their curses on. Will Scarlett's curse pass to me?"

Shoshanna shook her head. "You're different. I don't know why, but I've been watching you closely ever since she showed up." She yawned, then rubbed her temples. "I'm going to work a while longer and then try to get some rest so I can get back to it in the morning."

Misha nodded to him. "Unless you need my help, I'm going to brew her a stockpile of pagos to have on hand for the morning."

Julian waved him off, but Kova lingered. He dared to glance at the other man. "Thank you for being there to protect her."

Kova nodded, though a sad expression tugged at his face. "I wish it had been enough to stop this sooner."

His throat tightened. "You're not giving yourself enough credit. If you hadn't fought to tell her the truth, she'd never have come looking for us. I don't say this lightly, but you might be the reason she lives."

Kova's brows lifted. The somber expression faded, leaving a curiously hopeful one in its place. "You think so?"

"I hope so," Julian said.

There was a soft cough, then a hmm? sound from upstairs. Then a soft feminine voice. "Julian?"

At that, Kova smiled. "She's calling for you."

His heart soared. It was a tiny thing, but he was overjoyed that her instinct was to seek him out. He took down a glass from the cabinet and filled it with ice water, then hurried upstairs.

Scarlett sat up in bed, rubbing her temples. When she looked up to see him, she smiled. He perched on the edge of the bed and handed her the glass.

She drained half the glass, panted, then finished it off. "Thank you," she murmured, her voice hoarse. "Did she figure it out?"

"Sort of. They're certain that the curse changes on your birthday. She wants to get to work as soon as she can get some rest," Julian said.

Scarlett nodded. "Is everyone still here?"

He shook his head. "Shoshanna and Alistair are in bed. Misha is working, and Kova's waiting downstairs. He said he wasn't leaving until you were awake. Didn't want you thinking he abandoned you," he said.

At that, she smiled. "I'll go talk to him. I need to stretch my legs anyway," she said, holding his shoulder gently as she slid out of bed. Her steps were tentative, as if her legs ached. He resisted the urge to follow her, but listened through the floor as she spoke quietly to Kova, thanking him for staying before telling him she was in good hands.

There was the rumble of a car engine, then the crunch of gravel. He listened for the sound of water running, then soft footfalls as she walked back into the room, her hair freshly arranged around her face.

"You're in good hands, are you?" he asked.

Her lips curved in a smirk. "Am I?"

"You tell me," he said, holding them out. After closing the door, she hurried to him and straddled his hips. But instead of smothering him with hungry kisses, she sat back and frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Her brow furrowed. "It's after midnight. Today is my birthday."Her voice broke, and she drew a shuddering breath. Then another, quick and shallow, until she was gasping, her breathing ragged over the hummingbird pace of her heart.

"What's wrong? Are you— Should I get Shoshanna?"

"I'm scared," she managed. "What if this is real? All this time I've just been thinking it was too crazy to be real, but now…What she kills me? I don't want to die," she said, her voice cracking as she met his gaze, tears welling in her eyes. "I want to stay. Please don't let her?—"

He threw his arms around her and held her tight as she crumbled. It was one thing to feel sorry for himself and his pain, facing that yawning chasm of dread. But he would live. He knew how unfair the world was, but Scarlett was finally grasping how tenuous her fate really was.

She startled him when she pulled away, clasping his cheeks hard enough to bruise. "Promise you won't let her hurt me."

"I…" He stared into those eyes, and all he could see was that softer, chubby-cheeked version of her, eyes shining with joy as she stared up at him, as he vowed to protect her forever, only to be made a liar mere days later. "I can't."

Her face fell. "Julian, please."

"I will try, but I can't promise you that. I can't lie to you," he said.

The yearning in her eyes nearly broke him. She started to pull away, but he grabbed her face instead, not letting her turn away. Her brow furrowed.

"Look at me," he said firmly. "I love you. You, Scarlett Ward. With the smart mouth and suspicious nature and brave soul. And I can't promise I'll save you. I don't know what Armina is capable of. But I can promise that I will stand between you and that witch and every bloody thing she can throw at us. She will have to destroy me before she gets her hands on you again. I will do everything in my power to keep you here with me. Where you belong."

Her eyes widened. "You promise?"

"I promise. On my soul," he said. She still looked doubtful, and he steeled himself. "Things are different this time. We have never had as much reason to hope as we do now."

"Do you think Shoshanna can do it?"

"I think she's our best chance," he said.

"I guess that has to be enough," she said quietly. Then she startled him, bringing him in for a fierce, hungry kiss before shoving him off. "Close the door."

He staggered back, watching as she peeled off her loose shirt and tossed it, revealing her lean frame. Seconds later, her bra followed, exposing her small breasts that seemed terribly alone without his hands. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not dying without doing this," she said, wriggling out of her pants.

He shut the door and kicked off his shoes, but hesitated at arm's reach. "Are you sure you're not under a spell? That magic was powerful."

"It's worn off. I feel like I could run a mile without breaking a sweat," she said, going for her panties. He lunged forward and caught her hands, plucking them away as she smiled.

"Let me," he said, sliding them over her hips, taking his time to caress the swell of her thigh, exposing the fine curls over her sex. The smell of her arousal hit him like a wave, intoxicating and rich. He wasted no time, yanking her thighs apart and prompting a delightful gasp of surprise.

"What about Shoshanna?" she gasped.

He ignored her question, teasing at her lips with his tongue until she writhed beneath him. When that first burst of wetness surged from her, he glanced up. "They have a soundproofed bedroom."

Her brow arched. "Good."