Chapter 34

The hallway seemed to stretch forever, looming over Scarlett. She could smell the familiar scent of Night Weaver magic, though it felt like a memory more than a present reality. Heart thumping, she trudged down the long hallway to Shoshanna's room. Perhaps she would walk in and find the woman sitting up in bed, cheerful as ever with a happy cat in her lap.

She wrapped her hands around the mug of pungent tea, then gritted her teeth and closed the distance to the door. She lightly tapped on the door. A low, gravelly voice said, "Come in."

Much like Julian's, the small bedroom was a scant step up from a dormitory, with a pretty patterned rug over tile floor and cinderblock walls painted a light gray beneath a few framed photographs. It was a far cry from the lovingly decorated bedrooms in the house at Midnight Springs, each of which echoed with Shoshanna's attention.

The rug had been pulled back, allowing Misha to etch protective spells onto the floor around Shoshanna's bed. Glowing golden lines pulsed faintly against the flecked tile. The witch slept with a knitted blanket tossed over the quilt, while Alistair sat at the foot of the bed with haunted, shadowed eyes.

It felt like an entire lifetime had passed since she woke from her bizarre dreams into Julian's arms, just in time to hear Misha say, "We're under attack." For the next half hour, still drugged nearly to unconsciousness, she'd done her best to keep watch over Shoshanna.

And when Jordan Cole dropped to the ground and unsheathed a wickedly sharp knife, she launched into action. She'd felt alive, sparkling almost, as if the blood in her veins was carbonated and tickling through her veins. Too much energy, too much power.

As she tussled with Jordan, she could see the magic on him, like carved scars on his skin. Those glowing lines danced in time with his brutal, fast movements. With Alice's voice still echoing in her head about threads that were out of place, she'd grabbed his shoulders and shouted, "Snap out of it! Stop it!"

And his eyes lit up. Heat surged through them both, and she flew back feeling like she'd touched an electric fence.

Even now, hours later, she was still staring at her hands. Was that Alice's gift? One little lifeline? The first person she'd ask was currently comatose, with the second taking a much-needed nap during the daylight.

Julian had given the order to the Nightwatch to get a few hours of sleep and meet him at noon to figure out their next steps. But he'd stayed up for another few hours to confirm who was missing, his face stricken with grief. He'd been tracking Paris and Danielle's phones, which had turned off shortly after nine in the morning.

At her urging, he'd agreed to sleep.

But it came as no surprise to her that Alistair remained awake, keeping silent watch over his soulmate.

"I guess it would be stupid to ask how she's doing," Scarlett said quietly.

He looked up at her, then back at Shoshanna. His nose wrinkled. "What's that?"

"It's the tea she drank back at the house. I guess it's stupid, but I thought the smell of it might help," she said.

He didn't speak, but gestured half-heartedly as if to say feel free to waste your time.

She perched on the bed and gently took the witch's hand, then pressed it to the teacup so the woman might feel the warmth. "I'm sorry you're in this state, Shoshanna, but you are the most stubborn and clever person I've ever met. If you're in there, you have to keep fighting your way out," she said. Beneath her hand, Shoshanna's fingers twitched.

For one brilliant moment, Scarlett thought, I did it! I saved her!

But the witch gasped, and suddenly Scarlett was thrown back. The teacup shattered across the room while she slammed into the wall. Alistair stood between her and the witch, eyes red and teeth bared. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" she protested. But that wasn't entirely true, not when the lights were flickering and an oily black shadow dripped down the walls and oozed across the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut, and opened them again to see the room back to normal.

Except for Shoshanna, whose skin crawled with black tendrils. She was still and quiet again, but a spiderweb of tangled black thread covered her body. The air was frigid, her breath pluming in little puffs of smoke.

"Do you see that?" Scarlett said quietly.

Alistair stared at her and shook his head.

Shadow coalesced over Shoshanna's sleeping form, then rushed toward Scarlett. She shrieked and recoiled as the cold washed over her, a voice rising in a shout. One word rang in her head, in a familiar voice.

Wait!

The shadow slithered along the wall, and she shuddered at the sight of it, a massive body with spindly legs like a spider that had long branched away from its evolutionary origin. The black form peeled off the wall and shimmered through the air, settling over Shoshanna.

And stranger still, Shoshanna let out a soft sigh.

Was it…was it helping?

Staring at her, Scarlett could swear she saw a flicker of flame-orange hair whipping through the shadow. It faded quickly, making her wonder if she'd really seen it.

"I know you want to help," Alistair said quietly. "I think it's better if you go."

"I understand," she said, backing away quickly.

Her heart raced as she hurried down the hall, leaving them alone. This entire place was in shambles. Julian's family was split, with some of his closest friends captured by Lux and presumably turned against him.

All for her.

Her chest swelled, threatening to overwhelm her with another storm of emotion. A terrible thought slithered through her mind. Maybe it would have been better if you just accepted your fate, a cold voice said. At least then it would only be Julian who suffered.

When she emerged from the residential building, she stepped into the sunny morning and sighed. Becoming embroiled in this court had broken her open, softening her and bringing out emotions she'd never really embraced.

But the Scarlett Ward of a year ago would have set her jaw, braided her hair a little tighter, and said, what's the mission?

And while she liked the soft side that Julian brought out in her, she was also a woman who had walked off a gunshot on more than one occasion to keep taking down the enemy. That was who the court needed now—who her friends needed—and that's who she would be.

With renewed resolve, she returned to the main building and headed to their armory, where she picked out her weapons, lamenting the loss of her collection that was still locked away in Armina's house. She spent half an hour stretching before taking a run around the campus, then retreated for a shower shortly before noon.

When she emerged, hair tamed into a perfect French braid, she dressed in black and headed to the conference room to rejoin what remained of the court. There would be time to worry about the emotional fallout, about who was to blame for what. For now, there was a job to do.

Inside the conference room, a dark-haired vampire woman was setting up a computer monitor mounted to the wall. When Scarlett entered, the woman glanced back and said, "Halo. We've not met. Karina. You're Julian's…person," she said sheepishly.

"You keep the armory stocked," Scarlett said, remembering his briefing. "It's very nice to meet you. I'm Scarlett."

"Nice to meet you," Karina said. "You want to help with this cable? I keep wanting to make everything Bluetooth, but too many things to do lately."

At Karina's request, she carefully maneuvered a cable behind the monitor, then passed it back to her so she could connect a laptop.

Julian walked in and let out a surprised, "Oh!" when he saw them. Then he kissed her on the cheek before setting his belongings at the head of the table. Within fifteen minutes, half a dozen vampires had filtered in, some carrying blood bags or stainless-steel coffee cups that smelled suspiciously of blood.

For all that the Shieldsmen once thought of the Blade of Auberon, they would have laughed to see what remained now. Gathered in a dingy conference room were six vampires who looked as if they'd just emerged from the underworld.

The gathering around the table was pitiful; Misha Volkov and Safira Brandt flanked Julian, while Kova and Stella sat on the other side.Leaving a seat between him and Kova was Dominic, who she had not seen since his angry outburst several nights ago.

Julian had a laptop, which he turned to show a map with several dots on it. "Normally I'd ask Olivia to do this but…" He shook his head. "I asked you here to help me go after Armina Voss. She's got some of our people, and I refuse to give her more time to fuck with them any worse than she already has. Danielle and Paris had their phones for about three hours after the attack. They last pinged near Fort Mill, South Carolina."

"I bet they went home to Charlotte," Stella said.

"Why?" Misha asked. "The house was wrecked."

"It's got years of magical wards and protections built in. Much easier to repair it than to build something new. She's going back to a sanctuary," Stella said.A day's rest had her appearing slightly healthier, but she still looked like death warmed over. Tangling with magic and a vampire transition had not been kind to her. Her dark hair was streaked with white, and her left eye was now a strange shade of amber, not the chocolate brown of her right.

"Why exactly are you here?" Julian asked. "Speak freely."

"Kova demanded it," Stella said, eyes narrowing slightly.

"That's not what he meant, and you know it," Safira said, her voice rough. Her throat was marked with slashes and bruises.

Stella's red eyes met Scarlett's, then shifted down as she stared at her hands. "She sent me to kill Shoshanna, and I refused."

Julian let out a derisive snort. "You expect us to believe that you suddenly developed a conscience after what you did to her brother?"

"I didn't want to hurt people," Stella said sharply. "I went to her to learn magic, but I still have moral lines."

Misha shook his head. "You went to Armina Voss expecting anything but evil?"

Her head snapped up. "The Grand Guild wouldn't take me. What was I supposed to do?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I saw what she was doing with those vampires, and it scared me. When I tried to defy her, she said she'd take my power back."

"Were you not a witch before?" Misha asked, brows furrowing.

"I was born with power," Stella said. "But she gives her apprentices special gifts. And she ripped something out of me before I fled. I can't see magic the way I did before."

"Why come here instead of running?" Kova asked.

Her red eyes found Scarlett's. "It was the right thing. And…I felt guilty." Her eyes widened. "Rhys told me to warn you about the blood. They were taking his blood. I think for the stakes."

Julian sat back in his chair like his strings had been cut. "Did you say Rhys?"

Stella nodded eagerly. "Nice vampire. Good looking, British accent," she said.

"He's alive?" Safira asked.

"He was when I left. I tried to free him, but they were on my tail, and…" Stella sniffled and bowed her head. "I was trying to do a good thing and warn you that they were coming. The wards got to me before I could get all the words out. I'll help you deal with Armina. She's dangerous, and she's just becoming more unhinged."

"Can you help Shoshanna?" Scarlett asked.

"I don't know," Stella said. "My magic is very unstable right now. I might make things worse, but I'm willing to try."

"Do you know what Armina is planning to do?" Julian asked.

The witch shook her head. "I'm not sure she even has a plan anymore. She's angry that everything is falling apart. I think she's just trying to destroy whatever she can get her hands on at this point."

Julian glanced around. "This is all we have. Alistair and Nikko will need to stay here, and I'd ask one of you to remain to keep watch in case there's another attack." Safira nodded to him. "I wouldn't ask anything of you all that you don't want to do."

Misha nodded. "I'll go with you. Perhaps I can break through to him."

"I'm obviously with you to the end," Kova said. "Hers, of course."

At that, Julian spared a smile. His eyes drifted to Dominic. "If you need to stay back with Rachel, I understand."

The other man chuckled. "She is ferocious enough for a dozen of us when it comes to Emily," he said, glancing at Scarlett. "They bought plane tickets to go on a nice vacation in another time zone. Grandma and Grandpa, too."

"And you don't know where?" Safira said lightly.

"I don't. I will not allow that bitch to use my family against me," Dominic said. "I'm with you. I was part of this from the beginning, and I'm with you to the bitter end."

Julian nodded to him. "I appreciate it. I've asked Karina to be ready for whatever you need. Be ready to hit the road at four-thirty. Do what you need to."

Scarlett lingered as the others left the conference room. With a sad expression, Julian approached and kissed the top of her head. "In all of this, I've barely had a chance to speak to you. Are you feeling all right?"

"A little shaky, but…yeah. I feel great," she said. "No more dead woman walking."

He spared a weak smile.

"Come on. Let's get armed up," she said, nudging him.

He hesitated and said, "I don't want you to get hurt. After all of this, it would be the ultimate cosmic joke."

"Well, I'm not laughing. And I'm not letting you face her alone," she said.

"I won't be alone, I?—"

"Julian Alcott," she said sharply. "I am not a blushing damsel."

His lips curved into a faint smile. "Fine. My blushing not-damsel, shall we pick out our weapons?"

"That's more like it," she said, taking his hand and following him down to Karina's armory.

Like many of the rooms in the administrative building, the "armory" was two repurposed classrooms. Renovations here had metal cabinets all around the room, with steel tables in the center, rather than pretty wall art and rugs. While the other vampires were taking down weapons, Karina Nowak was chattering eagerly about wooden bullets and antitoxins.

"We need everything as nonlethal as possible," Julian reminded her. "She has some of our people."

"Oh, I have something!" Karina announced. Bustling around the room, she rooted in one of the cabinets and produced a black device with a red dome light. "I have a theory. This thing is very loud, in a specific frequency. See, you turn it on, and?—"

"No!" Kova protested, covering her hands. "I think we'll get the idea."

Unfazed, Karina nodded and handed him the device. "Police use it to make protesters go away without firing any shots. With our hearing, it could be even worse, I think."

"But it'll affect all of us," Julian said.

She grinned and held up a plastic bag stuffed with bright orange foam earplugs. "Cover your ears, silly. And it is dimensional…no, directional. Point it and shoot."

Julian laughed. "This is…an interesting theory, Karina. We'll try it."

As she watched, Julian laid out a gleaming blade that she'd seen him use before. Misha had one similar, with flowing runes that glowed red. Kova eyed her as she rifled through the cabinets to find an armored vest in her size. "I'm surprised he's going to let you go," Kova commented.

"You can't afford to turn down good help," she replied.

He smirked and said, "I'm glad you're here with us, zaika. Are you going to be all right facing the witch?"

The question stopped her in her tracks, but she drew a deep breath, let it out slowly, and said, "I'll have to be."

After packing their weapons into cases and loading them into cars, the team went their separate ways to eat, rest, and handle other affairs before their afternoon departure. If not for the blood bags and the umbrellas blocking out the sun, it would have been utterly indiscernible from a Shieldsmen mission.

Scarlett followed Julian back to his chambers and gasped in surprise when he pressed her to the wall and kissed her hungrily. "I wish I could make love to you one last time before I go," he murmured.

She frowned at him, clasping his cheeks firmly as she pulled back from his searching kiss. "Don't talk like that. We're going to be fine."

"You don't believe that," he said.

"I can try," she huffed."And if I can try, you better sure as hell try."

His faint smile pushed against her grasp, forcing her to smile in response. Then he leaned in for another kiss. "I want you to know that no matter what happens, I love you. Always."

"I love you," she echoed. He pulled her close, arms twining aroundher as his lips sealed hers. As his tongue searched past her lips, teasing and probing, his hand slipped up. There was a sharp prick at her neck, and she recoiled.

Gripping his wrist firmly, she fought him to pull back, staring at the syringe in his hand. Liquid dripped from the needle. His eyes were wide. He looked like a little boy who'd been caught stealing candy, which might have been funny if it wasn't such a fucking betrayal.

"What are you thinking?" she squawked.

With gritted teeth, he feinted and spun her around. She dodged his next swipe and dove across his bed to put space between them. Her heart pounded with fury as she stared him down.

"Scarlett," he said in a warning tone. His pretty eyes had gone bright red, fangs descending over his lips. That sharp smell was in the air—an old vampire on the hunt.

"You want to drug me?" she said incredulously.

"I want you to live through this," he said.

With a growl, she kicked at the bedframe and sent it sliding across the room, clipping him in the shins. His look of surprise was almost comical. As he stared down at his feet, she lunged onto the bed and snatched the syringe from him.

"Scarlett, don't?—"

She snapped it in half and let it fall on the bed, then kicked him in the chest with a resounding crack. "You bastard!" she seethed. "That woman controlled my fate for nearly two centuries, and I can't even have one day of making my own goddamned choices before you start making them for me?"

"That's not what this is!" he bellowed.

"You lied to my face, let me prepare for a mission, all the while knowing what you planned. Poor, stupid little Scarlett," she said in a mocking tone.

"I'm trying to save you!"

"You did!" she shouted back at him.

Air rushed past her, and she realized he had moved faster than she could see. Firm hands grabbed her shoulders and pinned her down. She shouted in anger as he straddled her hips and grabbed her wrists.

Desire roared to life in her, which only made her angrier. "Get off me!" she snapped.

He let out a growl that took some of the fight out of her. Angry as she was, he was still a four-hundred-year-old vampire, and he was still far stronger than her. "That spell being broken means that you can die now," he growled.

"I'm not cursed anymore," Scarlett said, wriggling against him.

"Which means that when you die, you die permanently," Julian said. "You're not coming back this time. And Armina knows that."

She froze.

"If you walk in there with me, she will kill you just to spite me," he said.

"Then you stay back, and I'll go," she spat. "She won't kill me without you."

He let out a barking laugh. "Are you insane? This is my court. This is my family. I will not sit back while she enthralls them to serve her."

"And if she kills you, I'm just supposed to be happy living out my life alone?" she spluttered. Heat boiled under her skin, and she could barely contain her fury. "Why is it unacceptable for you to lose me, but perfectly fine for me to lose you?"

His red eyes widened, and he pointed at her hand. "Take a breath."

She looked up to see those bright seams spreading on her skin again. Alice's voice echoed in her mind. What should have been woven. Staring at her hand, she envisioned a flame, then snapped her fingers. A spark flickered, then faded away. "Breaking the curse left something with me," she said.

"If I release you, are you going to break my neck?" he asked.

"I really want to," she huffed. "But that would be selfish. Maybe later."

A smile tugged his lips, and he released her wrists. "Can you control that?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But I just shut Jordan Cole down like flipping a switch. You sure you don't want extra help if she's got your people?"

He pressed his hands to his temples. "I can't lose you," he said quietly.

"And I don't want to lose you," she said. The heat in her hands was growing, and she clenched her fists tight. "Get off me. I'll meet you downstairs."

With a sigh, he eased off her, heading for the door.

"Julian?"

He turned back.

"If you try that again, I will break your neck," she said. "Soulmate or not."