14. Cassandra

CASSANDRA

The first time I rode along with Ashe to the Haven, intent on destroying Aeternaphiel’s soul, I was nervous. That was hours ago, but it felt like a lifetime.

Now, sitting in the back seat of a large SUV beside Eris with Ambrose sitting up front, I’m strangely serene as Kasar turns us towards the gated entrance to the Haven’s estate. Night has fallen and we’re the first of four vehicles. Lan and Josephine drive the two SUVs behind us and Malachi brings up the rear in the last. Each one is full of the street soldiers of the Nightshade vampires, vampires young and old who’ve found a place to belong in the Barrows under Ambrose’s rule.

I turn and look over my shoulder to the cramped third row. These are vampires who may not survive the upcoming fight to save my mate. It feels disingenuous to not even know their names, so I ask.

The one in the middle, a brunette woman who looks severe enough to be a governess, raises her brows but answers, “I’m Caroline. This one,” she inclines her head towards the male on the left, “is Jack and he—” inclining her head towards the other male— “Is Grant.”

I smile at each of them in turn. “Thank you for coming with us. It means a lot.”

Eris scoffs and looks back at them. I don’t miss Grant’s flinch, as much as he tries to hide it. He’s got such a boyish face, he couldn’t have been older than twenty when he was turned. Eris smirks, her face twisting in sheer arrogance, and I shove her shoulder in rebuke. I swear one of the vampires behind me gasps, but I’m too busy meeting Eris’s incredulous eyes with a glare.

“Stop it,” I say. “We need their help and there’s nothing wrong with thanking them, especially when this isn’t their usual duty.”

“We really don’t mind, ma’am—miss—uh,” Jack stumbles over a reply. He looks older than Grant, but not by much. “Any time we get to fight is a good night. This’ll be more fun than dealing with idiots high on Rapture or drunk and belligerent.”

Unlike Ambrose and the males he considers his inner circle, these vampires are wearing more casual clothing. They aren’t even wearing the suits I’m more familiar with, and they aren’t dressed in the same tactical gear as the inner circle. I was given more appropriate clothing, borrowing the gear from Kasar’s mate, Deidre. The woman is more slender than me, so the pants are a bit tight, which was awkward at first. I knew I couldn’t go in wearing my dress, and my preferred skirts would only get in my way.

Even Josephine has traded in her dress and arrived in steel gray wide-legged pants and a black long-sleeved shirt. I worry for the female, even knowing she will only fight if she must. Her primary role is to help those injured, if possible. I helped load the back of her SUV with insulated crates of blood and rudimentary medical supplies.

The bullet-proof vest Malachi had fitted me with gives me a sense of safety, but I know bullets may be the least of my worries. Fortunately, Darcelle was able to equip us with cantrips and a few other items from their magical armory. I’d had no time to prepare anything, so whatever magic I perform today will be as wild and uncontrolled as nature itself.

The SUV comes to a stop, all of us looking out the front window. Four men, each of them resting their hands on rifles slung across their chests, stand in front of the closed gate, illuminated by our headlights. I glance over my shoulder, trying to see where the other drivers are. I see one stop behind us and assume it’s Malachi. Josephine and Lan should have pulled off the road by now.

“Wards are up.” I keep my voice quiet, in case the guards at the gate are more than human. Aeternaphiel had warded the property against vampires when we’d breached the wards around his treasury.

Eris leans forward, peering at the wrought iron gate with disdain. “Hundreds of years on earth and he still has no goddamn taste. The wards are weaker than they should be.”

“Trap?” Ambrose asks as one of the guards steps forward, walking to Kasar’s side.

“Maybe,” Eris answers, her brow bent in thought. “I should be able to take them down, but then he’ll know we’re here.”

“If he doesn’t already,” Kasar says before rolling down his window.

“Mr. Egress isn’t home tonight, sir.” The guard tilts his head back towards the road. The partial view I have of him makes me suspect he’s human. “I suggest y’all turn around and don’t cause any trouble.”

Before Kasar can respond, Eris is getting out. Ambrose lets out a long-suffering sigh but says nothing. The guards’ attention snap to her, the tension making my mouth go dry.

The demon saunters around the front of the SUV, wiggling her fingers to the three guards still maintaining the line before the gates. She comes to a halt in front of the guard, her back to the rest in a pointed message about her opinion of their danger. She meets the guard’s eyes and blinks. A strangled noise slips from him as he takes a step back.

Eris grins, and a smile with fangs would have been less terrifying than hers. She cocks her hip, her dark hair fluttering around her shoulders, and props herself against the hood with a hand. She drums her fingers on the side, her nails clicking with a sound that makes unease grow inside me. Kasar stays silent, letting this play out.

“Here’s the thing—” she peers closer at the man’s chest, as if the dark impacts her vision. “Murphy, Mr. Egress probably hasn’t told you the truth about himself. Why would he? Have you ever fought a demon or vampires before? I’m going to guess not, considering you reek of fear.”

Faster than he can process, she moves. She grabs him by the throat with one hand, lifting him up high enough he must be off the ground. The guards in front of us shout and scramble for their guns. Ambrose and Kasar are out of the SUV in the next blink, bodily blocking the demon.

Eris lowers the man to her face, his own going pale enough even I can tell he’s afraid. “I’m not typically merciful. In fact, I’d enjoy killing you humans just because. Except you’re not who I want. You’re just a delay. So I’m gonna give you boys a choice. You can let us through, easy-peasy, or you can irritate the fuck out of me and we’ll kill you. Either way, we’re getting in.”

When the man grunts, holding his hands up as if in submission, I roll down the window and stick my head out.

“He can’t answer if you don’t let him breathe,” I remind her, giving a pointed look to where her talons dig into his flesh enough that trickles of blood have appeared.

As if she’d forgotten how fragile humans are, she huffs in exasperation and lets the man go.

“We’ll go,” he gasps out, forcing himself to speak before gulping in deep breaths. “We don’t get paid enough for this shit.”

He waves the three guards to move aside, and one lingers. It’s clear from his expression he’s debating putting up a fight, but then one of the others grabs him by the shoulder and yanks him along. He follows, all the fight leaving him, and I breathe out in relief.

“Smart choice.” Eris slaps the hood, looking ahead at the two vampires. “What are you two waiting for? Let’s get this show on the road.”

Mutters from the vampires behind me have me curling my lips fighting a smile. They’re clearly not used to anyone ordering around Ambrose or Kasar. Ambrose, too used to Eris’s ways, ignores her and comes to the back door the demon had left open. He folds down the seat and jerks his head.

“Time to get in position,” he says, and the vampires are moving before he’s even finished. The SUV rocks as they climb onto the roof. I’m sure the others behind us are doing something similar.

“Eris?” Ambrose calls a question in his voice.

The demon hadn’t let the Nightshades involve her in their tactics, saying she’s got her own agenda and telling Ambrose to keep his little soldiers out of her way.

“I’ll take down the wards,” she says, turning to the iron gate. The human guards have disappeared into the night and she grumbles. “Would have been nice of them to open the gate. No manners these days, I swear.”

I roll my eyes. She’s the last one to talk about manners. Rolling the window back up, I watch her stride to the gate as Ambrose and Kasar return to the SUV. Pressure builds in my head as the demon stands still. Eris punches the gate with both fists. My ears pop as the pressure vanishes. The gate explodes inward, tumbling across the drive and into the grass, carving deep grooves into the dirt. One part of the gate is stopped by a tree, the momentum warping the metal around the thick trunk and sending the oak swaying.

Eris doesn’t say anything as she bolts forward, disappearing down the long drive.

I scoot to the middle of the bench seat and meet Kasar’s golden gaze in the rear-view mirror. I nod once, confirming that the ward is now down.

Ambrose presses a finger to the earpiece he wears. “Move in. Remember, our goal is to secure Ashe. Our secondary objective is to find the soul or the archangel. Stay clear of Eris. Malachi, you’re in command.”

I hear double. This time I’ve insisted on having an earpiece, even as uncomfortable as it feels.

I know Malachi wanted to be with us as we search for Ashe, but his position as the general for their forces is too important. He’s set his feelings aside and will lead the vampires in securing the estate.

Rhys isn’t with us since someone needed to keep Ezra contained at a secure location. I don’t even know where they went. Ambrose knows, but refused to tell me.

Kasar puts the SUV into gear and we start towards the house, much faster than the sedate speed Ashe drove at earlier.

Then we come under attack.