Shifting Loyalties Read online

  Beg. My vampire’s tone came out sharp-edged.

  Sorry? I felt my eyes widen at the very thought, still staring at Applegate as she settled back into her scowl of hate.

  Crawl, plead, give her the satisfaction of knowing she’s beaten you. My vampire sighed. As painful an exercise as it might be, Charlotte is worth it.

  Gulp. Oh hell no. And yet, I had a terrible feeling she was right.

  Remember, she sent as my demon thrashed and cursed, Shaylee huffing in fury while the family magic pooled sadly, this is Liander Belaisle you’re dealing with. His arrogance might lead her to slip.

  Or, it could just lead to me making a total fool of myself.

  I’d rather eat my shoes, I snarled. But I’ll try it.

  My vampire actually felt surprised. Thank you for trusting me, she sent.

  Yeah, well, if you’re wrong, I’ll never forgive you.

  Fair enough, she sent. I won’t forgive myself.

  I reached for Sunny to give her the heads up, adding Shenka to the conversation.

  Just back me up, I sent to them before falling to one knee in front of Applegate and allowing my worry for Charlotte to appear. At first, I had to force myself to show vulnerability, but the shock on Applegate’s face was enough encouragement as I clasped my hands together under my chin.

  “Please,” I said, choking now on my rising tears. “Please, I beg you. I’ll follow whatever rules you ask, do whatever you want. But allow me to find Charlotte.” Hot, fat tears dripped from my chin as I let out the pain I’d been feeling since the weregirl left me.

  I’m not sure what I was expecting, but the effect on Applegate was a little bit of a miracle. She sighed, her evil smile fading, a smirk of satisfaction taking its place. But when she spoke, I saw the woman I’d first met shining in her eyes, as though the Brotherhood’s power had been somehow appeased by my willingness to show weakness.

  A truth I filed away for later. Surely, there was a way to use it to my advantage.

  “Well now,” she said, coming to hover over me, staring down her round button nose through the glasses perched on its end. “I see you’ve finally learned to respect your betters. Humility becomes you.”

  Oh, she’s pushing it. I held onto my vampire for support.

  She is, she whispered, but you’re winning.

  Passive resistance. Got it.

  Applegate tapped her chin with one pudgy finger, rolling her eyes skyward, humming softly as though considering my request. I actually held my breath as she did.

  This better work.

  My vampire, tense and coiled inside me, didn’t answer.

  When Applegate finally met my eyes, I thought I lost.

  “Very well,” she said, crooked teeth gleaming as my heart leaped and did a dance in my chest. “Under certain… conditions.”

  Ruh-ro.

  She lowered herself further, bending in half, her face in mine, the scent of garlic and something fishy wafting over me. Mixed with excessive amounts of baby powder.

  Gross.

  “You are not, under any circumstances, permitted to use witch magic while in my territory.” Her cheeks pinked as she tapped my nose with the same finger she’d used on her own face. “Which means no maji power, either, as your full strength is tied to all of your magicks, correct?” Another tap.

  If she touched me again, I was going to break that finger off and feed it to her.

  “At the merest sniff of trouble,” she snuffled the air, made a face as though my scent offended her rather than the other way around, “I am kicking your ass out of Europe.” She looked up at Sunny. “Permanently.” Malice laced the sweet smile she fixed on me. “Do you think you can manage to stay out of trouble, Miss Hayle?”

  Nice of her to drop my title.

  Temper, Sydlynn, my vampire sent. We’re almost free.

  “I think so,” I said out loud while tossing a few choice swears internally.

  Applegate retreated with a snort. “I highly doubt it,” she said. “Thank you for providing me with the means necessary to finally rid myself of your presence.”

  Ah, my vampire sent. Well, better this than nothing.

  Nice someone thought so.

  Besides, my demon growled, we’re just going to veil in, grab Charlotte and veil out. End of story, nothing to see here, move along.

  I stood as Applegate backed off.

  With my track record? Yeah. Sure. Charlotte’s rescue would go that smoothly.

  I was so screwed.

  ***

  Chapter Eight

  “Before you tell me to go home,” Shenka said as I turned away to the pressure of air displacement at Applegate’s departure, “you can just take that and shove it.”

  I knew this was going to be a fight. “I need you with the family,” I said, aiming for reasonable and diplomatic. No use trying for bossy. Not with Shenka.

  “You need me beside you,” she snapped while Sunny joined us, Uncle Frank’s smirk wiped clean as I glared at him.

  “Listen to me.” I gripped her upper arms, stared into Shenka's determined eyes. “Where do you think you’ll do the most good: with the family, watching over them, or with me, unable to use magic?”

  Shenka’s mouth opened. Closed. Her frown turned sad, still mixed with stubborn. “That’s not fair.”

  “Nope,” I said. “It sure as hell isn’t. But the sad fact is I have access to other magicks and you don’t.”

  She deflated. “And if I came with you, I’d be a liability.” Shenka perked briefly. “But Applegate didn’t order me not to use magic.”

  Sophistry and we both knew it. “You want to start a war over a technicality?” Low blow, Syd, using my vampire’s tactics against my own second.

  You’re learning, my vampire sent.

  Shenka hummed and Shenka fumed, but in the end, she left with one of Sunny’s vampires giving her an unhappy ride home. With one less person to worry about, I turned back to the vampire queen to find Isabelle waiting beside her.

  “I’ll take you to your friend,” the young vampire said. “But I can’t promise retrieving her will be easy.”

  What in my life was ever easy?

  “Just give me a second.” I spun away, took a few steps to distance myself, reached for Mom. This conversation could go one of two ways and I was hoping she hadn’t had a major backslide since I saw her Friday morning.

  Syd, sweetheart, what’s wrong? That was my mother. Could sniff trouble from three thousand miles away. Or maybe she just expected it now.

  Lovely. Her daughter, the harbinger of impending doom.

  Mom, I sent, keeping my emotions as tightly wrapped as possible, it’s Charlotte.

  Like I said, it could go two ways. As I filled her in on the last few minutes of my life, I ran over the possibilities in my mind. One, she would go ballistic on me and demand I come home. But that was the old Mom, right? Two, she would sympathize and tell me to be careful.

  Sydlynn Thaddea Hayle, Mom sent, making me wince. She only used my full name when she was pissed. So it was number one. Craptastic.

  Wasn’t expecting a third option.

  You go get that girl and bring her back here so I can have a firm talk with her. She paused. And kick some ass while you’re at it.

  Um. What?

  Who are you and what have you done with my mother? I choked on a laugh.

  Charlotte is family, Mom sent, a soft waver in her firm tone. We don’t let anything happen to family.

  Agreed. And the ass kicking?

  Sorcerers, Mom growled. They have it coming.

  Holy blessed halleluiah angels with trumpets and sparkly wings.

  Mom, I sent. I love you like whoa.

  Syd, she sent back, the image of her behind her desk, smiling, arms hugging herself, flashed in my mind even as her power embraced me. Be safe.

  And she was gone.

  I turned to find Sunny and Uncle Frank watching me with confused expressions.

  “I have orders to go
kick some sorcerer ass,” I said. “And I can’t disobey my Council Leader, can I?”

  Uncle Frank laughed. “You’ve come a long way from making Mir cry, Syd.”

  Well, we’d see. There was still room for mayhem and world-crumbling disaster.

  “Okay then,” I said, rubbing my hands together, partly for warmth, feeling a grin stretch my lips. Yes, the outlook was possibly dire, but Mom was behind me and I was feeling rather optimistic, thanks. After all, I didn’t need witch or maji power to ride the veil. Just like my demon said, in and out. I offered my hand to Isabelle. “Shall we go liberate one weregirl from the bad guys?”

  Oh, how I wish she’d just taken my damned hand and not hesitated. Just one more second, and we’d have been gone. But Isabelle’s momentary pause was lengthened by the sudden displacement of air, the calling card of Enforcer power. I spun, snarling, expecting Applegate, a renege on her promise. Only to find a young female witch and an Enforcer settling to the floor.

  The pretty blonde with pale hazel eyes bobbed a quick curtsy. “Coven Leader Hayle,” she said in a tight British accent, “it’s an honor to meet you.”

  “And you are?” Way to be nice to the new kids, Syd. Yeah, wasn’t really in the mood for nice.

  The young witch didn’t flinch, earning kudos from me. “My name is Gwendolyn Ravensdale,” she said, smiling a little, dimples showing. She turned, gestured to the tall Enforcer beside her. “This is my partner, Finlay Wright.”

  Okay, he wasn’t just tall. He was massive. I knew some big men, like my Dad. But this young Enforcer looked like he could take on a steam engine and win.

  “Coven Leader,” he said, voice the thunder roll I more associated with my black hound friend Galleytrot than any mortal witch.

  “Nice to meet you.” I crossed my arms over my chest, scowling back and forth between them. “Now, what do you want?”

  So friendly. Yeah, yeah. Stop judging. I had work to do.

  Gwendolyn finally showed nerves, just a flash, but enough I felt a little guilty. After all, neither of them felt like sorcery to me, and until I knew what they were doing here, I really didn’t have reason to treat them badly.

  Until she opened her mouth again.

  “We’re here to escort you.” She glanced sideways at her companion. “Our Council Leader ordered it.”

  Oh hell no.

  “You can tell your Council Leader,” I said. Stopped. Drew a breath. “Just. Freaking. Lovely.”

  So much for stealth.

  “We are to accord you every courtesy.” She seemed to think I gave a crap about courtesy.

  Do you want me to detain them? Sunny’s mental voice snapped in my head.

  The idea was so tempting I almost said yes. “Did your Council Leader say anything else?”

  Gwendolyn nodded, face set. “We are to watch you and ensure you fulfill your side of the agreement.” She shifted from one foot to the other. “I’m afraid our presence is mandatory.”

  I guess that answers your question, I sent to Sunny even as I faced the pair of European witches head on and opened my sorcery. The black petals bloomed open, hungry, searching for sustenance, but I held the power back, instead only allowed it to sniff over the two.

  It could have been seen as an attack. But while I wouldn’t risk checking out Applegate, I had no intention of allowing this pair to tag along if they were also under Brotherhood influence. Since I wasn’t breaking Applegate’s stupid rules, they could just suck it up.

  Neither of them seemed to notice I did anything at all. As I closed off my sorcery, I bit my lower lip, thinking fast. They were clean of the Brotherhood’s influence unless it was buried so deep I couldn’t find it. But why would Applegate send these two, knowing they weren’t under control?

  Could she have done so to show me she still fought the Brotherhood’s power? Tried to help me somehow?

  There was no way of knowing. But at least these two wouldn’t sabotage me, not on purpose, anyway.

  “Fine,” I said, temper barely held in check. “But if either of you does anything to jeopardize the rescue of my werefriend, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

  Gwendolyn winced slightly. “Ah,” she said, “as to the term ‘rescue’…”

  Now what?

  “We’ve also been instructed to ensure you use proper diplomatic channels in approaching the Czar and his people.” She had the good manners to allow regret to cross her expression. “I’m sorry.”

  Isabelle made an anxious face and shook her head at me. Got the message, loud and clear. The Czar wasn’t into diplomacy.

  “And if talks fail?” This was turning into an absolute disaster.

  “Then they fail.” Finlay’s deep voice was ice chips and gravel. “And you go home.”

  ***

  Chapter Nine

  So much for sneaking in, grabbing Charlotte from the clutches of her captors, and sneaking out again. Instead, I was forced to allow Finlay to handle transportation, his Enforcer magic cradling both Isabelle and myself along with his partner.

  “You don’t have to come.” I wanted to give the vampire girl an out since she looked almost sick at the prospect of joining me. But she shook her head immediately.

  “I won’t let you go alone,” she said. “I know how they think and might be useful.” Her hesitation told me there was a lot more she wasn’t saying and I refused to go into this without all the information I needed.

  I pulled her aside, glaring at the pair of witches to back off a second, which they did. I heard Sunny engage them in conversation, though what she talked about was lost to me as I focused on Isabelle.

  “So this is going to be bad, then?” There was no other explanation for her reaction.

  “I’m afraid so,” she said. “The Czar might allow you to enter. But he considers himself autonomous—worse, he thinks he is Creator. A god, above all others.” She shuddered delicately. “I maintained contact with some of my family, through the years. The Black Souls are extremely long lived, and Yure Danko has been their leader since the fall of their beloved Rasputin a century ago. Unfortunately, their own careful breeding program since the beginning of their order has meant each leader has grown progressively more insane as their blood lines mingle too closely. Yure is the worst of them all, but he is, sadly, also brilliant.”

  “Which means by walking in the front door, we’re just putting Charlotte at risk.” I sighed. Just what I needed. A moldy old sorcerer with a god complex. “Are we sure she is at risk? That she’s actually a captive? She left me voluntarily.”

  Wasn’t bitter or anything. But it still hurt.

  Still.

  Isabelle sighed. “I don’t know for certain,” she said. “She came to Yure of her own free will, but from what I’ve been told, she was coerced. Is she there now by choice?” She let out a quick breath despite the fact she didn’t need to breathe, a fall back to her time as a mortal. “I don’t think so. And knowing the Black Souls as I do, knowing Yure, he’s holding something over her.” She looked like she was going to go on, but shook her head instead and fell quiet.

  I really didn’t think Charlotte was there by choice either. Charlotte spent her life with the Dumonts, had been their slave for years. I couldn’t see her trading one nasty family for another, not for any reason. And yet, how well did I know her, really?

  Only one way to find out.

  “Here’s the deal,” I said, lowering my voice even further. “If this fails, I’m going in to get her. But I’ll need you to distract the Tweedles.” Dee and Dumb, though I doubted the labels applied, had to be prepared for such an event. Applegate would have made sure of that.

  Isabelle didn’t look happy. “I can’t be seen,” she said. “Or recognized. There could be repercussions.” Whatever that meant.

  I can glamour her, Shaylee sent. If you think my Sidhe power can block their sorcery.

  I shared the offer with Isabelle who looked suddenly less anxious.

  “They will not think
to look for me,” she said, “and will have no reason to focus on me if your Sidhe magic keeps them distracted.” She nodded sharply. “Very well, we will try it.” Her lips lifted in a little smile. “Just give me some warning before you start a war.”

  “Same for you,” I said.

  Isabelle arched both eyebrows, all innocence.

  Fair enough.

  I left her, rejoined my escorts. “I’m ready,” I said. “Let’s ride.”

  ***

  I swear I had never been so cold. Not ever. Bitterly, chillingly, so flipping freezing my skin burned. The second Finlay landed us in the squeaky snow, I started shivering uncontrollably and not even a burst of demon heat warmed me.

  I was so busy dying of hypothermia I almost missed the two giant, armed men standing at a towering, black iron gate. Considering they were right in front of us, not spotting them right away was quite a feat. But between my demon wailing over the cold, the fact my feet were already numb and the rest of me felt like I’d been dipped in an ice bath, I had a hard time focusing on anything but the chattering of my teeth.

  Good thing Shaylee was more focused than I was. When I glanced sideways at Isabelle, I almost choked. Because the young vampire wasn’t there anymore. Only a vaguely attractive young woman my eyes drifted sideways from as though she wasn’t interesting.

  Sorry, Shaylee sent, easing up, allowing me to see through the glamour. I got excited.

  No—chatter—problemo—chatter.

  “Coven Leader Sydlynn Hayle,” Gwendolyn said as she stepped forward, not a shiver in sight. “Here to speak to your leader.”

  The guards exchanged a dull, empty stare before ignoring her. Were they wearing fur? Real fur? While the idea disgusted me, I immediately coveted their plush hats and massive jackets. Not so much their large, black guns.

  But these were werewolves. When my demon finally generated enough heat I could function, I recognized the fact, the wolves in them familiar thanks to my time spent with Charlotte.