Page 16 of Battle for the Shadow Prince (A Bargain with the Shadow Prince #2)

16

Unexpected Reunion

ELOISE

“ W h-what?” I can’t find my voice.

Tobias is so close. So overwhelming. Although he isn’t hurting me, he could snap me like a twig.

Sabrina appears beside him, her green eyes blazing silvery blue. Her voice is soft as she asks, “What are you? Why do you taste like a dragon but smell like a witch?”

I blink rapidly. My mouth works, but no words come out. I’m too frightened to speak. All my throat muscles clench like they want to run and hide as much as I do. My bladder threatens to empty itself, and I gain control of it just in time. When I try to speak again, my voice sounds frayed.

“Give her space,” Cassius says kindly. “She was raised as a human. You’re scaring her senseless.”

“If she’s human, why can’t I compel her?” Sabrina demands, her perfectly manicured hand sweeping through the air as she paces behind Tobias.

“I said she was raised human. I’m sure Eloise will answer all your questions without compulsion. Allow her to breathe. She isn’t going anywhere.” Cassius places a supportive hand on my shoulder.

Slowly, Sabrina and Tobias back off, and I blow out my held breath. My thoughts whirl. But Cassius catches my eye, gives me a smile and an encouraging nod. As if after all that, I’m supposed to spill my darkest secrets. For fuck’s sake, my heart is in my throat and I almost wet myself! Where do I even start?

But with three creatures waiting expectantly, I find the words. These people are my last hope for getting Damien back. It makes no sense for me to hold back the little I know about my heritage or my magic.

“My mother was a witch,” I begin. “Descended from the Townsend witches from Oxfordshire, England. My father came from a long line of American spiritualists. When he met my mother, they joined the Order of the Dragon, a small coven outside London. Both drank dragon blood as part of their rituals. My mother drank it while she was pregnant with me. Both she and my father died with the Order’s sigil tattooed over their heart. I wear the same sigil on my back.” I unzip my puffer jacket, willing to show them, but Tobias holds up his hand.

He snorts. “Order of the Dragon, huh?”

I survey every detail of his reaction, bracing myself for disbelief or a string of follow-up questions.

But he only turns to Sabrina and breaks into laughter. “Nathaniel’s going to shit himself.”

“Nathaniel?” I ask.

“My brother,” Tobias says. “He’s the dragon whose blood is running through your veins. Up until recently, he led the Order of the Dragon.”

My mouth goes slack. I dart a glance toward Cassius, but even he looks stunned. “You… you’re a dragon? I mean a dragon shifter?”

He gives a light chuckle and pulls Sabrina into his side. She smiles warmly at him, transforming from deadly regent to Midwestern wife in a heartbeat. “Yes.”

I brace myself on a table in the foyer only to do a double take when the wood groans and I realize that the piece I’m leaning on is old enough to belong in a museum. It looks older even than the furniture in Harcourt. I draw my hand back.

“Please come in.” Sabrina gestures toward a glamorously appointed sitting room. “I think we should get to know each other.”

I’m not entirely sure I should be as relieved as I am from the change in their demeanors. After all, the door behind me is most definitely still locked, and everyone in this room is capable of killing me. But I go with it, trying to calm my racing heart.

Cassius gently intercepts me before I can sit down. “You mentioned needing the restroom. It’s behind you.” He gestures toward a hall. In fact, I hadn’t mentioned it. He must sense that I’m rattled, and I thank him before making my way to facilities that belong in a high-end hotel. There’s a toilet and sink but also a cozy sitting area that I make use of while I collect myself and take stock of my situation.

I’ve never faced anything like this. Sure, surviving what happened with Tony required courage and cleverness. But he was just a man. Maybe a mobster, but in the end a human man. I am underground in a facility filled with vampires and, my God, a dragon. My life is in the hands of a shade, a monster I’ve known just over a day. And I do not have Damien or Maeve to back me up this time.

I’m not a stupid woman, but maybe it is stupid that I’ve put myself in this position. I recognize the risks I’m taking. But without those people, nothing will change. Whatever risks I’m taking now, I’m willing to do far more to get Damien back. I picture him baking in that silo, skin as pale as stone, and I know I am his one and only hope. I know it in my gut.

Damien once killed for me. He would have killed Tony if I’d given him the chance. But he took care of the man Tony sent to murder me and ended the lives of Tony’s two cronies before they could retaliate after he died. Even before that, Damien protected me. He helped free me from Tony’s hold and made me feel worthy of love and self-respect again. And on a deeper level, a level I can hardly explain, I know he is not just my mate but my one and only true love.

I can’t hide in here forever. Quickly I empty my bladder and then stare at myself in the mirror as I wash my hands. “You’re strong,” I whisper. “You’ve done magic. You survived Tony. Get your shit together. If they wanted to hurt you, they would’ve done it already.” I splash cold water on my face and steel my spine. Then I join the others.

The room where they’ve all gathered is truly stunning. Sabrina is playing a baby grand piano that’s tucked into a corner—a classical piece—while Cassius partakes in an array of canapés set out on a buffet table at the back of the room. The furniture belongs in Versailles. The chairs are gilded and upholstered in a floral fabric that brings out the red tones in the rich leather sofa and rosewood piano. All of it is anchored by a hand-tied Turkish rug over a polished wood floor. I’m hesitant to even walk on it. If I were to paint this picture, I’d title it Extravagance .

Tobias brings me a glass of wine. “I guessed you preferred white.”

“White’s fine.” I have a feeling he did more than guess. He presumed that red would remind me of my blood flowing into the chalice moments ago. It’s a small thing but meant to put me at ease. It’s thoughtful.

He wanders to Sabrina’s side, leaving me alone at the edge of the room. All I want to know is what they’re going to do to help rescue the love of my life, but I don’t know how to broach the subject. I sip my wine and walk deeper into the room, noticing a painting on the wall that resembles The Starry Night by Van Gogh, only painted in reds instead of blues with a silhouette of a couple embracing at its center instead of a village.

“It’s what you think it is.” Tobias is suddenly beside me, looking up at the painting.

My brows lift and I shrug. “All I was thinking is that it reminds me of a Van Gogh.”

Tobias nods. “He painted it. Sabrina’s father knew him. It was a gift.”

My eyes widen. “Holy shit.” This belongs in a museum. It must be worth millions.

“Yeah. Only a handful of individuals have ever seen it.”

I glance around the room again, really taking it in. That chair isn’t a Louis XVI replica. It’s the real thing. And the sideboard doesn’t just look like it belongs in Versailles; it’s old enough to have potentially been there. The rosewood piano Sabrina’s playing is a Steinway with carved legs like I’ve never seen before. My artist’s eye darts to the rest of the art, the sculptures, the furniture. If Harcourt Manor is a time capsule for the early 1900s, this place is an eclectic mixture of decor from the past five hundred years.

“How old is Sabrina’s father?” I ask absently.

He snorts. “Very. Old enough to amass quite a collection. We’ve considered redecorating over the years, but neither of us can stomach giving any of it up. Her father’s home is overflowing with it.”

I take a sip of the wine, a delicious blend that might be the best I’ve ever had in my life, and then turn to him. “I’m sorry, but all of this is overwhelming. I just learned shifters were a thing a few weeks ago. And I knew about the dragon blood, but…” I shake my head. “I have so many questions. Are there others like me? Is there someone who can help me learn about the type of magic my parents practiced?”

Tobias frowns. “Unfortunately, I’m not the one to answer that. I’m a dragon, yes, but I don’t wield magic in the way my brother Nathaniel does. And he’s no longer on this planet.”

“Not on the planet?” I parrot softly. It comes out sounding like what the fuck .

“He’s returned to our home world. I can tell you this though,” Tobias continues. “Your blood is both dragon and witch. Dragon blood feeds witch magic. Having both means you have unique potential.”

“The only thing I care about is having enough power to get Damien back.” One thought of my mate and I can’t play this game any longer. I whirl to face Sabrina and raise my voice over the piano. “Isn’t there something you can do? While we’re sipping cocktails, Damien is frying in the queen’s torture chamber. Can you get him out or not?”

Sabrina stops playing but doesn’t remove her fingers from the keyboard. Her eyes snap up to mine, her face an icy, impassive mask. “The piano helps me think,” she says. “I need to think because I’m not sure what to do with you, Eloise Harcourt.”

Do with me? My gaze darts to Cassius, but he’s examining his nails.

Sabrina tilts her head, studying me now. “You and your mate pose one hell of a problem. What I said in the Star is still true. I can’t take any official action against Night Haven without putting my people at risk.”

I swallow. “What about unofficial action?”

Cassius moves closer, his attention suddenly concentrated on his master.

Sabrina slides her long, graceful fingers from the keys, resting them on the red silk covering her thighs. She ignores my question and continues. “As I was saying, direct conflict with Night Haven puts my coven at risk. But if Valeska succeeds in killing you and takes Damien as her consort, my people are also at risk. Valeska’s hunger for power is insatiable. With that kind of advantage, she’ll never stop.”

She stands and snags her wine off the top of the piano. At least I think it’s wine.

“It sounds like a good reason to help me,” I say softly.

Everyone in the room stares at me, including Sabrina, her green eyes locked on mine like laser beams.

“Sorry. It just seems like the natural conclusion.” I shift awkwardly.

Sabrina sizes me up again. “Our kind is ruled by a council of ancient vampires called the forebears. All covens are. Vampires may be deadly, but we are civilized. We follow a set of laws written over a thousand years ago and enforced by the oldest and strongest of us.” She approaches, moving in closer until it feels like I’m standing next to a pacing lion. “If I confront Valeska about Damien, I have three choices. One: I can ask her nicely to hand him over. You must know if I did such a thing, it would only make your mate more valuable to her. Valeska would never willingly part with something she believed was valuable to another master. Two: I could offer to trade for him, but I fear the only thing I have that she wants is Cassius, and as I don’t treat my coven members as property and he has no interest in going back, I refuse to do that.”

“No. That’s not fair to Cassius.” I couldn’t live with myself.

“Three: I could challenge her for her hive. I can’t challenge her for him specifically because he’s not my mate or my citizen, but I can challenge her for her power to hold him. It would be a fight to the death and would not be in the best interest of my coven. If I lost, my vampires would be displaced and find themselves under the rule of a tyrant. If I won, I’d become queen of Night Haven while maintaining my place here. Honestly, no one should have that much power. But even if I were willing to take it on, merging Lamia and Night Haven wouldn’t benefit my vampires in any way. It’s not fair to them.”

I release an exasperated breath. “None of this is fair to Damien or to me.”

She sighs heavily. “I sense you’re a good person, Eloise, and as a vampire in a relationship with a shifter, I personally empathize with your mating bond with the shade. It’s unfair what’s happened to you. I want to help you.”

“But?”

“But I can’t fight this battle for you. Even if I were amenable to the idea, the forebears wouldn’t like it. The vampire council is already concerned about how Valeska has named herself queen over multiple coven masters. Lamia is the largest coven in the Midwest. Not only would combining the two be completely unmanageable, but the forebears would become involved, and I have strong reasons not to want such a thing. I can’t win against her without inviting their scrutiny, but if I lose, I’m dead. And you of all people know why I can’t do that to my mate and coven.”

I squeeze my eyes shut for a beat. I do understand, but the disappointment is crushing. “Then why am I here? If you can’t help me, I need to go and try to find someone else.”

She shifts, exchanging glances with Tobias and Cassius. “I asked you here because I have an idea. Well, I might have an idea. Truly it depends on you.”

“On me?”

“You said you practice spirit magic. Tell us about your power. I can taste it in your blood but couldn’t quite place how it’s manifesting.”

An idea. I chase the small hope she holds out to me like a carrot on a stick and start from the beginning. I relay everything to Sabrina, from the day I descended into the underworld when Tony killed me to my lessons with Maeve, the red fog, and the ghosts in Harcourt Manor.

Sabrina swallows. “Do you see any spirits now? Here?”

I look around the room. “No, but my magical anchor is in Harcourt Manor. To be honest, I’m not even sure my powers will even work outside my family home. Every time we’ve tested them somewhere else, I’ve failed.”

“Hmmm.” Sabrina swirls her drink. “Your mating to Damien, it’s official and binding? Accepted by both parties?”

“Yes.”

Cassius clears his throat. “I can confirm. I can sense the mating bond of my kind.”

She sets her glass down and moves even closer to me in that fluid way vampires and shades do, until she’s right in front of me. Too close. Intimidatingly close. I hold my ground. I swallow. Her eyes flash silvery blue again and meet mine. I blink.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

She smiles, her eyes fading to green again. “Proving once again that I can’t influence you, which means neither can Valeska. I can’t help you, Eloise, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help yourself. Are you willing to risk everything to get your mate back?”

Beside me, Cassius stills, almost like he’s holding his breath.

“Yes. If I knew how to get in and out of Night Haven, I’d already have tried.” Even as I say it, I both know it’s true and that it would be a suicide mission. From the beginning, everyone I’ve spoken to has told me there’s nothing I can do to get him back. But I’m desperate to hear another opinion.

“There is one way,” Sabrina says, “But it could end very badly for both of you.”

My heart leaps. “Please. Please tell me. I’ll try anything.”

“Follow me.” When I start after her and Cassius follows, Sabrina raises a palm. “Cassius, stay with Tobias. Eloise and I need some girl time.”

He lifts his chin in silent support, and I follow Sabrina from the room. She leads me down a hallway to a closed door with the same type of lock Cassius used to bring me into the Star, a blood lock. When she opens the door and flicks on a chandelier, the scent of ancient books wafts over us. My eyes widen at walls of leather-bound tomes shelved from floor to ceiling in a library worthy of the Beast’s castle. There’s a desk and chair at the center of everything, but there’s nothing on it. I don’t think she comes in here much, judging by the layer of dust on everything.

“In vampire tradition, mating is sacrosanct.” She searches the shelves, her pointed red nail tapping gently against her chin. “Very specific laws exist for how a mating bond must be made official, how it can be broken, and who can interfere with it.” As gracefully as if she were leaping over a puddle, she jumps into the air, snags a book from a shelf no less than ten feet up, and lands softly despite wickedly high heels. Her dress settles back around her legs. The book she holds is massive. As large as her entire torso. But she rests it on the desk as if it weighs nothing and opens it to a table of contents handwritten in a language I don’t know.

“What language is that?”

“Vampiric Romanian. It predates the modern version of the language, but all vampires brought into the royal bloodlines learn it. Valeska can definitely read it, although I doubt she’s ever paid any attention to this book in particular. The only reason I’ve read it is because when you are a vampire mated to a dragon, you become an expert in mating law.”

I take a step closer to the book even though the writing on the page means nothing to me.

She flips to the back, her gaze winding down one page and then the next. When she reaches the bottom of the third page, she taps a finger to the margin, her full red lips spreading. When her green eyes meet mine again, her smile is positively wicked. “Yes. There’s a way, but it won’t be easy.”

“I don’t care about easy. If there’s a way to get Damien back, I’ll do it.”

She straightens. “Do you remember how I told you that if I challenged Valeska, I couldn’t challenge her for Damien but I could challenge her for her hive?”

“I remember.” It was only a few minutes ago, but I sense what she’s really asking is if I follow her logic. “And I understand.”

“Do you? I can’t challenge Valeska for Damien, Eloise, because he’s not my mate or a citizen of my coven. But you, as his mate, can.” She taps the page of the book.

“I can.” I stare at her incredulously. “ I . Can. That’s your answer?” I give a bark of a laugh that holds no humor. “I know I said I’d do anything, but how does it help if I’m dead?”

She bites her bottom lip and gives me an impish grin. “But that’s the best part. Vampire law has a very special challenge designed to protect valuable mates from being pillaged by stronger vampires. It’s called Provocationem Ad Mortem.”

“But I’m not a vampire. How exactly is this good news for me?”

“Because this trial is very old and designed to level the playing field between competitors.” She turns around and opens a cabinet behind her, drawing forth an ornately carved wooden box with a pattern on the lid that looks as if it’s been stained by spattered blood. “Every coven has one of these, although I’ve never actually seen it used. It’s the stuff of legends.” She pops the lid to reveal a red velvet lining, three oddly shaped dice that appear to be made of bone, a set of two octagonal mirrors, and a larger rectangular mirror. “You won’t fight Valeska directly, Eloise. That would not be a fair fight. You will both complete challenges, side by side, based on old magic—magic designed to test you equally. The box is enchanted to challenge you to the extent of your abilities, but the magic won’t assign you a task it deems impossible for you to accomplish.”

“So what’s this challenge entail?”

“That’s the beauty of it. It’s different every time. According to the law, your chances are as good as hers. The dice determine who goes first and what the challenges are. It’s all detailed in the book.” She examines one of the dice. “You both complete the challenges and the box declares a winner once you’ve finished.” She indicates the larger rectangular mirror. “The best of three wins Damien.”

“She’ll kill me the moment she sees me,” I say flatly.

“She can’t harm you or Damien once you’ve challenged her. Not until and unless she wins. The magic will protect you.”

“Her winning seems probable,” I say.

Sabrina shakes her head. “Maybe not. Three challenges. Each fair and matched to your abilities, Eloise. You’ll have a real chance.”

“And Valeska has no choice but to participate?”

She nods. “It’s vampire law. Once she accepts your challenge, and she must accept, you are both magically bound to complete the trials.”

“And if I do this, she can’t have me killed while I’m competing?”

Sabrina shakes her head. “It’s forbidden. And the best part is, you’ll be allowed to see Damien. She can’t keep him from you while you’re participating.”

“So all I have to do is go to Night Haven and challenge her? It sounds too easy.”

Sabrina’s face falls, her hands coupling in front of her hips. “Unfortunately, going to Night Haven and gaining access to the queen to challenge her is not quite as simple as it sounds.” She stares, unblinking, at me. “You’ll have to gain access to Valeska herself to challenge her. It must be done by you, face-to-face. That means you must not only gain access to Night Haven but stay alive long enough to get the words out in her presence. Night Haven is secured by blood, the same as the Star of Lamia.”

“Can Cassius take me?”

She shakes her head. “Too risky. He defected from her coven. They would arrest him, and we’d never see him again. Not fair to him or us.”

“Then how do I get in?”

“There’s only one sure way to gain safe passage into Night Haven for a human.” Sabrina closes the box and smooths her hands over the top.

“And that is?”

“You were brave to come here. You might not have magic like a witch, but you have courage like a shifter. I see it in you. You’ll do what it takes.”

I wait. “What will it take, Sabrina?”

She sighs. “You’ll have to pose as a human blood donor.”

Cassius appears in the open doorway, shaking his head. “I would never question your wisdom, Sabrina, but after tasting her blood, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

She folds her arms. “Oh yes. I’m sure of it.”

“Damien told me her blood was… different.” He frowns.

“It is. The dragon blood in her veins is slightly intoxicating to vampires. Her blood is more though. I only had a drop, but it was like nothing I’d ever tasted. Absolutely delicious. She’ll be in high demand.”

“She’ll be drained before she has a chance to make it to Valeska.” Cassius doesn’t raise his voice, but it’s the strongest statement I’ve heard him make since we met.

I hold up a hand to interrupt. “Just so we’re clear, you’re proposing I pose as a blood whore—a human who donates their blood to vampires in exchange for money—until I can get close enough to Valeska to challenge her?”

“Precisely,” Sabrina says. “If you go in under the protection of a madam, you’ll be safe until you have time enough to plan a way into her presence. And you’ll donate to the customers until the next time Valeska appears in public. Perhaps there will be a festival or she’ll allow her people to petition the throne as I did today. Then you get close to her and you challenge her.”

“And then try to survive the trials,” I mumble.

“I can’t encourage you to do this,” Cassius says, that ever-present smile of his completely gone from his face. “If Damien knew we were even considering selling your blood?—”

“Last time I saw Damien in his dream, he was dying. Valeska keeps him inside a tower of sunlight with no shade. He’s dehydrated and sunburnt. His skin is as white as a stone.” I meet Cassius’s eyes. “There are holes in his wings where the sun has burned through.”

Cassius inhales through his teeth.

“Damien asked me to let him die. He wanted to set me free. But you know what? The truth is, it doesn’t matter what Damien wants or hates or approves of. It’s my blood and my decision. I refuse to give up on him. I refuse to cast him aside. I’m getting him out of there, and if I have to donate a little blood to do that, I will.”

Sabrina claps her hands together. “Then the decision is made. I have a feeling about you, Eloise. I predict you’ll be back here with your mate someday, celebrating your win.”

How I hope that future can be. I am no warrior. I can barely do a single push-up. Just because the challenges are possible for me doesn’t mean I’ll be able to win them.

“What happens if I don’t win?” I ask, suddenly acutely aware that’s a possibility.

Sabrina’s perfectly manicured hand presses into the space at the base of her throat. “I thought you understood. Provocationem Ad Mortem means challenge to the death. The player who fails dies.”