Page 21 of Battle for the Shadow Prince (A Bargain with the Shadow Prince #2)

21

Trouble

ELOISE

O n the morning of November 29, I wake to the alarm I set and throw on joggers and a sweatshirt. It’s still dark. I only finished training with Cassius two hours ago, but I force myself to move. I grab the heavy wool blanket I now keep on the bench near the door and hold the door open for Phantom, who silently falls in beside me as we exit the front of the house and cross the yard to the cliffs that overlook the river.

I’m exhausted, but I refuse to miss one of only two sunrises I have left before I leave for Night Haven. No one in their right mind would feel ready to face the vampire queen, especially after only a month of training. Still, a part of me is eager for whatever lies ahead. The ache in my chest that reminds me of my bond with Damien has changed over time from a breath-stealing pain to more of a dull ache. I don’t know if that means he’s nearing death or his situation has improved. Cassius tells me that most vampires don’t know what a dragon smells or tastes like. Tobias’s true nature is a secret that has remained contained to the Lamia coven. He doubts, although he can’t promise, that anyone in Night Haven will place my scent. As for the taste of my blood, we have no idea how the vampires will react. He’s made sure though that I can defend myself if one gets out of hand.

My chances of survival aren’t stellar. I’ve never had a mind for math, and I couldn’t begin to guess the odds, but I know they aren’t good. I accept that. I’d rather do my best and die trying than spend my life wondering what if .

Damien is worth the risk.

I sit cross-legged at the edge of the cliff, wrap the blanket around myself, and watch the sunrise. Phantom sits down beside me, eyes twinkling in the light.

“Don’t look so glum, Eloise,” the fox says in my grandmother’s voice.

I learned a few nights ago that only I can hear it. To everyone else, Phantom is making animal sounds. Also, just because the fox has my grandmother’s voice doesn’t mean my grandmother is speaking. The fox contains all my ancestors. I think the fox and my Grams must have had a connection, because when the creature speaks, they always sound like her.

“You have a better chance of surviving this than you think, darling. You are the key. Anything one of us can do, you can channel.”

“I’m glad I have all of you. I just wish I knew for sure that I was strong enough to win.”

“You’re strong enough,” Phantom says. “You’re a Harcourt. We’re made of tough stuff.”

I hold up a corner of the blanket, and the fox crawls under and leans against my side. I wrap both of us up with only our faces showing as light spills over the horizon and color sweeps across the sky like spilled paint. I sigh.

“Do you know what happened to the original Phantom?”

“He’s here with us,” Phantom says. “He lived a long life. It was his time.”

That makes me feel better. “If something goes wrong, I guess I’ll be with you too.”

Phantom doesn’t answer. He’s fixated on a scent in the air. Their little leathery nose lifts and wiggles. “I smell trouble.”

I look over my shoulder, back toward the house. A fog has formed over the front yard, but I make out a figure walking toward me. As the person draws closer, I see it’s a man and then grow certain it’s Jared Denardi.

My heart thunders in my throat. I look down at Phantom. “It would be better if he didn’t see you.” I only mean that the fox should scurry away while I distract Jared, but to my amazement, Phantom blinks out of sight. “Damn. I had no idea you could do that, but it’s definitely going to come in handy.”

I stagger to my feet, the blanket still over my shoulders, and turn in Jared’s direction. Fuck, with everything going on, I forgot about his promise to kill me if I didn’t accept the money. It’s been weeks since he threatened me, weeks since Maeve refused the money on my behalf. Considering I haven’t had a visit from Fuller either, the FBI must be investigating them. Killing me now only complicates things for them, right? But when I see the gun in his hand, I know that’s exactly what he intends.

I blink hard, remembering what Cassius taught me about keeping my thoughts from spiraling. I force my breaths to slow. I spread my feet. Find my balance.

“Come with me. We’re going for a ride,” Jared says from behind the gun.

I raise my hands, a wave of nausea rolling through my gut. All that work, all that training, and one twitch of his finger and I’ll be gone, along with the last chance to free Damien. “You don’t want to do this, Jared. My lawyer knows who you are. You’ll be the prime suspect if something happens to me. It doesn’t change anything for your family at all.”

He snorts and shakes his head. “You don’t know who you’re dealing with, do you? You know too much, Eloise. The Denardis don’t leave loose ends.” The rumble of his voice is laced with arsenic and malice. “Be thankful Fuller’s investigation was as thorough as it was or I’d have come around weeks ago. Happy to say, he couldn’t make anything stick. I plan to keep it that way.”

He takes a step closer.

Beside me, I hear Phantom whisper, “Now would be a great time to practice some of that training, Eloise.”

Jared squints. “What the hell was that noise?”

I feel the web between Phantom and me snap into place. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I wish I had the daggers Cassius gave me, but I don’t. I’m not even dressed. All I have is a blanket.

“You have the elements,” Phantom whispers.

Jared swaggers closer. I hold my ground, mere feet from the edge of the cliff and the rushing river below. I lift my hands higher.

“I won’t go with you,” I sputter.

He takes a deep breath and blows it out. “You’ll either get in the passenger’s seat of that car”—he points to the Maserati in the driveway, which is barely visible through the fog—“or I’ll shoot you here and stow your bleeding bitch ass in the trunk. I’d rather not stain my interior.”

The buzz of magic rises in my torso. “You’re going to have to shoot me.”

He’s an arm’s length away now. I peek over the edge at the river churning behind me. If I jump, there’s no way I’d survive. It’s too far of a fall. There’s nowhere to go but through Jared.

“Tony always said you were a pain in the ass.”

I rush him with a speed only possible because it’s fueled by my ancestors, shoving the gun straight up. It goes off with a pop. Whirling, I toss the blanket over his head and gun and then run for the house.

Another gunshot has me diving for the grass.

He’s over me in an instant. My heel connects with the gun and it flies out of his hand, skimming across the dew-covered lawn.

“Bitch!”

He dives on top of me, his fingers closing around my throat. The link between Phantom and me goes taut, and then I sense my grandfather’s spirit filling my right arm. I slam my fist into Jared’s nose, harder than I’ve ever punched anything in my life. He howls but retaliates with a punch to the side of my head. I block the worst of it and get another blow in. Enough to struggle out from under him and stagger to my feet. I run for the house, but I can’t get my feet under me fast enough. A blow hits me between the shoulder blades, knocking my breath from my lungs. Ouch. I go down again, slamming into the cold lawn.

His fingers dig into my arm and he rolls me over, trying to drag me up and toward the car. I stick my leg between his and roll, breaking his balance. As he goes down, I rise up. I attempt to stomp on his balls, but he twists out of the way, right toward the dropped gun. His hand clasps the weapon.

“Fucking bitch. Playtime is over.” He levels the gun at my head.

He’s between me and the house, so I race for the cliffs, straight into the thickening fog. He can’t shoot what he can’t see.

“God damn it.”

Around me, the fog takes on a red hue and ash snows, smoky and thick. I hear Jared’s footsteps behind me, herding me toward the edge of the cliff again. I stop when I can go no farther and turn to face my attacker.

“Use the elements,” Phantom prompts.

I reach for the buzz I associate with fire and direct it at Jared’s coat. The wool bursts into flame just as he reaches me and the edge.

“What the fuck?” He tries to strip off the coat, but the flames grow higher, engulfing him. He stumbles toward me.

I fake, then duck and weave. With both hands, I shove hard against his back, ignoring the lick of the flames against my skin.

He staggers toward the edge, circling his arms. His hand shoots toward me, snatches my wrist, and then he tumbles over the edge.

“Fuck!” I follow him over, the river racing toward us, his coat still burning as we fall.

“Use the air,” Phantom’s voice snaps. The vibration inside me engages, and a hard gust of wind answers my call, blowing against me, lifting me. The magic extinguishes Jared’s coat but otherwise misses him entirely. My descent slows, but his does not. I grunt as his weight threatens to dislocate my shoulder. But his grip slides down my arm to my open hand, and with a shake of my sweaty palm, he loses purchase.

He falls, his eyes wide with mounting fear, into the rocky river below.

The air pushes me harder, up, up, up, back onto the side of the cliff. Not flying per se but lifting, like I’m carried by a hurricane. I can’t even breathe until the gale sets me down and slithers away like a serpent in search of tall grasses.

I peer over the edge, but Jared is gone. The river babbles below, the water holding no rumor of what it knows. But then, his body is likely long gone, washed away. I barely have a chance to feel relieved before black spots circle at the edge of my vision and the familiar hot drip of blood starts under my nose. I raise my fingers to it and the come away red. Damn it! I’ve overused my magic.

Phantom nudges my knee with their nose. “Better get inside before you pass out.”

I nod, snagging the blanket off the ground and wrapping it around my shivering shoulders as I stumble toward the house. It feels like miles before I reach the stoop, but somehow I make it. I’m almost through the door when I spot the problem lurking in my driveway.

Exhausted, I wipe the back of my hand across my bloody face and ask Phantom, “What do I do about his Maserati?”