Page 52

51

EVANGELINE

A ll I smelled were those goddamned roses as I dressed in warm, thick black leggings, a long-sleeved shirt, a vest far too heavy for the sultry summer New York air outside.

Thigh sheaths stuffed full of knives, and boots with thick, rubber treads, perfect for slick, wet rocky surfaces.

It took some doing, but I finally had a fix on Malachi, and he was a fool for leaving me behind. He should have known there was nowhere on this earth he could hide, nowhere far enough he could run where I wouldn’t hunt him down.

As for the note… fuck him .

If I was going to live well and be happy, then he was goddamned going to be happy and well with me, even if I had to drag him back here by the scruff of his noble, conniving neck.

Our blood bond pulsed beneath my skin, fresh from his recent feeding, a compass needle pointing east. I had followed that crimson thread across the ocean, until finally, I found him.

One more glance at my phone app indicated where Malachi had stopped moving, and lo and behold—thank you, Google Maps—there was only one place in his vicinity that met all of Ravok’s criteria—dark, private, easily protected.

Hidden deep in the French Alps north of Monaco, half hidden by a dense pine forest and craggy ridges, the forgotten Chateau des Ombres éternelles rotted into moss covered ruins.

The article claimed the castle dated back to the late 11th century, but it looked older, perched precariously on a steep granite outcropping, its crumbling outer walls collapsing into the natural contours of the mountain, until you couldn’t tell where the castle ended and nature began.

The place had been beautiful once, soaring towers and strong battlements, but the fallen archways etched a jagged silhouette against the misty mountain backdrop in the pictures. Wild ivy had reclaimed much of the stonework, and gnarled roots forced apart enormous square cut stones, the foundations of the once-imposing castle.

But none of that interested me.

What was more fascinating were the rumors that the tunnels were haunted.

That some unknown power pulsed beneath the mountain, like the heartbeat of a god.

The heartbeat of a god. I rechecked my weapons.

That couldn’t be a coincidence, it couldn’t.

We couldn’t track Ravok, but I could track Malachi just fine, and when I found him, I was going to kick his ass. I jammed another knife into my boot and tugged my pant leg down over the hilt.

Picking up my phone, I zoomed in, evaluating the terrain, the challenges we’d face once we got there. Mountainous, treacherous, so hopefully we could land close to the castle itself, maybe on that flat, rocky outcropping to the west of the ruins.

I didn’t know how far a vampire could dematerialize, and almost four thousand miles seemed a stretch. But Malachi had managed. We had to get there fast, before he killed himself over some misplaced idea of nobility.

My hands trembled slightly as I shoved my phone into my back pocket, rechecked my weapons, tightened the band on my hair and shrugged on my jacket. Ravok—or Romulus-had chosen their sanctuary well—and they would have the high ground. They would know we were coming, and while they didn’t have manpower, they had plenty of magic and they knew the territory better than we did.

Nerves got the better of me and I did a third run through of my arsenal—six silver daggers, two curved blades, two short knives for close combat, four glass vials of silver nitrate that might not kill, but would burn like holy water on a devil.

I found Riordan and Blake in the still-destroyed dining room, along with Eldric, bent over some ancient text, their faces tight with worry as I crunched through broken crystal and splintered antiques, giving them each a disapproving glare for good measure.

“Malachi’s gone, but I found him,” I said, without preamble, “I just don’t know how to get to him.”

All three looked like I wasn’t exactly delivering good news, and my chest tightened at the idea they’d refuse me. Everything hinged on us stopping Ravok in time—unless that window of opportunity had already slammed closed.

“I tracked him through the blood bond,” I explained, setting my phone on the makeshift table, studiously ignoring the shadows and flames dancing around both my males at the mention of our blood bond.

“Chateau des Ombres éternelles. The castle is nothing but ruins now, but beneath those…” I zoomed in closer, “there is an extensive tunnel system, catacombs, ancient passages that haven't seen human footsteps in centuries, and the government cordoned the whole area off to keep sightseers out, so it’s completely isolated.”

Riordan and Bake traded a look and Eldric slammed his book shut with a loud snap and a burst of dust.

“I swear, I don’t fucking know how you do it,” he muttered, shaking his head. “It’s like you’re some kind of savant.”

“We have to go.” I leaned in, bracing my hands on either side of the table, putting every bit of my conviction into my plea. “Malachi’s there, and he’s planning to face Ravok alone, because he believes he’s on some goddamned quest to protect me—us. But alone, he’ll get himself killed. Stopping Ravok will take all of us. Fighting together .”

The silence that followed was electric with unspoken possibilities. I watched as Riordan's hands clenched. “Evangeline,” he began, “Nash just gave us this exact information not half an hour ago. But France is thousands of miles away, and we’re sending a team in first, to ascertain if Ravok is even there.”

“Malachi’s there, which means Ravok’s there.” I nudged the phone closer. “ Right there .”

“There are other considerations.” He said gravely. “We’d be on foreign territory; we could start a war.” His voice was heavy with caution. “And even if we’re right, then what we find…we might not win this one, Evie.”

“So we’re not going to do anything ?” I challenged, feeling a fresh burst of anger surge through me like liquid lightning. “Whatever we find can’t be any more impossible than what we’ve already faced.”

“Maybe you should talk to Eldric before you make that call,” Blake muttered.

“Let me speak to Brendan,” Nash suggested, his steely gaze fixed on me, as if he understood my desperation. “Have him reach out to the local clans, smooth the way, as it were.”

“Tell him we’re not starting a war, we’re trying to prevent one,” I argued. “If Ravok transforms… once he transforms, everyone within a hundred miles of that castle is in danger.”

“She’s right. He’ll need to feed.” Eldric stepped up behind me. “If the locals don’t have any warning, they’ll be slaughtered before they even know they’re under attack.”

I pressed my palms against my heated cheeks. “Maybe Ravok can see the future, but once he begins this transformation, what’s the chance he’ll be completely helpless, reliant on those around him for protection? This could be our best chance, since we’d have surprise on our side and his strength is compromised.”

“If this is anything like when a human is turned vampire,” Eldric’s eyes flickered over me, “there would be a period of vulnerability. Perhaps even a period of time where he would be unable to access his magic.”

“Unable to see us coming,” Blake added, nodding to himself. “Evie’s right, this could be our best chance to finish the bastard off, before he becomes something beyond our ability to stop.”

Riordan stared at me, his expression undecipherable, and I swallowed. “Trust me, nobody likes a well-planned out strategy better than me, but we miss this chance,” I warned him softly, “we might not get another one.”

With those words, the truth hit me.

How impossible the odds were, the fact none of us might make it back. The nature of what we were up against. All of a sudden, I couldn’t force enough air into my lungs to stop my head from spinning.

“Be ready to move out in thirty.” Nash strode out into the hall, shouting, “Full gear, two teams of four, I’ll give further instructions once we’re out front.”

That quickly, the energy in the room shifted, charged with purpose. Eldric was on his feet, eyes burning as he strode after Nash. “We’ll need Fiona to dismantle any wards they’ve used to lock that place down.”

Riordan ran his hand down my cheek. “I’d very much like you to stay here, but I know that would be a waste of a good argument.” He cupped my chin. “Just so you know, Blake and I had our entire morning planned out. Breakfast in bed, just the three of us, sleeping until noon. I guess that got shot to hell.”

“Rain check?” I asked hopefully, because that did, in fact, sound incredible. “I would love nothing more than to spend the day in bed with you both.”

No, I wanted more. I wanted a lifetime. We fucking deserved a lifetime.

“You’ve got it, my queen.” He brushed his lips across mine, and for the strangest reason, tears pricked my eyes. “Now for some ground rules. No charging off alone after our enemies, no matter what we find. You stick with Blake, or me, or Nash, unless one of us is injured, then you get your ass to safety. Can you agree to those terms?”

“As long as you don’t make any heroic, yet badly advised decisions.” I narrowed my eyes at them, daring either of them to disagree. “As you males are so wont to do.”

Oh God, this was really happening. We were heading to some strange country to face a monster and we might not be coming back and all of a sudden, all I could think about were the dwindling minutes we had left.

And all the time we’d already wasted.

I’d missed my last chance with Malachi, I wasn’t squandering this one. A few minutes could mean the difference between a lifetime of regrets… or an opportunity seized.

“Well, you know us.” Rohr’s grin turned crooked. “Always wont to do something stupid, but we will try our very best to think with our heads, not our cocks.” Outside the door, Nash shouted at his guards to regroup outside for final instructions.

No, we weren’t leaving like this. I wanted more. I needed more. I palmed him through his pants, and was rewarded when he surged forward into my touch.

“Fuck, Evie.” Rohr dipped his head into the crook of my neck and yanked my hips into his, grinding against me. “If there was somewhere private for me to drag you off to…”

Blake’s gaze was fixed on us, his eyes as hard as flints, hands clenched at his sides, an equally impressive hard on straining at the front of his trousers.

“How long before Nash has his men ready?” I murmured. “And Eldric returns with Fiona? Because I’m not leaving here without something I need. And I think you and Blake need it, too.”