Chapter 306: Attempted Murder
The shockwave hit like a freight train, rocking both myself and the person pinning me to the ground, the wash of intense heat making my lungs ache, my skin tight. I blinked against the dust blown behind the explosion, choking on it, trying to draw breath into compressed lungs.
"Off," I managed around my gasping. The body on top of me rolled free, landed next to me. I locked eyes with Charlotte, the werewolf Galleytrot freed long ago. Her eyes were a wolf's eyes, but the rest of her was still human.
"You're well?" She asked in her softly accented voice. The thrum of sound the concussion left behind made it hard to hear.
I nodded, gasping for breath, staring at the burning wreck that had been Minnie.
Damn it. I loved that car.
Charlotte found her feet, springing up like she'd been on the ground by choice, her hands reaching for mine, pulling me up.
"Smelled the bomb components," she said.
"Thank you." I felt my hands clenching into fists. Why wasn't I scared? My demon snarled her rage.
Oh. Right. Gotcha.
Mad was so much better.
My hearing cleared at last, enough I heard shouting, running feet, turning in time to see a gathering of witches, a few vampires among them.
Syd, Uncle Frank reached for me, a tinge of panic in his voice. What was that?
I'm fine. I firmly walled up my stirrings of fear. The plan hasn't changed.
And the fireball we saw? He seemed to be picking up more sarcasm. I took that as a good sign of his slow recovery.
Just playing. See you soon.
I cut him off as the crowd parted to allow the Council members and coven leaders through. They all stared, open mouthed. Erica's eyes found mine, her fear for me clear on her face. I had just enough time to feel grateful Quaid had gone ahead with Meira.
Dominic swaggered forward, heading for the decimated car, gesturing for a couple of Enforcers to join him. I ignored him. Ignored all of them. I couldn't care less about anyone at the moment. Not while Jean Marc and Kristophe Dumont hung around the edge of the crowd, smirking.
Oh no they did not.
"Yes," Charlotte whispered in my ear. "Exactly."
My mind flashed to the gas cans outside our home, the night someone tried to burn our house down.
If their attempt failed, why were they smiling?
"Sydlynn, are you all right?" Violet's eyes were huge in her face, a pink dressing gown hemmed in rabbit fur hanging to the gravel at her feet, clutched to the front of her thin chest like a life line.
"I'm fine." I smiled at her, even as my demon paced and snarled and swore slow, painful deaths for both Dumont brothers. "I'm sure the Enforcers will uncover who did this."
That was aimed at them, but neither changed their expression.
Why wasn't I surprised?
"Was this some kind of attack?" Benita Santos looked very pale in the light of the dying fire. "Against a coven leader?" She suddenly seemed less sure of herself. Maybe now she'd realize who she was so friendly with and what her association with Odette meant.
"We'll see." Batsheva was in her own robe, though the full fur gown did nothing for her sallow complexion. "Perhaps it was just a malfunction. Who knows with these normal devices."
My demon snorted and I almost laughed out loud. But the other witches, the older ones at least, were nodding a little, clearly desperate for a more mundane explanation.
Cowards. What had the great families come to that they were too afraid to face what they all knew in their hearts? Any awe I'd held over for any of them was gone. They were just a bunch of fearful old biddies terrified of ever having to consider their little world wasn't perfect.
When Dominic returned, his expression wasn't as grim as it should have been. He actually seemed a little gleeful, a fact not lost on the gathering. "There is no evidence left behind of who has done this," he said, "but there is proof of some kind of device. Which means it was an attack."
Batsheva didn't seem annoyed by his announcement, so I knew they 'd colluded to throw as much doubt on the matter as they could, first with her laying the false normal excuse trail, followed by him hiding who'd done it.
Because I knew who'd done it. And I didn't need a trial to find them guilty.
"There must be some trace." Tallah would have looked a little more commanding if she hadn't been wearing pajama bottoms with cute little broom-riding witches on them. Sashenka stood at her side, huge eyes locked on the still smoldering car. "The fire hasn't even died out yet."
"Fire is notorious for destroying evidence," Batsheva said, waving off the young leader. "For now, without a means to discover who attacked the Hayle coven leader," her voice wavered slightly, as though it pained her to call me that, "we have no choice." She spun to face me, smiling gently. At least, I think that was how her expression was intended to look. All I saw was the toothy grin of a circling shark. "Until whoever it is can be discovered and apprehended, we must insist on an Enforcer guard for Sydlynn." Her smile widened. "For your own protection, my dear."
Oh, the bitch. Gram's voice grated in my head. That's what she's been after.
Gram, what? I turned away from the crowd as the gathered witches sighed and nodded, some even smiling a little. Whatever. They were just happy to retreat to their little fantasy worlds. Let them.
She's been looking for a way to watch you, Gram sent. And now she has a legitimate reason to keep you under guard for as long as she wants.
Made total sense and what I'd arrived at myself. And so she knows exactly where I am at all times.
So she can try again. Gram's mental nodding was subtle, but I felt it. She sighed. We'll have to deal with this tomorrow. The moment Council is in session, reject Enforcer protection. She can't force you to accept them.
I began to turn around, noticing the crowd had dispersed, most of the Council and leaders already walking back toward the mansion. I need to do it now. I have plans and I don't want her knowing what I'm up to tonight.
You won't get them to convene again. Gram's power hugged me. You'll think of something.
Lovely. But she was right. Not like I didn't have options.
I looked up into Charlotte's eyes. "I mean it," I said. "Thank you. I owe you one."
"You owe me nothing." Shapes appeared behind her, moving forward from around the burnt out remains of my car. Her pack was coming. "I'm happy to do what I can, after everything you've done for us. But I must know, Sydlynn-where is my father?"
Right. Raoul. "Gone," I said, trying not to put my anger into that one word. "This morning."
She flinched. "He abandoned you." Her head dropped, nodding heavily. "We only heard of his freedom, that of the rest of our pack. We've been searching, tracking, but the Dumonts have kept them out of our reach. It was only through a chance meeting with one of the DeWinter vampires we were told of his freedom." Charlotte looked up again. "Your doing?"
"Galleytrot's." The big dog's howl had done for Raoul and the others what it did for Charlotte and the rest of the pack, cutting the magical control the Dumonts had over them and setting them free.
Again the heavy nod. "I understand," she said, as though his name answered everything. She straightened suddenly, a look of conviction on her face. She turned to her pack and growled something in a language I didn't recognize. One of the men argued with her, but she barked at him followed by a deep rumbling growl. He bowed his head, backing away. Most of the pack spun and left, loping off into the night, still in human form, but moving more like wolves than humans.
Charlotte returned her attention to me as two of her werewolves came to hover behind her. "I've sent them searching for Father," she said. "But I am honor bound to protect you. As was my father." She flinched delicately again, as though his leaving hurt her physically. "I intend to fulfill the debt we owe. For both of us."
"You already saved my life once," I said.
Charlotte leaned forward and gripped my upper arms in her hands before kissing first my left cheek, then my right. When she pulled back, her eyes had returned to human, her face very close to mine.
"But you have saved my soul." She slowly folded to the ground, hands falling to one knee as she knelt before me. "And I can never repay you."
Oh boy. I reached down, pulled her up, ignored the other two weres, a man and a woman dressed in the same tight leather as Charlotte, who mimicked her action.
"Please don't." I hugged her on impulse. "I'd rather be friends."
She started, eyes wide. "Friends?"
A grin pulled at my lips. "Yeah, silly. Friends help each other. We don't need honor or pacts or deals."
Charlotte stood frozen as though I'd suggested something she'd never heard of before.
"Friends." She breathed the word before smiling, almost shy. "We'll try it."
I had the weirdest life.
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