Chapter 438: Belaisle's Demands
Belaisle smiled at me, hands folded neatly before him, impeccable suit perfectly tailored to his short, slim frame. He looked more like a smarmy executive out to rip people off than the dangerous leader of the Brotherhood. But it was the empty feeling of him, the way his cold amber eyes showed only a shark's interest in prey that gave me the willies.
"I thought I told you," Sebastian said, deep voice pushing power ahead of it, "you aren't welcome in my house."
Belaisle shrugged a little, stroked the shining black goatee on his chin as though he hadn't just been told to remove his nasty ass from the vampire's turf.
"I'll leave," he said, "when my property is handed over."
My eyes flickered to the horizon and the dying night. We were running out of time. Soon the vampires would be helpless, unable to fight, leaving Belaisle and his Brotherhood to do what they wanted.
Over my dead body.
Gram, I sent. I need the coven here, now, at the mansion. Tell them to be ready to fight.
A mental hug as hard as a blow and she was gone.
Okay then. At least I wouldn't be leaving Sebastian and his blood clan unprotected. But it did mean I was putting my family at risk. More than risk. It was pretty obvious Belaisle and his people wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it took to get what they wanted.
How could I throw my coven into battle with sorcerers when there was little chance they could win?
Agony, as hot as a blazing sun, tore through me at the thought of losing even one of my family to the Brotherhood. And yet, what choice did I have?
Being leader really bit all kinds of nasty.
"You're coven won't be able to stop me." How did he know? Duh, Syd. Must have been obvious. Not a mind reader, just an asshole.
"Maybe if you run now, Belaisle, I won't have to humiliate you in front of all your little friends." There were times my mouth got me into trouble. And times when it got me out.
Wasn't sure which this was going to be, but I couldn't seem to rein it in.
Even if I wanted to.
Belaisle's gaze left me, went over my shoulder. I glanced back, wanted to curse. Trill stood there, staring, body shaking even as the sorcerer held his hand out to her.
"You know why we're here," he said to her and only to her. "It's time to come with us now, Trillia."
Did she waver? I reached for her, took her hand. She seemed to snap out of some kind of trance, but pulled away from me, stepping back, refusing to look up even as Belaisle's arm dropped.
"Don't be foolish, girl," he said. "You've run out of places to hide. And you certainly don't want a repeat of what happened last time you allowed strangers to interfere."
So my supposition was right. She'd tried to find help before with what had to be tragic consequences from the burden on her face.
"Why can't you just leave us alone?" Her words came out in barely a whisper, but Belaisle clearly heard her because he laughed.
"You have a great destiny," he said, for the first time coming alive, though the greedy need flowing from him in waves toward her triggered my protectiveness again. "You and your brother."
"No." Owen shoved himself between his sister and Belaisle, his body pressing back against hers, scowl so deep it aged him years. I'd completely missed him waking. "Leave her out of it."
"Would that I could," Belaisle said, lips curving downward into a sad face before he snapped his fingers. "I'm done talking. We can finish our conversation on the way home."
They were on the move, the small group of sorcerers, in answer to his unspoken call. Only about a dozen, men and women, but none seemed afraid, not even the two I'd faced down tonight. Was it really only hours ago?
Vampires appeared behind them, a rush of shadows closing in, trapping the sorcerers in a half circle between them and the cold stone of the house. But I knew better. While some of the sorcerers might fall, there were enough of them, their destructive magic somehow able to defeat the most powerful of us, the kids were in serious danger.
Go. Sebastian's mind snapped in mine. Take them.
No way was I leaving. The coven is coming, I shot back. When they get here-
They will be too late to save the children. His power pushed against me as he reached outward to his clan. I could feel his magic, the pulse of it, wondered for a moment why he shared so much with me, such an intimate view of himself.
But he wasn't sharing, not on purpose. Thanks to the vampire core of me, he was a wide-open book. He caught my eyes, shock in his before he carefully walled me off.
Syd, please, he sent. If these children are as important as you say, they must be protected. At all costs.
Syd. Uncle Frank's mind touched mine, joined by Sunny's. I caught sight of them then, standing behind Belaisle, Sunny's gorgeous face twisted, fangs showing, my handsome uncle glowing with white power. Take them and get the hell out of here.
Hesitation held me still while the sorcerers continued their slow advance. I could feel the wall of empty coming before them, the touch of their power, now familiar thanks to Owen's little performance downstairs. We had no defense, no way to stop them. Their power seemed to work no matter what we did against them, that emptiness devouring everything-
Wait. What did Trill say to Liam in the Gate room? About sorcery drawing on the internal power of objects for source energy... or stealing from others. I suddenly understood what it meant.
They destroy to feed their magic. I sent the message to Sebastian, to his vampires, to my friends at my back and my grandmother and our whole family as hope surged in a rush of adrenaline so powerful I had to fight my need to invent a happy dance of my own. But they have to have a source to make it work. They use your shields against you, drawing on the power you're using to protect yourself. Do you understand?
Gram's grim answer was another hug while Sebastian flashed his very white, very sharp fangs.
Brilliant, he sent. Which means we vampires are ideally built to combat them. His clan's answering joy was almost horrible as they began their own advance.
Belaisle must have sensed the change in the air, a little frown creasing his forehead, because he snapped his fingers again and his people paused. "Surely you won't allow it to come to open battle, Trill? Owen? You know how this will end."
I grinned at him, letting out the exultation, feeling my demon winding up, the earth magic Shaylee commanded sending tremors into the ground at my feet while my vampire watched and waited.
"We could solve this ourselves," I said. "You and me, Belaisle."
Oh, please.
He snorted softly, though he didn't seem overly confident. "Why would I do such a thing?"
"He will never." Demetrius slunk out from behind me, stepping close to the entry, just past the threshold. He hissed at Belaisle who started back a step.
Scared of Demetrius? Really.
But only for a moment, it seemed. Belaisle recovered, smirking his oily little smile, stroking the fuzzy pet he had on his chin. "How far you've fallen, old friend."
Demetrius howled like an animal, dropping to a crouch to pound the ground with both fists like a furious caveman. "No friend!" His words were a shriek, cutting the air with razor sharpness. "Never friend." He shuffled forward further, toes touching the wooden casement marking the line between the front step and the house. So the threshold had a meaning, did it? Were the sorcerers somehow unable to enter, much like uninvited vampires?
Because of the maji?
No time to figure it out. Belaisle flicked his fingers at Demetrius as if dismissing him. "You've ended where you began," he said, disdain making the madman twitch and moan, "as nothing."
We were so running out of time. The sky was lighter, not much, but enough. And I could feel the nervousness of the clan through Sebastian, through my uncle and his girlfriend.
Belaisle turned his head, let his gaze linger in the east before he returned to face me, smile widening.
"Just a few more minutes," he said. "Your dear vampires will be asleep in their coffins, or burned by the sun. And your precious coven? Too far away to do any good." He yawned, checked his watch while my demon chewed and fought for freedom, throwing images of his bloody head in our hands.
You're right. We have to go. I touched Sebastian's hand. They should leave if we do.
And if they don't? Gram wasn't letting us keep her out of the decision. We're almost there. I could feel her tension, panic. Just a little more time. But you're right. You need to go now.
Belaisle snapped his fingers again. "I have the mansion surrounded," he said. "Just hand over the children and we'll be on our way. If not, we'll burn this place to the ground and hunt and kill every member of your family."
Now or never. Remember what I said, I sent out again, to the family, to the vampires. They draw power. Don't give them anything to feed from. Damn it, I still paused, unsure. I'd never run from a fight before, not when so much was at stake. And this felt like running.
Cold emptiness shoved me backward, eating at my shields. Time to take my own advice. I dropped my wards, all of them, let the sorcery pass over me, through me, forcing all of my magic to fall passive.
Oh. My. Swearword.
Did it actually work?
Trill cried out beside me, clutching her chest and I knew my time was up.
Heart clenched against what felt like cowardice, I grabbed her arm and Owen's hand. Multiple fingers grasped me from all directions, Demetrius turning just in time to hook his hand around my calf, the others clinging to my clothing as I ripped open the path between planes and slipped into the veil.
***
