Red-Headed Stepchild

Page 27

“What kind of prophecies are we talking here?”
“Big stuff, like wars and the second coming of Lilith.”
“I see.” Obviously, Adam was a few drops short of a pint. I played along anyway. “And what has been happening?”
“Over the last couple of months, several mages have vanished.”
My stomach felt like it had been dropped off a ten-story building. “Vanished?”
“Gone. Poof. No one has heard from them and no bodies have been found,” he said. “There’s a vague prophecy the Council believes relates to their disappearance.”
My mind was too busy absorbing this information to respond. If the Hekate Council knew about the missing mancies, then there was no way I could let Adam find out about what was happening at the vineyard. He’d organize an army to storm the place. And the war would begin.
Adam was watching me, his manner wary, as if he expected me to launch out of my chair and disappear into the night.
“I know it sounds far-fetched, but that’s all I know.”
“I believe you, actually,” I said. If nothing else, his explanation proved he was indeed sent by the council. But their reason for sending him still confused me. “So what are you supposed to do?”
He came and sat across from me in the other chair. He looked at me over Giguhl’s sleeping form. “I’m supposed to find them, and I think you can help me do that.”
I blinked and looked away quickly.
“Sabina? What aren’t you telling me?”
Oh, shit. A flash of memory from earlier in the night came to me. A black-haired woman strapped down to a bed with tubes and wires sucking out her life force like bloodthirsty snakes. When I saw her, and the others, lying there, helpless, I’d felt the first stirring of … well, I guess one might call it conscience. But I couldn’t very well tell Adam all this. I would be causing a war just by saying the words.
“I know where they are,” I said.
His body jerked in shock, causing the table to rock. The movement startled Giguhl awake.
“Where are they? Tell me,” Adam demanded.
“I can’t,” I said.
He grabbed my hand and squeezed it, as if trying to force the truth from me. “Sabina, please.” The weight of my knowledge bore down on my shoulders, making them ache.
“Adam, I can’t tell you.”
“Whatever you’re involved with, I want in.” His eyes burned with intensity. I wondered briefly if someone he knew was being held in that cold room that smelled like death. Someone he loved?
“You can’t be involved. It’s … complicated.”
“Fuck complicated,” he said.
As much as I agreed with his assessment, I couldn’t tell him what was happening. Too many thoughts were tumbling through my head. I needed to get away and sort through everything.
“Look, I—” My phone rang. Adam looked at me, waiting for me to continue. I held up a finger and picked up the phone. The Dominae were the only ones with this number. I hit the button to take the call.
“This is Sabina,” I said.
“We need to talk.” It was my grandmother, and her words sent a chill through me. After listening for a couple more minutes, I hung up.
Adam looked like he was ready to shoot off the bed, he was so tense.
“Listen, something’s come up. I need to go.”
He stood, looking pissed. “What? Now?”
“I’m sorry. It’s important.”
“We’re not done talking about this, Sabina.”
“Yes, Adam, we are. You can’t be involved.”
I picked up Giguhl, who yowled at the rude awakening. I tucked the cat under my arm and headed for the door. Adam grabbed my free arm. “You know I’m going to find out everything you know.”
I stared him down, not letting his fierce scowl threaten me. “You can try, but the day I work with a mancy is the day I give up drinking blood.”
20
A limo picked me up at the designated spot near Fisherman’s Wharf. A few minutes later, it drove over the Golden Gate Bridge. A fog had rolled in at some point, and the lights bathed the bridge in an unearthly vermillion haze. The limo continued northbound on the 101, toward Marin. I wondered if they were taking me to the vineyard until the limo left the highway near Muir Beach.
The car eventually turned off a winding road into a gravel drive hidden behind a stand of trees. The driveway turned into a cul-de-sac, at the end of which was a modest wooden cabin. When I say modest, I mean that by Marin County standards, where a million-dollar wooden cabin was a steal.
I opened the door and walked toward the house. No exterior lights decorated the place, but my catlike vision allowed me to find the path leading to the door. I couldn’t see any guards, but I felt their presence, watching me from shrubs and trees surrounding the cabin.
I didn’t bother knocking on the door, just let myself in. The male standing in the small entryway didn’t seem surprised by my entrance. He merely held out a hand to indicate I should follow him. The cloak-and-dagger shit, combined with my nerves, made my neck muscles cramp. I closed my hands into fists, trying to release some of the built-up adrenaline, but it didn’t help.
A servant led me into a surprisingly large main room. Floor-to-ceiling windows lined one wall. During the day, the views of the bay must have been amazing. But right now, they only showcased inky night with a few muted dots of light across the water.
The servant told me to wait there and left. The room held a large sectional sofa done in cognac leather. An oriental rug spanned the floor under the glass coffee table. A bar sat in the corner with several barstools. Despite its size, the room was welcoming and cozy. I could picture a group of friends gathering for drinks and conversation. But I knew better than to expect an impromptu cocktail party in my honor.
I was pacing in front of the stone fireplace when I felt Lavinia’s energy. It struck me like a hot wind, making the hair on my arms prickle. One second I felt her and the next she appeared before me. I blinked, trying to figure out if she had moved too quickly for my eyes to detect her or just appeared out of thin air.
“Sabina.” It was said quietly, but the power behind the voice was like an echo.
I lowered my head, not meeting her eyes as a sign of respect. “Domina.”
“Please sit, child. We have much to discuss.” She moved toward the sofa. I waited until she arranged her black skirts before sitting at the other end of the sofa. I perched on the edge, not comfortable enough to relax into the inviting cushions.
A servant appeared and set goblets on the table before us. After all I’d seen at the vineyard, I had as much interest in the contents of the crystal as I would in kissing a snake. When the servant left, I spoke. “I was surprised to receive your summons. I didn’t realize you were coming to San Francisco.”
Lavinia leaned forward and picked up her own drink. She took a sip and then ran a fingertip along the rim of the goblet.
“I was in the area checking on our vineyard.”
My head jerked up. “Problems?”
“No, nothing like that. I just wanted to see how things are progressing with a pet project.” She took another sip. “The time has come for you to kill Clovis.”
Shocked by the abrupt change in subject, I looked up quickly. “You told me to find the mole first. Clovis confirmed it’s a member of the Undercouncil, but I haven’t gotten a name yet.”
“Don’t bother. We’ve already found him. No thanks to your efforts.”
“What? When?”
“We’ve had operative in L.A. keeping tabs on all the members of the Undercouncil. It seems one of the members was having an affair with one of Clovis’ spies.”
My blood went cold. I knew what she was about to say.
“Distasteful, really, for a vampire as old as Nicolo Vera to allow himself to be manipulated by such trash. You knew Ewan McGregor, yes?”
Her use of the past tense made me go cold. I closed my eyes and swallowed the bile rising in my throat. The stupid son of a bitch. How could Ewan be so careless? I opened my eyes again and cleared my throat.
“Yeah, I knew him.”
“Interesting. Did you have any friends who weren’t traitors, Sabina?”
“That’s not fair. I had no idea what David and Ewan were up to. And if you’ll recall it was me who made David pay for his treachery.”
She opened her mouth to speak, but I swiped a hand through to the air to stop her. “Speaking of which, did you know David refused to work with Clovis when they met?”
She tossed back her head and laughed. “And who told you that, Sabina?” I didn’t answer. We both knew who told me.
She leaned forward and sniffed the air in front of me. “He has fed from you.”
My mouth went dry. For a moment, I’d forgotten whom I was dealing with. “Yes, Domina.”
“Tell me something, Sabina. Who raised you?” Her tone was casual, but I knew better than to relax.
“You did.”
“And who taught you the skills you needed to survive?”
“You,” I whispered.
“Who did you swear fealty to when you were sixteen?”
I straightened a bit. “The Dominae.”
“Correct on all accounts. So, please explain why you are challenging me based on the lies of our enemy? Has he seduced you so thoroughly that you have become blind to the truth before your eyes? He will do anything to achieve his goal of overthrowing our power. Are you going to allow yourself to be used as a pawn by some half-demon scum?”
I swallowed and shook my head. I’d lost my focus and allowed myself to doubt the Dominae because Clovis used his charm on me. It was time to come clean. “He knows about the vineyard. He plans on saving the mancies and then using the situation to wrest control of the race from you.” Part of me felt relieved, but the other wondered if I was making a huge mistake.
She thumped the goblet on the table and rose. Crimson liquid splashed over the side and slid down the cup like a bleeding wound. She paced in front of the table. “Kill him.”