CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
I staggered backward, bumping into Serena. A scream rose in my throat, but her urgent voice hissed in my ear: “Don’t. You’ll only make it worse.” Her fingertips wrapped around my arm, steadying me, but it was as if the room was spinning on its axis and I couldn’t tell which way was up. I swallowed hard, forcing air into my lungs.
“Serena, we have to do something. We—”
Another cry from Maggie stopped me short.
The Scavenger had yanked Maggie by the wrist until she was standing in front of the Master. Rivulets of blood dripped from a wound on her left forearm, spotting the emerald dress she wore with crimson. The fear was plain on her face.
A pulse of electricity lanced through me. I didn’t have to look down to know green lightning danced between my fingertips. The current pulsing through me was alive and ready. I have to help her. I stepped forward, welcoming the energy igniting inside me. I have to save her.
A strong yank on my arm made me stumble. Serena’s mouth was set in a hard line, her eyes locked on mine.
“Serena?” I asked.
“I’m sorry, Lainey,” she said, her grip firm. “I can’t let you do that. I promised Gareth I’d keep you safe.”
I shoved her hand away. “It’s not your call to make.” I glared at her, the anger fueling the fire that burned inside me. “I won’t just stand here and do nothing. She’s my best friend.”
Serena opened her mouth to refuse me again, her hand already reaching up to latch onto me. I shoved her hard, and she stumbled backward, tottering on her tall heels. I pushed my way forward, as much as the crowd would allow. I reached for the energy inside me, but before I could act, a roar filled the ballroom.
“Let her go!” Ty pushed through the crowd. He wasn’t wearing his suit jacket anymore, and there was a shoulder holster of long knives across his back. He rushed toward the Scavenger, his face twisted in fury. Then he turned slightly and bowed deeply to the Master. “My apologies, my Lord, but that woman belongs to me.” He pulled one of the blades from the holster and pointed it at the Scavenger. “I do not mean to interrupt, but I intend to get back what is mine.”
I let out a strangled cry, but the sound of it was lost in the cacophony of surprised gasps, squeals of alarm, and even laughter from the other guests.
The Scavenger looked surprised at first, but narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on Maggie’s wrist. She winced. “What claim do you have on her?” He took a step forward, sniffing the air. “Oh, I see. You were there that night in the woods. You’re the one who killed my brothers.” The Scavenger opened his mouth and snarled, the feral sound echoing across the walls. The murmur of the crowd grew louder.
“You will return what is mine,” Ty said coolly, slashing his blade through the air. The Scavenger jumped back.
There was surprised gasp from the crowd as Ty swung the knife again. The Scavenger shoved Maggie farther from reach and pulled a long dagger of his own from the inner folds of his shirt. He laughed, his features rippling between man and wolf.
They skirted around each other. The din of the crowd grew louder, an excited murmur pulsing though the observers. The sound of steel striking steel filled the ballroom. Ty moved like the wind, twisting and rolling, always out of the Scavenger’s grasp. When he thrust an elbow into the Scavenger’s face, there was a loud crunching sound and a spray of blood. The Scavenger stepped back holding his nose and howling. The crowd clapped in appreciation, but Ty stood stone-still, gripping his blade.
The Scavenger spit a mouthful of blood on the floor and then made a move to lunge at Ty.
“Enough.” The command wasn’t loud, but it cut through the room silencing the crowd and stopping the Scavenger. The Master rose from his chair, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two men. He beckoned the Scavenger forward. “Explain yourself.” His voice was cool, but there was steel in the undertone.
“My lord.” The Scavenger dropped to a bow in front of his feet. “This is the witch I told you about, the one with more magic than I’ve tracked in years. I’ve brought her to you.” He beckoned to the Guards, who brought Maggie toward them. Her face—my face—was streaked with tears, but she stood with her head held high, her back straight.
There wasn’t the slightest bit of emotion in the Master’s face as he walked around Maggie surveying her. “You are a fool and not worth the coin you think you deserve.”
The Scavenger looked confused. “My lord?”
The Master sighed and then turned smiling to address the crowd. “Someone had been sampling too much wine, I think.” There was a murmur of polite laughter from the crowd. He looked back at the Scavenger, but there was no amusement in his features. “Do you not know your own kind?” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was full of venom and the Scavenger winced. “This girl isn’t one of us. She is human.”
“Human?” The Scavenger looked taken aback. “I swear it’s her, my lord. Her scent. I . . . There must be some mistake.”
“I do not make mistakes.” The Master waved his hand across Maggie’s face. Her features began to shimmer and distort as the glamour faded away. “Sage magic,” he said simply, eyeing Maggie curiously.
The Scavenger dropped to his knees and began murmuring words of apology. His features blurred and his form flickered in and out—clearly a nervous habit.
The Master looked almost bored. “And now, you’ve interrupted a perfectly good party.” He sighed and turned to the Guard nearest him. “Take this underling outside—I’ll deal with him later.”
The Guard bowed and dragged the Scavenger to the nearest exit. The double doors slammed shut behind them.
The Master swiveled on his heel and looked to Ty. “Your turn.” He held out a hand, waiting for Ty’s explanation.
“Thank you, my lord,” Ty said. He nodded toward the door where the Scavenger had been taken. “That vagrant is nothing but a money-grubbing liar who would seek any opportunity to earn a coin or two. I know nothing of the witch he speaks of, but I do know that he planned to use her for his own purposes—to fool you and get revenge upon me.”
The Master had settled back in his chair, but at the word “revenge,” he leaned forward, interested.
“As he said,” Ty continued, “I killed his comrades. They were trying to harm my . . . my . . . I have a thing for humans, my lord.” He indicated Maggie. “That vile creature kidnapped her the minute my back was turned and planned to turn her over to you, disguising her with magic as a witch.” Ty paused to bow graciously. “I do apologize for the interruption; however, I am glad to have been able to foil his subterfuge.”
I’d managed to shove my way through the crowd far enough that I was only a few feet away from where Ty was standing. I stared at him standing there with a posture and formal manner of speaking that were entirely foreign to me. It was as if he had stepped into another time and place entirely. I barely recognized him. Where was the boy with the half smile?
Fear and suspicions rolled around in my stomach, but I forced the feelings aside. Everything will be fine. Ty will save Maggie, and we’ll all make it out alive. I had to believe it.
“I heard him boasting of the reward he anticipated for his treachery,” Ty went on. “Everyone here knows that the clink of coin is the only language those dogs understand.”
There was a murmur of agreement from the crowd, and even the Master nodded his head in accord. Pulses of fear and anxiety coursed through me with every rapid beat of my heart, and a thin sheen was forming on my skin. I forced myself to take a few deep breaths. I glanced at Maggie. She was on the floor near the Master’s chair, her eyes narrowed on Ty. I could tell from the look on her face that she was as confused as I. She doesn’t know either. Whatever Ty’s plan was, he was the only one in on it. I turned my attention back to Ty.
The Master was regarding him. He wiped a hand across his brow. “I know you.” He leaned forward. “What’s your name, boy?”
“Tyler Marek, my Lord.”
“Marek.” The Master clapped his hands together. “Of course, now I remember. What was it? A year ago? Such a brooding, angry young man. Why, I hardly recognize you now. I see your training was effective.”
Ty swallowed. “Most effective, my lord.”
The words didn’t make sense. My head was screaming at me, but my heart refused to acknowledge, to even consider the thoughts roaring inside my mind. Still hidden in the shadows of the crowd, I took a deep breath. I have to trust him. I have to trust Ty.
The crowd was growing restless. The murmur of voices grew louder.
“Peace, friends.” The Master stood from his chair and held out his hand. “There’s no need for discord.” He turned to Ty. “Show them who you are.”
With a slight inclination of his head, Ty yanked off his tie and unbuttoned the top few buttons of his shirt, which he pulled down to reveal a dark tattoo across his chest.
I knew that mark, had seen it before in my visions of Josephine.
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head. No.
Two interlocking triangles that formed a capital M. It was the mark that denoted the Master’s most loyal followers. The mark of the Guard.
“My name is Tyler Marek.” He bowed his head in reverence. “I am one of yours, my lord.”