Tyler paced to the back of the room. “Okay, someone seriously has to translate all that for me. How does the Marcus dude know about Camille, and why didn’t he pretend not to know anything in front of the other witches?”
I cleared my throat. “I’ve met Marcus. Although he doesn’t belong to Michael’s coven, he is of Michael’s line. He attended many of the weekly dinners.”
Orm stood. “Marcus represents Michael’s line on the council, and Thanatos, as one of Michael’s coven, heads the council. Marcus is close with Thanatos, as they share many council responsibilities. As for Imbolc, it is celebrated the beginning of February. It’s a holiday welcoming the stirrings of spring and the goddess betrothed to the sun god.”
“Like Groundhog Day? And this Gabrielle is the goddess, and Theron is the sun god?” Tyler rubbed his temple.
Hunter shook his head. “They have that so wrong.”
“How does it affect Marcus?” I asked.
Alena turned to face me. “When Gabrielle and Theron are joined, the two covens become one. Michael’s coven could control Marcus’s.”
A screen in front of us flickered, and Anne’s image appeared.
Alena spun to face the feed. “We’re catching everyone up on Imbolc and the merging of covens.”
“The biggest question is: Do we trust Marcus?” Chalondra stated the obvious. “It could be a huge ploy to get all the children of light where they want them.”
“This is the in we needed,” Hunter said.
I didn’t trust Marcus. “If we do this, we can’t rely on Marcus to help us rescue Camille. We need another person we trust on the inside.”
“I’ll go.” Tyler raised his hand. “I’m the perfect choice. Marcus could say he found me.”
“Tyler, I don’t think—” Janine began.
“Are you listening? Marcus is helping us rescue Camille.” I motioned to the screen.
Grady knocked on the table top. “Maybe we should all sleep on this.”
I raised my hand. “I vote yes. If we put Tyler inside, then we have a backup if Marcus falls through.”
“Tyler will be locked up,” Janine emphasized.
“Not if we strike right when he arrives.”
“He isn’t strong enough to do much,” Hunter pointed out.
“Ugh.” Tyler hung his head.
“All he has to do is create a diversion,” I suggested.
“Now, I’m a distraction?” Tyler pushed his seat back. “I’m turning in.”
“We should all get some rest,” Orm advised. “This is a good start to a plan. We’ll develop it more tomorrow.”
“If we can go to Italy soon, I’m all for that.” I stood and stretched.
Too jumpy for sleep, I made my way to the gym. The guards had claimed most of the weight equipment, so I started to run.
“Can’t sleep?” Alena’s voice startled me.
“Lots going on.”
“You think Marcus is a good bet?”
I shrugged. “I don’t trust him, but we have to get in there and get Camille out, sooner rather than later.”
“She’s lucky to have you.”
“Well you have Hunter and Tyler too now.”
“Yeah, not sure that is in the plus column.” The corner of her lips turned down.
“Trouble with Hunter?”
“It’s different with other people here. It’s been just us for over three months.”
“So, do you run every night? Is it a vampire thing?” I asked as we rounded the first lap.
“Yeah, it’s harder for me to keep a daytime schedule here with being stuck inside. It’s easier since I became a full witch, but I’m still a night owl at heart.”
“Some people are.”
“All vampires are.” She laughed and sped ahead of me.
Having some semblance of a plan had me running through scenarios of how to rescue Camille, and although exhausted, I tossed and turned until after three.
“Okay,” Anne said as we conferenced the next morning. “Let’s put it to a vote. All in favor?”
Everyone’s hand went up but Janine’s.
Anne continued. “Okay, we accept Marcus’s help as long as he agrees to take Tyler in and plan the extraction simultaneously.”
“Do we have a date requirement?” I asked.
“Marcus won’t want to wait long. He’ll want her out of there before Imbolc.” Alena paced the back of the room.
I spun to face her. “I’m not waiting that long either.”
“Okay,” Anne began. “I’ll contact Marcus and update you on his decision. You should pack so the group can leave for Italy this evening.”
She didn’t have to tell me twice to be ready to move. I hadn’t even unpacked my bag. It could’ve been because I only had one more outfit, but I’d left it there on purpose so I’d be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. In my room, I stuffed the additional clothes they had provided in a duffle I found in the closet.
Motion caught my eye, and I spun to see Janine in the doorway. “Thank you for all you’re doing for Camille.”
“Sorry about the Tyler thing. It just makes the most sense,” I said.
“I get it. Doesn’t make it easier, but I understand. He wants to help his sister. I would be worried if he didn’t.”
“You’re coming with us, right?” I set the duffle beside the door.
“Don’t think I have anywhere else to go.”
“Things will get back to normal, you’ll see.”
“I’m the one that’s supposed to be saying that to you.” She sat down on the bed.
“I’m seventeen, and I’ve never had normal.”
“All I ever wanted for my kids was for them to be happy, have a good life.”
I leaned down so we were eye to eye. “They will. You will.”
“I don’t know, this seems like a kind of life-altering thing.”
“But it won’t always be bad.”
She stood and paced to the wall. “You think Thanatos is going to give in? That Alena, Hunter, and Camille will stop trying to get the sword?”
“Probably not. But I do know that I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure Camille is safe and happy.”
“My family owes you a lot.”
Tyler appeared in the doorway. “Mom?”
“Yes?” Janine answered.
“Dad, umm Grady, sent me to get your bags.”
“Okay.” Janine spun to face me. “Thank you.” She followed him out of the room.
Seeing the eyes that matched Camille’s seemingly so sad and worried, made me agitated. Sitting still would drive me nuts, so I changed into my swim trunks and headed for the pool.
“Are we going to the airstrip the same way we came?” I asked as we entered the garage.
“Yep. I don’t even know where we are,” Alena answered. “Better this way. Can’t afford too many of these safe houses.”
“You guys look like you do pretty well.”
“Mom’s job is challenging and dangerous, so they provide us with a lot of things.”
Two large sport utility vehicles approached, and two guards got out of each and helped us load our things into the back. Alena, Hunter, Orm, and Chalondra took one vehicle, and Janine, Tyler, Grady, and I took the second.
“Wait. Is this all the crew we’re going to have in Italy?” I asked before climbing into the vehicle.
“No, the vampires will meet us there,” Alena said.
“Do we have any more witches?”
Hunter shook his head. “We don’t know who to trust outside this circle, so no.”
On the ride, I wondered whether we had enough muscle. Hunter seemed solid, and I didn’t doubt Alena’s abilities. Something about her stuck in my brain though, I didn’t fully trust her. You’re being paranoid and negative because she’s a vampire and reminds you of your mom, I told myself. I moved on to thinking of Grady. I’d like to see him and Tyler train more and hoped we’d get more time in Italy.
My mind had to have something to do, or I’d go crazy. I started to plan strategies for Camille’s extraction. Marcus had shared his knowledge of the compound with us, revealing several wings I didn’t know about. By the time we landed in Italy, I had a mental list of the supplies we’d need.
Tyler ranted as we loaded into yet another windowless bus. “This is ridiculous, I’m going to go nuts if I don’t see the actual sun.”
“If they capture you, you won’t know the location of the safe house. It protects everyone,” I told him.
We drove an hour, and I assumed we were somewhere in the middle of Italy, I hoped on the coast, as the best way I could think to get Camille away from the castle was by boat. Half a dozen vampires greeted us as we exited the vehicles in the windowless garage.
“Dimitri.” Alena wrapped her arms around one of the bigger fellows.
“Princess, it’s been too long.” He spun her around.
When he set Alena down, Hunter locked arms with him. “Friend, it’s good to see you.”
“You too, master.”
Hunter held a finger up. “None of that.”
“It always will be.” Dimitri crossed his arm over his chest. “Anne briefed us,” he said as we followed him into a large service elevator. The downward motion surprised me, and I grimaced at the thought of additional days underground.
“I bet you can get a vehicle on this, right?” Tyler asked.
“That’s the point,” the vampire beside Tyler noted.
Dimitri gave us a tour of the facility and then showed us to our rooms. Glad to have space to myself, I pitched my bag onto the bed and changed to workout clothes. Gathering Grady, Tyler, and Hunter, we headed to the gym.
“Why wasn’t I included in this party?” Alena’s voice cut through the room.
“Both you and Hunter can’t go. We can’t risk them capturing all of you,” I told her.
“So, you have all this worked out without conferring with anyone?” Her hand went to her hip. “Orm thought I should go.”
I lowered my weight to the floor. “I’m just getting the kinks worked out from the long plane ride.”
Before I could blink, she had me in a headlock. “And this is why—”
“Hey.” Hunter tapped Alena’s arm. “We should get everyone together and finalize the plan.”
Alena tightened her grip on my neck. “Do you appreciate my skills now?”
“Yes, Uncle.” I slid from her grip as she released me.
Hunter clutched Alena’s hand. “Let’s meet up in the conference room in an hour.”
“You go tell everyone. I’m going to work out.” She hurled a rod at me, and I deflected it back to her.
Sparring for the better part of an hour, neither one of us got the upper hand.
“So, I’m serious,” she commented. “We should have a list of each other’s skills.”
Telepathy, I pushed to her brain.
“Sweet,” she said aloud. “I only have it with Hunter. That will come in handy. Do you know the range?”
“Nope.” I mentally rebuked myself for not continuing to try to contact Camille. I’d tried in LA and then the first two nights at the safe house, to no avail. When Hunter caught me, he’d told me not to waste my energy. They’d been trying for months, without results.
“We should test it.” Alena brought me out of my spiral.
I hurled an arrow at her. “How about you?”
“You witnessed my mind reading skills. I’m good at mind control or manipulation, even on witches.”
“That could come in handy.”
We switched partners, and I worked with Tyler and Grady. Dimitri appeared in the doorway, and we followed him to the conference room. Janine, Orm, and Chalondra were seated around the table, and five vampires leaned against the wall behind them. There was a bank of screens on the far wall. One held an image of Anne and another of Marcus.
When we took our seats, Dimitri introduced us to his brother Aaron, then Fahim, Peter, Thomas, and Michael. Once all the players had been identified, we spun to face the camera and Anne’s and Marcus’s video feeds.
“Thank you all for coming,” Anne began. “Marcus believes we have a window Saturday evening. The family usually gathers every Saturday for dinner. Marcus will teleconference with me. You can hear his feed but he can’t hear yours.”
“Don’t we want less people there?” Tyler asked.
Anne repeated the question to Marcus after she patched him in.
“More people means more distraction,” Marcus said.
I lifted my hand. “It’s how I got Camille out the first time.”
“Is two days enough to get everything we need?” Hunter asked.
Fahim picked up an electronic marker. He described our location on the coast and how we could take a small craft to Sardinia. “We’ve got three boats. All three will go together to this point.” He marked it on the grid. “And then a single boat with the entry team can travel to Michael’s compound.”
“It’s a pretty high cliff. We’ll need wetsuits and climbing gear. Who is piloting?” I asked.
“We can’t take vampires close to the compound. I’ll pilot,” Orm spoke up.
I prayed his magic and boating skills were more inspiring than his shuffling gait.
“So, the rescue team?” Hunter scanned the room. “Jude, Alena, and Grady? Any objections? I will coordinate the boats and be point on land.”
Marcus led us through the compound’s layout and the best entry point and route to Camille’s cell block. Planning Tyler and Gabrielle’s trade-off, we assigned Grady as the point person to get them to the boat.
“You good with this?” Hunter asked as we exited the room.
“Yeah, I think it will work. I’m glad Marcus got us some guards on the inside. Everyone needs to practice their cloaking.”
“We’ll get her. Don’t worry.” He slapped my back and jogged ahead to Alena.
The next day they offered intravenous drips of vampire blood to each of us witches. Alena sat on a stool beside Hunter, sipping a Styrofoam cup of human blood and the whole scene had me sick to my stomach. Abandoning my chair, I stormed from the room.
Alena followed me down the hall. “What’s your deal?”
“It’s an unknown, and I don’t need it.” I cut my eyes to the floor, ceiling, anywhere but to look into hers.
“No, it’s not, my mother has used this before.”
“Oh, when she uses her witch friends like Marcus so she doesn’t get blamed when things go wrong.”
Alena’s hand went to her hip. “We’re the good guys. Marcus came to us. Where is this coming from?”
“I don’t care which side you’re on. I’m only here for Camille.”
“Is that your problem? Don’t want vampire blood in your system? Too much of a risk? Such a herald thing to say.”
“And Tyler wouldn’t say the same for you?” I spun my bracelets on my wrist.
“That’s irrelevant, do the injection.” She leaned towards me, and I could smell the human blood, Hunter’s blood, on her breath. It smelled like Camille’s, and the image of her sipping the blood from my arm played through my memory.
“I’m not doing the injection. Go sip your blood somewhere else.” Nose tingling, I took a few steps back.
“Wait, are you?” Her voice lowered to a whisper as she grabbed my arm.
I pulled her fingers from my bicep. “Don’t mess with me.”
“I can get you human blood. No one will know. But why are you hiding it? I’m a hybrid.”
“Camille’s family is a little sensitive.”
“They’ll find out eventually. You are aware creating hybrids is punishable by death, right? Michael’s coven has your father. You lived with them. How did they not find out?”
“Like your mom said, we are very good at hiding our identity.” I bent down to whisper in her ear. “According to my grandparents, my mom has no idea she’s a halfling.”
“And your father?”
“I’m sure he knows. They’re not together. My mom is kind of messed up. She left when I was young.”
“Let me guess, your dad travels all the time and that’s why your grandparents raised you.”
“Check and double check.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets.
“I’m sorry.”
“Everybody’s got something, right?”
She looped her arm around mine. “Come with me. I’ll get you something better than disgusting vampire blood.”
That evening we gathered in the conference room for our last mission review.
“So, is everyone good?” Anne asked, her eyes scanning from one side of the room to the other.
“There’s no way we can’t do this without sending Tyler in there?” Janine asked. “I hate thinking I may lose both of my children.”
“I could give him my blood,” Alena spoke up.
Hunter grabbed her arm. “Alena, no.”
I threw up my hands. “But if he’s beyond magic-blocking walls, you won’t be able to find him.”
“The vampire blood bond is different.” Her eyes dropped to the table in front of her.
“How do you mean?” I pressed.
“It’s supposed to be a bonding ritual. Vampires share blood with their mates so they can always find each other.”
Face contorted, Hunter knocked his knuckles on the desk in front of him. “So, no, we’re not doing that.”
“Wait”—I jumped to my feet—“we can confirm where Camille is.”
Tyler’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
Too excited to be thwarted by his aggression, I spun my seat to face Alena. “Before we came to Italy, she had some of my blood. She saw you give Hunter your blood and thought it would be a backup. I assumed it didn’t work behind magic-blocking walls.”
“But you’re not—” Grady threw his hands up. “I should have known you’re half vampire.”
“Only a quarter.”
Alena turned to face her mom. “It should still work, right?”
“Yes, it should.”
Orm rose. “I’ll get the map.”
Time seemed to stand still as we waited for Orm to return. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t mentioned it before. We wouldn’t have wasted days planning a mission on the wrong target. I sat with my head in my hands, waiting for the old witch to return.
Orm appeared with Chalondra on his heels. He spread a leather map on the table. “If you drop your blood on the surface, it should travel to Camille’s location.”
I slipped my knife from my boot and sliced my hand, letting the drops fall in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
“If Camille isn’t at the compound, does that mean Marcus deceived us?” Tyler asked.
Anne cleared her throat. “Let’s not jump to conclusions.”
I watched the blood trace east across Portugal and Spain to the Mediterranean Sea. It neared the island of Sardinia, but instead of cutting south, it turned north, stopping at the northern most point of the island.
I looked up at Anne’s image. “Do we know if they have a hideout on the northern part of the island?”
She paced away from the camera and back. “So, either Marcus was leading us into a trap, or he had no idea they moved her. I think I’ll bring him in. Chalondra, do you know a seer you can trust in Los Angeles?”
Chalondra shook her head. “Not one good enough to be sure with a powerful witch like Marcus.”
“Can we tell him the plan’s off and see how he reacts?” Alena questioned her mother. “He’s still going to want Gabrielle out.”
“We need intel on this site.” I wiped the map with a handkerchief Orm handed me. “We have no idea what they are doing with her.”
“Grady, are you familiar with Michael’s sites?” Anne asked.
His eyes were fixed on the table top. “I haven’t heard of one that far north.”
Anne turned her back to the camera and then spun to face it again. “Let’s be honest with Marcus. I can usually sense when someone is lying. I didn’t get that vibe from him.” Anne picked up her phone, tapping the screen.
“Wait,” Hunter interjected. “Only tell him it’s off, nothing else. If we tell him we know where she is and he’s double crossing us, then he’ll tip of Thanatos.”
“Agreed.” Anne depressed one additional button on the phone. We listened as the call connected.
“Hello.”
“Marcus, we have to cancel our meeting for tomorrow. My flight crew says flying is too risky.” Anne didn’t mention the mission, Gabriel, or Camille.
“But the weather looks beautiful,” Marcus insisted.
“We can’t endanger my people.”
“Well, can I come to you or send someone to meet you?”
Anne hesitated. “As long as they are your most trusted advisors?”
“My son, Elia, and two of his sons will be there.”
“Okay, I’ll text you an address. I need your party there at noon tomorrow. I’ll have someone pick you up.”
“Thank you.” The line went dead.
I hated that I wouldn’t be seeing Camille the next day but pushed through my disappointment. “What’s the plan?”
Anne crossed her arms. “If they show up, we make sure they aren’t lying to us. Then, we get Marcus to help with getting some intel on Camille’s location in return for helping to extract Gabrielle.”
The weight of my mistakes hit me like a ton of bricks, and I stomped from the room. I didn’t get halfway to my chamber before Hunter caught up with me.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Yeah, sure, wonderful.” I rolled my eyes.
“We’ll get Camille. It’s only a minor setback. It’s great that we can be sure of where she is.”
“Yeah, but I wasted two days in LA looking for Fahim. We’re out two days here on a plan that won’t work. Who knows what we’re up against at her new location?”
Hunter jutted his arm out in front of me, halting my progress. “But we’ve got Marcus.”
“We don’t know that.”
“Any plan that does not involve some other guy drinking my girlfriend’s blood I am good with.”
I turned to face him. “That would be weird. I’m sure Alena was just trying to help Janine.”
“Alena has a limitless ability to be compassionate.”
“You worried about her and Tyler?”
His eye shot to the ceiling and back to me. “She thinks she can save the world.”
“Isn’t that what this is sort of about?”
“Not everyone can be saved.”
“This about your brother?”
“Half-brother,” he corrected.
We’d reached the sleeping quarters, and I pointed to my door. “I’m going to change for a run. Want to join me?”
“Not trying to avoid anyone, are you?”
“Who, like Tyler or Grady?” I chuckled. “Yes, them.”
Anne suggested Fahim, Dimitri, two vampire guards, Orm, and Chalondra go meet Marcus, Elia, and his two sons.
I hated having nothing to do. “Let me go,” I said to them as they entered the garage.
“It’s unnecessary.” Orm waved me off.
“Give me something to do.” I opened the door as they reached the van.
Turing to face me before climbing in the back seat, he laid a hand on my shoulder. “Get a more detailed map, and find Camille’s exact location. Pull up aerial views on Google maps and start planning her rescue. You’ve got tons to do.”
Thinking my brain had been temporarily out of order, I went in search of a better map. I’d assumed the leather map they’d used the night before was significant, but Alena explained the smooth surface ensured the blood didn’t sink in. Searching the complex, I didn’t find a laminated or hard-surfaced map. Then I realized I could pull up a map on an electronic screen.
“Ever try this on an electronic screen?” I asked Alena.
“I’d never seen somebody located before yesterday.” She and Hunter followed me to the tech room.
I approached the electronic table. “I feel so stupid. All of these little things I missed.”
“You’ve been running on fumes for two weeks. The lack of sleep is probably affecting your concentration.” Alena turned to face the other workers. “Can we have the room?”
No one questioned her, and within a minute we had the space to ourselves. “Anyone ever not do what you say?”
“Hunter usually.” She rolled her eyes and wrapped one arm around his waist.
He kissed her cheek. “You don’t want a lap dog for a boyfriend.”
“I also don’t want a dead boyfriend.” She made googly eyes at him and then faced the screen again.
I tapped on the keyboard and pulled up a map of northern Sardinia. Slicing my hand, I held it above the center of the screen.
“Wait.” Alena handed me a napkin. “One drop and we can get a more accurate point.”
“Good idea.” I covered the cut after letting a single drop fall. It moved north nearly to the edge of the island and stopped on top of an open space. “There’s no structure on that spot.”
“She’s underground.” Hunter tapped on the screen.
“The tunnels could originate from any one of these homes.” I drew a circle around five nearby buildings. “How much satellite data do you have access to? We’ll have to study everything going in and out of the area since the twenty-first.”
“Well, let’s get the tech people back in here. Hopefully Marcus passes Chalondra’s test so we can narrow down the time window.”
Turning my wrist over, I noticed it was nine o’clock. “Can you guys get the tech people on this? I’m going to find Aaron. We can use more brain power.”
I found him in the weapons room. He abandoned his cleaning task and followed me to the tech hub. We could use the boats to get to the island, but we had nine miles of land to get across. A vehicle or helicopter would be required. A helicopter would be too loud. But seeing an airstrip within eight miles gave us two escape routes, air and water. Figuring I could always run her to the coast, I stored that thought for plan C.
Our brainstorming got me to ten. I felt like I would jump out of my skin, so I changed and made my way to the gym. Unfortunately, Tyler and Grady occupied the weight room.
“Hi.” I waved and lay down on the bench under the arm press. I started lifting. After a few repetitions, Tyler appeared above me.
“Need a spotter?”
“No, I’m good.”
“When were you going to tell us you were part vampire?” He put his hands to his hips.
“When it was important.” I sat up and spun to face him.
“Well, lucky for you it helped us find Camille.”
“We got a better reading, exact coordinates. The tech guys are scanning the satellite data to find the entrance.”
Grady joined us. “What do you mean?”
I told them what we learned and about the brainstorming session with Aaron.
Grady flung his towel over his shoulder. “Let’s pray Marcus pans out.”
“Not sure he helps us if he wasn’t given clearance to know where she is.” I moved to the next workout station.
“I guess that’s right.” Grady followed me.
“You think the sword got moved too?” Tyler sat down opposite me.
“Well, that’s another question for Marcus.” I set the machine for fifty pounds. “Let’s finish weights, and we’ll stretch our magical powers.” I lay back down on the bench to work my legs.
“I’m happy to spar with you. I hope you’re ready because I’ve got a lot of pent-up anger against you.” Tyler lurked over me.
I sat up to face him. “It was Camille’s idea.”
“Just don’t think you have some kind of claim on her. She’s seventeen.” He jabbed his finger into my chest.
“I’m her herald. I like her, but this isn’t the fifteenth century. Camille can do what she wants.” It was an understatement. I loved her. I knew that would never change. But I wasn’t going to tell her brother that.
Shaking my head, I made my way to the track. I couldn’t run hard enough or fast enough to get the frustration out of my brain. After an hour, I showered and made my way to the cafeteria. Seeing Janine, I realized I hadn’t updated her on Camille’s location and added it to my mental list of shortcomings.
“Sorry, I should have found you earlier. We have new information on Camille’s location.” I detailed our findings and the working plan.
She pressed her fingers to her temples. “My head is spinning all the time. I just want my daughter back. I don’t understand why they’re even meeting with Marcus.”
I rolled my eyes. “Diplomacy, I guess.”
“I get that he wants to keep his family safe.”
“If he’s telling us the truth. You can’t assume these beings have good intentions. Camille and I have learned that the hard way.”
“I guess the same could be said about humans too. I’ve never really met anyone who was evil.”
“Me either, until Miguel.”
“Miguel?”
I shook my head. “Sorry, Dr. Antos.”
“I let this happen. If I’d been more vigilant in my research, if I hadn’t let her go to Italy—”
“We’re adults, or nearly adults. We have this calling, and we’re choosing to act on it. We wanted to go after Grady and my dad.” Camille wouldn’t blame her mom or want her to feel responsible for anything that had happened.
She set her hand on my arm. When I looked at her face, tears streamed down her cheeks. “How did you know they took them?”
“We didn’t. It was just a hunch.”
A light near the ceiling blinked, and Alena’s voice came over the speaker. “They’ve made contact with Marcus. We’re streaming it in the tech room.”