Chapter 5
Wrong side of the road, damn it. Tori ignored the blaring horn and jerked the steering wheel to the left. Why did they drive on the left here? She gulped. Okay. No wrecks. She couldn’t get pulled over, either. What was the penalty for hot-wiring and stealing a car in Ireland? Her brow creased. Probably jail in one of their castle dungeons somewhere.
So far, her odd curse hadn’t caused the engine to turn off. That was good. Rare, but not unheard of. Sometimes a car worked all day for her.
The drive took almost thirty minutes, but she reached Dublin and abandoned the stolen car near a park. There were tons of parks in Dublin, so it seemed like a good place to leave a car so it’d be found eventually. Who the heck knew?
A light rain started to fall, dotting her sweater. She ducked her head and hustled around a wrought-iron fence, moving into a small store. She paid for a green knit cap with money she’d found in the stolen car. Man, she was messing all over with Karma today. Tucking her hair up, she grabbed a pair of wire-rimmed glasses and perched them on her face on the way out.
Okay. Just a phone place. That’s all she needed.
She wandered the busy streets of central Dublin, crossing several times to avoid construction. Apparently, they were putting in a new public transport system. For now, she used the barricades and walls to her advantage. Finally, she came across a small electronics store. Dodging inside, she made her way to the back. “I need a temporary phone with minutes,” she told the proprietor, an elderly man with grizzly white hair and multiple age spots across his weathered face.
He reached for a box and shoved it toward her. “Take your pick.”
She grabbed one still in the plastic that had two hours and handed over the rest of her money. Giving him a nod, she ripped it open and left the plastic on the counter before hurrying back into the rain. Keeping her head down, she plowed through crowds toward a series of alleys, trying to stay away from any cameras. Finally, she leaned against the ancient rock of a building, her gaze on a deserted park on the other side. She rapidly punched in numbers.
“Agent Franks,” came a low female voice.
“Franks. It’s Victoria Monzelle.” She clutched the phone to her ear, her fingers going numb.
Franks was silent for a moment. “Where the fuck have you been?” she snapped. “I’m one day from putting a BOLO out on you.”
Yeah, right. Like the agent cared about her safety. “Yet you didn’t,” she snapped right back. “I’m in trouble.”
“You’ve been in trouble for months,” Franks returned. “I’ll send a car to get you.”
Tori rubbed rain off her face. “That might be a problem. I’m in Dublin.”
“Bullshit. You have an hour to get your ass in here or I’m going to pull the plug. On everything. Say good-bye to your sister.” Rustling paper came over the line.
Nausea slammed into Tori’s stomach. “I’m not joking, you twit. It’s a long story, but I’m in Dublin, and you have to get me out of here. Preferably by boat. There are cruises that leave Dublin, right?” It’d take time, but it was the safest way for her to go.
Pounding boot steps filled the day. Oh God.
“Monzelle? Stop fucking with me,” Franks bellowed.
Movement showed around the corner. A shadow. “I have to go,” she whispered. “I’ll call back as soon as I can. Find a boat for me.” She clicked off and threw the phone on top of the roof, turning to run. More rain slapped down and she hustled, winding crazily through alleys until finally coming out to a busy street. She looked frantically for a bus to jump onto.
A gloved hand wrapped around her arm. She partially turned to see a man in black combat gear, his face carefully blank. Shit. She opened her mouth to scream, and he plunged something into her arm.
Then . . . she couldn’t move. He picked her up as if she were fainting and walked easily toward a car waiting at the curb. Her eyes were open, but her mouth stayed shut. She couldn’t move her hands. What the hell had he given her? Terror filled her. He sat in the rear of the black vehicle, holding her on his lap, looking straight ahead. As they left the city, he moved slightly, and a blindfold dropped over her head. She tried to scream, but only a mewling came out.
“You’re safe for now,” he said, his brogue deep. “The location of our headquarters is confidential. That’s the only reason you’re blindfolded.”
So he didn’t want to hurt her. For now. Yeah. She’d caught that. Her eyelids fluttered shut. Good. She breathed deep, trying to shove whatever drug he’d given her right out of her system. Soon her fingers began to tingle. Then her toes and legs. Then her arms started to move. The car stopped, and the man lifted her out of the vehicle, carrying her through the rain and inside an extremely quiet building. A few more twists and turns, and he set her down on what felt like a soft sofa. He removed the blindfold and quickly exited the room.
Fifteen minutes later, she stumbled to her feet, shaking out her arms. “Thank God.” She said the words out loud, just to make sure she could speak. The drug wore off quickly, at least.
She moved forward and patted down the plain stone wall that had been a doorway a few minutes ago. Nothing. No grooves, no dents, no rough patches. Smooth rock. The damn kidnappers had found her again.
How?
She turned and viewed the cell, if the opulent room could be called a cell. A purple velvet divan took up one entire wall, complete with brocade pillows. It was a divan and not a couch. Wealthy people called them divans. An oil painting, stunning in its vibrant colors of a sunset over a stormy ocean, hung above the furniture. She squinted and moved to read the signature. Brenna Dunne.
She liked Brenna, who was Simone’s cousin.
A bathroom, complete with marble and gold accents, lay at the other end of the room that no longer had a door.
Tori had to get out of there. Could she use her odd gift against fake walls? She pushed against the wall. Nothing. Taking several deep breaths, she centered herself and rubbed her hands together quickly until her skin hurt. Then she placed her hands on the wall again.
The rock rumbled, a crack appeared, and then it began to open. It stopped when there was only an inch-wide opening.
Awesome.
She rubbed her hands together again. While she’d never understood her weird problem with machinery, apparently she could affect the door.
It slid wide open on its own, and she dropped into a fighting stance before she could stop herself.
Brenna Dunne-Kayrs stood on the other side, her head tilting. “You okay?”
“No.” Tori stood and pretended to fumble a bit as she did so. It wouldn’t do for anybody to know that she’d received a little training, now would it? “You people have kidnapped me again.” Brenna was Simone’s cousin and yet another witch. Hopefully Tori’s friendship with Simone would extend to Brenna. She needed a friend in this place. “Where’s Adam?”
Brenna sighed and swept inside the cell, her clothes perfectly enhancing her gray eyes and brunette hair. Her belly protruded slightly, showing an early pregnancy. “He’s out looking for you, and I just texted him that you’re here.”
“Where is here?” Tori spat.
Brenna winced. A hulking guy leaning against a far wall pushed away from the stone. He had light brown eyes and hair, and a scar on his face. Tall and broad, dressed all in black, the guy looked like pure danger. “Should we get going?”
Brenna nodded. “That’s Jase, who’s my mate. He’s a vampire.”
A real vampire. He looked like he could deliver death if the mood so struck him.
“What’s the plan here?” Tori bit out.
“You know about immortals, and that puts a bull’s-eye on your head.” Brenna’s eyes swirled with fear. “We need to face the Council, our ruling body, and you have to promise not to tell anybody.”
Tori’s mind reeled. “Like anybody would believe me anyway.”
“True, but you’re in danger, so take this seriously.” Tension lines creased the edge of Brenna’s full mouth. She ushered Tori out the door and down a long hallway, where the vampire waited.
Tori cleared her throat. “What’s the Council?”
“Council of the Coven Nine, which leads the witch nation,” Brenna whispered. “I’m a member, but because of my ties to Simone I’ve been relieved of duties, as she faces treason charges. Or rather, the conviction.” Brenna reached another blank wall, tapped in the middle of nothing, and the rock slid open.
“What the heck is up with all the invisible rock doors?” Tori muttered.
“Amen, sister,” the vampire said from behind her, his voice hoarse in a totally inappropriate and too-sexy way.
A cold breeze swept through the hallway. Tori shivered. Another wall, another doorway, and she entered what could only be called chambers that looked like a modern courtroom, save for the stone everywhere. “Where’s Harry Potter?” she murmured.
The vampire burst out laughing behind her.
Brenna elbowed her. “Try to take this seriously. These people have the power to cut off your head and will do so without losing a second of sleep.”
The humor had been an attempt to keep Tori from screaming in a total panic attack. Gut instinct told her this was deadly serious, but she couldn’t just drop to her knees and freak out, now could she? She’d been so damn close to escaping them earlier, she’d surely get another chance soon. So she took her place behind a stone table.
“I’ll be up over to the side just to watch the proceedings.” Brenna sounded rather peeved as she nodded to the stone bench. The room was kind of similar to the chambers of the Supreme Court of the United States, which Tori had seen on a tour a year or so previous.
Tori nodded.
Brenna glided across the room and up some steps to sit in a chair over to the side. Another freakin’ invisible door opened, and three people walked in and seated themselves on the dais like judges in a courtroom. Two men and one woman.
“Why are there six empty seats, um, Mr. Vampire?” Tori whispered to the guy remaining at her side.
“Call me Jase.” He stood next to her, big and dangerous, and she was very glad he seemed to be on her side. “This is all that’s left of the Council right now.”
She’d heard that before, but it seemed more ominous now. “I’m an American citizen, and my country won’t like this.”
“Aye.” Brenna gave her a look. The one that said Shut the fuck up, you’re in enough trouble. Tori had seen it her entire life and could read that one easily. So she gave a look back that said You are so going to explain everything after this if I don’t die.
Brenna nodded, in perfect sync.
The judge in the middle, a guy handsome in a too-smooth way, banged down a gavel. “I’m Peter Gallagher, and we seem to have a problem with your knowing about our people, Miss Monzelle.”
Jase angled his body in a subtle way that somehow put Tori a little bit behind him. “I vouch for her honor and that she won’t speak a word. In addition, her sister is mated to an Enforcer, which makes her family.”
Peter’s eyes flashed dark and deep. “I don’t appreciate a vampire being her representation here. It’s as if the vampire nation is taking a stance in a matter that does not concern it, especially since some think we’re now at war.”
“Yeppers.” Jase settled his stance.
Tori fought an incredibly inopportune giggle. The vampire had said yeppers. It was nice to be with another total smart-ass. A good guy, that vampire.
Another man with slicked-back dark hair and intelligent eyes came in from the side wall, holding a stack of papers. “Sorry to be late. We have an issue with the bear nation, as you can imagine.” He read through the file, looking just like a human prosecutor. “The human knows too much, and I’ve prepared the proper confidentiality papers for her to sign.”
Not a problem. Tori smiled at him.
Peter cleared his throat. “We’re under attack and most likely going to war. Papers won’t do it. We must eliminate all threats right now.”
Jase jerked next to her.
Tori reared back. The guy was so matter-of-fact about killing her. “I object.”
Peter’s lips tightened into a white line. “This isn’t a US courtroom. No objections.”
Tori slammed her hands on her hips. “I disagree. If everyone wants to eliminate me, I definitely object.”
Jase coughed. “I get that. Don’t you all get that?”
She tried to find the exit.
Peter banged the gavel. “I don’t think you two are taking this seriously enough. Miss Monzelle, we can’t have you telling people about us.”
Tori nodded. “I understand, but come on. Nobody would believe me, so you have nothing to worry about.” She gestured around. “Plus, you’re witches and are immortal. How scared could you be?”
“Very,” Peter said. “Humans outnumber us by a ridiculous amount, and while we’re more powerful, it would be a disaster if they came after us.”
“Why not just get rid of humans?” Tori asked, her curiosity taking over.
“Vampires are male only, demons have few females, and immortal species often find mates within the human population,” Peter answered.
Mates? Her mind flashed right to Adam, and her face heated. Concentrate, damn it. While she might be able to use her oddity to open one of the secret doors, there had to be guards with guns and fire on the other side. Her only allies were Jase and Brenna . . . and her enemies outnumbered them.
Adrenaline flowed through her. Her palms grew slick with sweat. These people could actually kill her, and nobody would ever know what had happened to her. Sure, her sister would search far and wide, but even she probably didn’t know about this odd council chamber. “I promise I won’t tell anybody about you.”
The man who seemed to be a prosecutor cleared his throat. “I understand we’re in difficult times, but it’s not our way to put a human to death simply for knowing too much. These papers should suffice.”
The lone woman on the council, a pretty one with dark hair, slowly nodded. “I concur. We don’t just murder people.”
The third guy simply watched the proceedings, his eyes almost bored.
Peter straightened his tie. “I’m sorry, but we’re basically at war right now, with more enemies than we know.” He gave Jase a hard glare. “Including the Realm, as well as the bear and dragon nations.”
Bears and dragons were nations. Tori shook her head. She’d taken an acid trip once that wasn’t this interesting. “I give you my word.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t take the risk,” Peter said. “I’m recommending death.”
Jase shook his head. “This is unprecedented. What’s your game, Pete?”
There were way too many undercurrents going on. Tori tried to clear her mind. “You can’t just put me to death.”
The side door opened again, and Adam Dunne stalked into the room, raw fury across his rugged face. “There will be no death.”
Tori nearly leaped into his arms. Thank God. Adam could handle anything. “Adam,” she whispered.
He didn’t spare her a glance. “This atrocity stops right damn now.” He faced the Council, not one ounce of fear in his posture. In fact, he kind of looked like he was about to throw fire at the lot of them.
Peter reared up, his face turning a motley shade of red. “Adam Dunne, you are an Enforcer for the Coven Nine, currently our only Enforcer, and you will damn well behave like one.”
Adam put his hands on his very fit hips. “I don’t give one fuck what my job is. You will not kill this human. She’s sister to my brother’s mate, and thus she’s protected.”
Tori shuffled her feet. “They’re all kind of inbred, aren’t they?” she whispered to Jase.
He barked out another laugh.
Adam cut a hard look her way that instantly shot awareness through her. “Not another word.”
Once again, she could see the predator beneath Adam’s intelligence and arrogance. Crossing him was dangerous—she knew that firsthand. But still. “You people are crazy,” she muttered, loud enough for just him to hear. A girl had her pride, after all.
He pinned her with a hard stare, apparently not giving one shit about anybody else in the room.
Heat climbed into her face, and her knees wobbled, but she didn’t lower her gaze. Her eyes started to water, but she couldn’t give in.
The gavel banged down, and Tori jumped, facing Peter.
Adam turned toward the Council. “I’ll vouch for the human.”
“Good,” the female councilwoman said.
“No, Nessa.” Peter shook his head. “Not good enough, I’m afraid.”
Adam straightened his shoulders, looking even bigger than usual. “You are not serious.”
Peter shrugged. “I am. At this difficult time, we need assurances, especially since you’re the only Enforcer who isn’t currently wanted for arrest by the Guard.”
Tori opened her mouth to protest again, and Jase silenced her with a hand on her arm. “Shhh. This is just getting good,” he mouthed.
She frowned.
Peter lifted an eyebrow. “I’m glad you think so, Prince Kayrs, because the former Enforcers should be taught they won’t be given any leeway, nor will their family members. The human needs to be killed.”
Brenna gasped and paled. “That’s crazy. What is wrong with you, Peter?”
Jase caught his breath. And Adam Dunne, the silent, thoughtful one, growled low and hard.
The sound vibrated right through Tori to land hard in her abdomen. What in the world?
Adam was somehow at Tori’s side without seeming to move. He manacled Tori’s arm. “I’ll mate the human.”
Brenna stood, her pretty face flushed. “Adam. That’s sweet of you, but you can’t tie yourself to somebody because of blackmail.” She nodded at Tori. “Same with Tori. Nobody should be forced into mating.”
Tori tried to jerk free, with absolutely no success. “The human says no mating.” Why was everybody actually using a world like mating? It wasn’t like they were baboons, for goodness’ sake.
“Then the human dies,” Peter said gently.
Adam tugged Tori into his side. “I, Adam Dunne, Enforcer for the Council of the Coven Nine, give you my solemn vow I will mate this human and thus negate her threat.”
“So be it.” Peter crashed the gavel down. “You have twenty-four hours to mate, or you’ve committed treason—much like the rest of your family.”
Tori shoved against Adam. “Oh, hell no.”
Adam pivoted, ducked, and tossed her over his shoulder. Again. The position was actually becoming familiar, and that ticked her right off. The air blew out of her lungs, and she gasped. Without another word, he strode toward the wall, which of course opened.
Tori kicked hard, struggling. How in the world had her life ended up in chaos like this? “Put me down.”
He didn’t say a word and completely failed to comply.
They maneuvered through tunnels, and the air turned first chilly and then warmer. Finally, after moving through another wall, they ended up at the back of a stone building, where a motorcycle waited on the curb.
Adam flipped her over so she could stand.
She hissed and pressed both hands to her hips. “I am not mating you.”
He straightened up and gave her another one of those hard looks. “I’m afraid you are, darlin’.”