CHAPTER THIRTY
Seconds ticked by and it was as though her brain had stopped functioning. Frozen. And then the frost thawed and started to bubble, finding an unexpected way out in her laughter. As Valeria felt Asher tightening his grip on her, probably not understanding her reaction at all, she let that mirth out. All in one reaction of surprise, disbelief and sorrow, she now comprehended so much.
It took a moment for her to calm down again, and between the Layla’s frown, Asher’s obvious concern, and everybody else’s astonishment, she really didn’t care, until something clicked.
“No wonder I can shapeshift. And that Asher grounds me somehow, a sort of workaround for my broken witch magic. I’m part dragon, for Heaven’s sake.”
The vampire nodded. “Yes, from what I can understand. Soren never talked to me about having children. He has never mated, which is not a surprise, weredragons are rare. And being able to breed outside his species is even rarer. I doubt Soren would believe it either. Her very existence is improbable, a freak of nature.”
“That’s absurd!” Violet almost spit out the words. “Just because Valeria’s half-dragon doesn’t make her a monster! And you better not tell me that you agree with this stupid scaled retrograde, vampire! And for that matter, how can we be sure what you say is true? You could be lying for some reason, for your gain and profit.”
For the first time, Finn’s face didn’t only show annoyance, but anger.
“In this particular case, I don’t lie, witch! And if you’re not ready to hear the truth, maybe you’re not worthy of being here at all.”
Valeria saw an eruption coming as Violet clenched her fists. Recognizing the signs, she was about to intervene when Sera put a hand on her fiery friend.
“Calm down, Vi. I don’t believe that he’s lying. In fact, having researched the possible causes of Valeria’s predicament, and how her magic behaved, he’s sort of making sense.”
Violet seemed to ponder that as Sera made her way around the counter to Finn. Valeria saw Ian, who had remained silent so far, slightly shifting, as if placing his body between her friend and the vampire. Now that she knew Ian a little better, she knew that he probably wanted to protect Sera, just as he had protected her in the past.
Ignoring the dark wolf, Sera readjusted her black frames and looked up at the tall vampire. Sera, the little bookworm, never leaving her study, wasn’t even afraid of the century-old being or the wild wolf hovering nearby.
“Let’s play with the idea that your friend Soren is Valeria’s father, shall we? How could she walk among other beings of the Otherworld without being detected?”
Finn shrugged. “I don’t know. I recognized Soren, the scent of his blood in Valeria. I think the witch part of her hid the other. Unless you knew Soren personally, a close friend, you wouldn’t detect it. When Valeria’s experienced difficulties, it may have triggered the dragon part of her, the shifter. That’s why she can function when she’s close to the Sanctuary Master, and use her magic without trouble. Bear in mind that this is just a theory; my specialty isn’t shifters.”
Violet crossed her arms. “Well, that’s just dandy. Soren Racovan is a shifter and old as shit. I’d say he would be able to answer our questions, help Valeria. Why don’t we pay him a visit? Present him with the daughter he never thought he had?”
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Valeria looked at Layla, who swished her tail. “What do you mean?”
The wide witch-cat’s eyes bored into hers. “Because Soren Racovan is not only a member of the High Council but one who strongly supported the anti-mixed blood clause; the very clause detailing why mixed-bloods shouldn’t be allowed to live.”
Valeria whistled. “Wow, so no help from him then. Hope he never knows I exist.”
As she was about to ask another question, magic exploded beside her as Violet leaped over the counter, one of her deadly silver daggers in her hand, and before anybody could blink, Finn was on the floor, Violet about to slice up his throat.
“Violet, no!” Valeria and Sera ran to her but didn’t dare touch their friend.
“I don’t want any of you to be in danger, and currently under my blade, I have one of Soren’s friends, one who could tattletale and put your life at risk.”
Sera dropped to her knees and tried to move into Violet’s eyeline. Valeria knew to wait, as Sera always had a way of getting through to Violet. What surprised her the most was how Finn remained utterly still. His vampire speed would have allowed him to move out of reach, but he remained there, still as a statue, his arms by his side, in a non-threatening posture.
“Vi, he’s not a threat. He’s not even trying to get away.”
Violet clenched her teeth. “What guarantee do we have that as soon as I get off him, he won’t run to the High Council?”
Layla leaped off the counter and went to sit by Finn’s head. “Honey, there is no way to know. But you must decide. Either you kill him now, or you let him live. Just remember that every being on this earth is different and just because his kind murdered your parents doesn’t mean that Finn is the same.”
The dagger pushed forward a little, drawing a trickle of blood from the vampire throat. Still unmovable, his mossy green eyes were locked to Violet’s black ones in an intense connection. The air crackled with electricity, Layla and Sera ready to intervene, until Violet moved. She didn’t push forward to stab him but instead swiped the blade across his neck. A shallow cut, but drawing more blood. And before anybody could stop her she cut the palm of her hand and covered his wound.
Layla hissed. “Violet! Why on earth would you bind yourself to him?”
Violet released the vampire and got to her feet. “At least I will have the assurance I will find the fucker if he ever dares to reveal what he knows to Soren.”
Finn touched his neck where the cut was already closing and got to his feet. “I wouldn’t have told a soul. And you may have bitten off more than you can chew with me, witch.”
Violet sneered. “The only thing I will chew is your head off if you ever threaten my friends. Understood?”
Finn bowed slightly, and Valeria could detect a faint sneer tugging at the vampire’s lips.
Sera sighed and shook her head. “I swear Violet, because of you, one day, I’ll die of a heart attack.” As she scrambled to her feet, Ian offered her a hand. Distractedly, Sera thanked him as he pulled her up and walked back to her stacked of books. “Now what? None of this information is helping Valeria or stopping Lionel Lancaster from whatever he’s doing.”
Valeria thought about it as she returned to the desk, Asher close by.
“Maybe not, but let’s recap. Since an incident two years ago, said incident to be determined, my magic is broken, unless I stick close to Asher, who acts as a stabilizer. My mother is alive and in a coma. Still to be determined if I caused it or not. My ex-fiancé is alive too, secretly named the Lancaster heir and helping my father in a grand scheme that will no doubt bring him more power. Even if under lock and key by the Territorial Council.”
“That’s probably why he uses James, to do everything he can’t on his behalf.” Sera nodded.
“But for what purpose? He tried to fool the Territorial Council, and it didn’t work. And now he’s under more scrutiny than ever.”
Asher narrowed his gaze at Valeria. “I think you’re looking at this the wrong way.”
“What do you mean?”
“Instead of analyzing their actions, look at what they’re doing. Why would they need to sacrifice a vampire?”
All the witches stared at each other. After a moment, it was Layla who answered. “There may be several purposes. A long time ago, way before the councils were established for protection, vampires were kidnapped for healing spells. They were highly sought after because of their immortality. Some have tried to drain their life force, which would increase their powers for a while.”
Finn came closer, closing the circle. “I didn’t hear much, but when they spoke in my presence, they said they weren’t ready yet. Some parts of the spell were missing.”
Layla blinked. “What parts?”
“I don’t know. It could have been anything.”
“Enchanted objects, potions, runes?”
Finn shook his head. “I don’t know, Layla. They just said that parts were missing.”
“It’s impossible to know what they were up to without more details.”
“Well, they spoke about filling all quarters of the moon with blood. I assumed they meant with mine.”
“It can’t be about the Blood moon. That was three months ago.”
Sera closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “No, that can’t be it. Let’s focus. What ritual would require the blood of a vampire to fill the moon?”
Ian snorted. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Sera opened her eyes to look at the dark wolf over her dark frames. “In the strictest sense, no. Tonight is the full moon, Vampires are at their most powerful at the dark moon; their blood the most potent.”
Asher nodded. “Werewolves and shifters are at their most dangerous under a full moon.”
“And faes. Well, for them waning moon spells are the best.”
“But not witches. We use the full moon to influence our spells, but it doesn’t impact us on a molecular level. For us, a waxing moon is better, gives us added juice.”
“Again, a dead end.”
“No, no, no…” Sera turned to the large bookshelf and started to search for something. Without a word, her fingers started flitting over the book spines, searching for something until she found a thick book with a red leather cover. Putting it on the desk, she began searching through the pages.
Layla came around to peer at the book. “Damn it, I should have thought of that.”
Valeria stood beside Sera as Violet flanked her other side, all witches entranced by what was written on the page.
“Care to tell us what’s going on?” Asher ground his teeth.
“Yes, ladies, I can’t stand the suspense.” Finn’s voice was even, but Valeria could detect some level of sarcasm and amusement.
She wasn’t as versed as Sera and Layla on dark spells, but she had a certain level of black magic understanding for her training as a witch, as well as profound principles never to be broken. When she looked up at the three men in front of her, explanations were in order.
“Laws of nature and the universe, the preservation of all living things, blah, blah, blah, you guys know the drill. Same as for freedom under the supervision of your coven or pack and the High Council. Well, what if those rules didn’t apply anymore? What if you became not only the leader but could control everyone, even the Territorial Councils or the High Council?”
Asher shook his head and glanced at Ian who was frowning. “It’s impossible, even the most powerful beings have an absolute limit, a trigger point that prevents them from being masters of the universe.”
“Well, one loophole was theoretically developed centuries ago.”
Finn tried to see what was written on the book. “Theoretically?”
Sera winced. “Witches were always keen on studying and researching. We still are, I’m the living proof. So through the study of magical arts, we develop spells. But the higher ranking the wise witches are, the deeper they explore, delving into more philosophical levels, and one of them wanted to see if magic could be harnessed in a way to take control over other species.”
Layla sat. “It’s only a theory.”
Sera bit her lip, thoughtful. “A possible and feasible theory, and, I suspect, known by scholars like Lionel Lancaster.”
Showing the first sign of impatience, Finn racked his reddish hair and stared at Sera with contained fury. “I can’t believe that this stupid thing is written like a recipe in that book for anyone to see!”
Before Valeria or Violet could intervene, Ian stepped between the witch and the vampire. “Calm down. She’s not the one who created the spell, but she’s bright and intelligent enough to have found it. At least we have something to work with. Stow your anger, vampire, or get out of here.”
Finn stared at the dark wolf and a silent standoff ensued, before he took a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing.
Ian still partly blocking his path, Finn bowed to Sera. “Please accept my apologies. Of course, you had nothing to do with that spell. And I’m grateful for your knowledge of obscure magic.”
Sera blinked at his formality at first and then smiled. “No problem, Finn.”
But Ian didn’t move. Asher must have sensed the growing tension and coughed, bringing Ian back to the present, forcing his second in command to relax an inch.
“Can you explain the theory, so we can think of a way of stopping this madness?”
Valeria nodded. “Layla can concur, but it’s an old theory. Symbolically, there are four quarters of the moon; full, waxing, waning and dark, with each one bringing an energy related to specific beings of our world. Simply put, killing a being at its exact moon phase, allows the spellcaster to steal its energy. That’s widely known but rarely used as the power can’t be kept. It dissipates quickly after the killing. But this theory spins the spell differently. If you kill one being at its determined moon phase using the core of this spell, and you repeat it for each quarter of the moon for each different creature, you don’t steal its energy, but its pure essence. And that essence gives you control over the same beings.”
Valeria saw the men blink and turned to Layla, who nodded. “What she refers to as essence is the intimate understanding of the creature, as well as its power. For example, if on the full moon, the caster kills a werewolf in the way of the spell, he will gain his power and its ascendancy on other wolves. The older and more powerful the creature, the more power he gets.”
Sera nodded, continuing to scroll through the document. “Yeah, and if the caster succeeds at stealing all four quarters, he may be able to control the oldest beings. All of them, if the spell works the way it is intended.”
Ad Violet winced. “And the oldest are part of the High Council. You control the High Council, nothing can stop you. You become an Alpha Wolf, a Coven High Priest, a Master Vampire and a Fae King all wrapped up in one.”
Asher looked at Ian and Finn. “That’s what Lancaster’s up to? Take control of the High Council? World domination?”
Sera flipped through the pages. “What I don’t understand is that, after the fourth killing, he would need an extra step to keep the power of the four quarters. And nothing here indicates how it could be done. Some sort of general spell to keep the power in place. Fix it forever.”
Layla swished her tail and returned to pour over the book. “What’s the first quarter?”
Sera worked her fingers through the words. “The dark moon is supposed to be the last one. And I suspect that the spell must be locked before the next moon to remain stable. So as Lancaster didn’t have a chance to get his hands on Finn here, he would need to search for another old vampire. Waxing moon has passed, full moon has passed, waning moon is up in a couple of days. If Lionel is on the plan, this means that he’s already sacrificed a witch and a shifter. He must already have a fae and is now searching for a vampire fast. Strange that they caught Finn so soon. The dark moon is in just over a week.”
Finn crossed his arms. “Ancient vampires are not so common to capture, and I’m the oldest vampire in the area.”
Violet snorted. “Old is one thing, the vampire needs to be powerful.”
Finn narrowed his gaze. “Be careful who you’re insulting, witch.”
As Violet was ready to retaliate, a phone rang. Asher’s cell phone. Frowning as he picked it up, his expression turned feral. “The Sanctuary is under attack again. Patricia and the Sentinels are safe inside, but we need to go back.”
Valeria grabbed his arm. “The attackers, they probably think that Finn went back to Sanctuary with you.”
“I suspected as much, let’s go.”
But Valeria resisted his pull. “Layla can summon a portal; it will be faster to reach Sanctuary. Also, bring Violet and Sera. Both will be able to defend it with the sentinels.”
His eyes darkened. “I’m not leaving without you.”
“You must. I need to contact a member of the High Council and convince him of what Lionel Lancaster is about to do. Finn knows Soren, he’ll introduce me to him.”
Ian and Asher shouted their disagreement at once. In appeasement, Valeria lifted her hands. “It’s the most logical thing to do. We don’t have a lot of time. My father must be desperate to get his hands on Finn, and attacking the Sanctuary is the last resort to get him back.”
Finn shook his head. “You have a death wish. As soon as Soren sees you, and smells you, he will recognize his blood, and even if he’s my friend, I have no idea how he will react.”
But Valeria wasn’t about to be denied. There was too much on the line, too many lives. “You owe me, vampire. I’m not asking for your protection, I’m asking for access. And quick!”
Finn seemed to hesitate but finally nodded. “It’s true, I owe you. And after I give you access to Soren, we’re even.”
As soon as Valeria nodded, she shouted to Violet, Sera and Layla to open the portals. Asher turned her to him, his hands like bands of steel attached to her arms.
“There is no way I’m going to let you go on a suicide mission with that vampire, Valeria.”
She knew there was no time, she knew they had to move quickly as they were losing daylight, but she needed to take a moment. Just a single fleeting, vanishing moment with him. He was right, it was a suicide mission, for both of them. She knew the Enforcers, and if they decided to follow her father and break all rules of Sanctuary, they would need more than a couple of witches and a pack of shifters to survive.
Gently, as magic swirled around them, she cupped his cheeks, detailing his face as if it was the last time. “Rules are against us, even if we survive this night, we can never be together. But if I had one last spell to weave, I wish it could be one that allowed me to stay with you.”
The kiss she gave him was desperate and hungry, sad and so greedy she almost forgot how to breathe. And as he responded and his arms started to circle her, she gathered all the strength there was inside her and tore herself away. Memorizing the expression of his face, she prayed the gods and goddesses to protect him, before grabbing Finn’s arm and jumping through one of the portals.