Jocelynn Drake - Dayhunter

It was a fight not to clench my teeth. I was doomed to hear this question repeated until it drove me mad. “I’m not an Ancient,” I said carefully.

“That is more a tradition than a law,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand. I remained silent, waiting for him to finally say what was on his mind, but I should have known it wouldn’t be that easy. “The rumor has begun to pick up steam now following your return to Venice and your little display the other night with Gwen. You were never one to adopt pets. I also heard what you told Valerio the other night about choosing sides. One might think that you are starting to build a following.” All this was said with a great amount of indifference and a frosting of boredom, but I wasn’t fooled. There was something he wanted to hear from me, and he was hanging on my every word.

“My actions during the past several days have nothing to do with the Coven and everything to do with defeating the naturi. That is all,” I said sharply, folding my arms over my stomach.

“Even Nicolai?”

A wide grin spread across my face, exposing my fangs. I was wondering when he would get around to what had happened with the harpies. “That was only a bit of fun.”

“As you wish. But the question remains…”

“Part of being on the Coven means being able to defend your position, and I am not strong enough to do that,” I hedged.

“This, coming from the one who tried to destroy all three members of the Coven at once just nights ago,” he scoffed, putting his foot back on the stage with a hollow thud as he leaned forward.

“That was a stupid move on my part. I lost my temper and did not think,” I conceded. My eyes fell to look at the cobblestone plaza, an appropriate stance of subservience. I wasn’t sorry about the whole thing. In fact, if Danaus hadn’t stopped me, I might have been able to pick off one of them before my head was ripped off.

“True, but you do have a nasty past with the naturi. It was understandable and I have forgiven you.”

I wanted to tell him to choke on his forgiveness but thought it better not to antagonize Macaire, since we were currently getting along so well. I decided to wisely ignore the comment and push ahead.

“Regardless of recent events, I know that there is at least one Elder who would not support my ascension to the Coven,” I cautiously hedged, curious as to his opinion. “And after Gwen’s demise, I have succeeded in upsetting another. Even you called for my death last night.”

Macaire sighed dramatically, shaking his head slightly as he chuckled to himself. “You do have a way with people,” he murmured, sitting back in his chair. “I acted rashly last night. The development with Nicolai was unexpected. Elizabeth is not pleased with you, but you did warn Gwen. She had to fight her own fights. Elizabeth accepts that.”

“And Jabari?” Danaus asked, as he came to stand beside me. He placed his hand on my shoulder, but I could not feel his presence in my thoughts. I was suddenly wary of his new interest. Could he honestly want me on the Coven? I wanted to shake my head to clear it of the thought. The only place Danaus wanted me was staked and headless. Yet the new thought stuck like a worm in an apple’s core.

“No, Jabari means to have Mira’s head after the door is closed,” Macaire said sadly as he returned his ankle to his opposite knee.

“I can’t defeat him.” There was no emotion in that statement. It was a simple fact I had known for as long as I’d been a nightwalker. As long as Jabari could control me, it was impossible for me to destroy him. And even without that ability, Jabari was extremely old and powerful. I wasn’t sure anyone could actually defeat him.

“I think you underestimate your powers.” I opened my mouth to argue, but Macaire held up his hand, stopping the words in my throat. “If half of what Ms. Brooks described is true, I think you could easily triumph with some help from your hunter.”

“But that would not be on my own.”

“No one else would know that.” His words escaped his thin lips as a whisper, a grin reappearing on his face.

“No one but you,” I corrected. Nicely done. He had found a way to not only get rid of Our Liege, but Jabari as well. Unfortunately, for him, I wouldn’t let myself be used by him. “I won’t be a puppet for you.”

“How is that possible? I’m sure you have guessed by now that I cannot use you the way Jabari has,” Macaire said, with no small amount of bitterness.

“I won’t do it.”

“Loyal to the end,” he sneered, his mouth twisting so that I saw a flash of fangs. “Even after all that he has done to you. Even though he means to end your life.”

“If I defeat Jabari, it will be on my own. Besides, I don’t want a seat on the Coven.” I didn’t want to have anything to do with the group. I just wanted to go home and forget about them all. Of course, if I did somehow manage to kill Jabari after we defeated the naturi, it would mean leaving two seats on the Coven open and Our Liege standing in danger. It would be all too easy for Macaire to take the throne and create his own Coven.

“If that is what you wish,” he said softly. He rose from the chair and jumped back down to the ground. I turned my back to him and stepped away from Danaus as I let my gaze sweep over the square. Lights in the shops and houses threw down a mismatch of golden squares on the plaza. Within the walls I could feel the humans going about their tasks, making dinner and talking to their loved ones. Just a few yards away their lives hung in the balance, being decided by creatures they didn’t even know existed.

“Are you prepared to leave?” Macaire inquired, returning my thoughts to the most urgent problem.

“A jet will be ready to leave by midnight. Where are we going?” I asked, swallowing some of the horror and anger that were still crowding in on my thoughts. This was why I had been brought to Venice. Not so much for my protection, but to make sure I understood what was at stake. To Macaire, I was being called in for one last mission on behalf of the Coven. When the time came, he expected me to kill Aurora as if she was some rogue nightwalker reeking havoc in a tiny town half forgotten by the world. However, it seemed Jabari wanted something else from me. He’d brought me there for the sole purpose of discovering the bargain, and wanted the naturi to fear me. But I had no idea what his ultimate goal was. After the horrid tale Macaire told, could Jabari truly want me to disrupt this bargain when it could stop two wars?

“Crete,” Macaire replied to my question.

A bubble of laughter escaped me as I shook my head. Oh yes, it could get worse. I hadn’t been to Crete since I escaped that wretched island as a young woman hoping to elude the mob screaming for my head. More than six hundred years had passed since I touched that land, and I had no desire to revisit it and the ghosts that waited for me.

Danaus stepped close. He didn’t touch me, but I could feel the warm brush of his powers against my bare arms. It was like a soothing embrace. “And what exactly do you want me to accomplish?” I bit out when I finally got control of my emotions again.

“Allow the naturi to complete the sacrifice,” Macaire replied. “The seal must be broken if they are going to be able to open the door.”

“Then why send me?” I demanded, taking a step closer to him. His unique brand of logic was starting to drive me crazy. “Why send anyone? If we take on the naturi again, there’s a good chance we’re going to end up dead.”

A grim smile graced his lips, and he stepped closer, in no way intimidated by me or my reputation. “Because I need you to kill Rowe. He’s their leader. He has the best chance of stopping us when we attack Aurora. He also has the best chance of keeping the naturi organized. The remaining naturi will most likely scatter and die off without a strong leader like Aurora or Rowe.”