Jocelynn Drake - Wait for Dusk

“Very understandable. I cannot currently help you, but I ask that you give me a day to look into the matter. This is all news to me, and I would like to be of assistance,” Clarion offered, taking my hand in both of his. Energy zipped around me and pummeled my flesh as if it were trying to enter my body. His growing anxiety was making it difficult for him to maintain his tight control over his powers. The air around us seemed to jump with a seeming electrical current. “I’m sure that Ryan would be eager to help, but with the naturi running loose, I have no doubt that he is very busy. Allow me to assist you.”

“Of course,” I said with a broad smile that exposed the points of my fangs. “We would greatly appreciate it. This city is becoming too dangerous between the naturi, the brutal lycans, and now a rogue warlock. It seems that I became keeper of the city just in time.”

“Yes, it would seem so,” Clarion agreed, releasing my hand. He glanced at the gold watch on his wrist, but I doubted that he actually saw the time. “If you would excuse me—”

“I understand,” I said with a casual wave of my hand as if I were dismissing him. “You may go take care of your business. I think Danaus and I are going to linger here a few moments longer so he can partake of some more coffee and one of these amazing little desserts.”

“Wonderful,” Clarion said absently. “I will seek you out soon with some new information.” He then stood, turned on his heel and walked briskly out of Gerbeaud Cukrászda without a backward glance. I sat back in my chair and stared across the large room at where I last saw him. He was rattled, and I wasn’t sure which had him more disturbed: the threat of the naturi purposefully hunting him down or the idea of Ryan coming into the region to hunt him down for trying to kill me. Either way, the hangman’s noose was dangling over his head.

With a soft sigh, I motioned for the server to bring Danaus more coffee as I turned to look at my private defender. He was frowning at me, less than pleased with my handling of the conversation. Unfortunately, he couldn’t voice his opinion here. There were more than a few warlocks and witches in the room who would be hanging on his every word. Of course, I had tried to use that arrangement to my advantage when I positioned Clarion so he would have to start naming names, betraying his fellow warlock. If he didn’t take care of matters very quickly, he was going to become a pariah within the supernatural community.

He’s going to come after you again, Danaus needlessly pointed out.

Undoubtedly.

Are you going back to Vienna during the day?

Only if you refuse to protect me.

I’m not sure I can effectively protect you against a warlock, he admitted.

I laid my hand on his and squeezed it. “Would you like to stay for something sweet?” I asked for the benefit of everyone listening in on our vocal conversation. If one of us didn’t say something aloud soon, they would grow suspicious.

“No, I’m fine. I’d rather take care of Margit Island so we can get back to the hotel,” Danaus said, fighting to keep from gritting his teeth as he glared at me. He wasn’t happy. He was worried about my safety now that we had successfully backed a dangerous warlock into a corner.

“Finish your coffee and then we’ll go. The night is still young,” I said, forcing a smile on my lips.

I continued our original conversation. He might not come after me tomorrow. He may want to have a few words with Veyron first.

He’ll want to take care of you before you have a chance to contact Ryan. No one wants Ryan involved, Danaus countered.

That was an accurate assessment if I ever heard one. I had pulled Ryan into my problems once, in the belief that he could actually help me and I could keep the situation under my control. I had been seriously wrong and it nearly cost me my life and Tristan’s. Ryan was too dangerous, especially when he claimed to be helping. Danaus and I were far better off if the warlock remained permanently out of our lives, but I didn’t think even that was possible. He was going to come back to haunt us eventually.

But for now, we had bigger problems to deal with in the form of Rowe and his fellow exiled compatriots. It was time to clean house.

The winter wind swept across the Margit Bridge, causing the waters of the Danube to whitecap. Snow swirled through the air in a lurid dance through the shafts of light thrown down by the iron lampposts. Danaus and I caught a cab from Gerbeaud Cukrászda to the Margit Bridge that led from Pest to Buda, connecting the two parts of the city with the island in the middle of the river. Margit Island was sparsely illuminated, and bare trees rose up from it like skeletal hands clawing at the night sky. A full moon drifted in and out from behind thick clouds that threatened to bring down a fresh blanket of snow.

“We shouldn’t have come directly here,” Danaus murmured. The hunter stood beside me on the bridge entrance the led to the island. He held one gun in his fist while his other hand gripped the metal railing. “We need weapons.”

“What do you have on you?” I asked, my gaze not wavering from the garden spread out before me. In the distance I could pick out the sidewalk walking trails around the edge of the island, while old monastic ruins rose up from the interior like cancerous growths.

“Two guns. A spare magazine for each. A few knives.”

I jerked my head to the side so that I could look at him. “And that’s not enough for us to handle this?”

“I’d prefer to have my sword, more ammo, and you armed with two guns as well,” Danaus snapped at me. He was right. I had only a couple knives on me. When it came to facing the naturi, I would have preferred to have a gun in my hand regardless of how bad my aim was.

“We’ll manage,” I grumbled, but I still couldn’t force myself to step forward onto the island. Upon reaching the bridge, Danaus had confirmed that Margit Island was where the bulk of the naturi horde was camping. We needed to clear them out of Budapest if we were to succeed in the mission that sent us to this city in the first place. More importantly, I needed to finally get rid of Rowe.

“How many are there?” I finally asked, when it was obvious I wasn’t ready to move. Thanks to Nick, I could sense the distinct signature of naturi magic, but it was just a large cloud of energy centered on the island. I didn’t have the skill Danaus did in being able to pick them out individually.

“You don’t want to know.”

I sighed, my head falling forward. I had heard those exact words before when we were faced with nearly insurmountable odds in England. Cornered at Themis, we were attacked by the naturi, who were intent on destroying both Jabari and me. Now I was walking willingly into the nest of naturi in hopes of finally destroying them. For some reason, I doubted they felt the same hesitance that I was feeling at that moment.

“What about Valerio? We could use the help,” Danaus reminded me.

I nodded, relieved by the idea of having someone else there to help us. Closing my eyes, I wrapped both hands around the railing and focused on locating my old friend. But something was wrong. I had known Valerio for centuries. I could have located him across any distance at any time as long as it was night where we were both located. Now, however, the feel of him was so faint. It was as if . . . he were dying. I could feel him on the island, but his energy was so weak.

“Something is wrong,” I gasped, starting to lurch forward. “The naturi have him.”

Danaus grabbed my elbow, stopping me from running headlong into the darkness. “They’re waiting for you to come to his rescue. Go running in there and they’ll cut you down in seconds.”