Amanda Carlson - Cold Blooded

Maggie’s head rose with effort. She was exhausted. “Okay, Mommy.” Her face was even more flushed now. As Tally shifted her toward the waiting Meryl, the child turned.

“Bad men coming”—she pointed her little finger directly at me—“for you.”

Tally paced over a well-worn Oriental rug to stand in front of a huge picture window that faced the lake. Rourke and I sat close together on an antique chaise, which almost wasn’t big enough to hold the both of us. We were in a well-stocked library that appeared to double as Tally’s office. It was lined with thousands of books, and from their crumbling leather bindings, many of them appeared to be ancient. Nick sat across the room in a high-backed chair, his hands clasped in his lap, his short brown curls falling around his worried face. This day wasn’t starting off very well and it wasn’t even dawn.

“You can’t stay here. Not with a Demon Lord after you,” Tally said.

Since Maggie had signaled out the demons, there had been little use to hide it, so I’d just finished telling her what had happened in Selene’s cave once the Demon Lord had showed up. “I understand your concern, but you’re the only one who can help us figure out how to defeat them. We know very little about demons, or their laws,” I countered. “It said I had a court date in the Underworld. There has to be some way to stop it, some information to help my case.”

“I’m sorry, but helping you is out of the question. Witches and demons are sworn enemies. Our magics have battled each other since the dawn of time. Our power is of the earth and theirs is of the blood.” She turned from the window and walked toward the large desk situated in the center of the room and sat. “If I involve myself in your mess, I bring the entire House of Witches, and potentially every Coven in the world, into your fight. I will not do it, so don’t ask me again.”

I scooted to the edge of the settee. “What about a simple swap of information? Nobody has to know you gave me anything, and to be clear, I’m not asking you to join my fight. I’m only seeking data, anything that can aid me, something to bolster my odds of winning a court battle or of finding a way out of it entirely. And we both know the only way to do that is by obtaining intelligence about the demons and their habits, of which I currently know nothing.”

She rested her hands on the desk and leaned over. “What kind of information do you have that I could possibly want enough to risk putting my Coven in jeopardy?”

She had a point. I was short on supernatural info. “Okay,” I said, thinking quickly, “what if the witches made a formal alliance with the wolves? Then you’d be privy to any information the Pack had, within reason.” It wasn’t unheard of for some supernatural Sects to join together during times of strife when it was advantageous. In those rare cases, there were formal agreements to sign, but certainly my father had something of value to give to the witches. I knew he would be agreeable if it kept me out of the Underworld. “The witches could also benefit from more protection, and in return you agree to give me something on the demons. Tally, you know it’s the only real chance I have. Knowledge is the only way I’ll be able to talk myself out of this sentence.”

On our long ride home, Rourke had filled me in on what little he knew about demons and their thing with language. We agreed if my defense was worded perfectly, and if I sighted enough overarching supernatural laws in my favor, I had a slim chance of wiggling my way out—and talking my way out would be infinitely easier than trying to fight my way out of the Underworld, which was our solid plan B.

Tally gazed at me so intently that a line of energy zipped between us. “I’m sorry, but I cannot align with you. If I do, the demons will consider us accomplices to your crimes.”

I rested my head in my hands. Suddenly I was very tired. “But there were no real crimes committed, so they have no actual case.” I glanced up, closing my eyes for a moment. “Everything I did was within my rights. I defended myself—yes, at the cost of their imps and pets, but I have undisputable proof they attacked first. The first imp had abducted a human teenager in a public place. That has to be against supernatural High Law. The second put a knife to my throat.” All supes had to follow High Laws, which were very strict about exposing ourselves to humans. Each Sect also had its own internal laws that had to be obeyed.

Tally rose out of her chair and started to pace. It was a move much like my father’s, and my heart constricted. I hadn’t heard from him in too long. “It doesn’t matter. The demons have you in their sights, for whatever reason. I can’t risk it.”

I nodded once, accepting her decision.

Rourke shifted in the small space next to me. His voice came out deep and rich. “We have an idea why the demons want Jessica,” he said, changing the topic. “The imp who attacked her in the parking lot alluded to her taking control of their crown. But what doesn’t make sense right now is why the sorcerers would involve themselves. By abducting your niece they’ve started a war with both the wolves and the witches.” He moved and I adjusted. “That seems like a very hasty decision on their part. They are run by a council, not an entity. From what I know, they are almost monklike in their rituals and are known to be weaker than most Sects. Why start a war they have no chance of winning?”

“They want what they always want.” Tally shrugged as she came to a standstill behind her desk.

“And what’s that exactly?” I asked, leaning forward.

“Power.” She crossed her arms. “Their magic is born of the earth, like ours, but they have a much weaker gene pool. You have power, so they want it.” She inclined her head toward me. “They are always after some trinket or other that’s supposed to unleash ‘ultimate power,’ and they are willing to risk anything to get it, regardless of their chances of success. It makes them predictable.”

“But I don’t have a trinket to steal. In order to steal my power, they’d have to siphon off what’s living inside my body,” I said. “Is that even possible?” Did I even want to know?

“There are ways,” she said. “But none of them are very effective in the long-term. They are a bunch of fools.” She waved her hand dismissively in the air and pulled out her chair to sit. “You don’t have to worry. They won’t succeed.”

That didn’t sound comforting. Extracting raw power from someone had to hurt. But as much as the sorcerers were an irritant, the demons were still the biggest threat to me at the moment. “The demons still pose the greatest—”

An explosion ripped through the front yard, shaking the house on its foundation.

We all hit the ground.

Books toppled off the shelves and lamps crashed to the floor. The blast felt like an earthquake. I covered my head, expecting the plate-glass window to explode inward, but it held.

Tally was up first. “That was an Orb. The sorcerers have tracked you here. That was quicker than I thought they’d be able to amass themselves.”

I jumped to my feet. Rourke and Nick were already up. “Can they get in?”

“Of course not.” Tally sniffed. “But they’re going to try.”

Out in the hallway, there was a flurry of activity, but instead of panic I heard glee. There were several decisive “Bring it, Baldies!” All sorcerers shaved their heads. Rumors were it was some sort of magic-enhancing tradition—which I now knew wasn’t a rumor. Magic boosting must be their main focus.

“Sorcerers are cowards by nature,” Tally said, moving toward the window. “That Orb came from more than ten miles away or we would’ve sensed them. Close proximity would’ve triggered our alarms. But there’s no doubt they will be here shortly. This is your chance to get out of the Coven.” She turned and met my eyes. “I’m prepared to wait them out, but we could be locked in a standoff for weeks if you stay. They don’t give up easily, tenacious bastards, even if they only attack from afar. If you leave now, you have a chance to outrun them.” When I didn’t move immediately, she pointed toward the door. “Your window of opportunity is now . I suggest you take it.”