chapter 10

Within hours, Emily found herself unarmed and standing on an airplane runway between a vampire and a ‘complicated’ man who could turn into the world’s biggest wolf. She was feeling slightly dazed and unreal. Everything happening seemed to have a dream-like quality.

Behind them, a small white hanger stood in shadows. In front of them, a small plane taxied to a halt like a weird cab. The hatch opened to show a man she’d never seen.

His hair was long, similar to Paoli’s shoulder length.

She wondered absently if that meant they were from the same time period. She eyed Paoli critically. She turned to look at William, wondering about his age, and found he was scowling at her for some reason. She scowled back in response, and returned her attention to the pilot, who made his way quickly to them.

Once he stopped and exchanged greetings with Paoli, his attention turned to her in a way that was just unnerving. His body didn’t seem to move, but his head looked like it was rotating on an axis, and there was something she didn’t like in his eyes.

The man gave her the creeps.

He stared at her with a smile that looked more reminiscent of a fat man at a buffet. His long fangs were clearly visible.

Vampire.

Again, she glanced at Paoli, who was, after all, a vampire, as well.

But where Paoli was friendly and light and carried his condition effortlessly, this man looked much more like what a person would expect a vampire to. Especially his eyes. They were dead, hungry eyes.

Unconsciously, she moved closer to William’s side.

“This is the girl I was referring to,” Paoli said, pulling the man’s attention back to him as he indicated an obviously tranced Amber, who was standing like a zombie on his other side.

The man moved over to look more closely at Amber. He hunched down so he was eye-level with her, and moved his hand in front of her face, as if checking to see how well tranced she was. Apparently satisfied, he stood back up and looked at Paoli. “And you want me to take her to Lycaon’s people?”

He waited for Paoli to nod in agreement.

“All right. I’ll keep her in the cockpit with me, then, and manage her for you when we arrive,” said the creepy pilot.

“Perfect. Thank you, Walter,” Paoli said, politely but dismissively.

The three of them watched Amber be led onto the small aircraft by a night-flying stranger.

Emily found herself shaking her head at the strangeness of it all. Two days ago, her life had seemed so much of the same. She was simply chasing her sister into yet another mess she’d gotten herself into.

Now here she was.

She felt a bit like Alice down the rabbit hole.

But this was it.

It was the last time.

If she got out of this one, Amber was on her own.

Nearly half her life had been spent chasing her; finding her when she ran away from home, bailing her out of jail, coaxing her out of a cult. Each time it seemed she, Emily, was the one who got the worst of it while Amber flittered off again to the next disaster.

It was time to sever the relationship.

Past time, really.

This one last time she would muster her courage and put on a brave face.

But honestly, she was terrified. She couldn’t help feeling there may be no coming back for her this time.

William’s eyes had been gold all evening, and she’d figured out that meant his wolf was close to the surface. He was ready for trouble. Paoli had been forcing smiles, and was overly talkative, which she quickly understood meant he was nervous, as well. Couple all of that with the fact she was being whisked away on a rickety little aircraft to fly halfway around the world to the government of the world’s monsters, and terrified was putting it lightly.

Her legs were like rubber.

She wondered again how she’d ever let them talk her into this.

Then she remembered Paoli’s warning that she could either come of her own accord, or he and William could bring two tranced women. Either way, she was coming.

She’d quickly decided she preferred to remain in control of her own body, so poof!

Here she was.

She spared a dark glare at Paoli.

William’s warm hand was on the small of her back—such a small, but somehow comforting thing—and he gently urged her toward the steps of the plane.

Paoli walked, or glided was a better word—apparently he forgot to act human when he was nervous—ahead and turned to offer a hand to her when her feet touched the first step.

Her own hand trembled when she reached for his, and he gave her a gentle and somewhat encouraging smile as he helped her onto the plane.

It was a tight little craft with only three rows of seats, and just enough room for six passengers and two pilots, though tonight they only had one pilot and Amber in the front. It was certainly not a craft designed for comfort, or to make a person feel particularly safe. Maybe they’d fall out of the sky and not have to worry about the Coven at all.

Emily settled nervously into a seat with William right beside her and Paoli across the aisle.

William was staring out the window into nothing, clearly brooding.

It didn’t escape her notice he was carrying an arsenal of weapons, including the twin hand sickles he’d used at the wolf’s den. When she questioned him about it, he’d simply assured her it was purely precautionary. Somehow, she wasn’t buying it, and resented that he could carry enough weapons for an army, while she wasn’t allowed as much as her gun for protection.

The trio was silent during takeoff, but when the plane righted itself and the flight became smooth again, she could bear the weight of silence no more. She wanted answers.

She turned to Paoli and opened her mouth to speak, but found he was facing forward, his face slack, and his eyes completely white. For a second, she was taken aback. Her quick jerk away from him must have disturbed William’s brooding, because he leaned across her and smacked Paoli in the back of the head.

Immediately, the white cleared from Paoli’s eyes, and he seemed to almost—reanimate. His head snapped toward William, and there was clear annoyance in his gaze.

“Knock it off,” William said, ignoring Paoli’s irritation. “You’re scaring Emily.”

Paoli spared William another dirty look before he turned his attention to Emily with an apologetic smile. “I was just looking for—” he broke off and gave a deep sigh. “Never mind,” he said vaguely. “I apologize for startling you.”

He gave his elegant apology, then shot yet another dirty look to William, who returned it with a tight smile.

Emily gave them both a quizzical look, but decided they had more important things to discuss than Paoli’s odd behavior. “Are we heading into certain doom here?” She tried to break the tension by asking it as a half-joke.

“Not certain,” Paoli returned in the same light manner, as though they were discussing nothing more important than the weather.

“But it could be—well—unpleasant,” William added. His tone lacked the lightness of the others. “The Coven isn’t exactly known for their leniency. An order was given, and they expected it to be followed. This is the first time I’ve ever failed to follow an order. We really don’t know what to expect.”

Emily considered his words. ‘Not known for their leniency’ didn’t sound good to her. “Are you saying we could all be killed because of Amber?”

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” William said. “For me, this isn’t about your sister. It’s about you.” He held her gaze, and there was a deeper meaning in his eyes than she understood.

“What do you mean?” She asked with a frown.

“If not for you, I would have executed Amber and gone on my way,” he answered simply.

“And now, because of me, you’re prepared for war?” She asked.

If something happened to either of them because of her, she’d never be able to live with the guilt. If the Coven people let her live at all, that was.

He held her gaze for a long moment and she felt a thrill run through her belly.

“I’m ready to protect the things that matter to me. It’s just a precaution,” he said.

There was no doubt in her mind he meant her.

“How scared should I be?” She asked of Paoli specifically. William was likely to say something cryptic to make her feel better, and she needed the flat truth.

Paoli seemed to consider the question for a moment. “Remember when I told you there were prices you couldn’t even guess at?” He asked.

He waited for her to nod.

“I hope you really meant it when you said you’d do anything,” he said.

Emily swallowed hard and leaned back against her seat. Maybe she didn’t want the flat truth, after all. “Is it too late to ask for the sugar-coated version?” she asked with a little laugh.

William brushed her fingers with his own, and the contact sent a tingle all the way up her arm.

“You aren’t alone. We’ll defend you to the death, if it comes to that,” he said.

Her eyes sought first William’s steady gaze, then Paoli’s. She saw nothing but raw honesty in both men. It wasn’t just empty words. They were ready to risk their lives for her. It was a very humbling feeling. “Why?” She asked in a small voice. “You barely know me.”

William ignored Paoli’s presence and cupped her face in his hands. His gaze bore deeply into hers. “This isn’t the human world, Emily. Things are different for us. Look into my eyes and tell me you don’t already know the answer. You may not have the words, but you know, just the same,” he said.

She couldn’t look away from the intensity in his eyes.

His hands were large and rough against her skin, but so gentle when he touched her. She’d seen him take a life without hesitation. She’d seen him kill. But never in her life had she felt so protected or safe. It made no sense, especially in light of the situation she found herself in.

She was flying off to enter the government of monsters, unsure if she was to live or die, but the truth was right there in his eyes. She may have just met him—and Paoli, too—but they were willing to die to keep her safe. The knowledge left her with more questions than answers.

But that at least, she knew.

“I don’t understand what’s happening,” she whispered, and for some reason, tears stung her eyes.

“I’m a little lost here, too,” William admitted.

The rest of the flight went by amazingly fast.

Paoli told her it would take eleven hours to reach their destination, but it went by in a blur and was over almost as soon as it started. At least it seemed that way to her. She dozed off at some point. A change in the feel of the plane disturbed her rest. When she woke up, Paoli’s face was slack again, his eyes far off and white.

William was staring through the window again.

She took the opportunity to just look at him.

He was like the darkest fantasy of every woman’s mind. Dangerous, mysterious, and too handsome for words.

“We’ve landed,” he announced suddenly, then looked at her and gave a knowing smile.

Emily’s cheeks burned when she realized she’d been caught staring at him. Luckily, her embarrassment didn’t last long.

William quickly ushered both she and Paoli from the plane.

She stepped out into the unexpectedly freezing Romanian air and gasped at the cold blast that bit at her. Her nostrils seemed to freeze together, and she had to breathe through her mouth. It was so cold, it made her eyes sting.

“Why, oh why couldn’t the Coven be based somewhere tropical, like Tahiti?” She grumbled, her chin bouncing as she shivered.

William chuckled.

It was too dark to see much of the landscape, and she was too cold to really care, but she froze on the spot at the sight of the foreboding castle lit up in the distance. It was like glimpsing something from ancient times. Even as far away as they were, it was massive. Towers seemed to be everywhere, ringing the structure and lending it an even more unearthly feel. It loomed before them like a giant, dwarfing everything else.

Each step she took away from the airplane seemed she was slipping further and further into the past. She vaguely heard Paoli talking to the pilot about separate transportation for Amber, then he was on one side of her and William was on the other.

A small car awaited them, but even that didn’t deter from the feeling of leaving reality behind.

She sat in the back seat with William, and Paoli took shotgun.

She stared out at the darkened countryside and thought about every vampire movie she’d ever seen as the car made the short trip to the castle. They drove over an honest-to-God drawbridge and pulled through what once would have been a small village, to arrive at the doorway to the castle.

William and Paoli flanked her again as they approached the massive doors, the gravel crunching beneath their feet. She expected a hunchbacked old man to be on the other side, just to complete the picture.

When a beautiful young woman easily swung open the doors before them, Emily almost giggled at the unexpectedness of it. The woman’s face was nearly angelic, framed by a river of blonde hair. Her eyes lit up with recognition as soon as they landed on Paoli.

“Paoli,” the woman crooned with almost sickening sweetness. “It’s been a long time.”

“Many years, Mary,” Paoli agreed with a friendly nod.

The girl stepped back and waved them into a massive antechamber.

It was magnificent.

White stonework surrounded them, nearly covered in old portraits and family crests. Some of them had to be at least five hundred years old. Marble floors gleamed beneath their feet, but much of the stone was covered in woven rugs in neutral colors, with dainty designs that popped in silver thread. Throughout the room, decorative pillars topped with cherub faces pushed into a ceiling at least ten feet high.

People stood around the massive room in small groups, while others walked by in pairs, whispering low. It dawned on her she was by far the youngest thing there, and the only fragile human.

Her heart began beating overtime.

William must have noticed, because he discretely put his comforting hand on the small of her back again.

“My goodness, William.” Mary gasped, stepping toward William once she’d finally managed to tear her eyes from Paoli. “Look at you!” Her voice sounded almost awed. “I admit, I’ve never been able to picture you as an adult. The last time I saw you, I think you must have been just a teenager. But,” she laughed a little ruefully. “In my mind, you’ve always been the child Paoli carried through these doors so many years ago, to beg for you.”

William stiffened just enough for Emily to notice, but not enough anyone else would. “That was centuries ago,” William said tightly.

Mary laughed, a high-pitched musical sound. “Yes, I suppose it was,” she agreed easily.

Then her casual demeanor faded, and a new sparkle shimmered in her eyes.

It took Emily just a second to place the look.

Hunger.

Predatory hunger.

“And what have we here?” Mary asked, her attention riveted on Emily.

“Why, Paoli,” she said, her eyes still on Emily. “In all your visits, you’ve never brought a hostess gift before.”

Emily opened her mouth foolishly to tell the woman just what she thought of being equated to nothing more than a gift. Before she could utter a word, she was shoved behind William’s back, and Paoli blocked them both.

“I still haven’t,” Paoli was quick to say. His voice held a clear warning. “You know how I feel about killing,” he said.

Mary made a practiced and perfected pouty moue with her perfect lips and raised her hands in surrender to show she meant no harm. “I always thought you’d outgrow that,” she said.

Paoli broke the tense atmosphere with a teasing, boyish smile. “Afraid not. Some of us are what we are, eh Mary?” He said, throwing her a familiar wink.

Mary threw back her head and laughed carelessly. Her return smile was both overtly flirtatious and a little guilty. “I suppose that’s true,” she said.

With a final pout in his direction, she turned toward the massive set of stairs in the center of the room. “Follow me, and I’ll get you guys settled in,” she told them over her shoulder.