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“You—” Ammit starts to say, but Phoenix closes her fingers, shutting Ammit’s mouth so nothing but angry noises come out.
I snatch the phone out of the Professor’s hands. “What are you doing?” He looks furiously at me, but I ignore him.
We don’t have time for civilian bullshit right now. If Phoenix is feeling anything like I am, Ammit’s still trying to throw everything but the kitchen sink at us. Phoenix might be barely holding on to her control, and I don’t want numbnuts over here distracting her focus.
“Walk,” Phoenix orders Ammit, who looks furious but begins to do exactly as Phoenix commands, marching out of the office and down the stairs.
“Will someone tell me what’s going on here?” the Professor asks, following us as we head down the stairs, Ammit at the lead, Phoenix right behind her.
“Not now, John Paul,” Phoenix barks, and I can tell by the strain in her voice that I’m right; she is fighting Ammit’s influence hard.
When we get to the bottom of the stairs by the atrium, John Paul’s eyes widen as he stares at the gruesome scene. “Mother of God!” He crosses himself and turns away, looking like he’s going to throw up as we pass by.
The whole building has emptied, and our car isn’t far. If we can just get Ammit out of the city, then Phoenix will be able to deal with her in the way that she needs to. Or we can call Sabra to help us if Phoenix has changed her mind. Maybe I can talk her into it on the way.
“Go home,” I tell John Paul as we approach the doors we came through. “We’ve got this now.”
“Oh, I don’t think you do,” John Paul says from behind me.
I roll my eyes, but before we take another step, one of the double doors opens, and a familiar face appears.
“Sabra,” Phoenix says in confusion. “What are you doing here?” She glances over her shoulder at me. “Did you text her?”
I shake my head because what the hell? Not only is Sabra standing there, but Vlad is behind her. Police sirens sound in the distance. That was fast. The college kids called the police, and they already notified Vlad? But if he’s here already, that meant he had to have left the compound right after Phoenix and I did.
“I’m here to help,” Sabra says, pushing her way into the building. Vlad follows her in, and before the door shuts completely, I see his black-suited vampire minions spread out in a perimeter around the outside of the front of the building.
“What are you talking about?” Phoenix says, confused. “We already have a plan. Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call you—”
Something’s wrong. But just as the feeling of wrongness tingles down my spine and I reach out to grab Phoenix’s hand, yelling, “They aren’t here to help!” a magical golden sizzle lights up around the floor of the circular atrium we’re still standing in.
“What?” Phoenix asks, still sounding so confused. She tries to take a step toward Sabra, but it’s like she’s run straight into a glass window. She bounces backward.
“What the fuck, Sab?” she asks.
Oh fuck. I don’t know why Sabra has betrayed us, but I suddenly have a horrible feeling that I know why this murder happened in the atrium, and it isn’t because it’s a public display. It’s because the atrium is a giant circle. And of all the mages I’ve ever met, none of them are better at circle magic than Sabra.
“I’m just doing what has to be done,” Sabra says, sounding nothing like her normal bubbly self. She doesn’t sound sorry either, that’s for certain. She just sounds… blank.
“She’s loyal to me,” Vlad says, taking Sabra’s arm like one might a lover’s and walking right up to the outside of the circle we’re now bound in.
Phoenix’s mouth drops open. “You?” And then her eyes widen and she gasps low. “You didn’t.” Her voice is low and horrified.
Vlad just shrugs and runs his hands over Sabra’s hair. She turns her face toward his touch as if she’s a pet and he’s her—Her master.
Oh fuck. He made Phoenix’s best friend his blood slave.
“When?” Phoenix demands. “How long ago?”
“Since right before the two of you ran away at nineteen, and you brought this wonderful opportunity to us.” He shoots a villainous smile at me.
Then he looks down at Sabra, who’s all but hanging on his arm. “Of course, she turned around and came immediately back when I called out to her. She can do nothing else but worship me and serve my every whim. As did her mother before her and hers before her.”
“You son of a bitch!” Phoenix screams at him, running at the invisible wall again. I grab her to hold her back from hurting herself.
“I had no idea when you brought the boy back to us ten years ago just how deeply he was connected to the ultimate power I’ve sought for so long.” Vlad’s twisted smile comes back to me. “We could have saved all this time, lad, if you’d just told me who your father was.”
“My father’s dead to me, you dickwad. And he’s long gone anyway. So fuck off.” I shoot runes at the floor to try to break whatever circle spell Sabra’s laid, but they disappear as soon as they touch the marble.
