“I am not asking for myself,” I began quickly, cutting him off before he could turn us away. “If you will not tell me, tell Sloane. She can safeguard the information, but there is a traitor amongstyour ranks. You know Leonora as well as anyone. She is cunning and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.”
“What if she ran away because she knew she had failed? Surely you would’ve killed her if she’d stayed behind.”
“That would be a valid thought, were it not for the mercenaries she hired to track us down.”
Ballard’s eyes grew wide, glancing between the four of us. “Shewhat?”
“When I mentioned to Jasper that I wanted to find her before she could cause any more trouble, he mentioned that he had a contact within the covens who may be able to persuade you to give us an audience.” I waved my hand in Sloane’s direction. “Last night, we met at Dymphna chapel, where we were attacked by a group of men who were hired to bring me to Leonora by any means necessary.”
“And how do you know it was her?”
He tensed as I reached into my pocket, releasing only when he noticed the envelope held between my pointer and middle finger. “This,” I said, tossing it on the desk.
Quickly, he grabbed the missive and scanned the contents once.
Twice.
Three times.
“Do I want to know how you obtained this?” he asked, arching his brow.
“Torture, obviously,” Jasper quipped from behind me, earning what I assumed was a slap to the back of the head by Rowena from the yelp of pain that followed.
“Right,” he said, handing the paper back to me before leaning back in his chair. “I should’ve known.”
Ballard’s decision was already written across his face. He wanted nothing to do with this,with us, just as I knew wouldhappen. If we could not even persuade him to perform a tracking spell, our hope would die by nightfall.
I leaned forward in my chair. “You know I would not ask if it was not crucial?—”
“Rion,” he placated. “The covens do not involve themselves in the affairs of others, and even when we do, it is minimal. What you’re requesting is simply not done.”
“And what about the individual who supplied my mother with information?” I asked, lowering my voice.
“To implicate a member of any coven is a grave offense. I can assure you that I’ll look into the matter, but I cannot divulge the information I find.” To his credit, he at least had the decency to avert his eyes.
But I could not let this go, not when it was the only thing keeping me afloat. But it was more than that. I needed to learn what my mother would do with the information she was given. That in itself was more dangerous. “Ballard, I am not asking for the coven’s help for myself. To be perfectly frank, I do not give a shit about that. I am asking on behalf of Kallistos. You know my mother better than most. You have dealt with her time and time again, whether on council business or discussions regarding the curse. She is ruthless. She will not stop.”
The room fell silent, spiking my adrenaline to a near incomprehensible level. If he refused… Well, I did not want to think about the possibility. Based on his pensive expression, I was barely clinging to hope.
Only when he stopped the incessant twirling of his pen, did that hope wane.
“I’m very sorry, Rion, but I cannot afford to meddle or mediate on issues with other factions.” He hung his head as if genuinely burdened by his decision.
But I could not offer him the same sentiment.
I stood quickly, buttoning my suit jacket and holding out a hand to Sloane. Jasper and Rowena followed suit, moving behind me. “Thank you for your time,” I said, giving him a curt nod before turning to Sloane. “I will not fault you if you stay with your coven. If you feel that you are safe?—”
“I’m coming with you,” she said, tossing her braided hair over her shoulder. “Unlikesome, I don’t shy away from helping others in need.”
“Sloane, you can’t be serious,” Ballard said, placing his hands on his desk. “Your home is here among your people, not alongside vampyres.”
Her eyes flitted over the man in front of her, utterly unimpressed. “This may be my home, but that doesn’t make it my prison. I’m free to make my own choices, and Ichooseto help those in need.” He opened his mouth to argue, but she quickly cut him off. “This is about so much more than inter-faction relationships. It’s about doing the right thing. I thought you, out of everybody, would realize that. Guess I was wrong.”
Without another word, she pushed past me and stormed out the door. Sweat beaded along Ballard’s temple as he stared at the open space where she once stood. “You know where to find me should you have a change of heart.”
The three of us exited quickly, finding Sloane standing just outside the office with crossed arms and fire burning in her gaze. “I can’t believe him,” she scoffed, leading the way from the quiet hallway lined with offices onto the balcony above a bustling atrium-styled lobby. “I’ll need to run to my apartment to pack a bag. It won’t take long.”
“We will go straight there, then,” I said, unable to stop myself from staring at the wonder surrounding us.
