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I opened my mouth but I shut it again when Killian’s phone rang. He fished it from his blazer’s pocket and glanced at the screen.
He frowned as he answered it. “Lord Drake.” He nodded, his eyes on me. “Yes, my lord.” He lowered the phone. “Drake needs to see us.”
5
SHANE
Rue went back to Vianna,Minsi, and the other kids; Hamill went to train with Dom, Tyren, and the other wolves; and Killian and I set off to DuMoir Castle. Though the castle was a short distance from the village, Killian had one of his cars parked beside the assembly building—a brand new McLaren.
He told me he had one twenty years ago, and it was totaled when the warlocks attacked him and locked him inside a box that was actually a door to another realm.
When he got back, the first thing he did was to buy another one, and now he drove the thing to and from the castle, since he had nowhere else to drive it.
“What's the problem this time?” I voiced my thoughts as Killian drove us into the garage at the back of the castle.
“Why do you think there’s a problem?”
“From the tone in his voice.” I had heard him through the call. “And because he usually doesn’t ask for us like that if there isn’t a problem.”
Lord Drake had weekly meetings with all the castle’s princes and other high-ranked vampires. When I lived here, I was sometimes included in those meetings. I had even participated in several missions, which had been great to fill my time and my head, since I believed my entire pack had been killed and I was the sole survivor.
Killian and I entered the castle, walking through the wide hallways, greeting the vampires and witches. Besides the DuMoir vampires and the Silverblood witches residing in the castle, there was also an angel, Zadkiel, who was mated to Elisa, Thea’s right hand. I had also seen other species coming and going: fae, warlocks, demon hunters, and more.
I had spent most of my life isolated inside the Nightshade lands, tucked in deep into northern Canada, and surrounded by other wolf packs, so I didn’t really know much about supernaturals’ history and affairs, but from what I had heard, our world had changed a lot in the last five to eight years.
Before, all species fended for themselves. There was rarely an occasion when two or more species worked together, and inter-species relationships were frowned upon if not forbidden. Couples of mixed species usually had to hide their affairs so their mates or lovers weren’t killed. Alliances like the one the Nightshade pack had with the Nightmist coven had been considered treason and shameful. Now, some covens or packs still preferred to remain true to their heritage, but friendships and alliances were strong and sometimes necessary.
Killian and I passed Lyra on the stairs. Lord Drake favored the female vampire and planned to make her a princess—the first in DuMoir's history. She waved at us and we nodded at her.
Reaching the top of the stairs, Killian and I halted at Lord Drake’s office door and Killian raised his hand to knock, but the door opened before he could. Prince Cain stepped aside and let us in.
“Did you need us?” Killian asked as we entered the room.
Drake’s office was large and elegant, and right now almost full. Thea, all the princes—Dorian, Aston, Gray, Cain, and Killian—and I were here.
Seated behind his desk, Drake met our eyes. “I did.”
Lord Drake didn’t look much older than me. Twenty-five, twenty-six maybe? But I knew he was over five hundred years old. He had been a prince of DuMoir Castle for hundreds of years, and had become the lord about eight years ago, when the previous lord was assassinated and Drake was framed for his murder. That was when he met his mate, the witch Thea, the current queen of the Silverblood coven.
Aurora was their daughter and said to be the next Queen of All Witches—a witch whose power was so great, she commanded all witches and all covens.
Killian and I stood beside Cain, Aston, and Gray behind the two chairs occupied by Thea and Dorian.
“What is it?” I asked, knowing this involved me or my pack.
“I received word from the Blackthorn Demon Hunters.” Drake’s eyes met Cain’s, which told me it was probably Norah who had called Drake. Then, he looked at me. “Yesterday, Paimon and a handful of demons were at the underworld gate outside of Winnipeg.”
I went still.
“He’s trying to go into the underworld,” Thea said, her voice low. “We always thought the princes wouldn’t just hide after having the underworld taken from them, but I didn’t expect Paimon to be this direct.”
Drake nodded. “I’ve talked to Hadrian and Rey.” Hadrian was the new leader of the Blackthorn Hunters, and Rey was the headmaster of the Blackthorn Academy. “And we’ve come to the same conclusion: Paimon is likely to be assembling an army to attack the underworld.”
“So he was scouting.” Cain crossed his arms. “But doesn’t it sound odd to you? If we were getting ready for a war, you wouldn’t go scouting the terrain yourself.”
“Not unless the open war was plan B,” Drake said. “His plan A might have been to sneak inside the underworld and attack the source. If he took Tanner down, along with his sisters, he wouldn’t need a war. The underworld would be his.”
“But the gate was too well guarded,” I said, my voice strained.
