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For tonight, all she had to do was wait. The last few hours before dawn would be critical so she could set the final scene for her coven when she greeted them. She knew they were on their way by the sounds of the forest outside. The owls and other creatures of the night have been kicking up a ruckus since the storm ended.
She glanced outside, the night sky still thick and peppered with stars. The moon had shifted further down in the sky, and she knew the time was right. The cold air seeped in from the windows, and though she was used to being cold, she wished Rolf was here to lend her some warmth.
Adeline placed another log on the fire and held her hands over the heat, but it was nothing compared to what Rolf’s large body could give her. After one final look around the cabin, she padded over to the table. Picking up a few jars, she smashed them into the walls, picked up a few more, and smashed them on the floor. She took her hands and smeared them in the blood and over the shards of glass. Adeline then continued to rampage through the rest of the cabin. It looked as if it had been part of a massacre. Blood splatter was everywhere, as was broken glass and overturned furniture. After she felt like his place was thoroughly destroyed, she dressed.
She tucked her chemise into the waistband of her trousers. And since her corset had been sliced through, she took one of her bootlaces and wove it through the front. Adeline needed to be barefoot, so removed the knife sheaths in her boots and strapped them to the outside of her pants, her arms, and along her waist. Rolf had sharpened her blades to such a fine point that they glinted in the firelight. Adeline brushed her hands down the front of her body,
Then she laid down on the bed to wait.
With her eyes closed, she emptied her mind to focus on the sounds of the forest outside. If she concentrated hard enough, she could hear the pacing of Rolf’s beast below. It growled but no longer bayed, the silver chains keeping the creature locked up tight and unable to move around without searing pain. The distant call of an owl sounded, but then the forest became eerily quiet. Dawn was only an hour away; the deep snow would have kept them from reaching her any sooner. For that minor miracle, she was thankful. She wondered if her maker would be with them or if she had just sent her lackeys to do the dirty work.
Adeline prayed it would be the former.
There was a knock on the door.
Adeline swallowed, thankful she had sucked on a juniper berry earlier in the evening so her heart rate would be slow when she confronted Juliette and her entourage.
By the sounds of the hearts beating outside, her entire coven was present. Five vampires in total. Three of whom were newly turned after Adeline had, unfortunately, or perhaps now to her benefit, killed the older three mere weeks after she thought she had been abandoned by her lover in Paris.
Her lips quirked a smile. It had been no easy feat taking the three oldest vampires in her coven out. And if she had been able to do that when she was swallowed up by despair and fatigue, then she could handle the rest of them.
She hoped.
Her hand grabbed the knob, and she opened the door, ready to meet her maker.
ChapterSixteen
Juliette’s wild hair was woven into a thick braid and tucked under a fur hat. Each coven member had ski shoes on their feet and looked wind-chapped. Juliette looked practically perfect with the flush of the cold winter wind on her cheeks. Her purple eyes skittered around the room behind Adeline, and her nostrils flared when the smell of the fresh blood hit her nose.
“You’ve found him, then.”
You bitch, Adeline wanted to say while she clawed out those heartless eyes, but instead, she sighed and rubbed a bloody hand over her forehead, hoping Rolf’s blood coated her skin enough. “Yes. And I’ve contained him for your viewing pleasure.”
Juliette tilted her head.
Time to shine, Adeline; she stood a little straighter. She had bested the conniving minds of Parisian courtesans, manipulated a Pope to help the de Medici family, and fought alongside Osman the First to establish the Ottoman Empire. Indeed, she could best her maker to spend eternity with her mate. “Come, I’ll show you.”
The coven filtered into the small cabin, the tension pulling at the air around her. She licked some of Rolf’s blood off her fingers, a renewed sense of energy and purpose settling in her stomach.
Juliette walked around to the bed and lifted the sheets with a dramatic flourish.
“Youslepthere,” she said, disgust dripping from her mouth.
Adeline smirked and stood barefoot in a puddle of Rolf’s blood. “What was I supposed to do, sleep outside? Juliette, what kind of deviant do you think I am? I have standards.”
One of the coven members had walked over to some blood splotches on the wall. He leaned in and inhaled, “That’s werewolf blood, all right.”
“Of course it is, you git,” Juliette said. Her purple eyes turned to Adeline. “The whole place stinks of werewolf and sex and vampire.”
“And?” Adeline shrugged. “I’ve done far worse than fuck a werewolf.”
Juliette crossed the room, standing in front of Adeline, nose to nose. Her eyes narrowed, and Adeline knew her maker was cataloging every minuscule muscle twitch and movement. Juliette looked to the other four vampires behind Adeline. “You know, then.”
“Of course, I know. I’m not as slow as you seem to think I am.” Adeline turned and gestured to the cabin. “Why do you think I fucked him like I did?”
One of the vampires at her back huffed a laugh, and Juliette shot him a look.
Hoping against hope that this was why Juliette had tracked her down, Adeline leveled a casual gaze at Juliette. “Do you want to bear witness as I kill the were-beast or not?”
