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Before I could react to her curt appraisal, Alistair regained control, smoothing a hand down his dinner jacket before reaching for his wife’s shoulders in a familial touch. A nearly imperceptible tension entered the female’s body. “Indeed,” he said icily. “We have much to discuss. Let us adjourn to the sitting room.”
A command not to be denied.
Renewed fear skittered down my spine, but Silas simply latched onto my arm in a fierce grip once more. Lifting me off the ground, he followed behind the two vampire royals. My eyes squeezed shut at the disorienting movement, but when I cracked my eyelids open, we were already in the luxurious living space adorned with expensive artwork and rugs.
Silas settled me onto a plush sofa, and I bounced momentarily as the other vampires reclined in their seats, much more elegantly. Struggling to gain my bearings, the pit of dread that had taken residence in my gut since I first glimpsed the vampires on Liliane’s beach grew until I feared I would vomit.
“Jade Belle,” Alistair started, his voice booming in the quiet room. “You are the first witch to step through these doors in decades.”
His face stretched into a disturbing grin as his eyes twinkled.
Bile rose in my throat as I realized he was referring to the Bled witches he tortured and massacred when Alexei was a young boy. My nails dug into my thighs, red crescents stark against the pale skin revealed from my torn tights.
“Lucky me,” I finally sneered. “But whatever it is you want from me, I’m not feeling inclined to help, considering you hate my people and oh, yeah,kidnapped me.”
Instead of the wrath I expected, he simply leaned back into his chair, crossing his ankle over the opposite leg as he studied me like I was a repellent curiosity. An insect he wanted to prod and poke at until he squished me and moved on to the next specimen.
“I understand your reticence,” he said, steepling his fingers together on his chin. “My son no doubt revealed more of his past in this family than permitted. But let me be frank, this discussion is fairly moot. Youwillhelp me, or you will regret the consequences.”
“What could I possibly help you with?” I asked, stalling as my pulse ratcheted in my chest.
His fangs gleamed under the flickering candlelight. “Unfortunately, it’s you I need. Or rather, your spirit magick.”
Horror filled me as the shoe finally dropped.
Of course, it was the elusive spirit power that Alistair Vasyliev sought. He had spent the greater portion of a century hunting down and killing witches who could create and manipulate talismans. The talisman…
“Yes, I see you’re finally understanding, Miss Belle.” He brought the Staff of Borislav into his lap and ran his thumb over the emerald gemstones adorning the serpent’s eyes. A golden ring, etched with strange markings, caught my attention, but then he lifted the staff towards me menacingly. “Do you know what the staff can do?”
Remembering Trystan’s rampage on the beach before his death, I rasped, “It commands.”
“Commands. Controls.Poisonsthe object of the user’s choosing. The bearer could order an army to march to the ends of the earth, battling to the death with a mere word. One could order a vampire to walk into the sun or, perhaps, a court of vampires to attack the New Orleans Coven.” He paused, the threat ripping through me like an assault. “Such power is heady and aberrant. And it wasyourpeople who brought it into existence.”
I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears as I tried to breathe normally.
“But alas, when I destroyed every last trace of the Bled witches, finally in possession of their powerful weapons, I discovered something…distressing.” His eyes darkened, the lines around his handsome face growing menacing. “The magick within them had altered—corroded so that whenever I tried to use them, they reacted violently. Me more so than any other vampire who wielded them.” He chuckled blackly. “No doubt, a last laugh from the Bled witches, ensuring I could never truly own their creations.”
I couldn’t make myself speak. Could hardly move as the reality of my situation became clear.
He continued, oblivious to my inner turmoil, or simply uncaring. “Over the years, I would hunt down covens with spirit witches. As a means to halt any more talismans being created, but also to find a way to break the corruption over my prized vault of objects. None could seem to understand the Bled talismans, or they simply refused. They, too, joined their brothers and sisters in death.”
My mouth fell open as rage and sorrow consumed me. Silas shot me a warning look, but my glare on Alistair only intensified.
“My bargain is simple,” Alistair sighed. “You will use your spirit magick to help me break the corruption holding the talismans captive, starting with the staff. In exchange, I will generously allow you to leave the Vasyliev holdings and return to your family in New Orleans unharmed. What do you say, Miss Belle?”
“You’re insane,” I sputtered, my emotions fraying. “Why would I ever believe anything you say or trust you with a weapon like the staff?”
Alistair sent me a frosty glare. He lurched from his relaxed position and stalked towards the bar cart near my perch. Not sparing me a glance, he poured three tumblers of whiskey, passing one to both his wife and Silas, but through his relaxed stance, I felt the violence radiating off him.
This wasn’t Alexei or Henry. This was the ruthless vampire king from legend, and he could shatter me if I wasn’t careful.
“If you prove to be unhelpful, I understand your three younger sisters also possess spirit magick,” he said simply, as if his words didn’t make me want to lash out and burst into tears. “I considered taking your great aunt, but the Salem High Priestess doesn’t know the talismans like you do. Your sisters may be similarly ignorant to their machinations, but they’re young and impressionable. Think carefully before you decide your family’s fate, Jade.”
He downed his drink and smiled, a truly grotesque display of white teeth and fangs that made me throw up slightly in my mouth.
“Mariana will show you to your accommodations,” he purred devilishly. Alexei’s mother stood dutifully, and he angled his head toward me with mock chivalry. “If you cooperate, your stay in my home doesn’t have to feel so dire. Your will stay in your own suite for now. However, if I discover a single attempt to thwart my plans, you will find yourself in the dungeons.”
Shaking, I moved in a near-trance.
