ground behind me. I spun to find a fourth vamp at my feet—someone inside must have sensed our arrival.
“Thanks,” I murmured to Vanessa.
“That’s what I’m here for,” she whispered, then added, “Sis.”
“There are more of us around,” warned one of the two females threatening Sonya—the one who wanted to eat Heather. With a short blond bob, she stood in front of Sonya with her back to us, wearing a tank top and shorts with cowboy boots.
Her companion, another blonde, though she wore hers long, nearly to her butt, leaned less threateningly against a nearby tree, her arms crossed over her chest. Sonya stood protectively in front of Heather, who was backed up against the trunk of an oak.
“Let them come,” Tristan said as we stepped closer.
“Tristan!” Heather squeaked. “Alexis!”
The two blondes sucked in air noisily as they turned to face us. Sonya’s eyes popped open wide, and her jaw trembled. She took a step back, smashing Heather against the tree.
“Give us the Norman,” Tristan said. “That’s all we want.”
“Unless any of you want to convert,” I added, only because I was supposed to—and because the Daemoni often thought of that as a threat. I didn’t really expect either of them to want to.
The shorter vamp, the one with the bobbed hair, hissed. It was an odd sound coming from someone with her slight stature and sweet face. Her light blue eyes sparked with a wicked gleam.
“Fools,” she screeched, plenty loud enough to alert the rest of their small nest. Then she disappeared, only to reappear on Vanessa’s back, her fangs long and poised over my half-sister’s neck.
Vanessa hissed and spun in a blur, then the two vampires were bouncing around the woods, ramming each other into trees and rolling on the ground. I couldn’t help but think about the fight Vanessa and I had had in the woods in Washington when we were on our way to Hades. This must have been what we looked like.
“Lesley, stop!” the vamp with the long blond hair said. She must have realized none of the other vampires from the houses were coming to their rescue. “You know we’re outnumbered and out-powered.”
I didn’t know if it was the warning or the distraction that did it, but suddenly Vanessa and the other vamp came to a standstill. Vanessa’s arms were wrapped tightly around Lesley, pinning the Daemoni’s arms to her sides. Vanessa’s fangs were fully extended, ready to bite if necessary.
“Heather, come here,” I ordered, seizing the opportunity. She ran into my arms. I gave her a quick hug, and then handed her over to Blossom, who swallowed the girl into a bear hug. “Sonya.”
It wasn’t a kind greeting, and she knew it. Her eyes focused on me, still wide and mixed with fear and confusion. The vamp let out a little whimper. My heart had been pounding hard in my chest this whole time, wondering what we would come upon. Wondering if I could bring myself to kill this young vampire since it was her attack that caused the mages to drop their shield over the safe house, thereby allowing Lucas and/or Victor inside to steal Dorian. I expected her to be vicious, knowing how pissed we’d all be, especially Tristan and me. But strangely, though smartly, fear waved off of her.
I couldn’t let her faked innocence get to me. I had to remember what she’d done—the blood smeared on the walls, the mages’ mutilated bodies on the floor. She was a cold-blooded beast, not someone to feel sorry for. I took a step forward. She tried to step away, but she’d backed herself into the tree.
My voice came out low, my abhorrence for her weaved into each distinct word. “Give me one good reason not to kill you.”
“Please don’t hurt me,” she begged, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“What’s
The other vamp, the one with the long hair, rolled her eyes. “Don’t you know who they are? We can’t kill them.”
“Sure we can, Alys!” Lesley said, and then she gasped as Vanessa’s fangs gave a quick pierce into her skin.
“Shut up or we’ll call in the Weres,” Vanessa warned. “We have a tiger who might not seem so bad, though I wouldn’t underestimate her. And we happen to know a few others, too. They’re not far, and they’re just waiting to chomp on a pretty little bitch like you.”
Though we knew Vanessa was bluffing, Lesley obviously didn’t because she finally fell still.
“I . . . I’m sorry, Alexis,” Sonya said, turning her attention back to me. “I really am. Please . . . please let me explain. I . . . I can help you find Dorian.”
I flew at her, and my hand wrapped around her throat as I lifted her up against the tree.
“You have no right to say his name! It’s your fault he’s gone!”
“I know,” she choked out. “I’m sorry. But please listen. I can lead you to him. But I . . . I need your help first.”
“Please don’t hurt her,” Heather whispered from behind me, and I forced myself to let go of Sonya and take several steps back for Heather’s sake. She didn’t need to see what I had planned for her sister, and that could wait until Heather was long gone. “She really didn’t mean to do any of it.”
“Honey,” Blossom said, also from behind me, “you’re safe now. You don’t need to protect her.”
“No, really,” Heather said, her voice pleading, “Sonya couldn’t help it. Let her tell you.”
I strode closer to Sonya again. Alys, the other vamp, wisely stepped farther away. I didn’t know what was up with her—her thoughts were a hot mess of confusion between attacking us or running away, though running felt stronger. So I didn’t know why she stayed. She had to know we didn’t give a rat’s ass about her right now. So I stopped for a second and turned to her. She stood quite a bit taller than me so I had to crane my neck nearly as much as I did to look at Tristan.
“Do you want to convert?” I asked her.
She stared at me with big blue eyes, not answering.
“If not, then get the hell out of here. We have what we want.”
The vamp took a step backwards.
“Alys,” Sonya said. “You don’t—”
“Hush!” I barked. “You have no right to say anything.”
The two Daemoni vamps exchanged a look, and then Alys disappeared. I nodded at Vanessa, who loosened her grip on Lesley. The shorter blond crouched as though she planned to attack, but Tristan’s hand flew up.
“Leave. Now,” he commanded.
Her eyes swept over all of us, and she let out a growl, but then she blurred off into the woods.
“So what is it you have to say?” I demanded of Sonya. “Why do you think I’d want to help you with anything, except your death?”
Heather broke free of Blossom’s hold, rushed to her sister’s side, and took her hand. I immediately regretted the harshness of my words. The vamp had kidnapped the girl, but Heather still stood by her side faithfully—trusting her.
“Tell them,” Heather said.
Sonya nodded. She inhaled a deep breath, though she didn’t really need it, then blew it out, buying herself time. I tapped into her mind to find her thoughts in a jumbled mess she was trying to straighten into sense. She pushed her dark hair out of her face before beginning.
“The Daemoni set you up. Me up. You thought it was Vanessa who was trying to trick you, but it was me all along,” the vamp admitted. I bit back an insult. Her words began to come faster as she practically vomited an explanation. “I didn’t mean to, though. You have to believe me. I didn’t know what I’d gotten myself into. They put this stone into me a long time ago, and I didn’t really know what it was, but then the other night . . . I—I lost all control over my own body.” She hiccupped as though suppressing a sob, and Heather squeezed her hand. Tears filled her voice as she continued. “It was all Lucas. He . . . he took
Heather put her arm around her sister as the vamp cried against the younger one’s shoulder.
“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I wish . . . I wish I’d never done this. I wish I could go back to being a Norman. I’m . . .” She pulled back and looked at me with her dark brown eyes. “I really am sorry.”
