“Your terms will be met over my dead body,” Magnus said deeply.
“Then it is war,” Darian said, his voice cold as metal.
Magnus leaned forward. “You have chosen poorly.”
A moment later, Darian’s screen closed. He’d hung up. Within the next hour, they’d receive instructions for the drop off, and a force would be mobilized. They were officially in war now. That meant strongblood numbers would tank, no doubt.
Reykon was irritated, tense, and above all, concerned for Robin. It was one thing to get her across the country in one piece while nobody knew she existed. It was another thing entirely to do it with the ranks of a prestigious group of vampires raining hell down on you.
He felt eyes on him, and he discovered that they were Robin’s. They’d regained their piercing brightness, and now held a manner of fear, understandably so.
His own rage softened.
Lucidia had forced everybody’s hand. She’d made a bad call, and one she was going to regret.
Magnus was still on the screen, visibly angry. After a moment of intense speculation, he spoke. “Reykon, you must leave at once. I would have her here as soon as time will allow.”
Reykon’s brow furrowed. “Master, our route takes us near three Xander satellite houses.”
“Bring her to me!” he hissed.
“Might I suggest, it would be safer to take an airplane,” Reykon said. Vampires hated planes, or any metal contraption that went at high speeds for that matter. Getting them to ride in cars was a movement that probably wouldn’t happen for another decade, not that they needed it. Old vampires can move faster than the human eye could detect. Hands down, it beat horsepower any day.
“No flying,” Magnus commanded. “Nothing about the plan has changed. You will move as quickly as you can to get her to me by Friday’s end. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master Magnus,” Reykon said, not allowing his disagreement to change his tone.
This whole thing was strange.
Magnus had never been an impulsive person. Full of rage? Yes. Overreactive in some situations? Yes. But foolhardy? No.
What was so enticing about Robin Wright that demanded immediate transport, with no regard for the army that was about to hunt them down like dogs?
In his opinion, Magnus was being stupid.
Just as stupid as Lucidia.
And now Reykon was going to have to charge into no man’s land head on because of that stupidity.
After a few more moments, Magnus hung up and began preparing for war.
He glanced at Robin again, took her hand, and stood sharply. “We have to go. Now.”
The other three strongbloods stood with him, and they left the room, leaving Lucidia in her seat, glaring holes into their backs.
Robin
Everybody was moving in a blur. She stood back and watched them prepare, still reeling from the events of the call.
To start, she’d seen Magnus for the first time.
That was a dismal, terrifying look at her future. Cain was bad. But even over the call, she could see how much worse Magnus was. He radiated a more sinister power than Cain, one that was deep, and ruthless. Cain was a mosquito compared to Magnus, who was like an alligator, waiting to strike. She couldn’t imagine behind handed off to him. She couldn’t imagine what he’d do to her.
But even if she could escape again – and that was a big if – where would she go? There was an army of vampires looking for her now; Lucidia had made sure of that. Reykon was worried about eluding them, and he was the most skilled agent she’d ever seen. How could she stand a chance?
Which left Reykon and Magnus as her best option to keep breathing.
Not even Lucidia was trying to help her. She’d been the one to put a knife in her back. Clearly, she wanted Robin dead. She’d been idiotically naive to trust Lucidia for even a moment.
Over the course of three days, she’d discovered that she was adopted, that she had been born to a family of supernatural warrior assassins, and that she had a living sister. She’d learned that the sister was trying to kill her, and then learned that it was the opposite of that, only to find out that her death had been, in fact, Lucidia’s motivation in the first place. What other intention could she possibly have?
It was confusing, to say the least.
They’d rushed to an enclosed warehouse on the premises with nearly fifty vehicles of differing sizes, big enough to be a parking garage. A large family crest was engraved into the wall, with red and black and symbols of valor, complete with an ornate letter ‘D’. Rows of cabinets and shelves of weapons lined the walls. Robin stared at them, taking the sights in with numb acknowledgement.
A few minutes later, human servants came in with backpacks and bags of supplies. Robin took hers and thanked them.
Within fifteen minutes of the call, they were ready to go. Now Robin and Reykon stood under a pool of light with Grida, Zuri, and Axel. They’d managed to find three human servants that resembled Robin and had given them disguises enough to obscure their appearances to a reasonable degree.
It was strange, seeing these almost-copies of her. Four vehicles had been driven over, loaded up, and poised to leave. The strongbloods had gone over their map and each distinct route. Their goal was not to reach the destination, of course, but to confuse the true direction of Reykon and Robin’s travel. It was a smart move, Robin observed. She was thankful that this mission would likely succeed, in contrast to the first one.
They began leaving in ten-minute increments, staggering departures. Robin stood, leaning against a thick metal pole, staring at the smooth black SUV that would transport them to Louisiana. She felt like it would have been more apt to go in a hearse.
Reykon had a hyper focus like nothing she’d seen before. He was truly shining in action, showing the extent of his abilities, the degree of his skill.
He was
