“Here’s hoping that’s true,” Delilah replied, and I couldn’t take it any longer. I had to broach the ugly subject nobody wanted to bring up.
“Has she considered aborting it?” I asked in a low voice, and Alvie let out a quiet gasp. Delilah stared at me like I just spit in her teacup.
“No, she hasn’t … considered that. But it doesn’t matter anyway. An abortion poses the same amount of danger as childbirth in this particular case.” She lowered her voice. “And a word of warning. Don’t go around saying anything like that in front of my brother. Children are, um, a touchy subject for him.”
“Ethan has had several children in the past,” Gabriel explained, and I was surprised he knew this since they’d spent most of their lives estranged from one another. “All of them died.”
“Oh,” I muttered, looking away. “Poor bloke.” I never thought it could actually happen, but I felt sympathy for a vampire.
A moment later, there was a knock at the front door, and I used it as an excuse to escape the awkward tension my big mouth created. I finished off the slice of toast I’d been eating and stuck the other in my mouth, because, you know, I was a growing boy who needed his energy.
When I opened the door, I found a tall, dark-haired man standing on the step. He wore a suit, and his blue eyes were intense. One thing was for certain, he was a warlock, and a powerful one at that.
There was no point pulling out a weapon when the person you would be aiming at had magic, so I simply stood there and waited for what he had to say.
The man closed his eyes, and a little shimmer swept over his face before he opened them again. “Finn Roe, it’s a pleasure to meet you. May I come inside?”
Impressive as it was that he could just magic up my name, I lifted a hand to stop him from passing over the threshold. “State your business first.”
“I’m Roman. My granddaughter, Tegan, must have told you about me, no?”
Not a warlock then, not even a really powerful one like I’d thought. A sorcerer.
“Uh, yeah, she did.” I glanced over his shoulder and down the street. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around. I considered telling him to wait outside until I consulted with the others, but there was really no point in that. I doubted a closed door would be much of an obstacle to a man like this.
“Come on in,” I said, stepping out of his way. “I’ll go and tell Tegan you’re here, but she’s been sick this morning so she might not be up to visitors.”
“That’s quite alright,” Roman replied. “If she is ill, then don’t bother disturbing her. I came because I need a couple of volunteers. Today I will endeavour to take Emilia Petrovsky from Theodore, and I will require the help of at least two able-bodied men. I also sense that there is an elf staying on the premises. Am I correct?”
I narrowed my gaze at him. “You might be.”
“We will need her, too. She was the one Michael Ridley had been holding hostage, yes?”
“Do you always speak in questions?”
“I do when I require answers,” he said, staring at me blandly.
I let out a sigh. “Yeah, she’s the one Ridley kidnapped. What do you need her for?”
Roman smiled now. “She will be our decoy.”
At this, my expression hardened. “I don’t think so.”
“Trust me. She won’t come to any harm.”
“Alora’s not being used as a decoy,” I stated firmly, and Roman’s lips curved in a smile.
“Ah, now I see why you’re protective. She’s your significant other.”
“What she is to me is none of your business.”
“Well, if you want this to work, we’ll need her,” Roman said, all matter of fact as we entered the kitchen. I made some quick introductions. Gabriel and Alvie both stared at him like they were meeting a celebrity while Delilah gave him a cordial smile. Roman took a seat at the table and explained that he needed to retrieve Emilia in order to break the barrier spell she’d cast around the city. I informed him of Rebecca’s recent abduction, so he altered his plan slightly to include rescuing her also.
“What do you think you’re doing here?” came a voice, and we all turned to find Cristescu standing in the doorway glaring at Roman.
“I’m sure you already know,” Roman replied evenly. “You can hear everything that is said under this roof.”
A deadly silence ensued. Was that true? I wasn’t sure I liked the idea of Cristescu being able to hear everything I said when he wasn’t in the room.
“Get out.”
“I’m here to help my granddaughter, and you, too, for that matter. Please don’t allow your petty insecurities to get in the way.”
Cristescu looked like he was trying to calm himself down when he replied, “The last twenty-four hours have been eventful for us, sorcerer. You’ll excuse me if I’m highly strung.”
Roman wore his bland expression again. “Of course.”
Another God-awful silence fell. I decided to break the tension when I spoke, “Right, well, I’m going upstairs to talk to Alora. If she agrees to be your decoy, fine. But if she doesn’t want to, I won’t let you force her.”
“Very well,” Roman replied, and I headed upstairs.
I found Alora in my room getting dressed. I put Roman’s plan to her, expecting her to be too scared to be a part of it. She surprised me when her jaw set determinedly, and she insisted on helping. Maybe she wasn’t such a damsel in distress who needed my protection after all. There was grit to her, and I suspected some of it was related to her need for revenge. Theodore and Ridley were close, and killing Theodore meant the man who stole two years of her life lost his most powerful ally.
When we were ready to leave, instead of using a vehicle, Roman cast a spell to transport us to our destination. I felt like I’d just woken up from a dream when I opened my eyes and saw that we were no longer at Cristescu’s place but crouched behind some trees outside a large family home.
It was a cookie-cutter house surrounded by dozens of similar homes. It was also in an area where only humans lived. Camouflage, I guessed. Theodore wanted to blend in with the crowd and make himself harder to find.
I saw Roman whispering in Alora’s ear, giving her instructions, and while I couldn’t hear all that he said, I understood why he wanted to use her when I spotted Michael Ridley standing guard at the front door. My protective instincts kicked in before my gaze lowered.
Oh, shit. A grin tugged at my lips. There was a small metal hook where his hand used to be, thanks to Ira biting it off. I had to hold in the urge to smile as I glanced at Alora and told her what I saw. She seemed pleased at the reminder that Ridley lost his hand during her escape from his capture.
“You sure you’re okay with this?” I asked her.
She nodded stoically. “Yes. I’m sure.”
Roman began constructing an invisible bubble of magic around her so that when she approached Ridley, he wouldn’t be able to harm her. I put my arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug before she stepped out from behind the trees and started walking toward the house.
The second Ridley spotted her his entire body tensed, and his beady eyes darted back and forth to scan the area for threats. When he was satisfied that she was alone, he gave a predatory smile. It made me want to punch him.