“Dammit,” I muttered. “I never should have told them to come here before we had a concrete plan in place.” We were parked outside of what Rourke had just informed me was the Vampire Coterie, which literally meant “clique” in French. It so figured the vamps would be cliquey. I was second-guessing my decision to order Naomi and Ray here ahead of us. “I just wanted them to be safe, but it’s not going to come without some serious consequences.”
“There was no way we could’ve known,” Rourke assured me. “You did what you thought was best in the moment, and I agreed with you. Demons aren’t something anyone takes lightly. They are feared for a reason. We were lucky to escape the circle before it had a chance to stop us. Naomi and Ray would’ve tried to protect you at all costs. It was much better they had gone.”
It was seven in the morning. The disturbances had stopped at daybreak, but that hadn’t meant we were clear of danger.
The sorcerers wouldn’t stop hunting us during the day.
Now that we were in the city, it was only a matter of time until they found us. We were waiting for Tyler, Danny, and Nick before we made our next move. “I don’t think we’ll be able to knock on the door until dark,” I said, nodding toward the imposing mansion with its turrets and high walls. “I’m assuming the Queen has to be awake in order to have a conversation, and we don’t know if she receives guests during the day. She is going to be less than thrilled to see us, to say the very least.”
Rourke’s tension filled the car. “Entering a Coterie full of vampires uninvited will be tricky no matter what—day or night—but with demons on the prowl, it’s our only real choice,” he said grudgingly. “As much as I hate the idea of going in there, I can’t come up with a better plan. The vamps are the only game in town powerful enough to keep the demons out. Once we connect with your father, and your Pack arrives to back us up, it will be a different story. Once we have strength in numbers to fortify us, we can move to a better location.” He gestured to the stone fortress the Queen called home. “This will only be temporary. Your father is one of the strongest supernaturals on the planet. You have to remember, the demons aren’t going to mess with him easily and they won’t want to tangle with Eudoxia either. It’s the best plan we’ve got.”
Tyler hadn’t been able to get in contact with our father after repeated tries. I was beyond worried and had crept into full-blown panic. Something was very wrong. “We have to believe what Maggie predicted to be true, or I’ll lose my mind with worry.” I undid the twist tie from my hair and tried to brush it out with my fingers. It was like trying to comb through straw. “We have to stay in New Orleans no matter what happens. Ray is already here, and because of that I have to believe my father will live. He has to.”
“Jessica, your father is an extremely strong supernatural,” he said. “It would take something immeasurable to defeat him. You have to remember that. He can take care of himself.”
“I know he is,” I said. “But the uncertainty is killing me.” I needed to focus on something I could fix. “Do you think Eudoxia has hurt Naomi and Ray? I mean, do you think she listened to them at all or just threw them in the dungeon?” I leaned out the open window to peer at the Coterie again.
Rourke gripped the steering wheel. “I think the Queen will use caution at first. She’s diplomatic if anything. She hasn’t stayed in power this long without learning a few tactical moves. But when she finds the bond is missing from her underling, there’s no doubt she will be agitated. Naomi will have a big job of smoothing things over.”
“Naomi is the embodiment of calculated intelligence, which is what I love the most about her. On the other hand, Ray is an impetuous hothead who has no idea what’s at stake.” I turned my head toward Rourke. “I should’ve told him what was going on. It may have bought them some needed time. If he’s his normal cocky self, they are likely in big trouble already.”
“There’s a definite chance the detective will hose things up,” Rourke replied. “But if he listens to what I’m certain Naomi told him repeatedly, I believe they have a chance. The Queen will know something happened, but she won’t know exactly what, and she may choose to believe Naomi. After all, she thinks her faithful servant is returning home after her mission, not coming back with an agenda.”
Jess! Where the hell are you? Tyler’s voice barreled into my brain.
I jolted upright in my seat, mouthing Tyler to Rourke.
I’m here, Tyler. Where are you?
We’re just getting into the city. We ran into an issue.
Demons? I asked. “They ran into a problem,” I told Rourke. He turned over the engine in the next breath.