“I just aided you,” I said calmly. “If you choose to ignore me, you bring the riot down on your own head. How long before Valdov escapes from here, worried you will change your mind and believe me after all? Who does he take with him? Does your Coterie become fractured? If there’s truth to my words, my reward should be a favor and we both know it. All I want is to take Naomi and Ray with me and I will leave peacefully.”
She took a step backward. A slow smile crept across her features. Her demeanor changed in an instant, the grin making her fangs appear more exposed and her face skeletal. Her power continued to press against me, seeking to injure. She was still frustrated it was having little affect and it showed. “You chose that word correctly—if. If I uncover an untruth. And if I do not? If I find my dearest Valdov innocent? What then? Are you willing to wager on that, Little Wolf Girl? How much are your poor friends worth to you? Enough to pay the price—your life for theirs? Swear to me and you have a deal.”
“The hell she will,” Rourke snarled. “She already owes you one oath, vampire. She will not give a second.”
The Queen gave her hand an errant wave. “I am willing to amend the guidelines of our prior agreement to allow for her stupidity.” Her eyes flickered. “And standing in our way will not help your lover’s quest, cat. You should know such things by now.” Her eyes went to mine. “So what will it be? Your life or theirs?”
This was an abrupt change. I had to think fast. She obviously thought she’d found a way to gain the upper hand in this situation, but if it meant I could stick around without a fight, I had to play along. “It depends on your conditions,” I answered as Rourke’s displeasure jumped between us. He kept quiet, but I knew it took everything he had. The Queen smiled, almost giddy in the hopes of snaring me. “What do you want in exchange for setting them free?”
“You, and you alone, will stay inside these walls.” Her face dared me to object. “You will be held in a cell until I decide whether my trusted second is a traitor. You will have no contact with the outside while you are here as my prisoner. In the end you must abide by my decision whatever it may be. If he is found guilty, you and your friends go free. If he is innocent, I release the vampires, but you will remain until I choose your fate.”
A bevy of snarls erupted behind me. I put my hand up. “If I agree to this, there has to be a timeline. I don’t stay your prisoner forever. That would be—”
“There is no timeline,” she snapped. “Do not forget, by harboring you I am giving you my protection and you will pay for it dearly. I will negotiate nothing more with you.” Her hand made a decisive gesture downward to punctuate her point.
I met her stare, power zinging between us. “Eudoxia, if you keep me prisoner, the wolves will tear this place down and you know it. My father will not allow you to hold me indefinitely. I agree to give myself over to you to protect my friends, but I will not agree to an open-ended deal. Three days. I’ll give you three days.”
“You will give her no days,” Rourke boomed, his voice stony. He turned to the Queen. “She will not be your prisoner. Amassing wolves to free you isn’t necessary, because I will take this place apart before that happens, Eudoxia.” He paced closer to her, snarling deeply. “There is no way you are taking my mate hostage.”
Eudoxia put her hands on her waist, a smug look settling into her face. “Is that so?” Her eyes bled slowly to black. “Then you can kiss your precious allies goodbye. They are as good as dead once she sets foot outside this house. I will see to it myself.”
I placed my hand on Rourke’s shoulder as he made a move forward, restraining him as best I could. One hand was not enough. I encircled my other hand on his arm and tugged him back with effort.
My touch seemed to wake him up.
He was so angry he’d almost given himself over to his beast. Fur sprouted along his forearms as he turned and gazed at me, his face incredulous. “You can’t be serious, Jessica! I can’t stand here and let you agree to this. I’ve spent a lot of time in the company of vamps, and this is … madness. They drink their prisoners dry. Eudoxia has a plan and I can’t let you—”
“Rourke,” I said quietly, trying to reassure him by channeling my power into him through my touch as fast as I could. After a second it seemed to work. His eyes dimmed as his gaze locked on mine. I needed to convey the urgency in my words because we couldn’t talk internally, so I picked them with care. “Eudoxia is a businesswoman. I am certain she will see reason in the end. Valdov is a traitor. There’s no doubt. We have no reason not to negotiate and I can’t let Naomi and Ray die at her hands, so we have no other option at the moment.”
His tension was palpable. “Jessica, my beast won’t allow it. I’m a fraction of a second away from taking this house down.”