“That solidifies my theory,” I said. “This was something they had cooked up together.” I ran both hands through my hair and exhaled. “These games make my brain hurt. She risked death, and for what? What does she want from me?”
Rourke stood next to me. “Vampires are not skilled fighters, but they are known for their conniving ways. There’s no doubt she had plans in place from the moment you left her weeks ago. All she needed to do was pick which one to implement once you were here.”
“Her manipulation agitates me,” I said. “We all know she wants my blood or my life force or whatever, and she’s going to scheme until she gets it. But in this particular scenario she didn’t have a chance to get what she wanted. Something went very wrong here, but hell if I know what. I hate being her pawn.”
Rourke growled. “The Queen isn’t the only one around here with power or plans. She can connive all she wants, but it was clear her second-in-command was equally as scheming. Valdov used the plan to a perceived advantage, but neither of them got what they wanted and Valdov died for it.”
I sized up my mate. Just being this close brought me some much-needed calm. His warmth radiated into my body. I was happy to see him again. I hadn’t realized how much I missed being near him until right this minute. “How did you get into the crypt with Yuri, by the way?” I asked.
“I dug my way in.”
“From the outside? Like”—I blanched—“with your bare hands?”
His eyelids went to half-mast and a sexy growl sent the hairs on my arms jumping to attention. “Yes. Did you expect me to do any less?”
Danny exaggerated a cough. “Okay, let’s stay on track, shall we? Or your combined pheromones may choke us all before we can defeat anyone properly.”
“That’s poetic justice coming from you,” I chuckled, turning toward Danny, “since I’m the one usually telling you the very same thing.” I stood from the chair and maneuvered myself against Rourke’s chest. I needed to touch him. Pheromones be damned.
Are you purring?
Yes, Rourke answered.
I like it.
Time to get back to business. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on wonderfully purring mates. With effort I directed a question at my brother. “Did you find Ray?” I asked. Ray wasn’t here with us, so it was a good guess they hadn’t. “Or do you at least know where they’re holding him?”
“We think they’re keeping him in one of the crypts,” Tyler said. “There was no trace of his scent out there, but that was before the ward came down. We should be able to scent him now.”
“Okay, our first priority is to find him,” I said. “Since we don’t know exactly where he is, we split up. Once we have him, we regroup. Rourke and I will take the interior. Tyler, I want you, Danny, and Naomi to take the grounds outside. Search until dark; after that I want you to shift. If Dad is in New Orleans, like we hope, keeping the lines of communication open becomes the top priority.”
Tyler nodded. “It’s going to be dark very soon. That doesn’t give us a lot of time, but if we find Ray, I’ll alert you. After Danny and I shift, we meet up with you guys no matter what. The only thing we’ll have once the demons arrive is strength in numbers.”
Rourke voiced his agreement. “He’s right. We need to stand together. If the Queen’s ward works, we will have an advantage, but it will only be a slight one and won’t mean anything if we’re not united.”
“Okay,” I said. “We meet on the east side of the mansion in twenty minutes. Doesn’t give us a lot of time, but we can still cover ground. Has anyone seen Nick?”
“Once we all left, he went over the wall like you asked him to. Haven’t seen him since,” Danny answered.
“Good,” I said. “That means he’s found something. I can only hope it means James and Marcy are here somewhere and they’re rallying the wolves. If there’s enough time, circle around to the front and see if you can find him, but don’t leave the grounds.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.” Danny saluted me with a grin.
“Very funny. The salute was a nice touch.” I chuckled. “You’re the embodiment of the word ‘cheeky,’ Daniel Walker.”
“The cheekiest,” he said with a straight face. “But that’s why you adore me.”
It was true. I did adore him. He was proving to be the perfect underling to my temporary Alpha. I was going to miss my connection to him when he swore his oath back to my father. “Danny, you always provide a bright, shiny spot in my day. Though I’m not surprised my father had you stationed two hours away.”
He gave me a sardonic grin. “Yes, my humor is lost on the old dog. It’s a shame really, because most of the time he could use a good laugh.”