Callan shrugged. “No idea. I don’t concern myself with staff matters.” He pointed ahead of us. “Third door on the left will take you to a tunnel that leads to the street.”
My eyebrows inched up. “A tunnel?”
“More of a secret passage. No monsters.”
“And no guards?” It seemed risky to leave an entrance to the palace unmanned. Queen Britannia would never have approved.
“Once you cross the threshold, you won’t be able to get back in. It’s warded so that only certain individuals can enter,” he explained.
I couldn’t imagine what kind of fool would want to enter the palace uninvited anyway. Even if you managed to make it inside, you’d be killed on sight. Guards patrolled the main sections of the palace and the royal vampires were powerful in their own right.
“I apologize for my brother’s interference,” Callan continued. “I’ll have a word with him.”
“You don’t have to do that on my account.”
“No, you can fight your own battles. I know. I’ve witnessed it firsthand.” His smile was only faintly visible in the dim light of the corridor. “Sleep well, London. Perhaps our paths will cross again soon.”
7
I awoke the next morning and began preparations for my journey to Devon. The most important step was making arrangements for the animals. As usual, Hera expressed her displeasure at being sequestered.
“It’s for the best,” I told the ornery cat. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”
No animal on earth glared like a cat. She added a flick of her tail for good measure.
I set up a summoning circle and sent the menagerie to the temporary realm I’d dubbed the holiday home where they’d be safe until my return. It felt good to release some of my magic. Sometimes the pressure got to be too much. I was a supernatural volcano on the cusp of my own Great Eruption.
Once the animals were squared away, I reinforced the ward to the pantry. If anybody managed to break through the exterior ward, which seemed highly unlikely, they’d be too spent to master a second ward. It helped that no one knew the stone was here. House Lewis believed they had the stone in their possession and no one else who knew of its existence would think to look for it here. I felt a twinge of guilt for deceiving Callan, but there was no way I was leaving a powerful stone that controlled elemental magic in the hands of vampires.
Next I packed a bag and debated the best choice of weapons. I needed to travel light so I opted for Babe, my axe, as well as Bert and Ernie, my two daggers. If those failed me, I had magic, although my license to practice didn’t extend beyond the borders of House Lewis. I’d have to be careful. Avoiding magic was my preference anyway. The more I used in public, the more attention I drew and increased my chances of being discovered. If I wanted others to believe I was a witch with middling abilities, I had to play the part.
I locked the door, reset the ward, and headed to Paddington Station. Underground trains were nonexistent, but there were still a few functional overland trains that traveled between territories. For a trip to Devon, Paddington was my only option.
The station was surprisingly busy considering the early hour, but it made sense if most passengers were here for the Devon train. It only ran once a day so if you missed the morning train, you were out of luck until tomorrow.
Once inside the station, my vampire radar began to ping wildly. I straightened my shoulders and did my best to ignore it. I was about to be trapped for hours in a train carriage chock full of vampires. I couldn’t let their presence unnerve me.
I surveyed the station. The area to show your ticket was first, then passport control. If you didn’t have your pass to cross the border, you wouldn’t be permitted on the train.
I purchased a roundtrip ticket and started toward the gate. A figure stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
“What’s in Devon?”
I looked up into the bright green eyes of Prince Callan. What the actual…?
“You followed me here?”
“Guilty as charged.”
I popped a hand on my hip. “When you said perhaps our paths will cross again soon, I didn’t think you meant the very next day.”
“It wasn’t my intention, trust me, but it was either I follow you or Maeron sends his henchman.” He paused. “Trust me. I’m the better option.”
I motioned to the platform. “As you’ve surmised, I’m boarding a train to Devon, so if you’re not prepared to cross the border, I don’t think you’re in a position to stalk me.”
Callan turned to look at the train. “What’s in Devon?”
“Confidential, remember?” I tried to brush past him, but he cut me off.
“Who authorized your pass?”
“I don’t have a pass,” I admitted. “My plan is to get my ticket checked and then turn invisible to evade passport control.”
He frowned. “You can’t be serious.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“Aside from it being illegal, it won’t work. You think you’re the only one with the power of invisibility? Look around at all the vampires.”
I’d rather not. “The odds of…”
He placed a warm hand on my shoulder and cut me off. “The odds are good that they’ll catch you. They don’t advertise it, but they have the means to do so.”
So much for my plan.
The whistle sounded and a voice announced five minutes until departure.
“I can solve your problem,” Callan said.
“You’ll write me a pass?”
“Even better. I’ll join you.”
I laughed. “I don’t think so.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m going to Devon on behalf of a werewolf pack, not House Lewis. And Devon, as you might recall, is neither in House Lewis or House Duncan territory.”
“They don’t need to know my true identity. I’ll be a regular vampire traveling with my colleague on a professional assignment.” He gestured to me.
“How do you expect to waltz into Devon? You’re the Highland Reckoning. Someone will recognize you.”
His eyes twinkled with amusement. “You didn’t recognize me when we first met.”
“I’m not typical.”
He smirked. “No, you’re certainly not.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the train. The clock was ticking. “How do you expect to get us both through passport control if you conceal your identity?”
“You think I don’t have the means to travel in secret?”
Another whistle sounded.
It was either this or postpone my trip until I obtained a pass through official channels. Romeo wanted me to be discreet and official channels tended to be slow and demanded too much information.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
His brow lifted. “Seriously?”
I urged him forward. “Get your ticket and move. The train’s about to depart and it’s the only one today.”
I tapped my foot impatiently as Callan hurried to the ticket counter. I couldn’t believe I was about to embark on a trip out of the territory with the Demon of House Duncan. What was I thinking?
Callan returned to my side wearing a smug grin. “Ready if you are.”
“What about the passes?”
“O ye of little faith.”
“Tickets, please,” a vampire announced.