A Den of Tricks (A Shade of Vampire #54)

I glanced at Hansa, and I knew, deep down, that she was coming with me, whether I liked it or not. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer, no matter how much I needed her here, in the city, in relative safety as opposed to in the gorges.

It was definitely one of the reasons I’d fallen for her in the first place. She was fearless.

And she stood by my side, even when I faltered and foolishly rejected her.





Harper





(Daughter of Hazel & Tejus)





“I know I’m going,” Jax said, then nodded to Hansa, “and I know she’s going.”

“And I’ve already called dibs on the third spot on this mission.” I smirked, eager to get deeper into enemy territory and learn everything I could before we could deliver a large-scale, devastating blow and wipe those horned bastards off the face of Neraka.

“And we’ll take Caia and Blaze with us again,” Jax replied, looking at Heron, Avril, Patrik and Scarlett. “We’ll need that firepower down there, in case something goes wrong. You four stay here with the rest of the team. The city needs GASP in the aftermath of what just happened.”

The Lords watched quietly as Jax laid out the plan. Caspian was next to me, and I could feel his gaze on the side of my face. I gave him a brief glance and felt my heart skip a beat. There was a peculiar warmth in his jade eyes, the kind of emotion that promised sweet, beautiful moments, in a dramatic contrast with what had been happening in Azure Heights.

“What do you need us to do here?” Avril asked.

“You and Heron can start questioning witnesses regarding the explosions,” Jax said. “Use a broader timeline, though. From this morning until right now. Someone must have seen something out of place. Start with the Imen and Maras who were on this level.”

He then glanced up at the asteroid belt, a string of shimmering purplish dots in the sky, and frowned, then shifted his focus to Fiona.

“You can assist Patrik and Scarlett with their research,” he said to her. “We need to find out what’s happening with that asteroid belt, too. GASP may already be on their way here, but we’ll still have to get off Neraka at some point, preferably in the near future. We can’t do that if the asteroids continue to jam our magic.”

Fiona nodded firmly, and Scarlett put her arm around her shoulders. Despite everything that had just happened, I could still breathe easier with Fiona back from the Valley of Screams. As long as our team was intact and strong, we stood a better chance against the daemons.

“I’d like to join you on this mission, if you’ll have me,” Caspian interjected, giving me a brief sideways glance.

Jax and Hansa looked at each other for a moment; then they both nodded.

“It would be an honor to have you with us,” Jax replied. “Provided the other Lords will not suffer any setbacks in your absence. We wouldn’t want to disrupt your activities in any way, especially after what just happened.”

“That won’t be an issue,” Caspian said, just as Emilian opened his mouth to reply. “I’ll leave Cadmus in charge while I’m away. I feel like you need one of us with you on this journey, and, given the recent development, I feel like we need to address this trust issue between GASP and the Exiled Maras.”

Emilian, Farrah, and Rowan exchanged glances, as if they didn’t even need words to communicate. Emilian then placed a hand on Caspian’s shoulder, squeezing firmly.

“The Lords trust your judgment, as always, Caspian,” he said, his voice soft but his gaze cold, unyielding, as if there were more beneath his words—something that Caspian needed to be aware of. It triggered a little question mark in my head, but I knew this wasn’t the time to ask. Caspian owed me an answer, anyway. I’d have to slip that in. “Besides, Cadmus is more than capable of acting as your emissary.”

I knew Jax and Hansa were more than eager to have Caspian with us. Lord Kifo was the only Exiled Mara they trusted—he’d more than proven his noble intentions, despite the many questions he’d left unanswered.

Caspian could even help us find a way into the underground city of daemons, but that was a conversation best left for later, maybe in one of his meranium chambers—provided I’d be able to get him into one. Either way, his offer to join us worked for me, too. There was so much about him that I didn’t know, and something had definitely changed between us, from the moment I’d given him my blood to drink.

There was a glimmer in his eyes that I hadn’t noticed before. Whenever he looked at me, something lit up beneath his dark eyelashes, and I couldn’t help but hold my breath for a split second. It was as if he could see right into my soul. And I didn’t mind it one bit.

On the contrary, I delighted in his attention, mostly because it amplified the emotions coming out of him—waves of gold, red, and murky green that I was doing my best to interpret accurately. Mom had once told me that it takes a while to attune oneself to someone’s soul, as a sentry—the more time we spent together, the better I’d be able to read him.

“We should go back to the infirmary for now,” Jax said, his gaze fixed on Emilian. “We’ll see you in the morning, Lord Obara. What time will the funerals take place?”

Emilian sighed, the grief returning to his expression with a dark crease between his eyebrows. Both Farrah and Rowan leaned against him, and he put his arms around their shoulders. They were in this together, after all. I felt sorry for them, and I hoped we’d get our chance to pay the daemons in kind for what they had done to these people.

“We will begin the procession at nine,” Emilian replied, a slight tremor in his voice confirming the suffering already visible on his face. “Rewa will be appointed Lady of Azure Heights, now that Darius is… gone.”

“She is the eldest of House Xunn, and we need all five Houses to come through during these trying times.” Rowan sighed.

“We’ll leave you to talk among yourselves and to rest, then.” Jax nodded slowly, then looked at Avril. “You and Heron stay behind and continue sifting through the remains. Look for anything that could be of any help. Come down to the infirmary afterward. We’ll be there for another couple of hours, at least. We’ve got to go over the maps for tomorrow.”

I figured that we could get a lot more done over a shorter period of time if there were more of us up here. My True Sight alone could significantly speed things along.

“I’d like to stay and help, if that’s okay,” I said. “I think I’m of more use up here, for now. You, Hansa, and Patrik could easily establish a route through the gorges for tomorrow…”

“Fair enough,” Jax agreed, and gave Scarlett a gentle nudge. “Scarlett, you can stay too. You can all cover more ground together.”

Emilian gave us a curt bow, then escorted Farrah and Rowan toward the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder, noticing Caspian still standing next to me.

“We’re going to the White Star now. Rewa needs us to be there for her,” Emilian said. “Will you join us, Caspian?”