Darius, the one I figured for the leader given the other’s obvious deference, had wavy brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He looked more pirate than faery with his gold hoop earring and stubble. He spoke little, but he seemed watchful, as if gathering information all the time.
The other two were almost identical in appearance. Each had shoulder-length blond hair and a face almost too beautiful to be male. Even their names were similar—Garrick and Warrick. I assumed they were brothers.
Part of me wanted to deliver a rousing speech to embolden the troops before we headed into battle. The other part of me wanted to throw up. The upcoming fight didn’t worry me. I looked forward to kicking some ass. Instead, I couldn’t shake the knowledge that after tonight my world would never be the same. I could never return into the Dominae’s embrace or live among the Lilim. I’d be an outcast with a price on my head.
It occurred to me that all the suspicion I’d grown up with had proven true. Maybe the mage blood in my veins predisposed me to being a betrayer. Or maybe, as Adam claimed, there was a purpose to all this. As much as I wanted to laugh off the whole prophecy thing, I couldn’t reject the idea outright. My immunity to apples might be related. My mage blood could be the reason, but given everything else Adam said, I doubted that was the whole story. Plus, my grandmother had always been very weird about my birthmark. Now, I had to believe it was due to more than just an aversion to a visible reminder of my mixed blood. Apparently my sister had the same mark. Too bad I couldn’t ask her about the apple thing, too.
Thinking about my grandmother lying to me all these years made my jaw clench. Her attitude toward me finally made sense. She obviously saw me as an unfortunate reminder of her daughter’s sins. A pawn to use in her bid to make the mages pay for my mother’s death. Even with the truth staring me right in the face, I still couldn’t understand how someone could be so cold and calculating. Had she never had a heart? Or did my mother’s death kill it? I shoved that thought aside. I needed to focus on the mission. Later, I could try to put the pieces together and figure out what was next.
The van slowed as it left the highway. It was almost time. My thoughts should have depressed me. Instead, they made me angry. And I fully intended to punish anyone who got in my way.
Twilight had arrived by the time the van pulled into the field on the dirt road curling along the backside of the vineyard. We filed out the back doors, blinking in the low light.
Four faeries and five vampires lined up in front of me. Vinca and Frank stood at my sides.
Frank took over, since he was the logistics man. “Remember the plan, faeries go in first. Once they’ve disabled the security, vamps attack. Remember, we don’t want any mages harmed. The vineyard center will be closed since they only open to the public on weekends. We won’t have to worry about any mortals interfering.”
“Wait,” I said. “The plan was to rescue the mages and get the hell out of there.”
Frank shook his head. “Clovis decided we needed to stay and make sure the supply of mage blood is destroyed.”
I grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the group. “What the hell?” I whispered. “Why wasn’t I told of this?”
“Last-minute decision,” he said. When I started to tell him what I thought of his last-minute decision, he held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it. Clovis calls the shots. You don’t like it, you can leave.”
I could tell he was hoping I’d walk away. Instead, I ground my teeth and clenched my fists.
“We’re burning twilight, you guys,” Vinca called.
I looked from her to Frank. With no other choice, I nodded and stalked back to the group. “Let’s move out.”
We crossed the road and scaled the fence surrounding the vineyard. Before us, a hill covered in rows upon rows of vines waited. We split up, faeries heading left and vamps heading right with me in the center. Our feet made little sound as we ran across the rocky terrain. Before long, the rear buildings of the winery rose into view. I paused before exiting the cover of the vines, trying to spot guards or workers patrolling the area. To my left, a male faery snuck up behind a guard and snapped his neck with a violent twist. From my right, I heard a gurgle as a vamp took out another guard.
The small faery group headed out of the fields and made their way to the back loading dock. They moved like apparitions though the dusk. Vinca led the team as they disappeared inside the building. I held my breath, waiting for an alarm or the sounds of fighting, but soon Vinca stuck her head out the door and gave the all-clear signal.
Frank’s team and I left the field and merged just before the bay doors. Frank motioned the team to split up again once we entered—vamps following Frank, the others taking my lead. The warehouse seemed deserted, except for piles of ashes Vinca’s team had left behind as calling cards. I crept forward, toward the secure area, while Frank and his group of vamps took a more circuitous route. I was fine with that because I didn’t trust Frank to handle the extraction of the mages. Faeries would have a gentler hand when it came to disengaging the mages from their machines. Their healing knowledge would also help if we had any problem resuscitating anyone.
We got to the doors leading into the containment area. Vinca pointed to the camera above the doors and made a slashing motion across her throat. The security was disabled. I pointed to the doors and she shook her head. None of our people had gone inside.
I pushed through the doors and crab-walked down the hallway. My gun remained in my waistband. I couldn’t risk a shot going wild. I flexed my fists, cracking a few knuckles in the process. I waved a hand for the others to stay behind me.
The elevators in front of me dinged, opening to reveal two vampires wearing lab coats in the front of the car. A few more bunched behind them. Acting on instinct, I ran at the first two as they came out, too engrossed in conversation to notice me. In a fluid motion, I pulled two apple wood stakes from my waistband. I took one vamp out by ramming the stake between his third and fourth ribs, piercing his heart through his back. Before he hit the floor, his partner came at me. The male had a hundred pounds and at least six inches on me. He grabbed me by the neck and pushed me back against the wall. He hissed as his fangs aimed right for my jugular. His elbows blocked me as I tried to angle the stake at his chest.
I managed to wriggle free enough to reach up with my left hand and jab a finger into his eyeball. He yelped and swayed for a second, but his hands tightened on my neck. He couldn’t kill me this way, but if he got his fangs into my neck I was as good as dead. I crossed my arms through his and clasped my hands together. With a quick twist, I dislodged his beefy arms. I followed this with an elbow to his nose. As he staggered back, I lifted the stake and shoved it down hard behind his clavicle. His eyed widened in surprise above the bloody mess that was once his nose. He ignited and fell to the floor in a mass of ashes.