Deadlocked (The Harry Russo Diaries Book 3) (19 page)

“I did! I did plan it, right to the tiniest detail. I made
you.” She smiled in triumph. “The first necromancer in generations and all
because I planned every detail of your genetic makeup.”

I squirmed uncomfortably. Okay, so maybe this was more
detail than I really wanted to know. But Deirdre continued, oblivious to my
discomfort. “The colour of your eyes, your hair, your…magic, I coaxed every
little improvement I could when you were just a tiny little seed inside of me.
I made you the perfect little dhamphir.” She gazed at Salvador with a look of
almost manic zeal. “I made sure she had the best of both of us, Sal.”

“But why?” My voice was a whisper.

“Why? For power of course.” She turned her gaze to mine.
“What else is there?” She frowned and looked back at Salvador. “I thought I
had found it with you, but in the end you were weak. You have all this power
at your fingertips, but instead of using it to crush your enemies, you make
friends with them, alliances. You treat them as equals!” There were
murmurings from the living and undead alike at this. Obviously Deirdre fell
into the Benecio school of thought when it came to werewolves.

“That’s quite enough,” I said, not wanting to hear more of
her rant, but Salvador met my gaze.

“Let her speak,” he said.

“Tell me more about your plan, Deirdre,” I replied
reluctantly.

“My plan was brilliant, but first I needed some way to
leverage you.” She looked at the Mariposa. “That’s when
Madre
found
me. She promised me immortality and all I had to do was seduce Salvador and deliver
a child. I was halfway there; I had already managed the seduction.” She sneered
at him. “I won’t complain about the rest. It was certainly fun accomplishing
the second half.”

Oh man! I’d never unhear that. Yuck.

“It was perfect. You were perfect,” Deirdre ranted on, unable
to stop. “And then it all went wrong. My meddling mother, your grandmother,
caught up with me, forcing me back to that stultifying commune she called
home. She kept me there like a captive.” Deirdre stared at me, her eyes
wild. “When I was finally able to escape, it was almost too late. Your time
was close and you were impatient to be born. I made it halfway across the
country before that old witch found me again. By then it
was
too late,
I was already in labour and
Madre’s
people didn’t arrive in time.” She gave
me a look of condemnation. “You almost killed me. I was near death when that
old hag arrived. She scooped you up and took you from me and she left me.
She left me! Did that old bitch tell you that she left me for dead? She didn’t
care about me, she just wanted you. If
Madre’s
people hadn’t arrived
when they did…” She frowned and shook her head. “They kept me alive long
enough to receive the kiss. So I got my reward, despite that meddling old
woman.”

“I’ve heard enough,” I said quietly, ending Deirdre’s
tirade. Not that there was probably much else for her to say. I felt sick. Did
it really happen that way? It must have, at least in Deirdre’s mind, because
under my compulsion she wouldn’t have been able to lie. Across my bond with
Nash I felt a boost of warm support. It helped. I took a deep breath,
steeling myself for whatever came next.

“It doesn’t matter how the child was conceived. You have a
daughter, I have two sons. Pick one and our alliance will be sealed.” The
Mariposa dismissed Deirdre’s tale with a look of disdain.

“No!” I stood up, pushing my chair back. “I’m not some
pawn in your little game. You can’t trade me back and forth like a toy.”

Salvador smiled a cold, calculating smile. “I believe you
have your answer, Catalina. My daughter will remain with me.”

Salvador’s words hung in the air.

I thought Catalina would rage, but instead she smiled, her
smile just as cold and calculating as Salvador’s. “I thought that would be the
case, but North America will be mine and I am starting right here.” She clapped
her hands twice.

A dozen of her guard snapped to attention, blades drawn. They
had insinuated themselves close to the head table and had us surrounded, a
blade levelled at each of the main players, including me I noticed. I looked
out into the room. More of her guards appeared to be holding our guards at
bay. I turned to look at Salvador. He seemed unperturbed by the turn of
events.

“
Nash
?” I caught his gaze.

“
Just keep it cool minx, there’s more going on than it
seems
.” He eyed his mother, who also looked unconcerned about being
surrounded by the Mariposa’s guards, suspiciously.

The Mariposa rose slowly from her chair. “You were always
too complacent Salvador. You lack the drive and ambition that it takes to
truly be great.” She smiled triumphantly. “Soon your city will be in ruins
and I will grind what remains under my heel. You will either bow to me, or
die.”

“Actually
mother
,” Diego said, rising to stand as
well. “I think you will find that all
your
planning has come to
naught.” He flicked his hand and more than half of the Catalonia guard stood
down, turning on those still faithful to the Mariposa, cutting them down where
they stood. The Triad’s enforcers and Salvador’s guards turned on any
remaining Catalonian guards still loyal to the Mariposa and chaos broke out
around the room. The guests around the head table sat in shocked silence.

As if on cue, the double doors opened and a contingent of vampire
guards trooped in dragging what appeared to be Juan Carlos and several other
strange vampires. They were bound using magically enforced zip ties. Four
members of the SRU accompanied them. One of the men I recognized from his visits to the
coffee shop stepped over to Nash and spoke quietly to him. A slow
smile crept across Nash’s face.

“As you can probably deduce, we have deactivated every bomb
you placed around the city,” Diego continued with a smile. “All of your
people are now in custody. These four,” he turned to look at Juan Carlo and
his buddies with disgust, “have been caught perpetrating heinous crimes here in
the city and have been turned over to the proper authorities.”

“You ungrateful little bastard,” the Mariposa sneered, “I
raised you up from nothing. I should have left you there.” She turned her
head to the side and spat on the floor.

“Yes, and you should have left me my humanity or let me die,
as was my choice. But since you took that choice away from me, I now choose to
no longer sit idly by while you continue to reign in terror over the people of
my country.”

“Never! I shall take this city and this country. It and
everyone in it will be mine.” She turned her gaze on Salvador and their eyes
locked. There was an enormous burst of energy and everyone except the two
combatants was thrown backwards. In the commotion, some of the Catalonia
guards tried to fight their way out and small skirmishes erupted again around
the room.

Isaac and Hilde immediately were at my side, guarding me.

“
Harry
?” Nash’s tone was worried.

“
I’m fine. Isaac and Hilde have my back
.”

I started in surprise at the sound of snarling right beside
me. I looked over in time to see Diego and Bartolo fall on each other. The
two brothers grappled with one another, fangs bared.

Isaac pulled me out of the way, hauling me back to my feet.
“Come on, we should find cover until this all settles out.”

He began to pull me away, but then I noticed someone that
seemed out of place. “Max! Look out!” I shouted a warning just as Elder
Marshall lobbed what appeared to be a magical fireball right at Max. I flicked
my hand, batting the fiery orb away with my telekinesis. I turned my gaze to Marshall.
He was taken by surprise by my counterattack but quickly recovered, another orb
beginning to form in his hand. I concentrated all my powers on him, forcing
his hands inward towards his chest. He had no choice but to let the orb
dissipate or risk burning himself.

Max and his guards jumped on Marshall pinning him to the
floor. “Thanks Harry,” he shot me a grin. “We’ve got this now.” A guard
slipped a set of magic restraints over Marshall’s wrists.

Relieved, I looked around the room. The fighting had
stopped with Salvador’s men seizing control once again. Across the space, Diego
stood over Bartolo’s headless body, looking a little worse for wear, but victorious.
He flashed me a smile like we were just meeting up for a walk in the park
rather than standing amongst the carnage of a civil war. I shook my head. My
life just gets weirder and weirder.

“Harry!” Nash scooped me up in his arms, hugging me
fiercely. “Are you okay?” He held me out to take a look. “Are you hurt
anywhere?”

“No, I’m fine, I’m fine.” I brushed off his overeager hands
as they checked me over for damage. “Honestly, Nash.” I pulled him to me by
his collar and crushed my lips to his.

“Sorry, sir.” One of Nash’s men from the SRU came to stand
beside us, clearing his throat. “What should we do with the vamps?”

Nash sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry
Harry, but I really have to –”

“Go,” I said, giving him a push. “I’m fine. I have Isaac
and Hilde to keep me safe.” I smiled at him.

Nash gave me a kiss on the forehead and then left to deal
with Juan Carlo and his murderous gang.

I looked over at the banquet table. The chairs were all
tipped over and plates and crystal goblets smashed on the floor. The only
things apparently untouched from the blast were Salvador and Catalina. They
stood at either end of the long expanse, their eyes locked. Neither of them
moved; they appeared frozen in time.

“What’s happening?” I asked Isaac.

“They fight their battle on the metaphysical level,” Isaac
explained, although it didn’t help me at all. I still didn’t really understand
what was going on.

“It is a battle of the mind, Harry,” Diego said, coming to
stand beside me. “A battle of wills. They will remain locked in battle until
only one survives.”

“So that’s it?” I looked at him in surprise. “We just have
to stand around and watch them stare at each other?”

Diego shrugged, a little smile on his face. “No, you could
sit if you prefer.” And indeed, many of Salvador’s vampires and the
Catalonians on Team Diego had begun to pull up chairs to sit and watch.

“I don’t get it.” I shook my head.

“Were you perhaps expecting something more?”

“Well, yeah. Two great vampiric powers, dueling it out? I
expected something a little more epic than a contest of who blinks first.” Like
maybe a cool wizard’s duel, à la
Harry Potter
. Would that have been too
much to ask?

Diego laughed. “Vampires are all about the long game
Harry. We have the time, after all.” He righted a chair and indicated I
should sit. “When Salvador first approached me over a decade ago –”

“Wait a minute. You mean you’ve been planning this coup for
a decade?”

“The long game, remember?” Diego shrugged. “Salvador knew
that this encounter was inevitable and he knew that to win, he would need to have
an inside man. When he approached me, I was ready for a change. I couldn’t
live under mother’s rule any longer.”

“So this really wasn’t about me then, was it? Not that I
think the world should revolve around me or anything,” I added hurriedly. It
would just be nice to know that I wasn’t the centre of all the mayhem for a
change.

“It was, but it wasn’t. You were the catalyst. We knew
that once you made your existence known, Catalina would not be able to resist
trying to claim you and take Salvador’s territory from him.” He smiled at me.
“And you certainly didn’t disappoint. By eliminating Benecio, you’ve sure made
my job easier when I get back home.”

I studied him. “So you and Salvador knew that I’d end up
stripping him of his powers? You planned it?” I felt mildly outraged, but
resigned. Why should I be surprised to have been manipulated yet again by
Salvador?

“It was inevitable, was it not? With your affinity to the
werewolves and your human compassion, you couldn’t help yourself. Benecio was
a monster,” Diego scowled. “Without his foot on the throats of the werewolf
packs, my mother’s rule is over.” He looked at Catalina, still locked in
silent battle with Salvador. “One way or another.”

I sat stewing over everything. I was tired of being used by
Salvador. I was tired of everything.

Diego must have noticed my dark face because he touched my
arm kindly. “Does it help to know that Salvador knew what Deirdre was doing?
That he knew about her deal with Catalina?”

“You mean he knew that Deirdre was trying to conceive his
child and he went along with it?” I was shocked.

“Is it so hard to believe that maybe Salvador wanted you
Harry?”

I frowned, thinking over what Diego had said. Was it hard
to believe? I just didn’t know anymore. I huffed out a sigh. Thinking about
Deirdre and her pregnancy plot reminded me that I hadn’t seen her since the
blast. I looked around the room, but she was nowhere to be seen.

“Deirdre’s gone,” I said. “You know her better than I do.
Where do you think she’ll go?”

“I doubt if she has gone far. She always lands on her feet,
that one does. She’s probably back at our hotel waiting to see which way the
wind will blow so she knows who to cast her sail at.” I wasn’t surprised. I
didn’t have a very high opinion of my
mother
. “She’ll probably come
back to Spain with me,” Diego shrugged. “There’s nothing for her here, is
there?”

“No. There isn’t.” My voice held a note of finality. “If
she does, can you do me a favour and keep an eye on her? She’ll be trouble, you
know. I doubt if she will ever stop her machinations to gain more power.”

“Yes, I’ll keep my eye on her.”

I looked at him closely. He had a strange look on his
face. “Oh man! Not you too!”

Diego looked at me innocently. “What? My brother was right
about one thing. Your mother is great in –”

“Don’t say it! Don’t say it.” I made a face, scrambling
from my seat to step away from him. “That’s TMI, Diego. Too much
information.”

Diego laughed. I shook my head at him, but I couldn’t help
but laugh. After a minute, I sobered up, looking across the room at Salvador.
How much longer was this battle going to last? I paced across the room to
where Max and Eleanor were sitting. Someone had brought them coffee. Geez,
did everyone else just think this was normal?

“Harry dear, come sit down. We could be here a while.”
Eleanor patted the seat beside her.

“Thanks Eleanor, but I don’t think I can sit right now.” I
was feeling too keyed up. Was I the only one worried about the outcome?
Salvador was an extremely powerful vampire, likely more powerful than the
Mariposa. So why was I worried? Was I actually worrying about Salvador? I
wasn’t sure I was ready to go there yet.

I paced the room for a while longer, Hilde trailing after
me. I guess she wasn’t ready to let me out of her sight. Not that Isaac did
either. He just managed to keep an eye on me from his post, leaning against
the wall.

“All will be well, Harry. This you will see.” Hilde smiled
reassuringly.

“Have you seen something like this before?”

“Yes, several times.”

“Are they usually so…boring?”

Hilde laughed. “No, usually, we are too busy fighting with
the other guys to even notice.”

I grabbed a chair, setting it back on its legs, and sat down,
scanning the room. Some of Salvador’s people had begun the cleanup. They were
piling headless vampire bodies on a four wheeled trolley. One of them tossed a
head to his buddy like it was a football and my stomach did a little flip. I
guess they would take the bodies someplace where they could be exposed to the
dawning sun. Although most vampires generally had an aversion to sunshine and
avoided it, dawn was the only time of day a vampire couldn’t be out in the sun,
unless of course, they wanted to become a human-shaped torch. Instant
immolation, the best way to rid yourself of pesky vampire corpses.

I sighed and kicked off my shoes, half watching the cleanup
crew. At least they were more interesting than watching Salvador and Catalina,
which was at par with watching paint dry. I ran a hand through my hair,
resting my elbow on the arm of the chair so I could prop up my head. The buzz
I had felt earlier was wearing off and I was tired and just wanted to go home.

I think I was beginning to fall asleep, my eyes drifting
shut, when something out the corner of my eye drew my attention. It was a dark
shape moving on the far side of the banquet table. I sat up and turned my head
for a better look. It was the creepy old guy that Isaac called the
Undertaker. He was shuffling along across the room, getting closer and closer
to Salvador. I cocked my head, examining him. Something wasn’t right. I
think I registered that his hand was in his pocket about the same time he
pulled it out, holding a gun. He pointed it at Salvador.