Wrath (3 page)

“We’ve wasted enough time,” I said to those I did want behind my closed door. Victor and his ridiculous lies had definitely been a total waste, and now a new day had begun and we still didn’t have a plan, let alone an army. I went behind my desk, but didn’t sit down. Instead, I placed my hands on my desk and leaned forward. “We need to make a plan to find and rescue Dorian and Heather. We need a team. An elite team. Our very best.”

“You need to talk to Sophia first,” Tristan said.

“She called a few times last night and once already this morning,” Blossom added. “She knew everything that happened before we even told her.”

Of course she did. Mom could sense the truth. I hadn’t told her about Vanessa’s and my trip to Hades before we left, because I knew she’d try to talk me out of it. Forbid it, actually. If she didn’t suspect something being wrong, she wouldn’t have reached out for the truth of the situation. So something had tipped her off, and I imagined she wasn’t very happy with me at the moment. Hopefully, her love for Dorian would eclipse any anger she had for me. And hopefully she knew the truth of where to find him.

“She understood you needed to rest and regenerate,” Blossom continued, “but she demanded that you call her the moment you woke up.”

I sighed. “Fine. I’ll call you guys back in here when I’m done.”

Blossom and Sheree left my office, but Tristan stayed.

“There are some things you should know before you call her,” he said when we were alone. “So that she doesn’t catch you off guard.”

Not liking the warning in his voice, I closed my eyes as I sank into my chair. “Like what?”

“Well, to start with, the Normans seem to be on the verge of war. Almost everywhere.”

My eyes popped open. “
What?
”

“The Daemoni are escalating things. There have been two assassinations and four ‘accidental’ bomb detonations just in the last twenty-four hours. The whole world has gone on edge.”

Damn it. Does it ever end?
“Having their fun with the Normans? As if messing with us isn’t enough?”

“War is the best way for them to build their army.”

“Because they know taking Dorian has started our own war.”

“We’ve always been at war, but yes, they’re taking it to the next level. But not only with us, Alexis. With the Normans, too.”

I rolled my head around on my neck. “Vanessa said they were planning it. Preparing to make their move to take over.”

“Well, their move has been made.”

I nodded and reached for my phone. “Okay. Good to know.”

Tristan placed his hand over mine, preventing me from dialing. “Just be prepared that Sophia might not give you the answers you’re hoping for.”

I looked up at him. “All I want is to know if she has an idea of where Dorian is and an army to go get him.”

“Exactly.”

He held my gaze as I stared at him with incredulity. “Dorian’s her grandson! She loves him. She would do anything for him, just like us.”

He tightened his hand on mine. “I’m not saying I agree with them, but Sophia’s taking orders from Rina, who must look out for the Amadis as a whole and all of humanity. Nobody’s going to understand putting resources into a search and rescue of one kid who will eventually serve the Daemoni anyway. Not when the rest of the world is at risk.”

My blood pressure shot up again, and I opened my mouth to protest, but he held his free hand up before I went off.

“I’m only saying what others will. Whether we agree with them or not, there are other valid perspectives.”

His tone drove home his meaning. Mom and Rina had picked the Amadis over my family and me in the past. They were obligated to serve the greater good. Our purpose as the Amadis family was to protect our society and all of humanity, regardless of what it meant for us personally. I needed another angle, because our love for Dorian wouldn’t be enough to convince the matriarch, her second-in-command, and the rest of the Amadis that he was worth fighting for.

If I only knew why the Angels had sent him on his own, without a twin sister. There had to be a reason.

“Do you want me to leave?” Tristan asked.

My brows pushed together and the corners of my mouth turned down. “Of course not.” I rose from my chair and rounded the desk, then pushed him back until he sat on the edge. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my forehead against his. “You belong right here.”

“We’re in this together,” he agreed before brushing my lips with his. He snagged my phone from the desk and handed it to me. I turned around and leaned back against him, and he wrapped his arms around my waist while I dialed Mom’s number.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” Mom said as soon as she answered. “I wish I could be there for you. The timing couldn’t be any worse.”

In other words, Dorian’s kidnapping was inconvenient. My hackles rose immediately. Tristan moved his hands to my shoulders and squeezed, trying to massage the tension out, but it only built.

“I know you and Rina have a lot to deal with,” I said, trying to be forgiving. “I know you can’t completely drop everything.”

“I would if I could. That boy . . .” She choked on her words. “I love him so much, Alexis. We knew this was coming, but you can never be adequately prepared.”

Her tears almost got to me, but I refused to break. Not now. I needed to be strong. “It came too soon, Mom. This isn’t right. They’ve overstepped their boundaries, and they know it. So do you.”

“Alexis, honey—”

“
Feel
the truth, Mom. That’s your gift. Use it. And tell me this isn’t wrong. He didn’t feel drawn to the Daemoni like all the other sons did. He didn’t choose to go. They didn’t even give him that choice.”

She blew a sigh into the phone. “It doesn’t matter, honey. They have him. Regardless of timing or methods, they have him. It was inevitable, and we know it.”

Renewed anger clawed at my chest. “No. Not yet.
This
wasn’t supposed to happen. Not like this.”

“Everything happens for a reason, Alexis.”

I let out a maniacal laugh. “Yeah, well, maybe the reason is so we’ll finally do what needs to be done—eliminate Lucas and the rest of the Daemoni. Destroy them once and for all. We need to gather our forces.”

“Yes, we do,” she actually agreed. “I need you and Tristan to build our army.”

“Right,” I said, glad we were on the same page. “And we’ll go in, get our son, and decimate Hades.”

“No, Alexis.”

“What do you mean ‘no’? How else are we going to get Dorian back?”

“First of all, I don’t feel the truth that Dorian is in Hades. I don’t know where he is, exactly—there must be a powerful cloak on him—but I don’t sense that Lucas has him.”

“But he surely knows where he is. He did take Dorian, after all.”

“I don’t feel that truth either.”

“Of course he did! He all but warned me when I was there only hours before, and he left my dagger that he’d taken from me as his calling card.”

“This isn’t really something Lucas would do himself,” Tristan said. “He would have sent someone, like Victor.”

“Technicalities,” I muttered. “Victor doesn’t have Dorian, so he obviously took him
somewhere
during the night. And Lucas knows exactly where.”

“Nonetheless,” Mom said, “we can’t and we won’t raid Hades. We’re not powerful enough.”

“So we get that way. Build our army, like you said. We have strong fighters, Mom. We’ll take our best. Tristan and I can—”

“Alexis, will you
listen
to me for a minute?” Mom’s voice had risen, causing me to pause. “We’re on the defensive! And we’re not in the position to take the offense. We have to put all of our resources—our best people, our time, our money—into protecting the Amadis and the Normans. The Daemoni have already acted. They control some of the world powers, and now they’re moving in on the United Nations. There are secret meetings all over the world as we speak. Lucas’s men occupy many of those war rooms, and if we don’t do our job, humanity will go up in a forest of mushroom clouds.”

“So why aren’t we in those secret meetings? We’re the damn Amadis! Why don’t we have people in there stopping them?”

Mom sighed heavily. “We do, honey. But too many politicians are power-hungry and corrupt. They feed off the lies the Daemoni give them and don’t want to listen to us. Even those who want to do right will do what’s necessary to protect their own. If another country or faction—or
species
—attacks their people, they’re not going to stand around and do nothing. They’re going to retaliate.”

“That’s what the Daemoni want!” I pulled away from Tristan and started pacing.

“Yes, it is. They’ll turn the dying into theirs until they have an army big enough to take over humanity. Normans will become their slaves. If they have to wipe out half of the human race with a nuclear war to achieve this goal, they will. Which is why we need to counteract their every move and convert as many as we can.”

“Which will build our army. Then we can go into Hades before it’s too late.”

“Hopefully, yes. While our best diplomats are with the politicians, we need to be working on our primary mission of building our army. I need you and Tristan to focus on this.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “But we’re not losing focus on rescuing Dorian, Mom. As soon as we have the people we need, that’s
our
primary mission.”

She didn’t respond right away. My nostrils flared.

“I want Dorian back as much as you do,” she finally said, “but he can’t be our primary mission. Not yours. Not anyone’s. The Amadis and the Normans need us.”

“Dorian needs us!”

“Honey . . .” She paused again, and I could picture her pinching the top of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. When she finally continued, grief tainted her voice. “Honey, Dorian is where he belongs now.”

“No!” I yelled. “Don’t you ever say that! He doesn’t belong there. He belongs here with us, with his dad and me. You say there’s a reason for everything. Well, there’s a reason the Angels sent him alone, Mom. We may not know what it is, but they couldn’t have sent him only to be taken from us.”

“Maybe that is the reason, Alexis. Maybe you needed this motivation to finally use your powers and fight. Maybe this all happened to force you to focus on your real purpose. To do what you, as Amadis royalty and a future matriarch, are
supposed
to do.”

I stopped in my tracks, her words like a slap across the face or a violent shake you give someone to make them see reason.
No
. I refused to believe Dorian’s life meant nothing more than this. There had to be another purpose.

“No. My son needs me,” I said. “So does Heather. What about her?”

“The Norman girl’s safety and well-being
is
a concern. We have a team searching for her now, but . . . Alexis, it may be too late for her.”

My heart skipped a beat. “
What?
”

“She knows too much, and the Daemoni know that.”

“Let us go search for them, Mom.
Please
. She and Dorian are probably together.”

“If we find the girl close to you, we’ll send you out. It’s the best I can do right now.”

“I will not give up on them,” I said through a clenched jaw. “On either of them. I will not abandon my son.”

“You will serve the Amadis, Alexis,” Mom countered just as firmly. “You will serve the Angels and lead their army like you’re supposed to.”

“I won’t abandon him,” I repeated.

“You won’t abandon your people. You won’t leave your army.”

“No. I need them.”

“Not until they’re ready.”

“We don’t have time to waste!” I sucked in a deep breath. “Why can’t you just give me the best and let Tristan and me take care of this immediately? Then we can serve you like we’re supposed to.”

“I can’t afford to give you our best. I need them where they are.”

“
We can make our own team
,” Tristan said in my head. “
We can build her an army and do this at the same time.
”

“Then I’ll make my own team,” I said to Mom. “Tristan’s already coming up with a plan.”

“Alexis—”

“Don’t worry, Mom. It’s all about building the Amadis army.”

“Good. That’s where your energy needs to go. Thank God and the Angels for Tristan’s level head.”

I rolled my eyes. She must have sensed the truth.

“Don’t lose focus,” she warned.

“Don’t worry,” I said again, although my focus was a little wider than hers.

“Don’t abandon your people, Alexis,” she repeated.

“Unlike you, Mother, I won’t abandon
anyone
.”

Chapter 3

“So you have a plan?” I asked Tristan after hanging up with Mom.

“The beginnings of one,” he said, “but the only way you were going to satisfy Sophia was to convince her we’d build an army. Which we’ll do. If you want to do things your way, Alexis, you have to learn how to make her and Rina trust you. Make your goals and theirs one and the same.”

I stood in front of him and jutted a hip out while dropping my hands to my waist. “But they don’t want to try to find Dorian. How am I supposed to agree with that?”

“I’m not saying you have to agree on everything. Only the big things. Build an army and fight the Daemoni. That’s what you’re agreeing to. You don’t have a problem with it, do you?”

“Of course not. As long as we can rescue Dorian in the process.”

“Exactly. Serve their purpose,
ma lykita
. Build and train our army. If Sophia’s right about Dorian not being in Hades, we won’t need to wait on a full army to get to him. We can put together a special ops team for a search-and-rescue mission. All part of the training program.”

For the first time in days, maybe even weeks, a smile tugged at my lips. I threw my arms around him.

“You’re brilliant!” I said.

He shrugged under my embrace. “Yes. That’s how they made me, isn’t it?”

“And we’re going to use all that brilliance and everything else they gave you against them. We’re going to destroy them. Once and for all.”

He shifted under my hold. I pulled back to study his sublime face. The gold in his eyes shone darkly.

“What?” I asked.

“As much as I’d like to decimate them all, we might have to settle for restoring balance.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“That’s how the world works, my love. That part is beyond our control. If the Angels and the Heavens only want balance restored, that’s what we’ll achieve. We can do everything in our power, but in the end, it’s not up to us.”

I huffed out a breath of resignation, knowing he spoke the truth. “Fine. As long as I get to kill Lucas.”

He nodded. “Without Lucas’s direction, the Daemoni will be lost for a long while. He holds them together, keeps them from killing each other. That could restore balance.”

“And Kali,” I added. “And we know that’s okay because the Otherworld wants her soul.”

“Right, but Hades is a no-go. For now, anyway. No use wasting our time and losing lives if Dorian isn’t there.”

“Agreed. But what
is
the plan?”

He began ticking items off his long fingers. “First, we need to figure out what to do with all the people here. If Sophia still wants it as a safe house, we need to take measures to make sure it’s actually safe, since we won’t be here. And we need a task force. A team of trackers and converters. And a protector.”

He looked up at me, knowing just the word would feel like a stab in my gut.

I pressed my lips together to block out the emotional pain of Owen’s betrayal and shrugged. “I’m sure Mom will give us our best. Hopefully that’s one she’ll give to our cause.
The
best is no longer ours, but his mother is.”

Tristan nodded. “If they really want us to build an army, Rina and Sophia will send Char to us.”

As if on cue, the warlock’s mind signature entered the safe house, along with a few others belonging to Amadis. The others hung back in the foyer, but Charlotte made a beeline for my office. I waved my hand to open the door for her, and she strode in and up to me and wrapped her arms around me in a bear hug.

“I’m so sorry, Alexis,” she said. “I feel for you. I really do.”

She knew what it was like to lose her son to the Daemoni. Only, hers had chosen to go. Damn traitor.

She stepped back and assumed a soldier’s stance with her feet spread apart, her spine ramrod straight with her leather-clad chest out, and her hands clasped behind her back. Her straw-colored hair, which she’d cut boy-short after Kali announced that the previous seventy or so years of her life had been a scam, had grown out enough to be pulled back into a tight ponytail. Her sapphire blue eyes fell on me.

“At your service,” she said. “What’s the plan?”

“We’re still formulating one,” Tristan said from his perch on the edge of my desk. “We need a team, and we need to secure the safe house before we set out.”

“I brought people for the safe house on Sophia’s orders.” Charlotte’s posture softened, and she rocked on her feet. “They’ll take care of security for the whole colony so we have room here for any new converts we can make in the area.”

“Good. That’s checked off the list,” I said. “Now, what about our own team? We have the three of us. Who else?”

“We don’t want to be too numerous to be noticeable, but we need enough to protect ourselves,” Tristan said.

“Right,” Charlotte agreed. “You two are an excellent start, but we should have at least one Were, though two would be better. And a vampire or two.”

Tristan shifted his weight back and leaned against his hands on my desk. “I’m sure Sheree will volunteer.”

My stomach knotted with the idea of taking sweet Sheree on such a dangerous mission. “Shouldn’t she stay here for faith healing?”

“Do you really think she’ll stay?” Tristan asked with a brow raised. Probably not. She felt so indebted to us, and she also loved Dorian, which meant she’d be on our side when it came time to break away from the army.

“She could use the field experience,” Charlotte added. “And a big cat is always nice to have around.”

“Okay,” I relented. “So who else? Do you think Trevor, the werewolf, would come?”

“I’m sure he would for you,” Tristan said, “but he needs to stay for his pack. They’ll be dealing with enough, and he needs to be there to lead them.”

“Too bad Jax is so far away,” I muttered, missing the were-croc who’d helped us in Australia.

“Hmph,” Tristan grunted. “I’m sure he’d do anything for you. He’s already come this far for you once.”

“I don’t know if it’s fair to ask, though. He’d be completely out of his element. He’s stayed in the Outback for a reason.”

“We’re at war,” Charlotte said. “Every Amadis knows what that means. If they can fight, they will.”

“I don’t want anyone to feel obligated. Our team should want to be on it.” I began to pace again. “Let’s move on. Who else? What vamps?”

“Vanessa is an obvious one,” Tristan offered.

Charlotte chuckled. “
That
is one hell of story. Rumor has it she’s your sister. Lucas’s other daughter.”

“Rumor spreads fast.” I rolled my eyes. “But it’s true. At least, according to Lucas and Vanessa, but I don’t know if I trust her.”

“She’s here. She’s Amadis,” Tristan said. “She’ll be better with us than left behind. What better way to let her prove her loyalty?”

“And if she is loyal, she’ll be able to share insider secrets,” Charlotte pointed out.

I grimaced.

“You know she’s an excellent fighter,” Tristan pressed, irking me—why did he insist on Vanessa’s presence with us? Of course, they both made excellent points.

“Fine,” I huffed. “Vanessa. Who else?”

“I’m sure there’s another vamp or two out there who will accompany us,” Char said.

“You don’t think Rina will give up Solomon, will she?” I asked with a small trace of hope.

Charlotte snorted. “Not likely. He’s at the United Nations right now.”

Of course. I could see Solomon being a good diplomat.

“She might give us Julia, though,” Char said.

I cringed at the thought of the raven-haired vamp. She may have apologized for her actions, but she’d still been part of the accusers who almost banished Tristan from the Amadis. Julia wasn’t exactly my favorite vampire in the world.

“She probably won’t leave Rina’s side.” I hoped.

“If Rina asked her to, she would,” Tristan said.

I scowled at this truth. Julia would do anything for Rina, even lie down and die for her. But she remained far from my top choice as a travel companion, especially since our real mission was to rescue Dorian. She’d try to stop us, probably sabotage any attempt we made. Maybe even accuse us of treason again. Char followed Mom’s orders, but I hoped when the time came, she’d understand my need to go after Dorian. Maybe she wouldn’t go with us, but I didn’t think she’d try to stop us. Having a son herself, she’d understand. Unlike Julia. Plus, if Heather was with him, Charlotte would definitely do what it took to rescue the Norman girl. Again, unlike Julia. The vamp gave me the impression she was loyal to the Amadis, but not necessarily to humanity.

I paused in my tracks to tally up our roster. “We have the three of us, Sheree, if she wants to, and Vanessa. Do we really
need
anyone else? I don’t know who I would trust.”

“We need another mage,” Charlotte said. “I can’t do it all on my own. Not this kind of job, when I’ll be spending a lot of energy on converting, too.”

“What other warlocks do we have available?” I asked.

“None,” Charlotte answered.

I gaped at her. “
None?
”

“They’re all on assignment already. Some are protecting colonies and villages around the world. Others are guarding conversion teams.”

“Surely Rina and Mom will give us one!”

“They have.” Char smiled as she cocked her head to the side.

Oh. Right. I supposed if we only got one warlock, at least we had her.

“What other mage would you recommend?” I asked her as I resumed my pacing.

She tapped her fingers against her lips as she thought. “I don’t know who would be available. This mission is important, but the Amadis is already stretched thin. And covens are like packs—they stick close to each other. If we ask for one witch or wizard, they’ll all want to come.”

“So we need someone who’s not tied to a specific coven,” Tristan said.

Charlotte joined me in my pacing as she tried to think of a mage who could complement our team. Tristan moved around to the back of my desk, probably to get out of our way.

“Ahem.” The clearing of a throat sounded from the corridor.
Damn
. I should have had Charlotte muffle the room.

The warlock opened the door, and I lifted my head to see Blossom step into the office. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help but overhear.”

I stopped pacing and put my hands on my hips. “No way.”

Her face crumpled.

“Blossom, I love you dearly.” I walked over to her and took her hands into mine. “I really do. You’re my best friend. Which is why there’s absolutely no way I will ask you to do this.”

She flipped her blond hair back and squared her shoulders. “You don’t have to ask me. I’m volunteering.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“Everything is dangerous now. I’m up for the challenge.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m not taking you out there.”

“I’m stronger than you think I am. My magic is more powerful than anyone wants to admit.”

“You’re not a warlock, though. You’re not built to fight.”

She put her fists on her hips, and her big hazel eyes narrowed with determination. “I can help you, Alexis.”

I leaned back on my heels and crossed my arms over my chest. When she focused, Blossom’s magic wasn’t as weak or sporadic as everyone seemed to think it was. But it definitely wasn’t strong enough to take on the mages we’d be facing. The Daemoni would have their most powerful warlocks out there, perhaps sorcerers and sorceresses, too. There was a good chance we’d come up against Kali . . . which meant Owen. Which meant even Char could become a problem, if it came to that.
Crap
. I’d started to feel confident in my team, and now I didn’t know how we were ever going to do this. To get my son back.

“Please, Alexis,” Blossom implored. “Let me be on your team.”

“No. It’s too dangerous. And we need you here.”

“Let me make that choice! Let me take the risk. I want to be there for you. Do you really think I can watch you walk out of here without me? Do you really think I’m any good here when I’m worried about you and Tristan? And Dorian? And Heather?” Tears filled her plea. “Those two are like my own. The kids I didn’t have to raise. You’re all
family
to me. Don’t make me stay behind.”

Unable to look her in the eye, I resumed pacing in front of my desk as Tristan watched me from the seat he’d taken in my chair. With a long exhale, I pushed my hands through my hair.

“Passion and love go a long way,” Charlotte murmured.

I turned sharply and eyed Blossom. “But is it enough to
kill
for? Because that’s what it might come down to.”

The witch’s eyes widened, then her gaze traveled around the room and to the floor.

“That’s what I thought,” I said. “You don’t have it in you.”

After a moment, Blossom straightened her spine, squared her shoulders again, and lifted her chin. “To protect you or myself, yes. I would.”

“But you shouldn’t have to!” I snapped. The memory of my one and only true kill in the caves of Hades flooded through me, taking my breath and nearly knocking me to my knees. My hands grasped the edge of my desk to keep me from falling to the floor.

He was an evil werewolf trying to kill me, but the way his wolf’s body shrunk into human form . . . his blood spurting from the artery I’d sliced with my dagger . . . I’d never be able to cleanse that from my mind. I shouldn’t have been able to. I. Killed. A. Person. Someone whose soul I might have been able to help. I
should
have to live with the hellish memory and the sickening feeling in my gut and heart the rest of my life.

“
You okay?
” Tristan silently asked.

I closed my eyes and nodded.

I
should have to live with those images, those feelings, and, sadly, I
could
live with them. Maybe because I had Daemoni blood flowing in my veins, or maybe because what they’d done to me already had left a dark stain on my soul. But Blossom never should have to live with it. Her heart was too big and too warm. Her soul remained clean. Taking a life would destroy her, and I didn’t want to know the person she’d become. I loved the person she was now too much.

Charlotte cleared her throat. “Tristan, Vanessa, and Sheree—”