“Mira.” Tristan’s fragile voice pulled me back to why I had raced to the Venice in the first place. The young nightwalker was standing before the bay of windows dressed only in a pair of jeans that were too big for him. His heels were resting on the bottom of the pant legs and the waist hung low on his hips. I briefly wondered if they belonged to Danaus, considering he and I were the only ones to bring a change of clothes, but decided not to ask. My eyes briefly skimmed over Tristan’s back to find only a few faint red marks.
Frowning, I joined him at the window, with Valerio standing behind me. I didn’t need to follow where Tristan was pointing. The three black shapes were easy to make out despite the dark sky as they headed toward the island of San Clemente. The creatures flew like bats, with quick movements of their wings instead of gliding on the air. However, they were too big to be anything that humans were accustomed to seeing. These nightmarish figures were naturi.
“What are they?” I asked, unable to tear my eyes away from them as they drew closer to the distant island. The three figures circled once then finally descended into a pocket of trees. They were headed for the Great Hall. I placed my hand on Tristan’s shoulder, meaning for the gesture to be reassuring, but removed it when I felt him flinch at the contact. His fear rippled through me, sapping my own reserve of strength, which had kept me going during the past few nights. We were all running low and this dance was far from over.
“Not sure,” Danaus admitted, drawing my gaze to his face. He was standing a couple feet away from me, his features tight and drawn. After a couple of seconds he looked down at me. “But this isn’t good.”
“I agree. We need to get out of Venice soon. If they’re going to make another attempt at breaking the seal, they’ll try to do it during the harvest holiday and the new moon. That’s only a few nights away, and we have no idea where the sacrifice is going to be. Delays aren’t good.”
A part of me wanted to know where the next sacrifice was now so we could grab my private jet and head off to that distant locale. We could stop whatever naturi were in that hot spot, but that wouldn’t keep more from arriving from other parts of the world. It would be a nonstop battle for the next three nights. If one or both of us were killed before the new moon rose, there would be no way to stop the naturi from making the sacrifice.
“But…” A slow smile dawned on my face as I looked up at the hunter. “We could stop by the Coven and see what’s happening.” Jabari had brought us there for a reason, and I refused to believe it was because he wanted the naturi to destroy us. He wouldn’t give up the opportunity to kill me himself if he was so desperate to have me dead. Danaus and I needed to be on the island to disrupt whatever plans the Coven and the naturi were cooking up.
A rare smile trembled on Danaus’s full lips and jumped in his deep blue eyes, laughing at me. “Risky, don’t you think?”
“Oh, it’s definitely risky, but not as much as you would think. Besides, it could also be fun.” I laughed.
“More risky than going after nearly a dozen naturi in the forest?” Danaus asked, raising one thick eyebrow at me.
“No,” I said, my smile dwindling at the memory. Looking back on the hastily launched assault in the woods not far from Stonehenge, I realized that the plan had been stupid and highly flawed. I’d reacted out of fear and anger. I knew better than to launch an attack on the naturi in the woods with an inexperienced nightwalker at my side. The fact that all three of us hadn’t been destroyed was a miracle in itself.
I shook my head, pushing away the memory and the need to berate myself for my impulsive stupidity. It would do no good now, and I assured myself that this time would be different. “The Coven still needs us both alive. That’s our ace in the hole. You in?”
“Definitely. Weapons?” he asked, his right hand sliding down to the knife that was still strapped to his waist.
“Load up.” My gaze slid over to find Tristan watching me with a blank expression. He was waiting to see if I would command him to accompany Danaus and me. And he would if I demanded it, regardless of the fear still trembling within him. “You’re not coming along. Not old enough,” I teased.
“Mira, I can—”
“No,” I interrupted before he could continue, my hand tightening on his shoulder. “Danaus and I are the only ones going in. Makes it easier to get out again.”
“Do you actually think they won’t kill you for this?” Valerio demanded. I had forgotten that the nightwalker was still in the room. Looking over my shoulder at him, I was surprised to see his handsome features looking haggard. His full lips were pressed into a hard, thin line and shallow furrows now stretched from the corners of his eyes and crisscrossed his brow.
The naturi had become a garish ghost story we told all the new, little nightwalkers to give them chills, but now we were all waking up to discover that this nearly dead species was suddenly fighting back. Our nightmares were threatening to become real and expose us to the sun. Again.
“That’s another question I’m hoping to answer,” I admitted with a smirk. “Exactly how irreplaceable am I? Would they be willing to risk the door opening by killing me or Danaus? Would they damn all nightwalkers just to protect their schemes? Or is that their plan in the first place?”
“You’re not that important, Mira,” Valerio chided, his frown deepening.
That was probably true but I wasn’t planning on being killed that easily. I still had an ace or two up my sleeve in the form of Danaus. Of course, this plan could just as easily slit my own throat as save it if I was reading Jabari’s intentions wrong.
“I need your help,” I started, turning to Valerio. I quickly grabbed the sleeve of his blazer, even though I couldn’t hold him here if I wanted to.
“I’m not going with you to the Coven. They need me alive even less than they need you.”
“True, but I need you alive,” I countered. I took his left hand in both of mine. “Go east. Find others who are older than me. Tell them everything I told you. If the Coven succeeds with whatever it’s planning with the naturi, our people have to be prepared.”
“You want me to raise your army,” Valerio said, trying to pull his hand free.
“No, if the Coven and the naturi succeed, it will be your army. Someone needs to protect the nightwalkers from the Coven.”
“Mira, I’m not a leader.”
“Bullshit. You just never wanted the responsibility. Fine. Then find someone else to give the job. Don’t let the information stop with you.”
Frowning, Valerio squeezed my hand. “You may not want a seat, but you’re the only one that deserves to be on the Coven.”
“For our sakes, I hope you’re wrong.”
SIXTEEN
Once I was back in a pair of leather pants and one of the few cotton tops that had survived my travels, Danaus and I quickly snatched up a speedboat and rushed out to the island. The hunter drove the boat, his large hands tightly gripping the steering wheel. His black hair danced in the wind, revealing his clenched jaw and narrowed eyes. Tension hummed through his muscular body and energy snapped silently around him. I wanted to remain in the far corner of the boat away from him, but it wasn’t an option. We had to talk, come to some kind of understanding before we waltzed into the Great Hall.
Lounging in the other chair beside him, my eyes locked on the island as we approached. “Do you have any guesses as to what flew to the island?” I asked.
“Big bats,” he muttered.
“Great. Are they the only ones?”
There was a pause as his powers jumped from his body and spread out toward the far reaches of the area. They washed through me like a warm wave. It was a feeling I wasn’t sure I would ever become accustomed to, and always left me wishing I could wrap myself up for a minute longer before facing the cold reality of what loomed ahead of us.