Chapter Eight

 

I wish I could say Mom's demand was met with reason, but vampires, it turned out, weren't the most accommodating creatures. In fact, they reacted en masse with shrieking defiance, blurring and rising themselves, wrapped in shadow, ready to start a battle.

 

From the look on Mom's face, she was okay with that. And while I was infinitely grateful for the backup, no way was I letting her jump into something that could blow up in our faces in more ways than one.

“How dare you interfere?” Pannera rose, her long black hair writhing around her, navy blue gown rippling as though in a stiff wind. “Leave this place at once and never return!”

“Oh, settle down and take a seat, Pannera.” Mom wasn't alone. A portly, older woman with a strong, British accent waved at the Queen as if her reaction was commonplace. The vampire hissed at her, but descended, though she didn't sit, probably out of sheer stubbornness. The round woman with the badly curled head of short hair and snapping hazel eyes fixed Batsheva with her stare. “You too, new girl.”

Okay, I was going to like this woman, whoever she was.

“You have no right, Margaret,” Pannera said, power still snap-crackle-popping around her.

“Correction,” the woman said, settling to the ground with a soft grunt, brushing at the front of her black robe while Mom came to a graceful landing beside her. “You are the ones with no rights here. Our treaty means nothing to you any longer, it seems. I'm happy to revoke it and your permission to remain in Europe. My territory.” She might have looked like a well-worn administrator, but her no-nonsense manner came through as loud and clear as the surge of power she carried.

Even blocked, I felt it.

“Council Leader Applegate,” Batsheva began, only to be cut off.

“I don't care what you have to say.” The older woman hiked up her robes and climbed the stairs to stand next to Pannera. “Are you declaring our treaty null and void or not?”

The vampire Queen grumbled to herself but shook her head. “No,” she said. “Of course not.”

“And you?” Margaret crossed her arms over her chest, wide bust straining behind the black cloak, eyes locked on Batsheva. “Are you about to be ejected from my property?”

Batsheva sat, a smirk on her lips. “I have no intention of breaking the treaty, Council Leader,” she said.

“Excellent. Jolly good to hear it.” Margaret turned to fix her gaze on me. “You must be Sydlynn, the source of this debacle and a thorny pain in my very broad backside.”

“Yes, ma'am,” I said.

“This isn't witch council business.” Pannera wasn't letting it go no matter what she just told Margaret.

“I'm making it my business.” Cloak bunched up again, Margaret descended to my side and gave me the once over, the top of her head barely reaching my chin. “I thought you were a witch and a demon and a few other things. All I feel is vampire.”

“I was drugged,” I said. “My powers blocked.” I turned and pointed at Batsheva. “Her orders.”

“Really.” Margaret turned from me, toward the offending throne. “More for me to sort out, then, Batsheva?”

I caught Mom's utter shock in my peripheral vision, glanced her way, found her staring at the vampire Queen and then Celeste before her face settled into a mask.

They were in so much trouble.

“Council Leader Applegate.” Mom brushed past me to stand on my other side. “This woman is no vampire Queen, but a criminal who is being pursued for trial in my territory. As is her companion, Celeste Oberman.”

Neither of them looked very worried, but I held on to hope.

“I would have them turned over to my custody,” Mom went on, “for trial and punishment fitting their despicable crimes.”

The vampire protest was loud and aggressive. Even Pannera spoke up, Sebastian seeming troubled by her words.

“They are blood clan now,” Pannera said, the volume of her voice quieting the others. “Their race supersedes witch law. They can no longer be held accountable for crimes committed when they were alive. Or so our treaty claims.”

Sneaky, nasty—

“You're correct,” Margaret said. “Sorry, Miriam.”

Mom looked like she was going to, at the very least, argue, if not go after the pair with her bare hands, but finally nodded with so much majesty she put both vampires to shame.

“Very well,” Mom said. “I will simply take my coven leader and go.”

Pannera again. She was getting on my last nerve. “You cannot take her, not while she holds our property.”

Property? My vampire reacted with fury, thrashing around inside me. Property?

“You had no right to enter my territory illegally,” Mom said. Well, snarled, really. “And kidnap one of my coven leaders.” She shook just a little, a tiny tremor passing over her. Yup, Mom was pissed.

Margaret frowned down at the floor a moment. “Agreed,” she finally pronounced.

Pannera's protests were cut off by a shot of power from the Council Leader. The portly woman scowled, wrinkled face pruning up as she slashed her hand through the air. “Enough. I'm already sick of this. Miriam Hayle is correct. There are diplomatic channels for such cases as these. Those channels are there for a purpose.” She gusted out a sigh. “So monstrous disasters like this one won't happen.”

“You would have debated our case for years,” Batsheva shot back. “Trapped us in your laws and your talking.” As if she hadn't used said tactics herself in the past to get what she wanted. Hypocrite. “This child is not only a thief, she is a menace to all magical races and I for one demand the risk she presents us, the powers she has gained through guile and misdirection, be rectified immediately.”

Pannera seemed to have bought Batsheva's company line. “The essence will be returned to our people willingly,” she said, “or the girl will be stripped and drained of her blood.”

Like that was ever going to happen.

Someone, a vampire someone, teleported close to me and I turned, half expecting an attack. Instead, a massive half-wolf, half-human dove for me. Charlotte, her body out of her control with me in danger, leaped from Anastasia's side right for me, skidding to a halt at my feet, extended snout frothing as she snarled and snapped at the vampires around us.

“How dare you bring a werewolf into our presence?” Pannera jabbed one index finger toward me. “Have that abomination killed. At once.”

 

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