Chapter Seventeen

 

The words, “You can try,” bounced around in my head the whole walk back to my quarters. Charlotte remained glued to me, blonde hair falling over her face. I stopped near the doorway to the interior of the castle, the cold air pushing against my back and confronted Sebastian with a glare I was sure surprised him.

“Jacket,” I snapped.

He slid it free, broad shoulders straining against his white shirt as he laid the velvet jacket around Charlotte's shoulders before bowing his head to me and backing away.

A little respect? Yeah, I'd take it, though I wondered what the show cost him.

I waited until we were behind the brand-new door a pair of human servants installed before turning on Charlotte and screaming at her.

Well, screaming was a bit of an exaggeration. Talking very loudly and with great emotion while my body shook so much I could barely catch my breath was more like it.

She took my anger and fear, finally uncurling from her hunch, Sebastian's jacket pulled tight around her. When I wound down, panting and pacing, she nodded slowly. Miserably.

“May I go clean up now?”

Seriously. “Just git.” I waved at the bedroom door. “And the next time you decide to go after vampires in their territory, you'd better make sure they finish you off before I get my hands on you.”

She flashed me a little smile. “Sounds familiar,” she said. Hadn't she warned me of the same thing on the beach, not so long ago?

I grunted, but couldn't help smiling back. “Are you okay?”

Charlotte shuddered, a dog shedding water. “I will be,” she said, ever so softly. “Thank you for rescuing me.” Her eyes met mine, open, young. For the first time in a long time, I remembered she was my age, just a teenager doing an adult's job, giving a really good impression of hiding how scared she must have been most of the time. “Thanks to both of you.”

My vampire sighed softly, a thin thread of white magic sliding out of me and stroking hair from Charlotte's cheek before retreating again. The weregirl turned silently and padded to the bedroom, softly closing the door behind her.

We were left alone for a long time, long enough Charlotte cleaned up and re-emerged, dressed in one of my riding get-ups, Sebastian's jacket over her arm. She looked much better herself, though a small, dark bruise on her right cheek told me she'd done wonders with hiding what happened behind her usual stoic attitude.

“We have to talk.” I led her to a sofa, sat next to her. “You're not going to like it.”

Charlotte just stared at me, blank face back. Um-hum.

“You can't do that again,” I said. Felt like a broken record. “Charlotte, do you understand?”

She nodded. “I can't help it,” she said. “And I'd repeat my actions in a heartbeat.”

Oh boy. “They'll kill you next time,” I said. “And they won't give me a chance to save you.”

A moment of anxiety showed through her mask. “I can't,” she said, a bit of puppy whine in her voice. “The кодекс честi won't let me.”

The what?

She sighed and sat back, accent more noticeable than usual. “My people, our ways. The кодекс честi. It means debt. Honor debt.” Her head swiveled slowly toward me, eyes sad. “It goes back to the days when we served the Czars. But it is the name we use for the bond we have to those we protect.”

“Charlotte.” I drew a deep breath so I wouldn't yell at her again. “You don't owe me anything.”

“I do,” she said. “My pack does. My father was to be your охоронець. Um... bodyguard. But he had no honor.” Tears filled her eyes, tears she dashed away with great anger, the wolf flashing in her eyes for a moment before retreating again. “It was up to me to rebalance the pack's caн.”

Even I could figure that one out. “Trust me,” I said, “you've done more than enough to bring honor to your pack.” I hesitated, only because she'd already been through so much and I knew what she was going to say to my next suggestion. No, what she was going to do. But I had to try. “I think it's time we severed the bond.”

Charlotte lurched to her feet, body humming with rage, hands fisted at her sides, the wolf back in her eyes. And this time it looked like she wasn't going to let it go. “No,” she said. “Never.”

“Look,” I said, “it's not that I want to. You've done a great job.” Wow, Syd. Way to make her feel cared about and all that. “You've been there for me when no one else was.” Better. “But I care about you very much, and I don't want to see anything happen to you.”

“If you send me away, I will die.” Oh, the guilt and drama.

“I'll break the bond to save your life,” I said. “Whether you like it or not.”

“No,” she said. Whispered. Breathed. “If you do so, I will die.”

So not drama. “You mean, it will actually kill you?” What the hell kind of screwed up magic was this?

She bobbed her head, hugging herself as she shuffled her feet over the fresh carpet, replacing the one she'd totaled. “When we served the Russian royal family, it was our duty to do so for life. We were assigned our very own life to protect. Since you are a Princess, and a leader, I had to bond myself to you.” She shrugged, like this wasn't some huge news she was dropping on me. “I'm tied to you for as long as you live. For as long as I do.” Her human eyes pleaded with me to understand even as my heart sank. “It's not just about protecting you, now that we are connected. Your power feeds me, keeps me safe. Protects me as I protect you.”

“You siphon power from me?” I was on my feet now. “Like a leech?”

I couldn't believe I just called Charlotte a blood-sucking parasite, but I wasn't exactly a happy camper at the moment.

She winced but nodded. “It's how the bond works. As a reward for keeping you safe,” she said. “That's how the кодекс честi is able to function. In order for me to protect you, I have to link to your magic. And, as a reward, I receive the benefits of our association for as long as I keep you alive.”

“Like what?” Okay, okay. I was wrapping my head around it. And it wasn’t like she was taking power, not really. At least, I'd never felt weakened. In fact, I'd only grown stronger since she and I met.

“Longevity.” She dropped her arms, shrugged. “Your immortality is mine, too.”

Interesting. And one more person I'd have around. Though the thought of having my bodywere with me until the end of time kind of gave me the heebie jeebies when I thought about it for a second.

“This is a mess.” I turned away from her, shaking my head. “I suppose there's no way around it?”

I glanced back to see her shivering. Miserable again, just lovely.

“I'm sorry,” she said. “I should have told you.”

“I guess you should have before you decided to create the bond in the first place.” I went to her then, hugged her gently and, after a moment, she hugged me back. “We'll deal with it,” I said. “And we'll find a way to free you.”

Charlotte tried to protest. “I don't want to be free.”

“Forget it,” I said. “No way I'm staying tied at the hip to you for ever and ever.” I winked. “We'd end up killing each other.”

Charlotte's shy smile answered me. “It is my honor to serve.”

“And your right to have a life.” I pulled away. “We'll talk about it when this is over.”

She didn't answer, but she didn't have to. Probably thought I'd just forget about it.

Not this time, wolf girl.

“Just do what you can to keep your temper, okay?” I turned away from her, heading for the door. Charlotte caught me just before I reached it.

“Where are you going?” The wolf was back.

“Out,” I said. “Without you.”

She snarled and shuddered. “Among the vampires.”

“I refuse to hide in here,” I said, “while Mom argues and the Queens bitch and Margaret finally decides if it’s worth it to cross the vampires.” I shook out the heavy skirt of my dress, bits of wolf fur shaking free. “The little show we gave them earlier should hold them off. And at this point all I've done is freak out or look weak. I’m going to have a nice, long look around until it’s time to show them who they're messing with.”

Charlotte was right beside me when I jerked the door open. Sigh. Fine. “Temper,” I snapped.

She bobbed a nod. Well, at least she'd be with me and I could keep an eye on her.

The two vampires guarding my door actually shrank back from me as I swept my way out and down the corridor. They followed, but kept their distance as I spent the next several hours climbing staircases and looking at paintings and tapestries, trying to keep myself occupied while scaring the pants off anyone who looked at me the wrong way.

Most of the vampires vanished the moment they spotted me, though a few did their best to flee with dignity.

“This is the Wilhelm seat,” Charlotte said, pointing to a floor to ceiling portrait of a stunningly beautiful woman with the deepest shade of red hair I'd ever seen and piercing green eyes that seemed to leap from the canvas. “Yvette,” she whispered, as though the dead vampire Queen could still hear her.

“I'm surprised Batsheva hasn't taken it down yet,” I said.

Charlotte turned from it, face hard. “Perhaps she's pandering to the vampires in her clan. Yvette was a horrible soul, but her vampires adored her. Feared her. But were loyal to a fault.”

All but Sunny. She'd broken out of the clan years ago, I seemed to recall. But why?

I turned to move into the next corridor only to see Celeste hovering at the corner, watching me. My vampire whispered in my head, telling me to bide my time, hold my temper, while the vision of a burning house, the fire magicked to devour despite our attempts to put it out, hovered in my mind. The screams of the dying inside. The final whispered words sent to me by Martin and Louisa Vega, killed because they knew too much.

By Celeste. Who stood before me, undead and unhappy.

“You owe me three lives,” I said.

She jerked on a lock of her long hair, the old habit still with her. “Their losses were of no consequence,” she said. “Sandra Crossman was dead weight in the coven and the Vegas... well, witches who poke their noses in where they aren't welcome are bound to meet a nasty end sooner or later.”

The thought crossed my mind, cogs spinning, things falling into place even as I spoke the words aloud. “The Brotherhood,” I said. “How long have you been working for them?”

She laughed at me then, tugging motion turned to stroking as though her hair was some beloved animal. “They accepted my help the day after your grandmother killed my leader.”

The Purity battle? That long ago? Celeste would have only been a teenager.

“Is that how you met Batsheva?” I knew she left our coven when she and Mom were young.

“Through the Brotherhood,” she said. “They've been watching you for a very long time, Sydlynn. You and your little family.” A snicker. “Who do you think sent the Chosen of the Light to Wilding Springs?”

Demetrius. Speaking of nuts...

“Nice of them to saddle you with a narcissistic psychopath.” I smiled sweetly. “You must be having so much fun handling Batsheva these days.”

Celeste flashed her fangs. “You've never been a fraction as clever as you believed, girl,” she said. “There is so much going on, you have no idea.”

“Such as?” Wouldn't be that easy. Not with Celeste.

She just smirked and went back to her petting. “You'll find out,” she said. “When it's too late.”

My magic hovered, so close. This. Freaking. Close. I was ready and, to my surprise, so was my vampire.

Damn, I hated interruptions.

Demetrius scuttled to Celeste's side, blue eyes flickering to me and back to her again.

“They are done,” he said, singing his words. “Done, all done now.” He pointed at me. “They want her.”

Celeste paused, glared. I stood there and glared back. And just when I thought I'd get what I wanted, for her to make the first move, she laughed again, tossing her long hair aside before striding off, brown dress rustling.

Coward.

 

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