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“Check-check.” A voice came through the headphones and Broderick shifted inside the cramped communications van. “This is Gold Three, in position.”
“Aye, Gold Three, this is Command. We read ye loud and clear.” He ticked the last Elemental on the list. “Final check-in. Over.”
“Roger that,” Thompson whispered through the comm link. “This is Prism Leader. Go to Alpha.”
“What’s with the colors?” Malloren peered around Angus.
He pointed to the monitors, displaying their teams in various positions throughout the Getty Museum. “Blue for water Elementals. Gold for air.”
“Ah.” The prophetess nodded. “Green for earth and red for fire. And Prism?”
“All colors. That’s the good doctor, field leader in command o’ the Elementals. And the Vamsyrians on each team are the Black call signs. Black One, Black Two and Black Three.”
“Och, cut the chatter.” Broderick frowned at Malloren. “If ye’d stayed for the rest of the briefin’, ye’d already know this.”
She locked her lips with an invisible key and tossed it away. Angus chuckled and Broderick directed his attention back to the monitors.
Peter and Cordelia had hacked the system in record time, giving the van full access to the cameras on site. Cordelia clicked her mouse and flipped a switch on the console, engaging the recorded footage instead of the real activity of the Army of Light’s heist.
She keyed her mike. “Recorded footage uploaded. Go Prism Leader.”
It would give the Elementals the opportunity to move in and switch places with the guards without alerting museum security, but they only had ten minutes of footage to loop.
The change happened much faster than Broderick could’ve anticipated. Four minutes later, and the three teams were in place, one of each Elemental and a Vamsyrian.
“This is Blue One. Alarms on exhibits are deactivated.”
“Roger, Blue One.” Broderick smirked. With the recorded footage disengaged, they now just needed to locate the coin.
“This is Green Two.”
Broderick keyed his mike. “Go ahead, Green Two.”
“There’s a glass display case with a silver coin labeled Blood Money.”
“They’re hiding it in plain sight?” Angus scoffed. “That’s ballsy.”
“Or stupid.” Broderick sighed. “Roger that, Green Two. What’s your position?”
“Exhibitions Pavilion, upper level.”
“This is Prism Leader. I’m on it.”
“Lupine Leader here,” Jericho chimed in. “The pack is in position. No deviations. All is quiet. Over.”
“Roger, Lupine Leader. Stand by.” Broderick marked his map, checking the locations where the wolves planned to lie in wait as an outer perimeter patrol to alert them of any unexpected or unusual incoming activity.
“This is Prism Leader, Alpha met. Sound off.”
“Team One, standing by.”
“Team Two, standing by.”
“Team Three, standing by.”
Broderick brought up the monitor where the fire alarm would get tripped. Red Three strolled into position, pretending to be an average security guard. A mother shuffled her child, mouth open and tears shining on his chubby cheeks, in and out of the frame.
Red Three swung her head left, then right, shifted her weight and peered down a hall.
“This is Prism Leader. Go to Bravo.”
Red Three scratched the back of her head, glanced around once more, then directed her palm at the ceiling. As planned, Red Three was gathering the heat in the room and concentrating it on the sensor for the fire safety system.
She dropped her hand and keyed her mike, the fire alarm blaring in the background. “Bravo set.”
Comms went silent. Red Three nodded and motioned patrons to evacuate the area.
“That’s our cue.” Broderick removed his headset and handed it to Peter. “We’ll be on radio silence as we make our way to the compound.”
He slipped the small comm unit into his ear. Angus and Malloren followed suit and Broderick checked the external view to be sure the street was clear.
They’d parked at the bottom of a steep slope, under the shade of a eucalyptus tree in a residential area adjacent to the museum. Neither the house above nor below had a straight shot to their position, and no one had driven by in the last half hour.
With a nod from Rick, Angus opened the back of the van disguised as a laundry service vehicle and the three of them hopped out.
Sunglasses and Dodgers ballcap on, Broderick squinted into the high, mid-day sun. “Bloody hell, I hate this heat.”
Angus snorted. “Cheer up, mate. I’ll put ye back in yer nice cold crypt when this is over.”
“Ha.” Broderick led them into the brush on the side of the road.
The path through the trees and desert plants would have taken the average mortal an hour or more to navigate. But for three immortals with superhuman speed, the journey took less than five minutes, and they were practically invisible.
Dressed in civilian clothing, they blended in with the rest of the patrons and the chaos during the evacuation. Climbing the steps to the front entrance, the three of them slipped in without notice.
Thompson met them near the Exhibitions Pavilion and marched them over to the Blood Money case.
Malloren shook her head. “That’s not it.”
“What?” Broderick pushed back his cap and peered over his sunglasses at the silver coin mounted on a narrow metal rod topped with a four-prong setting.
Malloren opened her palm, where Broderick placed the Star of Bethlehem. She closed her eyes and then pried the lid open. Although she held the compass next to the display, the needle swayed back and forth, and it settled off to the right.
Broderick turned to the only other display across the room, a larger case filled with miscellaneous objects.
With the compass resting in her palm, Malloren walked toward the collection. Dozens of coins in various denominations and styles lay strewn in a pile as if spilling out of an overturned chest. The tiny plaque was titled Coins of the Roman Empire.
“There.” Malloren knelt and jabbed her finger at the glass. “That silver Shekel sitting on top of the pile.”
It was imprinted with the profile of a man wearing a laurel leaf wreath upon his head. The Caesar of the time, Broderick guessed.
Thompson motioned for Green Two to approach the case. The Elemental took Malloren’s place, kneeling beside the display, and cupped his hand against the glass.
Snap! The earth mage lowered his arm to reveal a round section filled with spiderweb cracks. A wave, and the jagged pieces floated away. A flick of his finger, and the coin lifted from the pile, drifted through the hole and onto his waiting palm.
He grinned and handed the coin to Broderick.
“Well done, lad.” Broderick touched the comm at his ear. “Command, this is Black Leader. Item secured. Over.”
Silence.
He frowned. “Command, this is Black Leader. Do you read? Over.”
Static rattled, and he flinched at the same instant the rest of his team grimaced and touched their ears.
“Get out of there!” Jericho shouted through the comm.
Broderick shoved the coin into his pocket and took two steps before he faltered to a halt.
Peter stumbled into the room, hands cuffed and raised above his head. Several S.W.A.T. team members filed into the pavilion. One of them had Cordelia cuffed and a gun aimed at her.
“Don’t do anything stupid.” The black-uniformed cop nudged the 9mm against her temple.
Peter offered an apologetic glance and cursed under his breath. In the next few moments, all three teams were similarly escorted into the pavilion. With the Elementals cuffed, their powers were rendered useless. The threat to Cordelia and Peter were motivation enough for everyone to surrender.
“Fuck.” Broderick smiled and sent a wave of intimidation toward the man who held Cordelia. “Let her go, mate. Before things get out of hand.”
The S.W.A.T. member laughed. “The Slayer of the Order wants me to let her go.”
The rest of the men in black uniforms chuckled.
Shit. At least the attempt at compelling them confirmed this wasn’t just a regular S.W.A.T. team. Genuine members of the Illuminati all had sigils protecting them from being compelled.
Broderick dropped to his knees and laced his fingers, resting his palms on top of his head. A set of cuffs were snapped onto his wrist, and he hissed.
His energy waned, arms burning. Yep, it was a sure bet their handcuffs had been cursed, as well. Unfortunately, the Illuminati knew many of the wards he’d branded into his skin over the decades, and there were only so many symbols he could add before he ran out of options and space.
Cordelia’s captor shoved her forward and lined her up alongside Peter, Thompson, Angus and Malloren, all on their knees beside Broderick.
The S.W.A.T. Leader spoke into the mic clipped to his shoulder. “Package secured.” He sneered. “Yeah, they didn’t know what hit ʼem. Standing by.” The cocky bastard strolled around and stopped in front of Broderick. “All too easy.”
The butt of his gun slammed Rick’s forehead and everything in the room went black.
* * * * *
Davina and Kahli sat facing each other on the dining chairs in James and Cailin’s apartment. Her daughter and son-in-law were still sound asleep in the bedroom. Amie dozed on the couch with a magazine on her chest.
“I’ve never really dealt with recallin’ past life memories.” Kahli offered her hands to Davina. “But we’ll give it a try.”
Davina pressed her palms to Kahli’s. Only Elementals could see their magick. Having been one in another life, she knew air was yellow, earth was green, water was blue, and fire was red. Spirit Elementals were rare. “What colors are your spirit powers?”
“That’s right.” Her full lips spread wide. “Ya used to be one of us. White and silver threads.”
“I wish I could see them.” Davina smiled wistfully, missing her fire abilities.
Amie twitched on the sofa. Her eyebrows pinched above her nose.
Davina’s newfound immortal senses picked up the faint ding of the elevator. Her eyes met Kahli’s. “Maybe it’s Anthony and Korban with—”
The apartment door burst open, and Mikhail Vladimir stepped over the threshold.
Kahli stood, then shrieked and dropped to her knees, clutching her head.
“Come quietly, Davina, or I’ll crush her skull.” Mikhail stretched his arm as if holding Kahli under his spell. “Bind her.”
A werewolf lumbered into the apartment, a dog-ape monstrosity, metal clanking in his hands. He snapped crude shackles onto Kahli’s wrists linked with a thick chain.
Mikhail dropped his arm.
Kahli collapsed and cursed between labored breaths. Blood trickled from her nostril.
He jerked his head to the side, his other hand snatching a dagger out of thin air, and a smile twisted his mouth. “Nice try, Cailin.”
Davina snapped her head to the bedroom. “James, stop!”
Drawing his sword, James hesitated on Davina’s command. Amie stumbled from the couch to stand next to Davina’s children.
Hysteria rumbled through her limbs. “I’ll do whatever you want.”
The Vamsyrian swaggered to Davina and flipped his palm up on his shoulder, where the werewolf handed him another set of cuffs. “Put these on.”
Rage and fear competed, Davina’s body their battlefield, and she hissed and snatched her hand away from the burning metal.
The bindings thumped to the carpet at their feet.
“That would be the demonic curse.” He bent to pick them up and proceeded to snap them around her wrists despite her grunts of pain and protest.
Davina gritted her teeth, trying to withstand the burning metal. Her legs wobbled and she grabbed the back of the dining chair.
Mikhail adjusted her long sleeves, putting the cloth between the cuff and her skin as he avoided making eye contact. “This may prevent some of your discomfort, though you’ll weaken from the spell.”
“What are you doing?” Was he actually helping her?
He ignored her question, but locked gazes for a moment. Enough for Davina to spot...vulnerability? Pity? Perhaps sympathy?
“I’ll get these two. Grab the other three.”
The werewolf obeyed and snarled as he circled James and Cailin, relieving them of their weapons and tossing them aside. He pushed them and Amie forward as Mikhail seized Davina and Kahli in his iron grip.
They traveled up to the storage and communications level via the elevator and, when the doors slid open, the breath left Davina in a rush.
Bodies.
Blood.
Everywhere.
Red smears decorated the walls and the stench of death hung thick. A half-dozen of those damned beasts were wreaking havoc, chasing after the few staff members left or tearing up the boxes of artifacts.
She staggered and whimpered as Mikhail encouraged them out of the lift. Another pulse of lethargy dragged at her feet, and she stumbled. Only Mikhail’s grip on her arm kept her from falling flat on her face.
Cliff and Nelson gyrated like white-eyed marionettes before their puppet master, a cloaked man clawing the air as if he held their strings. With a tortured growl, the man wrenched his arms wide. The two Army of Light administrators crumpled to the floor, their limbs twisted at odd angles.
Panting, he raked his fingers through his black hair and sighed. “Dammit.”
Who was this monster who had the power to yank the life from someone? It was as if he possessed the same ability as Kahli. Davina used every ounce of willpower to stifle the screams that wanted to pour from her mouth.
Mikhail tugged her and Kahli forward. “Your Highness?”
The man whirled and winced. “Good God, this cloak smells horrid.”
The Prince, Jesse Amir. She recognized him from the picture at the briefing. He unfastened the clasp at his throat and shrugged out of the dark-brown garment, letting it drop to the floor.
Angus’s shielding cloak. As Monika, she had burned the offending item and thought it had been destroyed. At least that answered how the Prince, Mikhail and their monsters had made it past the wards over the complex.
But this Vamsyrian Prince. His mannerisms teased her memories. Where had she seen him before?
It wasn’t as Christabelle. She was certain of that now. There was something buried deep in her mind, and it was why she wanted Kahli’s help. Unfortunately, they hadn’t had the chance.
Davina tried to pull free from Mikhail and her sleeve slipped from under the shackle at her wrist. She sucked a quick breath from the burn. The floor seemed to drop.
“As I thought.” Amir stepped before her. “The Redeemed are blessed, so you would be immune to the Hebrew incantations. What did I tell you, Mikhail? The curses would work to contain the Deliverer and those she redeemed.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“We’ve been waiting a very long time for you. Aren’t you excited this is finally coming to an end?”
Not waiting for Davina to respond, the Prince studied Kahli, who squared her shoulders in defiance, and his eyes flared with excitement. “Well, well, well. The thorn in my side and the liberator of my nurseries has come to me. You’ve caused me a lot of trouble, and I intend to take it out of your ass. But everything comes full circle, doesn’t it? I created the nurseries in an attempt to find a Spirit Elemental...and I did. Just not in the way I expected.” He glanced at the cuffs binding her. “I see these aren’t burning you, though. Thank goodness for small favors. Is your opinion of yourself so poor, you didn’t receive your redemption? Tsk, tsk, tsk.” He snagged the chains linking her shackles and pulled her toward him.
Kahli reared her head and retreated like a wild mare caught in a noose.
Instead of wrestling with her, however, the Prince held fast and chuckled. “Are you sure you aren’t a fire sign?”
The spirit witch’s defiant snarl dissolved in favor of the fear in her eyes, and she bucked harder against his grip.
The Prince turned to Mikhail, irritation marring his amusement. “Don’t just stand there, you imbecile.”
Mikhail hailed a passing werewolf and transferred Davina to his blood-stained mitts, then captured Kahli’s arms and forced her to stand still before Amir.
“Don’t start getting lazy like Ammon did.” The Prince admonished Mikhail with a harsh gaze. He pulled Kahli into his arms and pierced her neck, drinking deep of her Elemental blood. Kahli’s efforts to free herself faded to complete submission, tears trailing down her cheeks, turning crimson with the blood that had seeped from her nose.
Davina’s heart sank as she realized capturing Kahli meant the Prince would have an unlimited supply of her powers. How he had them to begin with, she didn’t know, but it was certain he possessed them now. And based on her submission, the Prince held other powers normal Vamsyrians didn’t have. Could he compel his own kind? Her head reeled as another draining pulse flowed from her shackles.
He released Kahli with a chaste kiss to her cheek and licked his lips. “Tears of regret, I see.” He savored the flavor by swirling his tongue. “I would not have been able to feed from you had you been redeemed. Knowing Angus, he hasn’t accepted redemption yet either. Am I correct?”
Kahli glowered.
“I thought so, though that could certainly work in his favor. After you two have paid your penance, though. I’m in need of filling a few high-level positions since Rasheed and Ammon are no longer at my side. Mikhail could use the company.”
He smiled at his aforementioned right-hand man, who nodded respectfully.
“Clever of you to mask your blood by feeding from a moon wolf...but it won’t matter. Your powers are what I’m after, not your memories.” The Prince assessed Cailin, James and Amie, but turned back to James and Cailin. “Hello. Who is this handsome couple?”
“Leverage.” Mikhail took Davina and Kahli in hand once more.
The Prince frowned. “Good thinking. We just might need it. Seems Broderick and everyone else went off to the Getty Museum to recover the missing—”
“No. No, no, no!”
He paused, pursing his lips in annoyance, and waited for the screaming from the next room to cease.
Davina shuddered as a person gurgled their last cry. More tears spilled over her lashes. A werewolf emerged from the hall and took off his ring with bloodied claws.
He morphed into his human form and froze, wide-eyed under the Prince’s disapproval.
“Are you finished?” Amir placed his hands on his hips.
“Almost, Your Highness.” The werewolf pointed to the corridor behind them. “I believe that’s the last section we haven’t checked.”
Amir waved him off. “Gather everyone and meet us topside. Mikhail and I will finish those rooms.”
The werewolf bowed and retreated, leaving the Prince, Mikhail and two remaining werewolves to deal with their captives.
“As I was saying, they’re off to recover the missing coin. Though I do not have it, at least I have you.” He winked at Kahli and ignored her curses. “Now, back to these two. Where have I seen... Ah. I remember now. Malloren Rune’s long-ago memories. Davina, isn’t this your daughter and son-in-law?”
A cold, hard knot formed in her belly, but she remained silent.
Amir chuckled. “The question is, why are they here? If we weren’t on such a tight schedule, I’d probe this a bit more, but you’re right Mikhail. They’ll be perfect leverage.” He turned to Amie. “And this lovely woman?”
She backed into Mikhail, who pushed her forward. “I believe this is Davina’s mother in this life.”
Amir smiled. “You’re a feisty one. At least our trip wasn’t a complete failure. Let’s handle the last sweep of these rooms.”
While Mikhail held Davina and a more submissive Kahli, the two werewolves trailing behind kept James, Cailin and Amie in line. The entourage followed the Prince as he burst into one room after the next.
Where were Anthony and Koban? Davina’s pulse raged and she struggled not cry out as the Prince kicked in each door to the storage areas.
Hide. Gods, my sweet boy. Hide!
Amir stood before the last room. The one that concealed the mirror.
The Prince turned to Davina with a lifted eyebrow. “For a mighty warrior of God, you’re a sniveling mess. Get ahold of yourself.” He rolled his eyes and smashed his foot against the entrance. The knob slammed against the cinderblock wall and the hinges whined as they slowly swung forward.
Amir peered into the room and pouted. “There’s nothing for us here.” He spun on his heel and headed toward the lobby.
Davina lunged for the jamb and craned her neck. The oversized mirror stood front and center, but the room was otherwise empty. The floor tilted under her feet.
“Come along, Davina.” Mikhail tugged her back in line.
“Oops. I almost forgot.” The Prince strode toward them and grabbed Amie. “You’re going to be my messenger. What’s your name, dear?”
When she stubbornly refused to speak, Amir whipped her to face Davina, fisted her mother’s hair and tugged.
“Mom.” She reached for her, but Mikhail yanked her to his side. “Amie! Her name is Amie. Now, please, leave her alone.”
“Mikhail, give me one of those disposable phones you like to have handy.” Amir opened his palm toward his henchman.
Emotionless, Mikhail reached into his breast pocket and produced the said smartphone. He checked the number then handed it to the Prince.
He shoved the phone past Amie’s neckline and into her brazier, his mouth pressed against her ear. “All right, Amie. Tell Broderick what you witnessed and give him this phone. If he and Angus ever want to see their loved ones alive again, tell them to wait for my instructions.”
He pulled a bejeweled dagger out of the holster at his hip and thrust the blade deep into her mother’s back.
Amie gasped.
Davina howled. “Gods, no. No, no, no!” She clawed at Mikhail to break free, but her limbs were like dragging through molasses.
Jesse supported her whimpering mother in his arms and lowered her to the floor. “You’d better pray Broderick won’t have to feed from your corpse to get my message.”
Mikhail dragged Davina across the lobby, shrieks making her throat raw and her bound hands scraping the walls to gain purchase. Her screams wheezed as Mikhail clutched her windpipe and shoved her into the elevator.
The Prince’s whistled tune faded as Davina slipped from consciousness.