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IT WASN’T IDEAL TO sit around and wait for disaster to happen, but we didn’t have much choice. We knew Morgwen and her Dread Wraiths were going to strike even if we didn’t know where it would be yet. A lot of people were going to die and we couldn’t do anything to prevent it.
When it drew closer to nightfall in Russia, we gathered in the living room and switched on the TV to watch the news. Just as I’d known, a special bulletin came on after an hour or so to say a town in Russia was being decimated by something unknown. It was a hell of a way for humans to discover that the supernatural world was real. Seeing people running from their homes and being struck down by invisible things caused mass panic. Their panic became far worse when the Dread Wraiths made themselves visible.
“God help us,” Jean breathed as she saw the tall, thin creatures wearing black garments with deep cowls that showed their bony chests. Stringy hair clung to their hideous scalps. Floating a couple of inches above the ground, they swooped towards their prey, reaching out with skeletal hands. They didn’t need to rend and tear their victims to pieces. A simple touch on bare flesh was enough to kill. The humans collapsed to the road and sidewalks as if they’d been shot.
A flash of white fabric caught my eye. I clutched Connor’s hand tightly when Morgwen stepped into view. Her dress stood out starkly in the darkness. Turning in a circle, she smiled widely at the devastation her allies were causing. A select few of us could see the Grim Reaper that was bound to her. They were so deeply entwined that his hand disappeared into her back and was lodged deep inside her body. It made the slight weight of Greg’s hand on my shoulder feel a lot heavier just looking at them.
“Spencer has to have heard about this by now,” Roderick said. “How long are you going to wait before you begin your mission?”
“He can use the portal in his kitchen to travel to London immediately,” Quin said. “I’d say he’s already left the States by now. Let’s grab the vampire and get ready to move.”
“It’ll still be daylight back home,” I reminded her. “Alakay will fall asleep once we arrive in Rosethorn.”
“Do you need him to be awake to use him?” she asked.
I smiled before replying. “Nope. I just need him to be there.”
“We’ll grab the leech,” Jonah said, pointing at Winston. “We’ll make sure he doesn’t try to run.”
“You can count on us,” Winston agreed and came close to saluting Quin.
“Rudy, will you be able to take us to Von Hades’ mansion?” she asked.
“I’m ready when you are,” the leprechaun said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
Everyone who was going was loaded up with a variety of weapons, including blessed bullets and holy water. They should work against the hellhounds and gargoyles that would be defending the mansion.
At Quin’s nod, the two ghosts went to retrieve Alakay. His expression was haughty, yet he wasn’t quite able to hide his fright when they returned with him moments later. One of them had broken the circle to unlock the cell so they could enter it. “Have you finally realized you require my assistance?” the master vampire asked, staring down his nose at us.
“Your presence is needed where we’re going,” Quin replied.
“And where is that?” Alakay asked.
“To Spencer’s mansion in the US,” I told him.
“It will be daylight in America,” he said icily. “What exactly do you expect me to do?”
“Not much,” I told him truthfully. “I expect you to fall unconscious and be unaware that I’m stealing your blood and essence.”
He let out a squawk of outrage, but Quin motioned for Rudy to do his thing. He clicked his fingers and those of us who had volunteered for the mission were teleported halfway around the world.
We ended up in the foyer of the Von Hades mansion in Rosethorn. Alakay immediately had to struggle to fight against the pull of sleep, but failed. The ghosts rolled their eyes and kept hold of his limp body when he sagged in their grip. Brandi smirked at the leech in amusement.
Guns held ready, we searched the room and hallways for threats, but found them empty. Quin pointed silently at the stairs and our footsteps echoed as we crossed the black marble floor. Alakay’s feet dragged on the ground with a squeaking noise, leaving scuff marks on the pristine marble. Harrow would have made noises of disapproval if he’d been here to see it.
The grand staircase swept upwards, carrying us up to the second floor. Boards creaked beneath our feet as we made our way down the wide hallway. Although most of the house was enchanted, the bedrooms never seemed to move location. We found another set of stairs leading to the third floor and quietly climbed higher.
I’d never been to the third floor before, but it wasn’t much different to the other two. Antique furniture graced the rooms we passed. The doors were open to show servants’ quarters in the wing we were making our way through. I was pretty sure we passed the same room three times before reaching the end of the hallway.
“I can sense magic,” I said in a low voice to the others. The magic was strong enough to make the air pulse and it grew stronger the closer we drew to it. All the doors in this hallway were closed, but I could sense the barrier near the far end. We hadn’t encountered any guards yet, which struck me as strange. Maybe Spencer didn’t think we would dare break into his home in his absence.
When we were standing in front of the door that had the barrier encasing it, I could faintly feel the relic. “The dragon heart is in there,” I whispered.
“Good,” Quin replied. “Get that barrier down.”
“Be ready,” Jake said, holding his Colt pointed at the floor. “Something doesn’t feel right.”
“Can you sense anyone else in the house?” Connor asked the ghosts.
“Nope,” Jonah replied.
“As far as we can tell, we’re the only ones here,” Winston added. Alakay dangled between them like a life-sized doll.
“Can we put a stake through Dracula’s heart once Ari’s done with him?” Brandi asked, eying the inert corpse. “Surely, we don’t need him anymore.”
“It’s best to be safe than sorry,” Quin said, denying her request. “I’d rather keep him alive until we’re positive he’s of no more use to us.”
Blocking out their chatter, I approached the slumbering leech and took a knife out of my pocket. Master vamps could sense it when their lives were in danger. Since I had no intention of killing him, he didn’t stir as I pricked his finger. The pain wasn’t enough to rouse him and he remained dead to the world.
Scooping some of his black blood onto my blade, I walked over to the door. With the spell to break the barrier at the forefront of my mind, I began to chant. Channeling my power into it, I flicked Alakay’s blood at the door. He jerked when the blood magic caught him up in the incantation. From the corner of my eye, I saw a thin rope of black essence being drawn from him. His eyes opened for a moment, reflecting his agony before he succumbed to sleep again.
His essence was drawn into the spell and I chanted the last line, pushing my power into it. The barrier gave way, spilling over me and almost driving me to my knees. Connor caught me by the elbow and supported me until I could stand unassisted again. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said shakily. “I can still feel magic in the room, but the barrier is gone.”
Quin put her hand on the door and pushed it open. Jake was right behind her as she stepped inside.
