Alek pulled into the parking lot of Carnavalul de Fear and navigated around the bottleneck of cars lined up to exit. Families, towing sluggish children behind them, made their way toward their vehicles, while large groups of teens and young adults swarmed in the direction of the front entrance. They were ready to be thrilled and scared to death, or—he noted, looking at the roller coaster as it made its way around the entire carnival lot—brought to the brink of it. People craved danger; always sought to walk the fine line between life and death.
And that’s what the carnival offered: a chance to come dangerously close without having to step over the line.
Despite his windows being up, the muffled sounds of cheers still penetrated his peace. He rubbed his head, trying to bury his growing need to reach out with his magick and invade the minds of the people blocking his path, giving them just a little nudge to move the hell out of the way. But as soon as he touched their minds, he knew he wouldn’t be able to control himself. Not in his current agitated state.
This was the main reason he avoided crowds. His magick had always sought to do dark things, always wanted to lash out and twist other people’s minds. Break them, even. Nicole, having the protection against magickal attacks embedded in her, was a welcome distraction. He would never dream of hurting her. But sometimes his magick had a mind of its own. Her protective mark forced him to keep his magick constantly in check. And her mere presence brought him a peace he so desperately craved.
He had discarded his suit jacket and tie after the funeral, and currently had the air-conditioning on full blast. Nevertheless, an unwelcomed heat had settled over him, cocooning him in a stifling embrace. Maybe it wasn’t so much the humidity in the air but the unrest that currently rode him like an unwanted lover. Petronela had asked him to come, and he couldn’t refuse his great aunt, but he knew working for her would eventually lead to him losing control. And he was not looking forward to that.
A break in the crowd had him surging forward. A man whipped his head around and glared at Alek. It would be so easy, Alek thought, to crush the man’s mind. He reigned those dark thoughts in. Not here. Not now. Didn’t mean he was going to back down. So he continued to inch forward. The man, possibly seeing the threat in Alek’s eyes, finally shifted to the side, allowing Alek to pass.
The lights from the Ferris Wheel, more beacon than illumination, penetrated the darkness inside his car. He glanced up at the familiar friend as it turned at a sedate pace. That’s where he always found solace. His mother had brought him to Tulare when he was seven, nine years after Petronela had settled here. He’d told his mother he wanted to ride the Ferris wheel. And it was on that first ride where he learned how to control the darkness inside of him.
But that control didn’t last long.
Finally able to move past the parking lot, Alek made his way around the back of the building. An unfamiliar guard sat stationed at the entrance. Mid-twenties with scruff on his face, he wore a uniform that was too big for him, with a dark stain between one of the buttons. Alek was surprised the man hadn’t taken better care of his appearance. Even more surprising was that Petronela allowed it.
Alek rolled down the tinted window so the guard could see him.
“Does she know you’re coming?” the man asked.
No one was crazy enough to show up here unannounced. He would have said as much, but it wasn’t his place to teach the man about Petronela. If he worked here long enough, he’d learn on his own. Instead, Alek leaned back and waited. After a short while, the man lifted the bar and Alek drove forward and pulled into a space near the back door.
The sweet scent of caramel candy and buttery popcorn filled the car. He should have eaten at Vincent’s house, but the knots in his stomach kept him from consuming anything but a few sips of water. He couldn’t figure out why Petronela wanted to see him. She already told him she wouldn’t help Nicole, reneging on the promise she’d made when Nicole lay in a coma recovering from the injuries inflicted on her by Set.
Damn. She could have died that day. He still couldn’t get the image of her lying in a pool of blood, her chest torn open while rain filled her insides. But somehow Hathor, along with Nicole’s father, Henri, had saved her.
The security door opened, spilling light onto the blacktop. Stefan Baciu stepped out, and his young niece, Elena, scrambled close to his side. The little girl had her thumb in her mouth. Stefan had told him last week nightmares continued to wake her every night. And sometimes she would even cry out for Alek—the man she believed to be her savior. He didn’t think of himself as such. Never had. But he had helped rescue her and the other children who had been caged in the basement of the Sinclair family at-risk youth house.
Alek got out of the car. “Do you know what this is about?” he asked when he joined them at the door.
Stefan pushed the back door open further. “She said she needed someone to find a man associated with the old families who has come to the island and failed to check in.”
Elena reached for Alek, and he scooped her up. “How are you?” he asked her.
She didn’t respond, except to rest her head on his shoulder and continue sucking her thumb.
“She’s still not sleeping,” Stefan said, rubbing Elena’s head.
Alek squeezed her close. He wished he could take away her nightmares. Hell, even he had bad dreams about finding the kids in cages. They learned after that Elena’s parents had applied for insurance at Tribec. The Stewarts, using Ronald Stewart’s bogus blood test, had determined the Bacius had the compound in their blood they needed for their Harvest ritual. Elena had been given to Andrew Snow to deal with, and he in turn sold her to the Sinclair family. With her parents dead, Elena’s uncle had taken her in.
Petronela said she would give Devlin and his team time to bring down the Sinclair family since Marta Hernandez, too, had a stake in their demise. Not a lot, mind you. But she did say she expected for them to handle it soon. And Stefan demanded he be there when it happened.
Stefan went inside, signaling for Alek to follow.
“Why ask me? She has plenty of people who could handle this for her,” Alek said.
Stefan turned and said, “You are family.”
He should have refused, but Petronela had always been kind to him when he was a child. Back before he even knew she had a ruthless reputation, she always looked out for those who were different. She understood the darkness inside him; had even offered to help him tame it. But his family had grown distant from her because she settled on Tulare Island instead of continuing to Travel with the rest of the family. So, he never got the opportunity.
Still, she had gone back on her word and refused to help Nicole. And that bothered him.
Muted sounds from outside filled the darkened hallway as they walked. More than once, Alek had to yank his foot up to keep it from sticking to the ground. He glanced down at the brownish substance. Blood.
“What happened?” he asked, stopping in the middle of the hall.
Stefan stopped and turned to him. “Someone was stealing from Petronela. Gregor still needs to clean up.”
Everyone knew the lengths Petronela would go through to protect herself and her family. Her brutality had garnered her a reputation that few ever tested. It had been years since she’d had to prove her strength. It surprised him anyone would dare steal from her. He was also surprised someone from one of the old families would show up without checking in first. It just wasn’t done. Could someone be testing Petronela? Trying to find weaknesses?
Alek dipped his head once and signaled for Stefan to continue. Besides, it wasn’t his concern what went on at the carnival.
At the end of the hall, Stefan pushed a red, velvet curtain back and stepped aside, allowing Alek to enter.
“She’ll be here in a minute,” Stefan said, taking his niece from Alek.
Alek dipped his head in thanks, smiled at Elena, and took up a position with his back to the wall. He didn’t dare sit until Petronela invited him to.
“That service was an insult,” Petronela said, stepping into the room. Alek turned toward the hidden door and watched her walk in, face covered in wrinkles that spoke of age and wisdom and sights seen. Her sharp brown eyes studied him as she stood in the entryway.
Two young girls followed closely behind her. The taller of the two had hair so dark it looked bluish. She wore it straight down her back with a single braid woven into it. She wore a peasant blouse with embroidered flowers stitched into the collar and a long red skirt that came to her ankles. Her face held a scornful smile. And her blue eyes seemed to look out on the world with hatred.
The shorter girl had her dark brown hair braided down her back. She wore the same outfit, only her skirt was green. Her small mouth trembled as her green gaze searched the room, finally landing on Alek.
Petronela made her way to the deep red lounge chair by the back wall, covered with plush gold pillows. It reminded Alek of a throne—not surprising since Petronela fancied herself as a sort of monarch to her people. She sat down and stared at him. “You should have advised Vincent on the proper customs.”
“Vincent’s mother wasn’t Romanian. She was Christian,” Alek said.
Petronela waved the comment away as if it were insignificant. She picked up a long ivory pipe. “I might have to remind him of our ways when he comes to work Monday.”
This was news to Alek. He thought the big guy was going to continue working with them.
Petronela turned to the girls and raised a single sculpted eyebrow.
The short girl rushed over to a small white dais in the corner of the room. An onyx jewel-covered box sat on top. She picked it up and gave it to Petronela.
Petronela took the box and opened it. She hummed as she stuffed the pipe with sweet-smelling herbs and lit it. Pulling in a deep lung full of smoke, she stared at the two girls—blowing smoke in their direction.
“Daniella and Ileana believe my rule can be questioned. What punishment should I give them?” she asked finally, her gaze turning to Alek.
Alek shifted under the weight of Petronela’s question. It didn’t matter what he said; she had already decided what to do with them. But for some reason, she wanted his opinion. He wondered why, but didn’t dare ask.
Another man stepped into the room, holding a file under his arm and a bucket in his hands. He thrust the bucket at the girls.
“We are not cleaning!” the taller of the two screamed.
Petronela got up, quicker than her old frame would suggest she could, and slapped the girl across the face. “You will not raise your voice to me, Daniella.” She stared at the girl.
Daniella placed her hand over her cheek and stared down at Petronela out of those hate-filled eyes. It was always the young ones, Alek noted, who liked to challenge authority. They must have shielded Daniella from Petronela’s reputation. Otherwise, she wouldn’t dare try to test his great aunt.
The other girl, Ileana, grabbed Daniella’s hand and took the bucket from the man.
“Go clean the blood from the floor. Or yours will soon join it,” Petronela said, her voice laced with venom.
“Yes, Auntie,” Ileana said, and pulled Daniella out of the room.
Alek opened his mouth to protest the treatment of the girls but stopped. It wasn’t his place. However, he wondered what the girls had done to deserve her wrath.
Petronela sat on the couch and picked up her pipe. “Gregor,” she prompted.
The man handed Alek the file. “One of the cousins spotted Unrie Nevsky at the gas station two nights ago,” Gregor said. “He can be linked to the Lazarescu family.” He paused and looked at Petronela. She signaled for him to continue. “He hasn’t checked in with Petronela, which could mean… Tribe has come back.”
Thirty years ago, fifteen families of Roma, calling themselves Tribe, had come to Tulare intent on taking down Petronela. A minor war ensued, resulting in many fatalities. And when it was all over, only four families of Tribe remained. Petronela, after eliciting an oath, welcomed two of the families still standing while the other two left the island, promising never to return.
Alek glanced at his aunt. If Tribe were back, it would explain why someone would believe they could steal from Petronela.
He opened the file and read through its contents. Someone had compiled a dossier on Unrie Nevsky, which read more like a police rap sheet. They had linked him to seventeen murders and twelve kidnappings across the globe. Yet he had never committed a crime on Tulare. So why now? Alek kept reading and stopped when he came to an address on Tulare Island.
“Unrie lived on Tulare?” he asked, looking at his aunt.
She nodded. He stared at her, trying to see past the rigid visage she showed everyone. But she only gazed back at him—unafraid, it would seem.
Gregor pointed to the information on the address. “The house belonged to Lazarescu.”
Given his age, Unrie would have been ten at the time. Yet, his surname was Nevsky. Alek searched his memory for some of the old family names. None of them had any Russian ties. And he wasn’t Roma. But the link was there and unnerving.
“Do you think his family was part of Tribe?” Alek asked, looking up at Petronela.
“That is what I need you to find out,” she said, her face an unreadable mask.
“You have people who could do this for you,” Alek said, shutting the file. Even if he didn’t work for her, it would be a good idea if he found out. Petronela had defeated them once, but there was no telling how many people they could have amassed in the time they’d been gone. This would affect all of them.
“Yes, but I figure it will be an acceptable trade.” She pulled smoke in and leaned back. “While I can’t help your girl directly, I do know someone who can. I am willing to bring him to the island in exchange for your help with this.”
“I need an oath from you that if I do this, you will help Nicole, Auntie.”
Petronela’s head jerked up and her eyes narrowed. “Do you doubt my sincerity?”
“No,” Alek ground out. “Just your word.”
Gregor stepped into his space. Alek ignored him. If he had to fight his way out of here, he’d break every mind that he could before Petronela shut him down. More blood for Daniella and Ileana to clean up.
Petronela raised her hand, stopping the man. “I will allow that because of our previous bargain. But I will remind you, questioning me will get you killed, Alexandros. You remember that.” The words sounded right, but the heat behind them wasn’t there. And Alek realized the threat was for Gregor to hear. Again, she felt the need to show her strength. Was she concerned about the people around her?
“I’m not afraid of death, Auntie. You remember that.”
She smiled, the gesture pulling her wrinkles into a macabre mask. “No, I don’t suppose you are. Now, go. You have until the end of this week to find him and bring him here.”
“If he fights me?”
She waved her hand. “Then kill him and bring his head.” She laid back on the couch, dismissing him.
“And what about the other info?” Alek asked, inquiring about the Ark.
“Some things only the Historian can answer. You remember the ways?”
Alek nodded. The Historian, calling herself Luisah now, was on the island. According to his aunt, she had been here for seventeen years. She always came years before a disaster that had the potential to affect humanities existence drastically.
The only problem, mankind had ceased seeking out knowledge. It had instead turned to conspiracy theories and half-truths when making decisions, often leading to disaster. For the knowledge, the Historian required a price: a pact to ensure the person would remember what they had learned. Before gold and gems and silver, blood was used to seal the bargain.
After a brief hesitation, Alek walked out.
He passed the girls on the way out. They stopped talking when he got close. He paused, thinking of what he could say to bring them comfort. Then he looked into their eyes and saw he didn’t need to. The evil brewing in those blue and brown depths didn’t need any words of wisdom from him. So, he moved on.
Alek pulled up to Devlin’s and noted the absence of Nicole’s car. He pulled his phone from his pocket and debated calling her. Or, at least, sending her a text. He needed her but didn’t want to appear needy. He craved her but didn’t want to push. And yet, not seeing her car here made his heart hurt.
He put his phone away, got out of the car, and made his way up the walkway to the front door. He remembered she was having dinner with Marta and the kids tonight and maybe she decided to stay over again. And since Marta would start working with them tomorrow, she and Marta could have decided they would ride to work together.
Enticing scents greeted him when he stepped inside the cool house. Jonah must have cooked. If it were left up to him or the others, they would always eat takeout. Jonah preferred home-cooked meals. Alek followed the sound of their voices down the hallway and entered the kitchen. Devlin glanced up mid-sentence and raised an eyebrow in question. Alek pulled out a chair and sat down heavily. He ran a hand down his face and pulled the tie from his hair.
“Petronela wants me to hunt down a man named Unrie Nevsky,” he said in way of greeting. He gave Devlin the file. While the man read through it, Alek filled his plate with steak, potatoes, and roasted tomatoes. “Looks good, Jonah.”
Jonah grunted.
Alek took a bite of the steak and closed his eyes in bliss. Jonah could cook. After sampling the potatoes, he looked at Rachel. She beamed at him. “You doing okay?” he asked her.
She nodded. “You look tired. You need coffee?”
Rachel made a coffee especially for them that not only helped give them the much-needed caffeine jolt, it also helped with the drain on their magick. Both he and Rachel constantly used their power to the point of exhaustion.
He gave her a half smile. “It’s not my magick. Just…” He leaned back. “Might be leading to something bigger.” He shook his head and sighed. After devouring a few more bites, he told them about Tribe.
Jonah took the file from Devlin. After reading through it, he said, “I can check out the house at this address in the morning.”
“I can research the families that left Tulare and the ones that stayed,” Rachel said, getting up. She squeezed his shoulder and headed to the family room they had converted into their main meeting area.
He wanted to stop her; tell Jonah he could handle it on his own. It was obvious Petronela had wanted him to deal with this by himself anyway, but he knew they wouldn’t listen. They would insert themselves into the situation and help him deal with the problem. A team. A family. That’s what they were.
“How do you want to handle locating Unrie?” Devlin asked.
Alek picked up the file. “He has a pattern of behavior I should be able to follow. I’ll check out the more affluent hotels in the morning. If I get a lead, I’ll let you know.” Even though Petronela had given him the job, he had a loyalty to Devlin and the team. He would keep them updated as well. Besides, if Tribe really was back, their presence would impact the team as well.
Devlin studied him for a minute, seemingly deep in thought. “Things didn’t go as planned at the church today. Gerald Stewart made an appearance, demanding we return the Ark. Might have to deal with him sooner rather than later.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “I’m not sure Jonah or Nicole will receive an invitation to join the cult. So, we might have to come at this a different way. We could deal with Unrie first, and then…”
Alek shook his head. “No, I can handle it. If I need any backup, I’ll let you know.” He looked at Jonah. “What happened at church?”
Jonah leaned back, swinging his arm over the back of the chair. He nodded, as if trying to figure out a way to explain. “Nicole seemed…” He trailed off. “I don’t know. Spooked?” He looked up. “Something disturbed her. Even before…” He studied Alek, his eyes seeming to convey something before he said it. “Even before Gavina tried to infiltrate her mind.”
Alek narrowed his eyes. “I thought she was a faith mage. How the hell would she be able to infiltrate Nicole’s mind?” He fought the wave of fury riding through him.
“She’s fine,” Devlin said, reading Alek’s body language. “Her mark protected her.”
Alek expelled a breath filled with anger and frustration and made a signal for Jonah to continue.
Jonah dipped his head once and continued. “When I dropped her off earlier, I got the impression she wanted to talk. But when she did finally spit out what was on her mind, she asked why I wanted to go undercover.” Jonah took a sip of sweet tea. “So, I told her about my past, hoping she would open up.”
“But she closed up,” Alek said.
Jonah nodded. “I could tell something had bothered her. And she said Gavina’s magick looked gray. I checked with my uncle, and he said gray represents Divine Evil. It happens when someone’s magick becomes corrupted.”
“Could it be blood magick?” Alek asked.
“No. He said it would have to do with a repeated ritual of some kind. One that alters the magick. He’s going to look into it further for us.” Jonah spread his hands out. “It might take time.”
“What we don’t have,” Devlin said. “We’re just getting started, and we’re already stretched thin.” He glanced over at Rachel, who now lay sprawled across the floor, staring at her laptop. “Rach, call it a night. We can research later.”
She spared him a brief glance before shutting the laptop. “I’ll do dishes after I watch Spongebob,” she said, turning on the television.
“Do you know who she is going to bring in to work with Nicole?” Devlin asked.
“She didn’t say. She also said we have to talk with the Historian, Luisah, about the Ark.”
Devlin pushed up from the table. Alek glanced at his phone. “Any word from Nicole?”
Devlin looked down at him. “Give her some time.”
Alek knew he was talking about more than just her coming over this evening. He stood up. “Is this going to be a problem?” Alek asked.
Devlin studied him. “You tell me.”
Jonah cleared his throat. “Nicole knows the mission comes first,” he said.
Both Alek and Devlin looked at Jonah. He shrugged. Even he understood what they were talking about. Alek wondered briefly if his obvious attraction to Nicole would become a problem.
“She’s unique. And has a head full of steam,” Jonah said, and stood up. “But I know we can count on her.”
Devlin laughed. “She does push all my damn buttons, but…” He glanced over at Rachel. “We needed her.”
They all looked at Rachel, who was now mesmerized by her favorite cartoon. Out of all of them, Rachel needed Nicole the most. Her desire to have female friends had become an obsession, and the last thing they needed was Rachel going off the deep end. She was already close to the edge to begin with. Her father’s damage ran deep. The man had kept Rachel, her siblings, and her mother sequestered away from everyone. They were his secret family—the one’s he went to when he needed to act out his aggressive behavior. All the while parading his other family around, spoiling them. And when he wanted to advance his career in politics, they became expendable.
After saying goodnight, Alek headed to his room to take a shower. A pang of longing rolled over him. Without second-guessing himself again, he pulled his phone from his pocket and set Nicole a text.
Hey…