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SORCHA WAS DETERMINED to find out whether Sebastian lived in the house she’d been stalking in her spare time. She teleported to the Vampire District to keep watch over the mansion shortly after she woke up. Her patience paid off when she heard a carriage approaching. The assassin camouflaged herself against the wall that surrounded the property and watched as the vehicle drove along the driveway. Two people were inside, but she couldn’t see their faces.
The carriage stopped in front of the door, blocking most of it from Sorcha’s view. She saw a tall man wearing a hooded cloak emerge from the house. Only one of the passengers climbed out of the vehicle. The visitor was a couple of inches shorter than the man she assumed was a vampire, but he also wore a hood to hide his face. The pair spoke quietly, then the vampire climbed into the carriage. His guest entered the house and shut the door.
Sorcha waited for the carriage to reach her, then teleported on top of it. She lay flat on the roof and held onto the sides. Her camouflage spell made her blend in with the black paint until she became almost invisible. Her hearing wasn’t good enough to overhear what the two passengers were saying over the noise of the wheels on the cobbled street. The carriage crossed to the industrial area and stopped near some empty warehouses. Sorcha caught a bare glimpse of the passengers when they left the vehicle and sprinted over to one of the buildings. They were definitely vampires to be able to move that quickly.
Encased in her scent and noise muffling shield, the sorceress leaped to the ground and hurried over to the warehouse. She found a side door and entered the building as the carriage drove away. The murmur of voices drew her down a hallway and past a few empty rooms. She reached a large doorway to the main area where cargo had probably once been stored. A group of vampires were gathered together. All were hooded to hide their identities, which meant they were probably rebels.
Sorcha cautiously moved closer, staying camouflaged against the wall until she was close enough to hear them.
“Are you sure your allies will have the strength to overpower our enemies, Lord Sebastian?” someone asked.
The tall vampire she’d been tracking nodded. “Oui, I am certain of it,” he replied.
Fierce triumph that she’d located her target flashed through the assassin. Sorcha was tempted to end his life right now, but decided to wait. She’d heard everything she needed to hear and crept back outside. She kept watch on the warehouse until the secret meeting broke up a couple of hours later and the leeches dispersed.
A carriage arrived to take Sebastian and his tiny female companion away. Sorcha didn’t bother to hitch a ride with them this time. She teleported to his mansion to wait for her prey to arrive. Anticipation gripped her as the minutes passed. Finally, she saw the dim light of the lanterns on the carriage appear in the distance. She waited for it to sweep past her and followed in its wake.
Using a shrub for cover, the assassin was ready for it when the carriage door opened. The diminutive leech climbed out first. Sorcha was distracted when the door to the house opened. The male visitor strode out of the house, then picked the bloodsucker up and gave her a thorough kiss. Sebastian climbed out of the vehicle next and the sorceress pointed her finger at his back. She was about to send a spear of fire through his black heart when slender female arms came around him, blocking her shot. “Damn it,” Sorcha muttered and waited for the leech to move.
Sebastian turned so he was standing sideways to her and Sorcha glanced at his companion. Shock coursed through her when she saw the assassin who was living with him. “What the hell?” she whispered in dismay. “Eden is alive?” While she was glad to see her friend was alive, it seemed the succubus was in thrall to the master vampire. Somehow, he’d severed her link to the Immortal Triumvirate and had taken over her mind. Why else would she be living in his house and have her mark on his door?
Rage that her friend had been turned into a slave for another evil creature rose. Sorcha’s hand had dropped in her confusion, but she lifted it again and waited for her chance to strike. Once the undead creature had been eradicated, his hold over Eden would be broken and she would be free again.
Eden clung to the master vampire, seemingly besotted with him as the foursome chatted. The other male bloodsucker said something that made them all laugh. Sebastian turned to face his visitors, leaving his chest wide open.
Sorcha harnessed her magic and cast a spell. She’d never missed before, but she’d never faced an opponent who could move this fast during any of her previous missions. Sebastian sensed danger and moved to shield Eden from it. The fiery spear missed his heart and sliced across his back instead. He bared his fangs, searching for the culprit while pushing Eden towards the house.
Eden knew exactly who had just tried to kill her master. “Sorcha!” she shouted in desperation. “Don’t hurt him! He’s one of the good guys!”
“Like hell he is,” Sorcha muttered, then sent another shard of fire at the creature.
Sebastian moved so quickly that she couldn’t track him. He seemed to vanish and was suddenly standing right in front of her. Her camouflage was the only thing that saved her life as he swept his arm towards her. She ducked down and he missed tearing her head off by a fraction of an inch.
“Sebastian! She’s my best friend!” Eden shouted in dismay. “She’s just following orders!”
Realizing she was outmatched, Sorcha teleported to the gate. Sebastian sensed she was gone and sped back to the house. He said something to his visitors, then bundled them all inside and closed the door. “There goes my chance for an easy kill,” the sorceress said sourly. The skeleton knew it was no longer needed and drove the carriage away from the house, searching for another passenger who needed a ride.
Sorcha was going to have to come up with another plan to stalk and kill her target, so she teleported home to think. Dispelling her enchantments, she paced up and down in her living room. “All this time, I thought Eden was dead,” she said, hands clenching into fists of anger. “That leech has turned her into his puppet,” she muttered. “He might want to take the Immortal Triumvirate down, but he’s no better than they are!”
She knew where he lived now and he couldn’t stay barricaded inside the mansion forever. Sooner or later, he would emerge and she would be there to end his lengthy life.
Her first mission for the night turned up and the assassin had no choice but to open the letter. Whoever had sent it to her would know if she attempted to refuse to accept the job. It was best to just get it over and done with so she could return to stalking her target.
