“Tell me why you came,” Lucien answers. “Lycan and vampire don’t normally communicate, let alone travel together.” He steps to the edge of the cage, turning toward Simon. “The bars are made from solid silver. Touch them, and you will burn instantly.” He looks back at Cyrus. “The only reason the four of you would be here is that you seek help with a witch. My guess, a very powerful practitioner. Who?”
“Aurora,” Cyrus answers, and the room goes dark.
The four of us stand lifeless, not sure what’s about to happen. The energy shifts, and two wolves stand at our back.
“What is this?” Cyrus asks.
“A precaution,” Lucien answers. His voice sounds far away, yet nearby at the same time.
“Ours or yours?” I ask.
“Hmmm, good question. Both?” His voice sounds from a different part of the room.
“We’re not here to harm anyone,” Cyrus answers. “We’re here seeking help.”
“Anyone who has anything to do with Aurora is not welcome,” Lucien answers. “Explain your business, and I’ll decide your intentions.”
“I can assure you, our intentions are honorable,” Cyrus answers.
“Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Knight.”
“Then you should know I’m an honest man.”
“We’ll see about that,” Lucien says from another area of the house.
My vampire eyes search through the darkness, not seeing any movement outside of the cage. “He’s gone,” I whisper.
“No, he’s here,” Cyrus answers. A low growl sounds from behind. “We don’t have time for this,” he yells into the empty home. “We came for help, not games.” His words are met with silence. He turns toward me. “Stand back, Violet.”
I look around the small cage, full of two wolves and two vampires. “Where am I supposed to go?”
“If you know of my reputation, you should know that this cage will not contain me,” he yells through the house, ignoring my question. A wet nose nudges my arm, pulling me closer to its fur. I move between the wolves, not sure how they’re going to protect me from whatever is about to happen.
Cyrus turns toward me. His eyes take on an air of apology, and I feel my forehead wrinkle in confusion. A heartbeat later, his face transforms. Bright blue eyes are replaced by deep red. Sharp teeth protrude from his mouth, and strong cheekbones are replaced by jagged angles.
He places his hands around the metal, and with barely any effort, he pulls the bars apart, breaking them in the process. He easily steps through, reaching a hand in for me. I allow him to pull me through, keeping my focus away from his transformation. The wolves are out a second later. With his fingers laced through mine, Cyrus pulls me to the center of the living area.
“Lucien Creed, I demand your service.” His voice echoes off the mahogany walls.
Standing in front of us is a stranger. Instead of the man who opened the door and welcomed us into his home, this man is older. His hair and eyes are the same color as before, but his face is worn with worry and magic.
He smiles widely. “There you are, Mr. Knight. I’m not a fan of facades.” The older man bows gracefully. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Lucien Creed. How may I be of service?”
SIXTEEN
let’s make a deal
Cyrus shutters,shifting back to the form I’m accustomed to. Pale-blue eyes make contact with mine. “Aurora cast a spell many years ago.” He looks at the marble tile beneath our feet. “It needs to be reversed.”
Lucien blinks out of vision, appearing seconds later in the living room, and sitting on the same chair he occupied earlier. “Join me,” he says, motioning to the open couches.
Simon and Stella shift back into human form, both standing stark naked in the foyer of the grand home. Lucien stares longer than necessary at Simon, making the awkwardness in the room rise several degrees. “Second floor, first room on the right,” he says. “You’ll find everything you need.”
“Cyrus?” Simon asks a much longer question than worded.
“We’ll be fine,” Cyrus answers.The lycan quickly disappear upstairs. Am I the only one who is leery of this entire situation? I don’t trust this man, yet everyone else seems to.
“Should I go with them?” I ask, moving toward the stairs.
