“The plans only involve me,” Cyrus answers. “I will kill Callum and return here for the spell.”
“That’s not a plan,” I retort. “That’s a suicide mission.”
“We must go inside,” Terrin whispers. “Inside, there are protections. Out here, he will feel us, just as we feel him.”
We don’t question the child as we follow him through the double front doors and into the large foyer. Lucien is sitting perfectly still on the same chair he sat in earlier, appearing to be in a trance of sorts.
“He’s coming,” Terrin repeats his words from earlier.
“Of course he is,” the warlock responds. “My wards will protect you for a while, but even I’m not as strong as Callum. He will break through them, and when he does, there’s no stopping him.”
“You’re just a ray of sunshine,” I say. My voice is full of sarcasm.
“I like you,” Lucien responds.
“How long do we have?” Cyrus asks our host.
He casually shrugs. “A few hours to a few days. It depends on how strong his pull to the boy is.”
“We have to leave,” I announce to anyone who’s listening.
“Where would you go, Violet?” Lucien asks. “As Cyrus has stated before, I am the only one powerful enough to break the spell Aurora holds over him. If you leave without fulfilling your end of the bargain, we have no deal.” He looks at Cyrus. “I believe this is the best time to complete your task.”
“I know,” Cyrus answers. He turns, running a hand through already messy hair. “Will you protect Violet when I leave?”
“To the best of my abilities, I will protect them all.”
“Protect who from what?” Simon’s sleepy voice asks from the landing on the stairs.
“Callum’s coming,” I answer for the crowd.
“Shit. When?”
“According to Lucien, it could be a few hours to a few days.” Cyrus’s voice is laced with anger.
“That helps,” Simon says, echoing my thoughts.
Cyrus turns toward me. “I have to find him.”
“I…I…” I stop short, not sure what I want to say. Do I want to confess my feelings or keep him here?
“I’ll be okay.” He tries to comfort me. “We’ve already had onedispute. He’s still recovering. I’m stronger than most. I’ll be okay.”
“Why do I feel like you’re not telling the whole truth?” Terrin asks.
Cyrus ignores Terrin’s words and moves toward the stairs. “I’m going to change.” He disappears before anyone can object.
“You have to stop him,” I say, turning toward our host.
“It’s his choice. He’s more than capable of making his own choices and decisions.”
I move toward the warlock at vampire speed. “You could break the spell with Aurora without putting his life in danger!”
“Be careful what you say and do here, my dear. I am not weak,” Lucien warns.
He’s right. I don’t stand a chance. Hell, I don’t stand a chance against anything. I look around the room. “Am I the only one here with any common sense?” Anger fills my words.
“No, but you are the only human here.” Lucien’s words hit me in the gut. For the first time since turning, I’d rather be a vampire than human.
