The squeal of tires came as a large van pulled up beside the curb. Two security guards grabbed me by the arms and hoisted me upward. I tried to fight them off, but my strength was completely gone. Doors opened, and I was thrown into the back of the van tangled within the inferichite net.
Salvatore walked away, and the van doors slammed, shutting me in. The van lurched forward, and my heart raced as I was driven away from The Devil’s City and deeper into the city.
Chapter Twenty-Two
AVA-MARIE
Leaving Charlie in Salvatore’s clutches made me sick to my stomach. Worse, actually. I wanted to turn back and slaughter that vampire where he stood. It would only take a single fireball to end his life.
But Oberi wouldn’t put me in danger for Charlie’s sacrifice. She galloped forward until the sound of tires squealing up ahead met my ears. My car swerved around other vehicles, coming to an abrupt halt in front of me.
Marcus sat in the driver’s seat, and Danny and Eddie rode in the back. Marcus flung open the passenger side door, and Oberi charged forward. My hands met the top of the car the same time Oberi shifted into a phoenix beneath me. I used momentum to hoist myself into the passenger seat, and Oberi flew inside to land on my lap. I slammed the door shut.
I glanced back in the direction we came to see a blur of vampires racing toward us. “Drive!”
Marcus stepped on the gas so hard that Rishi was thrown into the back seat. The streets of Chicago were crowded with vehicles, but Marcus swerved into oncoming traffic and dodged around the cars to get away as fast as possible. Tires squealed as he turned sharp corners. He drove up on the sidewalk andhonked at pedestrians, who scattered out of the way— anything to get away from Salvatore’s men.
Marcus was practically hyperventilating. “Fuck, we saw everything! He gotCharlie! We’ve failed. They’re going to kill him. We have to go back for him!”
I shot another glance in the rearview mirror. The vampires were gaining on us. “We can’t go back for him if we’re dead!”
I grabbed the wheel and yanked it to the side before Marcus could smash straight into an oncoming delivery truck.
“We have to go back to Ilamanthe,” Danny argued. “We don’t know where Salvatore’s taking Charlie, and if we want to face him properly, we’ll need an army of Elves to do it. I say we go back, get as many guards as we can, and rain terror upon Salvatore Bianchi.”
“Marcus, take a right up here!” Eddie barked. “The only way back to Ilamanthe is through the Scarlet Grand. We’re almost there!”
Marcus’ hands shook on the steering wheel. I shot another glance behind us, and panic sent my heart hammering. We still hadn’t lost Salvatore’s vampires, and they’d catch up to us if we kept dicking around.
Marcus’ features went paper white. He floored the pedal just as one of the vamps reached us. Athudsounded overhead as the vampire jumped on top of the car. We went tearing around another street corner, and the vampire flew off the vehicle and went rolling into the road. Marcus raced into the parking garage beneath the Scarlet Grand.
Along the outer edge of the parking garage were reflective surfaces. Eddie shoved himself over the middle console, holding a hand straight outward. “Faster!” he yelled.
The wall in front of us shimmered, and Marcus drove us straight into it. For a moment, I witnessed the darkness of the Mirror Realm around us as Eddie used his magic to portal usacross dimensions. Then the palace gardens appeared, and we emerged on the other side.
Marcus slammed on the breaks. He yanked the car to the side, spinning it around until the back end smashed into a nearby fountain. We came to an abrupt halt.
Oberi shook her feathers from my lap.That was a bit of a rough landing.
Eddie gasped a breath. “We lost them!”
“Thank fuck,” Danny grumbled.
Marcus whirled on me. “How could you, Ava? Charlie would never leave you.Never! Now Salvatore has Charlieandthe vampire key. We accomplishednothing!”
“You know what Emperor Cassiel says,” I told him bluntly. “Turn a problem into a solution. Mama, Ez, and Kallie should be back already. Get me my chair. We need to see the Emperor.”
Marcus kicked open his door, and he came back several moments later with my wheelchair. Eldin, my guard, was with him. She’d already been outside the gardens waiting for us. Marcus crossed his arms and glowered at me as I situated myself in my chair. Oberi perched herself on the armrest.
“Iwon’t be the one breaking the news,” Marcus grumbled as he, Eddie, and Danny followed behind me. “The Emperor is going to be furious with us for losing his grandson.”
“Leave the explanations to me,” I said firmly.
We reached the throne room, and two guards standing at the doors opened them. Emperor Cassiel lounged on his throne with a broad smile on his face.
And beside him sat Charlie, who was beaming from ear to ear. My heart lifted at the sight of my husband. Everything went just as we’d planned.
Charlie and Cassiel were surrounded by the Elvish Associates, who were laughing cheerfully. Alistair held a heavy net and tossed it over Pig, who batted at the ropes playfully. Ivyand Chancey were noticeably missing. I was certain both of them had to be in the hospital.
