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“Now,” I growl and speed forward, straight for Haynes, the surroundings blurring as I move with lightning speed. The vampires I brought with me do the same, charging the table. My hand reaches out, almost at Haynes' throat, when, abruptly, I stop, unnaturally frozen. My fingers are inches from Haynes’ throat, but he hasn’t moved at all, completely at ease. The floor around us is glowing red, and though I can’t move my head to see it, I’m sure we have stepped into some kind of magic circle. But how is it working on us?

“Oh, Julian,” tsks Haynes, slowly rising from his seat. “Someone's been a naughty boy. Making deals with the Summer Queen, have we? I guess I never should have trusted that bitch. Oh, wait, I didn’t.” This last sentence is said with a sly smile.

“What’s going on here?” says the two fae guards from behind us. “What is this magic?”

“Shut up,” Haynes says coldly, turning on a dime. He reaches up a glowing hand, and I hear choking sounds behind me. “You all tried to betray us, but we beat you to the punch. That’s what’s going on.”

He twists his wrist, and I hear the telltale pop of necks being broken before the slumping of bodies on the ground. Colton just killed two fae with as much effort as waving a hand. How has he gotten so powerful?

“Retrieve our weapons,” orders Colton. “Time to put down some vampires.”

His men get up, moving around our frozen forms, moving back toward the entrance, while Colton stands looking at me with a curious tilt of his head. “Fascinating,” he says, waving a hand in front of my face, “You really are frozen. Never thought I’d see the day when my magic would work on one of you, but here we are; the wonders of a little siren blood.”

Siren blood? My eyes must give away my inner worry, because Colton just laughs at me. “Yes, Julian, siren blood. You should have been more careful at the scene of Andi’s little accident. All we needed was a few drops to set this trap and make our magic work on both vampires and fae.”

I think back to that night of the accident, to Andi’s bleeding head. Did a few drops fall to the ground? They must have. And they only needed that much to do this? Andi’s blood is even more dangerous than I thought.

Behind me, the sound of footsteps comes up the corridor as Haynes’ men return. Colton glances away from me to peer behind my frozen form, a wicked smile growing on his face.

“Put them down,” he orders, “except for the Lieutenant and Commandant. I have plans for them.”

In an instant, there’s the loud report of gunfire. Bang, bang, bang. More slumping of bodies. I can’t see what’s happened, but I can guess based on Haynes’ words. Sebastian, Leander, and Raul are all dead, hawthorn bullets in their brains. I knew there were too many guns, dammit. I should have trusted my instincts instead of my arrogance.

When the last gunshot echoes through the building, Haynes turns back to me. His smile widens at whatever he sees in my eyes. “Now, now, Julian,” he chides mockingly, “don’t look at me like that. You should have never interfered with what was mine. Now, you’ll pay the price for it. I’m more than a little put out that you are enthralled by Andi, but no matter. We’ll use that to our advantage. She won’t be able to leave you here to die. She’ll have to try to save you, and then I’ll have her again. It would have been better if she were in love with me, but you’ll do as a substitute. A siren in love still has power to be used, after all.”

So he knows that I was enthralled by Andi, but not that I have broken the connection of her blood. And he assumes that Andi is in love with me, when she is not. Much of his information is not quite correct and is based on assumptions. That makes me feel a little better; he doesn’t have a good source of information, which means that there aren’t any leaks in my organization. Andi will be safe, as long as she stays with my brethren.

Haynes destroys my relief, though, as he continues, walking down to where Gaspard stands frozen. “Alright, Lieutenant St. Juste. I left you alive because you have the auspicious job of errand boy. Bring me the siren before the sun sets, and I’ll let your leader live. One minute late, and I’ll start cutting pieces off of him with a hawthorne knife so that they will never heal.”

I groan angrily in my throat, trying to speak through my paralysis. I want to tell Gaspard that under no circumstances is he to bring Andi anywhere near Haynes. Gaspard should take her far from Haynes’ clutches, somewhere he can never find her. I don’t care what happens to me. I have survived torture before and do not fear death. But I would die a thousand deaths before I would deliver Andi to Haynes.

The warlock merely laughs at my attempt to speak. “Do you have something to say, Julian? Some protest or pleading? Too bad we can’t understand you. I could use some amusement.”

I’m going to kill him. Somehow, someday, I’m going to feel his blood on my hands. I don’t know how, at this moment, that is going to happen, but I vow it as I look at Hayne’s smarmy, triumphant face. Whatever he sees in my eyes must worry him because his smile fades for a moment, and I swear that he almost takes a step back, but then the moment passes, and the smile is back.

“Let’s stop wasting time,” he says, stepping behind me. I feel the cold kiss of a gun barrel against my temple, Haynes standing close behind me. “Let the Lieutenant go, but keep your guns trained at the Commandant. If the Lieutenant looks to be showing any signs of trouble, kill the Commandant.”

The warlocks around me all train their weapons at me and then begin chanting, the red glow from the floor pulsing. Behind me, I hear Gaspard take a deep breath.

“Your word that if I bring you the girl, you will not harm the Commandant,” I hear my second say.

Again, I groan angrily, but no one listens to me. “My word as a warlock,” intones Haynes. “Your leader will be in one piece if you bring the siren by sundown.”

“I’m sorry, Commandant,” Gaspard says, “The Fraternity comes first.”

I want to tell Gapard that if he brings Andi, he’s as good as dead. I’ll never forgive him. But I’m still frozen and can say nothing. I hear Gaspard’s retreating footsteps and then the door closing behind him. The warlocks relax as he exits, their guns lowering as they no longer have to be on guard.

“Alright, Julian,” Haynes says from behind me, lowering his own pistol, “time to get you somewhere where you can’t make any trouble for us when your lapdog brings Andi.”

He starts chanting behind me, the other warlocks joining in. A glittering dust appears in the air around me and then rushes down my throat. I am helpless to avoid it, standing like a statue as I am. Darkness closes in on my vision as I’m forcefully put to sleep.

And I know no more.

Chapter 26

Andi

I sit on the side of Jade’s bed, holding a hand of cards.