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Leonie filled me, pushing through the lingering fog. :Shara! What happened? I’m coming!:

:I’m okay,: I assured her and Carys. :We had a bit of an issue with Janelle.:

:Humph,: Carys grumbled. :I didn’t see anything suspicious when I looked at her.:

I’m pretty sure some of the reek wafting up to burn my eyes was on me. I pulled magic over my skin and clothes to cleanse myself, but I still wanted to change. :We’re leaving for the Park Avenue house. I’ll feel safer there to discuss what happened.:

I fed a few seconds longer and then licked the bite closed. I leaned back and gave Rik a stern look. “Quit beating yourself up. I would rather die in my alpha’s arms than ever risk someone taking me away from you. Especially when I was knocked out by some kind of attack. Thank you, everyone.”

Guillaume helped Daire up. “That was quick thinking, Kevin. For future reference, I’ve always got knives up my sleeves. They would’ve been quicker for you to get to.”

Rik lifted me up to Guillaume, who kept me in his arms rather than set me down into the puddles. My alpha’s jaws worked like he was chewing gravel, and he didn’t reach for me to take me back into his arms once he stood.

“This is all my fault, my queen.” Kevin hung his head, his cheeks a dull red. “I should have realized something fishy was going on when she brought us to the ninety-ninth floor. The nicer meeting rooms are on the hundredth floor and above.”

“You had no way to know she would betray me. She said…” I hesitated and shook my head. “Never mind.”

:I don’t know who’s listening,: I whispered in all their bonds.

Rik’s eyes tightened and he hovered at Guillaume’s back as we moved back the way we’d come. Though Ezra quickly took the lead, guiding us to the main, larger elevator so we could get the fuck out of here without making twenty trips in the tiny maintenance elevator. Buck naked, Mehen walked along with us with an extra swagger in his hips. Until the large elevator doors opened, revealing Leonie and Jenrade waiting for us.

Mehen quickly grabbed Daire and used him as a fig leaf.

Guillaume pretended to trip and gave me a toss into the air, making me gasp with surprise. Though of course Rik caught me with a scowl. Kevin handed my knight a broken blade with a sheepish grin. “Sorry.”

“I’ve got plenty more. Though next time stab her in the throat rather than bash her over the head.”

“I was afraid to make her bleed, though I guess when the sword broke, it cut her anyway.”

Which pinged in my head, making a very important realization. Janelle had magic that didn’t rely on blood. She’d been able to work her magic without me knowing. Without any of us knowing. Carys hadn’t seen anything amiss.

A sibling. Carrying my blood.

Still carrying my blood, even after betraying me.

Immediately, I closed my eyes and focused on my blood circle surrounding the tower. A fierce, red glowing shield around the entire skyscraper. I’d been so proud when I laid the circle without even walking around the building. Fat lot of good it actually did me.

:I revoke Janelle Ysolte’s access to this and any Isador blood circle.: I paused, thinking. Then I added, :May my blood turn to acid in her body and burn her from the inside out until she’s either dead or comes to me, begging me to pull my blood out of her. So let it be.:

49

SHARA

Ensconced in Rik’s lap in a huge comfy chair in my mother’s house, dressed in my favorite worn jeans and a simple oversized hoodie, I closed my eyes and lifted a cup of Winston’s tea. Inhaled the delicious aroma wafting from my cup. Took a small sip. And sighed with bliss.

I opened my eyes and looked around the living room, my gaze touching each of my people. Rik had doubled the guard around the Park Avenue house, just to be sure, so only Guillaume, Sekh, Xin, Mehen, and Lew stood around the room. My oldest—most trusted—and powerful Blood. Durandal was at least as old as Xin and nearly as old as Mehen, but I didn’t have that kind of relationship with him yet.

I didn’t think Janelle would dare come here, even though there wasn’t a blood circle around the house. But I would never argue with my alpha about where or how he sent anyone to guard us.

Carys and Leonie sat opposite me in similar chairs, with the rest of my humans spread out on two couches on either side. Though of course Magnum and Winston refused to sit.

I repeated what had happened in the hallway, at least what I remembered. Then Rik and Guillaume filled in how they’d been frozen in place. Kevin had found the blue-green runes in the carpet, which was why Mehen and the others had pissed away the chalk marks so they could reach us. Evidently, as the runes washed away, the spell lessened until I was able to break free.

“Before I woke up, Janelle spoke to me. She said the trap was hers, but she’d done it under Keisha.” I turned my attention to Carys. “Were you aware of any traps they might have been setting in the tower? Or any queens who might have been lured and forced to swear to Skye?”

“I didn’t know she was pulling such shenanigans, but I’m also not surprised. Keisha took great pride in how many siblings she had and fancied herself a future Triune queen. With the likes of Rosalind helping her, I suppose any of the Skye siblings might have been ensnared rather than swearing willing bonds. I don’t think Keisha would’ve quibbled about the semantics.”

“Janelle said she was caught in a tale as old as time. So Keisha must have had some kind of dirt on her or was aware of a long-time curse. Something like Gwen’s oath that Elaine forced from her to never Call her Blood. Does anyone have any idea what it could be?”