Redemption (17 page)

Fifteen

S
adie clings to Nicolae’s hand for support.
 
Neither of them is sure how this first meeting will go.
 
The running bet within the base is that today’s arrival of hunters will end in at least one severed limb and human blood staining the snow.
 
Sadie refused to place a bet, but if she had, she would have sided with the immortals.

“Are you sure about this?” She asks, turning her face from the blustery winds.

“No, but it’s too late to back out now.”
 
Nicolae huddles down into the upturned collar of his coat.
 
His hair flaps in the wind, lashing against his face, and his lips are chapped.
 
Sadie feels bad that she’s thriving off the cold weather while Nicolae suffers in silence.

The metal door to the Senthe base opens behind them and Fane exits with two immortals at his side.
 
Sadie smiles at Claudia.
 
Although the woman is nearly one hundred years old, she and Sadie formed an instant bond.
 

Claudia’s thick German accent and wicked sense of humor endeared Sadie to her the moment they first stepped foot onto the base. She didn’t even mind it when Claudia showed signs of interest in William, not that he could scrape his eyes off Daelyn’s backside long enough to notice.
 
At least Claudia’s quick wit helps to make up for the sparse and uncomfortable surroundings of their new home.

The compound is literally in the middle of nowhere.
 
Sadie doubts that even a satellite could find them way out here.
 

The main building was built into the ground, its walls made of thick steel and its roof is a natural layer of solid ice.
 
William’s teeth haven’t stopped chattering since he arrived, although he man’s up pretty quickly when Daelyn walks into the room.

It took Sadie a couple days to learn the layout of the base.
 
Several tunnels wind off into the dark, burrowing deep into the underground cavern system.
 
Fane has warned them not to go wandering.
 
Even though the immortals have been surprisingly gracious hosts, he doesn’t want to press their luck.

The other immortal, a pretentious woman named Ambrose Creighton stands a hairs-breadth from Fane’s left shoulder.
 
Sadie disliked her from the moment they first met.
 
With her nose always curled into the air and her ample chest bulging out of her low cut top, Sadie easily pegged her for the harlot of the group.

Ambrose’s laugh is borderline obnoxious and her teeth perfectly straight, bleached as white as the snow all around.
 
Her smile never reaches her eyes, even when she’s pawing at Fane’s arm.
 
Sadie can’t help but love the fact that Fane barely tolerates her presence.

Thank goodness William is too smitten with Daelyn to pant after Ambrose.

Fane stands rigidly beside Nicolae.
 
Sadie narrows her gaze, peering across the vast plain of white for any sign of their approach.
 

“Can you see anything?” Nicolae asks.

“No.”
 
She starts to shake her head but stops when she spies a small black speck bouncing over the top of the crest.
 
“There!”

Nicolae grips her hand tightly.
  
He turns toward Fane, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.
 
“Did you have to let Enoch drive?”

“No, but I thought it might be fun.”
 
A ghost of a smile crosses Fane’s lips before he settles back into a grim expression.
 

This initial meeting is crucial.
 
If even one of Nicolae’s hunters steps out of line, there will be blood on his hands.
 
“They know their place,” Nicolae mutters with little conviction to himself.

Fane glances over at him.
 
“Let’s hope so.”

Sadie squirms beside Nicolae, trying to get his attention.
 
She rises up on her toes to plant a kiss on his cheek.
 
“It’s going to be fine.
 
You worry too much.”

“They want your head too, remember?” Fane says.
 
Her smile fades slightly.
 

“They’ll have to go through me to get it,” Nicolae growls.
 

Pride and love swell in her chest at the proclamation, but is it quickly tainted by the fact that she knows such a thing would destroy him.
 
She knows he would never let anyone lay a finger on her, and yet these men are his family.
 
To ask such a thing of him would be unthinkable.

As she turns her gaze on the two immortals beside her, she realizes that her allegiance has shifted as well.
 
She isn’t human any longer.
 
Her place is at Fane’s side as his student, and yet her heart yearns to be by Nicolae’s side as well.

If only it were possible for the truce to last beyond this turmoil.
 
She has heard Nicolae speak of it several times in private with Fane.
 
His conviction is so great that she can almost believe it’s possible.
 
Almost.

The sound of ice crunching beneath rubber tires makes her refocus.
 
She can hear swearing mingled with shouting from within the vehicle when it draws near.
 
Although the windows are blacked out, she can see the hunters within being tossed about as Enoch twists the wheel this way and that, sliding dangerously on the ice.

Nicolae grits his teeth.
 
“He’s just begging for a fight.”

Sadie tightens her grip on his hand.
 
“At least they will be in no shape to draw a weapon when they arrive.”

He turns to stare down at her, his brow raised in surprise.
 
“Are you laughing?”

“Of course.” She grins.
 
“Aren’t you?”

She can tell he struggles to keep a straight face as he shakes his head.
 
Any other time he would be laughing right alongside her, but today he is a leader and must act like one or risk his men losing faith in him.

He steps forward as the SUV slides to a halt less than ten feet ahead.
 
His boots punch through a newly fallen layer of ice.
 
The blizzard broke earlier this morning, leaving clear blue skies overhead.
 
It is beautiful here, remote, but absolutely beautiful.

The doors open and hunters spill out onto the ground.
 
A couple of them clutch their stomachs as they double over onto their knees.
 
Others grip the car doors with pale fingers as they will their legs not to give out on them.

A broad shouldered black man slips out from behind the steering wheel, his grin wide and genuine.
 
“Made it in record time,” he boasts.

Fane steps forward, his lips drawn into a line of displeasure.
 
“You could have gone a bit easier on our...guests”

Enoch waves off Fane’s poorly veiled reprimand.
 
“They had fun.
 
Just look at them.
 
Like kiddies on a merry-go-round.”

Sadie smothers her grin as Enoch claps Nicolae on the back and trudges past. He tosses a wink at Sadie before disappearing into the compound.

“I trust your flight went well,” Nicolae says, stepping forward to grasp Grigori’s hand.

His scars stretch tight as he scowls.
 
“Much better than the drive here.
 
Three hours with that maniac.
 
Who’s idea was that?”

“Mine.”
 
Fane steps forward.
 
“Although I warned him of the danger of provoking you and your men.”

Grigori’s chest puffs up slightly.
 
Sadie smirks behind her hand, impressed with how well Fane is able to stroke Grigori’s ego when necessary.
 
“Well, I’m sure it was just a bit of harmless fun, wasn’t it, Bogdan?”

The man swears loudly as he pushes up to his feet from the snow.
 
His skin is pale and almost sickly in appearance.
 
His hands shake slightly as he clutches his stomach.
 
“If you think I’m going to let that beast treat me like that, you’ve got another thing coming!”

Claudia and Ambrose hiss behind Sadie.
 
Although she can’t see them, she knows they have dropped back into a fighting stance.
 
“We are not beasts,” Ambrose snarls.

Bogdan’s laughter rumbles deep in his chest as he flexes his hands, as if itching to reach for his sword.
 
Costel Petran places a warning hand on his companion’s arm.
 
“He was merely having fun.”

Sadie watches as he squeezes Bogdan’s arm tightly.
 
The swordsmith relents, but not without a withering glare in Ambrose’s direction.
 
Claudia sheathes her blade.
 
Sadie turns, surprised that she never even heard Claudia remove it.
 
Claudia winks at her but quickly returns her attention to the hunters.

Sadie has often wondered what sort of fighter her new friend is.
 
Claudia walks with the stealth and quiet of a lioness on the hunt.
 
She always keeps her waist length blonde hair wrapped into an intricate braid at the back of her head.
 
Sadie watches as Claudia places her hand on her hilt, realizing that she is seeing the deadliest of hunters: One that is always prepared for battle.

“Your rooms have been assigned.
 
They aren’t much, but they should suit your needs.” Grigori dips his head in acknowledgement at Nicolae and then motions for his men to follow.
 
There are eight of them.
 
Sadie only recognizes a couple of them from the truce meeting in Romania a couple days before.

“Is this it?”

“No.” Nicolae shakes his head.
 
“This is just the first group.”

***

T
he clanging of metal startles Roseline from a dream.
 
For the briefest of moments, a smile graces her lips, but reality comes crashing back in as she spies the beady eyes of an Eltat through the bars.

“Dinner time,” it rasps.
 
Its teeth are long and pointed, spilling out over its lower lip.
 
This one has a blue tint to its scales, but its eyes are still as red as freshly spilled blood.

She turns, raising her nose to the air as she catches a faint scent of something.

Enael is on his feet, racing forward before the food even hits the floor.
 
He clutches the moldy bread, shoving it into his mouth before Roseline can stop him.
 
He moans, sinking back against the wall as he struggles to chew.

“You’re not very bright,” she mutters, wrapping her arms about herself.

Enael glares at her, obviously offended.
 
“I am so.”

“Oh really?”
 
She sits forward, wincing at the tenderness of her tailbone.
 
“How long has it been since you last ate?”

His neck muscles cord as he works to swallow the thick lump of bread that’s stuck at the back of his throat.
 
He winces as it slowly descends.
 
“First time since I got here.”

She nods.
 
“And why do you think that would change now?”

His brow furrows as he thinks.
 
Slowly, realization hits him.
 
He rolls to the side and shoves his finger down his throat.
 
Roseline closes her eyes to his gagging.
 
“Lucien put you here for a reason, make no mistake of that.
 
Whatever that was that he placed in your food would probably have killed you within seconds.”