Adam smiled up to the demon. “You, too.” He reached for my hand and squeezed it. “Looks like Team Awesome lives to fight another day.”
“Damn straight,” Giguhl said. “Although if it’s all the same to you, I’d prefer it if another day doesn’t come ever.”
I smiled at my demon and my mancy. “Amen.”
The demon rounded on me. “And you, no more of this running-off-by-yourself nonsense.”
My joy dulled. Time to pay the piper— or the Mischief demon, as it were. “I’m sorry, G. I thought I was protecting you guys.”
The demon crossed his arms and puckered his black lips. “Magepire, please. You think I don’t know you by now? I appreciate the sentiment, but next time you decide to go off half-cocked, come talk to Gigi first, okay?”
I smiled up at him. “You’re the best minion a girl could ask for, Giguhl.”
“Yeah, well, when we get back to New York you and me are gonna have a nice long chat about our roles in this relationship.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but movement near the tombs grabbed all our attention. The rest of our ragtag army emerged from between two mausoleums. Zen and Rhea stood on either side of Maisie, supporting her weight. My sister’s head hung so low her limp red-and-black hair curtained her face. The infusions of blood from Adam and Lavinia had filled out her body a bit, but her skin still looked too pale.
“Maisie!” Adam called, half running, half limping toward her.
Her face came up slowly. But instead of jerking in surprise or blinking in shock, she regarded him with dead eyes. Seeing her lack of reaction, he stumbled to an awkward halt a couple of feet away. “Maisie?” he whispered.
With a shaking hand, he reached for her. My stomach clenched as she shied away.
“Don’t touch me,” she said in a venomous tone. “I’m tainted!”
I moved forward to intervene. But Rhea shook her head. Feeling helpless and hurting for both of them, I clenched my fists.
“No you’re not, Maze. It’s okay.” He tried again, and this time she allowed him to place a gentle hand on her arm. “It’s not your fault.”
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably. “I killed her, Adam.”
He pulled her toward him as sobs wracked her body. “Shh. It’s going to be okay.”
Beside me, Giguhl’s claw found my hand. I looked up at the demon with tears blurring my vision. For the first time since I let Maisie step in and kill our grandmother, I wondered if I’d made the right decision. Of the two of us, Maisie was less experienced with violence. She’d already been through so much. And even though her actions were just to my way of thinking, I knew Maisie never would have done the deed if she hadn’t believed Adam was dead. And even if she’d been able to muster the rage to kill Lavinia, she would never have chosen to feed from the Domina as the means. As far as I knew, Maisie had never drunk directly from a living being until tonight. She was the one who got me started on bagged blood as the more humane option. And to return the favor, I’d just introduced her to the more violent side of vampire life. The blood she’d consumed— both Adam’s and Lavinia’ s— and the killing would likely haunt her for a long time to come.
While Adam continued to comfort Maisie, the other mages and fae joined us. Everyone fell into a loose circle, and many of the faces looked to me as if for guidance. If they’d been expecting a speech, they were disappointed. I had no energy or desire to wax poetic about great victory over our foes. Instead, I sighed deeply. “Zen, I think it’s best if you and PW come with us to the fae court. The heat’s going to be on once the mortal authorities discover what happened here.”
As if conjured, the sound of sirens carried to my ears. We had to get out of there.
Zen looked around at the ruined building, the evidence of battle. Finally, she said, “That’s probably best. As long as we can return eventually if we choose.”
I looked around, performing a quick head count. “Where are Mac and Georgia? Erron, Ziggy?”
Giguhl spoke up. “They all left once the fighting was done.”
I mentally added not being able to say good-bye to them to my long list of regrets. Mac and I had our conflicts, sure, but she’d come through in the end. As had Erron. Maybe one day I’d be able to thank all of them in person.
But for now I had to get everyone to else to safety and then deal with the questions waiting for me back at faery central. No doubt the three leaders of the dark races were eagerly awaiting news of Lavinia’s death so they could claim victory and move on with their plans.
One of the faeries stepped forward, a tall, muscular male with the bearing of one used to leading. Ilan, I presumed. “The Queen instructed us to cover up any signs of battle. It’s too risky to leave evidence behind.”
The sirens grew closer.
Giguhl squinted at him. “How exactly are you going to cover this up?” He gestured around. “Look at this place.”
Red flashing lights reflecting off the walls of the building and screeching tires signaled the arrival of the cops. A Pythian Guard, a black-haired mage I’d met in New York named Wallace, looked at Adam for a decision.
“Too late,” Adam said. “Everyone circle up.”
“But the Queen—” Ilan protested.
“Would be even more pissed if she had to bail the captain of her guard out of jail,” Adam barked. “Circle. Up.”
Everyone jumped into action, grabbing the hands of those closest. No time to stop and look around. No time to reflect on what happened here. No time to worry about what tomorrow would bring.
Adam grabbed my right hand and Giguhl my left. Static crawled across my skin. I looked from my best friend to my lover to the dark, haunted eyes of my twin.
Rising power made my chest tighten. And then, as I looked up at the sky to thank the goddesses for sparing everyone I cared about in the world, a voice called out, “Stop and put your hands up!”
The air popped and we were gone.