“Judging from the evidence you’ve presented,” Orpheus began. He stood next to the Queen, who sat in a throne at the head of a conference table made from burled wood. Apparently the treehouse court had state-of-the-art conferencing and computer systems, because it took no time for them to pop up on Zen’s computer. “The best course of action would be for you to sit tight tonight. We will send a contingent of Pythian Guards and Fae Knights to assist you in the attack tomorrow at midnight.”

I tensed but kept my mouth shut. Adam shifted uneasily. “Sir, with all due respect, I feel that any delay on our part would not be advisable. Lavinia is expecting us at midnight. Why not attack tomorrow afternoon or at sundown at the latest?”

Zen spoke up from her position next to me. “Actually, during the day won’t work, either. Tomorrow is November 1— the Day of the Dead. The cemeteries will be full of families leaving flowers on the graves of their relatives. Some cemeteries even host masses completed with brass band parades, second lines, and picnics. If you try to attack before the cemetery closes at sundown, you’ll risk human casualties and/or police intervention.”

“Which means Orpheus’s plan is still the best option,” Queen Maeve said. “Draw up a list of supplies you’ll need and we’ll send them with the team tomorrow.”

Almost as soon as she stopped talking, Adam was ready with a rebuttal. “While I agree that waiting until dark is probably the best option, I really think we—”

“Who asked you to think?” the Queen snapped. “We have made our decision.”

My gut clenched for Adam. How dare that bitch belittle him like that? I jumped in. “It’s the wrong decision,” I said in a loud, clear voice.

The Queen’s eyes widened. “You dare?”

“Sabina,” Adam said.

“No, this is bullshit. We told you what David said—”

“David? You mean the ghost you supposedly saw who claimed he was sent by the goddess Lilith?” the Queen snorted. “Surely you don’t expect us to make battle plans based on a hallucination.”

My mouth fell open. “You’d rather make plans based on the lies of a human who conspired against us, then?”

“Sabina,” Orpheus said. “Stand down.”

“No, I—”

“Sabina,” Adam gritted out. The tension in his tone told me I was only making things worse. Onscreen, the Queen’s expression went permafrost.

With a tight jaw, Adam spoke quickly. “She meant no offense, Your Magnificence. We’re all a little tense.”

“Yes, well, I’m sorely tempted to demand she be taken off the mission altogether for her insolence,” the Queen said.

I tensed to speak again, but Zen grabbed my hand in warning. I looked up at her and she shook her head hard. “Trust Adam,” she whispered so low I barely heard it.

“I’ll keep her in line,” Adam said. My stomach tightened at his words. But then my ears registered his tone of voice. Was it me, or did I detect some trademark Lazarus irony?

“Fine,” Maeve said. “Now, I’m sending the captain of my guard, Ilan. He will lead the attack.”

“What?” Adam barked. The Queen’s eyes narrowed. “Your Magnificence,” he said, recovering smoothly. “Ilan is a proud and capable warrior, but I’m concerned his lack of involvement in the mission thus far might not make him the best choice of lead.”

“I suppose you feel you should have the honor?” The Queen said. “Doubtful you can handle both that and keeping the mixed-blood in line. She seems quite a handful.”

Orpheus spoke up. “Adam is one of my most trusted Pythian Guards. His knowledge of the complexity of the situation makes him the obvious choice.”

The Queen waved an insolent hand indicating her agreement. “Fine. Now that that’s settled, we have some news.” Maeve shifted in her throne with excitement. “Ever since we discovered Tanith was telling the truth about Maisie’s whereabouts, we’ve been in talks. In fact, we’re quite close to finalizing a peace accord. The only roadblock we face is that Lavinia is still alive. As long as she remains so, she is still the de facto leader of the vampire race.”

The Queen let that hang in the air for a couple of seconds. “Therefore we will need you to ensure Lavinia Kane dies tomorrow night.”

I let out the breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. On some level, I’d been expecting her to say we couldn’t kill Lavinia, after all.

Adam nodded. “Not a problem. That’s on our list of things to do.”

“You misunderstand,” she said. “Killing Lavinia will be your sole priority.”

Adam’s head snapped up. “I don’t follow.” His tone clearly implied he followed perfectly well but rejected the implications. Couldn’t blame him, since I felt like she’d just sucker-punched us.

In a bored tone Queen Maeve said, “Let me spell it out for you: If it comes down to a choice, you will sacrifice Maisie Graecus to kill Lavinia Kane.”

“What?” Orpheus gasped. “We didn’t discuss this!”

My fists clenched so hard the skin of my palms split open. At the desk, Adam’s shoulders went rock hard and the muscles of his neck corded into knots.

Maeve’s response to Orpheus dripped with ice. “I do not need your leave to make orders.”

“You do when your decisions doom my people to death. I demand you rescind your order.”

The Queen speared the High Councilman with an icy stare. “You forget yourself, mage. At present you are little more than a beggar at my door. I have tolerated your opinions as far as I am willing.” She rose. “Lavinia dies. It is the only way to ensure the war you couldn’t prevent yourself doesn’t come to fruition. I hope the girl makes it, but not as much as I want to end the threat Lavinia poses to all members of the dark races.”

Orpheus was red-faced and panting. A parade of strong emotions marched across his face as he struggled to find an appropriate response. Watching the drama unfold onscreen, I felt like a voyeur to his shame.

The air in the office was so thick with tension it was hard to breathe. I stepped forward and put a hand on Adam’s shoulder. His hand came up to grab mine, his grip so tight I winced. We might all have a stake in this, but Adam was watching his boss and mentor get emasculated in public. And Orpheus’s next move could well dictate all our fates.

“What say you, mage?” the Queen said finally. “Will we remain allies, or will you let your conscience deprive you of both sense and shelter?”

Finally, Orpheus cleared his throat. Only instead of puffing up like a man about to tell someone to go fuck themselves, his shoulders sagged with surrender. “We remain allies,” he whispered finally.

“A wise choice,” the Queen said. “Lazarus, you have your ord—”

It happened fast. Adam leapt from the chair with a roar. By the time I pulled him away, his fist was a bloody mess and the computer screen lay smoking and mangled on the floor. Along with his illusions.

26

The Halloween party on Bourbon Street raged late into the night. I stood at the attic window, watching people dressed as vampires, demons, wizards, faeries, and werewolves stagger around on the street below. To them Halloween was a time for make-believe. For tricks and treats. For costumes and party decorations.

Little did they know the beings they pretended to be weren’t just the stuff of myths, folklore, or fiction. And the reality of our world was a far cry from silly masquerades and street parties.

In fact, this Halloween in particular marked either the dawn of our salvation or the eve of our destruction.

I snorted at my maudlin thoughts and turned away from the window. Staring out windows was no way to make life decisions. So I went to clean my guns instead.

After Adam’s freakout, I’d allowed Rhea to take him away for a chat. Part me of me wanted to fight her for that role, but given my own brittle state of mind at the time, I was in no position to help Adam calm down.

I scrubbed a hand over my face and pulled out my cleaning supplies. I laid out my weapons on the table: my specially made handgun with a handful of vampire-killing apple bullets, two mundane Glocks, a couple of daggers with applewood handles. Not nearly enough for the battle tomorrow. But the same bitch who’d just casually discarded my sister’s life as unimportant was also sending enough weapons and manpower to ensure we had a fighting chance of saving it.

How did things get so fucking complicated? On one hand, my gut told me I should ignore my disgust over the leaders’ priorities and focus on using their resources to achieve my own goals. I’d just have to use every resource at my disposal to save my sister and ensure Lavinia Kane died before she could summon Cain. Not an easy agenda, but it beat facing off with Lavinia armed with nothing but a few weapons and a bad attitude.

On the other hand, I’d be a fool not to face reality. Even with the Fae Knights and Pythian Guard as backup, Lavinia had the advantage. No doubt about it. So my other option was to go tonight to save my sister. Lavinia wasn’t expecting us until tomorrow, and from what I’d seen in my astral projection, the tomb was totally unguarded. If I left now, I could be in and out in less than an hour. Then we could go in with guns blazing tomorrow and not have to worry about Maisie getting caught in any actual or political crossfire.

But, if I had a third hand, I’d remind myself that that kind of thinking was totally Old Sabina. The angry one who worked alone. The rebellious one who ignored potential consequences to do what suited her own purposes. The lonely one who didn’t trust anyone. Hadn’t I learned yet that I was at my best when I allowed myself to depend on those who’d proven themselves trustworthy?

Adam and Giguhl had saved my ass more than once. They’d supported me through some pretty low times and high-fived me after victories. They were more than my friends. They’d become just as much my family as Maisie, maybe more in some ways.