Hidden Trump (Bite Back 2) (49 page)

“No sudden movements,” Bian said calmly. Easy for her to say. I was looking into the huge jackal face, inches from my own, with eyes that seemed to drink the light and slobbering lips that seemed to indicate he hadn’t eaten recently. Then I caught sight of the blood on his muzzle. It made me twitch and his head twitched right along with me.

He took a long breath. A noise came from his throat which might have been
perikos
.

I reached out slowly and touched his shoulder. “
Perikos,
” I said. His flesh was hot, and this close I could see steam rising from him, even with the constant rain. His skin wasn’t hard like it had been when I’d touched him in the dungeon. It was like human flesh.

He stood back up abruptly, making my heart skip, but apparently I had passed the test. He stalked past me to the van, Bian and me following. Every footfall thudded into the ground.

He thrust his head into the cab, which must have been terrifying for David, sitting in the driver’s seat. But one long, bubbling breath later and he was back out and stalking towards the back.

There, he crouched down and his body seemed to fill the rear of the van. Bian squeezed in alongside him, her hand on one huge arm, murmuring
perikos
, over and over. I copied her.

Anubis wasn’t happy. He ignored everyone else and fixed his gaze on Alex. His lips quivered and raised over long, sharp teeth. Saliva dribbled down onto the floor of the van. A rumble started deep in his throat, like the thunder rolling up the valley.

“Don’t change, Alex. Don’t even move,” Bian hissed, and then switched back to Athanate and spoke to Anubis. Alex’s eyes were golden again, bright even in the light of the van. He was trembling and his muscles bunching. His lips had drawn back in a snarl as well. I’d never seen it, but I knew he was moments away from turning into a wolf.

“Alex, Alex,” I called quietly until his eyes left Anubis and moved to me. “I need you to stay human. Jen needs you too. Please.”

Alex’s eyes dimmed a little and he blinked slowly. With a visible effort, he got his muscles to release their tension, and the trembling faded.

Anubis went. One second he was there, we were leaning on him, holding him, and the next he was gone. Bian and I stumbled and then sagged down and leaned against the van, ignoring the rain streaming off us.

“Shit, that was close,” Bian said hoarsely.

“We’re through?” I asked.

Bian nodded. “The others leave this to him, apparently. They won’t touch us now.” She shivered. “I think. Time to get inside.”

We trotted to the front door and between us, we got Tom and Jen covered and up the stairs to the protection of the portico. Bian carried Jason’s body.

There were guards on the door, human and Athanate, and they let us in quickly. The sound of the door finally closing behind us was a little comforting, though I doubted that it would hold Anubis long if he wanted to get in.

Bian went into overdrive. A gurney was brought for Jen, and Bian put the backpack she had brought in on the shelf beneath it.

Others came and carried Jason’s body away with respect and grief. I saw tears in some eyes, but Bian left no one with any time to linger.

The house was cleared, section by section, with guards running in and being checked off. I guessed we were going underground as I had advised and it made me nervous. I’d never liked being somewhere with only one way in or out.

Finally, we were gathered in a room with an elevator and, six at a time, the guards went down until there was just our party remaining.

When the elevator came back for us, Bian waved us in and picked up a house phone.

“Last elevator about to come down. Check all security systems active. Check everyone clear from the upper house.” There was a pause and she waved at a security camera. “Got that? Okay, lock down and wind up the banshee.”

As she walked across to us, something moaned in the night. It was almost inaudible, a rising note that I could feel behind my eyes, like a million fingernails on a blackboard.

“Banshee,” she said to us. “A signal for the Lyssae. They’ve already defeated one attack that came up from the valley behind the house. Apparently, the banshee will hype them up even more. Anything that tries to come in now is dinner.” She punched the button.

“Isn’t that dangerous for other people?”

Bian shook her head. “We own the neighboring properties. The Lyssae won’t leave the grounds, and there are guards outside the boundary.”

She turned away from me. Something in her voice told me that some of those outside were part of her Athanate kin, and they were in danger.

“It’s a good thing you know what you’re doing with them.”

Bian snorted. “It’s the first time I’ve ever seen them. I knew of Lyssae in theory, I just didn’t know we had any. I was working on Skylur’s instructions.”

I shuddered. “I’m glad you told me that afterwards.” Skylur hadn’t trusted anyone with his secret, not even Bian. Not really even me. I’d seen them, yes, but as far as I had been concerned they were freaky statues.

The elevator took us down to Haven’s underground.

The party divided. Bian guided us through security doors into a huge room. My little House Farrell: Alex, Pia, David, Jen on the hospital gurney. And me.

Heads turned. There must have been a hundred people there and our little band, running blood and water, caused a ripple of quiet to spread out, followed by a murmur of speculation. And stares.

Hunger. Fear. And hate.

Chapter 50

Bian’s presence kept us in an oasis of calm.

“No coffee and cookies. I don’t feel very welcome,” I said to Bian. I wanted to lie down somewhere and go to sleep, but I’d walk in hell before I let that show to these people.

“They’re just Warders and advisors,” Bian said. “They’re not important. We’ll be called into the actual meeting when they’re ready.”

“So we rush here, not even stopping at the hospital, and now we wait?”

“Amber, I hate it as much as you.”

“Do we clean up?”

She shook her head. “I want us looking exactly like this.”

Bian checked Jen’s pulse and temperature. I touched the lines of her face, already healing. Her skin felt feverish.

“The scars will disappear in a day or two,” Bian said. “She’s sleeping deeply. It means your aniatropics are working.” She paused, her hand touching mine almost shyly. “Not all Athanate can heal, you know, and very few could heal as well as you have. You’re gifted.”

Alex used some strapping from the supplies to immobilize my arm. So much for exceptional healing. Athanate curative or not, this shoulder was going to be a bitch tonight. I tried to distract myself from the pain. “So, Matlal knows where this place is, knows damn near everything that’s going on,” I said to Bian. “Who’s the traitor?”

Bian’s face darkened. “Skylur will deal with it.”

That wasn’t the same thing as saying she didn’t know. She was the head of security for Altau. She had to know. She obviously had more instructions from Skylur on what she could say.

“Are you going to tell me why are there so few Altau?” I went on for pure devilry. “Every one of you I’ve met is working around the clock. Pia gets promoted to Mentor when she isn’t ready. Mykayla gets used as security before she’s learned which end of the gun to hold. How come? And how come there are Altau you don’t even know about, running around Denver?”

She smiled thinly. “You’ll find out the answers soon enough. Heads up.”

A man and a woman approached us. He was from the Indian subcontinent from his looks, and she was Tucker’s fiancée, Inez Vega Martine. The bitch who’d cold-bloodedly murdered her intended husband, sending him into crusis that he could not survive.

Tucker got no sympathy from me, but I’d rather have been joined by a rattler.

“Diakon Trang,” they both said, with the slightest tilt of their heads to Bian. At least out here, if Bian had been demoted, they didn’t know of it.

“Diakon Vega Martine, Diakon Chopra,” Bian replied coldly, and to me: “House Matlal, House Singh.”

“I am very pleased to meet you, Senorita Farrell, at last,” Vega Martine said.

“I am so sorry not to have been available for a meeting before,” snarked my demon. Like I would have enjoyed that. “My condolences on the death of your fiancée, Senorita Vega Martine.”

She blinked. “Thank you. Please call me Inez.” She glanced at Bian, then back to me. “May I speak privately to you?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’m not sure enough of Athanate conventions. Diakon Trang is here to make sure I don’t make any mistakes.” I held her eyes and spoke mildly. “I wouldn’t want to give any unintentional offense.”

Bian smiled a little at my choice of words, but remained silent.

Ronit Chopra and I had spoken before, of course, but I’d take his lead on whether he wanted that known. He simply nodded formally.

“Unsure of everyday conventions and already the Mistress of your own House,” Vega Martine said. “You sail in strange waters.” She edged closer, as if trying to block Chopra out. “It’s that very thing I want to talk to you about. You must realize you have not been fully informed about everything that’s happening. I’ve no doubt you’ve been well briefed on all the shortcomings of the Basilikos party, and we admit we have faults. I wonder how much you’ve been told about Panethus or House Altau? Have they even told you about what’s happening tonight?”

“I’m just here to swear allegiance to Altau. As to knowing more of what’s happening, I had to miss my briefing today. I was busy rescuing my kin from your House.”

“Oh, no. No. You are mistaken,” she said. “That was Jack’s son. My House did not kidnap your friend.”

So neat. No Matlal involved in the kidnapping, no Matlal on that side of the building. But she knew about it all.

“There have been mistakes made, Inez, and you must admit to them,” Chopra said to her. He made another little bow to me. “Not all Basilikos is your enemy. Theokos and House Singh would very much welcome you as an ally, or affiliate. But I agree with Inez in this, that you have not understood what is happening here. Altau will be a prison.” He waved his hands to indicate the building above us. “A pleasant prison, but a prison nevertheless. And it is not the only prison that might be waiting for you. Theokos offers you freedom. Our mantle is beyond the reach of the federal bureaus, or our influence would be brought to bear. But we would give you the choice—”

“A limited choice is no choice at all, “ Vega Martine interrupted him. “You are not fully Athanate, not fully committed.” She slowed and her dark eyes narrowed. “Why not reject the Athanate entirely? Walk away from it all. The federals are only interested in you if you’re Athanate. Rebuild your life. Tell me, have you not dreamed of having a child?”

Vega Martine was very good at what she did, much better than Chopra. Even with all the problems, there was no way I would give up everything here to go and hide in India, but a daughter? Like Emily? Yes, that caught my attention.

“What are you saying?” I asked, despite myself.

“What Altau will deny—there is a cure,” she said. Bian snorted.

The door at the end of the hall opened and a tall figure emerged.

“The usher,” murmured Bian. “He’s going to take us in now.”

He made his way to us at a measured pace, and my stomach tightened in anticipation. Vega Martine’s hand touched my arm.

“Your last chance, Senorita Farrell. Once you’re inside, you’re committed. You’re nothing to the Panethus cause. Don’t trust Altau. You don’t know what they want. They will betray you to achieve their ends without a moment’s hesitation. Walk away.”

Bian jerked me back to face her. Moving with her swift grace, she raised her hand to her mouth and bit down on the heel. Blood welled from her flesh. She pulled me down as if to kiss me, but instead, forced her bloody hand against my startled lips.

“
Our
Blood,” she hissed, staring into my eyes. “We are one House. I swear on our Blood, I will not betray you. Trust me, Amber. Trust me with your life.”

Her hands seized my face and she kissed me, quick and hard, then let me go and stood back.

The usher had arrived next to us. “The Assembly are ready. It is time,” he said.

My stomach surged. My lips stung with the salty, coppery taste of Bian and her plea rang in my ears. What kind of a snakepit was I getting into this time?

“Senorita Farrell.” Vega Martine gripped my arm. “This is not real. They have kept you unbalanced with oaths and protestations of how attractive you are, how they love you. You must understand, the marque does not know about love. It knows about need. It understands use. That is what you are to them. Something they need. Something to be used.”

I looked sideways at her. They
had
kept me unbalanced. Skylur constantly putting me on the defensive. Bian and Diana, each in their different way. A deliberate policy by all of them? And this woman sensed so much about me. Even such a little thing that I was uncomfortable with their insistence that I was so attractive. Her warm eyes begged me to reconsider. She would be my friend. Why not go with her?

She was frighteningly good. Utterly believable.

I shook myself. “You tell me there is a cure,” I said. “What was it that you told Jack Tucker?”

For an instant her composure broke and I glimpsed the rage beneath. It was a shot in the dark, but I had hit her all right. She was the one responsible for the lies that Tucker had been told. The lies that really killed him, despite the fact he’d pulled the trigger.

The anger passed from her face. There was a moment of icy calm, almost resignation, and I felt as if something cold had slithered over my shoulders and whispered in my ear.

I pulled from her grip and led my tattered little band in to face the Assembly and whatever doom they were about to decree on me.

There was a connecting chamber. Doors closed behind us with the finality of prison gates. Bian grasped my hand. The place was dark, full of Warders. Two of them came towards me. Holding manacles.

“No!” I screamed, pulling against Bian’s unrelenting grip.