Fangs And Fame (32 page)

“
What other methods?” Aurora asked. “What have you done?”

“
Aside from blessing some young souls with immortality, nothing much. It’s hardly even worth mentioning.”

Aurora
’s mind was reeling a hundred miles an hour as she worked out exactly what he wasn’t quite willing to say out loud. “It was you,” she said slowly. “You’re the one who has been changing all the fledglings back home and leaving them to fend for themselves.”

“
With very disappointing results,” Stanislav said casually. “I can admit now that turning fledglings loose on Florida wasn’t my brightest idea, but I was hoping they might draw the wrong kind of attention, allowing me the perfect opportunity to help us step into the light.”

I thought of Beck and wondered how he
’d feel to know that he’d been changed by a Synod Elder in order to create chaos. No wonder Aurora hadn’t been able to pull any memories from him. If Stanislav Vidic didn’t want you to remember something, he’d make sure you wouldn’t.

“
So what? You really expect that you can go public and it’s all going to work out?” I asked. “What do the other Synod Elders think about your plan?”

“
Come now, Trey.” Stanislav clasped his fingers together and leaned forward on his knees. “Bylun and Dalek will come around,” he explained. “They simply need someone to show them that it can work. You’ll see. We both know someone has to take the first step for progress to be made. With you and Aurora standing by my side, I believe we can show the human race that vampires are to be respected and revered with very few casualties.”

“
Very few casualties?” I scoffed. “What do you call this?” I pointed at O’Shea, who was watching me out of his one good eye.

“
He resisted when my men tried to bring him in,” Stanislav said. “It was all a big misunderstanding.”

“
If it’s all a big misunderstanding, release him,” I said, calling his bluff.

“
I’m afraid he’s my insurance policy,” Stanislav retorted.

Get Kacie out of here
, O’Shea thought, knowing I’d hear him.

But Stanislav had heard him, as well.
“They both are,” he clarified. “They’re not going anywhere. That’s how I know you’re going to cooperate fully with my plan. If you don’t, you don’t get your friends back.”

“
We have friends,” Aurora interjected. “Other vampires who will come looking for us. They can track. You’ll never get away with this.”

“
Oh, but I already have,” Stanislav said coolly. “You see, you’re running out of time. A new moon cycle begins in half an hour. At that time, if you’re not holding a full-moon ritual, you’ll forfeit your chance to request an ability, and I think we both know you can’t have that. That’s why you’re going to do exactly as I ask, and now.”

I looked at Aurora, who was trying not to look visibly shaken by the declaration. Stanislav was right. He had us between a rock and hard place, and I couldn
’t see any way out of it that wouldn’t put everyone I loved in more danger.

“
This plan you keep talking about,” I began, turning to face Stanislav again. “What do you need from us?”

Stanislav
’s lips stretched into a victorious smile, and I held my breath to maintain my composure as I waited for the ball to drop. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Trey

WALKING AWAY FROM THAT
hotel room without O’Shea and Kacie was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. In the moments before Mark, Aurora and I had to bolt, I promised O’Shea out loud that I would fix this.

His silent response was,
Of course you will. I know you have my back.

His complete trust in me was humbling, to say the least. I practically had to pull Aurora away from Kacie, but I knew that crippling ourselves by missing the ritual wouldn
’t do our friends a bit of good, especially since the vampire we were up against was a powerful Synod Elder. So the three of us headed back to the hotel.

It was decided that Mark would choose the healing ability, just in case. The thought made me shudder. I didn
’t want him to have to use it at all, but it only made sense to play it safe. I would choose to block my thoughts so Stanislav wouldn’t be able to break into my mind. Aurora was already adept at blocking her thoughts so she would ask for the ability to read them instead. That way she and I could still have some form of silent communication.

“
We’ll get set up for the ritual,” Mark said to me as we stepped into the elevator at our hotel. I nodded at him and put my arm around Aurora’s shoulders. She leaned against me for a second, but didn’t speak. Aurora had been uncommonly quiet the entire ride back, but I couldn’t blame her. We both felt like we had let O’Shea and Kacie down tonight. We had to make sure we could fix that tomorrow ...
somehow
. I had to go break the news to Chase and Jonas that I hadn’t come back with O’Shea, and I hoped they could forgive me for it.

“
I’ll meet you back in our room in a few,” I said to Aurora.

She looked up at me then with big watery green eyes, and I felt my heart breaking for the umpteenth time that night.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. She dropped the walls around her mind and I was flooded with her thoughts. She was worried about me, about how I was going to tell my brothers that O’Shea was still being held captive by a powerful vampire.

“
We’re going to get through this,” I assured her. “Help Mark get set up. I’ll be right back.”

She nodded, and I thought she seemed to stand a little straighter before she turned away and headed toward our room. I knocked on the room Chase, Jonas and Tytus were all waiting in, and Chase rushed to the door, pulling it open in a hurry. His eyes immediately darted around, looking for O
’Shea.

“
Where-”

“
I don’t have him,” I admitted, grateful that my vampire voice couldn’t crack the way my human voice would have.

“
Where is he?” Jonas asked, coming up behind Chase.

I gestured for them to let me inside and Tytus approached me as I walked in.
“Do you need me, boss?” he asked.

I shook my head.
“They’re getting ready for the ritual next door,” I told him. “You should probably get in there. I’ll join you in a few.” Tytus let himself out, and as soon as the door clicked shut I turned to face Jonas and Chase.

“
Stanislav is holding O’Shea and Kacie as collateral,” I said. “They’re at a hotel with him across town.”

“
You saw them?” Jonas asked. I nodded. “Are they okay?”

“
They’ll be fine,” I promised, hoping I would be able to keep my word, and unwilling to go into details about the mess O’Shea was in when I’d seen him. “Stanislav wants me to help him bring vampires out into the open. His plan is for me to do it at our show tomorrow.”

“
There won’t be a show without O’Shea,” Chase stated.

“
I know.” I sighed. “But I can’t cancel if we want to get them back.”

“
You’re really going to tell the world about vampires, starting with our fans?” Jonas said, doubtfully.

“
No way. He just has to believe I am.”

“
What are you going to do?” Jonas pressed.

“
I don’t know yet,” I admitted. “But I know none of it will matter if I can’t block my thoughts from him. We’re having a ritual now so I can do just that,” I explained. “Will you two be okay in here for now?” They both shrugged and nodded. “Do me a favor?” I said. “Stay in the room tonight. It’s bad enough he has O’Shea and Kacie, we don’t need him abducting more of us.”

“
I was going to make a snack and drink run,” Chase muttered.

“
Order room service,” I suggested. “On me.”

“
Okay,” Chase agreed. I bumped him on the shoulder and he grinned at me.

“
I’m going to get them back,” I said. “I’ll figure it out.” They both nodded without hesitation. “Get some sleep sometime tonight,” I suggested. “I’m going to need your A game tomorrow, whatever comes.”

Aurora had brought up some blood from our stash on the bus, and she was pouring it into coffee mugs she
’d found in the room when I walked in. “How’d they take the news?” she asked.

“
They’re optimistic,” I said, accepting a cup as she held it out to me.

“
It’s time,” Mark announced from the balcony. Aurora and I joined Tytus and Mark by stepping out onto the private balcony. The city, which might have looked clear and beautiful on any other night, seemed more ominous than anything.

“
Why don’t you go first?” Aurora said to me. I tightened my grip on the coffee cup slightly as I pulled my focus in. The full moon filled my view, and I closed my eyes, holding on to the image in my mind. This ritual was different in so many ways. I didn’t have time to second-guess myself. Getting it wrong wasn’t an option. O’Shea and Kacie were counting on me. The pure confidence O’Shea had shown in me before I’d left him behind was something I’d never forget. For that reason, I found it easier to focus on my goal. I channeled all of my frustration, my anxiety, and my determination to get my friends back safely and repeated a singular thought over and over in my mind.

Grant me the ability to block my thoughts from others.

I’d never been so certain that my request had been granted. I knew it almost instantly, and I imagined a barrier around my mind, locking everything safely inside, like an impenetrable bank vault. I relished the security of it, and after feeling so vulnerable and helpless tonight, I could understand the appeal of the sheer privacy that came with it.

We were still cleaning up from the ritual when a knock sounded on the door. There were two human heartbeats in the hallway, and we didn
’t have to wonder who they belonged to. Tytus offered to answer the door, and Chase and Jonas walked in with looks on their faces that let me know they’d spent the last few minutes scheming.

“
No,” I said simply.

Chase snorted innocently.
“No what?”

“
No to whatever plan you’ve concocted,” I clarified, unnecessarily.

“
You haven’t even heard us out yet,” Jonas complained.

“
It doesn’t matter,” I said. “You’re not getting involved.”

“
We’re already involved,” Jonas insisted. “O’Shea and Kacie are our family, too. Besides, we can get them back.”

“
Yeah, we were just about to figure out a plan for that,” I said.

“
No, I mean Chase and I,” Jonas added.

“
It’s worse than I thought,” I said, letting out a humorless laugh. “You two obviously have a death wish.”

“
Think about it,” Chase said enthusiastically. “Humans going in for the rescue? It’s the last thing they’ll expect.”

Mark cleared his throat, but I ignored him.
“They might have a point,” he finally said.

“
No way,” I argued. “We’re not going to put anyone else in danger.” I glanced at Aurora, looking for her to back me up, but her thoughts were a mystery to me once again, and I couldn’t read her expression.

“
We’re their best shot,” Chase said, stepping closer to me so I would look at him.

“
I could go with them,” Tytus said. “They’ll need my tracking skills, anyway.”

Chase glanced at Tytus, and I saw him take a deep breath and puff his chest out a bit.
“Yeah, I guess the tracking thing could come in handy.”

“
This is crazy.” My jaw clenched as my mind raced, desperate to come up with a plan that was better than this.

“
You said yourself that you’re not going to do what this Stan guy wants,” Jonas added. “Don’t you think that’s going to make him mad? Do you really want O’Shea and Kacie anywhere near him and his guys when that happens?”

My heart clenched at the thought. O
’Shea and Kacie’s deaths would be the first thing Stanislav would follow through with. We had to get them away before I could do anything else. I shook my head and rubbed my face with my hands, wishing I had an alternative plan – any other plan – that didn’t pull more of my friends toward the ticking time bomb Stanislav Vidic had become.

“
I hate this,” I stated.

“
You don’t have to like it,” Jonas said. “You just have to say yes.”