Page 134 of Winterfall Destiny

“He’s pissed off with Tobias,” says Jamie. “And I bet Dorian doesn’t tell his family that the guy tricked him.”

Tobias half-smiles.

“You’re on thin ice if you’re annoying Dorian,” I tell him.

Andrei shrugs. “Less interference by the egomaniac hybrid suits me.”

Ash barks a laugh. “You bloody hypocrite. Do you understand what you’ve done?”

“You do know the vamp who touched Maeve would’ve caused bigger issues if I hadn’t stepped in?” retorts Andrei. “Jamie and Maeve wanted to leave. The vamps intended to stop them. People were suspicious.”

“Uh. Like they won’t suspicious be now?” asks Ash.

“I said, I fucked up.” He scowls at Jamie when the witch mutters ‘again’. “But Gabriella now knows what she’s facing in us. You say she’ll go underground? How? She’s planned this ritual for a long time. Even if she chooses not to leave the UK by ship because she’s figured out that we’re onto her, Gabriella won’t cancel her other plans.”

“How can you know?” asks Ash.

“You don’t fill catacombs with recruited hemia and witches to abandon them and start again,” he replies. “Plus, Gabriella would never show failure and appear weak.”

Tobias rubs his lips. “Art mentioned the Dominion are struggling to recruit witches. I hate to agree with Andrei right now, but Gabriella won’t allow setbacks. The witches are key to her plans.”

I fold my hands in my lap and voice the other alternative that’s come to mind. “The First will help.” The others gawk at me. “If we need to confront Gabriella to maintain the creature’s planned future, the First won’t allow us to fail. That’s why ‘the girl’ visited the catacombs.”

“What? To leave us clues like it’s a fucking murder mystery night?” says Ash.

Jamie stands and walks across the room, rubbing the side of his head. “Why? Why the hell doesn’t the First kill Gabriella if she needs to die? I get that the creature’s playing games, but if Gabriella’s death is key to maintaining the future the First wants, why risk the Dominion leader winning?”

“Jamie,” says Tobias quietly. “Gabriella’s death isn’t the key. Us killing Gabriella is. The First is allowing everything to play out as needed.”

“Right. Including the First then killing us?” asks Jamie.

“No, Jamie,” I say. “We’re changing the future.”

“And what if changing the future means Gabriella has to live?” he shoots back. “By not doing what the First wants?”

“Yeah, well, that’s not fucking happening,” snaps Andrei. “Because if for any insane reason we don’t, Dorian Blackwood will.”

“This isn’t about whether Gabriella lives or dies,” I say quietly. “Whatever’s happening goes much deeper and is the reason we’re all alive.”

48

MAEVE

Tobias never left us, but following the vulnerability he showed the night at the club, he’s behind his walls again. This morning, I decided against pushing at him to talk since his discoveries about the catacombs switched our focus to one thing. A plan of action to get inside the tunnels and gather information as soon as possible.

We followed Andrei’s insistence we visit asap, and those plans took over any discussion about what I learned last night. Instead, I watched the group as they spoke, reminded of the times at the academy’s cottage, as Tobias took over and outlined specifics.

He’s committed to us.

I also haven’t spoken to Andrei about the Tobias situation yet because he’s guaranteed to lose focus. As with much concerning Andrei right now, his response to Tobias would be unpredictable and distracting. Jamie and Ash behave normally around Tobias, which I expected from Ash, but not Jamie.

In a way, Tobias gave Jamie an advantage over him—Tobias’s need to keep the peace helps Jamie’s plans for the shadows. Tobias has less influence over decisions when he needs to take care around us. When I told Jamie about leaving the past behind, I meant what I said. If Tobias’s latest reveal sways any decisions I make now, that could affect all of our futures.

The atmosphere in the house remains muted, today’s events both a success and a disaster. Ash has an envelope that Tobias asked him to take from Art’s room in the middle of the distraction—there’s a coded address written somewhere, so that’s Jamie occupied for the rest of the afternoon. Andrei keeps a low profile, heading to his room to sleep—and avoid us—and Ash cooks dinner for us all. His culinary skills extend to simple pasta dishes, but that beats frozen microwave meals.

If Jamie can’t decipher the code, we’ve no choice but to return to the catacombs tomorrow to comb for more clues. This gives me time to talk and smooth over what I can with Tobias. I am not accepting Tobias’s distance or leaving the conversation he’ll hate any longer.

Unable to locate Tobias in the house, I head towards the kitchen. “Is Tobias outside?” I ask Ash.

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