Page 153 of Winterfall Destiny

I’m pissed off that Gabriella isn’t frightened. At all.

Each time I’m close to this woman, her scent overpowers me. Not only the expensive human perfume she drenches herself in for her special occasions but the natural sourer smell that the older hemia have from their aged blood. But the evil? That’s not a scent, that’s an entire aura.

Jamie and Maeve rush at the stage through the agitated recruits who shout and jostle at each other in a mass of confusion. Maeve runs straight to the witch crumpled in a corner and I straighten. Why? What can she do? Maeve must understand that the witch needs to die. The final answer to what Gabriella’s planning wipes away any chance the Dominion leader can survive. Faceless, brainwashed army or not, the Dominion can not create hybrid weapons.

Gabriella laughs harshly. “Here we are, all together again although not exactly the same circumstances as beneath the academy.”

Jamie joins Maeve in crouching on the dusty stage by the witch, and I glance over to where Ash remains backstage. There’s no sign of him or the guard who stood on that side of the stage. Presumably Gabriella’s security lies on the floor nearby with his neck broken, like the one Ash killed close to the emergency exit door. I definitely heard a yell from the other wing when I rushed Gabriella.

“Who invited you to my celebrations?” Gabriella asks casually. “I’ve spent weeks dodging you and that damn hybrid.” She looks around and the sudden silence from the recruits isn’t due to her speech but their new attention on us. “Is my dear friend here? Looks like the rest of your merry band are.”

“Dorian?” I ask. “No. But he’d love me to send a photo of you and this address.”

“I’m sure he would also love to join us, but the man hasn’t visited this place before, so his magic won’t work. Without blood runes, he’d never reach the theatre before I leave.” She pulls against my grip. “Tobias, stop the mock threat. Everybody knows you won’t kill me.”

“Don’t bet on that,” says Andrei, darting a look between Gabriella and the vamps from the stalls that he’s holding off—ones who can’t decide how suicidal they’re feeling as they weigh him up.

Gabriella slants her head. “I heard rumours something happened to my son. What are you, sweet boy?”

“I’m not a boy, and I’m not your son.” My eyes widen in both alarm and warning. He’s already retreated, Andrei’s words never truer. The reckless, murderous guy created by the First fills his changed eyes and aura.

Andrei strides over to meet Gabriella face to face and despite the continued stoic stance, I sense the pain contort her body as his magic claws at her mind. “Are you the First?” she asks him. “Did you take my son’s body?”

“Partly.” His mercurial eyes don’t leave her face.

“Her puppet?”

“No.” His teeth bare and the void-like aura surrounding him engulfs more of the stage.

“Mmm.” Gabriella pats his cheek and I snatch her wrist, pinning the arm to her side. “You won’t kill me, Andrei-the-Partly-First. I can guarantee that.”

“Then the First’s blood has affected your brain,” he snaps back. “You’ll die before this so-called ritual’s done, and so will your dumb followers.”

Gabriella’s walking on cracking ice by speaking to Andrei this way, and I picture the mocking smile on her face. I don’t sense anything false in her bravado—does she honestly believe she’s walking away from this? Because if so, what does Gabriella know that we don’t?

“I see that. I’m happy you demonstrated what you are, Andrei,” she purrs. “Since I missed the show beneath the catacombs, demonstrate to your mother how many you can kill and how quickly.”

“Or maybe I’ll show you first hand,” says Andrei, and Gabriella takes a sharp breath.

Andrei isn’t touching me, but a faint ache begins behind my eyes. “Not yet. We need answers about the witches she’s changed,” I urge him.

“Oh, that’s not the reason at all.” She chuckles.

“Then what?” calls Jamie from beside Maeve.

Gabriella looks at Jamie as if only noticing him—as if he isn’t worth her attention, showing her teeth but not in a smile. I nod at Maeve as a wave of her pissed off energy rolls towards me—Gabriella sees Jamie as our weakest link.

“I can’t deal with her bloody riddles,” says Jamie. “Just kill her. There’s no question anymore—those hybrids need to die.”

My eyes widen in surprise at his vehemence, more so at Gabriella’s continued calm demeanour.

“Isn’t anybody defending me?” she yells at the confused and cautious recruits.

I shout out as a vamp appears from the wings, a smartly dressed guy who left the stalls and headed backstage, the idiot intending to take us by surprise. He lunges at a distracted Maeve who’s closest to the edge of the stage with the motionless witch.

Smartly dressed but not a smart guy as he’s on the stage beside Maeve in seconds, with no time to register what’s happening before Andrei takes his life. Then Andrei snatches the guy from the floor like a rag doll and slings him towards the stage edge.

“Anybody else?” Andrei shouts at the recruits.

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