Page 10 of Hidden

Before she’d stopped speaking, the stranger spun and lunged back the way he’d come, vanishing through the kitchen door. After a split second of shock, Lila sprinted after him. Werefolk were agile, but this one was lightning fast.

She burst into the kitchen, but the beast had vanished. Instead, there was a vampire crouched by an open window. The compact figure was half-hidden in the shadows, her presence more a feeling than a distinct physical form. As Lila turned her way, the vampire flowed into motion, one hand on the sill. In half a second, she would be gone.

And news of what had happened today would be loose in the world—Teegar, the sleeping spell, and her brother’s hiding place. Lila couldn’t allow that—not until she understood what battles Ademar was fighting.

“Stop!” she commanded.

The vampire bared her teeth. Lila raised her weapon and fired. The sound cracked the air, echoing off the bare surfaces of the kitchen. It took a moment to realize that she had missed.

Fangs and darkness hurtled toward Lila with a snarl.

A white streak crackled through the air, engulfing the vampire. Lila recognized Ademar’s magic, as unique to him as the sound of his voice. The moment it struck, the Undead dropped to the ground.

Slowly, Lila lowered her weapon, a tremor of delayed fright passing through her. The bullet had missed, but it had bought her brother time to summon a spell.

“Lila?” Ademar called.

“Fine.” Lila stumbled back, away from the vampire’s crumpled form.

Dark curls spread around the female, stark against her pale skin. Even unconscious, she looked deadly.

“I couldn’t let her leave,” Ademar said, echoing Lila’s earlier thought.

“No argument.”

A rumbling growl vibrated through Lila’s bones. She’d forgotten the shifter for the briefest moment. All she could see were the yellow eyes of the creature padding around the corner of the kitchen island. The beast had a dark gray coat shading to brown and paws the size of dinner plates. The second their eyes met, the wolf crouched, ready to spring.

In an instant, Ademar was between her and the beast, swinging his blade in a twisting motion surely meant to slash the creature’s throat. The wolf sprang backward, losing a tuft of fur. Ademar spun, coming in for a second attack. The fae steel hummed through the air, the sound almost sultry. With a snarl, the wolf feinted, letting Ademar’s stroke cleave the space between them. The moment Ademar stepped into the swing, his balance compromised, the wolf attacked.

Long fangs sliced into Ademar’s flesh. Bones crunched and her brother screamed, pain mixed with surprise. The wolf shook Ademar like a rat, toppling him from his feet. His sword spun away, useless, as blood splashed to the kitchen tiles, paler than human but still smelling of copper and meat. Flesh tore with a sickening sound, and Ademar screamed again, clearly in too much shock to fight back. Blood sprayed, then gushed, spattering the black and white tile of the kitchen floor.

Lila pulled the trigger of her weapon, but nothing happened. The fresh round hadn’t fed properly, leaving the chamber empty. Time slowed as the beast lifted its red muzzle and fixed her with rage-filled eyes. She was next.

Pure instinct took over, drawing power through her as if she’d touched a live electric wire. Pins and needles swept over her skin, tingling through her breastbone and upward to the bones of her skull. She didn’t use battle magic often, and she had to brace herself against the dizzying wave.

The wolf gathered itself, haunches tensing as it prepared to spring. She let the attack fly as the wolf’s paws left the floor. Her bolt was fainter than Ademar’s, but it worked. The spell twisted around the beast like a wind-blown scarf, binding it in a trail of light. The creature jerked as if electrocuted, jaws snapping on empty air. Then it fell heavily on its side, legs flailing as it blacked out. The wolf lay motionless but for one twitching paw.

Lila staggered back, her gaze fixed on her brother. Ademar was still but for the blood pooling around him in a steady flow.

“No!” cried a voice from behind her.

Lila spun, ready for another attack. A female stood in the doorway, her tall form clad in emerald and silver robes. Two figures—servants?—robed in gray stood beside her, their hands hidden in long sleeves and faces shadowed by deep hoods.

“Mother,” Lila said, her voice faint with disbelief. Lady Galeeta of House Fernblade was a creature of the High Court—not the aftermath of a bloody fight. “What are you?—?”

Before Lila could finish her question, Galeeta hitched up the hem of her skirts and ran toward Ademar. The moment she reached his side, she sank down, caressing his face even as her costly robes soaked in his blood.

Lila remembered her brother’s words: Lord Farras invited us to wait for him here. Was this who Ademar had meant by us? It had to be. I won’t put my family in danger.

No, he’d sacrifice himself instead.

“My beautiful boy.” Galeeta’s voice cracked, though she said the words ever so softly.

Lila’s shock finally broke. The hard tile bruised her flesh as she fell to her knees beside her brother. His right leg was torn open, bone obscenely white against raw, glistening flesh. Her mother was already weaving a spell to stop the gushing blood, but the damage would take far more to heal.

Lila gulped, the lump in her throat suffocating. Ademar had fainted, his face chalky and damp with sweat. Grief sawed at her chest. “We need to get help.”

“There is none.” Her mother’s elegant features twisted with grief and anger. “We are alone here. Unprotected.”

---