Page 93 of Fallen Heirs

I pocketed the vials and re-sealed the safe, then rushed back to her. “Got them.”

“I wish we could just destroy them to be safe, but they’re needed as a precaution,” Vanessa said. “If something happened and we needed to breach his magic somewhere, we’d need—”

“It’s all right,” I assured her. “Once I get them to Orpheus, they’ll be safe. Constantine won’t be able to complete his demented spell.”

“He’s already doing damage as it is. You saw how he weakened El back at the safehouse and I think he’s doing it again, if the shuddering of the ward right now is anything to go by.”

Before I could utter a word, or agree that it was more than a little worrisome, or let her in on the fact that I was harboring a shitload of anxiety about what Constantine intended to do, and my dad hiding how much what had happened earlier had impacted him, the door flew open and Dante Wilhem came rushing in.

“The ward is down,” he announced, panting, despite being an elder vampire.

It was panic, not exertion.

The guy was always so well put together emotionally. I’d never seen his proverbial feathers ruffled even slightly in all the time I’d spent with him at Electi Academy. Even when I’d run into the sun and he’d pulled me back before I’d perished, he’d managed to keep his composure.

“Where’s my dad?”

He noticeably didn’t make eye contact as he told us, “He sent me here to ensure you get out now. The compound is going to be overrun in moments.”

“Where is he?” I demanded, stepping up to him.

“He’s out there trying to re-erect the ward while our members beat back the onslaught. I need to get back out there to assist. Go now.”

“He’s hurt? Weakened?” Vanessa asked. “That’s why it fell, yes?”

Wilhem nodded, albeit reluctantly, not wanting to give us the details knowing it would impact us leaving like my dad had asked him to ensure. “It appears Constantine is pulling on the connection he’s made to his magic, essentially siphoning his power.”

“Worse than before with the ward dropping,” Vanessa mused, worry all over her that matched mine.

“He’s back on his feet now. It appears to be intermittent. If he can re-erect the ward, all will be well, we can take the enemy in sections, rather than all at once with them trying to overwhelm us.”

“I need to get to him. I can have him draw on my power to assist. With our blood connection, he’s able to wield my magic.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“More dangerous than the compound being overrun and all the members ofExemplarbeing massacred if he can’t manage it in his currently compromised state?” I put to him.

Wilhelm shoved a hand through his shoulder-length brown hair, muttering, “He and I are finally not at odds after all these years and you ask this of me?”

I knew he had the ability to snap my neck before I could even summon my power. He had many centuries on me and his speed almost rivaled Constantine’s. It was why I was reasoning with him, rather than just bursting past him or teleporting away. He could stop me if he wanted to. Especially considering he had orders from my dad to do so and to get us out of here.

“Fine,” he agreed. “This will not go over well,” he grumbled to himself as he stepped aside.

As Vanessa tried to come along with us, I moved into her path and handed her the vials of blood. “No. We need to get these clear. Take them to Orpheus.” I pulled an IC Watch out ofmy pocket, something I’d been keeping on me to stay in contact with Ore, Tal, and Alena. “Get clear, then reach out to him with this. He’ll give you the coordinates to the pocket dimension from there. Tell himIsent you.”

I could see her reluctance to leave my dad, but she was able to think beyond that, nodding and strapping the IC Watch to her wrist. “Be careful, Xavier,” she told me. “If anything happened to you, he’d never survive it.”

“I will,” I vowed.

With that, she teleported out.

And then I was doing the same, locking onto my dad’s magical signature.

I rematerialized on the south side of the building by the entrance doors and the courtyard.

Chaos reigned.

A sea of crimson robes—Constantine’s acolytes—clashed with a rainbow of hooded ones—the members ofExemplarknown for wearing ones that matched the color of their magic. And those who weren’t magic-wielders either went with indigo, the color of their leader’s robes.

---