teens.
"Open the envelope," Tara said.
Oh, I really didn't want to open that envelope. There was no doubt I wouldn't like what I found. Everyone else in the room was looking at me with supreme confidence, if not out right gloating. Strangely enough, Angelique seemed the most pleased.
"What is it?"
"Open it."
"Now!" Antoinette demanded.
I jumped again. Damn her. Other vampires were snickering. Mostly the female vampires. Why did female vampires dislike me so much? Was this like vampire high school? Were catty remarks and backstabbing next?
"Just open it up, Miss Sable," Jeff said. He looked and sounded determined. "Then we can get down to business in earnest."
Licking dry lips, I fumbled with the bendable clasp. Once open, I reached in and found a small sheaf of eight by ten photos. The top one was my little sister Sabrina, stepping out of the front door of her apartment.
My heart sank, hands beginning to tremble uncontrollably as I stifled a sob. All my thoughts froze. I almost blacked out. This wasn't even a subtle threat.
"Oh God," I groaned as I looked at the next picture. My mother in her car. The next was Sabrina again, in class. Then my father in the church parking lot, followed by my middle sister, Yvette, and her entire family grilling in their backyard. "They are all innocent. They've never done anything to you."
"And they will all die," Tara said. "Unless you cooperate."
"Why me?"
"Because you were so good at tracking down Clive and Yuri," Jeff said. He actually looked rather pleased by that, especially when he glanced at a scowling vampire to his left. So, support for Clive wasn't universal. That was good to know. "And then killed them. Rather dramatically, too. Who better than you to track down and kill the werewolf hunting all of us? You do seem to have a talent for it."
I looked at the pictures of my family, then at the picture of the talisman. The Coeur de Sade. The thought of facing that talisman again terrified me. I didn't want to be commanded to commit suicide. I didn't want to go to Hell so soon.
"If —," I said, throat dry. I cleared my throat, licked dry lips again, then continued. "If I do this, then you will never, ever threaten my family again."
"Sorry, can't promise that, young lady," Jeff said. "We'd be lying if we did. This council does what it has to do to protect ourselves and our constituents."
"Ha! Constituents? You sound like a politician."
"Not far off, Miss Sable," he said.
I graced him with a doubtful look, and he nodded. Texas politics was cutthroat enough without inviting in vampires.
"You have no choice, Miss Hart," Tara said. "We all know it. Time for you to get to work. Find the werewolf. Kill him, or bring him to us and we'll kill him. I don't care which. But, most importantly, bring us the Coeur de Sade."
"Before any more council members are killed," Jeff said.
Okay, I panicked a tad bit. I knew vampires, so I could hunt and stake them. But this was pure magic. I knew almost nothing about actual magic. Like most, I knew that crystals made the best talismans. After that, I was clueless. And I knew only a tiny bit more about werewolves.
"Who is the werewolf with the talisman? What is his name? What does he look like?"
I know. You'd think I would know what he looked like. Unfortunately, the talisman captured me
"Open the envelope," Tara said.
Oh, I really didn't want to open that envelope. There was no doubt I wouldn't like what I found. Everyone else in the room was looking at me with supreme confidence, if not out right gloating. Strangely enough, Angelique seemed the most pleased.
"What is it?"
"Open it."
"Now!" Antoinette demanded.
I jumped again. Damn her. Other vampires were snickering. Mostly the female vampires. Why did female vampires dislike me so much? Was this like vampire high school? Were catty remarks and backstabbing next?
"Just open it up, Miss Sable," Jeff said. He looked and sounded determined. "Then we can get down to business in earnest."
Licking dry lips, I fumbled with the bendable clasp. Once open, I reached in and found a small sheaf of eight by ten photos. The top one was my little sister Sabrina, stepping out of the front door of her apartment.
My heart sank, hands beginning to tremble uncontrollably as I stifled a sob. All my thoughts froze. I almost blacked out. This wasn't even a subtle threat.
"Oh God," I groaned as I looked at the next picture. My mother in her car. The next was Sabrina again, in class. Then my father in the church parking lot, followed by my middle sister, Yvette, and her entire family grilling in their backyard. "They are all innocent. They've never done anything to you."
"And they will all die," Tara said. "Unless you cooperate."
"Why me?"
"Because you were so good at tracking down Clive and Yuri," Jeff said. He actually looked rather pleased by that, especially when he glanced at a scowling vampire to his left. So, support for Clive wasn't universal. That was good to know. "And then killed them. Rather dramatically, too. Who better than you to track down and kill the werewolf hunting all of us? You do seem to have a talent for it."
I looked at the pictures of my family, then at the picture of the talisman. The Coeur de Sade. The thought of facing that talisman again terrified me. I didn't want to be commanded to commit suicide. I didn't want to go to Hell so soon.
"If —," I said, throat dry. I cleared my throat, licked dry lips again, then continued. "If I do this, then you will never, ever threaten my family again."
"Sorry, can't promise that, young lady," Jeff said. "We'd be lying if we did. This council does what it has to do to protect ourselves and our constituents."
"Ha! Constituents? You sound like a politician."
"Not far off, Miss Sable," he said.
I graced him with a doubtful look, and he nodded. Texas politics was cutthroat enough without inviting in vampires.
"You have no choice, Miss Hart," Tara said. "We all know it. Time for you to get to work. Find the werewolf. Kill him, or bring him to us and we'll kill him. I don't care which. But, most importantly, bring us the Coeur de Sade."
"Before any more council members are killed," Jeff said.
Okay, I panicked a tad bit. I knew vampires, so I could hunt and stake them. But this was pure magic. I knew almost nothing about actual magic. Like most, I knew that crystals made the best talismans. After that, I was clueless. And I knew only a tiny bit more about werewolves.
"Who is the werewolf with the talisman? What is his name? What does he look like?"
I know. You'd think I would know what he looked like. Unfortunately, the talisman captured me
Similar Books
