Coven Betrayed (The Silver Legacy Book 4) Read online

  “That is my job, Denny. I am to get you to Notre Dame in Paris, where the next envelope will be delivered. We realize this feels circuitous and convoluted, but it is for your safety and the safety of those presenting the pieces to you.”

  Denny carefully put the charcoal drawing back in the envelope. She couldn’t tell if it was a church spire or the tip of a tree with clouds and mountains in the background in the winter. They had snow on them. That was about all she could tell.

  “Thank you, Cardinal Tate. I really appreciate your time.”

  “Time is of the essence, Golden Silver. The autumnal equinox is on the twenty-third. This is the time, as you know, when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. If the dark forces gain strength prior to the equinox, we will have lost the upper hand, making it that much easier for evil to enter this plane.”

  “When was the last time this happened?”

  Cardinal Tate sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “The nineteen thirties. Germany.”

  Denny cast a glance over at Iris. “Germany as in Nazi Germany? Perpetrated?”

  “Quite. The evil perpetrated there was unlike anything ever witnessed in modern times. Men like Dr. Mengele, Goebbels, Himmler, and, of course, Hitler himself, were all filled with an evil that came when good lost out to evil.”

  “Shit.”

  “Quite. Evil is always hoping to gain an upper hand, Golden Silver, and will stop at nothing to get its wicked agenda met. It is up to you to see to it there is no way that will happen.”

  Tucking the envelope in one of her inner pockets, Denny shook his hand. “Don’t worry, Cardinal, I am not in the habit of losing.”

  After saying goodbye to the Cardinal, the group met Felicity hurrying out of the cathedral gift shop, a cloud of fear surrounding her. “They’ve come.”

  “Felicity—” Sebastian pulled a silver cylinder like Denny’s from his jacket, and drew both ends apart to reveal two long, thin blades that crackled with the same intensity as Epée and Fouet, which instantly joined Sebastian’s weapon when Denny snapped her wrists as well.

  “What is it?”

  “There, there, and I think over there,” Felicity said, pointing to a side parking lot. “I only now felt them.”

  Denny pushed Iris back into the gift shop. “Stay there.”

  “Come on, DH. Let me in on this!”

  “I said stay there.” She nodded to Sebastian, and they both started running toward the parking lot.

  Only four cars were parked there, and with very limited hiding places, Denny knew the demons had come to fight.

  The first demon out of the gate actually leapt off a taller building and landed directly in front of them, super hero style. “You’re a dead demon, hunter.”

  Denny and Sebastian both went to strike him, but he moved so quickly, they missed.

  “What the fuck?” Denny quipped, whirling Fouet over her head.

  “American demons not that fast?” Sebastian asked. “Age and experience are harder to beat.”

  “Uh. No. Never seen any demon move so fast, but I’m no rookie any longer.” Denny whirled Fouet over her head and, with the snap of her wrist, cut off a piece of the demon’s thigh.

  An incredulous look crossed his face as blood ran down his leg. “Lucky shot, hunter.”

  “Hardly.” Denny felt the cold fury of her Hanta fill her limbs. He was awake and super pissed off. “Bring it, Brit Boy.” The deep growl came from down deep.

  Rising, the demon, who looked like he might belong to the band Kiss, was then joined by six others, three of whom carried skateboards they picked up like baseball bats.

  “Where are their guns?” Iris whispered.

  “This is England. They barely use knives.”

  Denny spoke too soon.

  Two of the three pulled out long, Katana-like swords. One had a baseball bat.

  “We heard you were good,” the band leader said, raising his two swords. “Let’s see just how good you are.”

  “Hunter?” Felicity asked, raising her hands.

  “Keep the others back,” Denny commanded.

  “There are eight more facing Sebastian.”

  Denny did not take her eyes off the leader. “Sebastian?”

  “Twenty-one in all,” Felicity said.

  “Get between us,” Sebastian ordered. “Stay back-to-back, hunter, and watch that whip of yours.”

  Back-to-back meant no Fouet, so Denny sheathed it and held Epee out in front of her. “Come on, motherfucker. Bring your best.”

  Unlike the more organized demons in Savannah, these demons ran at her screaming like over-testosteroned high school football players. Denny dropped down and leg-swept the leader, who fell on his back. Then she shoved her sword into his chest.

  He exploded. Everywhere.

  “That’s what I thought. You die just like any other shitbag demon.”

  The others ran right through his flying guts.

  She barely got her sword up to block one of the Katanas, which broke in half against her Scimitar.

  “We have to get to one of those cars,” Denny said over her shoulder. She had no idea how well Sebastian was holding up, but he had Felicity’s help, which was more than she had. She wished she had not shoved Iris out of the fight.

  “On three, hunter. One. Two. Go!”

  Denny, Sebastian, and Felicity made their way to the hood of a Fiat, and from there mowed down four more demons.

  “Too many,” Sebastian said, swinging both swords in a less-than-expert fashion. Felicity protected his side with whatever spell she was muttering while he swung his knives, occasionally hitting flesh.

  Denny had expected more from him. She hadn’t realized that all the glamor of his lifestyle meant he hadn’t really hunted in a long, long time. He couldn’t keep this up for very long, soft as he was.

  Slicing and hacking away, Denny took out one, two, four more.

  Then she saw it.

  Too late, she spotted a guy on one of the cars shoot a crossbow. As the bolt hurled toward Sebastian, Denny lunged toward him and knocked him off the car.

  The bolt embedded in his thigh as he fell hard to the ground, right at the feet of several demons.

  “Sebastian!” Felicity’s hands flew out in front of her, and she uttered a spell that flung most of the demons a good ten feet back.

  Most. Not all.

  The three closest to the fallen raised their weapons over their heads. Felicity threw her hands up to protect them both. Denny stood helpless as everything slowed to slow motion around her.

  She couldn’t help Sebastian and Felicity, and defend against the remaining twelve. She needed to make a decision—and couldn’t believe she was going to die in a parking lot in London.

  “Fuck it.” Jumping down next to Sebastian, Denny deflected the first knife, took a bat to her shoulder, and would have lost her skull to a crowbar if all three heads hadn’t been severed from their bodies.

  Boom!

  Boom!

  Boom!

  The three bodies exploded, and when the red mist cleared, there stood Annalee, her pole weapon slick with demon guts, a huge smile on her face. “You on scholarship or what, Silver? Jesus. You never fought European demons before, eh?” Annalee grinned and took out two more demons. “Slacker. Come on, sweet cheeks. Your witch has us shooting fish in a barrel.”

  That was when Denny realized the crossbow shooter and those near him were unmoving, as if frozen. No one else was moving except her side.

  Iris.

  Jumping next to Annalee, Denny pulled Fouet back out. Since Annalee was pint-sized, Denny could wield the weapon with the longer reach. With Fouet open and hungry for blood, Denny easily took out five while Annalee blasted the rest. Guts were everywhere.

  “DH?”

  Looking over at Iris, Denny saw her arms trembling as she struggled to keep up whatever spell she’d used. “I…I don’t know how much longer I can hold them.”

  “We got it, Iris. Help Feli
city with Sebastian.” To Annalee she said, “You ready?”

  “Born ready, baby. Booyah!”

  Together, they charged the remaining eight, cutting them down in their path with body parts flying as they sliced and diced their way through the pack. When the final demon exploded, Denny and Annalee looked at each other covered in goo, smiled, and then hugged each other tightly.

  “Great seeing you again, Silver,” Annalee said. Pulling away, Annalee jutted her chin out to Sebastian, who was being helped off the battlefield by the two witches. “Who’s Jeeves?”

  Denny let a laugh escape. “Legacy with deep pockets and good connections, but not much battle experience, I’m afraid.”

  “Yeah, he may have good connections, but he can’t fight for shit. Damn good thing I came along.”

  “How’d you find us?”

  “Your witch called me.”

  “Telepathically?”

  “On the phone, you dolt.” Annalee put her weapon away as the strange Bobby Police sirens sounded in the distance. “Gotta bounce, Silver. What are we gonna do about Jeeves?”

  “It’s Sebastian, and we’re taking him home.”

  “I’m hoping the other European hunters hit a little harder than that bloke, or we’re fucked.”

  “Bloke? Suddenly you’re British?”

  “Hey man, when in Rome, you know?”

  Iris flew out of her hiding place and wrapped her arms around Annalee’s neck. “Thank you for getting here so fast,” she mumbled into Annalee’s sweaty neck.

  “I was just grabbing a cab when you called. Ugh. This traffic here is like Miami.”

  “Well, thank you so much for saving my bacon.”

  “Once again. You’re making a habit of needing me, Silver. Are you sure you’re not in love with me?”

  “She’d better not be. That would not bode well for either of you.”

  Everyone turned to find Cassandra picking her way over the dead bodies, blood, and goo.

  “Annalee,” she said, nodding once before openly glaring at Denny. “You and I will discuss this later. Right now, get whoever this man is into the car. Ames is seething, and rightfully so. What in the name of the Goddess—no, wait until we are all together. Does he need a doctor?”

  “I can handle him,” Felicity replied, coming around the corner.

  Cassandra’s mouth opened, but nothing came out.

  Felicity stopped dead. “Cassandra.” Felicity’s singular word came out of her mouth frozen.

  “Felicity.” Equally cold.

  “Awkward,” Annalee muttered, taking one of Sebastian’s arms and helping him toward the Town Car.

  “You look…well,” Cassandra said, raising one eyebrow,

  “I am quite well.”

  No one moved. No one said a word.

  “Small world,” Denny uttered.

  “Your hunter knows her next destination, Cassandra. I strongly suggest you get on the first ferry or hovercraft out of here. The clock is ticking.”

  “Golden Silver is not my hunter, but I appreciate your attention to time-keeping.”

  Denny brushed detritus off her chest. “Thank you for your hospitality, Felicity. I hope Sebastian will be okay.”

  “He’ll be fine. He’s a bit rusty, but he is a strong Legacy.”

  “Perhaps he just needs a better witch,” Cassandra purred.

  “Don’t push me, Cass. I am in no mood to deal with you right now.”

  “I imagine not now or ever. How is beautiful Beatrice these days?”

  Felicity stopped, then turned around to take a step toward Cassandra. “Don’t you dare sa––”

  Iris stepped in between them. “Now is so not the time, ladies. Take care of your hunter. Thank you for your help, and let Sebastian know we are indebted to him.”

  Felicity glared over Iris’s shoulder at Cassandra. “Yes, you are. We’ll be in touch.”

  Once Sebastian and Felicity were ensconced in the limo, Cassandra held the Town Car door open and waited while her people slid in.

  Denny scooted over, wondering what in the hell was happening. She inhaled deeply. The air in the car was tight and filled with tension. “We’ll discuss this later.”

  “We just wanted—” Iris started.

  “I. Said. Later.” Denny growled.

  “Man, you guys are wound up tighter than grandmother’s hair bun,” Annalee said. “Chill out. We’re all safe. Jeeves has no business hunting, though. Slow reflexes, lame weapon. The guy sucked. What’s way more interesting is what the hell happened between Cassandra and Flea. You couldn’t cut that tension with a chainsaw.”

  “Leave it be, hunter,” Cassandra demanded as she got in and closed the car door. “It is not important.”

  “Thank you for helping Denny out,” Iris said softly.

  “Again,” Annalee said, nudging Denny. “It’s becoming a habit.”

  “A habit I am none too fond of. After you explain what this was all about, hunter, you and I are having a little chat.” Cassandra stared out the window and released a slow sigh.

  Nodding, Denny looked down at her filthy clothes. “I need a shower first.”

  “You can shower after you explain what happened. How ever did you get mixed up with Felicity and that arrogant toad, Sebastian?”

  “We heard there was some bad blood between you,” Denny said. “Something about you sleeping with her daughter? I swear to God, Cassandra, is there no one you haven’t fucked?”

  Cassandra tilted her head in question. “Is that jealousy I hear?”

  “Don’t confuse jealousy with disgust. That woman hates your guts.”

  “Oh, sweetheart, it’s not at all like that. Her mother blames me for turning her daughter into a lesbian. How ridiculous is that?”

  “Old Felicity needs to read a book,” Annalee offered.

  Cassandra smiled at her. “Now, can we be done with the history lesson? It matters not to us. Now, no one leaves the hotel again, are we clear?”

  Denny and Iris nodded.

  “Does that mean me, too?” Annalee asked.

  Cassandra leveled her gaze at her. “Especially you, Annalee. Especially you.”

  After an overly thorough, and somewhat harsh debriefing, Denny kicked off all her clothes and stepped into the steaming shower. The tub water turned pink from all the blood washing off.

  Bowing her neck, she closed her eyes and let the water run down her back.

  What had she gotten herself into? It was bad enough that back home she needed to better her Latin skills, but here, she was so far out of her comfort zone, she had no clue about European demons and their very long, very old history. This could be very detrimental in the long game, and she knew it the moment those demons had attacked them. Had Annalee not come along, success would have been dicey.

  And that wasn’t all.

  Top hats, mansions, hunters who couldn’t fight, witches who couldn’t protect...she had expected so much more than this from the European hunters.

  So much more.

  She would have to stay on her toes.

  Suddenly, the door slid open and Cassandra slid her arms around Denny’s soapy waist as she stepped into the steamy shower to join her.

  “Mmm…” Denny backed into Cassandra’s warm, wet body. “Damn, you should be illegal in forty-nine states.”

  “Not fifty?”

  “Nah. You are legal in the state of Nevada.” Turning in Cassandra’s arms, Denny kissed her deeply, her hand seeking purchase on Cassandra’s ass cheeks. This was all Hanta…the inner demon who had always been sexually attracted to Cassandra. Even knowing that, Denny could not deny how good it felt to be in her soapy embrace. “Not angry?”

  “Who cares? Anger sex is just as satisfying—often times more so.” Pulling Denny to her, Cassandra offered her tongue as her right hand slid down Denny’s taut stomach, and over her shaved mound. With deft fingers, she toyed with Denny’s clit as her mouth roamed from Denny’s lips to her neck, to her shoulders, and down to
her erect nipple.

  Denny held Cassandra’s head to her breast with one hand while holding herself up with her other. Steam rose seductively all around them. “Jesus, Cassandra.”

  “You can stop me any time, lover, by just saying stop.” Kissing all around the pert breast, Cassandra brought her mouth back up to Denny’s neck and lightly bit her before whispering, “But you can’t, can you?”

  Denny swallowed hard. “Then…I guess…you’re not angry any longer.”

  “I would be angrier if I hadn’t been so afraid.”

  Denny pulled back, her eyes searching Cassandra’s face. Fear wasn’t an emotion Cassandra ever wore, let alone spoke of.

  “Why so surprised, hunter? Have I not traveled to another country to face an ancient adversary to be by your side? Are you so dim and blinded by your attraction to Brianna that you do not see how deeply I care for you?”

  “I know you care about me, Cassandra. I never doubt that. Ever.”

  Cassandra removed her hand and grabbed the only towel hanging on the door.

  “Where are you go—”

  Stepping out, Cassandra wrapped the towel around herself. “I see you are going to make me say it. Fine then. I do not care about you, hunter. I do not just enjoy bedding you—though, truth be told, you are, by far, the most enthusiastic lover I have. And while I understand you are attempting to see Brianna, I would be remiss in not conveying the truth of it all.”

  “The truth?”

  Cassandra sighed and handed Denny back the towel. “Sometimes, hunter, you are so like a man. Fine.” She stepped closer to Denny as steam swirled around them like smoke. “I am here, my sweet girl, because no matter how hard I try, no matter how much self-talk I do, I cannot resist you. No, resist is the wrong word. This isn’t going as I had planned.” Cassandra stepped back and laid a palm on Denny’s cheek. “Hunter, my sweet, sweet, girl, I love you. I wish I didn’t, but I am a pragmatist and, at the end of the day, I must speak my truth. God help me, hunter, but I do so love you.” Turning on her heel, Cassandra walked out of the bathroom, leaving Denny with a damp towel, a throbbing clit, and a very surprised expression on her face.

  The hovercraft skipped across the rough English Channel like a flat rock thrown by a major league pitcher. The barf bags in the back pocket of every seat were being used by many travelers unaccustomed to such odd and discomfiting movement.