I wouldn’t deny that this jump, as all others, scared me, but I didn’t think he needed to hear that now, and my fear certainly wasn’t a very good reason not to do it. If I avoided everything I was afraid of, I’d never leave the House.
“I’ll go first,” he said, and before I could agree, he’d disappeared, leaving a whoosh of air in his wake. Two seconds later, I heard his feet hit the ground.
My eyes were finally accustomed to the darkness, and I glanced over the edge. Ethan signaled a thumbs-up. When he’d cleared the way for me, I resheathed my sword, took a breath, and took a step.
The worst part about jumping as a vampire—and really the only bad part—was that first step. It was as unpleasant for vampires as it was for humans—that sickening lurch of the stomach, the sudden sensation of falling, and the fear you wouldn’t survive the jump.
But then everything changed.
The world slowed down as if to keep up with you. Dozens of feet became a single graceful step, and as long as you kept your knees soft, the landing didn’t pose a problem at all.
I landed in a superheroine crouch, one leg bent, the other extended, a hand on the ground and the other on the pommel of my sword. I looked up at Ethan through my bangs.
His eyes blazed fiercely with pride.
“You can do it,” he whispered.
I stood up and adjusted the belt of my katana and the hem of my jacket. “Did you doubt me?”
“I didn’t doubt,” he said. “I…had reserved judgment.”
I humphed but let it go. God willing, there’d be plenty of time for me to harass him later.
We peeked into the hallway that led away from the elevator shaft. The lights were on, and there was no sign of Tate, Mallory, or Paige.
I glanced over at Ethan, my vampire-proximity alarm. He was wincing against what I assumed was another Mallory-spawned headache, but he was still on his feet.
“Do you think Paige led them directly to the book?” I wondered.
“Depends on the state she left in. And we won’t know that until we see her.”
“Strategy?”
Ethan looked around. “If they want the book, they’ll have to get to the bottom of the silo. But I want a look before we attack them head-on. Let’s check the launch room. We can check the hole and figure out where they are. Radio silence from here on out. You remember your signals?”
I nodded. Luc had taught the Cadogan House guards a series of hand gestures we could use to signal one another during missions. They’d come in handy before and would definitely be handy now, when we were trying to hide our presence from a former mayor and testy witch. Assuming they didn’t already know we were coming, which seemed unlikely.
Swords drawn, we moved down the hallway. Ethan skirted the right side, and I skirted the left a bit behind him. We listened at each door we passed, trying to detect sound, but there was no sign of it, even with vampire senses in full operation.
It probably didn’t help that the place was loaded with concrete to protect the missile from attack. I wasn’t really sure how that would affect the loosing of an ancient evil, but I had a sense we’d soon be finding out.
We’d nearly reached the giant sliding door to the silo room when I spotted a glistening drop of crimson on the floor. The droplet was small, but the smell of fresh blood was undeniably pungent.
I crouched down and dabbed it with a fingertip, then sniffed it delicately. Definitely blood, and spicy with magic. Whether Paige or Mallory I couldn’t tell, but that really wasn’t important. One of our sorceresses had shed blood.
I stood up again and wiped my hand on my pants, then gestured toward the sliding door. Ethan pointed me toward the handle, then took point at the door, sword at the ready. When he nodded, I pulled.
The door slid open, and Ethan slid inside. I followed. The room was empty and mostly dark. But the silo glowed from below, the spot where the Maleficium had been located.
Ethan motioned me forward. Swallowing down a burst of fear that tightened my chest, I crept to the silo and peeked down.
For the second time in a matter of weeks, the Maleficium was gone.
But the drama had only just started. The building suddenly shook with a pulse of magic that screamed through the building. If we weren’t too late