Catalyst Page 0,60

here the other night. There were six, total. That was too many to overpower or outrun. Turning their fate over like this made Kahli nervous. It meant relying on a person that was totally crazy. Reggie was guessing his sister's next move, but that meant she was predictable and in the short time Kahli was at the palace, the one thing she learned for certain was that Sophia was completely unpredictable.

Reggie ignored her. He continued to drive slowly toward the palace. Speaking to Will, he said, "I'd question your loyalty after all this. If you didn't have my rune scarring your shoulder, I would have thought you were trying to help her escape."

Will glanced at Reggie out of the corner of his eye. "And, go where?"

Reggie didn't look at him, but Kahli did. Her green gaze was burning a hole in the side of his face. She'd know everything - he offered her that - if he'd bitten her. Looking down at the seat, her eyes fell on Will's hands. They were strong and smooth. There was no trace that he was thrown from a motorcycle yesterday. Her blood healed him. She wondered if Reggie knew how much blood Will had drank from her.

Reggie made a noise that sounded like he was clearing his throat. "You shouldn't have been able to do it - go after her, I mean."

"It didn't violate your loyalty, Reggie. If anything, risking my life to save Kahli proved the opposite." Will's blue eyes were narrowed, watching the guards as they drove. If Kahli didn't know better, she'd have thought he was counting them, getting a vamp total as they drove. She was doing the same thing. So far there were six vampires, plus Reggie, plus two guard posts. That didn't include those she couldn't see, the vampires that lined the perimeter of the palace at other posts. And as they got closer to the palace, Kahli knew that number would only go up. Escape was looking less and less likely.

"This is stupid," Kahli said again, gazing out the window, her eye catching another guard. The vampire was large, dressed in white. He looked like a snowman walking through a snow globe. The wind whipped up the snow, swirling it in the air and making visibility completely awful. Nightfall made it worse. Reggie's headlights only blinded them, reflecting back in their faces. He switched them off again and they traveled toward the palace, darkness falling around them like a thick blanket.

"What would you have us do?" Reggie finally asked, his head turning to Kahli. She'd pulled her knees to her chest and had her hands gripped tightly. Her fingers were white.

When he asked her, she released her legs and looked at him. "Are you serious?"

"No, I'm joking," Reggie said dryly. Then he snapped, "Of course, I'm serious. It's not like your plan would have been better, but since you keep mentioning it and we have a ways to go - "

Kahli rolled her eyes. "All of us going in together, walking straight through the front door is stupid. You're relying on Sophia being predictable. You see the problem?" She sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. "She's crazy. She's going to do whatever she wants. If she feels like killing all three of us, you're the only one who can fight her, and we aren't even sure of that."

"I am," Reggie muttered.

"Well excuse me if I'm not willing to throw my life in your hands. I seriously doubt Will would have opted for this plan either."

"He could have protested."

"He did, you ass. You blew him off." Kahli's tongue was sharp. She plowed ahead, ignoring Reggie's reaction to her foul mouth. "There are too many unknowns. Last night when I left, I killed three guards. The King was still alive. He's a factor, too. And the number of guards on the grounds is insane. Have you ever seen this many vampires outside the palace? Where'd they come from? I've never seen so many in one place before." They drove up the road, passing vampires dressed in guard uniforms every few feet. Reggie glanced around, like he hadn't noticed. "You knew she was expecting an attack, didn't you? So, what's your plan, Reggie? Walk up to her and stab her in the heart?"

Reggie sighed. His shoulders slumped forward like he was tired of driving. "Will, explain to her what we're doing."

Will glanced at Kahli. She wanted to talk to him so badly. There were so many