Hearts At Stake - By Alyxandra Harvey Page 0,55

at air and cursing. London just stood there, pale and quiet. That had me calming down more than Nicholas’s struggles to contain me. I’d never seen London when she wasn’t sneering at me or shooting her mouth off. She didn’t do meekly repentant. It scared me as much as, if not more than, everything that had happened so far.

“I’m fine,” I muttered so Nicholas would let go. I pushed my hair out of my eyes.

“Where the hell have you been?” Logan demanded, advancing on London with the kind of fury I’d never thought to see on his pretty face. “We thought you were dead. Or had betrayed us right into that bitch’s hands.”

“I didn’t know,” she said softly, wretchedly. “I swear to you, I didn’t know.” She lifted her chin, expression hardening so that she looked a little more like herself. “Where’s everyone?”

“Trying to find Solange,” Logan told her. “Who gave herself up to save us all. You included.”

“I didn’t know Natasha set the bounty. I’ve served her for years, loved her like a mother. How was I supposed to know? Or do you not remember that she was there for me when the Drakes weren’t?” I hadn’t heard about this particular blemish on the Drake family tree. I’d just assumed London was crabby all the time because it was in her biological makeup. “She asked me to bring Solange to her, to put an end to any rumors that might start a civil war. And she thinks Montmartre will take her back when there’s no threat to her crown.”

“Damn it, London,” Nicholas muttered.

“I thought I was helping. And I’m oathed to her service, to the royal court.” London whirled on him. “What was I supposed to do?”

“Not hand your own cousin over to that bitch, for a start,” Nicholas shot back.

London’s eyes narrowed. I assumed she was going to launch into a vicious tirade, but instead she took three steps toward me so fast I bumped into the wall behind me trying to get away from her. Rage poured out of her. If I wasn’t immune to her pheromones, I might have passed out at the onslaught. As it was, it made me vaguely light-headed. Nicholas half stepped in front of me.

“Stop it, London.”

“Where did you get that?” she demanded. She grabbed the bronze sun hanging from the strap of stakes between my breasts. Her grip was so hard, the bronze dented. I was trapped between her, Nicholas, and the wall.

“I just found it. Get off of me.”

“Do you know what this is?”

“No. I found it under Hope’s window.”

Her pale eyes went pink at the edges. I’d never seen that before. I leaned back to get away from her even though there was nowhere to go.

“Hope? Hope is here?” She whirled, glared at Logan. “Where is she? Where’s the Helios bitch?”

“She’s an honorable hostage. She doesn’t get hurt, Solange doesn’t get hurt.” Logan blocked the staircase.

“She’s a traitor.” She said it so quietly I nearly didn’t hear her. I did hear her teeth grinding together, however.

“What are you talking about?” Logan demanded.

“I went back to the court after I left you. I still have friends their despite the bounty, friends that will help the Drakes, should it come to that. Hope is double-crossing Helios. She has her own unit, secretly plotting with Lady Natasha. If Hope helps Lady Natasha get rid of Solange and any Drake threat to her throne, Lady Natasha, in return, helps Hope gain control over the Helios-Ra by refusing to treaty with anyone but her.”

“Lady Natasha would never treaty with humans,” Logan said quietly. “She’s always refused.”

“Exactly. It would be quite a coup for Helios. And Lady Natasha gets her own human army, ready to wipe out any vampire who doesn’t serve her.”

“Well, that’s just freaking great.” Logan jerked his hand through his hair. He blocked London when she tried to dart around him. “You can’t kill her,” he insisted. “Solange’s safety might just depend on it. It was a fair exchange at the time.”

“I’m not worried about Solange right now.” London snapped the sun disk from the strap, yanking me forward with the sudden momentum.

“Hey!” I stumbled and then straightened, glowering. “Ouch, damn it.”

“Do you know what this is?” London yelled at us, holding up the sun. “Do you have any idea?” She tossed it on the floor and spat on it. “This calls Hope’s unit to her. They knew she was here— they’ve known all along.”

“She offered herself,” I whispered, glancing at Nicholas.