human rescuers can’t,” I snapped with all of the guilt eating at me.
“Yes, they can,” Ian said in a patient tone. “But it doesn’t have to be you. I have vampires under my line in New Zealand. Charles will contact them and send them to help.”
With a nod of assent, Spade left. Bones exchanged a look with Mencheres, who pulled out his mobile.
“Between my line and Bones’s, we have many people there, too. They will also assist.”
I hadn’t thought of sending other vampires. Then again, I had no line of my own like they did. How could I? Any vampire I created could feel my feelings through the sire connection, which would’ve posed too great of a risk to me, with my secrets.
“You see?” Ian said in a soft voice. “As I’ve reminded you, you’re not alone anymore, Veritas.”
Yet once again, I’d acted as if I were. Would I ever unlearn nearly five thousand years of my solitary mentality? Or was it more than that? Was it that wonderful things, like having people to genuinely trust and rely on, would always be harder for me to adjust to because I knew how rare they were?
“Thank you,” I said, my voice huskier from emotion.
“Don’t worry,” Cat said, giving me a sympathetic look. “You’ll be at bat for other stuff, but this part, we’ve got.”
I had to change the subject before I did something disgraceful, like burst into tears at all the unfamiliar love and support.
“All right, if Ruaumoko and Morana are behind this, maybe we’re lucky and they’re not smart,” I said in a brisker tone. “Showing off in such big, seismic ways before they’re up to full strength must be burning through their limited power reserves. Unless,” my voice trailed off as an awful thought hit me.
“Unless what?” Cat pressed.
“Unless doing these things doesn’t drain them.”
A chill raced up my spine when I thought of what happened after I ripped Dagon’s soul out and threw it into the netherworld. I hadn’t felt drained after using my most formidable ability. Instead, I’d never felt more powerful.
“Morana and Ruaumoko might be doing these things to power up,” I said, my chill increasing. “If I’m right, and this is what they’re capable of when they’re at the weaker end of their abilities, we don’t want to know what they can do when they’re at full strength.”
“No, we don’t,” Cat said, rising too. “I’ll call Marie to set up the meeting, and then I’ll call home to have Tate send Fabian here so we can get the ghosts in on this.”
“I will reach out to my allies,” Mencheres said. “Many of them have exceptional abilities even without magic.”
“I’ll call mine as well,” Spade said, coming back into the room. Then, he turned to Ian. “Going to let your people know you’re back and resuming Mastership of your line?”
My mouth dropped. “What do you mean, resuming? You gave up control of all the vampires and humans in your line?”
No one else looked shocked, even though such a thing wasn’t done unless a vampire believed they were about to die, and didn’t want to leave their line unprotected.
“Helm it a little longer, Charles,” Ian said, his voice casual despite the seriousness of the topic.
I rose. Everything else could wait another hour. I had to find out what Ian had done to himself now.
“Would all of you excuse Ian and me?” I said in my sweetest tone. “We’re overdue to have a private conversation.”
“Oh, we are indeed,” Ian said, with a glint in his eye that reminded me of lightning strikes during a storm. “Groom’s quarters still next to the stable, Charles?”
“It is—”
That’s all I heard. Ian took my arm, and everything slid into chaos.
Chapter 24
The world righted moments later. Ian and I were now in a small room with a slanted roof. The wooden floors, walls, and ceiling beams were aged but so well cared for that their rugged appearance added charm to the otherwise Spartan space. One combo desk and bookcase with a chair comprised the makeshift office next to a small, empty fireplace. A tiny table for two next to a set of cupboards was probably the former eat-in kitchen, and the single bed in the corner needed no explanation.
Groom’s quarters, Ian had called this place. Soft neighs coming from nearby would’ve told me we were next to the stable even if the faint smell of horses didn’t permeate from the very walls. But no groom had lived here for a long time. I