38. Dani

Am I still dreaming?

This is the thought that swirls through my mind on a loop as I stare at the vampire sitting across from us with a murderous glint in her chocolate brown eyes. That alone would've been unnerving enough, but it was the shiny pistol grasped firmly in her hand, winking under the florescent lights with a murderous glint of its own, that held my attention now.

“You gonna shoot them, Catalina?” Marco scoffs next to me, shattering the awkward silence that had descended over the room ever since she ushered us downstairs. “That seems a little insensitive, even for you.”

“We both know I don't need a gun to hurt them.” Catalina smirks and aims the small barrel at the bear. “These silver bullets are meant for you, should you get any bright ideas. Wouldn't want you shifting in the middle of the living room, now would we?”

Silver bullets? Would that really kill him? Ashe had said that there was a grain of truth to the myths that have been told and that silver in its purest form was some kind of kryptonite for most supernatural creatures. If such bullets could harm a werebear, would a silver stake through her cold heart be enough to kill Catalina?

For all her talk of immortality, it was a small comfort to think that she wasn't completely invincible.

“It'll take more than those little pellets to kill me.”

“Oh promises, promises.” Catalina shrugs away his threats as if they meant nothing. “But I've no intention of killing you, darling, only stopping the change should you feel inclined to let out your inner beast. Still, accidents have been known to happen and I have an itchy trigger finger.”

A low growl rattles in his chest as Marco bares his teeth. “Then let's see how good your aim is—”

“No one needs to shoot anyone!” My voice cracks as I place a hand on Marco's arm in an attempt to placate the tension that hummed in the air. But I don't dare take my eyes off of the devil with a gun. Her bullets may not be enough to kill Marco but they sure as hell would do some serious damage to Rose and I should she decide to turn her gun on us. “Just, tell us what you want. What the hell is going on?”

Where the hell is Ashe? I knew that thoughts alone weren't enough to summon her through a backdoor, but surely the steady panic that was clawing its way up my chest was! Wasn't her ring supposed to sense that? Wasn't it supposed to summon her whenever I felt threatened?

Catalina purses her lips and leans back in her chair. “Relax, sweetling. I've no intention of hurting you, either. I have questions for you.” Her eyes flick to the blonde seated on the other side of me, brow furrowing as she matches Rose's icy glare with equal intensity. “For both of you.”

Her tone curdles my blood and my heart rate spikes. “I don't think we should talk without Ashe here. Where is she? Why isn't the ring summoning her?” Why does it decide not to work when I actually need her!

The devil clucks her tongue. “What an interesting choice of words,” she murmurs as footsteps echo in the hallway.

“You have not fully mastered how to summon her at will, it seems,” Nadia remarks as she enters the room with a calmness that I could only wish for. “And the ring does not call out to her because you are in no danger here. Or because she is incapacitated and cannot answer its call.”

What did that mean? Was Ashe in some sort of trouble? Was she injured again somewhere?

“As for her whereabouts,” Catalina continues, her tone eerily light and her gaze unwavering. “We were hoping you could tell us.”

“I don't know.” I swallow the lump that had formed in my throat as I will myself to stay calm. If these two women were predators, then surely they could smell fear and I didn't want to find out firsthand how a demon feeds. “I haven't seen her since last night.”

“Are you telling me that you didn't pull her through a backdoor eight hours ago?”

I stiffen. “W-what?”

“Oh, don't be so coy. I must say I was rather surprised when I returned from my meetings this morning only to get a phone call about an unusual disturbance downtown, right around the time Ashe's trace signal went dark. You can't imagine how difficult it was to convince her handler that it was nothing to concern himself with, though I'm sure he'll have questions when we return. I didn't think you'd be bold enough to attempt using the ring's magic here, but it seems that I keep underestimating your tenacity.” A small, amused tut rumbles in her throat. “You claim ignorance on the ring's power and yet you've used it to summon her twice already.” Catalina's mouth curls into a deadly smirk and a chill shivers up my spine. “Perhaps you aren't as naive as you've led us all to believe.”

Is that what this was all about? “Those were accidents. I don't know how it works!”

“And commanding her to save your friend the night those harpies attacked? Was that just another one of your little accidents?” The vampire runs her tongue over her lips, a blood-red hunger swirling in her eyes. “No, sweetling, I think there's more to you than you've let on. Only a witch would know how to truly use a soul ring.”

The implication of her words hits me like a bullet. Ashe had accused me of being a witch after I told her about my vision on the night I made her save Rose. But I didn't know what I was doing! None of this even started until I put on her ring!

“Is that why I was able to control the harpies? Because of her ring?” It was only a hunch, but what else could it have been? Soul rings control demons, it's what they were designed for, and Catalina herself said that Ashe's ring was special. That she had power over other demons. I felt the pull of that power as I screamed for the harpies to stop, I felt it flow out of me like a rushing river breaking through a dam. But I'm not a freaking witch!

Nadia's electric gaze regards Catalina for a moment, her mouth set in a fine line. “Ashe may have royal blood in her veins, but in her current state the ring only has power over her. If what you say is true, then it was not the ring that called off those wind spirits in the woods.” She leans forward, white lightning crackling in her eye sockets as she regards me with a dangerous curiosity. “It was you.”

Me? How did that make any sense? I didn't—

“Dani didn't do anything,” Rose interjects, her voice dripping with a venom I've never heard from her before. “You bitches are wasting our time with this witch hunt.”

How can she be so calm? Doesn't she know who she's talking to?

Nadia hums, unbothered by the blonde's tone. “Then maybe it was you who opened the backdoor.”

“Yes,” Catalina purrs. “You were in such a hurry to leave. Where were you off to, I wonder?”

Rose grits her teeth. “Away from here.”

“And go where? To meet up with the rest of your friends? They are still expecting you, aren't they”—Catalina's smirk widens, revealing her pointed fangs—“puppetmaster?”

I watch in horror as Rose visibly pales. “H-how'd you know?”

“I've had my suspicions for some time. The stench of death surrounds you. After Nadia confirmed that you were cloaking your mind from us, it didn't take much to draw the conclusion.” Her eyes flick between us both. “You witches have some explaining to do.”

“I don't understand.” I run a hand through my hair, trying to expel my anxiety as I work through processing all of this new information. “Why do you think we're witches? What the hell's a puppetmaster?”

“It's a witch who uses shadow magic to control a living thing,” Marco murmurs, his eyes shifting between Rose and I. “I know you aren't one, Dani, but her”—he takes a few sniffs, his nose wrinkling in disgust, and my stomach drops—“Catalina's right. The smell of the magic she used is weak, but it still lingers.”

“Like the fading scent of a freshly-applied perfume.” Catalina's lips twitch into a frown. “You reeked of it in the café when we first met just as you reek of it now. While puppetry itself is not uncommon for a witch who dabbles in the dark arts, applying that magic to a dead thing is unusual. I wonder what price you paid for such a feat?”

Rather than deny their accusations, rather than screaming at them that they were wrong like I thought she would—like I hoped she would—to my surprise Rose laughs. “Well, shit. I thought I'd have more time.”

I turn to her, my mouth agape. “You mean you knew about all of this? About magic and demons and”— I can feel my anger rising with every word, reaching a crescendo as the last accusation slips from my tongue—“James?”

“James was a surprise to me, too, honestly. Vampires don't usually feed on witches and they're hard to pick out from a normal crowd, but I'll be damned if the vitaem aren't so good in bed it makes you forget just about everything else.” The blonde gives an awkward snort and waves a dismissive hand. “Serves me right for trying to have a love life in the middle of all this, I guess. But I bet he regrets picking me as his junkie now.”

“Rose, what the hell?” This wasn't happening. She was supposed to be my buffer to all of this supernatural bullshit! And here I am finding out that she's been a part of it all along? That I was feeling guilty for having to keep my involvement in all of this a secret from her, when all this time she's been keeping a secret from me? “Why didn't you tell me!”

“Apart from the fact that it's forbidden to say anything,” the blonde replies, a glimmer of regret glossing over her blue eyes as she finally looks at me. “Would you have believed me if I did?”

No, but that's besides the point! In the two years that I've known her, two years of being her best friend, she never once thought to mention any of this? Especially now, when I'm up to my eyeballs in the supernatural, she didn't think it would be relevant to warn me?

“So you've been lying to me this whole time?”

“I actually had a reason not to tell you, Dani.” Rose crosses her arms and sits back, arching an eyebrow. “What was your excuse?”

I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. Dammit, playing this blame game wasn't getting us anywhere! Rose was a witch, we both kept secrets, and Ashe was still missing and most likely in trouble. One thing at a time.

“We can argue about this later,” I seethe, lifting my gaze to her once more. “What'd you do with Ashe? Where did you send her?”

Rose rolls her eyes. “Why do you care so fucking much?”

“Rosalie!”

“She's with some friends, okay? If anything you should be thanking me for getting that devil bitch away from you!”

Her words feel like a punch to the gut. From the way Catalina and Nadia acted, it doesn't sound like Ashe was in good company. I knew she wasn't a fan, but did Rose really not like Ashe that much that she'd put her life in danger?

“Are these the same friends you ditched me to see yesterday?”

The blonde merely shrugs and I'm about to retort when Nadia appears before us, her eyes flashing with the intensity of a thunderstorm as she leans closer. “You may act tough,” the demon says, “but your magic is withering. I can sense your fear now. How long can you keep up that cloak on your mind, I wonder, before your grip falters and I tear it apart?”

Before I can think it through, before Marco can pull me back, I reach out and grab onto Nadia's arm. I might be mad at Rose for lying, but that didn't mean I wanted to sit by and watch as Ashe's aunt rooted around in her mind! Could a mortal even survive something like that?

“Don't!” I plead, drawing the demon's gaze. “Please, don't.”

Nadia raises an eyebrow, the storm raging in her eyes slowly diminishing as she regards me curiously. She remains quiet and I find myself shifting nervously under her scrutiny for what feels like forever, but I dare not break contact. Was she trying to read my mind? Was she trying to feed on my fear? Why was she just staring at me like that!

Catalina hums, the melodious sound cutting through the air like a gunshot and reflexively I yank my hand back. “I don't really care what your ragtag group of Enlightened fanatics are up to,” she croons. “And, personally, I think introducing a little anarchy could be fun. What I want to know is what they plan on doing with Ashe now that they have her.”

“I-I don't know,” Rose admits, squirming as Nadia directs her attention back to her. “I was only told to make skins and capture a cambion. They didn't tell me what they planned to do once I found them!”

Nadia steps back and tilts her head. “I recognize you now. You are that child Ashe brought to me all those years ago, the one she asked me to hide. The one I gave to David and his wife for safekeeping.”

David was a part of this? Jesus, how many other people have I met in my life and I didn't know they weren't normal?

“Ah, of course. The loose end.” Catalina chuckles, though there was no humor behind it. “Your blood is unregistered so your magic is harder to track. Clever little rebels.” The vampire leans forward, resting an elbow on her knee as she stares at Rose with renewed interest. “So what did they tell you about our cambion, then?”

Rose shakes her head, as if she was snapping herself out of a daze, and narrows her eyes. “They only said I was looking for a Reaper but they didn't know who or what they looked like, only that they were half demon and had a soul ring. As soon as I saw Red in action, though, I knew exactly who she was.” She cuts her glare to me. “And you had to go put on her fucking ring and get yourself involved in all of this.”

“You knew about her ring and you didn't say anything?” Is that why she was constantly asking to take it off my hands and why she was so eager for me to get it off now? Would she have put it on, instead?

“I suspected what it was when you showed it to me the night after the club. I had hoped I was wrong, that it was just some stupid ring and she was just another hot bitch you were obsessed with, but . . .” Rose grimaces. “I only knew for sure when I saw her reap that gattan and those sanguinis three nights ago. You never forget seeing a devil like that.”

A look of raw pain flickers across her features and my chest tightens. This felt too personal, too deep, to have happened so recently. Rose has never really talked about her life growing up, only vaguely referencing that she was from Houston and moved to Trinity Valley to attend university, and I never really had a reason to pry. Hell, up until now I had assumed that she was just as normal as I was!

I lick my lips, hesitant to ask but curious to know. Maybe if I knew more about her trauma then I could help her overcome it. “Rose, what happened?”

“Red's a killer, Dani.” The blonde huffs despite the tears that glisten in her eyes. “That bitch you're so infatuated with, the demon you're soulbound to? She killed my parents in cold blood. I saw everything that night. I still see it. The fire in her eyes, the look on her face when she”—Rose grits her teeth—“she fucking enjoyed it.”

If I wasn't already sitting down, her admission would have knocked me to my knees. I knew that Ashe has killed before, that she hunts down supernatural criminals in the shadows of the night, but she doesn't enjoy it! I've seen the toll it's taken on her, I've witnessed the cracks in her mask! Rose didn't know her like I did. She may have done terrible things but Ashe isn't a monster, of that I was certain.

But that thought still didn't numb the pain that Rose carried in her heart and I had no idea how to ease her suffering—or her wrath. “Rose, I'm so sorry.”

“It's fine. She'll get what's coming to her.” The corner of her mouth lifts in a small, disconcerting smile as she adds, “You all will.”

“Oh, spare us the dramatics,” Catalina groans. “You do realize that your friends are trying to control demons, don't you? I shouldn't have to explain to you the dangers of that bright idea.”

The blonde snaps her head up. “Is it any different than what your precious Tribunal is doing now with their Reapers? Pumping them full of demon blood seems a bit extreme, don't you think?”

“Why am I not surprised that you know about the Genesis Project?” Catalina smirks, unaffected by Ice Rose's penetrating glare. “No, I suppose it's not. But tell me something, puppetmaster. What makes you think that your way would be any better?”

“The Tribunal has been a blight on our world for far too long, oppressing everyone in the Wards while they grow fat with power. It's high time we even out that playing field.”

“The alliance kept us from killing each other during a time of war and our rules keep humans ignorant to our existence. Have you forgotten your own history? The witch hunts that plagued your ancestors' past?”

“You're an Elder rubbing elbows with those pompous asses who sit on the High Court in exchange for, what, immunity? Power?”

“This is why the ferae don't get involved in politics,” Marco whispers next to me. “Too many hungry mouths chomping on the bit for control.”

“Are things really that bad?”

“Wouldn't know.” The bear shrugs and leans back. “In the pecking order, the witches and their magic have always been on top. Even the bloodsuckers and soul snatchers that make up the vampire clans steer clear of them for the most part. Witches may be human, but they have the numbers on their side.”

“So who's this High Court they're talking about?”

“They're the heads of the largest and most powerful covens among the witches. They're called Supremes and, even though technically the position is open to any witch, the same ones keep getting voted in.”

That sounded about as corrupt as any government I ever heard of, human or otherwise. I knew that the Tribunal hunted down demons. Ashe said it was because they believed them to be dangerous and, although I couldn't exactly argue against that logic after my most recent run-in with their kind, the conspiracy theorist in me couldn't help but think that there was an ulterior motive behind such a crusade. Could that be the reason these members of the High Court have stayed in power for so long? Were they using demons to strengthen their influence?

No wonder Rose and her cult friends were pissed at the status quo.

“And the Elders?”

“Catalina and her older brother, Caine. They were the first children of the Mother of Vampires and its because of them that the two clans exist today. They're very old and very powerful.” He tilts his head thoughtfully, as if struck by a sudden thought. “You know, as stubborn as they are, it's still a mystery how they were ever convinced to join the alliance in the first place. It was only after they agreed to it that my ancestors followed suit. We fera may be strong, but it would've been open season if we had to fight off both the witches and the vampires.”

“You live on the other side of that wall,” Rose says, drawing my attention once more as she continues to glare at Catalina. “I wouldn't expect you to understand.”

The vampire narrows her eyes. “No, darling, I'm afraid it's you who doesn't understand. You don't know the sort of power you're playing with. You don't save a forest by setting it ablaze.”

“Maybe not, but sometimes you have to raze the whole damn forest to the ground so that change can grow.”

“Is that what your friends tell you?” Nadia squares her gaze with Rose, the air in the room crackling as lightning meets ice. “If you truly believe that then you are a fool.”

“Better a fool with a cause than a sheep among wolves.”

“How touching.” Catalina purses her lips as she swivels her eyes in my direction. “So then which are you in this twisted little plot, sweetling? The fool, the sheep or the wolf?”

“I told you, bitch,” Rose bristles. “Dani isn't a part of this. She's innocent. Dumb for getting herself mixed up in it, but innocent.”

“Is anyone truly innocent in this world?”

“If you are not a witch,” Nadia interjects, turning her head as she regards me once more. “Then why can I not see into your mind?”

Catalina twirls the gun around and I pray to God that her trigger finger isn't as itchy as she claims. “Alright, enough with the cloaking spells. We know what you two are so you can drop the magic. We won't bite.”

“I'm not”—I glance at Rose, who is only able to offer me an unhelpful shrug—“I don't even know what a cloaking spell is.”

“She's not a witch, Catalina.” Marco crosses his thick arms over his chest with a gruff nod. “I've been around her long enough to know that much.”

I glance at the bear and offer him a grateful smile. At least he wasn't still mad at me for the bargain I made last night with Ashe's aunt and the devil in stilettos—at least, not enough to let them kill me. I still hope that Ashe will be just as forgiving if she ever finds out.

“Your aura, it is different. It shields you from my gaze and protects you from a vampire's charm. And your touch, it had a rather curious calming effect. It is the same ability that kept the harpies at bay, no doubt.” Nadia inches closer, her electric eyes flicking over me as she analyzed my features like she was trying to examine the hidden crevices of my soul. What was she looking for? “If it is not the magic of the Triquetra that guards you, then perhaps it is the divinity of your soul.”

She turns back to Catalina, who lifts a skeptical eyebrow. “You can't be serious.”

“It is the only alternative. The others were immune to our abilities, as well. How peculiar that the ring ended up in her hands once more.”

The others? Once more? What the hell were they talking about? “What're you—”

“Have you had any strange dreams lately?” Nadia persists, her look unwavering. “Seen visions of things that eventually come to pass? Known things that you cannot possibly know?”

“Like how you knew about Nadia being a demon before anyone said anything?” Marco muses, an eyebrow cocked in curiosity.

“Or how your gut always seems to know when something's wrong?” I feel Rose shift next to me, her eyes staring at me as if seeing me for the first time. I could practically hear the gears grinding in her head and I don't think I'd like whatever conclusion they come up with when they stopped turning. “And how you dreamt that you were Joan of Arc and woke up speaking French, even though you don't know a single word of it.”

“It was just a dream. People have weird dreams all the time, it doesn't mean anything!” Even if they do sometimes come true . . .

“You weren't dreaming the night you saw James take me to the woods. You said it was your intuition when I asked how you knew where I was, but the odds of you actually being right on a hunch like that were a million-to-one. Shit, how did I not see it before? Normal people don't have visions and they don't dream of someone else's memories.”

“When did these dreams of yours start?”

“I-I've had them for as long as I can remember.” I turn back to Nadia. My head was spinning and I felt nauseous. “But they've been more vivid lately, I guess. And everything else started happening after I put on the ring.”

“I see. It would seem that reuniting with Ashe's soul ring has stirred the powers that lay dormant within you.”

I blink. “Come again?”

“They're saying that you're an Oracle, Dani girl.”

“I'm a what?”

“It is how you can sense things about people, like how you knew what I was when we first met. It also explains your dreams. They are not fantasies, you know. You dream of a future that has not happened yet. Sometimes you dream of a past that already has.”

“That doesn't make any sense.”

“That makes perfect sense.”

I must've had the dumbest look on my face, because Catalina purses her lips and quirks a brow at me. “Think about it, sweetling,” she says after a moment. “You're immune to my charm, you have visions of—”

“Dreams,” I correct, although the meek tone in my voice belied what little conviction I felt. This wasn't real. It was a joke, a sick demented joke they were all playing on me. I wasn't whatever they thought I was!

“Visions,” the vampire continues, unperturbed, “of things that haven't happened yet. Nadia can't read your aura”—she pauses, the ghost of a smile twitching on her lips—“so you're also immune to a demon's ability.”

“And what ability would that be?” The words fly out of my mouth before I can bite them back and a heat flushes my cheeks. I already knew that their kind fed on emotions and could manipulate minds. Did I want to know what else they were capable of? What Ashe was capable of?

Catalina levels her gaze with my own and I swallow the small lump that had formed in my throat. “The ability to sense someone's desires. I'll bet that sort of mental block has been driving Ashe wild.”

I'm almost positive that my heart might just explode right out of my chest. Is that why Ashe was always saying that she couldn't read me? Was she trying to sense my desires? Would she like what she found if she could?

Marco clears his throat. “I thought Oracles were a lost talent among the witches?”

“They weren't touched by magic so they were never witches,” Rose replies as if it were common knowledge. As if any of what they were saying was normal at all. “But no one's seen one in thousands of years. I grew up thinking they were nothing but a myth.”

“Yes, well, let's not let it go to her head. Time is wasting and we need to get our cambion back before these Enlightened fanatics do something stupid.” Catalina gestures to Marco with the gun and my heart skips a beat. “Marco, be a doll and escort our young puppetmaster back to the Second Precinct. You can keep her at my family's estate until we return.”

“What?” Rose exclaims. “I don't need an escort from a werebear, and I'm not going anywhere!”

“Seeing as how these events are your doing, you will go where I damn well say.” Catalina clucks her tongue thoughtfully. “We'll let Ashe pass judgment however she sees fit. I can only imagine that she's eager to see you again after your last encounter.”

Marco grunts. “I don't take orders from you, bloodsucker. And I sure as hell am not staying in a house full of your kin.”

“Would you prefer I shoot you?” Catalina smirks as she aims the barrel at me and my blood runs cold. “Or her? She may be immune to our abilities, but I doubt she's bulletproof.”

The bear rises to his feet, a growl rumbling in his throat, but Nadia intervenes.

“You can take the Bugatti back to the airport. With all that has happened, it is best if the witch is not here when Ashe returns.” She glances at Rose. “You will have a choice to make, child. If nothing else then remember this: demons are not the only creatures who can turn into wraiths. If you do not let go of the anger that twists your magic and feeds this thirst for vengeance within you, then it will consume you until there is nothing left.”

I push myself to my feet. “What the hell am I supposed to do?” Did they really expect me to stay here with them, alone?

The vampire flicks her eyes back to me and any protest I had dies on my tongue under her glare. “You, sweetling, are going to try and summon Ashe back to us so we can unbind the ring's magic and be done with this nonsense. You don't want to be a part of what comes next.”

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A/N: So Dani's an Oracle! But what's that mean, and how does it connect her to Ashe? 🤔

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