Chapter Thirteen
When we get to the Bank, I can smell him. River is already here somewhere.
I rush out of the car and throw open the back door, taking T.K. from Hicks. She wraps herself around me like a little monkey and I feel her wipe her nose on the material on my shoulder. Hicks exits after her, but Niki stays where he is, not even bothering to take his seatbelt off.
Part of me wants to leave them in the car. I have no idea what we're walking into and bringing two little kids into the mix feels horribly irresponsible. But I know Finn would never let anything happen to them. He's known their family longer than I have. He was a groomsman at Simon and Anna's wedding for goodness sake.
"Niki, I promise you. On my life. On my soul, and Wolf's, that I won't let anything happen to either of you. And neither will Finn."
"Or us," Dunn chimes in, gesturing to himself and Hicks.
Niki swallows and looks between all of us. I squeeze T.K. I need her brother to be his usual compliant self right now.
"Pinky?" he asks, extending his little finger out to me.
I adjust T.K. and link my pinky finger with his. "Promise."
He unbuckles his seatbelt and Dunn and I both sigh with relief at the same time.
"Okay. But only 'cause I have to protect T.K.," he states. He exits the Hummer and takes my hand.
We all walk towards the big steel doors.
As I pass by a thick patch of weeds I feel something crawl up into my pant leg and wrap itself around my ankle. There's a brief moment of panic as the thing coils tightly, but then I can smell it.
Smell him, Wolf corrects.
The scent of fresh water and marsh grasses gets stronger and stronger. River shifted into a snake, a big one judging by how far up my leg he's had to coil himself, and is now literally hitching a ride inside the Bank. Luckily, I put on an old, baggy pair of jeans this morning and not my usual shorts.
The doors click open as we approach and Dunn and Hicks quickly push through.
Blythe is waiting on the other side, tapping her expensive heels impatiently against the floor.
She starts to say something, but I beat her to it. "Is Simon here?"
Her face contorts with offense, which turns to disgust as she looks T.K. and Niki over. "Mr. May is in the upstairs office," Blythe's voice raises an octave with each word. "What in the world possessed you to bring those... children with you!?"
"Finn told us to." She snaps her jaw shut at that. "And listen, I know you're mothering instincts died back in the 1920's with your sense of humor, but I need you to keep them safe okay? We had to bring them. Please watch them. Please don't eat them." It's a joke but I say the last part quiet enough so that only she, and maybe River, can hear.
"What? No, I will not. I am not a babysitter. Put them in the basement. Leave them outside. Tie them to a tree. I don't care! You need to go see Mr. Byrom, now!"
"Look, lady, Mr. Byrom said—" Dunn begins.
But I brush past him and hand T.K. to Blythe. T.K., like she did with me earlier, immediately wraps herself around Blythe's torso, so tightly that Blythe doesn't even have to support her with her hands. Which she doesn't. Wolf growls at Blythe, a low and threatening rumble in my head. She stops when she sees Blythe's face soften a bit.
Niki stands close to my hip and grabs hold of my belt loop. "T-that's my little sister. I'm watching you." He stands straight and puffs his chest out a bit.
Blythe stretches her arms out over T.K.'s body to adjust her glasses. "Yes, fine. I'll watch your little meatbags. Go, quickly." She shoos us away with her hand and ushers Niki towards her desk. "Sit here. Touch anything and I will eat you both for breakfast."
Niki looks after me wide-eyed.
"She's joking! I'll be right back!" I yell to him as Dunn and Hicks usher me up the stairs to Finn's office by my elbows.
Finn opens his new door just as we step in front of it and pulls me inside. "Wait out here," he says to Dunn and Hicks, practically shutting the door in Dunn's bewildered face.
Finn leans in close and whispers so quietly even I have to strain to hear him, "Is River with you?"
I pull up my pant leg and show him, what I can now see as well: River in boa constrictor form.
"Why am I wearing a River leg warmer?" I ask. "He's really got an issue understanding personal space."
River coils tighter in response and I shake my leg to get him to stop.
"He's back up. He'll have the element of surprise if we need it."
"Hopefully we won't. You behave down there," I say as I carefully pull my pant leg back over River's snake body. "Finn, what's going on? We had to bring Niki and T.K., that's not okay! Where's Simon?"
"No choice, love. He's safe. You were right to give them to Bltyhe, she'll watch over them." Finn starts to pace. "Judge is back. He wants to know whose side of this fight we're on."
"What? We're not on either side! And why should I be? I don't want any part of this."
Finn puts a finger to his lips to quiet me down and then leans close to my ear, "Ya have to tell him you're loyal to the Order." He takes my wrist. "He will try to kill you otherwise. I need you to lie. Lie through your teeth."
"Why? Why should I pretend to be okay with what they've done?" I'm whispering, but I know my facial expressions and gestures are making up for what I lack in volume.
"To save us all from being thrown deeper into this mess. We need to stay out of it, Falon."
"Or maybe we need our own side! River told me what they do to us, Finn. And no one seems to care!"
"I do care, love. But we don't have time to argue morality right now. Just for today, until Judge leaves, I need you to pretend."
River's words resound in my mind. We're a dying species, Falon. Vampires will be the end of us.
I've only just found someone like me. My whole life there's been this emptiness; something's always been missing. Finn, and Dunn and Hicks, and the kids, they've filled that void a bit. They're my pack. But what about my people? What about my family?
"Let's go talk to him, then," I say, staring hard at the floor.
Finn kisses the top of my head and leads me out of the room.
"You two don't leave her side," Finn says to Dunn and Hicks, who jump to attention when we exit the room. "Keep your guns holstered; let's make sure this is just a conversation, not a shoot out."
I follow Finn, with Dunn and Hicks on my heels, as he heads towards an office I've never been in before. He opens the door to a large room with no windows and bright lights. It's hot in here. Hotter than anywhere else in the Bank. This room must be for keeping vampire nerves at ease. There's nothing more ornery than a cold vampire.
Judge stands in the middle of the room, back turned to us. He doesn't bother turning around when we come in. A new pair of manservants stand rigidly against the right wall. Finn motions for me to enter and I walk past him, feeling his hand pat my shoulder as I go.
"We'll make this quick, Binder."
I snort. Like anything this guy does is quick.
Judge spins, slowly, to face me, his features already in that look of disgust again. I feel Dunn and Hicks step closer to me. Finn walks around to take up post next to me.
"Where does your loyalty lie, Binder? That is the only question I will ask you today. Choose your answer carefully."
"With Finn," I answer.
"Mr. Byrom has neutrality in this fight. You do not. You must pledge your loyalty to the Order or I will be forced to take action."
Judge seems to hold his breath, waiting for my response. Finn nods his head. He wants me to lie. To tell them I'm on their side.
River gently squeezes my leg.
Speak, Wolf encourages.
And I know she's telling me to speak from my heart.
I take a deep breath and a step forward, putting myself as close to Judge as possible without touching him. "The Order has killed thousands of my kind for thousands of years. You've hunted them down with no mercy, slaughtering them because you're afraid. You should be afraid. Because we are not your prey." I can feel the fury coming off of Judge in hot waves that make beads of sweat surface on my forehead. I swallow, but continue. "I'm not on the Transmutes' side. And I'm sure as hell not on your side either. They come here, you come here, and you threaten me and my pa-family, and you expect me to take it sitting down? And then to take a side? Well you know what?"
Finn grabs my wrist and tugs me back, but the words leave my mouth before he can stop them.
"Screw. You."
My eyes are locked with Judge's. I don't blink, even when his pupils dilate to black out his eyes then slowly contract again. Everyone is holding their breath, but mine comes out calm and evenly. I'm not scared of him anymore. I'm not scared of any of them. They're used to soul binders cowering at their power. I'll be damned if I ever cower at a vampire again.
Judge breaks eye contact first and nods at his manservants who walk out of the room. I can feel Dunn and Hicks tense behind me as they brush past us.
Judge glances at me briefly, his lips a thin line, and says, slowly walking around us, "Very well."
Nothing more.
When the door slams behind us, River slides out of my pant leg and shifts back. Dunn curses with surprise.
River and Finn exchange mismatched looks, River's proud and satisfied, Finn's worried and tense. Then River pulls me into a hug and I'm suddenly a thousand times more nervous than I was facing up to one of the deadliest vampires in the Order.
Dunn clears his throat and River backs away, trying hard not to smile, while Finn does nothing to hide his frown.
This is definitely going to come back to bite me in the ass.
Then I realize that Judge is going to be walking past the kids. The last thing I want is for him to see anyone important to me, especially human children.
Without a word, I rush out the door, Dunn calling after me, and down the stairs the stairs to the main area. Through the line of fridges I can see Blythe's desk. It's empty. No Blythe. No Niki or T.K.
It feels like my lungs have collapsed and my breath hitches in my throat. Wolf is a tornado of rage and worry in my head. There's a whoosh next to me and Finn appears.
"Finn, where are they? Oh my god, did Judge take them? What if something's happened?" I start rushing towards the main doors, planning to chase Judge to the ends of the Earth if I have to, but Finn catches my arm. River, Dunn and Hicks come rushing down the stairs and stand there confused and worried.
I spin to face him and tell him to let go in less than nice words, but he's pointing at a door towards the other end of the Bank. It slowly opens and that's when their scents hit me. Simon, Niki, and T.K. emerge from behind the door and the kids come racing towards me, all smiles.
The sight of their happy faces restores me completely. I rush to them, scooping them both up in my arms. Blythe comes walking up behind them and I mouth "thank you" at her. She rolls her eyes and puts a hand on her hip.
"You guys okay, then?" I say, setting them down to look them over.
"Yes, of course," Simon says. "Don't think so little of me that I would let Mr. Byrom endanger my children."
"No, no, I just—I was just worried. I get it now. We're all safe here." I look at the team of vampires and other security around the building. All armed and deadly.
"Ms. Blythe played lava floor with us! She's really good!" Niki exclaims, looking back at Blythe.
I stare at her, unable to shut my gaping mouth.
"I'm really good at everything." Blythe shrugs and then walks away, high heels clicking with each step and a proud sway to her hips, back to her desk.
"Bye, Ms. Blythe," T.K. yells after her.
Niki leans in close to me, "I forgot she was a vampire. She's one of the nice ones, huh?"
I'm pretty sure I almost have a heart attack at his words.