Page 148 of Vampire's Choice
She reached out for Mal and Elisa. Nothing. Nothing from them, or the cats, that brush of feline presence in her mind. She tried the two or three servants on the island she’d second marked. Hanska. Again, nothing. It was as if the shield were a concrete wall, blocking anything behind it.
The power of a being who could do that, impose a field over an expanse that large, one she couldn’t penetrate with her family blood link…
That alliance hadn’t been with another vampire. She was getting a really bad feeling about who it had been, though that made no sense at all.
“Can you get through?” she asked Merc.
“Yes. But I don’t know what I will trigger, or who else that could harm. I need a Guardian or a sorcerer to aid me.”
Coldness spread into every corner of her being. She wished Adan was here.
As Merc descended, carefully, the shield’s energy became so strong it hummed in her ears like a high voltage fence. The signature had been masked with as much reinforcement as the field itself. Despite her suspicions, she couldn’t tell it if had been cast by human, vampire, Fae, or a being unknown to her.
“There’s a rock formation on the island’s west side,” she told Merc. “It’s a mile from shore. Drop me there and go get a sorcerer.”
“I’m not leaving you here.”
“You can travel faster without me. Please, Merc. Please.” Her heart was beating wildly. “I’ll be fine until you get back.”
With a muttered curse, he took her to where she’d indicated. Seabirds squawked as the shadow of his wings passed over them. They scattered from the rocks as he landed.
“I don’t like this,” he said, his expression grim. “I can go slower and still make haste.”
“We know who they’re after. Putting this kind of shield in place gives them the cover to take them, but also time to cover their getaway. They may no longer be here.” Her jaw hardened. “Like Asva said. Do we really think that Grollner asshole would have been so loose-lipped, if the plan wasn’t in the advanced stages?”
She’d so wanted to be wrong about her chess theory. She’d have gladly accepted the embarrassment of overreacting, being a drama queen.
But she couldn’t feel her father’s magic or the sanctuary’s magic. Some evil force stood between her and her parents, and all those they cared for and protected.
Ruth pointed to the rock behind her. “There’s a cave up there, about ten feet deep. If for any reason you’re delayed, it won’t be comfortable, but I’ll be safe from the sun.”
“That’s three hours from now. I’ll be back.”
“I know you will. I’m just saying. They come first.” She gripped his shirt. “Help them, Merc. Please.”
Despite her impatience, he lifted and deposited her in that cave, checking it out for himself. She could be offended that he hadn’t trusted her, but he knew as well as she did that she would have lied through her teeth to get him to go.
He gripped her nape and kissed her, hard. “Never lie to me. Even if I can hear you do it. Stay here, out of sight, or I’ll beat your ass black and blue.”
Then he was gone, so fast she stumbled at the loss of his supporting touch.
Ruth squatted on her heels, lacing her hands behind her head, fighting for calm. Fighting to think. Panic served no purpose. She wasn’t a child. There was no one to pick her up and tell her this was going to be okay.
A field strong enough to block mind links and blanket the entire island. That meant a sorcerer as powerful as Maddock or Adan.
Or a Fae.
A Fae would work with a Trad only if there was something to be gained on their side of things, and she couldn’t imagine what that would be. She was too far outside of vampire or Fae politics. But a plan this complicated, and risky, taking Lady Lyssa’s son and Lord Mason’s daughter, required coordination and cooperation.
Kane and Farida. Their faces flashed in her mind. Your mother is excited. She’s already baking their favorites.
Ruth squeezed her eyes shut. It wouldn’t be a Guardian. Their loyalty couldn’t be bought, manipulated or overwhelmed. Adan had told her so, not as a boast, but as a simple fact, related to their link to the Lord and Lady.
She stood up and paced. Back and forth, back and forth. She kept reaching out, trying to push through. Nothing. It was a wall. Etsi, Sgidoda. All the staff, Hanska, the cats…
When Adan had been kidnapped by the Fae as a child, she’d been unhinged. Inconsolable, nearly mad with grief at the loss of one-half of her mind, her heart. Mal and Elisa had done what they could, but they had all they could do, trying to retrieve their son and hold it together themselves.
Kohana and Chumani had taken over her care during those terrible months. He'd taught her how to calm her mind, hold her heart and soul together.