Page 149 of The Prince's Curse

Julian glanced around. “This is all we have. Alistair and Nikko will need to stay here, and I’d ask one of you to remain to keep watch in case there’s another attack.” Safira nodded to him. “I wouldn’t ask anything of you all that you don’t want to do.”

Misha nodded. “I’ll go with you. Perhaps I can break through to him.”

“I’m obviously with you to the end,” Kova said. “Hers, of course.”

At that, Julian spared a smile. His eyes drifted to Dominic. “If you need to stay back with Rachel, I understand.”

The other man chuckled. “She is ferocious enough for a dozen of us when it comes to Emily,” he said, glancing at Scarlett. “They bought plane tickets to go on a nice vacation in another time zone. Grandma and Grandpa, too.”

“And you don’t know where?” Safira said lightly.

“I don’t. I will not allow that bitch to use my family against me,” Dominic said. “I’m with you. I was part of this from the beginning, and I’m with you to the bitter end.”

Julian nodded to him. “I appreciate it. I’ve asked Karina to be ready for whatever you need. Be ready to hit the road at four-thirty. Do what you need to.”

Scarlett lingered as the others left the conference room. With a sad expression, Julian approached and kissed the top of her head. “In all of this, I’ve barely had a chance to speak to you. Are you feeling all right?”

“A little shaky, but…yeah. I feel great,” she said. “No more dead woman walking.”

He spared a weak smile.

“Come on. Let’s get armed up,” she said, nudging him.

He hesitated and said, “I don’t want you to get hurt. After all of this, it would be the ultimate cosmic joke.”

“Well, I’m not laughing. And I’m not letting you face her alone,” she said.

“I won’t be alone, I?—”

“Julian Alcott,” she said sharply. “I am not a blushing damsel.”

His lips curved into a faint smile. “Fine. My blushing not-damsel, shall we pick out our weapons?”

“That’s more like it,” she said, taking his hand and following him down to Karina’s armory.

Like many of the rooms in the administrative building, the “armory” was two repurposed classrooms. Renovations here had metal cabinets all around the room, with steel tables in the center, rather than pretty wall art and rugs. While the other vampires were taking down weapons, Karina Nowak was chattering eagerly about wooden bullets and antitoxins.

“We need everything as nonlethal as possible,” Julian reminded her. “She has some of our people.”

“Oh, I have something!” Karina announced. Bustling around the room, she rooted in one of the cabinets and produced a black device with a red dome light. “I have a theory. This thing is very loud, in a specific frequency. See, you turn it on, and?—”

“No!” Kova protested, covering her hands. “I think we’ll get the idea.”

Unfazed, Karina nodded and handed him the device. “Police use it to make protesters go away without firing any shots. With our hearing, it could be even worse, I think.”

“But it’ll affect all of us,” Julian said.

She grinned and held up a plastic bag stuffed with bright orange foam earplugs. “Cover your ears, silly. And it is dimensional…no, directional. Point it and shoot.”

Julian laughed. “This is…an interesting theory, Karina. We’ll try it.”

As she watched, Julian laid out a gleaming blade that she’d seen him use before. Misha had one similar, with flowing runes that glowed red. Kova eyed her as she rifled through the cabinets to find an armored vest in her size. “I’m surprised he’s going to let you go,” Kova commented.

“You can’t afford to turn down good help,” she replied.

He smirked and said, “I’m glad you’re here with us, zaika. Are you going to be all right facing the witch?”

The question stopped her in her tracks, but she drew a deep breath, let it out slowly, and said, “I’ll have to be.”

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