Page 28 of The Prince's Curse

“But I’m ready. I could deal with Julian now, and?—”

Mina surged to her feet, and cold wind billowed from her. “What do you not understand? You are not ready. I decide when you go!”

For a split second, black, shadowy tendrils spiraled around her and squeezed her painfully tight. A cool voice whispered in her head. Listen to your auntie. She knows best.

It was not the magic that alarmed her; Tante Mina had used it many times to make a point. What frightened her was the heat in her aunt’s voice, the raw anger that Scarlett had never seen directed her way. Her eyes stung, and she bowed her head. “I’m sorry,” she murmured.

And then a cool hand closed on hers, the other tipping her chin up. She opened her eyes to see Tante Mina staring at her with concern in her eyes. They were warm brown again, the same ones she’d seen a thousand times. “No, I’m the one who should be sorry, my love. I’m angry at Kova for letting me down, and I lashed out at you. I’m very sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she breathed.

“You have never let me down,” Mina said gently. “I appreciate your eagerness to help, but it’s not the right time to attack Julian. Lux knows the city and has been watching the Auberon for some time. She will gather intelligence, and she will let us know when it’s right to move.”

Scarlett nodded. “Okay.I guess I’ll keep practicing until it’s time.”

“That’s my girl. Such a hard worker,” Mina said.

Scarlett hesitated. “And you know what Lux is doing? With the special stakes?”

Her aunt’s nose wrinkled. “It’s rather inelegant, but I’m pleased she finally managed it. It took me many days of work to bind Kova and control that murderous nature. Lux has taken my work and accelerated it. If she can get this right, we can break them far quicker.”

“Break them?”

“Like a wild horse,” Mina said. “This would give our allies a great advantage in protecting humanity.” Her gaze grew distant. “So many hunters lost over the centuries. This will save lives, my love.”

And how could she argue with that?

Mina glanced at her watch. “You have work to do, don’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” she said. “Good evening.”

Her daily routine was strict. For the last few years, she’d kept a mostly nocturnal schedule so she was prepared to hunt. It also allowed her to get up and work with Kova while he was at his strongest. After eating breakfast, she had three to four hoursof exercise, split between running, weightlifting, and weapons training. At least two hours of reading old Shieldsmen journals, learning about vampires and how to fight them. At this point, she’d read nearly all of Mina’s journals, and sometimes just stared blankly while she imagined herself in those pages.

There was a bit of time for leisure, and she had been quite interested in learning languages for the last few years. Kova spoke German and Russian, and had been teaching her Russian each day. With him out of commission, her day was thoroughly disrupted.

She spent her hours in the gym as expected, including an exhilarating sparring session with Marlee. It was a relief that Jordan had excused himself to find a shooting range; she wasn’t sure she could trust him to hold back. There was something deeply unsettling about him, a strange look in his eyes like he was always listening to something she couldn’t hear.

While taking a break for water, they had a terse conversation about the last few months. Marlee reported that she’d been hunting in Indianapolis, where a small cluster of Shea’s former followers had gathered. According to Marlee, dealing with the Auberon vampires under Julian’s leadership was one of the top priorities for the Shieldsmen.

“Killing them,” Marlee had said pointedly. “Or so I thought. Of course, I’ll follow orders,” she added quickly, as if afraid Tante Mina was listening.

They’d quickly gotten back to sparring before parting ways for the night. Around two, when she normally started winding down for the night, she found herself wandering the house. Lux was in her workshop, and Stella was out running errands. Mina was asleep, and Scarlett found herself at the older woman’s door, listening to her steady heartbeat and slow breathing.

Good.

What the hell was she doing?

She checked again, then crept to the basement door and tiptoed down the stairs. The smell of blood was still strong in the air, though the smell of cleaning products hinted that someone—one of the apprentices, probably—had tried to cover it up.

Kova lay on the floor in the far cell. He wore only a pair of loose pajama pants, leaving his bare back on the concrete floor. Her belly twinged in sympathy. He had his own room. Why was he sleeping down here?

Because she’s not taking care of him. She’s punishing him.

Holding her breath, she tiptoed across the basement to kneel outside the tiny cell. After checking over her shoulder one more time, she reached through and tapped Kova’s hand. He stirred, then buried his head in his arm. Dirt and blood streaked the lean muscle of his back.

“Kova,” she whispered.

No answer.

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