Page 19 of Rites of Passage

A comfortable silence fell between them. It ended with his uncle’s next words.

“The main syndicate wants the witch.”

Ice filled Vlad’s veins. Tarang lifted his head and looked at him warily, sensing the change in his mood.

“What do you mean?” Vlad said, his heart hammering against his ribs.

Yuliy leaned against the backrest, his face inscrutable. “Someone recorded what happened two weeks ago at that warehouse. The video has been circulating among not just our men, but theBratvasin Europe too.” His uncle paused. “Let’s just say Mae Jin’s power has impressed the people at the top. They are now believers in magic. And they want in on the action.”

Vlad’s stomach churned.I’m gonna find the asshole who recorded that video and slice him up!

He clamped down on the trepidation slithering through his mind.

“They’re believers? After all this time?!” He couldn’t keep his burgeoning anger from seeping into his voice. “You’re telling me those fuckers refused to help us when I told them aboutOniks,but suddenly they’ve seen the light? What a load of bullcrap!”

The air trembled with a faint, crimson mist as his incubus power slipped from his control for an instant. Tarang whined and rose from the floor. The familiar padded over and brushed his body against Vlad’s legs.

Vlad sank a hand in the tiger’s fur. He met his uncle’s enigmatic gaze, tension a taut band across his shoulders.

“What are you not telling me,dyadya?”

A tired smile stretched Yuliy’s mouth. “I still don’t know if your ability to read my mind has to do with your demon magic or not.”

“It doesn't,” Vlad said impatiently. “I have good instincts. And they’re currently telling me—” He stopped, realization dawning with an abruptness that almost made him gasp. “They’re afraid.”

Yuliy stayed silent.

Vlad fisted his hands, knowing he was on the right track. Tarang let out a protest. He uncurled his fingers from the tiger’s flesh and patted him guiltily.

“They think Mae has allied herself with theBlack Devilsthrough me,” he said between gritted teeth. “And they don’t want that to happen because they presume it will make us the strongestBratvain the world. Those bastards in Moscow want that power for themselves. That’s what this is about, isn’t it?!”

His furious words rang around the study.

Yuliy stood up and came over to Vlad. He pressed a comforting hand on his shoulder and stared into the fire.

“I promised Katarina that I would always protect you. And I have, since the day you were born from her dying body. But this is different. This is bigger than me, my child.” A far-away look came over him. “Maybe it’s because I’m growing old, but there are days when I can almost feel her presence. It’s as if she’s waiting patiently for me to join her beyond the veil that separates the world of the living and the dead.”

Vlad closed his eyes at the mention of his dead mother. He had never known her, yet her existence continued to haunt his everyday life, like an invisible Sword of Damocles hanging over his neck.

He knew Yuliy had never blamed him for Katarina Vissarion’s illness and her eventual demise. Even the magic that had skipped several Vissarion generations and made Katarina one of the most powerful witches in Russia had been unable to stop the progress of the insidious cancer that had spread through her bones.

No, the one his uncle held responsible for his beloved sister’s death was the demon who had seduced Katarina shortly after her diagnosis and abandoned her to her dire fate, her pregnancy hastening her death as the incubus child within her consumed her magic.

Still, every picture, every recording Yuliy, Gustav, and Lena had captured of Katarina’s final months on this Earth had only ever shown the love she bore for her unborn child and no sign of any resentment for the monster inside her. Her hands almost never left her growing bump and her voice was always soft and sweet while she crooned lullabies she must have known she would never be able to sing to him after he was born.

“This situation has the potential to upset the long-established balance between theBratvasof the West and the East,” Yuliy said somberly. “No one wants to see a war.” He looked at Vlad. “Just bring Mae Jin to the table. That’s all I ask of you.”

Vlad shuddered. He knew he couldn’t refuse his uncle’s request. The face of the woman he was about to betray flitted before his eyes.

Mae had stirred his frozen heart from their very first meeting. He didn’t know if it was because both their fathers were demons or because their magic was similar. Quite frankly, he didn’t care. He just knew one thing. He wanted her.

Vlad’s chest grew tight.

I’m sorry for dragging you into this, Princess.

CHAPTER12

Mae parkedher Vespa outside her apartment, turned the engine off, and sat still for a moment, the evening air cooling her face. It had been a long day and the last couple hours hadn’t made it any easier.

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