My hands shook and bile rose in my throat as I pushed my Atlas back into my pocket and tugged at my hat, wishing I could speak with mi abuela right now and ask for her guidance. But I was on my own tonight and the fear of what Alejandro would do to me made me push down the guilt writhing in my gut and commit to the plan I’d put in place.
“Shots!” I announced, rising from my seat and working to still my shaking hands.
“Yes!” Sofia cried and the twins laughed as I strode away to the bar, trying to get my mind in the right place for this.
For a moment, I let the shadows slide deeper under my skin, allowing them to lull away my anxiety and focusing on what I had to do.
I ordered the shots at the bar, glancing over at Professor Orion as he cosied up to some woman opposite him. He seemed distracted by something as the shots were laid before me and I slid the vile of powdered knotroot from inside my jacket, quickly sprinkling some of it into two of the drinks.
My throat nearly closed up as I shoved it back into my pocket, throwing Orion a fearful glance, but finding him staring across the room. And as I followed his gaze to Darcy Vega, I grimaced and gathered up the drinks.
I may have loved living among the Fae but there was one kind I didn’t like at all, and it was the Vampires. They used others as blood bags, stealing what they needed, and in all honesty, it reminded me of my own kind. I’d seen what Nymphs could do, and if I could trade away that part of me to be any kind of Fae, I would. Except a Vampire.
I headed back to the table, frowning as I found Geraldine Grus in my seat and heat skidded up the back of my neck. I held the shots out of her reach as she tried to grab one, my pulse hammering as I worked to keep control of this situation. I felt sick, but all I could think about was Alejandro gutting me if I didn’t pull this off and the fear of that was enough to make me stay on this path.
“Isn’t that your gang out there?” I asked Geraldine, nodding to the window and she gasped.
“Oh sweet raisin bran!” She gathered up her badges and leapt out of her seat before curtsying to the Vegas. “Your majesties, forgive me but I must go.”
“You’re forgiven,” Tory said lightly.
“I can be back in one hour!” Geraldine exclaimed. “Then we can all go dancing together.” She ran out of the restaurant, leaving me with one less obstacle, but I didn’t even hear the girls’ next words as my pulse blared in my ears so loud it drowned out all else. I hated myself for what I’d become, for what would happen because of my actions tonight. But I was a pathetic coward too, because I didn’t want to die.
I dropped into my seat with a sigh. “Who needs a drink?”
I was about to pass the two spiked shots to the twins when Sofia swooped down, grabbing one of them and swallowing it whole.
Santa mierda!
Before I could get hold of the other one, she got her hands on that too, drinking the rest and sending a flash of panic right through me.
“Sofia!” I gasped in horror.
I was suddenly yanked out of the memory and thrown into another one so fast it made my head spin.
“What have you done?!” Alejandro roared, his hand tightening on my throat as he crushed me back against my car at the side of the road. Sofia was asleep in the back of it, passed out from the knotroot she’d swallowed. My uncle had nearly driven me off the road on my way back to Zodiac Academy and now I knew I was fucked. Deader than dead. He wouldn’t forgive me for this failure.
“It was an a-accident,” I stuttered in terror. “Sofia drank the knotroot.”
“There’s another nest of Nymphs vying for the Vegas’ magic in Tucana tonight, Diego,” he spat. “If they get to the Vegas before us and claim their magic, I will make you pay severely. I want all four Elements to be mine.” A manic glint entered his gaze.
Alejandro’s eyes slid over my shoulder as he looked down into the back seat of the car and I tried to shift protectively in front of Sofia. Please don’t wake up.
“You can’t kill her,” I blurted and he looked at me with a mocking sneer.
“And why not? Do you really think you can claim her from me?” he laughed coldly, wetting his lips.
“If she dies, it’ll blow my cover. I was the last person seen with her,” I said frantically, knowing that if I didn’t sell him this, he was going to kill her, and I just couldn’t let that happen.
He considered that, a crease of irritation forming on his brow. “Well perhaps I’m tired of waiting for you to prove your usefulness. You’ve fucked up at the first hurdle, why should I even let you return to the academy?”