The Black Masquerade Read online

  He answered on the first ring. “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “Are you at the ball yet?”

  “No. Waiting for you.”

  My shoulders dropped in relief. “Good. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes, maybe twenty.” I exhaled, trying to release the stress, panic, and fear. “I shouldn’t have gone. It was a trap.”

  “Are you okay?” His voice was urgent.

  “I barely made it out—there were tons of hounds—at least fifty of them. One almost got me.”

  I quickly told him about Nicole and Eleanora getting invited. “Something is definitely going to happen tonight. For some reason, they wanted everyone who knows me and knows about the hounds to be there.”

  “I’m glad we’ve had a warning.”

  “Same.”

  We ended the call, and I concentrated on calming down and driving.

  Chapter 30

  Abel and I arrived at the old mansion at the same time. It was a popular location for upscale events, not available for just anyone to rent. I strapped the knives to my thighs, not caring that they were visible, and grabbed the mask on a stick I’d bought. Then I turned to the valet driver, noticing his concern over the state of my car.

  “Sorry, I was in a hurry to get here. There’s broken glass inside, so be careful. I’ll clean it up later.”

  I handed him my keys and turned to get a good look at Abel. Whoa—he was impressive in a tux. It took my breath away. “You ready?”

  He nodded, put on his mask, and took me by the arm, placing my hand on his elbow. He glanced down at what I was wearing. “Where’s your dress?”

  “Didn’t have time to change.” I was still wearing the black yoga pants I’d chosen for our practice session. At least they, and my top, were black. The knife sheaths blended in suitably well.

  He looked a bit worried. “I hope that’s okay. And your weapons?”

  I shook my head. “Couldn’t hide them all. I’ve got a couple of knives and my usual faithful. Let’s get in there and make sure the governor is protected.”

  Abel agreed, and we presented our names to the person at the door. Even though I hadn’t been issued a formal invitation, my name was on the list. Abel’s was, too. I wasn’t surprised—Chief always did what he said he would. We entered at the same time, and several people looked when we pushed through the door. I lifted my mask, unable to help staring at the people as they stared back, trying to figure out if they were hounds. It was impossible to tell, though. Stupid amulet.

  Tables lined the room, kerosene lamps on them. The effect was dim lighting, only brightened a little by the chandeliers overhead that weren’t turned on all the way. If I hadn’t been so ready to throttle someone, I might have appreciated the mood the lighting created.

  “Something’s wrong here,” Abel said. He frowned, trying to concentrate. “There’s a huge magical pulse flowing through the room. Can you feel it? I can’t tell what it’s supposed to do, but I think it has to do with you.”

  I glanced at him. “How do you know?”

  He frowned at me, his eyes unfocusing when they landed on my face. “I’m having . . . a hard time . . . concentrating on you.”

  I swallowed. I’d been right—everything had been a setup.

  “Something magical is here,” he continued. “My guess. Trying to stop me . . . from remembering.”

  He looked away from me, and I could tell doing so made it easier for him to breathe and think. I stared at him, working my way through the dilemma. My friends and acquaintances who knew about the hounds had been invited. I’d been sent off on a mission that probably would’ve gotten me killed if I hadn’t been alerted to the situation ahead of time.

  “They’re going to try to kill everyone,” I said. “Anyone I’ve told about them.” What about the Russells? I looked around the room, finally spotting an elderly couple dancing. They were the only elderly couple I could see. When the man twirled the woman, I caught a good glimpse of her face, even with the mask on—definitely Mrs. Russell.

  I swallowed. How was I going to protect everyone?

  Abel frowned, his eyes bouncing away the moment they were on my face. “They? They who?”

  I shook my head, not wanting to voice the rest of my thoughts in such a crowded place. We hadn’t descended the stairs into the huge front room that was acting as a ballroom and no one was up by us, but I still didn’t want to risk it. “I don’t know—I need to see if I recognize anyone who might be a hound.”

  We descended the stairs slowly. The masks kept anyone I didn’t know well hidden—I wouldn’t have recognized someone I’d never talked to before—but I found Conor relatively quickly. He hadn’t noticed me yet and was halfway across the room, chatting it up with Chief. I felt the hair on my arms rise. “There’s the jerk I went on a date with the other night.”

  Abel looked distracted for a moment. I grabbed him, giving him a little shake. “Concentrate. There’s no way I can do this on my own.”

  “I’m good—don’t worry about me. I’ve got to stop that magical device. I’ll follow the pulses—most everyone here isn’t even aware of them. I’ll figure out where the thing is and shut it down. What are you going to do?”

  “Keep the governor safe and protect my friends.”

  Abel nodded. He still hadn’t looked at me again, and I could tell it helped.

  I gave him a quick hug, wished him luck, then headed over to Conor and Chief. Chief had a strange, almost dopey grin on his face. I pretended not to notice that he didn’t recognize me, knowing it would be a dead giveaway that I was aware of what was going on. Instead, I sidled up next to Conor, took him by the arm, and smiled at him.

  He looked down at me, and his eyes widened in genuine surprise. “Oh! Lizzie.” He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Hi.”

  I’m not a violent person, but an overwhelming urge to shoot him in the face then and there nearly overwhelmed me. Instead, I gave him a sweet smile. I couldn’t do anything until Abel had taken care of the device. Without someone knowing who I was, killing Conor would be a very bad idea.

  I looked around the room, pretending to admire it. “This place is fantastic, isn’t it?”

  “Where’s your date?”

  “He’s in the bathroom. He’ll be back in just a minute.” I dropped my voice. “I’m not really into him, you know. I had a lot of fun the other night. When are we going out again?” It wasn’t hard to step back into my college-days role of flirtatious woman. I’d been pretty good at finding dates back then.

  Conor smiled. I couldn’t tell if the expression was genuine this time. “Whenever you want.” He glanced up at the front door and startled. “What’s he doing here?”

  I looked over as well and felt relief shoot through me. Alexander was just stepping through the doors. He was alive! And here! “Oh, Alexander? He’s a good friend. What do you have against him?”

  Conor looked down at me. “Things might get ugly, darlin’.”

  Why wasn’t he doing anything to me? Please, Abel, get that thing fixed. I needed to take care of Conor before he got to me or the governor. But right then, more importantly, I had to distract him, thereby buying Abel time to get rid of the magical device.

  “Whatever you have against him, can we put it aside for a little bit? I’d like to go talk to him, and I’d love for you to come with.”

  Conor peered at me, his expression slightly suspicious. I just smiled at him, hoping my own expression was innocent enough.

  It must’ve worked because Conor finally nodded. “Fine. Let’s make this fast.”

  I started through the room, pulling Conor after me, every cell in my body screaming at me not to turn my back on my enemy. I ignored the warnings. Yes, probably foolish, but I was hoping my flippant and flirtatious behavior was distracting Conor enough for him not to realize I knew. And again, to buy Abel more time.

  We met Alexander halfway down the steps into the large receiving room. I grabbed Alexander’s arm, smiling at him,
trying to be casual, still holding on to Conor.

  “Alexander, it’s so good to see you here. This is my friend Conor.” I motioned to him. “I had a date with him a couple of nights ago. We actually went to high school together—small world, huh?”

  I realized my mistake almost as soon as I made it. I couldn’t possibly backtrack now. “Oops,” I whispered.

  Chapter 31

  Conor looked down at me, expressions of anger and glee fighting each other on his face. “So you do know who I am.”

  I let go of his arm, stepping up next to Alexander. “Yes. I do.” I turned to Alexander for reassurance, but he was staring at me like he had no clue who I was.

  “It works on you, too?” I whispered. Oh, crap.

  Conor laughed. “With that amulet not functioning, there isn’t a lot you can do to stop me, is there?”

  I glared at him, my voice unwavering as I said, “You’re messing with the wrong girl.”

  Conor chuckled. “What are you going to do? Slap me to death? You can’t stop us.”

  “Want to bet?” I was done playing this stupid game, even if Abel hadn’t finished his part. Before Conor could do whatever he’d planned, I pulled my CZ, pointed it at him, and pumped him full of lead.

  Conor dropped to the ground, blood spreading from the holes my bullets had given him. People screamed, dropping their masks, and everyone backed away from me. I kept my gun in hand, though pointed downward, and turned in a slow circle. “It’s not how it looks,” I said to them.

  Where were my friends? I finally saw Detective Cole in the crowd and sent him a pleading look. “Cole, this is the man I was telling you about. He’s dangerous. I don’t know what he wants to do here, but we’ve got to protect the governor from him.”

  “Protect me from whom?”

  The governor stepped through the group, stopping just a few feet away from Conor’s body.

  “That man,” I said, pointing at Conor with my CZ. “He’s dangerous. We need to get you somewhere safe.”

  The governor laughed. “Conor? Oh, no. Conor is one of my best friends. We’ve been together through—shall I say—thick and thin.” He gave me a smile that made my heart stop.

  “You’re one of them?” I whispered.

  “One of whom? You’re going to have to specify.” The governor turned and looked at the crowd. “Are there any officers here?”

  Chief stepped forward. “I’m the Lehi City chief of police.”

  No.

  The governor motioned toward me. “Arrest her.”

  Chief pulled handcuffs from inside his formal jacket, walking toward me.

  Abel! Hurry! “Chief! It’s me! You’re on my side. You can’t arrest me.”

  He ignored me. His experience working with criminals probably taught him that they all say things in their attempt to appear innocent.

  Chief grabbed my arms, twisting them behind me, reciting the Miranda Rights. He finished by saying, “Things’ll go a lot easier if you don’t struggle. I saw you shoot him—many people did. There’s nothing you can say in your defense.”

  Just then, a huge magical pulse flooded through the room. The chandeliers overhead waved from the force of the energy.

  People screamed, and the chandeliers swayed again when another wave of magic slammed into them. I heard someone shouting in another part of the house and realized Abel was behind all of this. He must have found the magical device.

  Chief snapped the handcuffs around my wrists. I should have struggled, but I was holding on to the hope that Abel would come through.

  A loud pop burst through the air, and several people screamed.

  The silence that followed was louder than the pop itself. Everyone froze, staring at each other, confused. And then pandemonium broke out. The guests began scattering, rushing for the exits. I noticed, with relief, that the Russells were some of the first to escape.

  “Lizzie?” Chief asked. “What’s going on? Why are you in handcuffs?”

  “No time to explain.” I motioned at the governor with my shoulder. “He’s a hound, Chief.”

  The governor laughed. “A hound? Are you serious?” He looked around him, meeting eyes with the onlookers who hadn’t scrambled. “Do I look like a dog?”

  Several people chuckled nervously.

  He turned back to me, a gleam entering his eyes. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Lizzie. Ask any of my supporters. I’ve been in office for several years now—everyone here can vouch for my character.”

  By that point, Chief had gotten the handcuffs undone. I pointed at Conor on the ground. “He needs to be arrested until I can do something with him.” Stupid amulet.

  The governor held up his hands. “Hold on, hold on. No reason for anyone to be getting arrested. If I’m not mistaken, though, you shot him.”

  I threw my hands up. “He’s not going to die! He’s an immortal being—a hound. He would destroy everyone here if given the chance.”

  Chief grabbed my arm. “There’s not a lot we can do right now,” he said.

  I noticed Alexander nodding next to him. “How many hounds are here?” I asked.

  Alexander looked around the room quickly. “Just myself, Conor, and . . . apparently the governor.”

  I peered at him. “You didn’t even know who he was?”

  Alexander shook his head. “He’s done something to his appearance. I didn’t recognize him until he spoke. Last I heard, he was on the good side.”

  Conor started stirring.

  “Crap,” I said, yanking my gun from Chief’s tux pocket where he’d put it.

  Alexander growled. “How many bullets do you have?”

  I popped out the empty magazine, pushing another one into its place. “Not enough to keep him down for long.” That didn’t stop me from emptying another round of bullets into the beast. Popping out another empty magazine and replacing it with my last, I pointed my gun at the governor.

  Alexander grabbed my arm, forcing me to lower my gun. “No—we don’t have evidence. It would be our word against his.”

  The governor chuckled, obviously loving the predicament we were in.

  “The amulet?” Alexander whispered, his voice barely audible over the ringing in my ears.

  I shook my head. “It’s not working,” I whispered back.

  “What do you mean, it’s not working?”

  “I’ll explain later. We’ve got to get out of here.” Where was Abel?

  Just then, several people screamed, and the sound of barking dogs began filling the air.

  The governor grinned at me. “Now the fun begins.”

  Alexander pulled me. “We have to get you out of here.”

  We turned to leave, but several people were blocking the door. From the expressions on their faces, I could tell they weren’t casual ball attendees.

  Just then, two security guards dragged Abel from a side hallway, tossing him down the stairs to the feet of the governor.

  Chapter 32

  “We found him in the kitchen,” one of the men said. “He dismantled the device.”

  The governor glared at Abel. “You’ll pay for that.”

  “As will you—for all of this,” Abel said.

  He closed his eyes, and the walls started shaking violently. Mortar and plaster broke off in huge chunks, slamming into hounds, pinning them down. The walls lifted from the foundation, more sections falling off them, and the marble flooring underfoot started rippling. A piece of stone smashed into the governor’s forehead, knocking him over. He didn’t move again. Several of the kerosene lamps fell, shattering, their lights drowning in the oil that spread out from them.

  Only a second after it started, the violent tremors stopped. Dust filled the air, making it impossible to see more than a few feet, but it was enough for me to spot Abel unconscious on the floor.

  I dropped to my knees next to him, holstering my CZ and checking for a pulse.

  “Help me!” I called to my friends. “We’ve only got seconds before things
go even more crazy.”

  Cole and Alexander picked up Abel—Cole the upper body, Alexander the legs—and started dragging him out. I didn’t envy them. Abel was a big man.

  I grabbed the Shade Amulet and turned to Conor and the governor, determined to stick around until the rotten piece of jewelry helped me do my job, but they weren’t there anymore.

  Instead, several women approached, their faces full of hatred.

  “We know that thing doesn’t work for you anymore,” one of them said, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Only a temporary setback,” I responded, pulling my knives from where they’d been strapped to my thighs. I chucked them as hard as I could, one at a time, pleased and frankly a bit shocked when one of them hit its target—right in the heart. That woman dropped. The second knife merely bounced off the other. Before the knife had struck her, though, I’d already pulled out my CZ again and pulled the trigger. The second woman fell, and I ran out of bullets—there hadn’t been as many left as I’d thought. Three women remained.

  I didn’t have any bullets left, I wasn’t trained, and without weapons, I was no match for immortal beasts who wouldn’t hesitate before devouring me.

  But I could control Fire. I glanced around, spotting the lamps that lined the room. What idiot had chosen kerosene lamps for a theme when an enemy would be present who controlled Fire?

  ’Course, I’d never gotten good enough at Fire to really do a lot of damage, but all I needed was one spark.

  And creating a spark was my underlying talent.

  I gathered my magic. With one smooth motion, I sprang to the nearest table, grabbed two lamps, then threw them. The oil in the lamps sprayed all over, completely coating one of the women. That was all I needed.

  Commanding my magic to create a spark, I grinned when a whoosh sounded through the room as the oil ignited. The woman began screaming, trying to stop the flames as they spread across her.

  I’d spent years learning to snuff out sparks, and I’d nearly forgotten how exhilarating it was to actually start them.