Chapter Four
Hazel
I went to the four other wizard Houses we were allied with. No one came to the door. No one would even see me.
Desperate, I drove to the Curia Cloisters.
I screeched into the cloister parking lot, and the car jumped the curb before I could stop it.
I abandoned it and ran for the doors—which were well lit and open.
It was still dark outside—I think it was only three in the morning—but the cloisters were open all night given the nocturnal tendencies of some magical species.
I sprinted up the sidewalk and into the cloisters, almost running down the brownie janitor who was mopping up what looked like a puddle of slime.
“I’m sorry, can you tell me who’s here tonight?” I said between gasps for air.
“The vampires are holding a meeting in the assembly hall to discuss the recent vampire murders,” the short statured brownie said.
“Anyone besides the vampires?” I asked desperately.
Vampires were among the strongest supernaturals. As a result, they tended to look down on the rest of us, and they barely adhered to society laws. Seeking refuge with the vampires was my last choice.
“Anyone from the Regional Committee of Magic? Any Pack Alphas or fae nobility?” I continued.
The janitor adjusted his hat. “A few Alphas are discussing hunting rights in the red meeting room.”
“Thank you!” I almost skidded out on the wet floor as I ran down the hallway, familiar enough with the cloisters to know my way to the red meeting room.
Hopefully I knew at least one of the Alphas present for the meeting.
Usually the various magical species kept to their own, but my parents had been among the strongest in their generation in the Midwest, so some werewolf Alphas and fae nobles knew them. If I was lucky, an Alpha would take me in out of pity.
With the rejection from the other wizard Houses, I was running out of options. I couldn’t easily drive out to some of the more obscure wizard Houses in neighboring states. I had so little magic it would be dangerous, and with House Tellier helping Mason, it would be easy for him to find me.
The Alphas must have finished their discussion. When I reached the red meeting room the doors were open, and the Alphas were all lingering around the large horse-shoe shaped table placed at the center of the room.
Three of the Alphas were male, the remaining one was female. It was she who was curiously watching the door when I skidded around the corner and almost smacked into the doorframe.
“Please,” I panted. “I need help.”
One of the werewolves was Sam, the Alpha of Pack Whitefrost. He had attended my parents’ funeral, and while the other werewolves warily studied me, he stood up taller. “You’re Hazel, Rand and Rose’s daughter,” he said.
“And the new Adept of House Medeis,” another one of the werewolves added.
I nodded and swallowed the bitter taste of my panic. “House Medeis was attacked.”
“What?” the Alphas snapped.
“Mason—one of my senior wizards. He staged a takeover.” I sagged against the doorframe, my gaze darting between the werewolves, looking for any hints of compassion. “He got House Tellier to attack us.”
“He’s after your position?” Sam asked.
I nodded. “I escaped, but the rest of my House was captured. Can you help me?”
Sam rubbed the back of his neck and was silent.
I gazed from him to the other Alphas. “Please? What he’s doing breaks committee law.”
“Have you sought refuge with other wizard Houses?” the female Alpha suggested.
“They’re refusing to help me,” I bitterly said. “They won’t even talk to me.”
Sam sighed. “I’m sorry, Hazel, but…we don’t interfere with other species’ business. It leads to infighting and war. The supernatural community already weak. We can’t risk it.”
I shut my eyes, forcing back the tears that threatened to escape.
“Why don’t you officially hand over your Adept position to Mason and forgo your right to leadership?” the third male Alpha suggested.
“She can’t,” the female werewolf wryly said. “To wizards, the House is their top priority. If she does that, she’ll bring ruin on House Medeis.”
The second male werewolf scowled. “Pack should be first,” he grumbled.
Painfully, I opened my eyes. “You really won’t help me?”
Sam looked away—signaling just how uncomfortable the situation made him as usually it was considered a sign of weakness to his kind. “I’m sorry, Adept.”
I wanted to crumple into a heap on the ground. The cloisters had been my last resort. Where could I go now?
The other male Alphas also looked away. The female Alpha alone was studying me.
Should I risk traveling to one of the other out-of-state wizard Houses? It might be my only chance.
I heard shouts echoing up the hallway. I poked my head out of the room and saw a group of wizards stalking closer. Mason was leading them.
I glanced back at the Alphas. Judging by their flickering gazes they heard the other wizards.
They really weren’t going to help.
What could I do now? My family had sacrificed themselves for me, and I was about to get caught! Wasn’t there another way?
My thoughts focused sharply on my final option and the only other beings in the cloisters: the vampires.
I zipped out of the red meeting room and darted down a different hallway from the one Mason and his goons were in, my bare feet thudding painfully on the unforgiving marble floor.
“There she is!”
“Get her!”
I felt the tangy sensation of wizard magic, but sprinted around a corner before they could throw anything at me. Even so, I wasn’t entirely sure if I was running to safety, or throwing myself into an even greater danger.
There was no way the vampires would take me in as a political refugee. I wasn’t important enough, and frankly it wasn’t their way. But vampires and fae were known to take on humans as servants and—in the vampires’ case—blood donors.
I couldn’t be a blood donor because I was a wizard, but maybe one of the vampires would take me as a servant. I would have preferred to serve a fae Court, but I was out of time.
The vampires were my last hope.
I took a few twisting corridor loops that would keep me out of sight. It took me a little longer to get to the assembly hall, but it also made it harder for Mason to figure out where I was.
The assembly hall was the second largest room in the Curia Cloisters—it was actually multiple floors high for viewing purposes. But I didn’t fancy jumping down on the vampires, or using a side door—they might maim me just to make a point—so I scrambled to the main entrance.
It had two doors—both of them were large, wood paneled monstrosities—and they were luckily the tiniest bit ajar.
I had to use both hands to muscle the door open enough for me to slip in, and it creaked loudly enough to wake a sleeping werewolf.
Mason’s shouts were starting to grow closer, which meant there was a good chance he’d heard the door creak, so I yanked the door shut behind me, my shoulders heaving with the exertion.