I pointed to the giant organ on the wall. “Check up there where the organist would sit.”
Callan didn’t bother to use the door beneath it. He sprang forward and launched himself at the organ, ripping down pipes and using them to climb to the loft.
“That seems unnecessary,” Maeron remarked. “Do you have any idea how old that organ is?” He shook his head at me. “My brother has no respect for the arts.”
The removal of pipes revealed the princess on the floor of the loft. The princes were so elated to find her that neither one bothered to question my suggestion to look there.
I watched in awe as the Demon of House Duncan moved with preternatural speed to engulf the younger vampire in a warm embrace. She clung to him, her eyes closed, and I sensed their bond.
“Hurry,” she said, her voice weak. “He was only just here.”
“I’ll go. You stay here.” I’d be better at finding Dashiell than comforting a royal vampire anyway.
Maeron met my gaze. “I’ll search too. What does he look like?”
“Just grab anyone who looks suspicious, but don’t kill them.” We still needed to know the location of the stone.
Thanks to a handy directory, I found Dashiell's office. As expected, it was empty, as were the surrounding ones. I checked the library. There was no sign of Dashiell. He must’ve realized we were here and wisely cleared out.
I returned to the chapel where the princes were doting on their sister. Davina now held a flask in her hand.
“We have to find the druid,” Callan said grimly.
“No kidding. What do you think we’ve been doing?”
He glanced at Davina. “Tell her.”
“He’s been waiting for a celestial event to try to harness the stone’s power.” Her voice was raspy, as though she’d screamed for her life and no one had come, which was probably accurate.
“Easy enough. When’s the next celestial event?” Maeron asked. “You’re a witch, Miss Hayes. You ought to know these things.”
“I’m not an encyclopedia,” I shot back.
Davina tugged her brother’s hand. “Dashiell told me it’s tonight. There’s a New Moon.”
Just because the sun disappeared from view didn’t stop the earth from spinning on its axis and it certainly didn’t stop celestial events from occurring.
“You must drink, sister,” Maeron said. “You need your strength.”
Davina brought the flask to her lips and drank. Drops of red splashed on her check. Blood. I averted my gaze and tried to clamp down on any revulsion I felt.
The little color she had drained from her face and she started to cough. Callan shifted her upright, but her head lolled to the side.
“Davina?” He grabbed her chin and jerked her head toward him. “Davina, what’s wrong?”
Angry red lines formed on her face and spread down her neck. He held up her arm and watched as the lines branched off into smaller ones. Foam gathered at the corners of her chapped lips.
Shit.
Maeron clasped her hand. “The bastard poisoned her. That’s why he was in here.”
Dashiell must’ve realized we were here and tried to cover his tracks.
Callan lowered his fangs. “I’ll simply extract it.”
I clamped a hand over his mouth. “No!”
His green eyes widened and I snatched my hand away, surprised by my knee-jerk concern for his welfare.
“You can’t,” I said.
“Of course I can. I’m a vampire. Our fangs were designed to extract blood from flesh.”
“It’s wolfsbane,” I told him. “Dashiell has been using it to neutralize her. Once he discovered we were here, he returned to the chapel and gave her an overdose.”
Davina’s eyes were closed and she moaned quietly.
Callan glanced at her and back to me. “You’re certain?”
“Certain enough that I wouldn’t want you to risk it.”
“I have to try.”
I gaped at this vampire with the reputation of a colossal nightmare, who was willing to risk his life to save the daughter of his family’s enemy. He truly viewed Davina as his sister. The Highland Reckoning was not the vampire I thought he was.
“I have another idea,” I said.
The princess seized.
He rolled up her sleeve and prepared to bite her. “There isn’t time.”
“I need you alive, Your Highness. I can’t take on Dashiell without help, not while he has the stone. We’re in the middle of a university. There are healers here.” In a university of this size and stature, there was bound to be at least one poison expert too.
“I know where they are,” Maeron said. He bolted from the chapel before anyone could respond.
Callan cradled the back of his sister’s head in the crook of his elbow. It was the same way my mother had held me as a child. If I closed my eyes, I could still hear the sound of her voice as she sang to me, encouraging me to sleep.
He spoke in a soothing tone to Davina. “Do you remember that time we hid in the cellars and Maeron couldn’t find us?”
A faint smile touched her lips. “So angry,” she whispered.
“Focus on that,” he encouraged. “Think of all the fun we had.”
“Hurts,” she said.
Despite my feelings about vampires, the scene was painful to witness. Davina fighting for her life. A powerful vampire struggling to keep his emotions in check. He truly cared about Davina and felt responsible for her. The Highland Reckoning had a weak spot after all and he was currently holding her in his arms.
“Why would he do this?” Callan asked.
“Because he’s giving himself time to get away and regroup,” I explained. “He knows we’ll stop to try and save the princess.”
“I’m sorry,” Davina whispered.
“No need to apologize.” He stroked her cheek. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“The stone…It’s special.”
“We know,” he said.
“You can’t let him keep it.” She seemed to have difficulty swallowing. “Too much power.”
“Do you know where they plan to hold the ritual?” I asked.
“No. Only that it had to be performed at a precise time to harness the full power of the celestial event.” She coughed again. “23:05.”
We didn’t have much time.