“Kayn is my maker,” Donatello answer, not pausing a beat. “He’s the one who transformed me. I think this power is diluted nowadays, but he’s one of the few who can still mind-control his progeny. Until he releases me, which will probably be never,” Donatello takes in a painful breath, “I’m bound to do his biddings.”
Cassandra’s body tightens, growing taut. “So he might have sent you after me.”
Donnie shakes his head. “No. I mean, yeah, he did, but he didn’t use the order. He has to order me. I don’t know how to explain.” He shoves a hand through his blond hair, his eyes confused and desperate, pinned to Cassandra. “I go mindless. When he orders me, I lose self-control. Lose free will. My body is not mine anymore.”
Cassandra quiets, crossing her arms over her chest again. She looks at her feet, in deep thought, and none of us interrupts. Tristan gapes between Apollo and Donatello, ready to pounce if Apollo thinks it’s time. I step closer, ready to stop him if Apollo tries to start a fight.
“Apollo said it was a possibility,” Cassandra mutters, but all of us have good enough of a hearing to catch it.
I snap my gaze to Apollo. “You did?”
He sighs, as if he’s cursing himself for having brought that up. “Yeah. I heard about it, but I didn’t know if it was a myth or not. Vampires don’t exactly mingle with other races.”
Donatello shoots him an annoyed look, arching an eyebrow. It almost feels like we’re back together. “Vampires aren’t allowed to mingle.” His face twists in agony, and I glimpse at something inside him I had never seen before. Donatello always has a smile on his face, a softness to his voice when he speaks to Cassandra. Now, his eyes flare with the memory of pain. “And I didn’t have a choice. No one asked me if I had an interest in living forever, and yet I’ve always been treated like I deserve a stake through my heart.”
The air grows so thick between us it gets hard to breathe. I sneak a glance at Tristan, whose shoulders loosen up, hands to his side. The dog laid his head down on his paws, but his eyes are wide and alert, ready to defend. The two are waiting, waiting to see if they can trust Donatello.
Cassandra raises her hands. The shadows seem to stop dancing, the air clears. She takes a deep breath and looks up to find Donnie’s eyes. “I believe you,” Cass says, and Apollo grunts, but she keeps going. “I believe you had no choice on the matter, and I believe your maker forced you into it. But Donatello, I... I can’t trust you.”
These words work like a stake to his chest. Donnie physically winces. Cass reaches out, and their hands meet, fingers intertwining. Donatello’s pupils flare when he touches her.
“I can’t trust you,” she repeats, “not without understanding this. Not without learning if there’s a way you’re spying on us.”
Donatello shakes his head. “Not spying. When he gives me orders, they have to be something direct and simple, and I just blank out. You’ll notice when I change. I know you will.”
“So you’re here on your own?” I ask, just to make sure. If he lies, Cassandra will feel it, and we can smell it. Lies have a funny smell, very akin to fear. Trained noses can identify it easily.
Donnie nods without taking his eyes from Cassandra. “I’m here on my own. He doesn’t know I came, but he’s definitely aware of our involvement. He had been reaching out to me for a while, telling me to look for you, but his orders only work if he’s present. His voice has the power. It doesn’t work through messages.”
Cassandra nods. “So if he shows up, and you clamp your hands over your ears?”
Donatello’s lips curl and he sways his head from side to side. “I’d have to clamp them pretty hard and look away. With some luck, I wouldn’t be able to hear it, but vampires...”
“We could cut your ears off,” Tristan suggests, and it’s so out of nowhere a peal of laughter bursts from me. Cassandra mimics it, her shoulders shaking.
“That’s not how it works,” Donatello provides. “Even so, we can think of a way around. We have to get rid of the shackles.” He reaches out for them, brushing his thumbs over the metal. “Without them, the Collector won’t know where you are, and he won’t tell Kayn. Until then, we should go to...”
“Hell no,” Apollo cuts him in, stepping closer. “We’re going nowhere you suggest. As far as we know, you’ll be taking us straight into this Kayn’s lap.”
Donatello looks like he might argue, but Cassandra lets his hands go and that distracts him. He gapes at her as she steps away. “Apollo’s right,” she says. “Let’s give his plan a chance first. If it goes wrong, we’ll discuss yours.”
The vampire twists his lips but acquiesces. Apollo folds an arm around Cass’ waist and pulls her farther away from Donatello, squinting at him.
“What’s your fabulous plan, then?” Donatello asks, glancing at Apollo.
“The mage who put up my clan’s wards.” He clears his throat. “Former clan. Whatever. She lives in New York, and she’s old and smart. She might have answers. She definitely knows how mages work. We can learn more about it, and Cassandra can train with her.”
Cassandra nods. “Sounds amazing. She might know how to get these shackles off.”
I sneak a glance at Tristan. He doesn’t sound so sure of it. Having lived with the Collector for so long, I bet he thinks the man is unstoppable. I don’t correct him. Magic is not my forte.
Stepping closer to Donatello, I slap a hand to his shoulder. He turns to face me, lips curling around the edges. “Good to have you back, Donnie.”
His smile widens. “Same to you, Ren.” He juts a thumb in Tristan’s direction. “Now that we have a plan... Can someone explain where did a dog come from?”
We all gape at Oreo, lying by Tristan’s feet. He cocks his head in doubt, then, with a low bark, he shoots to his feet and runs to hide behind Cass’ legs.
Cassandra cracks up first. She bends and picks the dog up, and Oreo licks a stripe up her face. Even Tristan laughs this time. I would have been more excited to see New York if my wolf wasn’t telling me our mate’s problems were far from over.