Dark Redemption: Shadowsend Vampire Clan: 3, page 26
“Aisling,” Deston murmured. “I need you to search for the book. I’ll hold off the beast, but if we don’t find that book, we’ll be fighting all day, and gods knows what else is hidden inside those pages.”
“To your right, Ash,” Esme grunted, pulled up another swell of magic, and for a second, the entire room glowed brightly. Enough for me to see the pile of books stacked beneath the open book case, all of them wide open.
“Something’s not…”
“Just find the book, Ash,” Esme urged breathlessly. “It’s there, somewhere. But watch, there are others that are just as dangerous.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
I took one step and the prowling creature changed direction to match my own, eyes now pinned on me. The air shifted, a spear of Deston’s dark power headed straight for the Wolver, and the thing huffed when Deston’s magic struck its side, magic that should have pierced the creature clean through. The werewolf shook its giant head, then changed direction, heading once more for Esme and Deston, slowly and deliberately, as if this was all a game.
Or the creature had been instructed to draw this out.
“Find that book, Aisling.” Deston’s voice was tight. “As quickly as you can. I don’t know what this creature is, but I’m not sure my magic will touch it.”
I edged toward the books, careful to move as little as possible, careful not to catch the thing’s attention. This was all wrong. That bookcase…the glass door hadn’t been dislodged from the explosion; it was unlocked, opened on purpose.
The key was still sticking out of the lock, and the iron bars that held in the most dangerous books…only those had been removed and they all lay in the pile, wide open, leaking their magic—their combined magic—out into the world
I remembered the unfortunate duke who’d tried to use Katarina’s book. I remembered the king, and wrapped a coating of shadow around me, smothering even the faint blue glow in my skin. As fast as I could, I reached down and began closing books, stacking them, some fighting me every step of the way, snapping at me with ferocity that sent me dancing out of the way.
“Hurry, Ash.” I didn’t dare look, didn’t dare take my eyes off what I was doing, not when this was only part of the trap Acheron—or Magnis—had set for us. The pile was enormous, some of the books were from other sections of the Sanctum, and they’d chosen the most dangerous ones, the ones that took time to seal shut.
I worked my way through them as fast as I could, the darkness thinning, the air brightening, as I sealed them shut with binding spells, a leash of my magic, or…a big fucking rock that I slammed on top to hold the covers together so nothing could creep out.
Esme, who obviously cared more about the demonic books than her own life, gave me unhelpful pointers, and scolded me when I was too rough.
Below them all, at the very bottom, Katarina’s book lay flat on the floor, wide open, spilling out untold swarms of insects and monsters. But I had to reach it.
“Fucking hell.” I yanked my hand back, the end of my fingers stinging, despite my magical protections. I used magic to close this particular book, a tome on ancient blood diseases I’d never before dare touch, wondering what horrible sickness I’d just gotten infected by, but then it didn’t matter, because I’d found what I needed.
“Come on, Ash.” Esme sounded desperate, and I reached for Katarina’s book, my fingertips brushing the cover, when Esme screamed.
The werewolf sprang, a long, sinuous stretch of muscle and fur and teeth, aiming straight for the female who’d rocked me to sleep and comforted me when my sire was gone, who, despite her faults, had always watched out for me.
It was like watching the worst slow-motion movie ever, my fingers barely touching the cover, the knowledge I’d be too late, too late to save my friend before she got her throat torn out.
Deston cast spell after spell, but nothing stopped the attack and I forgot the damn book, forgot everything except the look of abject fear in Esme’s face and sent my magic roaring. Power exploded through the room, shattering the fronts of the glass cabinets that had survived the explosion, flattening Esme and Deston to the floor, blowing the wolf straight across the room, where it crashed into the fireplace, got up, shook off the blow, and growled.
But far enough away from Esme and Deston, it wasn’t an immediate threat.
“Fine, you fucker. Get back onto your fucking page, or wherever you belong.”
I scooped the book up off the ground, fanned the pages, and held it toward the werewolf, wide open.
Nothing happened.
The werewolf bared its teeth and chuffed. If I didn’t know any better, I would have though the fucker was laughing at me.
“Esme, why isn’t it going back inside?” I shook the book, fanned the pages, which only produced another cloud of those awful flies.
She was back on her feet, huddled behind Deston, using his body to shield her.
“I think…” Esme’s horrified gaze swung between me and the werewolf, who had forgotten all about them and was now heading straight for me. “Because that thing, whatever it is, didn’t come out of the book in the first place.”
Well, that explained the trap.
“Which one are you, then?” I carefully closed the book, and the buzzing insects disappeared, thank the gods. “And how did you get inside?” I gave Esme a sideways glance, then slid the book over in her direction with my foot, keeping an eye on our attacker.
I mentally tallied up the list Wolf gave us with each Elder, and their talents. “You’re Isra, I’ll bet. Shapeshifter, capable of taking any form.” The werewolf paused, then picked up the pace, leaping over the settee, landing in front of me without a sound. “Let me guess…you became a fruit fly or some such shit and found a crack in the ward somewhere.”
I moved to my right, leading Isra away from Deston, from Esme, who darted forward, scooped up Katarina’s book, and returned to Deston’s side.
“Why don’t you transform so we can have a conversation?” I asked. “Don’t you have something to tell us? A message, perhaps, from Magnis?” My lips twisted into a smirk. “I’m sure my grandsire has something to say, since he went to all this trouble to lure me down here.”
A flash of light and the male stood before us, no less menacing in this form, thankfully—mostly—clothed. He was tall, a wide barrel chest beneath a fierce, bearded face, powerful arms, muscled thighs. Pretty imposing, all in all. He touched the deep wound on his chest, ran his fingers through the blood dripping down his abdomen.
We’d hurt him. Not mortally, but our magic had hurt him, even in his other form.
“Say what you have to say.” I told him, scrambling around for any other information I could remember from Wolf’s report, but everything was all a blur. He’d kill Deston and Esme. And gods knew what was happening up above…
“Ash.” Esme’s tone had me turning my head, enough to see her fingers move. Careful. He can become anything.
“Neat trick with the books, I’m sure they’re keeping everyone upstairs busy.” My fingers flashed. Get that book upstairs and help Rowan and the others.
I gritted my teeth when neither Esme nor Deston moved. “Cat got your tongue? Magnis should have picked a better messenger, Acheron seems like the talkative type, why isn’t he here?”
“Your betrothed is otherwise occupied.”
“Ah, so you can make words. Impressive.”
“The sorcerer wishes to test your loyalties. Will you stay and fight to save your friends fighting so valiantly above…or...” His eyes landed on Esme and Deston. “Those down here?” Isra’s deep voice—like Acheron’s—was so heavily accented, I strained to understand every word. “Our quest to rebuild our race shall be a long and arduous one, and you must be willing to make sacrifices.”
Deston and I traded a glance, and I flicked my eyes to the staircase behind them. Go, I urged him silently. Go help the others. But the stubborn bastard didn’t budge. His arm snapped up, his power rolled…and hit a wall, a globe of some kind that surrounded him and Esme, and Isra’s mouth curled upwards.
“I wasn’t aware Magnis valued loyalty. I thought you guys operated on more of a whoever-has-the-jars-rules power structure.”
I meant the taunt as a test. I didn’t know where the entrance to that hidden hallway was, but Isra’s eyes stayed on me, not so much as a blink, or a furtive glance around. I doubted he knew the jars were down here, which either meant Magnis didn’t trust him, or was keeping the jar’s location secret.
Beneath his thick beard, Isra’s grin turned ugly. “Your betrothed said you were mouthy. This will not please your grandsire.”
“Thank fuck I’m not here to please anyone, then. And you can stop calling that moron my betrothed. I’m already sick to death of him whining about his long-lost Lilith. It’s boring.”
For the first time, something like interest flickered in Isra’s eyes. “He will not like that, either.”
“Why are you here?” I could only imagine the chaos reigning up top, the danger everyone was in, while we stood around down here and bandied insults back and forth. As if keeping us occupied was the entire point.
I blinked, and Isra no longer stood in front of me. A different Elder took his place, perfectly groomed, so realistic I lost my breath.
Oh right, shapeshifter.
Nikolai’s eyes were molten gold, skin glowing, as if his body was outlined in a faint light. “Hello, Aisling.” He extended his hand. “Come with me. I will keep you safe, I will take care of you.”
The Elder’s superior power washed over me in deep, delicious waves, sensual and teasing, pulling out dark, forbidden desires I’d never before imagined, but now wanted more than anything. I swayed, closing my eyes against his onslaught, reminding myself of…of…
“Nikolai.” I fought this, fought it and still, took a wavering step forward, unable to resist the power thrumming through my veins, the siren’s song that every cell in my body was answering.
“Aisling.” Esme’s scream yanked me out of the spell the Elder had woven around me, the fog of lust sloughing off me like snake skin at the sound of her voice. I sent a flurry of shadows toward him, unorganized and sloppy, but enough to send him stumbling backwards.
Enough to break the spell.
When I blinked, Isra was still in Nikolai’s form, but it was like Isra wore his body like cheap clothing. There was none of Nikolai’s elegant grace, none of his brooding solitude, or his intense good looks. And without that, this thing in front of me was only an empty shell, created to trap me and drag me away while everyone else was fighting to stay alive.
Fear clutched my heart in sharp talons. “Nice try.” I mocked, though my voice shook. We’d been down here too long. Too long to sort out the books, too long talking to this arsehole.
“Come with me, Aisling. It’s time to come home.”
Isra’s command rang through me with all the power of a being far older and stronger than me and my blood, my traitorous vampire blood, ached to obey that order. No matter how hard I fought this…his power was too much. Isra was too strong, too strong and he was using every bit of his dominance to force me to obey.
It made me realize that all those times I’d thought Nikolai compelled me…he really hadn’t.
Deston was screaming, screaming to get free, Esme glowing like a newly forged blade, but neither of them could penetrate the shield Isra had erected around them. Not even Deston, Caine’s blooded brother, was strong enough to defeat whatever this magic was.
My shoulders sagged, arms hanging limp as my side.
“No.” Esme moaned.
“Fight him, Aisling. Fight this.” Deston ordered, “Do not let him win.”
“I can’t.” The words came out brokenly, along with a little sob of fear. These beings were far too old and far too strong for me to resist with my will alone. That’s not how power worked with our kind.
“Okay.” I raised my shaking hand to ward him off, tears rolling down my face, my voice breaking. “Okay, just...please, I can’t take this. Your power…it’s too much. Just…I’ll come with you, don’t hurt my friends, that’s all I ask.”
“My orders are to take you back alive. I will not touch your…friends.” But Isra’s creeping smile told me otherwise. His orders had been to leave no survivors.
The crushing pressure eased off, enough for me to yank every last bit of power from the deep well at my center and send razor-sharp shadows spinning toward this fucker.
“Surprise, motherfucker. I can lie, too.” I pushed the shadows before me, like a tidal wave, black and deep, filled with so much force I might collapse the entire castle on top of us. But the alternative was everyone dying, which was not an option.
Isra was stronger than me, older than me.
But our power came from the same source, and mine was infinitely stronger.
Maybe because Katarina’s blood flowed in my veins, maybe because I’d been born vampire and not made, but whatever the reason, my power tore through Isra like a threshing machine, cleaving flesh from bone, allowing him only the briefest moment of shock before that, too was gone, his shredded body collapsing in a heap.
I took one look and went to my knees, heaving.
It’s not really Nikolai. It’s not really him. It’s only an illusion…
“Aisling get up. We must move.” Deston hauled me to my feet, and I didn’t look, wouldn’t look at what I’d done. I was shaking, shivering from expending everything so fast. From seeing not-Nikolai crumpled on the floor...like that. “Can you walk?”
“Carry her.” Esme snapped. “We have to hurry.”
Then I heard them. Even through the thick walls, the four floors that lay between us, I heard them.
The screaming. The shouting. The utter panic of everyone outside.
“Go.” I rubbed the bond in my chest, aching like it never had before and shoved Deston away. “Go help them. Please.”
40
DARROW
We were so fucked.
I saw Finn’s plan, the moment he faced off with that snake.
I also knew Rowan would never leave his brother. And if either brother lost the other…I shuddered. Nope. Not happening on my watch.
I turned myself to vapor, then reformed, barreling into Finn, knocking him out of the way of the serpent’s strike, the snake’s curved fangs grazing my arm, leaving a trail of yellow venom—and agony—behind.
Fine then, if I was going out, I’d take this motherfucking thing with me.
I gripped my knife, but my legs wobbled, and I foundered down onto one knee, the world spinning wildly.
One bite from this thing had nearly been the end of Ash, filled with powerful magic.
What chance did I have?
“Darrow.” Finn’s shout of warning got drawn out into one long, continuous scream, the snake’s head shooting out so fast I couldn’t evade it, clamping over my shoulder with crushing strength. Fire burned through me, fire that took my breath away, even my grunt of pain disappeared into an expelled gasp of air that had no sound.
I stabbed weakly, the knife slipping in my numb hand, but the pressure eased off, the fangs withdrew.
Then Finn was there, dragging me away by the back of my jacket, then we were flying, cold whipping my face. We reformed out on the front lawn, where Luthor and his men were battling the last spider, the muddy ground soaked with blood.
“He’s been bitten.” Finn screamed, for whoever might hear in the chaos, “by that fucking snake.”
“You idiot.” Rowan reformed beside me, scanning my body, his eyes flying wide when he got to my ruined shoulder. “Both of you. I swear to the gods, if they spare your lives, I am going to kill you both.”
Rowan went to stem the blood streaming out of the bite, and I yanked away, going down into the mud, my knees sinking in deep, trapping me in place. Black spots clouded my vision, every breath I took turned to fire in my lungs.
“No. Stay away.” I warned, through gritted teeth. “Remember? You can’t touch me.”
Rowan’s hands clenched at his sides. “Then fucking get Zell here. Now.”
“That’ll take too long.” Finn growled. “I’ll carry him back to the castle.”
“No. Not going to make it.” I muttered. The venom was already working, my heart slowing down, the dull, aching numbness spreading up from my feet, cold seeping from around the bite on my shoulder. “Too much venom in my system…already…too late.”
I’d seen enough males die to recognize the signs. A minute, maybe, before I lost consciousness, five until my heart stopped for good.
Rowan reached for me again, but Finn yanked him back. “You can’t, Rowan, you can’t.” Finn’s voice was thick. “Sorry brother, but I’m not losing you both. Hey. Hey.” He shouted across the ruined lawn at someone I couldn’t see. “One of you fuckers find Zell, bring her back. Do it right the fuck now. Tell her Dar’s been poisoned, and…”
“No.” I met Finn’s eyes. “It’ll be too late, and it’ll only endanger her. You were right. Get everyone out and shut this whole place down.” Fuck, my tongue was so numb I could barely speak.
“Where’s Ash?” I tried to turn my head and couldn’t. Fucking hell that sucked. I would have liked to say goodbye at least.
“Shit,” Rowan muttered, staring at the castle. “There’s Esme. And Deston.” His face turned white. “No Ash. Where the fuck is my mate?”
“Go,” I told him, the edges of the world turning dark, blurring into the spots in my vision. “Make sure our girl’s okay. Do that, will you? Keep her safe for me?”
“Godsdamn it, Darrow, shut the fuck up.”
“Just…keep her safe.”
“Stop talking bullshit.” Rowan settled into the mud beside me. “You’re not dying on me. And I’m not leaving you.”
I coughed, tasting copper. “Don’t put me in the ground. Burn me.” There were a thousand…a million things I’d never told Rowan and now that I had to choose the most important ones, there were too many godsdamned choices.
