by Melody Raven
“I absolutely will not promise that. Judging others happens to be one of my favorite pastimes.”
She dropped her head in her hands. “You’re unbelievable. Fine. I’ll tell you, but only because I’m not sure if I’m going to make it out of the next twenty-four hours alive.” Her head was still in her hands and she wouldn’t look up at him. “I was thinking that it would be a shame for me to die without.... Nope. I can’t.”
Well now, this was interesting. Aidan pushed himself forward and crossed the room in a heartbeat. He was positively desperate to find out what she was thinking now. “How about I offer you something in return.”
She glanced up, one dark eye peeking through her hair. “Offer me what?”
“A stupid thought.”
“Well, I suppose I can’t say no to that.”
“When I first met you and you asked for my help training you to fight, I didn’t have time. I was supposed to be helping Talia track down some mysterious Vopura,” he said with a little wink. “But I couldn’t get you out of my mind. So I called you my distraction. My happy distraction to think about every time I felt out of control or like things were getting too out of hand.”
She took a few deep breaths. “That’s not that stupid,” she finally said softly. He thought he was going to have to coax her confession out of her, but soon enough she said, “I’m sitting here locked in this room with you. I have no idea what’s going to happen when that door opens again. If I’ll ever see you again. If we’ll go off on some other crazy adventure together. And all I could think about while you were telling me that story, which was supposed to make me hate you or something, was that I wished I’d taken a chance on you. Because I would hate to die a virgin, and I think you would’ve been the perfect first experience.”
Aidan took a deep swallow. Had he imagined that? Was he just hearing what he wanted to hear? He stood and took two large steps back. The room wasn’t large from end to end. The octagon library was about twelve feet in diameter. It would be larger, but the bookshelves encroached on the space. The only furniture was a table and chair that Aidan quickly pushed to the side to give him as much room as possible in their little prison.
Once the floor was clear, he turned back to face Lina. “Come at me.”
She blinked in surprise. “What?”
“You heard me perfectly well. Come at me.”
“You want to do more fight training?”
“We might have to fight our way out of here. You don’t know.”
Lina tentatively pushed herself up. “You want me to just come at you?”
“Just like before. Unless you think you can’t take me.”
“You know what I am now. You know how strong I am.”
Aidan pulled his shoulders back, stretching out to every inch of his six-foot-two height. “And you know how strong I am. Now come at me.”
She licked her lips and took a deep breath before she ran at him. She sure as hell went faster than she had before, but she was still holding back. He had plenty of time to duck out of the way as she went straight into the door, her body hitting the wood hard. But when she turned back around, Aidan was there, catching her wrists in his and pinning her against the wall. “You shouldn’t have held back,” he said right next to her ear.
But she didn’t want to push him away. She didn’t want to use her strength against him. She wanted this. She wanted him. There would be no more battling for control. She could finally give in to her baser instincts and let her body take over. She started to close the distance between them.
But right before their lips touched, the door to the library swung open.
“Not on my watch,” he muttered as he threw a handful of sand at them.
And before Lina could even put her hands up to block it, she and Aidan both fell to the ground.
Lina didn’t know how she fell asleep. It had to have been some sort of spell. There was no way she would have been able to relax enough under the circumstances to let unconsciousness take over. Nonetheless, she found herself snapping awake, her eyes shooting open. She pushed herself up.
Aidan didn’t seem to have woken up like she did. He sat with his legs propped up, his back against one of the bookshelves. “Morning, sunshine. If you’re awake, I’m guessing that means—”
The door to the library opened, and Aidan jumped up and pressed himself back against the far wall. But it quickly became apparent that they were outnumbered. A whole flood of people entered, all wearing some variation of light blue: blue dresses, blue robes; some men were in blue suits. As each one of these beautiful people entered, they fanned out in a different direction. Almost as if they’d rehearsed these graceful movements.
Lina eyed each one, but it soon became apparent the only one who was actually a threat. The woman who came in last practically vibrated power. If Lina could tell that, she could only imagine the awe-inspiring sight she must be to other witches.
Her flowing gown looked ethereal and effortless. The light fabric wasn’t tight at all, but seemed to cling to all of her curves. And even though she emanated age and wisdom, she looked no older than a human thirty. Her hair was a thick and lustrous white and hung loose around her shoulders, straight and severe. However, the ethereal image was broken by her deep-red lips and the stern glint in her eyes. This was no angel.
Lina took a deep breath and clenched her fists.
“Talia, this is family business. You didn’t have to bring your whole entourage,” said Aidan from beside her.
He sounded calm. Confident. It had to be an act. There was no way all of this pomp and circumstance wasn’t intimidating him.
Talia glanced over at her grandson and raised one sharp, barely visible brow. “If you knew the things I knew, you would understand exactly how important all of this pomp and circumstance is.”
And then she turned her icy gaze to Lina. “Well, look at you.”
A bolt of fear shot through her. She swallowed it down. She knew she wasn’t good at hiding her emotions, but she had to at least try.
“I’ve heard rumors about how pretty the women of your kind are. And that even they understated it.” Talia closed the distance between them.
Lina couldn’t tell whether she was walking or gliding along the floor, partly because it was almost impossible to maintain eye contact with the powerful woman for too long. But then Talia was reaching out and running the back of her fingers along Lina’s cheek. Lina shuddered and found herself tightly closing her eyes.
She thought back to all of those true crime podcasts. After all of those terrible stories she’d heard, she would’ve thought that would have somehow prepared her for her own death, but apparently she was going to face it just as cowardly as she faced everything else.
There was an abrupt change in the air in front of her face and the touch was abruptly taken away.
“What the hell is wrong with you? You’re scaring her.”
Aidan. Lina’s eyes snapped open to see him standing between her and Talia. She didn’t want him to get hurt, but the idea of him protecting her put a little smile on her face.
Unfortunately, Talia smiled too. “You two have feelings for each other. That’s unfortunate.”
“If it’s unfortunate, then why are you smiling?”
“Because I can use it.” Talia turned her gaze back to Lina. “You think I’m going to kill you.”
Lina blinked as she tried to find her voice. “I don’t know if you’re going to kill me or if you want to use me. I don’t like being used.”
“Isn’t it strange we can live on two different worlds, and yet we’re both overrun with males trying to assert dominance?”
“It doesn’t really seem like that’s an issue for you,” said Lina, immediately regretting her smartass response.
But Talia didn’t seem upset by it. If anything, she was rather amused. “You don’t know who I had to fight to get to where I’m at. When push comes to shove, I’m a very good fighter.”
“When pu
sh comes to shove, you fight dirty,” said Aidan.
“True. I assume that’s where you get it from,” she said to Aidan, a not-so-subtle reminder that they were blood relatives.
Lina took a nervous gulp. “All right, just tell me how you want to use me so I can say no and you can kill me.”
Talia’s baby-blue eyes went wide, and she cocked her head. “You have such a horrid picture of me. Like some towering villain. You misunderstand my intentions, Lina. I’m a protector. My kind has worked for centuries to keep this world safe from both our kind and your cousins, the vampires. We’re the reason they can’t enter without invitation. We’re the reason no portals were opened in centuries. We were supposed to be the reason no portals were ever opened. And we failed. We allowed your kind to enter this world once again, and we failed not just once but twice. And I’m going to fix this.”
“Great. Then fix it. I don’t see why you need me.”
“You should be thankful that I need you. It’s when I don’t need you that you should be worried.”
“Grandmother, why don’t we go somewhere private to talk about this?”
“You don’t need privacy. You need to do what I say and exactly what I say. You don’t understand what is at risk for us.”
“Then tell me! I’m not some pawn to be pushed around by—”
Talia held out a hand; Aidan went flying back against a bookcase, and books went flying off the shelves. Lina reacted purely on instinct as she shot forward and shoved at Talia. It worked to break her control on Aidan but backfired in every other conceivable way as each member of Talia’s considerable entourage converged on her and all started to chant.
The words were ancient and lyrical, but Lina couldn’t appreciate them because pain took over. Every single nerve felt as though it were exploding, and her skin felt as if it had been split open, as if there were paper cuts over every inch of her. She couldn’t even scream as she fell to the ground. She couldn’t move; she couldn’t breathe. She was rendered completely incapable of anything, and then everything went black.
Lina’s eyes cracked open, and she immediately wished she’d kept them closed. She wasn’t in the library anymore, and she wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Because she also didn’t see Aidan. Talia sat next to her, and Lina was spread out on a bed. She pushed herself up slowly, not wanting to appear threatening to the witch. Considering what had happened the last time she attacked Talia, she definitely didn’t want to be considered a threat.
“How are you feeling?” asked Talia as she looked Lina up and down.
Lina didn’t answer her question. She knew Talia didn’t care, and she didn’t want to have any of this fake conversation. “Where’s Aidan?”
“He was very passionate about you. I think it would be best for us girls to talk alone.”
“Us girls?” God, she’d rather be tortured than have to face more of this ridiculous conversation.
“You know, our kind are ancient enemies. It’s very remarkable that you and he have been able to form such a bond.”
“I didn’t know what he was,” offered Lina weakly. “He didn’t know what I was either.”
“Accidental love. Isn’t that how it always goes?”
Lina couldn’t help her scoff. “Aidan doesn’t love me. He’s just controlling. He doesn’t like not being in control.”
“I suppose he might get that from me. I admit it’s not the best personality trait, but it helps.”
“Don’t do this,” said Lina suddenly.
“Don’t do what?”
“Try to act friendly. Try to bond. You kept me here against my will. You hurt me. You hurt your own grandson when he tried to protect me. I don’t like these false pretenses.”
“You don’t like not being in control.” Talia reached out and set a hand on Lina’s knee. “Even a simple touch shows how little control you have here.”
Lina jerked her leg away. “Just tell me what you want.”
“There’s another portal. Vopura are spilling through every day, and I have no way to stop it. I need you to tell me where that portal is.”
“I can’t. I don’t have any connections. None of my people even know I’m here.”
“All right.” Talia held out a hand, and a plume of blue smoke shot out of her palm until a manila folder sat in its place. “I’d like you to look at this.”
Lina stared skeptically at the folder for a moment, and Talia added, “It’s not going to bite.”
Even so, Lina knew whatever the contents were inside, they weren’t good. She tentatively reached out, took the file from Talia, and turned it open. Her mouth immediately went dry as she stared into the eyes of a dead woman.
“What the hell is this?”
“Keep looking.”
Lina wanted to say no, but on some level, she already knew what point Talia was trying to make. She turned the pages, looking at picture after picture of dead, lifeless eyes staring up at the camera. Each of the victims was a pale color, signaling a dramatic loss of blood.
“These are from the last two days.” Talia pushed the file closed, finally freeing Lina from the horrid pictures. “Each of those women had dreams. Plans. Family. And all of those dreams have been cut off because someone used them.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I know you’re different. You never left any bodies. You understand the sanctity of life. Do you know much about black magic?”
Lina blinked at the strange question. “I don’t know anything about any magic.”
“Black magic revolves around death. Our kind recognize the sanctity of life is so powerful that if you hand it over, you can access some of the most forbidden powers. But black magic is not to be taken lightly. It’s my job, as the head of this family, to protect humans and witches alike.”
“If you’re supposed to protect humans, then why did a witch help set up the wall around Seattle in the first place?”
Talia smiled bitterly. “If you were anyone else, I’d punish you for asking such a personal question. But I understand that what I’m asking of you is not easy. And because of that, I’ll give you an honest answer. My granddaughter, Gloria, was a young, foolish girl. And she, like so many of us before, fell in love. I cut her off from her lover, and it made her angry and vengeful. She helped your kind set up the wall as a way to punish me. And in return for her help, your kind murdered her. It’s a tragic situation all around, but I recognize my part in it. Which makes my need to correct these mistakes all the more strong.”
“You want me to find some gate to Vora, but I don’t have anything to go on.”
“Your lies are transparent,” accused Talia. “I know more than you’d expect. For instance, I know it’s your fiancé who attempted to kill my grandson.”
Lina took a nervous gulp. “If you know so much, why do you even need my help?”
“Because I don’t know enough. You need to help me, Lina. If you don’t, countless innocent women and children will die. Thousands will never have their dreams come true.”
“And I’m supposed to give up everything I’ve worked for? I never signed up to be a martyr.”
“These women didn’t sign up to be some monster’s dinner.”
Lina clenched her jaw. Part of her was utterly convinced that none of this was her fault. She hadn’t opened a gate to come here. She hadn’t even come here of her own free will. But she couldn’t argue that it wasn’t a tragedy. “This isn’t my fault.”
“It isn’t. But if you can stop it and you choose not to, that does put some of that weight on your shoulders.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Find your mate. Go back to him. And tell me what I need to know—the location of the portal and what protections they have over it. I can take care of the rest.”
She had to bite back the urge to scream that Scragg wasn’t her mate. “But they have witches working for them. That’s how they drained your powers, isn’t
it? How can you expect me to outsmart witches and Vopura? You’re just going to be sending me to die.”
“You’re forgetting your weapons. You’re just a girl, remember? What threat do you really pose? They’ll never suspect you of working with someone like me.”
“And if I don’t help you, you’re going to kill me?”
“Of course not. That wouldn’t be fair to you, would it? If you don’t help me, you’re free to go, of course.”
Lina sat up straighter. “You’re lying.”
“No. You’re free to go. However, I’ll have to let all my network know about the Vopura who refused to help. And since Aidan wasn’t able to secure your assistance, then I can’t hold up my end of the deal.”
“You’d keep his powers forever?”
“That’s only fair.”
Lina shook her head. “I don’t think fair has anything to do with what you’re saying. If I don’t help you, you’re going to put a death sentence on my head and leave your own grandson defenseless. I don’t think you’re any better than the men from my home world.”
“I’m a winner. And if I have to sacrifice the happiness of those I love to save millions, if not billions, then I’ll do that. And although I feel for you, I don’t count you among those I love.”
Lina wrung her hands together and closed her eyes. All she wanted to do was get away from this crazy woman and all of her demands that would just lead to her death, but she was totally trapped. “I’d like to be alone please.”
“Of course.” She stood. “Or would you like me to send Aidan in to you?”
“Are you okay?” asked Aidan the second he was in the room with Lina. “What did she say to you? Did she hurt you? I’m so sorry.” If his Talia laid one magical finger on Lina, he'd make her pay...
Lina shook her head as she held up a manila folder. “Your grandmother wants my help to stop the Vopura.”
“Talia can go fuck herself. That’s not your responsibility.”
Lina scoffed as she threw the folder on the ground and dozens of graphic photographs of dead women covered the floor. “She has some pretty persuasive arguments!”
