Beware the Darkness

by Alexandra Ivy

  “She loved my father?” It was weirdly difficult to form the words.

  “Very much. We were all….” Sabrina floundered as she searched for the right word. “Surprised,” she at last landed on. “But love is love. At least as far as we were concerned.”

  Inga shook her head, trying to clear away the fog. Her father hadn’t been a violent rapist. And her mother hadn’t given her away to slavers.

  Everything she believed was crumbling around her.

  In a good way.

  Well, in a mostly good way. She hadn’t missed the edge in Sabrina’s voice.

  “Not everyone was happy with their union?”

  Even through the barrier, Inga could see the mermaid pale. Was the memory causing her physical pain?

  “When it was discovered your mother was about to have a child the ogres went into open rebellion.”

  “Because she was a mermaid?” Inga asked.

  Sabrina muffled her bitter laugh, as if worried about disturbing the sleeping babies. “They claimed it was because your father had been promised the day he was born to mate with a female from a rival tribe. The bride price had already been paid and there was the threat of war.”

  Inga curled her lips in disgust. It was possible her belief that her father had been an aggressive brute had colored her opinion of ogres. After all, she’d heard plenty of rumors that there were tribes that had managed to become civilized. And if her mother had fallen in love with one, they couldn’t be all bad. Still, it was hard to think of them as anything but savages.

  “There’s always a threat of war with the ogres,” she groused.

  “True, but the breaking of the oath offered a perfect opportunity for one of your father’s overly ambitious lieutenants to kill his leader and take control of the tribe,” Sabrina said. “He was the one who led the rebellion.”

  Inga paused, allowing the words to seep into her heart. She’d never thought about her father. The knowledge of what he’d done to her mother had made her stomach cramp. Now a slow anger burned in the pit of her stomach.

  Not only had she lost her father, but she hadn’t been allowed to properly mourn his death. Instead she’d been taught he was a monster. “He murdered my father,” she rasped.

  “Yes,” Sabrina said in soft tones. “I’m sorry.”

  Inga waved off the female’s sympathy. She’d deal with her complicated daddy-daughter feelings later. First she had to know what happened to her mother.

  “And Poyson?” she asked, the name unfamiliar on her lips. “What did they do to her?”

  A salty blast of air managed to penetrate the barrier. “She’d just given birth to you when the soldiers burst into the lair. They…” Sabrina’s trembling words faded.

  Panic jolted through her. Ten minutes ago she wouldn’t have given a crap if her mother was alive or dead. Now she couldn’t bear the thought she was gone.

  “Please don’t tell me she’s dead,” she pleaded.

  Sabrina shook her head. “They thought she was. They stabbed her through the heart and tossed her over a cliff like she was a piece of trash. Thank the goddess she had a devoted servant who snuck her away and nursed her back to health. It took years before she fully recovered.”

  Inga released a shaky breath. “What about me?”

  “It didn’t make any sense they would have murdered your parents but left you alive. We all thought you were dead. Everyone except your mother. She swore she could feel you. In her heart.”

  She heaved a shaky sigh, forcing herself to her feet. “Where is she?”

  “Looking for you.”

  “Truly?”

  “Truly.” Sabrina’s features softened. “She has devoted her life to finding her baby.”

  A weight that Inga didn’t know she was carrying suddenly seemed to lift off her shoulders. Her mother was alive. And she was looking for her.

  “I didn’t know. I thought—” Her words lodged in her throat.

  “You were abandoned?” Sabrina asked softly.

  “Yes. All this time I could have been here with my mother. Instead I was torturing myself with the belief that I was a stain on my family.” Fury bubbled and then detonated through her. Like an exploding volcano. “I’m going to kill him.”

  Clearly sensing that Inga was about to rush from the nursery in a crazed rage, Sabrina pressed her hand against the barrier.

  “No, Inga,” she protested. “You can’t.”

  Inga narrowed her eyes. “Oh yes I can.”

  “No.” There was an unmistakable urgency in the mermaid’s voice. “He can’t be killed as long as he holds the Tryshu.”

  “The what?” Inga demanded.

  “It’s the trident he holds,” Sabrina told her. “It contains a powerful magic that makes him impervious to injury. You can’t kill him.” The bitterness returned to the mermaid’s face. “No one can.”

  Inga scowled. She’d encountered hundreds of powerful demons. Some that were near god-like. But everyone had a weakness.

  “There has to be a way.”

  “Listen to me, Inga, I need your help.” Sabrina muttered a curse when Inga continued to dwell on the best means of killing the King of the Mer-folk. “The babies need your help,” she said, effectively capturing Inga’s full attention.

  Inga planted her fists on her hips and studied her cousin through the barrier. “Are you on the other side of the wall?”

  “Not exactly. I’m locked in a magical prison created by Riven.”

  “Why?”

  The tears returned to Sabrina’s eyes. “He was using me as a pawn to force my sister, Waverly, to feed the vampire.”

  Inga’s breath hissed through her teeth. For centuries she’d watched the mermaid who’d appeared in the caves beneath the gardens of the hotel. She’d kept her distance, unwilling to reveal her presence. Now she realized that she could have discovered the truth centuries ago if she’d just talked to the female.

  “She was at the hotel,” Inga breathed in a harsh voice. “My cousin. And I didn’t even know.” She shook off her frustration. “Can we bust through the barrier?”

  “No. He was forced to leave a window open so my magic can continue to protect the nursery, but there’s no way to physically force your way through it.” Sabrina abruptly slammed her hand against the barrier. “Believe me, I’ve tried everything.”

  Inga glanced around. “So where is the doorway?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Well that was inconvenient.

  “Then how do I reach you?” Inga demanded.

  Sabrina lowered her hand and squared her shoulders. As if preparing to pronounce some bad news. “You can’t.”

  Inga felt a flare of annoyance. What was she talking about? “There has to be some way to find the doorway. Riven isn’t that smart.”

  A small smile flickered around Sabrina’s lips before it quickly faded.

  “Not in time.” Her gaze strayed toward the reservoirs filled with water and the precious babies, a profound sadness rippling over her face. “My powers are failing.”

  Inga glanced toward Levet who gave a small nod. The tiny gargoyle had sensed the fading magic the moment they’d entered the room. She returned her attention to the mermaid. “Then what do you want from me?”

  The female answered without hesitation. “You need to kill me.”

  Inga waited, wondering if this was some sort of test. Did she have to prove her loyalty to her family?

  “Kill you?” she at last demanded.

  Sabrina nodded as if Inga had asked if she wanted dinner, not to be murdered. “With my death the magic will pass to a new guardian,” she explained.

  Inga didn’t have to consider her answer. Not for a second.

  “No.”

  Sabrina looked desperate. “Please, Inga. I don’t fear death. At
least not my death.” She waved a hand toward the waters. “I will sacrifice anything to save the children.”

  Inga understood the woman’s desperation. The babies were utterly vulnerable. They had to be protected.

  But she’d spent her entire life without a family. Now that she finally found a cousin, she wasn’t going to kill her.

  “I can’t.”

  “Inga, please,” Sabrina entreated.

  Inga whirled around, managing to smack a hole in the wall with her clenched fist. She grimaced, holding her arms close to her side as she carefully hurried out of the nursery. The last thing she wanted was to further damage the nursery on her way out.

  Once she reached the hallway, however, Levet had scurried to stand directly in front of her.

  “Where are you going, ma belle?”

  Inga halted, only then realizing her breath was bellowing in and out of her lungs. She sounded like a steam engine trying to chug up a steep hill.

  She took a minute to calm her tangled emotions. “I can’t kill my cousin,” she said, her stubborn tone warning she wasn’t in the mood to argue. “But I can kill the person responsible.”

  Levet’s wings fluttered, his eyes wide. “Non. You heard the princess. Riven cannot die.”

  “Anything can die,” Inga growled, stepping to the side.

  She fully intended to sweep past the gargoyle to go in search of Riven. The lying, spineless King of the Mer-folk had to be in the castle somewhere.

  But glancing down, she felt a sudden pang of guilt as she met Levet’s worried gaze. She didn’t know what was going to happen when she confronted Riven, but it was quite likely that it wasn’t going to be good.

  She couldn’t put Levet in danger.

  It was time to let him go.

  Chapter 17

  Levet was braced to try and stop his companion. Not the easiest task. She was quite large, and in her current mood, he wasn’t sure that a full-grown troll could hold her back. Thankfully, his magic was awesome. And he had just the perfect spell to halt the female in her tracks.

  But even as he prepared to dazzle the ogress with his powers, Inga was reaching down to grasp him by one horn.

  Levet felt himself being lifted off the ground and then they were charging down the corridor at a teeth-jarring pace.

  “Eek!” Levet futilely wiggled to get free of the female’s grasp. A wasted effort. He might as well have tried to release himself from the jaws of a Cerberus demon. And he should know. He’d been caught by one of the mangy creatures when he’d tried to sneak into the underworld. Hades was such a party-crapper. “Put me down.”

  “I’m sorry, but I have to get to a place where I can open a portal.”

  “There is no need to carry me about like a sack of potatoes.”

  Inga ignored him, jogging up a staircase with the grace of a drunken goblin. Levet’s teeth rattled and his insides felt like they were being bounced into places they shouldn’t go.

  The things I endure for this ogress. And all because…

  His brow furrowed. Because why? The truth was, he wasn’t sure. A part was no doubt his natural urge to protect any female. He was a Prince Charming extraordinaire, even if his talents were not always appreciated. He could never resist the urge to rush to the aid of a damsel in distress. But this was more. It was almost as if he was being compelled to safeguard the female by a force greater than himself.

  Fate? Destiny? An illusion?

  He wasn’t sure. And bizarrely it didn’t bother him nearly as much as it should.

  They reached the top of the staircase and Inga turned toward a door that led to a long corridor. This one, however, wasn’t chiseled out of ocean bedrock. Instead it was lined with murals that were almost as glorious as the ones Inga painted. At least he seemed to have a vague memory of admiring her artwork. The floors were marble with flecks of real gold. Above their heads he could catch sight of strange globes of light that floated near the curved ceiling.

  Levet was fascinated. He’d seen fairy lights, but these were different. The glow had a shimmer that changed colors and pulsed as if it was connected to someone’s heartbeat. Mermaid magic. It was beautiful.

  Still contemplating the source of power, Levet was astonished when he was abruptly surrounded by darkness. Had he gone blind? He blinked. No. They were moving through a portal.

  He breathed a sigh of relief as he caught the scent of stone and moss and the musk of vampires. They were in the caves near Lilah’s hotel.

  “Thank the goddess,” he breathed. “You have come to your senses.”

  She looked down at him, her expression sad. “Not really. But at least you’ll be safe.” Without warning, she leaned down to stroke her hand over the top of his wing. A shiver of pleasure raced through Levet. Mmm. Her touch was surprisingly gentle. “A shame we never got to visit Paris.”

  Levet scowled, his relief fading as he caught sight of the steely determination in her eyes. “You’re returning to the castle?”

  She shrugged. “Someone has to deal with Riven.”

  Levet stomped his foot. Princess Sabrina had just told them that Riven couldn’t be killed. What did she think she could do on her own to hurt the King of Mer-folk?

  “It is a suicide missile.”

  “Mission,” she absently corrected him.

  He gave another stomp of his foot. Stubborn creature. “Fine. Suicide mission.”

  Her eyes turned a brilliant red as she bared her pointed teeth. “He lied to me. He made me believe that my mother sold me to slavers. And that I was a blight on the mer-folk,” she ground out in fury.

  “Oui.” Levet held up a hand. “He is a despicable creature, but you cannot fight him without some help.” Levet paused, a fuzzy idea beginning to form. “We must ask the vampires to join us.”

  She glanced at him in surprise, as if caught off guard by his suggestion. Then she slowly shook her head. “No. I have to do this on my own.”

  There was a haunting sadness in her voice. Levet reached up to grasp her hand, giving her thick fingers a squeeze.

  “Never on your own, ma belle,” he insisted. “Have you forgotten you have a Knight in Shining Armor at your service?”

  She smiled, but the sadness lingered. “Not this time.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She gently tugged her fingers out of his grasp. “I want you to stay here.”

  Levet stiffened. Had the female lost her mind? No one with any sense would deprive themselves of his magnificent magic. Especially when facing a crazed merman who couldn’t be killed.

  “You doubt my powers?”

  She looked shocked by his accusation. “Of course not.”

  “Then I will stand at your side.” He squared his shoulders, his wings spread to reveal their full glory. “Where I belong.”

  Unexpected tears filled Inga’s eyes. “You belong here with your friends.”

  His friends? Levet didn’t know who she was talking about. He possessed thousands of friends, but he had no urge to be with them. Not now.

  His place was with Inga. Was it not?

  “You cannot keep me from following you,” he warned the ogress. “I will find a fey creature to create a portal.”

  She heaved a deep sigh. “Levet.”

  “What?”

  She bent over, putting her face a mere inch from his own. “Look at me,” she commanded.

  Levet obediently met her gaze, noting that the crimson had faded to reveal the sea-blue of her eyes. He also noted they were quite pretty. Large and clear and surrounded by a lush frame of lashes. Were they a gift from her mermaid mother?

  The ogress was no doubt intending to kiss him goodbye. Females tended to find it difficult to keep their hands off him. It was his fault, of course. He had too much charm to keep contained in his delicate size.

  “I re
alize that I am irresistible, chéri,” he assured her. “But now is not the time to play smoochy-face.” He reached to pat her cheek, hoping to ease the sting of his rejection. “Perhaps later.”

  Her hand lifted, her fingers touching the center of his forehead. “Remember.”

  Levet clicked his tongue. It seemed that she didn’t intend to kiss him after all. That was…disappointing.

  “Remember what?” he asked, distracted by the strange sensation of tingles crawling beneath his skin. It felt like someone was removing a cobweb. Or perhaps the crackle of a spell being broken. “What have you done?” he demanded.

  Inga straightened, her expression impossible to read. “I’ve given you back your freedom.”

  “I do not…” Levet’s words died on his lips as a curtain slowly parted in his mind. Fragments of memory began to form, as if waking from a deep sleep. “Wait,” he breathed, gazing at the ogress with a growing sense of outrage. “You worked at the hotel with Lilah.”

  Inga squared her shoulders, looking like she was preparing for battle.

  “Yes.”

  Levet turned his head to glance around the caverns. He hadn’t forgotten being down here, but his memories had been…smudged. He had a perfect image of chatting with Inga near the large stone altar in the center of floor. But now he could also recall that the ogress had grabbed him by the horn and hauled him to the nearby dungeons.

  Standing as still as a statue—an easy task for a gargoyle—Levet tried to piece together the past.

  He’d come to the hotel with Chiron. Oui. They’d come to search for the male’s missing master.

  “And that vampire who was chasing us was Tarak,” he said in accusing tones. “You imprisoned him.”

  Inga hunched her broad shoulders. “Not me. Riven.”

  Levet snorted. Did she think she could deflect her sins onto the merman? It wasn’t Riven who’d held him prisoner. Or wiped his mind of his memories. Or compelled him to assist her on her mad flight from the furious Tarak.

  “You were helping him,” he stubbornly insisted.

  “He tricked me.”

  “As you tricked moi.”

  She grudgingly nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry.”