by Alessa Thorn
“I was preoccupied last night and didn’t think they would ever be so bold. Where are they now?”
“Probably still in St. Petersburg looking for me,” Iz lied. There was no way that Leo wouldn’t have hacked her phone. And Silas would never leave them in a place where they were compromised.
“Where in St. Petersburg? Come now, keep being helpful. You mercenaries all have a price, and the only one I’m offering you now is make yourself useful and live.”
Iz really doubted she would be able to walk away, not with everything she knew about him. This night would end with a bullet in her head or Silas and the others coming to rescue her unless she found a way to get away from the psycho in front of her.
“Or we can do it this way.” Gadal lifted the cloth away from the tray, and Iz recoiled at the pain that radiated from the instruments. She had expected the usual scalpel and a pair of pliers. She didn’t expect a pear of anguish.
“I’m sure someone with your family history would know exactly what this is,” he said, picking up the device. It looked like a metal pear with a key for twisting at the end. It was designed to torture women in the most intimate and horrific way possible. “They would have used this on your ancestors before they burned them at the stake. You don’t need to suffer the way they did.”
Fear, unlike anything she had experienced before, filled her with icy nails. Horror and hot bile clawed at her throat, and she couldn’t hide the tremor in her voice.
“That’s not necessary. I’ll tell you what you want to know without you using any of those things on me. If the Edgeworths are still in St. Petersburg, you’ll find them at their hotel.” She rattled off the name, address, and room numbers.
Gadal took a phone from his pocket and turned it on before dialing a number. “I need you to take a team and go to the following address.” He gave whoever was at the end of the line the details before hanging up.
“I must say, I did expect more of a fight from you, Izabella. From what I could gather, you were close to Silas Edgeworth. I didn’t expect you to betray him so easily.”
“I worked for Silas, but he means nothing to me. Just another boss. Let me go, and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Gadal clicked his tongue. “I can’t do that, especially because you lied to me just now. You love him, and he loves you.”
Iz laughed. “You need to get better sources. I don’t love him, and he doesn’t give a shit about anything but Athena.”
“I don’t need to check any sources. I have seen you two in my visions. There’s a love that burns between you.” Gadal moved to lift her chin, and his magic pulled her up to her feet. “You matter to him, and I want him to suffer. I want his pain and to drink in your death. Now walk.”
Iz’s mind screamed as her feet obeyed, making her move one step after the other. She thought he would take her back to her cell, but he led her to a set of narrow stone stairs that twisted upwards.
Low humming filled the air, chants that Iz couldn’t identify the words of. Gadal waved a hand, and a large stone slid open above them. The chanting was loud now as Iz moved through the stone door and into a chapel.
Two rows of people wearing the same red robes were waiting for them.
Hanging from the altar was a banner stitched with a golden lion-headed deity with a serpent’s body and was crowned with a sunburst. There was a star on one side and a crescent moon on the other.
Iz recognized the figure as Yaldabaoth, the Demiurge, that resided in Chaos and whom the Gnostics believed created the physical universe.
Gadal walked Iz through the rows of chanting followers, the hairs on her body rising at the hum of magic in the air.
Gadal opened the chapel door and cold night air rushed over Iz. More torches and people filled a yard surrounded by stone walls and a tall tower.
Iz took one look at what had been built in the center of the yard, and her stomach turned to liquid. It was a pyre. The fucker was going to burn her alive.
Iz’s animal instinct kicked in, adrenaline rushing down her spine. She tried to fight the compulsion that held her, but her body refused to listen as it followed Gadal down a set of wooden steps.
He was humming something under his breath as he tied her hands to the wooden post before his magic finally released her.
Iz pulled and yanked against the bindings, knowing it was hopeless and still unable to stop.
Ancestors, help me! She prayed urgently. Don’t let another one of our family die this way.
“There’s no point in struggling, dear Izabella,” Gadal said. He took a small knife from his pocket and pressed the tip to her chest. She screamed as he cut something into her, and horrible, sticky power surrounded her.
“There. Now, when you die, I’ll get whatever spark of magic remains in your veins. Thank you.” Gadal took out his phone again and put the camera in her face. “Is there any last words you wish to give the Edgeworths before you die, witch?”
Iz laughed, a high-pitched crazy sound of someone with nothing left to lose.
“Fuck you, Gadal. I won’t give you the satisfaction of some tearful goodbye.”
“Very well.” Gadal stroked her cheek. “You’re going to brush against the final mystery, what lies beyond the veils of this broken physical world. Can you feel Death coming for you?”
“Can you? I know Death is coming, and believe me, when he gets here, you are going to die in every way you fear the most,” she snarled back. Gadal smiled coldly and stepped off the pyre. He lifted a torch from one of the tall metal rods cemented in the ground, and Iz whispered prayers to the saints under her breath.
Ancestors, be with me. Saints pray for me. Angels strengthen me.
Gadal lit the bundles of kindling, and smoke began to roll up in thick clouds to choke her. The chants of the hooded followers rose higher, the horrible power filling the air once more.
Iz stood up on her tiptoes, twisting her face from the smoke, trying to suck in clean air. She reached for her magic, her hands moving the way she had practiced for weeks. A tiny spark of heat rushed through her fingers.
Burn the rope, burn the rope, she thought desperately as she did it again. The wood had caught and was now circling her, the heat coming closer and closer. Iz coughed violently, smoke filling her lungs, and fear overwhelmed her.
“Ancestors! Help me!” she screamed. All at once, the world went silent, and something liquid and light raced through her veins.
Magic, like she hadn’t felt since the day of her father’s death, roared through her and took over. The fire froze around her as the rope at her wrists fell loose. The flames didn’t burn her as they drew around her and lifted her up off the platform.
Beneath her, the hooded figures were panicking, all trying to surround Gadal and staring at her with frightened faces.
Magic was a living thing inside of her as Iz opened her arms, and the fire roared out of her and onto them. Men screamed, trying to escape the inferno she rained down on them, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Izabella whirled as an explosion shook the castle gates, rock and wood and fire showering the world. A tall figure appeared through the rubble and smoke, and Izabella laughed with a sound like a wildfire.
Death had finally arrived.
29
Silas had never seen anything so terrifying or magnificent as Izabella floating in a halo of fire.
“Looks like she found the thing to unlock her magic,” Kon shouted from his right, his smile manic as he shot the red priests racing towards them with blades.
Four fell before reaching them, Dante and Leo picking them off from their places on the battlements above them.
Silas was lost in his bloodlust as he cut down whoever stood in his path to Izabella. By the time he reached her, she was back on the ground, only small flames still flickering on her skin, eyes glowing bright gold.
Fucking hell.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said, pulling out a handgun and offering it to
her. Like she even needed it.
“You’re here. That’s what’s important,” she replied, in a slightly disembodied voice. “We can’t let Gadal escape.”
“Don’t worry, I got my best person on it,” Silas said, just as a wolf howl echoed over the fight.
Athena had two long blades in her hands and was hacking away through the final guards surrounding Gadal. He watched her with wide, mad eyes, a smile of delight on his face at the carnage she wrecked around her.
“Look at you! Look how magnificent you are!” he shouted in joy. Silas wanted to shoot the fucker in the head right there and then. Athena reached him, blood soaking her face and hands, eyes as cold as winter.
“You’ve come back to me at last,” Gadal said. Athena snarled, and he said something in a language that Silas didn’t know. Athena froze, the blades falling from her hands.
“Athena!” Silas shouted, pulling out his saber and cutting down one of the red robe figures in his way.
“There she is. There is my daughter,” Gadal crooned. “Come to me.” Athena’s limbs moved jerkily as whatever power was controlling her propelled her forward.
No, no, no. Silas turned to see where Kon was, but he was fighting a group of three men that had come out of the tower. “Fight him, Athena!”
“Don’t listen. There’s only us. We are the only people that matter in the world,” Gadal said, putting his arms out to her.
“Master?” Athena whispered, reaching back to him and stepping closer. “Master, where have you been?”
“We have been separated a long time, but it’s okay. You are home now.” Gadal took Athena’s hands, and Silas’s fury turned his vision red. “That’s it. You’re finally safe. Your father is here.”
Athena gave him a dopey smile right before she swung forward and head-butted Gadal in the face. The man exclaimed in surprise, blood bursting from his nose. She grabbed him, holding him upright.
“I already have a father,” Athena snarled and head-butted him again. Gadal dropped to the ground, moaning, his mouth and nose soaked with so much blood, he was choking on it.
“That’s my girl,” Silas said with a proud smile. The fighting had stopped around them, the few remaining red priests falling or fleeing.
“I don’t feel so good,” Izabella said behind him. Silas whirled about, catching her before she could hit the dirt.
“I got you, Bella. It’s okay. You’re going to be okay,” he said urgently.
“I knew you’d come.” Izabella looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes, her face covered in ash.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.” Silas pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“I’m so tired, Death, so tired,” she murmured, eyes shutting.
“Izabella?” Silas quickly checked to make sure she was still breathing. It was shallow but still there.
“It’s the magic taking its toll,” Kon said, coming to join him. “She’ll be out for a while, but she’ll be okay, Silas.”
Silas nodded and gathered Izabella up in his arms. He pressed a kiss to her sleeping lips. “Rest, my love. I’ve got you, and I’m never letting you go again.”
This time, they didn’t bother searching the property for treasures. They piled into two cars and got the fuck out of there. Even when they got back to the Colleoni plane, Silas refused to let Izabella go.
Gadal was still knocked out, but they kept him cuffed and gagged in a circle of strange marks. Kon had told them they would stop Gadal from using any magic if he woke. Silas took his word for it. He only cared about looking after Izabella.
Silas placed her down on the bed in the plane, and with warm, damp towels, began to slowly wash the blood and ash from her body. A scattering of blisters covered her feet and legs, but apart from that, she didn’t have a scratch on her.
Silas searched the compartments and found a set of men’s pajamas wrapped in plastic. Careful not to jostle her, he dressed her in the soft satin.
“Silas?” she murmured, eyes flicking open.
“I’m here. You’re safe,” he said, brushing his fingers through her hair.
“Where are we?”
“On Leo’s plane. It’s… It’s a long story.” He helped her sit up and gave her a bottle of water to sip.
“How did you find me?” she asked, tears filling her eyes.
“Mostly Leo again. He tracked Gadal’s phone to Toulouse, but we lost the signal once we were there,” Silas said, sitting down beside her and taking her hand. He needed to be touching her to feel like he wasn’t about to lose his fucking mind again.
“Leo found out about the Cathar castles near Toulouse, so not knowing what else to do, we went to check them out. We were about twenty minutes from Lastours when we got another ping on Gadal’s phone.”
“He turned it back on when he was questioning me,” Izabella said, her voice husky.
“Did he hurt you?” Silas asked, fresh anger filling his veins.
Izabella’s hand went to her chest. “H-He carved some kind of mark on my chest. It’s gone, how is it gone?”
“Maybe your magic fixed it?” Silas suggested. “Do you remember what happened?”
Izabella frowned, her eyes clouding with uncertainty. “A little? I remember being scared, knowing I was about to die. I remember crying out for help…and then magic took over. Everything else is a blur.”
Silas put his arm around her. “Don’t force it, Bella. You’re safe. That’s all that matters.”
“Gadal?”
“Currently enjoying Athena’s hospitality at the other end of the plane,” Silas replied.
Izabella put the water bottle down and curled up in his arms. “Don’t let her kill him just yet. He said Kon’s family was a part of the Aurora and that it was fate that put them together again. Something bigger than we think is going on, Silas.”
“Don’t worry, we are all going to get our answers out of that fucker, one way or the other,” Silas growled, arms tightening around Izabella.
“Thank you for coming for me,” she whispered against his chest before she started to sob.
“You didn’t really need my help. You were the goddess I always knew you to be. I love you, Izabella, and I’m never letting you go. You’re stuck with me forever,” Silas said, wrapping his long body around her.
Izabella’s fingers twisted in his shirt. “You promise?”
“I promise.”
30
The next time Izabella woke again, the sun was going down, and she was back in her bed in Istanbul. She downed the glass of juice that had been left beside her bed and tried to get her bearings.
Her mind was full of horror, fire and blood, and torture devices. She was sticky and smelled of smoke. Body aching, she found some clean clothes and opened her door.
Silas was asleep on the couch, and her heart ached with relief. He had taken care of her like he had always done. Resisting the urge to kiss him and accidentally wake him up, Iz went to the bathroom.
Iz looked at herself in the mirror, amazed that there wasn’t a single sign of the sigil that Gadal had carved into her. Not even a scar remained.
Something to ask Kon about.
Iz didn’t even know magic could heal that way. She brushed her teeth and stripped off the pajamas she didn’t recognize. She needed to wake up and figure out what exactly had happened when she had been Gadal’s prisoner.
Under the steam of the shower, Iz washed her hair three times and stretched out her sore muscles. She had a vague image of being surrounded by fire and men screaming, but she didn’t know if it had been real or a nightmare.
You’re safe and alive, and that’s all that matters.
The mystery of what her magic had done could wait until later. It had saved her, that much she knew.
“How are you feeling?” Silas asked. He had come into the bathroom like the ghost he was. He was ruffled and sleepy, exactly how Iz liked him.
“Like you should be getting naked and into this shower with me,” she repli
ed. Silas lifted a brow. “I need you in here to make me feel better.”
“Is that so?” Silas grinned and pulled off his shirt. Desire and longing danced through Iz’s chest.
“Yep. It’s working already,” she insisted. Silas laughed and stripped off his pants before stepping under the spray. Iz reached for him and stopped.
“Is that a new tattoo?” There was a line of numbers freshly inked vertically over his left ribs.
“Yeah, I got it in St. Petersburg. You didn’t think the suit was going to be the only surprise, did you?” Silas said, running his hands down her back.
Iz checked the tattoo on her arm against his. “They are different.”
“That’s because they aren’t when we first met.” Silas took her hand to run it down the raised marks. “Time, date, and coordinates of when you first said you loved me.”
Iz’s heart was beating hard enough to burst. She leaned over and kissed them, unable to find the right words.
Silas lifted her chin and kissed her softly. “Best day of my life.”
“And you say my romantic streak is dangerous,” she said against his lips. Iz kissed him again and slipped her hand down to wrap around his cock.
“Jesus, Bella, you sure that’s a good idea? You were just…” Silas groaned as her grip tightened.
“I almost died.” Iz kissed him urgently. “I need you inside of me to feel safe again. I need you to fuck the horror out of my head, Silas.”
Silas smacked off the shower taps and toweled her off roughly between kisses. He all but carried her back into his bedroom and laid her down.
Iz couldn’t get enough of the feel of his mouth as he scattered kisses and soft caresses over her neck and breasts.
“Get inside of me, Silas,” she begged, hands tangling in his wet hair.
“I will get there, Bella,” he replied and went right back to torturing her with tenderness. He nipped and kissed the curve of her hips before placing his mouth over her burning core. Iz wrapped her legs over his shoulders, her breath coming in rapid pants as he sucked on her clit. He did something with his tongue, and stars danced in her vision.
