As if that was a much easier question to answer, Mathias immediately replied, “Marlese, the blonde vampire you met in the courtyard yesterday, despised him more than any of us. Artair turned her without permission, and she eventually tricked him into believing she'd located the Grand Priestess. But in actuality, it was a trap where he met the Terran sun.”
Wide eyed, Isadora drew out a low, “Wow … . How did the rest of you react?”
Mathias scoffed. “None of The Five mourned, if that's what you mean. But sadly, her actions led to a war. There were several vampires loyal to Artair, and once he was eliminated, tensions grew until they started fighting for control of Sutrelle.”
Though his tone was casual, his words carried a melancholy weight, and it wasn't hard to imagine why. Such a fracture in Sutrelle's society had probably led to several hardships, including casualties amongst both vampires and mortals.
The thought prompted her to ask, “Is that how you lost the vampires you turned?”
“Yes. I'd left Sutrelle in search of aid for our cause, and returned only to find my entire family had perished. After that, I refused to blood anymore vampires, and succeeded, ignoring all blood links I encountered until I met Maddox.”
Isadora frowned, finding the story even more heartbreaking at the way he referred to those he'd lost as family. In fact, looking at him now, she could almost see his age showing in his silver eyes, which seemed tired, as if he'd carried the weight of the world for thousands of years without telling a single soul.
It almost made her regret asking about those he'd lost, and yet, his story explained so much. Last night, he'd told her he couldn't handle another disappointment, and now she knew why—Mathias was still grieving. Loss left a hole in his heart he'd sought to keep from getting any bigger by avoiding new connections that might suffer the same fate.
Including theirs.
The thought of it made her heart swell with emotion as she whispered, “I'm sorry, Mathias. You must've been lonely.”
Thoughtfully, the vampire related, “I still had The Five, and was content with them for quite a while. But when they continued blooding others, and even found lovers, it became harder to convince myself that all was well.”
“Is that why you turned Maddox?”
“One of the reasons,” he admitted, “but though she provided companionship, I feared telling her of Sutrelle, and even said I'd forgotten much of my younger life to prevent her from asking too many questions.”
“Why?”
“Because, during our searches for the Grand Priestess, Artair had no compunctions over blooding Terran mortals, but only allowing a select few to venture into Sutrelle. So though most Terran vampires believe this place is a fantastical myth, some seek it out, and there's no doubting conflict would rise if they ever found a way in.”
With that explained, he concluded, “So having too much knowledge of this place would've put Maddox in danger, which meant long separations when I had to return here and leave her behind.”
For all intents and purposes, Mathias sounded regretful, though she doubted it concerned blooding Maddox. Instead, he'd sought companionship, but the need to protect his daughter meant leaving her in the dark and parting ways more than preferred.
But though Maddox knew of Sutrelle now, it wasn't hard to imagine the time differences between realms made frequent visits impossible.
The thought left Isadora searching for a means of changing the story, and though a permanent solution escaped her, she wasn't slow to point out, “If you'd like, I have a good reason you could use as an excuse to visit her.”
“What's that?”
As simply as possible, she explained, “I noticed there aren't any fairies in Sutrelle, and I wanted to go back to Terra to ask if those I know would like to come here and help sustain the environment.”
As if unsure of her meaning, he inquired, “How could they help?”
“Fairies share many of the same abilities as fae, just on a smaller scale,” she explained. “For example, they couldn't reverse Sutrelle's current condition, at least, not quickly enough to make a difference, but they could keep it from reverting to this state. Even better, vampires aren't drawn to fairies. I mean you wouldn't get anything out of them since they're about the size of a large coin, so it's the perfect solution to the problems here. I bring life back to the realm, and they keep it going, even if I'm gone.”
Intrigued, Mathias asked, “Do you think they'd be agreeable to it?”
“I think I could convince some of them,” she confirmed with a nod. “They're very curious anyway, and would probably consider it an adventure.”
Mathias held her gaze silently for several moments, making it hard to tell if he liked the idea.
But then he leaned in and kissed her—hard.
Gasping, Isadora grabbed him, her head tilting back under the pressure as his tongue teased her lips. The gesture was dazing, making it hard to determine why he’d offered such a passionate response until he broke contact and murmured, “My clever fae.”
“Oh,” she drew out, realizing her idea had impressed the vampire, though she was powerless to respond when he started nibbling her neck.
Shivering, Isadora held him close, tracing her fingers across his broad shoulders and into his thick hair, dazed by the attention. It was such a drastic change from his previously reluctant demeanor—not that she hadn't expected it.
She simply wasn't prepared for how enjoyable it would be.
As he groaned and drew his mouth to the other side of her neck, she rasped, “I've wondered about this for so long … .”
Though the words emerged from her own mouth, Isadora didn't realize she'd spoken them until Mathias asked against her ear, “Wondered about what? Intimacy?”
“Yes.”
Lifting his head, the vampire pinned her gaze and inquired, “Is it what you expected?”
“Not at all,” she emphasized. “It's better, and—”
Knock knock. “Mathias?”
Rolling his eyes over the sudden interruption at the door, the vampire growled in annoyance with a pointed response.
“Go. Away.”
Isadora tried not to snicker, sharing the sentiment—she couldn't think of a more inopportune time for an intrusion.
Yet it seemed the human outside had a good reason to do so, insisting, “I'm sorry to bother you, but I was instructed to tell you Ardilon is awaiting an audience in the throne room with Shiro and Akira.”
Ardilon? Immediately, she looked up at Mathias to see him staring at the door with an expression that mirrored her own surprise, and he didn't hesitate to reply.
“Let him know I'll be there momentarily.”
“Of course,” came the acknowledgment, and the sound of footsteps signaled the human's departure.
In turn, Mathias sat back, giving Isadora the chance to ask, “You still haven't spoken with him about Sylva's pendant?”
“No, and I was honestly getting annoyed by how long he was taking to respond to my message.”
Under normal circumstances, Isadora would've reminded him it'd only been three days, but that was the equivalent of nine weeks in Terra. So Mathias had literally issued his notice to The Crucible over two months ago, making his annoyance understandable.
Still, the delay wasn't surprising. The Crucible wasn't known for punctuality, and once Mathias climbed out of bed to get dressed, Isadora asked, “Can I come with you?”
Glancing over his shoulder, he hesitated, though she was too busy staring to notice. Her eyes roamed down his broad back and over the curves of his ass, the sight dazing her as he asked, “Do you have your masking potion here?”
“Yeah, I—wait.”
At that, Isadora forced her gaze away from his physique to focus on the question, and amended her answer. “Oh, no, I didn't have room for it in my pouch, and I was too busy preparing to follow you here to think about it.”
Hearing this, the vampire released a low sigh, though he still offe
red a hand to help her out of bed with the words, “Then I'm not leaving you here alone. But don't wander away from me while we're there.”
“I won't,” she promised, knowing why he wouldn't want to leave her in his quarters.
If a passing vampire caught her scent while she was waiting, a locked door wouldn't make any difference. The form of mist would allow them to reach her, meaning she'd be better off sticking close to her mate.
So she stood with his help and started searching for her discarded clothing, thinking it would be a good idea to stop by the grove for her masking potion once their business with Ardilon was concluded.
Isadora nearly mentioned it as well, but after donning her panties, her thoughts were derailed by a single glance at Mathias—and this time, it wasn't his sex appeal that captured her attention.
Instead, there was a strange look on the vampire's face, prompting the question, “What's wrong?”
Brows drawn, he shook his head. “I'm not sure. I just … ”
Trailing, he waved a hand at the door and asked, “At any point during the day while I slept, did one of the servants stop by?”
“Not that I know of,” Isadora returned. “I haven't woken since I fell asleep with you earlier. Why?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, the vampire stared to the side for a silent moment before mentioning, “I thought I heard a woman speaking today, and wasn't sure. But I almost feel as if they were addressing me.”
“Oh?” Pursing her lips, she suggested, “Maybe you were just dreaming.”
“No,” he countered, turning his gaze to hers. “Vampires don't dream. We only relive memories in sleep, though I do recall what it was like to dream, and I have to admit, the sensation is … similar.”
That sounded strange indeed. If Mathias couldn't dream, why had he heard someone speaking to him that day? Then again, he'd said the voice belonged to a woman, leaving only one rational explanation that Isadora was quick to point out.
“I could've been talking in my sleep, and I did have a few dreams.”
Thankfully, the possibility seemed to ease his confusion, his lips parting as if enlightened. “It could be. I've slept alone for so long I'd forgotten what it was like to have a partner.”
With that said, he finally buttoned his pants, and a curious smirk lifted the corners of his mouth in asking, “So what did you dream about?”
Still shirtless, he stood straight, and once more, Isadora's gaze was rapt to his body. From the sparse dusting of dark hair across his chest to the way his pants hung low around his hips, she absently clasped the button of her jeans and admitted, “You, and a little of last night, though it honestly didn't make much sense.”
His silver eyes lit with intrigue, as if he would've loved nothing more than to know precisely what happened.
Yet he merely stated, “I'll ask for details when we're not so pressed for time.”
Giggling, Isadora nodded, letting the topic go in favor of getting dressed. After all, she was as interested in knowing what Ardilon would say about Sylva's pendant as she was in discussing intimate affairs. It was just a matter of hoping her presence in the throne room wouldn't be too distracting for anyone without her masking potion in place.
But Mathias would be there, so how much trouble could she actually cause?
— THIRTY-ONE —
The only thing more irritating than waiting for Ardilon to send word about Sylva's pendant was his timing delivering it.
After more than two months of Terran time, the divinian responded when Mathias was in bed with a gorgeous fae. Making matters worse, he'd come to see them in person, which didn't bode well. In Terra, divinians only made appearances when a situation was dire, and that aside, it was hard to imagine Ardilon had traveled to Sutrelle just to tell them things were fine.
Regardless, Mathias dressed as quickly as possible, though the task wasn't easily accomplished with Isadora's nudity distracting him. Watching her get dressed was just as enjoyable as watching the clothing come off, making it difficult to depart the seclusion his quarters provided.
In fact, he was tempted to make Ardilon take a turn at waiting, and if it weren't for his immense curiosity coupled with his lover's insistence on knowing what the divinian had to say, he probably would've.
But he escorted Isadora down to the throne room in mist instead, hoping all the while her lack of a masking potion wouldn't cause a problem.
Arriving at the doors of the throne room moments later, the couple reformed before entering to find Shiro, Akira, and Heliger several feet away. With their backs facing the doors, their attention was centered on a tall, muscular man standing before them.
Ardilon.
Wearing a Terran-style business suit of light gray with long, white hair tied into a neat ponytail at his nape, the divinian's sky blue eyes met Mathias as they walked in—and he couldn't stop himself from starting their conversation by stating the obvious.
“It's about time.”
Arching a single brow, the Dead God returned plainly, “I didn't think three days was that long to wait, Mathias.”
Realizing he knew of the time differences between Sutrelle and Terra, Mathias suggested in turn, “Ah, then you purposefully refrained from sending word for two months of Terran time simply because you knew only three days had passed here.”
In an austere display, the divinian didn't react to his quip, his tone casual in responding, “Everything happens in due time. There was no rush, though I will admit to some concern over how things have shaped up with Terran vampires over the past few weeks.”
Uncertain he understood, Mathias inquired, “How so?”
It was Shiro who supplied, “We were just discussing that when you came in. Evidently, some of them have become aggressive, attacking werewolves and even humans with more frequency than before.”
Nodding, Ardilon qualified, “It's not an exponential increase, but it is strange, and Nightfall has traced the attacks to factional vampires, specifically the Kalar. So Maddox employed your friend, Dalris Dra'Kai, to help with the investigation.”
If that was true, the Kalar would have a difficult time hiding. Dalris had numerous mercenaries and spies at his disposal, and most of those agents were draconians whose blood was poisonous for vampires to drink. So he was certainly suitable for the task, and Mathias would have to check on the investigation once he and Isadora returned to Terra.
But for now, it was more important to consult Ardilon about Sylva's pendant, and he didn't hesitate to bring it up.
“I'm sure Maddox will uncover what's going on quickly with Dalris' help. But you came here about Sylva's pendant, and I'd like to know more if possible. Have you seen it yet?”
“No, I haven't,” the divinian replied. “I was informed Heliger has it in safekeeping, but he only arrived a few moments before you did.”
To the magician, he asked, “May I?”
Nodding, Heliger lifted his right hand with a glowing light forming in his palm that quickly transformed into the item requested, summoned from his magical cache. In turn, Ardilon took the pendant, quietly inspecting it with a studious gaze.
Sadly, his neutral expression made it impossible to guess what he was thinking, though he didn't hesitate to provide an answer.
“This pendant does indeed possess divine energy. A great deal, in fact.”
Ardilon's confirmation of the pendant's source of power wasn't unexpected, but still came like a fist to the gut. Until that moment, Mathias had the luxury of doubt to keep his concerns at bay, and now he had to face the truth, which only made his following questions seem more urgent.
“Do you have any idea where it came from? Or why it has such power?”
“I couldn't tell you its origins, no,” he started simply enough, adding, “but I can promise the only way any item would possess divine power is if a deity put it there from the start.”
“Are you certain?” Heliger inquired.
“Yes. I won't take the time to explain divine pow
er or how it works, but I will tell you it's immutable, meaning it can't simply be conjured and transferred into an object as you'd do with magical energy.”
Motioning to the pendant, Ardilon added, “So a deity would've needed to place it here willingly, and though I couldn't tell you which deity did so, this pendant has enough power to perform resurrections, or even destroy Sutrelle entirely.”
As the divinian spoke, Mathias reeled over too many thoughts to focus on any single one. So much of what Ardilon said provided answers to both old questions and new ones, and then raised several more.
But at the center of it all was the Grand Priestess.
She'd claimed the pendant was a gift for years of service, and if so, it had to have come from a deity, making her refusal to remove it much more understandable. In fact, it wasn't hard to imagine the reason she'd disappeared from the start being that someone learned of the pendant's power and killed her with the intentions of taking it.
Yet he seemed to be the only one present considering such things because Akira was quick to remark, “Destroy Sutrelle?”
At her alarmed tone, Ardilon qualified, “Don't worry, it would be impossible for any of you to utilize this pendant in such a fashion. Not even your enemies could harness so much power.”
“Why not?” Mathias asked to get a little clarification.
Releasing a low sigh, the divinian answered in the most basic manner, “Let's just say any physical being lacking a connection to Divinity would only destroy themselves in the attempt to channel it.”
Mathias held Ardilon's gaze, trying to determine how much truth his words held, but with no knowledge to use as a basis for comparison, he could only assume the explanation made sense. Despite knowing the deities comprising the pantheon were real, there were no documents available detailing precisely how divine energy worked or who could safely use it.
Still, it wasn't difficult to imagine any power capable of creating life itself and influencing destiny as being too potent for a normal being to harness, or truly understand.
Yet that didn't stop Isadora from pointing out, “Sylva didn't seem to have any trouble controlling me and my sisters, so why didn't it destroy her?”
Tempting Eternity Page 25
