Valentina sniffled. “Gray, this isn’t your fault. We’ll help you find him. Do you think Tobias is behind this?”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I…I don’t know. I thought so at first, but now I’m not so sure.”
Valentina crinkled her brow. “Well, who else could have done this? Who else would have dared to do this?”
I chuckled, more bitter than I had intended. “Your guess is as good as mine. Someone with a death wish obviously. I searched Stonehaven, but there’s nothing there.”
The Keeper gasped. “What of the humans?”
I took another swig of whiskey. “Gone. The whole place was cleared out. The only thing I found was another note. Identical to the one I just showed you. Oh, and there was something following me in there.”
Valentina’s eyes flashed red. “Did you get a good look at it?”
I shook my head. “It was too fast. A demon of some sort. I chased it outside, but it vanished before I could catch up to it.”
The Keeper folded his hands in contemplation. “I have seen this symbol before. Legend has it that it represents the thirteenth sign of the Zodiac. A sign that the Order of The Keepers have debated over since the beginning of time. It may be associated with a cult of some kind. As to why it exists or what it means, that I cannot say.”
I gripped the armrests to keep from digging my nails into my own flesh. Aldric was in trouble and I could do nothing. Not even The Keeper knew what was going on. I felt sick. I jumped up and hurled my glass of whiskey across the room. Valentina flinched, her eyes wide. The Keeper let out a deep sigh.
“Where is Pythia?” I would get an answer out of her or rip her apart, limb from limb. She was a Dark Priestess. An Oracle appointed by Apollo himself. She had to know something.
The Keeper regarded me like a child. His eyes filled with sadness. “In her cell, as we agreed upon.”
“Good. Time for us to have a little chat.” I stormed out the door and headed for the catacombs that stretched out far below the Hall of Secrets, with Valentina at my heels.
“Gray. You’re not thinking clearly. Let me go with you down there.” Her lower lip quivered.
Pythia was responsible for most of the darkness in my life. She had stolen the Sang Magi, poisoned her daughter—my sister—against me, and tried to have me killed. I showed her mercy at Infitum, but that ship had long since sailed.
“Val, I appreciate your concern, but I need to do this alone. I will be fine.” I gripped my daggers tighter with each step I took.
Valentina huffed. “It’s not you I’m concerned about. You might kill her. As much as you despise her, she is still Arcadia’s mother. She’ll never forgive you.”
I snickered. “I won’t kill her unless I have to. I couldn’t care less about Arcadia, and you shouldn’t care about her either. She did try to kill you for taking Lycos from her.”
Valentina pouted. “That’s different. I share no blood with that ice queen, but you do. I know you, you’ll drive yourself mad with guilt later.”
I stopped in my tracks and took a deep breath as she blocked my path. The air was musty. It reminded me of the air in Lucien’s compound—minus the rats and stench of sewer water.
“Look, Aldric’s life is on the line right now. I will do whatever is necessary to find him. That’s final. Val, I love you, but get out of my way.” My eyes were shifting to black again. She nodded, lowered her head, and stepped aside.
The Narcissus magic trickled through my veins like a river, twisting and turning up and down each crevice. I took out my daggers and tossed them on the ground. I wouldn’t be needing them. With clenched fists and fangs bared, I stepped inside Pythia’s cell.
Three
Pythia’s cell was lavish, despite smelling like must and oleander. It was more like the guest quarters of an aristocrat than a place of confinement. My stomach churned. The Keeper was making her quite comfortable. She sat on a velvet chair, sipping blood out of a crystal goblet. Her eyes darkened when I stepped in the room.
“This is some kind of punishment you have going on here.” I didn’t try to mask the sarcasm in my voice.
Pythia stiffened. “What you did to me is punishment enough. Wouldn’t you agree?” Her tone was sharp.
I chuckled. “What I did to you was just the beginning. You have no idea the amount of pain and suffering I have in store for you if you don’t give me what I want.”
She shrank back as I sauntered over to her. The sound of her heartbeat pounded fast in my ears. I smiled, satisfied that I was unnerving her. She was powerless against me now, and I relished it.
“What do I have that you could possibly want?” Her voice was steady, but she couldn’t keep her lower lip from quivering ever so slightly. I snatched the goblet out of her hands and poured out the blood onto the plush white carpet.
“Information.” I slapped the picture of the serpent down on the table in front of her. Her eyes widened as she fixated on it. A flicker of recognition passed through her expression. A couple minutes passed as I waited. She lifted her head and flinched as she met my hardened stare.
“I have never seen this before.” She held her head up in defiance with clenched teeth. The vein in her neck pulsed with a fury.
She was lying. I felt it in every fiber of my being. This was going to be harder than I thought. I let out a deep breath and stepped closer to her. My lips curled into a sadistic smile as I wrapped my hand around her throat and squeezed.
I snapped, “How stupid do you think I am? I didn’t come here to play games, Pythia. I just saw the way you looked at that drawing. I heard your breath quicken as I placed it in front of you. Your heart is beating out of control.”
Pythia clawed at my hand with full strength, but I didn’t budge. Her eyes bulged as she gasped for air. I let go just as the color drained from her face. She wrenched forward, coughing, clutching her throat. She looked up at me in horror.
Her voice was hoarse. “You…you’re crazy. Like I said, I don’t know anything.” She cowered in her chair, shaking, but her eyes were full of rage and defiance.
My jaw tightened. “Crazy? No, I’m insane. Aldric has been abducted. Then I was stalked by some deranged demon at Stonehaven, which is completely abandoned by the way, and this strange drawing has turned up twice now. You’re the first one to have a reaction to it. Tell me what it is.” My fury was building to a level that I would not be able to control soon. I didn’t care. I would’ve been happy to have had an excuse to snap her neck.
The look on Pythia’s face told me that things were beginning to sink in. She knew what Aldric meant to me. That look of defiance changed to fear.
She stumbled to her feet and backed herself into the nearest corner. “I…I’m sorry for Aldric, but I can’t tell you anything. I can’t.” Her eyes pleaded with me.
I snapped. In one quick movement, I threw the table across the room and lunged at her. She threw her hands up to shield her face as I threw my fist into it. Her jaw cracked, and she went flying backward. I rushed toward her again just as the cell door flung open. I hesitated, but then spun around.
“Gray, stop this at once.” The Keeper ran over and wedged himself between us. “This is unacceptable, Gray. You must stop before you do something you’ll regret.”
The only thing I regretted right now was not sealing the door behind me. I should have known he would come in here and get in my way.
My heart was racing. “Well, maybe I should bring her some more velvet pillows to make her more comfortable. Tell me, does she have her own servants too?”
The Keeper sighed as he helped Pythia to stand up. I snorted as he handed her a handkerchief to wipe the blood off her face. His eyes watered when he looked back at me.
“I’m sorry you don’t agree with my methods, but I’m not in the business of torture. Now let us take our leave to the study where we can discuss this in a more civil matter.”
What he didn’t understand was that there was nothing civil left
in me. I lost that part of me the moment Aldric went missing. He was the only one who could help me get it back.
“Fine, but only because I don’t want to disrespect you in your own home.” As angry as I was, the Hall of Secrets was still sacred ground. I couldn’t risk the wrath of the gods.
The Keeper nodded, relieved. I followed him out, but not before stealing one last glance at Pythia. She trembled as she stared after me and the drawing. It almost seemed that she was more afraid of it than she was of me.
The study was warm and cozy. A fire blazed in the hearth. Valentina and Lycos stood up from the couch as The Keeper and I entered.
Valentina tapped her foot. “Well, did she tell you anything?”
I scoffed. “Of course not, but it wasn’t a total loss. I did get to go a few rounds with her before he showed up.”
The Keeper shook his head in frustration. “You’ll thank me one day.” I rolled my eyes.
Lycos reached out and gently squeezed my shoulder. “It’s good to see you, Gray. I’m sorry to hear about Aldric. Try not to worry. He’s a strong man. He’ll survive this.”
Guilt settled in again. I was still no closer to finding him. He could be anywhere. I was letting him down with every passing moment. I shrugged off their worried stares and willed my eyes to change back to their usual shade of brown.
I sat down and gazed into the fire. “Pythia was afraid of the drawing. She recognized it and for whatever reason, it terrified her.”
Valentina sat down beside me and took my hand. Her skin was warm from her newly acquired wolf blood. Lycos’s link pumped through her veins. Her eyes glistened from it. “You should talk to Dragos. I know he isn’t your favorite person, but he might know something.”
Dragos. In my fury, I had almost forgotten that he was here somewhere, lurking around the Hall. I was surprised he hadn’t made his presence known yet. He usually couldn’t wait to antagonize me. We did leave things on a difficult note the last time we spoke. He still refused to accept that I chose Aldric over him.
I leaned forward. “You’re right. I shouldn’t rule out any option. Where is Dragos anyway?”
Valentina’s eyes fluttered. “He…he’s in your old room. He keeps to himself there, mostly reading by the fire.”
I chuckled. He was always so dramatic, even in his solitude. Of course he chose my room to sulk in.
“Well, it’s going to be a long night then.” I snatched a bottle of wine from The Keeper’s bottle cabinet and sauntered out the door.
The bottle of wine was almost gone by the time I reached Dragos’s…my room. Being alone with him terrified me and unnerved me on a cellular level. He knew how to get under my skin and provoke the deepest parts of me.
I stood in front of the door with butterflies in my stomach. We had a long and tumultuous history. An attraction that remained despite my loathing for what he’d done. It was a spark that could turn into a fire if I wasn’t careful. I held my breath and knocked.
I heard his heartbeat quicken on the other side. It rattled in my ears. His feet hit the ground and it shook me as he walked toward the door. It brought back memories of a time when I made a regular habit of visiting him in his room. Except in those days it would end with us ripping each other’s clothes off.
I held my breath as he opened the door. My heart raced. He stood in the doorway, barefoot and shirtless, with a half-cocked smile and a gleam in his eye.
I pushed past him, inviting myself in. “We need to talk.”
He chuckled, amused and curious at the same time. “Have you come to surrender? I knew you would get tired of that Bannister Witch.”
I whipped around to face him. “Aldric has been taken.”
Dragos’s eyes darkened. He walked over to the closet and pulled on a black cashmere sweater. “By who? Did they hurt you?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. I’m fine. I wasn’t there when it happened. I ran into a demon at Stonehaven shortly after. It tried to ambush me. I chased after it, but it got away. All I have to go on is this note. Val thought you might know something about it.”
Dragos ran a hand through his dark wavy hair. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. His fingers twitched as he held the drawing. He had the same look in his eyes that Pythia had.
He looked up. “Gray, this isn’t good. You’re in danger. What has Aldric gotten you into?”
I snapped, “Aldric is the victim here. He went out for breakfast and never came back. He didn’t know any more about that note than I did.”
Dragos nodded and threw his hands up to concede. Sweat dripped from his temples and down the sides of his cheeks. His brow furrowed.
“You know what it is, don’t you? Please help me. I don’t have anywhere else to go.” My desperation was suffocating me. It ached in every bone and every vein.
Dragos held out his hand. “Join me by the fire?”
I didn’t take it, but sat down in an antique brocade chair, more exquisite than it was comfortable. A twinge of guilt hit me as I remembered making love to Aldric in the exact same spot.
Dragos stared, wistful, into the flames. “The way the serpent is drawn, in the u-shape with the tail wrapping through it, it’s the symbol of Serpentarius. The thirteenth zodiac sign.”
I shook my head. “The Keeper said the same thing, but what does it mean?” I was growing annoyed with the vague responses.
Dragos closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “It’s a cult. The Serpent Bearers are what they call themselves. They worship Lamia.”
Lamia was an urban legend. A myth. Supposedly the “mother of Dhampirs,” there were tales of her feeding on the blood of children. “What does she, or her cult, have to do with me and Aldric?”
Dragos ran a shaky hand through his brown locks. “It’s hard to say. They’ve been living in secret for centuries, worshipping Lamia in the shadows. No one ever even considered them a threat until about ten years ago, when humans started disappearing under mysterious circumstances. A note, like this one, was always left after they were taken.”
My throat tightened. This didn’t make any sense. Tobias was the one taking the humans. I saw it with my own eyes at Stonehaven.
“So, you are saying that Lamia’s cult is stealing humans to do what? Feed on them? I still don’t get what that has to do with me, or Aldric for that matter. And how do you know so much about this?”
Dragos sprang up and paced around the room. “I used to work for the Consilium, remember? We knew things that others did not. I don’t know what their end game is, but the Serpent Bearers are dangerous. Their magic makes Pythia’s look like child’s play. I think you should leave this one alone.”
My blood surged. I sprang up to face him. “No way. If they have Aldric, I can’t let this go. Your charm is wearing thin and so is my patience. Where can I find this cult?”
His eyes flashed red, and a smirk formed across his lips. He moved within inches of my face. His breath was hot and erratic. My eyes shifted to black and I pressed my shoulders back. I flinched as his hand curled around my arm.
He pursed his lips. “If you want to go after your little Witch, fine, but I’m going with you. There’s no way I’m letting you go up against Lamia’s followers on your own.”
I burst out laughing. “Let me? You forget, I won. You’re a prisoner here. Besides, I still don’t trust you.”
Dragos stiffened and gripped my arm tighter. “You forget that I’m the one with the information. If you want it, you have to take me with you. That’s the deal.”
My stomach was in knots. I’d like to beat it out of him, but all the torture in the world wouldn’t make him break. He was too stubborn. Too detached from pain. I had no other choice at this point.
I ripped my arm away from him and clenched my fists. “Fine. I’ll humor you for now. But if you try anything, I will snap your neck like I should have done months ago.”
Dragos chuckled, his eyes twinkling. “We both know there are much more desirable things you’d like to
do to my neck than snap it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. So, where are we going first?”
Dragos took my hand in his and brought it up to his lips. He lightly kissed my knuckles and winked. “Where it all began.”
I shivered under his touch. It invoked a memory from a long time ago. From the days of new blood, sweet plum wine, and guiltless pleasure. He was taking me back to Romania.
Four
Valentina and The Keeper waited by the docks to see us off. If they were worried, they didn’t show it. With smiles plastered on their faces, they each took turns embracing me and wishing me luck.
I hugged Valentina a bit longer than usual. I took a deep breath and inhaled the fragrance of her lilac-scented curls. I feared I would never smell them again.
I clasped her hands. “Are you sure you can’t come with us?” I didn’t know how I was going to get through this without her.
Valentina’s eyes welled up with tears. “I wish I could, but Lycos and I are heading to Diana’s Forest. There’s some trouble with the Lupi. Nothing too serious, but we have to be there to handle it.”
I nodded. “I’ll see you soon. Be careful.” The Lupi had become her wolf pack when she linked with Lycos. They were just as much her responsibility now as they were his.
She crinkled her nose. “You be careful too. Remember when we first landed in New Orleans? There was that portrait of Lamia in our house. Her cult could have been targeting us from the start.”
I nodded. I hadn’t forgotten about that. Picturing it now made me shudder. The thought that they could have been watching us this whole time was unsettling.
The Keeper approached. “Trust your instincts and don’t let your guard down for a second. I will see you again.” I wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince me, or himself.
Flesh and Bone (Blood and Darkness Book 2) Page 2
