Arcadia backed away and lowered her head, muttering under her breath. I knew I should’ve been relieved that they were victorious, but I was in no mood for her snide comments.
Tobias approached Valentina. “Any casualties?”
Valentina nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. “On both sides. Lycos took our fallen Lupi back to Diana’s Forest to give them a proper burial.”
Arcadia snapped, “How sweet of him.”
Valentina rolled her eyes. “Gray, we should get back to the ship. I don’t know how much time we have.”
I felt like I was being punched in the gut. “That bad?”
Tobias sighed. “You better go. I will meet you there with the descendants, as discussed.”
I nodded and followed Valentina down the tunnel and back up to the foggy London streets.
Approaching the ship, my stomach twisted into knots, like daggers slashing at my guts. I had dreamed of this moment since he had been taken, but all I wanted to do was run.
Valentina stopped me from boarding. “Prepare yourself. He…he’s not well.”
I swallowed hard. “It’s okay. He will be.”
She didn’t look convinced, but I had to be. It was the only thing that was going to get me through this.
Seven greeted us, sweat dripping down his face. “I have him tied up below deck.”
I started toward the stairs as Seven pulled me back. “Gray, I wouldn’t go down there if I were you.”
My muscles tightened. “I have to see him.”
He hesitated, then let me go while exchanging a worried look with Valentina.
With each step I took, the grunting got louder. The sound of chains grating on wood rang through my ears. Every hair on the back of my neck stood up. I gasped and doubled over when I reached the bottom.
His eyes glowed in the dark like a wild wolf. Blood oozed out of them. His fangs protruded out, dripping saliva. He snapped and snarled like a rabid dog. His wrists and ankles were broken and bloody from the struggle.
I fell to my knees, sobbing. “Aldric…what have they done to you?”
He lunged forward but was whipped back. His restraints were soaked in magic. The harder he fought to get out of them, the more they burned his flesh. It broke my heart, but I understood why they were needed. The real damage was done by the Serpent Bearers. He was out of control.
I should’ve listened to Seven. I couldn’t bear to seem him like this any longer. I wished they would have taken me. I’d have given anything to trade places with him. To take his pain away. Who could inflict such cruelty? Such madness? It was as if the gods had abandoned us.
My heart filled with rage. I stood up, my legs shaking, and walked back up the stairs. Seven and Valentina eyed me with caution.
With fists clenched, all I could see was darkness. “They shouldn’t have let me live. That was their first mistake.”
It took all three of us to wrangle Aldric off the boat and drag him up the hill to the Hall of Secrets. We couldn’t knock him out or sedate him with magic for fear that if he lost consciousness he might slip inside his own mind forever.
Scratched and bloodied, we hauled him into the healing clinic and tied him down to the nearest bed. As I watched him bite and twist his body in agony, my heart crumbled. It was not long ago that he was just a human man, innocent and unaware that our world even existed. He was here because of me. I did this to him.
The Keeper ushered us out of the room. He paused at the door before closing it. “It’s best if you wait in the study. This might take a while.”
What he meant to say was he didn’t want me to hear Aldric’s bloodcurdling screams for the next twenty-four hours. And he would have been right. There was only so much I could take.
It was just the two of us alone again, sipping our whiskey as we gazed into the fire. It was like old times, except we were so different, and everything had changed. Valentina was part Lupi and I, part Witch. The hunted had become our allies, and the man I loved had become a monster.
Just over three months since the battle at Infitum and everything had changed. Tobias was not the devil I thought him to be, I was now completely motherless, and Valentina was still the only one I could really trust.
Valentina crinkled her nose. “You still haven’t told me everything. If Tobias was really trying to protect you as he says, how can he explain Nicholas? And killing Elemi?”
Poor Elemi, Aldric’s dear aunt. Another casualty in this dark war.
I knocked back my drink. “Nicholas was secretly working for Jezebel. When he realized that Tobias was getting close to finding me, he tried to kill me.”
Valentina shook her head. “Which backs up Jane’s story as to why she turned you into a Dhampir. That’s what saved you.”
My eyes darkened. “Except that she didn’t. Everything happened so fast. I was weak from the loss of blood. All I could remember was a female figure standing over me, feeding me her blood. I had always assumed it was Jane, but it was Pythia. Another lie that Tobias made her tell. We believe what we want to believe, I guess.”
Valentina gasped. “Pythia made you?’
I snapped, “Pythia infected me…I made myself.”
“Where is Jane now?”
I shook my head. “Tobias let her go. She hasn’t been seen since Infitum. She always was good at running away.”
Saying all of it out loud was enough to send me over the edge. I gripped the armrests tight, digging my nails into the leather as it cracked and ripped open.
Valentina’s lip trembled. “I…I’m sorry, Gray.”
I let out a deep breath and willed myself to calm down. “What’s done is done. When Jezebel discovered I was alive and looking for Aldric, she had Elemi killed to send a message. Nothing is sacred to her. Not even blood.”
Valentina shifted in her seat. “What are you going to do if Aldric can’t be saved?”
A gnawing ache I had been trying to push down was twisting like a knife in my gut. “Whatever is necessary. Jezebel and the Order must be stopped.”
Her mouth dropped open. “But Aldric could be destroyed along with them.”
I felt my eyes shift to black. “If we can’t fix him, then he is dead anyway.”
Her eyes filled with sadness as she nodded, but then froze. The color drained from her face. Her heart beat raced.
I leaned forward. “Val, what is it?”
Her hands shook. “If Aldric dies, your link will be severed. You’ll thirst for blood again.”
She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. I spent four hundred years with the blood lust. It was a curse. The thought of returning to it made my stomach turn, but if I lost Aldric, none of that would even matter. If Aldric died, my humanity would die along with him.
The Keeper entered the study, his eyes drooping. He wiped the sweat off his brow as he approached. The firelight flickered across his face, highlighting the dark circles underneath his eyes.
I jumped to my feet. “Well?”
His shoulders hunched forward. “I need more time. This magic is unlike any I’ve ever seen. I’ve broken past the first few layers, but there are many more to go.”
My heart sank. “Can I see him?’
He shook his head. “He is sedated. It’s best if you stay away for now. When the time comes, I will need you to use your link to break the final barrier. Save your strength.”
My heart skipped a beat. If I could pull Aldric out like he did for me in the Siren’s song, there was still hope. I gave The Keeper a nod before he turned to head back to the healing clinic.
Valentina gave my hand a squeeze. “If anyone can bring him back, it’s you. Now, can we talk about how we are going to get my brother out of Tartarus?”
I snapped my head up. Dragos. In my anguish over Aldric, I hadn’t thought about him for a second.
My cheeks flushed. “I promise we will get him out of there. Seven has a plan. But we need Aldric.”
Valentina sprang up from her chair.
“Great. Dragos’s life is dependent on the one person who hates him more than you do.”
I clutched her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “Aldric will help us. And I don’t hate him…not since I found everything out.”
She drew in a sharp breath. “Which is going to make Aldric hate him even more.”
I sighed. “One crisis at a time, okay? I can’t have both of us falling apart.”
She sat back down and fixated on the fire as I paced around, tugging at a strand of my dark hair.
My resolve was shaky. There was a chance that Aldric would want nothing to do with any of us once he found out what happened between me and Dragos. I had to be the one to tell him. It would only hurt him more if he found out from someone else.
I whipped around at the sound of footsteps marching down the marble hall.
The Keeper appeared, disheveled, in the door way. “It’s time.”
I glanced nervously at Valentina, who gave me a reassuring nod. “You got this.”
I followed The Keeper down the hall, my heart racing. This was it. The fate of everyone depended on me now.
Sixteen
Aldric’s face was colorless except for the yellow bruises under his eyes. The corners of his mouth were cracked and crusted with bits of skin flaking off. His wrists were red and bloodied from him trying to break out of his restraints. He was a ghost of his former self.
The scent of oleander hit my nose first. Dark magic. It oozed out of his pores. Then traces of willow bark and witch hazel mixed in with it. The bottles of tinctures and potions were lined up on the table next to him like an apothecary station. His sickness permeated the room. I felt it draining me the second I walked in.
The Keeper motioned for me to approach Aldric’s bed. I laid a cautious hand on his sweat soaked forehead. The sedation was heavy. He didn’t flinch. I brushed a strand of pale blond hair off his face and longed for simpler days.
I whispered, “I’m here. I’m going to make this all go away.”
The Keeper moved both my hands to Aldric’s chest. “You need to channel the sacred link. Like you did in the Underworld. I’m going to get you as close as I can, but you’ll have to do the rest.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. The Keeper chanted in Latin, his voice low and calm. My flesh tingled as his words entered my mind. Ineo, immeo, subeo. To enter and submit. The healing clinic began to fade away piece by piece. My body was there, but my mind was drifting away.
The sound of The Keeper’s voice grew more and more distant as I climbed into Aldric’s mind. It was like a dream. An opening appeared. I stepped through it and let out a gasp. Aldric was naked and shivering on the floor, bound in chains.
I ran to his side. “Aldric. You must wake up. Please.”
His eyes bulged out, full of fear. “I can’t. I’m trapped. Just forget about me, Gray.” His teeth chattered.
I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard. “No. You have to fight this. You are a Bannister Witch. Use your magic.”
Aldric shook his head. “I’ve tried. It’s no use.”
My head was pounding. “Don’t you dare give up. I can’t do this without you. Remember our link. Use it.” The desperation ached in my voice.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His magic stretched out like tendrils and tugged at my cells. Tiny particles nipped at me like honey bees. I welcomed them in. Yes, like that. It’s working.
A crash rang in my ears. His magic was weakening—growing faint. “Aldric, focus.”
He gave one final push and cried out. His magic vanished and left me with an empty hole.
He clenched his fists. “I can’t. Their hold on me…it’s too strong.”
My chest tightened as if a ton of bricks pressed down upon me. I was going to lose him.
I let out a wail and pounded my fists on the ground, wishing it were real so I could crack it open. I had never felt more helpless.
I was about to throw myself down next to him when it hit me. My heart raced. I had Narcissus magic—the power to drain another Witch of their magic.
“Aldric, I’m going to suck the poison out of you.” I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of this before.
His eyes grew wide and he shook his head in protest. “Gray, no. You’ll ingest it. You do not want this inside you. I couldn’t live with myself.”
I smiled and brushed his cheek. “It’s okay. I know what I’m doing. I can control it.”
His body trembled. “No. I can’t let you do this. You don’t understand…”
I cupped his face in my hands. “This isn’t up for debate. I’ll see you on the other side.”
I gave him a wink and leaned in to kiss him. He squirmed but my grip was too strong. I drew in a deep breath and focused on the dark magic. I envisioned it seeping out, layer by layer. It scratched my throat as it entered. My chest ached. It flowed through my veins, scorching my blood as it traveled up my spine.
I gripped Aldric’s shoulders to steady myself. It was hard to breathe but I kept at it, sucking it in like smoke. I had to get every bit. My head spun as I inhaled the last drop, stopping before I stole Aldric’s magic too.
He sprang up, surprised, as the chains fell to the ground. His eyes darted around like he was anticipating another attack.
I smiled. “I told you it would work.”
His face shifted out of focus. Panic set in. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Then everything went black.
Voices called out to me—The Keeper’s, Aldric’s. They were faint at first, then roared like thunder. My eyes flew open. I was in the healing clinic, and I was strapped down to one of the beds.
A warm hand touched my cheek. “Hey darlin’, welcome back.” Aldric.
I tried to sit up, but they forced me back down. “What happened? Why am I being restrained?”
The Keeper shot me a displeased look. “You took it upon yourself to ingest Lamia’s magic. We weren’t sure who you were going to be when you woke up.” Satisfied I was still me, he began removing my restraints.
I rubbed my wrists and sat up. “I’m fine. My head hurts, but other than that, I’m okay.”
Aldric squeezed my hand. “You have no idea how happy I am to see your face.”
I looked into his eyes, they were blue again. “I missed you.”
The Keeper cleared his throat. “I’ll give you two some privacy. But do not leave this clinic. I want to keep you both here for observation.”
We both nodded, never taking our eyes off each other. As soon as The Keeper was out of the room, I pulled Aldric onto the bed with me. His arms wrapped around me.
I let out a sigh. As much as I wanted to enjoy this moment, I needed some answers.
I looked away. “What do you remember?”
He shrugged. “It’s pretty much a blur. At times I was aware of my body and other times I was how you saw me…trapped.”
I bit my lip. “So…you don’t remember seeing me and Dragos in Romania?”
His body stiffened. “No. I was in Romania? What were you doing with Dragos?
A lump formed in my throat. I was going to have an even harder time explaining this if he didn’t even remember how he was behaving.
I swallowed hard. “He was helping me look for you. I didn’t expect to find you the way I did. You were…not nice.”
His eyes widened. “I don’t understand. I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about.”
I spent the next hour filling him in on everything that happened. Well, up until the incident between me and Dragos at the cabin. I didn’t have the stomach for it just yet. Aldric cringed as I described the events at the Striga party and the way that he had spoken to me.
He put his head in his hands. “It…it wasn’t me, Gray. They had me under their control. I would never treat you that way.”
I nodded. “I know. It still hurt all the same.”
A tinge of guilt clawed at my chest. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
Aldric swallowed hard. “What else did I do?”
My hands trembled. “It’s what I did. After seeing you with that girl…you were all over her. I flew into a rage and I…I slept with Dragos.”
Aldric leaped up from the bed. His cheeks flushed bright red. The veins bulged out of his neck as he narrowed his eyes down at me. My stomach turned and I tasted bile in the back of my throat.
He paced around the room. “Let me get this straight. I get kidnapped and you go off and have sex with your ex-boyfriend. Am I getting that right? He just couldn’t wait to pounce on you. I bet he’s outside laughing at me right now.”
I crept out of bed and faced him. “It wasn’t like that. I was trying to find you, and when I did, you wanted nothing to do with me. I was angry and hurt, and it just happened. You looked me in the eyes and said you didn’t want me anymore.”
He threw his hands up. “I was under a spell, Gray. I can’t believe you of all people couldn’t see that. I’m going to kill him. Where is he?”
I burst into tears. “I didn’t know what was happening. Their magic was all over you. I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t. I’m sorry. I wasn’t in my right mind either. But I love you.”
With fists clenched, his eyes shifted to white. “Where is he?”
I choked back sobs. “He’s not here. He’s in Tartarus. It’s a demon prison in the Underworld.”
Aldric chuckled. “Good. I hope he rots there.”
My hands trembled, and I looked down at the ground. “Don’t be angry, but I need your help to get him out.”
He glared at me, his heart racing. “I think I had it right in Romania after all. I don’t want you anymore.”
I cried out as he stormed off, “Aldric wait—”
The Keeper rushed in as Aldric blew past him. “What is the meaning of all this?”
My eyes turned black as the Narcissus venom coursed through my veins. I tilted my head back and let out a scream, shattering every glass bottle in the room. Potions and tinctures sprayed out like a hurricane onto the walls and floor. The Keeper fell to his knees as his hands flew to his ears.
Flesh and Bone (Blood and Darkness Book 2) Page 9
