by Raven Steele
Loosening his hold on my knee, Luke reached into his pocket and pulled out an empty vial. He showed it to me, his mouth a straight line. “After you fell asleep at Angel’s club the other night, I found this in your hands.”
“It’s not mine?” I offered, my voice hitting a high note at the end.
“And I’ve smelled it on you several times,” Samira added.
I wrinkled my nose at the thought. “What else can you smell? Do you know what I ate for lunch yesterday? Because if so, your life sucks right now.”
“This isn’t a joke,” my uncle scolded.
My expression grew serious. “You’re right. This isn’t funny. It’s horse shit is what it is, and you’re all wasting your time and really pissing me off.”
“I talked to Angel,” Luke blurted. I could feel the blood draining from my face. “After I found it, I confronted him.”
I whistled. “I bet he loved that.”
“Actually, he’s worried about you, too. He told me everything. You’ve been using every day for a while now.”
“The rat,” I whispered under my breath.
“Then what does that make you?” Samira asked. When I didn’t respond, because deep down I knew I was dirt, she continued, “Scorpion's Breath was made for humans just like cocaine, meth, and all those other street drugs. But it was never meant for supernaturals. The Nocturnas use the drug to make it easier to hide the presence of vampires. It’s easier to drink from a drugged-up human and, as you are aware, it’s necessary for us to drink blood to survive.”
She paused, a slight inflection in her voice that was unnatural for her. “I’ve been to the Ames de la Terra. They have seen troubling cases of supernaturals who, for one reason or another, had access to the Scorpion’s Breath. It does not react well with our mutated DNA.” Her eyes bore into me. “Believe me. You do not want to become one of them.”
“How do you know the same thing will happen to me? I’ve been fine so far.” I heard the skepticism in my voice.
“You’re playing with fire.”
“But—”
“There are any number of things that could happen to you, Briar. Supernatural DNA is complicated. You shouldn’t take chances with it.”
“Taking chances is what’s gotten me this far in life. How do you know so much about our DNA, anyways?”
“Because I love research, and I love breaking into places to learn this research. But this isn’t about me.”
“Briar,” Lynx pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears. “Just hear us out. Please. I can’t lose another friend.”
I closed my eyes, not wanting to hear the anguish in her voice, but her pain touched mine. "What do you want from me?"
"I don't know what you've been through," Luke said, tucking my hair behind my ear. His fingers brushed gently across my skin, making warmth creep down my neck. “But it must've been terrible. And Ryder's death seems to have made everything so much worse. I can understand the lure of Scorpion’s Breath. To numb the pain that weighs heavily on your chest, making it hard to breathe.”
He gently turned my chin so that I was facing him. “I know what that feels like.” He swallowed hard. “But the Scorpion’s Breath, like most drugs, prevents us from healing. It only prolongs the pain because we don’t face our demons. I can’t help but wonder if you would’ve have made different choices if you hadn’t been taking it.”
His words stabbed at my chest, and I jumped up, pushing them away. I couldn’t face that right now. I started to leave, moving towards the stairs. "Then I'll just stop. Would that make everyone happy?"
"It's not that easy.” Samira came to her feet. "The drug is already in your system. As far as we know, supernaturals, unlike humans, are unable to quit this drug on their own."
I stopped and turned to her. “That can't be possible.”
"It is. The Ames de la Terra tried everything to help them recover, but there was only one thing that worked."
"And what was that?"
"Several infusions over the space of about a week of holy water. Not just any holy water, but water stolen from a spring, deep within the Vatican. It’s very dangerous for Supernaturals to even attempt to go there, as they hate our kind and would love nothing more than to have our existence erased from the earth.”
“Sounds heavenly and also extremely risky. Who’s going to risk doing that for me?” The room fell silent, and all eyes turned to Samira.
“No.” I folded my arms. “I’m not going to let you risk your life to help me get off some stupid drug. I’ll do it on my own.”
Samira blinked. Just once. “It’s already done.”
“What? How?”
She glanced at Luke. “When Luke informed me of your addiction, I left immediately. That’s where I’ve been the last several days.”
I inhaled a hitched breath. “You did that? For me? Why?”
“Despite your view of me, Briar, I do care about people. And I …” Her gaze lowered to the floor. “I understand where darkness can lead. I don’t judge you. I want to help you.”
The room was silent once again, and my throat constricted as I imagined the sacrifices she made for me. But the problem was, she didn’t understand.
They didn’t understand.
I released a long, drawn out breath. “Listen, I’m grateful for what you’ve done. You have no idea how much it means to me. But I’ll be fine. I just must see this thing with Dominic through, and then I'll do whatever. You want to inject a bunch of water into my veins, I'll do it. But not now.” Maybe not ever.
Samira shifted her weight a fraction of an inch. "The longer you wait, the more the vampire venom will take hold. There is a point of no return. You need to do this now."
I thought of last night, how, after I’d seen Dominic crush someone’s head in, I had had a moment of clarity and recognized that I needed help. But that was then. Staring at everyone’s concerned faces reminded me how I hurt others. “I don’t want to do it now.”
She leaned forward. “And why is that, Briar?”
“Because I don’t think I can, okay?” I turned to my uncle. “What if I can’t kill Dominic without its help? I’m not so sure anymore. Not after seeing him take down those two Greybacks last night, all on his own. I need its help. I can’t let you down.”
“You will never let me down. Even if you walk away from Dominic this minute.”
“You can do this,” Samira said. “And I will help you.” I opened my mouth to object but Samira interrupted. “But if you don't accept our help, then you will no longer have my assistance with taking down Dominic. And after what happened at Bodian, you're going to need it."
Lynx spoke next, tears spilling onto her cheeks. "If you don't accept our help, then I will ask you to leave my house. You'll have to find somewhere else to live."
I turned away, my body turning cold. “Fine.”
Luke stood and strode towards me. His hand touched my cheek and caressed it softly. “I have no doubts you can do anything you put your mind to. You are powerful. And you are stronger when you aren’t taking Scorpion’s Breath. I want you by my side, Pup, to show me how to live again. I haven’t felt this way since Dominic took everything from me.”
The whole world melted away at his words and it was just him and me in the room. But the darkness still clung to me, my darkness, the kind that swirled inside like a black hole destroying everything it touches. He had no idea what was really inside me. The thoughts that came to mind when I was alone; the thoughts I never spoke aloud.
I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I couldn’t say them, not even now.
His eyes pleaded with me. “Baby, please. I need you in my life, and I think you’re going somewhere even I can’t follow.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Why what? Why do I want you off the drugs?”
I shook my head. “Why do you want me in your life? I’m nothing. Once Dominic is dead, there is nothing for me. I mean nothing to the world except pain and heartache.
I’m a disease. I infect everyone I touch with my darkness.” I paused, meaning to stop myself, but the words fell out. “The world would be a better place if I was dead.”
A shocked silence spread through the room and Luke’s lips parted. Then his eyes hardened and he grabbed my shirt, pulling me to him. “That is not true. You’ve shown me how to feel again. I was dead inside, working for Dominic, and you woke me up.”
Samira spoke next. “You brought humor to my life.”
“What?” I turned to Samira, my eyebrows raised to my hairline.
“I might not show it in front of you, but your antics are … hilarious.” Samira gave me a smile, shocking me further.
Lynx spoke next, fire in her eyes. “You taught me how to stand up for myself and not take shit from my mother. The way you took her head-on that day, even though she could have annihilated you—”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Could she?”
“You taught me to live my own life, not the life she wanted me to live.”
I rubbed at the back of my neck, hearing their words but not really hearing. My chest constricted tightly, leaving me without words.
My uncle spoke, his voice gentle. “Isabella, come here.”
My mouth dropped at the sound of my real name. Everyone’s faces slowly turned from me to him.
“Wait, what?” Lynx asked. “Who’s Isabella?”
My uncle smiled kindly at me. “It’s time they know who you really are. These are your true friends.”
“Not now. I’m not ready.”
Samira stepped towards me, brows furrowed as if she’d just encountered a puzzle she couldn’t solve. “Your name is Isabella?”
I held a hand up to her. “Not now, Samira.”
Lynx lifted her chin a little. “I don’t care who you are. Isabella or Briar. You’re still my friend.”
My uncle addressed the room. “I know you all probably have a lot of questions, but let’s talk about that later. I need to show her something.” He opened the briefcase and took out a large, yellow envelope. He waved me over. “Come here.”
I sat down, and he handed me the envelope. “I found something for you. Look inside."
I hesitated before opening the flap and reaching inside. I pulled out a stack of photographs. My heart skipped a beat.
The face of my mother looked up at me. Sudden tears stung my eyes. My voice wavered. “Mom?”
I inhaled a hitched breath as I looked through the photos. When Dominic killed my family, he took everything. I had no pictures, no mementos of them. Nothing to remember them by. Seeing the faces of my family again … It tore straight through my heart. I couldn’t stop the sob that wretched from my throat. They were so beautiful. I touched the face of my father, standing near the woods by our home. He was looking to the side and laughing. So strong, so noble and handsome.
I missed them so much. What would they think of me now? Would they be proud of the woman I’d become?
I didn’t think so.
My uncle placed his hand on my shoulder. "I want you to remember who you are. You come from a long line of strong shifters. I think being out here, surrounded by power-hungry darkness, has made you forget this. You lost your family once, but that doesn't mean you have to lose it again." He looked up pointedly at everyone else in the room. "There are people that care and love you, including me. You may have thought you were alone in the world, but you are not. Not anymore. We love you, and need you. Rise from the ashes, Isabella. Take back what is yours."
I inhaled a slow, deep breath, reminding myself that I was strong, though the thought of quitting Scorpion’s Breath was daunting. I looked up at my uncle, whose kind eyes were watching me carefully. He held open his arms and I fell into them. His warm grip was the last straw, and I let go of the anger, the hate, the darkness, crying.
He loved me. They all cared about me.
Another pair of arms wrapped around me, and I opened my eyes, wiping my tears away. It was Lynx, and she was crying, too.
I smiled at her. “Thank you.”
“I love you, girl.”
Samira stood next to us, her hand hesitant on my shoulder. “Will you do it, Briar?”
I bit my lip, slightly nodding. She smiled again and turned away. “It’s already set up in the basement.”
“What? Right now?”
She looked back at me, and I could finally see it. A hint of emotion hovered at the tip of her lips, the shift in her eyebrow. “Yes. Of course.”
I stood up, my legs weak. Before I headed downstairs, there was one last thing I had to tell them. "All of this wasn't for nothing. I heard a conversation between Angel and Dominic.”
Luke opened his mouth to say something, but he held back.
I continued. “Dominic was ranting about something or someone called Trianus. He said it was here.”
Samira’s face snapped to me and then to the front door. She took a step in its direction.
“I guess you know exactly what Trianus is," I said.
She opened the door. "I have to go.” She looked back at Luke. “You know what to do."
He nodded, and she left us staring after her.
“That is so Samira,” Lynx whispered.
I looked at her. “Right?”
"Let's get started,” my uncle said, his voice tense.
I walked downstairs, followed by Luke and my uncle. Lynx stopped at the top of the stairs, her face tight with worry. “Sorry, but I can't be there. I think it will be too difficult to watch."
"Why?" I asked. "It's just a little holy water. How bad can it be?"
Luke and my uncle turned to me slowly. It was Luke who spoke first. "It's not a little, it's a lot. And it's gonna hurt like hell."
Chapter 32
My uncle opened the door at the end of a long hallway. The basement smelled like rusty pipes and moldy water. I don't know how Samira could stand sleeping down here. The room was as I expected. Concrete floors, a few chairs, and a stain going up the wall that looked like black mold. Nice.
But what I didn't expect was the special chair in the middle of the room. It looked a lot like the one Briar had sat in at fire Ridge when I had tortured her, except older. There were straps for both my arms and legs. "Are you serious? Is that really necessary?"
“Yes,” Luke said, his jaw a hard line.
At his serious tone, I swallowed hard. I carefully lowered into the chair, feeling it's coolness seeping through my thin clothing. My uncle fidgeted with some barrel in the corner, trying to get the lid off.
"Is that whole thing filled with holy water?" I leaned over to peer at it.
My uncle popped off the lid. "To the brim.”
“How the hell did Samira get all of that here?”
My uncle grunted as the lid popped off. “With great difficulty.”
I sighed. "And you really intend to get all of that into my body?"
"That's the plan.”
“Hell, no! That much would kill me."
Luke bent over to look me in the eyes. "We're not going to use it all tonight. It will take several infusions." He smiled. "Thank you for agreeing to this. And one day you’re going to tell me how Vincent got a hold of those pictures of your family.”
I waved my hand. “I’ll tell you later. When I’m off this. And just keep calling me Briar.”
“Oh, but I look forward to getting to know this person named Isabella.” Desire smoldered in his eyes and his lips turned up in a smirk. He tightened the leather strap around my arms, and I winced.
He leaned over to whisper in my ear, and his warm breath skimmed my neck. “I’ll do whatever it takes to get this shit out of your system. Tie you down so tight you can’t move. I’ll fuck the scorpion right out of you if I have to.”
I peered up at him, hunger simmering in my chest, making my nipples sensitive. “Yes, please.”
He growled, and my uncle scraped the side of the barrel loudly. Luke just gave me a sly smile, not bothering to look over at my uncle. If he knew wh
o Vincent really was, he’d probably have better manners.
I glanced over at my uncle; he was giving me a pointed look. I frowned, scowling at him. Stupid cock block. And this didn’t mean Luke loved me.
To Luke, I said, “You're going to need to put chains on me if this is as painful as you say."
His eyebrows raised in surprise. "There's no way you can—”
"Do it," my uncle said.
“If you say so.” Luke went to the stairs, taking them three at a time.
I called after him. “Check the attic.”
My uncle drew close to me with some long clear tubing and a syringe. While he worked on setting up the IV, I thought he was going to bring up Luke again, but instead he said something that surprised me. “Do you know why Dominic had your family killed all those years ago?"
I averted my gaze. We hadn't talked about this in a long time. I'd hoped he had forgotten about it. "Because they were after the Abydos.”
"Exactly. Had they gotten their hands on it, it would've been extremely dangerous for probably the whole world. If Trianus exists, then the Abydos must stay protected. Do you understand?"
"I already told you, I don't have it." I tried to be as convincing as possible.
He searched my eyes. "Well if you do, please make sure it's safe. And if you ever need help with it, you can always turn to me. It is also my sacred duty to protect it.”
We stared at each other for a few uncomfortable seconds and I considered his words. Maybe one day I would hand it over to him. It would be nice not to carry the burden anymore.
Luke walked back into the room carrying a chain as thick as a lead pipe. “Lynx found these.”
"They will do," my uncle said.
“Wait.”
They both stopped what they were doing.
“I … ” I paused. “I don’t want to do this.”
“Briar—” My uncle started.
Luke silenced him with a gesture, and knelt down so he could be eye level with me. “Look, we can start out easy, just a couple bags at a time.”
My uncle shook his head. “She needs at least ten bags the first time.”
