A jolt of panic shot up my spine, and Razik and I shared a wide-eyed look. Then he stepped forward and rapped his knuckles lightly on the door.
“Come in,” came Cassandra’s reply, and the door swung open, with Andrew standing by, holding the knob.
“Hey, guys,” Andrew said. “Good thing you’re here. Maybe you can weigh in on this too.”
He gestured to the desk where Cassandra sat, Benedetta’s globe taking up the center of it. It looked larger in this small room than it had hanging on the tree, and it gave off enough heat that they had apparently opened the windows to manage the temperature.
“Where’s Salem?” Cassandra asked, staring past us into the darkness of the house beyond.
“He’s, ah, taking the first part of my shift so I could come talk to you,” Razik lied. I was sure Salem was actually lurking in the shadows as we spoke, intent on keeping track of wherever Cassandra took Benedetta. I avoided reaching out mentally though. I didn’t want to risk having April or Gray catch onto our conversation. Both of them were adept at picking up on mental volleys if they were close enough, so we’d be better off remaining circumspect.
Razik cleared his throat. “I think we need to come clean about something.” He stepped farther into the room and looked down at the globe, thumbs hanging casually in his front pockets. I hung back, letting him do the talking.
“Oh? Please feel free to share.” Cassandra said, leaning back and crossing her arms in interest. She’d changed into her normal daytime attire of black jeans and a tank top, looking every bit the Elite she’d trained to be with her wiry frame and short, spiky hair. My fingers tingled faintly with the memory of Benedetta’s firm, toned body against me and how powerful she’d have been if we’d been on opposing sides in a fight, not in a passionate tangle.
“That globe.” Razik tilted his head toward the faintly pulsing object on the desk. “There’s a spirit inside it. The guys and I… We think it’s linked to us. In fact, we know it is. You said to come to you if we ever felt drawn to anyone here. Well, we are. To that. To her. So, I guess what I’m trying to say is, we’d like you to let us handle it.”
Cassandra’s eyebrows rose slowly as Razik spoke. “Let you handle it? I think we need a more detailed explanation first. None of the other globes on that tree have behaved like this one. I’m not automatically leaping to the conclusion that it’s dangerous, but I’m not dumb enough to rule that out. So tell me, who is inside this thing, and why do you think you three are the ones to take care of it?”
I watched his jaw tense as he braced himself to reveal the truth. He tossed me a quick look, and I nodded in support.
He took a breath and looked straight into Cassandra’s eyes. “It’s Benedetta’s ghost. The Benedetta. And we believe we’re meant to resurrect her.”
Both Cassandra and Gray tensed, sharing an alarmed look across the desk before both staring at the globe between them as if it were a venomous snake. April and Andrew looked around the room at us, both equally confused. “Who the hell is Benedetta?” April asked.
Cassandra rose slowly from her seat and gingerly lifted Benedetta’s globe, turning and placing it on the table against the wall behind her, as if she’d prefer to put herself between it and her daughter and husband. Grey’s shoulders squared, and he rose too, hand resting protectively on April’s shoulder. “She was a monster, April. The worst of the Ultiori hunters in her time. The bodies of the dragons, of all the higher races she left in her wake…” He trailed off with a shudder.
April’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? Our tree couldn’t have brought her spirit back, could it?”
“We don’t know what the tree can do. Only that its power is linked to powerful magic,” Cassandra said. “Perhaps her spirit sought a portal and found it there, but the tree managed to contain her with the globe.” She gave Razik and me a disappointed look. “I can’t believe you two were reckless enough to let her get into your heads. Is that the real reason Salem isn’t here? Did he at least know better?”
“Cassandra,” I pleaded, hands outstretched, fingers spread. “You were an Elite just like her. You changed, so has she. Please trust us, she’s nothing like the creature she was.”
Cassandra bared her teeth and jabbed a finger at her sternum. “I changed because of the war. I was alive when Meri’s taint was cleansed from the earth, from my blood. Benedetta died when Meri was at the height of power. We can’t say for certain the Benedetta inside that thing isn’t the same monster she always was. What if Meri’s corruption is still inside her? Meri was a trickster. A liar. Can you tell me with complete certainty that Benedetta isn’t lying to you to gain your trust? That she’s not some vessel to carry Meri’s spirit back from the Ashes?”
Razik muttered a low curse. “Can we at least try to give her a chance?”
“No way. I’ll take care of this. You three just do your fucking jobs, got it?” She heaved a weary sigh and glared over her shoulder at the globe.
“What are you going to do with her?” I asked, struggling to quell the rising panic after overhearing the suggestion to throw the globe in April’s glass furnace and melt it down.
“I don’t know yet.”
“What if we’re right?” Razik snapped. “What if she’s not tricking us, and all she wants is to have a chance to live again with her sanity intact? You got that chance, Cassandra. You owe it to her to let her have one too.”
“What if you’re wrong?” Cassandra asked, voice rising in volume. “If I let you guys release her, resurrect her, what if we wind up unleashing another three thousand years of hell on the higher races? It was hard enough living with that monster in my head for two decades, doing everything in my power to keep her away from the ones I loved, to keep her from discovering April and Andrew existed. I’m not about to be responsible for bringing Meri back.”
Razik turned to me with an agonized look. We both knew the Benedetta we’d seen wasn’t the monster she’d once been. There was no sign of the mind control Meri had inflicted on her minions. Razik had detailed his encounter with her and her reluctance to even admit who she was spoke volumes.
I didn’t know any of the details of Salem’s encounter with her tonight, but his refusal to go along with us was definitely starting to sound like the wiser course of action.
“Please don’t do anything drastic,” I begged. “Let us find a way to prove we’re right, okay?”
Cassandra crossed her arms, her eyes blazing as she stared us down. Finally, she nodded once. “I can give my word that I won’t destroy it. I wouldn’t want to be responsible for killing her if she’s truly free of Meri’s corruption. The fact that she’s still trapped in this thing is a small comfort. But you guys are to stay clear for now. I’m keeping it under guard until I can get someone here to examine it more closely. Someone who’s less likely to think with his dick.”
Razik surged forward and slammed his hands down onto the desk. “It’s more than that, Cassandra! We’re connected to her somehow. There were fucking fate hounds nosing around us before we got here. How do you explain that? Do you believe Deva has some agenda to resurrect a brutal dragon hunter?”
Cassandra’s jaw tightened, and she leaned in close enough their noses nearly touched. “I don’t know what to believe yet, Razik. Until I know more, this discussion is over. Go do your fucking job!”
Razik’s face reddened, a vein pulsing wildly in the side of his neck. Then he straightened and turned, stalking toward the door.
“Razik, wait!” I reached for him, but before I made contact, his body dissipated into darkness and slipped away. I turned back to Cassandra with an apologetic look. We needed her on our side if we were going to have a chance to get Benedetta back.
“Do you have something else to add?” Cassandra challenged.
I spread my hands in a placating gesture, hunching a little to make myself less huge and threatening. “You know who we are, where we come from. It isn’t easy to get into a Shadow’s head. We’re built to be
the mindfuckers, not get mindfucked. I think it’s the reason you fared so much better than the other Elites.”
“If you’re suggesting it’s because of the Void’s blood, that didn’t exactly help Marcus,” Cassandra countered.
Andrew made a low noise of disagreement. I shot a look at him, where he stood near the door, watching intently from beneath his thick blond brows. His frown deepened as his gaze met Cassandra’s. “Meri never caught me, Cassie. Didn’t she convert Marcus by locking Evie up from the get-go, before she turned him? How different would it have been for him if the love of his life had been free? I think Errol has a point. These men have strong defenses.”
“They’re still men, Andrew. And if Fate does have a stake in this, all the more reason to be cautious. I can’t be sure the hounds Razik claims they saw were Deva’s. But even if they were, my duty is to protect this island and the twelve Bloodline who are about to step off that ferry tomorrow morning. I’m not taking any risks with their lives.”
She turned her gaze to me, her expression softening. “Errol, I know what it feels like to be separated from a lover. But please try to see my side. This is for the best.”
“For how long?” I asked.
She turned and gazed down at the glowing globe. “I don’t know. If this really is Benedetta, there are really only two people I’d consider authorities on the matter. They’re both busy men, but I imagine they’ll come when they find out.”
My blood went hot and cold simultaneously. I knew who she was referring to, and there had been a time very recently when I’d have been honored to be in the presence of either of those men. Now, however, I could only consider them both potential threats.
Unable to give a coherent response that didn’t betray my unease, I only nodded and quietly left the office. I had to find Razik and Salem and let them know the news.
Salem
The office’s darker corners were more than sufficient to skulk around in without being seen, much less sensed. If anyone could perceive my presence, it was Cassandra, but she seemed distracted. When Razik disappeared through the door, I had a feeling he’d join me, and within seconds, the opposite corner of the room shimmered as he appeared on the shadow plane. We shared a long, meaningful stare but didn’t communicate otherwise. If there was one sure way to give away our presence, it was mentally whispering to each other.
But I wasn’t about to leave. I didn’t plan to take my eyes off Benedetta’s globe if I could help it. Soon Errol left too, after Cassandra dropped the mother of all bombs. She had called two “authorities” on the subject of Benedetta, and that only meant Nikhil and the Void himself were likely to show up here to weigh in on the matter.
Errol’s shadow reformed in a vague shape beside me, the energy of his anger crackling through the air between us. That level of rage was surprising for a dragon so self-contained and generally cheerful and optimistic.
The people left in the room stared at the globe for a moment longer. “What do you plan to do with it, Mom?” April asked. “Is she really that dangerous?”
“She used to be,” Cassandra said. “Now, I can’t be sure, but I’m not taking any risks.” She turned to look at April and Gray. “Can you guys build a safe for it? Something Shadow-proof, preferably.”
Gray leaned his elbows on his knees and nodded. “It might take a couple days, but yes, we can put together something they can’t breach. But I have to admit I’m a little hesitant to get on their bad sides. Nobody needs a squad of Shadows with a vendetta. And we need them.”
Cassandra’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t have a choice. Hopefully, it’s nothing, and I can just apologize later. In the meantime, we need to protect this school. I just can’t believe I didn’t sense it before. That globe appeared on the tree months ago. With luck, we can get it resolved quickly and without incident. Here.” She gingerly lifted the globe and handed it to Gray. “Don’t let this out of your sight until it’s secured, got it? I’ll put the calls in to Deva, Ked, and Nikhil. I think we need them all here to weigh in on this, and anyone else who might have known Benedetta before. If we decide to set her free, there can be no question she’s free of her old corruption. This isn’t something we can keep to ourselves.”
“Got it, boss,” Gray said.
Cassandra huffed. “I’m not your boss, Gray. You’re my son-in-law.”
“When it comes to the security of this place, you’re in charge, Cassandra. We all defer to you. I’ll keep you posted on the safe. We’ll get started in the morning. The guys and I will take shifts guarding this…thing.” He gave the globe a dubious look as he carried it out the door.
Errol, Razik, and I each filtered out along the ceiling, slipping like smoke behind Gray as he said good night to April and headed back out into the night. Gray continued down the path to the big barn-like structure at the bottom of the hill that housed the three main studio spaces at the school. The sprawling building contained a collection of furnaces and forges for glassblowing and blacksmithing in the front, with a potter’s studio in the back. The shed housing the kilns overlooked Puget Sound and made for an idyllic workspace for the students due to arrive. There were two separate buildings for the woodshop and other media taught at the school.
Of course, Gray was heading to the forge, where he was met by his five partners. He gave them the rundown of their orders, then slipped into a small room filled with shelves containing boxes and buckets of materials, with one wall lined with various rods of metal and glass.
The blond-haired Murdoc slipped ahead of him, clearing a space and lifting an empty five-gallon bucket. He ripped a length of bubble wrap off a roll in one corner and stuffed it down into the bucket, then reached for the globe. He settled the globe gently into the bucket, covered it with more bubble wrap, then set the lid on top. The light inside the globe flared bright one last time before it disappeared, and Murdoc pressed down on the lid until it sealed with a snap.
“Want me to take first shift? I’ll sit on this thing like it’s an egg about to hatch. Those three are no doubt slinking around watching us from the darkness already.”
Gray shrugged. “Do whatever works. I’ll get Tate on designing this safe Cassandra asked for. We’ll need to have April weave the magic into it. It’ll take more than what we alone can provide to keep the three of them out.”
“Do you think it’s really her?” Murdoc asked, his face paler than usual.
“I don’t think Razik would lie about something like that,” Gray said.
“You remember all the stories, don’t you? Even though she was dead, I used to have nightmares when I was a kid that she’d hunt me down and trap me in some awful Ultiori prison.” He shivered.
“Dude, they’re just stories. No different than the ones about the Blue Beast, or Nikhil himself, and those two turned out to be allies, not enemies.”
Murdoc gave him a dubious look. Gray sighed.
“Look, all I’m saying is we need to reserve judgment for now. Just keep your eyes open. I wouldn’t put it past those three to try something. They think she’s their mate.”
“Sweet Mother, seriously?” Murdoc asked, his voice going shrill. “I knew Shadows were a bit masochistic, but fuck. That’s crazy town.”
“Yeah, well, they can’t all be lucky enough to find a woman as perfect as April. If they’re wrong, it’s going to hurt like hell.”
With that, he left Murdoc sitting on top of the bucket in a very Thinker-like pose, evidently pondering the insanity of what we were going through.
I felt 100 percent sane though, and filled with even more clarity than before at the suggestion that Benedetta was our mate. I’d known it deep down already, but having someone else say it out loud was all I needed to drive it home. And if she was our mate, that meant we had to do everything in our power to protect her.
Murdoc was clearly not going anywhere for a while, and I doubted they’d move Benedetta again, so I slipped back out, hoping the guys would follow me. I wound my way up into the
darkness until I cleared the tree line, then coalesced into dragon form, winging my way down to the water to land on the floating dock just offshore where I rematerialized.
Within minutes, Errol and Razik had joined me.
“We can’t let them lock her up,” Razik said the second he solidified on the dock. “You said you had an idea of how to resurrect her. Let’s hear it.”
“It’s kind of moot if we can’t get to her,” I said.
“You think one Guardian’s enough to keep us from taking her back? Trust me, we can handle Murdoc or any of the others. I don’t want to take the chance that they’ll lock her up somewhere we can’t break into, so we need to move fast. The faster we set her free so she can make her own case, the easier it’ll be.”
“No putting the genie back in the bottle, huh?” Errol commented.
I scowled at his useless joke. “If I had one wish…”
He sobered and interjected, “You wouldn’t waste it on my sorry ass; you’d use it to help her. That’s what you were going to say, right asshole?”
Recalling the undercurrent of rage bleeding from his shadow earlier, I relaxed. He was every bit as invested as I was in this, at least.
Exhaling, I looked at each of them and rubbed my hands together. “I think there’s a reason all three of us were drawn to her. We’re descendants of the dragon whose blood made her an Elite. Whose fire supposedly destroyed her.”
“Only it didn’t completely destroy her. She’s obviously still here. At least her soul is,” Razik said.
I nodded. “When I was talking to her, I filled her in a bit on what she missed. She was close to the twins at the beginning before she went crazy. And mentioning Neela and Naaz—Neela specifically—got me to thinking.”
Wicked Souls: A Limited Edition Reverse Harem Romance Collection Page 28
