by Ella Frank
So there she sat, watching Elias and willing him to make it through this. She still couldn’t believe that Diomêdês had given Elias something so personal. But she shouldn’t have been so surprised. Her sire, he was most compassionate.
She stroked her fingers down Elias’s temple and wondered how the three of them would exist, should he make it through this, and then grimaced. It wasn’t just a matter of if he made it through now, was it? Who knew what her future held with this threat hanging over all of them?
Would they get one more day?
One more night?
She had no idea, but she vowed that if Elias woke up she would do everything she could to make sure they all had…something.
Sitting back on the couch, she let her eyes wander around the room and remembered the last time she’d been there. How confused she’d been and the anger in Elias. Look how far we’ve come, she thought. Now, just wake up.
I’m trying, Isadora. So impatient.
As those words entered her mind, she studied the sleeping man in her lap and saw that his eyes were still closed. Wait… You can hear me?
And you can hear me. Fantastic. I practiced for so long for that not to happen, and now, in the blink of an eye, my free will has been stripped.
She laughed a little at that. He sounded so put out, even in her mind. But she also knew how much he meant those words. Elias was private and stubborn. Almost as much as Diomêdês himself. And she knew her Ancient had always been somewhat annoyed by Elias’s ability to block him out. So if anyone would get a kick out of this little development, it would be he.
How about we not tell him for a while? Elias pushed into her mind. What do you say?
I say you have a lot to learn, Elias, if you think I cannot already hear you.
And it was Diomêdês’s voice that had Elias’s eyes finally snapping open.
AS SOON AS Elias came to, he felt it. The immediate rush of power thrumming throughout his body and the delicious taste that still lingered on his tongue. His eyes sharpened and brought Isadora’s alluring face into view, and as her eyes fell upon him, her teeth lengthened and her eyes illuminated.
He couldn’t explain it, had no way to actually put it into words, but he felt her inside of him right then. Her emotions, her desires, and yes, her Ancient. Elias felt him too.
Sitting up beside her, he automatically brought his fingers to his side where Eton had stabbed him, and when he felt no pain and saw no scar under the blood that had dried on his torso, he looked over at her. “How?”
She lowered her hand to touch it to his and said, “Diomêdês.”
Elias looked down to their hands and then back up again. “He fixed me?”
Isadora licked her lips and nodded. “He fed you.”
Fuck.
He’d already known that. Somewhere in the back of his mind. But still, Elias lifted his fingers to his lips, wanting to know if what he felt on them was— Oh God. When he pulled them away and caught sight of the slick red liquid, he knew exactly what it was, and couldn’t seem to stop himself from licking it clean—craving the taste once more.
As Diomêdês’s blood hit his taste buds, the Ancient’s voice filtered through his mind, as clear as if he were in the room beside him.
You are awake, I see. Good. Because you have some explaining to do. And for that, I need you here—now.
He wanted to tell Diomêdês to go fuck himself, especially knowing that the silver-haired bastard now had free rein to get in his head whenever he wanted. But instead, he took the hand Isadora offered him and held on, knowing exactly what was about to happen next.
His first fucking summoning—fantastic.
VASILIOS STARED DOWN at where Isadora and Elias had just arrived, and when he saw the blood streaking the male’s torso, he was most curious. With one last look at Diomêdês, he made his way down the stairs and over to the two newcomers in the Chamber.
“Mr. Fontana,” he said. “I hear we have Diomêdês’s poor judgment to thank for your presence this evening.”
He watched as Elias looked beyond his shoulder to where Diomêdês remained upon the dais, and then the male brought his silver gaze back to Vasilios’s.
“So I’ve been told.”
“It turns out that while that irritated me at first, it now might be for the best.”
He held his hand out to the side and indicated for Alasdair to bring him the book. When it was placed in his palm, he turned it around and thrust it in Elias’s direction. “Do you recognize this?”
Elias reached out and touched his fingers to the front cover. “Yes,” he said. “I gave it to Leo for his birthday.”
“Hmm…” Vasilios said. “Take it.”
“What?”
“Take. It,” he said again. “And then open it, and go to the very last page.”
As Elias skimmed through the pages, his eyes widened, and Vasilios asked, “Why did you give this to my Leonidas?”
When Elias stopped on the final page, the one with an image of himself lying across a couch while Isadora stroked his hair and Diomêdês pressed his wrist intimately to his lips, Elias’s mouth parted and he looked back at Vasilios.
“Do not be alarmed. No one in this room questions your desire for the male up on that stage. However, I do question why you gave this book to Leonidas, and how it is recording every choice we make. Almost like a foretelling, perhaps even a prophecy of sorts.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t know it did that,” Elias said, shoving the book back at him. “I’m not lying. Ask her. Hell, ask him,” he said, pointing to Diomêdês. “He can get inside my head now. I’m no threat to you. Plus, they left me to die. I hardly think I am of any importance anymore.”
Vasilios pursed his lips as he continued to stare Elias down. He knew he was telling the truth, didn’t actually think this male knew any other way, whether it would save him or kill him. But there was one thing he wasn’t so clear about.
“Who left you? Eton? Thanos? There are many people who wish you dead.”
Elias scoffed and ran a hand through his hair. “I suppose there is. And yes, they also left me there. But I was referring to the gods. My god, to be exact. Or goddess.”
Vasilios didn’t think there was much left that could shock him, but that…that shocked him.
“Why?” he asked. “What did you do that would cause her to turn on you? I would think that Leonidas had done more to enrage his god. You were a loyal subject. At least for a spell.” Vasilios then looked to Isadora, and said, “Perhaps your goddess did not like the fact you’d put your cock in another?”
When he brought his eyes back to Elias’s, the male shrugged and said, “Or maybe those at the top of the food chain are a bunch of assholes who think they have the power to play life and death. How’s it feel, Vasilios, to be the one being played with?”
It was infuriating. As was this male. But they had much more pressing matters to deal with than Vasilios getting into a superiority match with Elias Fontana. If they somehow managed to make it through all of this, he would have the great misfortune of dealing with this male for the rest of his life, and he would take great delight in punishing him—tomorrow.
“Isadora?” Vasilios said, slowly turning his head.
“Yes, Vasilios?”
“Where is the third male?” he asked, more than aware that she had both left her post and her…detainee. “I was under the impression I left him with you.”
He saw Isadora’s eyes dart over his shoulder to where her Ancient stood, and then she lowered them to her feet. “I left him with Thanos.”
He had suspected as much, and it did not overly concern him. The third male, Paris, had been around Thanos before and the vampire had lived to see another day. He hardly believed he would harm him now. However… “So Thanos has returned, then.”
“Yes, he and Eton, and Paris. They are in the Adjudication room.”
Well, well, it appeared that Thanos had done what he’d been tasked to do. Vasilios
wondered how the vampire was holding up after all was said and done, and vowed he would go to him as soon as this was complete.
“Good. Then, Isadora, please have Elias cleaned up. We have an assembly in less than ten minutes. I expect you all here before the others arrive.”
“What about Thanos?” Isadora asked.
Vasilios shook his head. “Do not trouble yourself over your cousin. He is excused from this evening. I will meet up with him after.”
Isadora nodded, and Elias held the book out to Vasilios. He shook his head and said, “You are the one who found it. So you can be the one to hold on to it.”
“Okay.”
“Now go,” Vasilios said with a flick of his wrist. “And do not be late on your return. Or you will not like how I teach you a lesson.”
THEY ARRIVED MUCH like one would expect of creatures who hunt, lurk, and prey at night, without a sound and without warning. Leo supposed Vasilios and Alasdair could probably sense them, but for him it was more like one here, one there, oh look, vampires everywhere.
He was back in the Chamber, dressed more appropriately in a black and gold robe, seated beside Alasdair and facing the raised dais where Vasilios sat beside Diomêdês. On the other side of Vasilios was an empty throne where Eton would usually be, which, Leo guessed, was the current topic being whispered about behind him.
Oh, and of course the fact that me, a lowly little human as far as they’re concerned, is seated beside the first-sired to the most feared and revered of them all. Yeah…talk it up, guys. I ain’t going anywhere.
When Alasdair turned his head towards him, Leo gave him a disarming grin.
You are going to keep us very busy aren’t you, file mou?
What do you mean? Leo thought, and added a quick wink.
You like trouble.
Leo gave a small shrug and turned to look up at Vasilios, whose eyes were locked on the two of them, alerting Leo that he was listening to the exchange also.
He answered, So do the two of you.
Alasdair also faced forward then, and that was when Vasilios’s voice slipped into their minds and Leo realized just how much he loved this form of communication. Even if it did mean he could never actually have a private thought again.
Whatever will we do with you, agori?
If we manage to survive the night, I think we should discuss that. I have plenty of ideas I can tell you about, Big V.
Leo knew that shit was seriously out of hand around here right now, and he wasn’t sure what the hell to make of it all. But when he caught the corner of Vasilios’s lips curve, he felt a sense of accomplishment for giving him and Alasdair a bit of light when they were always dealing with everything dark.
Then his Ancient, and the leader of this entire species, got to his feet and walked—no, it was more like glided, it was so smooth—to the front of the dais.
“Quiet!” The thunderous order echoed around the hall, and all those now within the cavernous space fell silent.
Holy…shit. The command, the control, and the total power Vasilios wielded in that moment was staggering. Every single vampire, and there were a lot of them, seated in the hall had turned their attention on their leader. And their leader was unbelievably charismatic in that moment, dressed in his regalia and standing proudly before them, even with the threat that he knew loomed over them.
Alasdair shifted in his seat, and Leo knew he must’ve heard his thoughts, because the surge of admiration and affection he felt directed back at him in that moment had Leo reaching out to touch him.
Uh uh, Leonidas, Vasilios tsked. Behave yourself. Do not touch our Alasdair just yet. I don’t think he could stand it, and he needs to be on his best behavior. Save it for later.
Leo’s eyes flew to Vasilios, who was still staring out at the masses, and if it hadn’t been for the entire way his body now felt wired, Leo would never have believed the Ancient had just said that.
Vasilios was truly extraordinary as he stood up there, and it made Leo proud as hell that he belonged to him. So much so that he thought back: Well, I was always told in times of crisis you should be with the ones you love the most, so… As soon as he thought the words, Vasilios and Alasdair actually turned in his direction.
Shit. Oh shit. Me and my big mouth. Or…brain, whatever.
Leo quickly lowered his head and willed his stupid mind to shut up, just shut up, but it was too late. Alasdair reached for his hand, and Leo’s head jerked up to watch the magnificent male beside him incline his head ever so slightly.
We are honored, Leonidas, he pushed into Leo’s mind, and a shiver skated up his spine. He swallowed once, then again, trying to get some much-needed air in his lungs, and as he heard Vasilios say, “You have been summoned here tonight for two very important reasons,” his hands began to shake and the light that had once burst out of him lit up the room, like the fucking sun had just risen inside of it.
Alasdair cursed and released his hand, and Leo’s eyes glazed over as he let out a pain-filled cry, and then he was—
Somefuckingwhere…
FUCK. FUCK… WHAT the fuck had he just done?
“Calm yourself, Leonidas. You did not do anything.”
“Oh shit. And here I thought I’d gotten rid of you,” Leo said as he came to on his ass in the familiar black abyss—if a black abyss could actually be familiar.
“As certain as I am that you truly wish that were the case. Unfortunately for you, that is not the way of things. I am here to offer you one last chance.”
Leo pushed up to his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. Were they really having this same discussion? This Apollo guy obviously wasn’t that smart.
“You should watch yourself, Leonidas. You are impulsive, and your thoughts, they say a lot about you.”
“Ahh, so that’s why I’m here,” Leo said, and then shrugged. “Not so fond of me falling for the bad guys, huh? Does it put a little kink in your plan for genocide?”
“No, it does not.”
The finality of that answer drew Leo up short, because if that was still the case, did that mean he had just killed them all?
“No. I told you. This is your chance to change your mind,” Apollo said. “You have chosen a path that was not destined for you, but we have adapted, and by the end of this night, no matter what you do, the curse shall be broken.”
As the words penetrated Leo’s brain, he held a finger up and said, “What do you mean? I thought you had this all planned out. Every little detail. Isn’t that what the book is all about? Why I had it.”
“Yes. But now things have changed. You are so blinded by your feelings that you are not paying attention. Elias tried to warn you when you first brought him to them, but you would not listen. None of this is in your hands. It is in ours. And their end will come—that is the one thing that cannot change, because it has already begun.”
Leo shook his head adamantly, denial now the driving force behind the words coming from his mouth. “No! That’s not fair.”
The blackness that he’d foolishly thought familiar earlier now took on an ominous presence as silence was all that greeted him, and then Leo shouted, “You’re a coward! Sending others to do your dirty work by killing what you created and then fucked up.”
Before Leo knew what was happening, his throat tightened and his ability to speak was lost under the crushing force now surrounding his windpipe. It was clear to see where the vampires had acquired that little trick.
Then the god whose voice he now associated with his nightmares said in his ear, “Be very careful now, Leonidas. You were created for a reason, and now you are no longer proving useful. You just might wind up dead yourself.”
Leo brought his hands to his throat, but nothing was there as he tried to loosen whatever it was holding on to him. “I…I don’t care anymore,” he managed. “I’d rather die alongside them than live knowing I was the one who killed them.”
The pressure increased, and Leo coughed.
“Very well,
” Apollo said, and the vise around Leo’s esophagus vanished. “But remember that, unlike them, at the end I showed mercy and gave you a choice. It was you who made your final decision.”
Then, before Leo could talk back, he woke.
ELIAS STARED OVER at Leo, who had passed out a couple of minutes ago. He couldn’t believe what had just happened. Leo had nearly singed off Alasdair’s hand and face, not to mention caused mass panic in every vampire in the room, until Vasilios had called out Leo’s name like a thunderclap, and the light had ceased, and he had slumped down in Alasdair’s lap.
Shit, what the hell was going on? The shout Leo had let free before he’d collapsed had been filled with pain, and where a second ago Vasilios had been addressing the crowded hall, he was now off that dais and over in front of Alasdair, who held Leo close.
Elias made a move to get up and help, but one look from Diomêdês had him staying put, and that, he knew, had everything to do with the protective vibe both Alasdair and Vasilios were now throwing off. Not to mention their gleaming eyes, bared fangs, and killer claws, which were all now visible.
The two vampires were hovering around Leo like guard dogs, ready to rip to shreds anyone, or anything, that came near, including Elias. But no matter how much Alasdair shook Leo’s shoulder, he would not wake.
As frenzied whispers began to fill the air, the other vampires present clearly began to speculate that something on the scale of this is some fucked-up shit was going down.
Isadora shifted restlessly beside him, and with their new connection now in place, Elias could feel the ramped-up energy coursing through her. He automatically reached for her hand to calm her, and no one was more shocked than he when she took it.
Then Diomêdês was there in his mind: Keep her close, Elias. I do not know what is about to happen, but whatever it is, it feels imminent.
Elias agreed. He had no idea what was going on, had never been privy to how the end would come, just that it would. And now that he knew he was not supposed to have ever been part of the final act, it made sense that he knew next to nothing.
