The Heir of Death - The Final Formula 3.5

by Becca Andre

  “We’ll go to Addie,” Elysia said to James. “She can dissolve the necromancy.”

  Addie? Bella asked. She can break the hold of a ghoul master? I’ve never heard of such a blood gift.

  “She’s not a necromancer. She’s an alchemist.”

  An alchemist.

  “Don’t be like me and judge before you know her. Addie is a good person, and brilliant. She can do anything. Even make you immortal.” Elysia wished she could see Bella’s expression. “She can’t return life, but she can return your body.”

  Bella’s hand fell to the hellhound once more. No. I must honor my pact.

  “But—”

  I want to honor my pact. They are all waiting for me, on the other side. There will be nothing here for me when you no longer need me.

  “Okay,” Elysia whispered. “If that is what you want.”

  It is.

  The enormity of the sacrifice Bella had made hit Elysia again. She longed for some way to help her, repay her, or just make it right. But Bella had said it best: death could not be reversed, only delayed. All that was left was to free her. Which meant Elysia had to first get free of Alexander. She looked up at James. “Shall we go see Addie?”

  I’ll go to her and tell her what we need, he said. But you can’t. Alexander is waiting for you to return to the mortal world.

  “Because that’s the only place he can control me. His blood gift doesn’t work here, in the land of the dead.”

  He thinks you will lead him to Ian. I’m fine with that, but I don’t want him near Addie.

  “Then where do I go? I can’t stay here. Where is Alexander now?”

  He was having Neil take him to Xander’s to get something to wear.

  She couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, he’s Ian’s brother.”

  You can say that again.

  Elysia frowned. “So, how are we going to do this?”

  He studied her, but didn’t speak.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  Your soul has only faded a little, so we have time. I’ll go to Addie and get her to make the solvent.

  She nodded. “Okay. Have her make extra for Doug. We can’t leave him as Alexander’s puppet.”

  You’re right.

  She blinked. “You agree?”

  Oh, I still intend to rip out his soul, but no one should be forced to obey the commands of another.

  “Speaking from experience?”

  Yes. Of course, it depends on the command. He winked.

  Laughing, she stepped forward and gave him a tight hug. “Be careful and hurry back.” She abruptly pushed away to look up at him. “Sorry. I meant—”

  You can’t give me a command here. No necromancer can.

  She smiled. “Right.” She rolled up on her toes and kissed his jaw. “Be careful.”

  He gasped as her command hit him.

  She twitched an eyebrow. “There’s still the bond.”

  Mischievous necromancer.

  “Yes.”

  He lightly trailed one finger along her jaw, a movement that was becoming a habitual gesture, then took his finger from her skin. I’ll hurry. He glanced over at Bella who had stood silently through the whole exchange. I guess I don’t need to ask if you’ll watch over her.

  We both will. Her hand settled on the hellhound’s head.

  James nodded, then pulled open a portal into Addie’s lab. He jumped through the opening, his body morphing into the hellhound as he hit the threshold.

  Elysia stared into the familiar space, longing to follow him.

  He turned his head, glancing over his shoulder. His glowing green eyes met hers, then the portal closed.

  Chapter 12

  Elysia quickly lost track of time in the black, featureless world. As soon as James left, the hellhound had stretched out at Bella’s feet, and now its black eyes followed Elysia as she paced. It felt like James had been gone forever. How long did it take to brew necromancy solvent? It might have been quicker to take back the vial Neil had taken from her.

  She drew a deep breath, but it didn’t seem to fill her lungs as it should.

  Death is overwhelming you, Bella said, her mental voice was matter-of-fact. You need to return to the mortal world.

  “James will return soon.” God, she even sounded winded.

  We won’t remain on the mortal plane. We will stay just long enough for your life force to regenerate.

  “Sounds scary when you say it like that.”

  The fact that your life force is gradually being wicked away is scary.

  “Good point.” Elysia tried to draw another deep breath and failed. “Okay. You’ll have to do the honors. Ian never taught me how to travel.”

  It disturbs me that you’re spending time with him.

  “At one time, it would have disturbed me, too.”

  A portal opened into the muted afternoon sunlight. The sky was overcast, and it looked as if it had recently stormed. Elysia stepped through the opening, noting that they were in a small, rural cemetery before she bent over and gripped her knees. She pulled air into her lungs, finally filling them. A few deep breaths then she straightened.

  Elysia blinked in surprise. Bella had brought her out on the opposite side of the cemetery, but Elysia still recognized the location. It was the quaint little graveyard Ian had used for her last lesson. “Why did you bring me here?”

  To give you a place to release your pent up power. And since Father holds this place sacred, I hope it will deter him from doing violence.

  “Why is this place sacred to him?”

  It is the location of her grave.

  “Whose?”

  The woman who started it all. Bella gestured for her to follow, then led her to the impressive monument Elysia had noticed on her last visit. The one Ian had been standing beside.

  Elysia gazed up at the kneeling, white marble angel before looking down at the fine, black granite pedestal she rested on. An unusual design for the time period indicated by the dates carved on the surface: 1789 – 1825. Elysia stared at the name over the dates. Bella was right. Here was the woman who had made two brothers immortal enemies, and set off a feud that had lasted two centuries.

  Isabelle Marie…

  A chunk of granite was missing where the last name should be. Elysia could see the edge of what was either an M or an N. But she didn’t need to see the last name to know that this was Ian’s wife, and apparently, Bella’s namesake.

  “Geez. They even fought over what name to put on the headstone?”

  Last time I was here—though that was two decades ago—there was a patch over the hole that read Nelson.

  Elysia’s gaze settled on the fresh flowers in the urns to either side of the tombstone. She remembered the white lilies in the vase on Ian’s workbench. The same flowers that dominated these bouquets.

  “It was Ian.”

  Bella didn’t comment.

  Elysia crossed her arms. How often did he come here? She had noticed that Addie always had fresh flowers around the apartment and lab. She had even asked about them once, and Addie had told her she dried them for alchemy ingredients. It seemed that when Ian visited the florist, he wasn’t only buying flowers for the lab.

  Elysia reached out with her senses and noticed something. “There’s no one buried here.” She turned to Bella. “Please tell me she hasn’t been Made and entombed somewhere.”

  No. She died a natural death. But as is the case with most necromancers, the grave is for the public. The body is kept safe elsewhere.

  Elysia tried to open her mouth to ask if she knew where, but her jaw wouldn’t move. She couldn’t move. Her heart began to pound as a now familiar presence invaded her body.

  “Isabella.” The name
came from Elysia’s lips, but she hadn’t said it. The inflection was wrong.

  Bella turned to face her, then took a hasty step back. Let her go.

  “Two centuries, Isabella, and this is the first thing you say to me?”

  A portal opened from somewhere close by, but Elysia couldn’t turn to see who it was. She strained against the alien presence in her body, trying to find some way to get free. But she could find nothing to fight against. He was everywhere and nowhere.

  Father. Bella took another step back.

  “Stay, Bella.”

  Elysia felt her power leave her body and Bella stiffened.

  “Who is this?” a male voice asked.

  A pause, and Elysia’s head turned. Neil stood a few feet away. He lifted his brows, awaiting Alexander’s answer. His eyes were no longer the white of a stunted necromancer; they were a deep brown. He also looked years younger. A wave of unease washed over her. Neil had taken the Final Formula. He was a necromancer now.

  “My eldest daughter, Isabella,” Alexander answered.

  Elysia hated the fact that he used her voice to speak and her power to hold Bella captive.

  “Ah.” Neil dipped his head in her direction. “Nice to meet you.” His brown eyes returned to Elysia’s own. “Shall I continue as planned?”

  “Yes,” Alexander spoke through her. “But also take command of my daughter.”

  “With necromancy or alchemy?”

  “Necromancy. It will be good practice for you.”

  So much for Bella’s hope that this sacred place would deter her father. Elysia suspected that there was nothing this man held sacred.

  “As you wish, Deacon.” Neil pulled out a vial and removed the cap before offering it to her.

  She watched her own fingers take it, then bring it to her lips. Oh God, no. The liquid pooled in her mouth before she swallowed it. The flavor was bitter.

  Alexander smacked her lips. “Should I be grateful I couldn’t taste that?”

  “Probably.” Neil accepted the empty vial from Alexander’s—no, from her fingers. It was surreal to watch her own body move without her conscious control.

  A portal opened and Bella spun toward it.

  “Stop,” Neil said.

  She froze in mid-stride.

  “Release it.”

  Elysia didn’t see what happened next. Her awareness of the dead in the graves around them vanished. Her power was gone. She gasped and dropped to her knees in the wet grass. It wasn’t until she had fallen that she noticed that Alexander’s presence was gone.

  What have you done to her? Bella demanded.

  “My colleague named the potion Necro X Dust. The X stands for extinguishing. It temporarily removes an individual’s necromantic power.”

  Elysia looked up. “Temporary? You didn’t stunt me again?”

  “I wasn’t permitted.”

  You’ve stunted her before? Bella asked. Do you have any idea what that would do to her?

  “I know quite well. Until this morning, I had been stunted my entire life.”

  Bella remained silent. Whether she was stunned or skeptical or just thought he was crazy, Elysia couldn’t tell.

  Another portal opened, and hope surged in Elysia’s chest. Had Bella shaken off Neil’s control? He was new to his power, and she was extremely talented, as well as experienced.

  Elysia’s hope died when a figure stepped out, but rose once more when she recognized him. She climbed to her feet, Ian’s name on her lips. Then she noticed the clothes: an expensive suit in the latest fashion.

  His vibrant blue eyes met hers, and one corner of his mouth curled upward, dimpling his cheek. “I see it worked,” he said to Neil.

  “Of course, Deacon. If you’ll allow me to be so bold, doubting me in alchemy is like doubting you in necromancy.”

  Alexander glanced over at him, then abruptly laughed. He held out his arms and gestured at himself. “Obviously.”

  Neil chuckled in turn.

  Elysia wanted to vomit. Ian and Alexander were identical twins. Dear God, that was disturbing. More unnerving was the difference the clothing made. Ian, in his old-world clothes always seemed like a man misplaced in time. She was aware that he was a good-looking man, but he felt like her seven-times-over great grandfather. Alexander in his modern clothes did not give off that vibe.

  Alexander glanced at her, then Bella, and his humor evaporated. “You have disappointed me, Bell.”

  Bella remained silent. After all the bravado she displayed with James—who was a terrifying sight in his true form—the contrast was startling. Elysia suspected that this man terrified her above all others. After all, she had been willing to give her life to get her sisters away from him.

  Elysia fisted her hands. “Leave her alone, you twisted asshole.”

  Alexander turned to face her. “And you will learn respect.”

  “Respect must be earned. You’re nothing more than pretty fertilizer.”

  He caught her chin before she could move away, his grip like a vice. One squeeze, and he could crush her jaw. “Perhaps I will remove your tongue. It rots away rather quickly after you’re Made, anyway.” The knowing look in his eyes sent a chill down her spine.

  “You intend to Make her?” Neil spoke up. “No offense, but it seems rather pointless for me to go to all the trouble to cure her curse.”

  Alexander pursed his lips, clearly annoyed. “I’ll Make her at a later date.” His smile returned as he held her gaze. “I look forward to holding your still-beating heart in my palm.”

  She smiled, her eyes locked with his. “And I look forward to reaping your soul.” He must fear her talent, otherwise why had he avoided her until now, when Neil had removed her power.

  He released her with a shove hard enough to send her to the ground. “Such insolence in this younger generation. Dunstan, open a portal. Your work is about to begin.”

  Neil glanced at her, his expression faintly amused. Then he folded his hands and closed his eyes.

  Resisting the urge to rub her jaw, Elysia got to her feet. Alexander had already taught Neil to travel? It couldn’t be that hard then. She was going to strangle Ian.

  Alexander abruptly huffed out a breath. “Like this.” A portal winked open before him.

  “You know, I’ve only been doing this a few hours,” Neil complained.

  “Respect, Dunstan. As far as I’m concerned, you don’t need your tongue, either.”

  “My apologies, Deacon. My frustration at my own ineptitude got the better of me.”

  “Don’t let it happen again.” He gestured at the open portal and Neil hurried forward. Alexander’s gaze shifted to her.

  Elysia lifted her chin, wanting to refuse, but knowing it was suicidal. A hand gripped her elbow, and she realized that Bella had taken it. Without a word, Bella urged her forward into the portal.

  “See, Isabella knows the proper respect. You would do well to pay attention.”

  Bella’s grip tightened on Elysia’s elbow, no doubt expecting a smart answer. But Elysia was all out of answers. They stopped within the darkness and waited. The portal behind them closed, and a moment later, a new one opened in front of them. A plain white hallway stretched before them, the cinderblock walls broken by a few doors. It was a good-sized space, but not big enough to be the basement of a school or hospital.

  A growl sounded behind them, and Elysia spun toward the sound. James?

  The darkness seemed to part as the hellhound stepped into the faint light of the portal. Bella’s hand tightened on Elysia’s elbow. Was this her beast or not?

  “Release her, Bella.” Alexander unbuttoned his coat and pulled a slim dagger from his belt. Apparently, he wasn’t completely with the times.

  No! Bella cried. />
  Elysia wasn’t sure which part Bella was objecting to, but her hand fell away from her arm.

  “Dunstan, take Elysia and go.”

  Elysia didn’t realize that Neil had stepped up beside her. He took her arm before she could pull away. “No,” she echoed Bella’s response.

  Neil jerked her toward the portal. He didn’t have Alexander’s strength, but he was stronger than she was. She wrenched her arm, trying to get free.

  “Would you quit,” Neil said through clenched teeth. “Do you want to be hellhound food?”

  He slung her forward, and she stumbled across the portal’s threshold. He jumped out after her.

  She twisted around, looking back. Bella was on her knees, her arms around the hellhound’s neck. Alexander stood over them, his dagger winking in the light from the mortal world. Then the portal closed.

  “No!” Elysia took a step toward them, but met only the white wall of the hall.

  “That’s a bit dramatic,” Neil said.

  She whirled to face him and slammed both hands into his chest. The move took him by surprise, and he stumbled into the opposite wall, smacking his head against the cinder block with a thump.

  He rubbed the back of his head. “Do you mind?”

  “Not at all. Be glad you knocked out my power. It works on the living, you know.” She had no idea how to use it, but she was beginning to realize that there was much more to her gift.

  “Unlike everyone else in your life, I’ve always been well aware of what you are. Why do you think I used your blood to bind Gavin’s soul to the body I gave him?”

  She was too pissed to trade insults. With something like a growl, she went after him.

  “Jesus.” He lunged to the side, avoiding her hands. “You’re as crazy as the rest of them.”

  “Them?” She moved toward him.

  “The Family.”

  “You’re one of us, too.”

  The corner of his mouth twisted upward, and he ran his hand along the pockets lining his ribs. “I know.” He pulled out a vial.