Lucian groaned. He missed the days when he could just use brute strength to get through a door. He placed both hands on the wood and concentrated hard, first seeking out the magic that held it in place. It was sweet and filled him with a warm light. Eve's touch. He swallowed. This was not a magic he wanted to destroy, but rather join.
The union came quickly. There was no push back, no defensive maneuvers forcing him away. Her magic was already a part of him; those threads of light had spun together the moment he had laid eyes on her.
With a simple thought, the door opened.
"How did you do that?" Charlie whispered.
Lucien opened the door, slowly at first, but when he saw the smashed remains of a chair scattered across white tile floor, he threw the door open the rest of the way. Parts of the walls had been demolished, windows shattered, and furniture crushed. But worse was the blood. Too much of it all over the floor and walls. And still, there was an odd silence even though a chunk of the ceiling was in the process of crumbling to the floor.
Lucien felt a tug on his arm. He turned around. Charlie was speaking frantically, but Lucien couldn't hear him. This place had been soundproofed by magic. He shook his head and pointed to his mouth.
Charlie lifted his arms as if to say, what the hell do we do now?
Lucien walked by Charlie and stepped over debris to get out of the entryway. He turned a corner and stopped his eyes locking with Eve's. The front of her shirt and parts of her face were painted deep scarlet. The way the pattern had splattered across her front made it look like she was wearing war paint instead of blood.
All at once, sound returned to the room. Charlie yelling at him to stop. Bits of ceiling dropping to the ground. In the corner, deep within the shadows, he spotted Sable. She was breathing heavily, bathed in a dress of blood, yet Lucien could see no visible wounds. She must have been able to heal herself with magic. No one could survive that much blood loss… unless it was Eve's.
Lucien moved to be next to her, but a piercing cry stopped him cold.
"Lucien!" Eve said, her eyes focused on Sable behind him.
He glanced over his shoulder. Sable had her arm raised in a throw position. In her grip was a piece of glass twice the size of her hand. She was about to release it in his direction, but at the last moment flung it hard toward Eve at a speed faster than Lucien could fly.
The shard of glass sliced into the front of Eve's neck, but stopped before cutting her head off completely. Blood poured from the wound and bubbled from her full lips, spilling onto her chin. Lucien dropped to his knees, the scar on his heart opening wide.
"Come any closer, and I'll sever her spinal cord," Sable said. Her voice was deep and scratchy, as if she'd been screaming for a long time. "Not even Eve could come back from that."
Lucien's body tensed. "Let her go. I'll do anything."
"I don't want you," Sable said, moving closer to Eve. "Nobody does. This is what is going to happen. You're going to let me take Eve out of here, or I'll kill her."
"She's bluffing," Charlie said.
Lucien rose to his feet and made eye contact with Charlie. If anyone knew a person's true intentions, it was Charlie. "Are you sure?"
He nodded, but his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.
Lucien swung his head around, his eyes lit up with fury. He was going to kill Sable and enjoy every second of it. Anger boiled inside of him into a powerful rage—one that had to be released.
He raised his fisted hands and snapped his fingers outward. A burst of energy exploded from his fingertips and stormed toward Sable. It hit her in the chest, tossing her body into the air. Lucien was there to catch her and slam her body to the floor. With his palms on each side of her head, he transferred the burning inferno inside him directly into Sable's mind. Her eyeballs rolled back into her head, and her body began to shake. Blood ran from her nose, and more followed from her ears. He pressed harder wanting to destroy her for all the things she had done to his Eve.
"Lucien, stop!" Charlie yelled.
Lucien pressed harder.
"We need her! Stop!"
Lucien ground his teeth together.
We don't need her. The world doesn't need her.
This would be the last anyone ever saw of Sable Whitmore.
12
Eve's heart beat slow and steady. The organ felt small and fragile within her chest. The last thing she remembered was seeing Lucien in that place with her mother. The sight of him had distracted her, and she'd lost her hold on her magic. What had come next caused excruciating pain. Her mother had almost killed her.
Eve grimaced, her eyes closed tight.
"Eve?" a familiar voice asked.
She opened her eyes. She was in an office, most likely at the Deific, lying on a couch. A desk and bookcase were across from her. And in a chair next to her was Charlie. His face was pale, and he was shaking his head.
"Your hair’s longer," Eve said.
He dropped to his knees and clasped her hands in his. "When Lucien said he heard your voice and even saw you at the club, I wasn't sure I believed it. But here you are."
She gave a weak smile. "Here I am."
"Where have you been?" he asked, his tone gentle but laced with bitterness. She expected nothing less.
She lowered her gaze. "I'll explain, but I would prefer to do it only once. Where's Lucien? Henry?"
"Lucien was here moments ago, but Henry needed him. He'll be right back." Charlie lifted his hand and brushed back stray hairs on her forehead. "I can't believe you're here. I searched the bottom of the ocean for you for weeks, but all I found was Lucien. He was a poor substitute."
"What was Lucien doing down there?"
"Literally drowning in his sorrows." Charlie returned to the chair. "In a way, we were all drowning. Your 'death' changed us."
"I'm so sorry."
"The changes weren't all bad. Lucien has been more focused than ever in finding Boaz. He had a purpose."
Eve had sensed the anger inside Lucien when they had kissed. "Revenge isn't a healthy purpose."
"It's all he had, Eve. You were the one person to bring him back among the living and then suddenly you were just gone. Revenge is the best kind of motivator."
Eve pushed up into a sitting position, taking her time. Even though she was already physically healed from her battle with Sable, there were emotional wounds still raw and sore. "Are we still talking about Lucien?"
Charlie avoided her gaze. "I brought Lucien to the surface, but it was several days before he woke. You should've at least called or sent word somehow. All this pain and heartache could've been avoided."
"But there was an emotional spell on Lucien," she said. "I couldn't risk Boaz finding out I was alive. Surely you can understand that?"
"Lucien, sure. I get why you kept it from him. But what about me? Or even Henry? You're one of the most powerful witches in the world. Surely you could've found a way to let us know."
Eve's throat constricted, making it difficult to swallow. Yes, she could have, but fear had stopped her.
Charlie narrowed his eyes. "You didn't want us to know, did you? Why?"
The door opened. Eve locked eyes with Lucien. He lifted one arm to the doorjamb, as if to steady himself.
Charlie stood. "I'll leave you two alone."
Eve wanted to call out to Charlie to try and explain, but she was trapped in Lucien's gaze. His eyes were the brightest blue, like the color of the sky closest to the sun, and just as intense. The heat from his stare warmed her insides from head to foot.
Charlie squeezed past him and closed the door.
Lucien took a tentative step forward, as if he might scare her off.
"I'm not going anywhere," she said no louder than a whisper.
He took three steps and pulled her up, his arms wrapping tightly around her. "And I will never let you go."
Eve lifted up on her tiptoes, her mouth meeting his. Lucien pressed back just as fiercely, kissing as if it was his last breath. T
he intensity traveled straight to her heart, an organ that had become withered and tight, but his light helped it bloom once more. A perfect and true love as sure and bright as the stars in the sky.
And it was all ruined in one sudden thought, ugly words that left a charred marks inside her chest.
This perfect love could not last. Not if what Anne said was right about stopping Boaz. If Eve had to put that cursed necklace around her neck again, her alter-ego Alarica would be sure to destroy everything Eve loved, including Lucien. And if by some chance Lucien and the others were able to remove the necklace, turning her back into Eve, their relationship could never be the same. Eve would have all of Alarica's memories as if she had done the deeds herself.
Eve shivered and pulled away, gasping for air.
"You're crying," Lucien said. His eyebrows were drawn together.
She quickly wiped the tears away. "It's nothing."
Lucien took hold of her hands. They nearly disappeared within his large palms. "I won't pretend to understand why you've stayed away. And I don't think I need to tell you what your absence did to me. What I do know is that we need to work together from now on. We have the same goal. Stop Boaz. If we are divided in any way, he will win."
Eve squeezed his hands. "I love you, Lucien, more than I could ever express. I know I caused you pain, and for that I am so sorry. But I still need Boaz to think I'm dead at all costs. It's the only way I'll be safe."
Lucien let go of her hands and cold returned to her palms. "It's not the only way. We need to trust each other. Our combined power is strong, unbreakable. Together we can beat Boaz! I know it."
"Perhaps you're right." She turned away, wondering if it were true. Was her fear of that stupid necklace controlling her? A sharp pinprick at the base of her neck reminded her of how she got here. She touched the healed wound and said, "My mother. What happened to her?"
"We have her downstairs. She's not getting away."
"She almost killed me," Eve whispered.
"She could've, but she didn't."
"Because she needs me for Boaz."
"The reason doesn't matter. You're alive."
Eve walked to the door. "I must talk to her."
"You will have plenty of time for that. Other things are happening that you need to know about."
There was something in his eyes, a deep worry that she felt had nothing to do with her. But it would have to wait. "I have to speak to her first."
She opened the door and avoided looking back at him as she walked down the hall. She would rather stay with Lucien, never leave his side again, but before that was a possibility, she had to know if there was any truth to Anne's admission.
"Eve!" Lucien called.
She turned around and forced herself to look him in the eyes. "Please, Lucien. I need to do this one thing. Alone."
"What can I do? I want to help you."
"Just wait. I won't be long."
The helpless look in his eyes almost shattered her, but she walked away before he could say anything else. Back at the apartment, she had just been about to ask Sable about the necklace and restoring Boaz's powers, when Lucien and Charlie had appeared. And her mother nearly killing her didn't help either.
Eve rode the elevator to the second floor. Everything still looked the same since she was here last, but the people. Even Charlie seemed different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on how yet.
The elevator doors opened, and she walked down the long hall to get to the holding rooms. A red-headed vampire blocked the door. This must be Rick.
She stopped in front of him. "I need to see Sable."
Rick shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not supposed to let anyone in."
"Are you really going to stop me from seeing my mother?"
His eyes widened. "This witch is your mother?"
"Are you going to move?"
He timidly stepped to the side. "Be careful?"
She walked by him. "Always."
Just before the door closed, he said, "I'll be out here if you need me."
Eve took a deep breath, still shaken up from her last encounter with her mother. The fight had been vicious. Eve had tried not to hurt Sable, only capture her, but Sable seemed hell bent on doing everything she could to incapacitate Eve. She wished she could erase the memory from her mind forever.
The holding room contrasted sharply with the rest of the Deific. It had taken on an eerie quality thanks to the effects of dark magic. The walls, normally white, appeared grayer, and the colors of the few paintings hanging on the walls seemed to have dulled and lost their luster. Even the air smelled different, kind of chemically, and felt different too. Almost as if she'd walked into a building after a raging fire had just been extinguished.
Sable saw her and rose from her seated position from within the cell, her expression blank. "Your boyfriend nearly killed me."
"No worse than what you did to me."
The corners of Sable's lips turned up, and she approached the bars, her dress swishing against her bare thighs. "When Boaz doesn't hear from me, he'll know for sure you're alive."
"We'll see," Eve said, trying hard to sound strong, but inside she shook with fear. Boaz would never stop. "I need to ask you something."
"Why was I such a terrible mother? Did I ever love you?"
"I want to know how to kill Boaz."
Sable's smile faded, and she looked around as if searching for something. "How secure is this place?"
"Very. It's impermeable to magic."
Sable drew near to the bars, her eyebrows drawn together. The smell of jasmine, her mother's favorite plant, wafted outside the cell, forcing Eve to take a step back.
"There is only one way to kill Boaz." Sable's voice was low and held a serious tone Eve had not heard from her before. "All his powers must be restored to him. Then he can be killed, not easily, mind you, but it will make the task possible."
Eve repressed a shiver. "And I bet that means I'm going to have to put that necklace on, right?"
Sable squared her shoulders back. "Yes."
"Don't you think that's awfully convenient? The one thing I want, Boaz dead, and the only way I can get it is if I give Boaz the only thing he wants, me?"
"It is what it is."
Eve searched her mother’s face, hoping she might see any sign of deceit, but there was none. "If what you say is true, why would you tell me the one and only way to kill Boaz?"
Sable snorted and turned away, the light in the room darkening even more. "You think I'm loyal to Boaz? I'm only loyal because I don't want to die. And for as long as I've been alive, he's been the only creature who could destroy me. I want him gone. Dead. I'd kill him myself if I could. The beast is a plague to everyone and everything. The Devil's Soldier, that's what he is, marching through the world, taking whatever he likes, commanding those of a more noble birth line."
Eve didn't know what to say. This was something she never saw coming.
"You look surprised," Sable said. "Did you really think I like being at his beck and call, day and night, like some kind of cheap whore? Why do you think Erik and I pushed and trained you so hard? You were our one shot at freedom. The world's shot! Because as soon as you restored Boaz's powers, we were going to kill him."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Eve asked, the words barely escaping her lips.
"Because it would have solved nothing. What person in their right mind would willingly hand themselves over to Boaz, especially knowing what they would be giving up? No, we couldn't tell you. We had to trick you. Besides, that's what Boaz wanted. You were the first witch he was truly drawn to. "
"And all the torture you did to me? Was that Boaz's idea?"
Sable's left eye twitched and her lips tightened, first into a smile and then into a frown. It was as if she didn't know what emotion to feel "We did what had to be done, and we were powerful beyond measure because of it."
Eve's heart fell. For one tiny moment, she hoped that maybe there had been a purpose to her
abused childhood. "It's always about power, isn't it?"
Sable returned to the single chair in the cell and sat down, crossing her long legs. "It's what we all crave, whether we admit or not."
Eve gritted her teeth, trying hard not to feel all the emotions from her childhood. She'd been down that road before and didn't want those calloused wounds to reopen. The subject had to change and fast.
"What about Ellenore?"
Sable flinched. "Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while."
"Were you two close?"
She chuckled. "When we were younger, very, but blood only runs so thick. Ellenore ran away when she turned eighteen to avoid marrying Erik. She didn't even bother taking me. Two years later, it was me marrying that buffoon, me who had to do whatever Boaz said, and me who was forced to have a child only to give it up to a monster."
Eve stared at her, mouth agape. There was so much about her mother she didn't know, but how much of it was the truth?
Sable breathed in deeply through her nose. "It was a shame my sister had to die, but I warned her."
"Warned her against what?"
"Boaz, of course. She was always meddling in his business, and it got her killed."
Eve's stomach tightened at how matter-of-fact Sable could talk about her sister's murder. Anne had spoken the same way about her daughter's deaths. These people were so beyond feeling that nothing fazed them. Eve needed to get out of her soon before she grew sicker.
"Let's say I believe you," Eve said, "and I restore Boaz's powers back to him. What then? How exactly do I kill him? With all of his abilities, he will pretty much be the most powerful man alive."
"Not exactly," Sable answered, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
"What do you—”
The door behind Eve opened. Her questions would have to wait.
13
Lucien walked through the doorway behind Charlie and startled. The room had darkened and had a sickly feel to it, much like the way one might feel coming upon a murder scene with the murderer still standing there, holding the knife above his victims.
Henry and Rick stepped into the room behind him. Charlie made an audible gasp, as he must have just picked up on the same disturbing vibes as Lucien. Eve was near her mother's cell, her hands fidgeting. She looked pale, as if she might be sick. He wanted to go to her, but something felt off, and he had the distinct impression that she wanted distance—even from him.
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