by Kym Grosso
“You’re like a fucking teenager.”
Willa laughed in response and quickly recovered. “There are too many symbols carved on these walls. We’d be here all day. If Ilsbeth says that knife helped create the book, maybe it does something else. Something special.”
“I think you should hold it. It’s tied to the origin of the wolves. Like it or not someone took the skin of a royal and made this book. You’re the key, Willa.”
“I’ll try. But for the record, I’m setting the bar low because I’m no witch. Believe me, I’d cut open my own hand and spill blood to find it, but I don’t think it’s going to work.” Willa stretched out her palm, breathing deeply as Hunter placed the knife into her hand. Her fingers wrapped around its hilt; a slow foreign energy danced over her skin but quickly dissipated. “I don’t know. I thought I felt a little something, but it’s gone now.”
“I’ve seen one before,” Viktor said casually.
“Seen what?” Hunter replied.
“A skin book. It was a phase in the sixteen hundreds, you know. Miss ole Ma? Wrap her up in a book and keep her forever.”
“Ew.” Willa shook her head, gooseflesh erupting over her skin at the thought of it. “I heard humans did that but just no. I don’t care if it was in fashion. Not cool. Just sayin’.”
“I’m with Wills on this one.”
“Some had good intentions. Doctors bound them too. Perhaps a thankful send off into Heaven.”
“Or Hell,” Hunter added.
Willa nodded. “It doesn’t surprise me. Humans. As much as I care for them, they are capable of so much destruction. Evil.”
“One hundred percent,” Viktor agreed. “And we’re the monsters? Hardly. Vampires are simply hungry. Not all of us kill. We give you the best orgasm you’ll ever get. You wash my back…I’ll wash your whole body.”
“Hunter’s right. There’s something wrong with you.” Willa rolled her eyes.
“War. Genocide. Torture. Even remote civilizations engaged in cannibalism. Makes skin books look like fairy dust.” Hunter sighed and glanced to the knife. “Maybe you need to concentrate on it.”
“Flaying was a common punishment. The skin displayed for all to see.”
“Got it Vik. I think we’re good on the history lesson,” Hunter told him.
Willa rooted her feet to the rocky earth. “Whoever decided to hide the skin book here may or may not have known I’d come looking for it. Ilsbeth said researchers found it in the 1970s. Something about a curse. But maybe they weren’t researchers. Could’ve been pirates looking to steal artifacts. Happens all the time.”
“It’s possible,” Hunter agreed.
Viktor sniffed into the air. “There’s no other scent but humans since we arrived. There’s you two, of course, but your scent is fresh. Unique to me.”
“I don’t want to know,” Hunter responded.
“He means that…” Willa attempted to explain.
“Nope. I’m good. Pretty sure what he means.”
“Humans. Their scent. Their blood. It’s distinctive. The scent of wolves is…earthy. Yes, I do believe earthy is the correct word.”
“We’re not a couple of crunchy hippies.”
“Nothing wrong with earthy. The blood is so…organic.”
“Sometimes I think, ‘why did I save the vampire?’ Could have just left him in Hell. Quint would’ve got you out eventually.”
“Because you love me.” Viktor winked at Hunter and laughed.
“I think he loves you back.” Willa smiled.
“Focus, people.” Hunter plowed his fingers into his hair and sighed. “Not that I don’t enjoy a nice stalactite every now and then. But I’d like to get the fuck out of here.”
“Stalagmite,” Viktor challenged.
“Stalactite, asshole. That one right there.” He pointed to a rock formation delicately hanging from above. “C for ceiling.
“It’s spectacular.” Willa’s focus was drawn to the ceiling, searching for clues.
“Vik…” Hunter held up a hand, silencing him. “We’ve got to get this book and get out of here.”
“If you were a pirate, where would you hide your treasure?” Willa asked.
“Somewhere scary. People would be less likely to look for it,” Hunter replied.
“I’m old school,” Viktor declared.
“Would have never noticed.” Hunter laughed.
“Pirates bury their treasure.” Viktor inspected a crevice in the cave wall, careful not to trip on the pottery.
“Some do. Most don’t.” The Alpha studied the carvings on the far side of the cave.
“This ground is fairly hard. I’m not saying they couldn’t dig a hole, but it seems more likely they’d hide it somewhere else.”
“Where else would they put it?” Willa asked, frustrated.
“This place is wet.” Hunter looked upward. “Bats. Humidity. Seriously. No matter what the outside of the book is made of, its pages are paper. There’s no way it could survive in here. It would be destroyed within months if not weeks.”
“It’s magick so it’s possible the book was fine for many years. But if humans took it, they’d assume differently. They’d probably keep it up high. Out of the way of any water.” Willa slid her hand up the wall. The dampness dissipated as she glided her fingers further up the jagged stone.
“Maybe they’d put it in something airtight.” Viktor stopped in his tracks, studying the rock formations.
“All that water in the entrance? It probably floods during a good rain. It would wash it away,” Willa said.
“You’re right.” Hunter approached a massive cascading slab of limestone. The rippling rock appeared as if it were a waterfall.
“It has to be here.” Willa gripped the knife, willing it to direct her, but still she sensed no energy. Frustrated she spun around toward the back of the cavern. A single beam of sunlight streamed in through a thin crack, glistening like sparkling crystal on a far wall. Logic told her the book had to be further inside the cave, protected from the elements, but the flickering captured her attention. “What’s that you’re always saying about humans, Viktor?”
“That I’m hungry. Food.”
“No, not that. They’re not like us.” She smiled.
The vampire sighed. “They’re fragile.”
“Exactly. So, if a human did this, researchers or just someone looking to pick off an artifact, they’d know it was valuable. Maybe they’d put in some kind of acid-free preservation bag. But because they’re human…”
“They’d be extra careful in a dangerous cave,” Hunter surmised.
“They wouldn’t risk going so far into it at night. They’d work to hide it in plain sight. Somewhere where they could work in the light.” She pointed to the beam of light and walked toward it.
Hunter followed behind her. “They’d still put it up high. Higher than a human could reach. Up there.”
“Out of sight but within the light.” Willa pointed to a stalactite. “To the left of that one. There’s a pattern in the rock. It’s been smoothed over, but the stone isn’t the same as the rest of the wall. Do you see it?”
“I see but…”
“Can you get me up there?” she asked Viktor.
“Now she wants me to flash her,” he commented to Hunter.
“I’ll go,” Hunter volunteered. “You stay down here. What if something happens?”
“The ledge isn’t big enough for all three of us. It has to be me. It’s from my family.”
“Vik, if you drop her or let her fall, it’s going to be your head,” Hunter threatened.
“Just get over here, vampire.” Willa nervously pumped her fingers. You can do this, you can do this. “Do that flashy thing you do. Get me up to the ledge but don’t let go.”
“Bossy…like a queen,” Viktor noted, sidling up next to her.
“Don’t hurt her,” Hunter warned again.
“Let’s do this shit.” She nodded.
“As you w
ish, Your Majesty…careful with that knife now.”
“Don’t call me that.” Willa’s stomach flipped as she disappeared.
“Easy now.” Viktor held an arm around her waist as they precariously materialized onto the one-foot-wide ledge of slippery limestone.
Willa clutched her fingers around a jutting rock, her pulse racing. “I’m not sure this was such a good idea.”
“I think you should get down. We’ll find another way,” Hunter insisted.
“No. No. It’s okay, really.” Willa inhaled deeply, focusing on a smooth anomaly in the stone.
“Wolves don’t fly, Wills. This is a bad idea.”
Viktor rapped his knuckles along the rock. “This.” He knocked over the smooth section. “None of this is hollow.”
Willa pressed the hilt of the knife to the stone. She shuddered as the foreign energy sizzled through her. Viktor tightened his grip around her waist.
“Something. It’s here. I feel it.”
“There’s nothing. It’s solid,” Viktor said.
“I don’t care. Just because we can’t see it…”
“I’m sorry, but this rock is solid.”
“No…”
“She’s right,” Hunter shouted up toward them. He pointed toward the left. “The sunlight. It’s hitting the crevice just over there. It’s a sliver. I don’t know. The knife…”
Willa shuffled her feet toward it, her heart pounding as she glanced down to Hunter. Wolves don’t fly. “Right.”
“What?” Hunter asked.
“Nothing,” she murmured under her breath. “I’ve got this.” The pads of her fingers grazed over the rough edges of the crystalized rock. The energy intensified as she probed the crevice. “This has got to be it.”
“How the hell would a human get up there?” Hunter asked.
“Ladder? Airplane?” Viktor smiled down at him.
“Drone,” Willa guessed. “Yeah, that’s a stretch. I don’t know. This opening. It’s doesn’t feel like anyone made it, but I don’t think there’s anything in here.”
“Viktor. Can’t you help her?”
“Maybe this knife. Fucking Ilsbeth.” Willa stabbed it into the crevice.
“Fucking Ilsbeth is right. She gets us into this shit every single….” Hunter began.
“Wait…I hit something.” Willa tugged at the hilt. “It’s stuck.”
“Jesus, Vik. Would you help her? This is ridiculous.”
Willa yanked at the knife and it loosened. “No. Wait. I’ve got it. Just a little bit more…it’s coming.”
“At least someone is.” Viktor rolled his eyes.
“Get her down now. I don’t like this.”
Willa ignored them, her pulse racing as she slowly pulled the package toward her. The sound of the bag scraping against the rock spiked her anticipation. A beam of light shone onto the clear plastic, and she caught sight of the thick brown book, the edges of the cream-colored pages coming into view.
“It’s here! I’ve got it!” she yelled.
“See. Crisis averted.” Viktor laughed. “Here we go!”
Oh Goddess. Willa felt it before she saw it. It tickled over her forefinger, its skinny brown legs poking out of the darkness. Her chest seized in terror. She yanked the knife, tugging the book straight out of the crack, and her adrenaline surged.
“Spider!!!!” No, no. no . The insect launched off her hand onto her face. “Get it off of me! Get it off me!”
Willa screamed at the top of her lungs as it scampered over her cheek. Her heart caught in her throat, her grip inadvertently loosened around the hilt. As her heels tilted backwards, the book, with the blade still lodged inside it, slipped out of her hands toward the water.
“Help!” Willa’s stomach lurched as she sailed backwards.
“I’ve got Willa. You get the book,” Hunter called out to the vampire with his arms poised to catch her.
“Fuck me.” Giving a quick nod to Hunter, Viktor flashed away.
“I’ve got you!” Hunter yelled.
“Oh Goddess!” All the breath rushed out of her lungs as she landed safely within his arms. Her heart pumped a million miles per minute, her eyes fluttering open to meet his.
“You’re okay,” he told her, clutching her tight.
The sound of splashing across the cavern drew their attention.
“No, not the book,” she cried.
Sunlight flickered upon a fist as it punched through the dark water, holding the book. Viktor emerged, drenched. “Got it!”
“Oh, thank the Goddess.” Willa exhaled in relief.
“Jesus, Vik.”
“I know, I know. Don’t say it. I know. I’m amazing. A real God. Now can we get the fuck out of this hell hole? I’m over the bugs. And the heat. The fucking water.” He sniffed. “And I smell.”
“You got enough juice to get us back? Please tell me yes because I don’t think any of us wants to track back through all this water.” Hunter gently set Willa onto her feet.
“Yeah, sure. But you owe me. I nearly drowned getting this book. Get a good look. Superhero here.”
“I know we took the jet, but I’m thinking we should just flash back to my place,” the Alpha ignored his hyperbole. “It’ll be faster. I don’t want to waste time.”
“But Ilsbeth…” Willa’s eyes lit up, anxiety gripping her chest.
“I want to see this book first before we go back to her house.”
Doubt weaved itself into her thoughts. “She wants it, but you’re right. Something about this whole thing doesn’t feel right. She’s manipulating us. This book belongs to my family. I think she wanted me to get it because she knows I was the only one who could release it.”
“Of course, we aren’t giving it to her. Not right away anyway. She can’t be trusted. Not for one witchy minute.” Viktor violently shook his head, sending water droplets flying into the air.
“I had a spider crawl up my face! My face !” Willa visibly shuddered. “Get me out of here.”
“Let’s go.” Hunter reached for Willa’s hand and set his palm on Viktor’s shoulder.
Willa’s mind swam as she drifted, billions of atoms reconnecting all at once. Her bottom landed on the hard wood with a thud. A rush of sea air filled her lungs and she blinked toward the blinding sun. She shoved to her feet, but the floor seemingly moved beneath her and she tumbled back onto the smooth wooden planks.
“Where are we?” she managed.
“Viktor.” Rage blazed in Hunter’s voice.
“Are we….” Turquoise waves rolled into view as she steadied herself on the rocking surface.
“What are we doing on a boat?” The Alpha knelt down and extended his hand to Willa. “You okay?”
As her eyes caught his, butterflies danced in her stomach. How could I forget that I almost died after having my face eaten by a spider? My sexy Alpha. Yeah, that’s why. She smiled.
“Willa? You good?” he asked gently, a corner of his lip tugging upward.
“Yes, sorry. I’m okay.” Willa reached for his hand, grunting as Hunter pulled her onto her feet. Thankful to be alive, she wrapped her arms around him, holding tight. “Just hold me.”
“Hey, now.” Hunter kissed the top of her head, his eyes meeting Viktor’s.
Overwhelmed, she fought to regain control of her emotions. “I’m good.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart.” Hunter glanced at Viktor who smiled at him.
“Welcome aboard the Bloody Mary.” The vampire held the book up in the air, the knife still protruding from its cover. “Ahoy matey. Or in your case, just mates.”
“Fuck me.” Hunter sighed as he scanned the horizon, noting there was no land in sight. “What the hell, Vik?”
“As much as I’d love to chat, I smell like pig’s ass. And you two.” He sniffed. “Dog’s ass.”
“We’ve got to get to Ilsbeth.” Willa wrenched herself out of Hunter’s arms, glaring at Viktor.
“We do. But not right now. We’re about to go fi
ght a demon. This isn’t a backyard boil party we’re going to. You both need to rest after that little adventure.”
“I hate to admit it, but the vampire’s right. Whatever battle awaits us isn’t going to be a day in the park.”
“But…” she protested.
“We’re safe out in the open water. My boat has wards, but it’s well known that demons have a harder time materializing in water.”
“Viktor,” Hunter began.
“Not another word. Come. It’s time to get clean. We’ll talk after.”
Although Willa’s first instinct was to argue, she considered their predicament. Within hours they’d go to Ilsbeth’s, and hand a book to the demon responsible for her torture. The possibility of death or eternal damnation loomed over their heads. They had to be at the top of their game. Strategy over impulsivity; she resigned herself to accept the needed respite. Food. Sleep . Then fight like hell.
“The Bloody Mary?” Hunter brought the glass of whiskey to his lips. “Clever, Vik.”
“Makes the humans at the yacht club more comfortable. I fit right in.”
“Yeah. I doubt it.”
Willa smiled at the vampire, who had donned baby blue pajamas. “Nice pjs.”
“Versace. Never underestimate the comfort of silk.” Viktor smoothed his hand over the lapel.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Mary’s home dock is Coconut Grove. I have a charity event in Naples next week, so we’re catching a ride in the Gulf of Mexico.”
A formal butler dressed in all white approached. Viktor tapped on the edge of his empty champagne glass.
“What are you drink…” Willa lost her words as the thick sanguine fluid flowed from the bottle.
“Ah, thank you, Brann.” No words were spoken as the server left in silence. “He’s not much of a talker. I’m afraid the medieval times were a bit difficult for him. Blasphemers.”
“Their tongues,” she whispered.
“I saved him from certain death. But there was nothing I could do to repair the damage. He enjoys the sea, though.” Viktor sipped from the glass and grimaced.
“What’s wrong?” Willa rested her hand on his forearm.
“This is bottled. I really need the fresh stuff. I used quite a bit of energy flashing. I’m afraid I might have to leave.”
