by Linsey Hall
But it was also draining me. Fast.
I’d be on my knees soon.
“Keep going,” Tarron roared.
We were almost there.
Exhaustion tugged as I dredged up some strength from deep within, hurling it at the storm as I forced the wind and water away from us.
Finally, the black clouds receded. The wind died down and the rain ceased. An eerie stillness filled the air.
My shoulders sagged. I dropped my arms, letting the magic fade away. Panting, I leaned back on the rock wall behind me.
Tarron lowered his arms, his magic fading from the air. He turned to me, brow creased with worry.
“I’m fine,” I said, before he could ask the question. “You?”
He nodded, then raked a broad hand through his hair. His horns disappeared and his eyes turned green once more. Sickly gray clouds swirled in the sky behind him, but they didn’t coalesce into blackness once more.
“Come here.” He gestured to me. “I’ll dry you off.”
I arched a brow, wondering how he’d manage it, but not wanting to refuse. Walking in wet leather sucked.
Tarron raised his hands once more, his magic filling the air. A flame appeared from his palms, the heat radiating toward me. It was the perfect temperature, drying my clothes but not burning me. When I was all dry, he turned the magic on himself. Steam rose up from his clothes, and he was fully dry within minutes.
“Thanks.” He’d dried me first, and that was definitely the kind of thing I noticed.
He nodded, then turned toward the horizon, searching. “We need to find the Vestal Virgins.”
“Agreed. Fabius was right about the storm, so I trust him about this. Even though he’s kind of a jerk.”
The plateau rose high in the distance, closer than before but still looking dreadfully far.
I called upon my wings. “Shall we fly for a while?”
The mud was still thick underfoot, and I didn’t want to tromp through it unless I had to.
Tarron nodded. His own wings burst from his back, crackling like lightning. We took to the sky, flying over the muddy ground and ragged trees below. The wind whipped at my hair, but it was a gentle breeze, thank fates.
By the time we reached the end of the huge muddy swath created by the flood, I was tiring. Not just my muscles, but my magic. Flying took a fair bit of it, and after the battle with the storm, I was running dreadfully low.
“It’s there.” Tarron pointed ahead.
I squinted, catching sight of the massive complex of stone ruins. There was something almost threatening about the place. I shivered and flew forward. There was no other option but forward.
8
The white pillars speared the sky, rising up amongst a copse of trees that appeared to have been planted in an ornamental arrangement around the structure.
“Let’s walk the rest of the way.” I lowered myself to the ground a few hundred yards from the building, grateful to give my wings a rest.
Tarron landed next to me, and we strode through the trees. As we approached the temple, I blinked, clearing the haze from my eyes.
“You see that?” What had once been stone ruins was now a beautiful, intact temple with a dozen white columns and a soaring roof decorated with enormous carvings of goddesses.
“I do.”
As we walked up to the front, I was careful to keep my stride relaxed and relatively slow. If someone happened to see us, I wanted to look like a visitor rather than an attacker.
“It’s quiet,” Tarron said. “But not empty-feeling.”
There were no guards, so we continued on, approaching the huge white pillars that were as wide around as ancient redwoods and almost as tall.
Six wide stairs stretched across the whole front, and I strode up them, senses alert. Tarron stuck close by my side. The place had a regal air about it, the architecture fantastic and noble.
It was exactly what I’d imagine for the Vestal Virgins. I didn’t know much about them, other than the fact that they were women who’d eschewed love and marriage—and sex—for the opportunity to serve at the Roman goddess Vesta’s side, tending her flame for eternity.
Sounded like a bad deal to me. Particularly the no-sex bit. I eyed Tarron beside me. Especially that.
Hopefully they wouldn’t boot me out. I definitely wouldn’t fit among their ranks.
I stepped through the pillars and into a massive stone courtyard. A huge fountain bubbled in the middle, and flowers tumbled down the walls. Their sweet scent filled the air, and I was careful not to breathe in too deeply. No telling what was in the air here, magic or otherwise.
In the corner, about thirty yards away, a woman was making out with a man. Her white robes swept the ground, but the back was cut out to reveal a beautiful tattoo of a bird in flight. They were so into each other that neither of them seemed to notice us.
I glanced at Tarron. “Not what I was expecting.”
“No.” He shook his head, bemused.
Two figures appeared at the other end of the courtyard, their eyes brightening at the sight of us. They were both tall, beautiful women with an eternally young look—an almost eerie, ethereal beauty—that some immortals possessed. Their white dresses were short and skimpy, an almost modern take on a Roman toga type dress. I wasn’t very familiar with proper Roman clothing, but this was not it. For one, there was a lot less of it than I’d seen on the statues out front.
One of the women had golden curls piled high on her head, and the other had a long raven mane that was similar to mine when I wore it down. Both smiled widely and hurried forward.
“Visitors!” the blonde one crowed. “How delightful!”
The brunette went straight up to Tarron, her stride quick and her eyes glinting. She wrapped her arms around his neck and plastered herself to his front. “Hello, weary traveler. Won’t you come in?”
Oh boy.
The Vestal Virgins were way different than I’d expected.
Annoyance surged in my chest at the sight of the brunette, who looked like she was going to try to climb Tarron like a tree. I wasn’t prone to jealousy, but I couldn’t help the mean little gremlin that jumped to life inside me. I wanted to snatch her back, but Tarron pulled away from her gracefully. The blonde moved more slowly toward us, and if she went for Tarron—which I was sure she would, from the heated look in her eyes—we were going to have a bit of a problem.
For me, mostly, dealing with this stupid jealousy. Because fighting over a man was so not my style, no matter what the gremlin said.
But the blonde woman didn’t go for Tarron. She strode right up to me and wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her body against mine as she gazed into my eyes.
“Hello, beautiful,” she purred, blue eyes sparkling.
Okay.
“Points to you for catching me by surprise.” Gently, I reached for her hands behind my waist to pry them away.
She laughed gaily. “You thought I would go for your friend?”
“Clearly I was mistaken.” And I might not have turned her down once upon a time.
Unfortunately, I was hopelessly hooked on the stupid Fae king to my left, who was trying for a second time to slip out of the grasp of his captor.
“Indeed, you were.” She frowned as I pried her off of me. “You’re much more my type.”
“Thank you. You’re not bad yourself. But I’m not quite in the market for that at the moment.”
She frowned, drawing her hands back and pouting. She clearly didn’t like the concept of personal space, but was willing to respect it. “Then why did you come?”
“Is this the temple of the Vestal Virgins?”
She laughed. “It is, though I’m not sure we’re Vesta’s virgins anymore.”
I glanced at the people making out in the corner. The woman wasn’t wearing her top anymore. It draped around her hips, revealing that the bird tattoo covered her arms as well.
“Indeed not.” I looked back at the blonde woman. �
��Change of heart?”
“After a few thousand years of virginity and poking at a little fire for a goddess, yes.” The blonde met the eyes of the brunette, who grinned.
“Vesta was all right with this?” Tarron asked.
The brunette laughed. “But of course! She, too, was trapped within the patriarchy of ancient Rome. You don’t think this whole virginity thing was her idea, do you?”
“If it was…well, internalized misogyny is a bitch,” I said.
“Exactly!” The blonde beamed.
“If you’re not here to party, why are you here?” The brunette frowned.
“We need information,” Tarron said.
“So definitely no partying?” the blonde asked. “I just want to make sure.”
I had a feeling that partying was her euphemism for sex. Or whatever was about to happen in the corner of this courtyard.
Yeah, definitely sex.
“We could be up for a party later, maybe,” I said. If that was what these girls wanted, I wasn’t above a little sneakery to get the info I needed. And I was sure I could find some folks to come back here and party with them if necessary. “But for now, we’re seeking something deathly important.”
The blonde sulked. “The Guardians of the Eternal Flame.”
“The very same.”
“Well, come on, then.” She waved her hand for me to follow. “Maybe we can work something out.”
I shared a glance with Tarron, who nodded.
So far, this wasn’t too dangerous. Though that was probably a stupid thing to think. Who knew what these women could pull out?
We followed the Vestal…women…through the courtyard, leaving the couple behind right as they dropped to the ground. Neither the blonde nor the brunette so much as glanced their way.
I hurried up alongside them. “I’m Mordaca.”
The blonde smiled. “I’m Aurelia.”
The brunette met my gaze, but didn’t smile. She wasn’t nearly as cheerful as the blonde. “I’m Domitia.”
“Nice to meet you.”
Both women turned to look at Tarron, Domitia doing it just a little bit faster.
“I’m Tarron.” He inclined his head.
“Well, let’s take a seat and discuss why you’re here.” Aurelia led us into a large room with a high ceiling. Huge windows let in shafts of light, and torches burned fragrantly on the walls. A pool of water sparkled in the middle, surrounded by the low Roman benches that were prevalent in the paintings I’d seen.
“We’ll call for food,” Aurelia said. “You look positively famished.”
Alertness tightened my muscles. This was all going very easily.
Too easily.
I shared a glance with Tarron, and he seemed to be thinking the same thing.
We followed Aurelia and Domitia to the benches and took a seat. Tarron and I sat on a bench next to each other, while Domitia and Aurelia each reclined on their own. All around, more women and a few men drifted through the space, each of them shooting curious glances at us.
“If you’re not the Vestal Virgins, what should we call you?” I asked.
“Vestals is fine,” Aurelia said, reaching down to ring a bell.
“And you live here now, throwing house parties?” I asked.
Her eyes brightened. “Exactly! People come from far and wide to join us. And we also protect the location of the Guardians of the Eternal Flame.”
It was a handy setup, and I bet they did a damned good job. There were plenty of deadly challenges between the start of this journey and the Guardians. Why not throw in some distraction by pleasure?
A man appeared at our side. He wore a small white cloth around his waist, and that was pretty much it. A smile of pure delight crossed his face, and he bowed, presenting a tray of food.
“Thank you, Chad. Set it there.” Domitia gestured with an imperious hand toward the end of one of the benches.
Chad did as she asked, grinning all the while.
After he left, Domitia leaned toward me. “Chad is new. Traveled quite a way to get here.”
“He seems to like his new job.”
“Oh, does he ever.” Domitia winked. “Some kind of athlete from across the sea. The Americas, I believe. Heathen place. Anyway, Chad showed up, and now he…helps out.”
That was one way to put it, I supposed.
And Chad did seem genuinely happy. I hadn’t spotted any amulets on him meant to control his mind, and it was usually possible to see when someone was being mind controlled—like the glowing light in the eyes of those that my mother commanded.
Still, there was just something weird here.
Aurelia gestured to the food on the tray. “Help yourself.”
My stomach growled, and I realized I was genuinely hungry. Using all that magic earlier had really drained me.
I reached for the tray, but Chad appeared out of nowhere.
He bowed low. “Let me.”
Oh boy, this place was weird.
I smiled and nodded. He prepared a plate for Tarron and me, passing them over. I studied him carefully, and there really appeared to be no magic around him that would compel him to stay.
On the other hand, the Vestals were all beautiful and this place seemed like some sort of sorority house full of women who knew what they liked—sex, mostly—so I could see how this might not be a hardship for Chad.
Subtly, I tried to inspect the food, making sure that none of it was like the Fae fruit that would keep me here forever.
“It’s fine,” Tarron murmured, so quietly that I could barely hear him.
I trusted him, since he seemed to be an expert on food that could compel you.
Ravenous, I began to eat. The bread, cheese, and fruit was all phenomenal. Though I was aware of the gaze of the Vestals, I ignored it. They chatted away, seeming happy to talk about all the new guys who had shown up on their doorstep in the last week.
A few minutes later, having satisfied the worst of my hunger, I looked up to meet their gazes. They stopped chatting.
“Thank you,” Tarron said.
“We need to meet with the Guardians,” I blurted. “As soon as possible.”
“And why might that be?” Aurelia’s keen eyes narrowed on me.
“Another woman”—I didn’t want to mention that she was my mother—“seeks the Eternal Flame. She wants to destroy the entire Seelie kingdom with it.”
Both Vestals shuddered.
“Her.” Aurelia almost hissed the word.
“You’ve met her?” Tarron asked.
“Didn’t need to,” Aurelia said. “Saw her passing by. Bad energy on that one. We hid our home from her so she could not approach.”
“That’s handy,” I said.
“Very.” Domitia nodded. “We only want the willing, here.”
I glanced at Chad, who waited a few yards away, an eager expression on his face. “Well, success to you, then.” Worry over my mother tugged at me. “The woman. How much of a lead does she have on us? I worry what she’ll do to the Guardians if they don’t share the location of the Eternal Flame.”
“Not much of a lead.” Domitia grinned evilly. “We sent sprites after her. They will slow her. And she will have a very hard time reaching the Guardians without our guidance.”
“Impossible, most likely,” Aurelia said.
I’d love to think they were right, but I knew it was unlikely. “Don’t underestimate her.”
Aurelia frowned. “No, you are right. That would be stupid.”
“You seek the flame to protect it?” Domitia asked.
“We don’t seek the flame at all,” Tarron said. “Just the woman who hunts it. We wish to stop her before she gets it and uses it to destroy my kingdom.”
Aurelia and Domitia shared a glance.
“Shall we test the truth of their words?” Domitia asked.
Aurelia nodded. “Most definitely.” She turned to us then pointed to the pool. “Submerge yourselves.”
“I just go
t dry,” I said. “You should have seen the storm out there.”
“Do it anyway,” Aurelia said. “We need to know if we can trust you, and the pool of truth will reveal that.”
“How?” Tarron asked.
“It will drown you if you are lying.”
“Effective pool,” I muttered, rising to my feet.
These women clearly weren’t going to take no for an answer. I strode to the glittering blue water.
“Naked.” Aurelia grinned a catlike smile.
I turned to her and raised a brow. “Seriously? This isn’t just for your own amusement?”
“Oh, I’ll certainly be amused.” Her grin widened. “But also, we don’t want you polluting the water with your filthy clothes.”
“Filthy bodies are just fine.” Domitia’s smile was full of innuendo, and I nearly groaned.
“You ladies need to get ahold of yourselves,” I said.
“I don’t see why.” Aurelia shrugged.
I didn’t want to argue the point with her—and honestly, maybe she was right. Who was I to tell her how to live in her sex temple in the woods? She’d done her time as a Vestal Virgin, so she’d earned it. And I didn’t mind getting naked.
Except for the fact that Tarron was here.
I’d rather die than show that I was uncomfortable, though. So I began to strip, starting with my boots.
Tarron rose and mimicked my motions. I made sure to keep my gaze averted. He was a distraction I didn’t need. I could feel Domitia and Aurelia’s eyes on me as I stepped into the pool. The water was cool, fizzing against my legs though I saw no bubbles. It gleamed an inviting blue as I waded deeper down the stairs.
“Now just think of your intentions,” Aurelia said.
“I’m familiar with the drill.”
“You’ve used a pool of truth before?” Interest piqued her voice.
“Something similar.” The protections on the chamber beneath our house operated on the same principle, but a pool of truth would just be too much construction work. Not to mention, an obnoxious slowdown when we were in a hurry.
I caught a glimpse of Tarron next to me as I finally submerged. I jerked my gaze away. The last thing I needed was the distraction of his naked body when I needed to be convincing the Vestals I was legit. I banished the memory of his broad shoulders and filled my head with thoughts of my intentions towards the Guardians and the Eternal Flame.
