“The journals? We moved them to Lambert’s place,” she replied. “We should go back now.”
“No, not yet,” he said. “I have to tell you all what I know before...” —he lowered his head— “...before I forget.”
“Yes, but not here. Not while you’re still weak.” She reached into her pocket and cupped the bottle of vampire blood. “First, you need to get well.”
“There’s no time.” He raised his voice and pounded his right fist into his left hand. “Where was I? Ahh, yes. Limbo! It needs nourishment. When Lucius and Selene did the ritual, it was Selene who was sacrificed—or so we believed. Kyra killed Lucius before he could complete his task. So only Amenirdis was able to make it out. But like I said, that place isn’t self-sustaining and it can’t be destroyed. It needs to replace those who nourish it.”
“How was Kei able to put Lucius in Limbo?” She turned to Enlai.
“I don’t know. He never spoke about it.”
Anastasia wanted to make sense of Nathan’s ramblings, but she blamed his nonsense on his current state of health. He was deteriorating.
“You need to drink this.” She pulled out the bottle and before showing it to him, Nathan continued on his tangent.
“When Alexis told us about Ruby and her purpose for Remy, I believed that he could actually do it. But vampires can’t read the minds of Deamhan. So how can she steal the ritual, word for word, from his mind?”
“She can’t without a Deamhan to help her,” Enlai answered.
“Yes!” Nathan’s eyes lit up but only briefly. “But what Deamhan would? That’s the hundred-dollar question. Maris is directly related to the Kashshapu, the creator of Deamhan and Limbo. We know that. So he had a daughter or a son.”
Hallie’s head moved moderately to the right and her eyes opened lazily. Now awake, she blinked a few times and Anastasia helped her to her feet.
“Why did you attack me?” She rubbed the back of her neck.
“Because you wouldn’t listen.”
She looked to Enlai, who shrugged. “At least you woke up just in time,” he said. “Apparently Nathan and Anastasia found out some more information about Limbo.”
“He had a daughter,” Anastasia said, returning back to the conversation.
Nathan swallowed. “How do you know that?”
“How else could Maris be his descendant?”
“He could’ve had a son.”
“Believe me. He had a daughter and she had a child.” Overcome with numbness, Anastasia released her grip on the bottle of vampire blood still in her pocket. “I saw it in my dreams. I saw the child in her arms.”
“Who.”
“Amenirdis.”
Nathan tilted his head back, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “That makes perfect sense.”
“At least for you.” Maris was related to the Deamhan who now stood at the top spot on her ‘to-kill’ list, right above Kyra. The information was a lot to take in and still she couldn’t comprehend all of it. Questions about how, why, and when lambasted her. How could she have not known the connection in the first place? She assumed, just like every Deamhan who knew about the Dark Curse, that Maris was directly related to the Kashshapu and not Amenirdis. This new information created more concerns and issues, especially how the Dorvo Coven and Ancient Deamhan would react to the new information.
“So Maris is related to Amenirdis and she is related to the Kashshapu?” Hallie asked. “So why does she want to kill someone related to her?”
“I don’t think Amenirdis wants to kill her,” Nathan replied.
Anastasia remembered her meeting with the famed Pure One at the warehouse as clear as day. “No, she does. She told me that the descendant would be martyred and whatever Deamhan are left standing would celebrate her sacrifice.” She speculated that Kyra knew nothing about the relation. If she did, she would’ve had other Deamhan kill Maris long ago instead of uprooting the spell deep inside her brain.
“Wait a minute.” Enlai held his hands up. “Last time I checked, they’re both Deamhan. And if Amenirdis is related to Maris then wouldn’t that make her blood important to the ritual as well?”
More importantly, Anastasia imagined that Amenirdis already knew the ritual. She had all the necessary ingredients to release the remaining seven. Why was she taking her time?
Nathan nodded. “If we’re correct in our hypothesis, then yes, it would.”
“This is good news,” Hallie spoke with a stricken voice. “That means that Maris doesn’t have to die.”
“No, this is far from good news,” Anastasia replied. “Amenirdis wants to release the Pure Ones so they can rule over Deamhan and vampires. Do you think she’s going to give up her own life when she can give up Maris? Sacrifice the weak for the strong. Maris is no Pure One.”
“And I still haven’t figured out the requirements for the sacrifices. The journals didn’t provide any answers for that.” Nathan added. “Selene replaced Amenirdis. In order to release the other seven, there will have to be seven so-called sacrifices.”
Anastasia sauntered toward him. “If what you’re saying is true, it doesn’t matter. It isn’t going to stop the Dorvo vampires. They only care about razing Deamhan from the world.”
“But it does matter.” Nathan pushed his point to her. “If we know what qualifies, then we’re better off knowing how we can stop it than we were since the tablet resurfaced. We know more than they and The Brotherhood know.”
“What if there isn’t any requirement? What if it’s just any Deamhan, a human, or a vampire?” Anastasia shook her head. “Nathan, what you found is remarkable. But it doesn’t help us in how we can fight a Deamhan who is ten times stronger than anything I’ve ever faced.”
“The amulet. As of right now that is the only weapon we have against her and I don’t know where it is.”
Anastasia knew exactly who had Maris’ trinket. Remy. She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. “What we say here can’t ever leave this room.” She leaned against the table, exhausted. They all agreed in their own way to her stipulation.
“Wow.” Hallie’s mouth twisted in awe. “You found all of this out while on that vampire blood Anastasia gave you? That’s crazy.”
Nathan froze in his step. “Anastasia gave me vampire blood?”
The environment went quiet and, realizing that she had revealed something she shouldn’t have, Hallie covered her mouth.
Nathan turned to Anastasia and his eyes expanded. “So. It was you.”
1
DECEPTION. DEAMHAN CHRONCILES #3
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Ruby’s multi-colored eyes haunted Remy’s visions and memories, warping them into a rotted version of what she wanted him to believe and see. She toyed with them, turning the image of his human father into a grotesque being who showed no love for his curious and innocent son. She misshaped his mother into a drunk and morose woman, void of any conception of religion. A woman who spat in the face of God. Heathen was too good of a word to describe her.
When she grew bored of tampering with recollections of his childhood, she moved onto his juiciest flashbacks of all. His first year as a Lamia Deamhan. She walked with him through the boroughs and small streets in neighboring towns, having their fill on the merchants, shopkeepers, and wenches. With each victim he ate, she stood by his side, coercing him—pushing him, to make headway until he claimed every living soul in the vicinity. She didn’t allow him to stop in his slaughter, even when the smell of the upcoming sunrise felt only moments away. She continued to dig further and when he felt that his head would soon explode, she stopped and told him that she still loved him in the only way a Dorvo vampire could love a Deamhan.
He was still her bourgeoisie. He would always be. He was the only one who was able to ‘do it’ in a way that no other Dorvo vampire could. Not even Boyd. He strangely didn’t believe her, but sometimes she had a way of tapping into his tangibility, which he had hidden deep within his psyche.<
br />
Begging felt beneath him yet by this time, he resorted to it. He asked her to stop, reminding her that he promised to regurgitate what he could remember about the Dark Curse.
“I’m caught in the moment,” she said. “You remember how it is.”
Remy wanted to nod but the severe cramp in his neck and the fact that his right eye, which had healed hours ago before she dug at it again, now was swollen shut. “I understand but at this rate, you’ll kill me before sunrise.” For a moment, he thought he saw remorse in her dissimilar eyes. Once sitting across from him, she stood up and pushed her seat a few inches back.
“I don’t want to kill you yet,” she said. “I want to spend some time with you before you tell me everything.”
Droopy, he didn’t know how much he could take before succumbing to her torture. He hadn’t fed, and his body wasn’t healing. With his vision impaired, he saved what little energy he had left and didn’t respond to her.
A door near the back opened, letting in a sliver of light. At first he thought Kenneth and his bitch of a researcher returned. Instead, he saw two male Dorvo vampires approach them.
“Have you found Alexis?” she asked them.
“No. She’s disappeared.”
“Keep looking.”
“Maybe Lambert got to her.”
“I said, keep looking.” Ruby crossed her arms. “Lambert wouldn’t kill his consort. Not for any Deamhan.”
This brought a weak smile to Remy’s face. Maybe Lambert and Alexis didn’t lose their minds after all and revoked Ruby and the coven. But his contentment was short lived. In response to Alexis’ possible treason, Ruby would take her anger out on him, amplifying her torture tactics to a degree that even he didn’t know existed.
“I thought you were going to kill this Deamhan?” the Dorvon asked her.
“In time.” She looked over her shoulder. “Now, go on and keep looking.”
“But it’s morning.”
She turned her attention to the covered windows. “Oh, you’re right.” She leaned her body to the right, sticking out her hip as if posing for a camera. “Get your rest. Tonight we make our move.” She cupped Remy’s face in her hands. “That goes for you too, my bourgeoisie.” She planted a gently kiss on his forehead before they walked toward the door and out of the room.
Now alone, Remy began to struggle against the chains around his ankles and waist. He pushed his body forward, also trying to break the thick one that held his arms back and against the chair. It didn’t fragment. The goal was becoming harder to achieve.
He then heard the door open and he remained still, seeing Alexis standing in the doorway. She glared at him in distaste before gently closing the door behind her, engulfing the room into partial darkness.
“Ruby’s looking for you.” His jaw felt loose when he spoke.
“Where’s Lambert?”
“Upstairs.”
In a blur she ran up the stairs and broke down the door with one kick. He heard commotion coming from the private viewing area just above the dance floor. The sound of furniture being thrown, shattering glass, and a mute scream garnered his attention. She reappeared again with Lambert following her. They inspected their surroundings before he ordered his consort to break his chains.
“Sorry that it took so long,” Lambert spoke.
“Better late than never,” Remy replied back.
Alexis tussled with the chains around his ankles. “I still don’t know why you’re risking our lives for him.”
“Don’t think. Just do, my dear.”
“Did I hear that right? You’re letting me go?” Remy didn’t know why the vampire had a sudden change of heart.
“I wasn’t going to, but Lambert has a soft spot for you.”
Still skeptical of his new vampire saviors, he wanted to know more. “You don’t work for Ruby?”
“Fuck no.” Alexis went to work on the chain around his waist. “Never did. Now, hold still.” She began to pull. “This might hurt.” Lambert grasped the chain with her. They grunted and stretched the piece of metal. The cold, hard steel embedded deep into Remy’s skin before it shattered and dropped to the floor. “We need to get out of here. Now.”
“So you’re not big into the ‘exterminating all Deamhan’ gig.’?” Now freed, Remy struggled to stand on his feet. Dizzy, he stumbled backward and he felt Lambert’s hands on his back, stopping his fall.
“You think so little of me.”
Remy rubbed his forearm, still noticing that his wounds had yet to heal. “So, what about that money for my trip to San Diego?”
The vampire gave him a confused look. “Still intent on going?”
“What makes you think I’ve changed my mind?”
The vampires glared at each other before Lambert whispered. “Alexis is going to take you back to the manor, through the tunnels.”
“Why in the hell would I go back there? Plus, it’s morning.”
They didn’t answer and Remy didn’t have enough strength to go against Lambert’s demand. Alexis draped his arm over her shoulder, dragging him near the back to the basement door. With each step, Remy felt his ribs crack underneath his skin.
He hunched forward.
“I have an escape route in the basement just beyond where I keep humans,” Lambert said, “and my alcohol.”
“Ahh yes. That route.” Remy managed to turn around, facing his liberator. “Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the money you promised me.” He gathered what remained of his vitality with the hope that it was enough to travel to safety.
“You broke that promise by foolishly coming here.”
“I’m hungry.”
“Aren’t we all.”
“No. I mean, I’m really hungry.” His heavy eyes gazed up at Lambert.
Lambert sighed and nodded to Alexis who shot her consort a confused look.
“You can’t be serious.” Her eyes widened.
Yet Remy knew he was.
“Just a little will do.” He launched at her with enough force, sending the vampire on her back.
“Only a little, Remy. I mean it.”
“Of course,” he replied back to Lambert. Straddling her, Remy opened his mouth and bent forward.
“He’s going to kill me!” Alexis panicked.
“You’re my friend. I wouldn’t do that,” he joked as he closed his eyes. He began to feed, feeling her life force coating his mouth like only sugared nectar could.
1
DECEPTION. DEAMHAN CHRONCILES #3
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Your vampire bitch is up to something. I don’t know what it is but I’m going to find out.” Kenneth stood in the Chapter location, staring at the boxes that the mercenary stacked against the wall.
He turned to Johanna, who remained quieted, listening to his complaints with a soft ear. He waited for her to stick up for Ruby and to continue her blind support for the Dorvo coven. He wanted to hear what other excuse she planned to come up with. If they didn’t make their move soon, he feared that everything he worked so hard for would end up down the drain.
There wasn’t any word to describe how much he felt betrayed by the organization he promised to serve until his dying day. The Head Master’s decision to give Veronica a position she didn’t deserve was a slap in the face of researchers who came before her. She knew nothing about being loyal and she always rejected being part of them. Instead she placed herself as far away from anything remotely resembling The Brotherhood. Just like her mother, she’d fallen in grace with Deamhan, enemies of the organization. She trusted them more than she did humans. Kenneth felt used, thrown aside for her. After everything he’d done to ensure the safety of his fellow researchers, the other Presidents spat on his work. He would not let them win.
He exhaled, out of pure anger. “Those fuckers. I’ll show them.” As he continued to think about their rejection, he failed to notice the mercenary open the window blinds, brightening up the interior.
The street light o
n the corner garnered his attention. “What the fuck are you doing here?!”
“Kenneth.” Johanna finally broke through her silence. “Relax.”
“Relax? How can I relax when they demoted me? They demoted you!” His eyebrows lowered at the sight of the man.
“You heard what Ruby said at the club. It’s not over. Don’t do something now that you’ll regret later.”
“I don’t need you to lecture me.” Irate, he raised his voice at her. “You think I’m going to just stop what I’m doing because that old fucker sees Veronica as his new pet? I’m not going to.”
“I know you won’t.”
“You know what they do to researchers like us.” He wiped his forehead.
“Look.” She settled back in her seat. “This is why we need to stick with the plan. Clearly The Head Master has lost his mind. He’s not fit to lead and the other Presidents have no other choice but to follow him because he is who he is. But we can change all of that, starting with getting rid of Deamhan. Once the Presidents see that what we’re doing is right, they’ll reject his plan for Veronica.”
He placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. “With the help of your Dorvo bitch,” he whispered.
She placed her hand on the side of his cheek. “You shouldn’t have pressured her.”
He placed his hand over hers. “I see it now.”
She grasped his hand. “See what?”
He moved back. “You still want to be President.”
“Who in this organization wouldn’t? But what I also want is for this organization to go back to its roots, and I’m not talking about just researching and documenting. Think further back...way back.”
Deception (Deamhan Chronicles Book 3) Page 22
