“Questions, Leo,” Madeline reminded him.
Leo glanced over his shoulder, then looked back at Tom. I almost felt sorry for him, defenseless and tied up. Elroy must have known what had happened to him, but he must not have been capable—or willing—to mount some kind of rescue mission, otherwise he would have been here by now; he and anyone else available to him. There really is no honor among thieves.
“Don’t kill me,” Tom murmured.
“What?” Leo asked, tilting his head to the side.
Tom lowered his eyes, turning them away from Leo’s death-stare. “Don’t kill me.”
“I’m not going to kill you, Tom. At least I won’t, unless you start dicking me around. There’s only one way out of this, and that’s if you tell me the truth right now.”
Tom nodded. “I will.”
“Then we’re off to a good start. How about I ask you some easy questions, first?”
“Ask what you want.”
Leo glanced back at Madeline, who nodded at him. “Alright, Tom, I know you’re the one who makes the drug. Are there others?”
“No. Just me.”
“Why just you?”
“The skill necessary is hard to come by. It isn’t just alchemy, or magic—it’s also the power to manipulate raw energy itself.”
“And you can do that?”
He shrugged. “I can.”
“What about Elroy? He doesn’t have the power?”
“No one else does.”
I broke away from the line of people watching and stepped closer to Tom, watching closely as the power I knew only as the mist began to manifest, showing me Tom’s emotional state as a cloud of fine mist floating around his shoulders and the crown of his head. He was scared, and anxious, but he was also telling the truth; that much was clear.
“You’d better not be lying to me,” Leo warned.
“He isn’t,” I said, keeping a calm voice despite the rapid, heavy lub-dub, lub-dub, of my heart. “I know he isn’t.”
“Good, let’s ask a difficult question, now. How many supernaturals have you taken energy from?”
Tom turned his eyes up, and I watched fear begin to permeate his aura much more powerfully than it had been until now. “I… I don’t know the exact number.”
“Think.”
“I don’t know…”
“Think!”
“I don’t know! Maybe more than twenty, I never see the people the blood comes from, only the blood itself. I never hurt anyone, I just made the drug. I swear it’s the truth. I didn’t even want to lie to Lilith. I tried to turn Elroy against the idea of knocking you out and doing what we did, but he threatened to kill me and the rest of my family again.”
“Again?”
“Yes, again! That’s how he’s been getting me to work for him. He knows where my little sister lives, my mum, my dad.”
“How do we know you aren’t just saying that to save your scrawny neck?”
“Yes, I’m trying to save myself, but I’m also not lying to you. You have to believe me.”
Leo looked at me for validation that Tom was telling the truth. I didn’t want to nod at him; I wanted Tom to suffer for what he had done to me and others, but I couldn’t bring myself to lie. There was a chance if I did lie about Tom telling the truth, this whole thing could get derailed, and I wanted Tom to keep talking, especially since the question we all wanted the answer to had still not been asked.
I nodded, and Leo acknowledged with his eyes. He turned to look at Tom. “Okay, now for the million-dollar question. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Tom asked, turning his eyes up, “But I want a reassurance first.”
“I don’t think you’re in a position to make demands.”
“I know what you’re going to ask me, and I’m going to tell you the truth, but before I do, I want two things.”
“I thought it was just one reassurance you wanted.”
“Let him speak,” Madeline said.
Looking over at her, I couldn’t help but admire just how elegant and graceful she looked. Madeline always carried herself with dignity, and stood much taller than others even though she wasn’t incredibly tall herself. But right now, that grace had a cloud of intensity hanging over it. I couldn’t read her emotions, but I could imagine what she was feeling. The betrayal, the anger, the pain. Elroy had been a tutor here, and Tom was the Alexandria’s recruiter. These were people she had worked closely with for a long time, had confided in, had eaten meals with. And yet, despite all that, she was in Tom’s corner, to a degree.
Maybe she saw him for the tool he was, but I didn’t. Couldn’t. I wanted to hurt him, even now.
“I want to be granted asylum.”
“Asylum?” Leo asked, “What makes you think we’d let you stay here?”
“The Alexandria is my home. It’s always been my home.”
“You violated the right to live here the moment you violated her.” Leo pointed at me. “You’re insane if you think that’s even an option for you.”
“I’ll allow it,” Madeline said, “On the condition that you are to be bound in magic at all times.”
Leo turned around, furious. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not. Leo, if we send this man back out there, it’s as good as a death sentence. Are you ready to give him a death sentence?”
“Far as I’m concerned he deserves it for the things he’s done.”
“You don’t mean that, and I know it. Tom, what is your second request?”
“Thank you,” Tom said, “My only other request is that my family be protected, too.”
Madeline drew in a deep breath. “That all depends on whether or not you’re able to answer the next question accurately, and truthfully. Lilith will be the judge.”
Tom glanced at me, then back at Leo and Madeline, and nodded. “You don’t need to ask. I know where Henry and Covell are.”
“Where?” Leo asked.
“Right here… in the Alexandria.”
“What?” Dante stepped forward, then looked at me. “How is that possible?”
I could tell by the looks on everyone’s faces they were waiting for me to tell them whether or not Tom was telling the truth. I knew the answer, had known ever since he had started speaking, but I had been holding it back until now, because now I had a choice. Tom had not only betrayed my trust, he had betrayed the trust of everyone he had ever worked with, except for the likes of Elroy and his people—only, he was betraying them right now by telling us the truth, wasn’t he? Which him little more than an opportunistic turncoat.
Be that as it may, he was at least a turncoat who was telling the truth, and right now he was looking to me to confirm what he was saying. I had, in my hands, the power to grant him what he wanted, protection for both himself and his family, or take it all away by lying to Madeline, Leo, and the others, and telling them Tom wasn’t being honest. I had the power to hurt him worse than he had hurt me, and part of me wanted to use it, wanted to squash the hope he was holding onto and watch the light die from his eyes.
But I couldn’t, because lying to Madeline about Tom also meant screwing over, and possibly sealing, Henry and Covell’s death warrants.
I nodded. “He’s telling the truth,” I said.
Leo, who looked entirely unimpressed by my verdict, rounded on Tom. “Alright,” he growled, “Start talking. Exactly where are Henry and Covell?”
“They’re in a pocket realm.”
“What?”
“It’s a place outside of time and space, but bound to somewhere real—”
“I’m a demon; I know what the fuck a pocket realm is. How is there a pocket realm in the Alexandria and I don’t know about it?”
“Elroy built it. I don’t know how, but he was able to hide it well enough that no one would be able to find it except him… and me.”
“You? Why would Elroy allow you to know where his pocket realm is?”
“He didn’t allow me to do anythin
g; I made sure I knew so that I could use it against him one day, to buy me my freedom.”
“Do you really expect us to believe all this time you’ve been little more than a slave to that man?”
“You have no idea what it’s like being his student. Warlocks are bound to each other by blood; all warlocks, everywhere. The stronger warlock has power over the weaker one. That’s how it is, how it’s always been. He didn’t have to threaten my family, but he did anyway, just to cement his hold over my loyalty. And if you can promise me the protection I’ve asked for, then I’ll deliver Henry and Covell to you. Safe, and sound.”
“How do we know Elroy hasn’t already extracted them from the pocket realm?” Dante asked, “It’s been hours since you left.”
“Because that’s what we were doing before you pulled me back here. If he had been inside the Alexandria, he could have accessed the pocket realm in an instant, but he isn’t here; the spell he was working was going to take hours.” He checked his watch. “But we don’t have much of that time left, so if you want to be able to retrieve your people, you need to act fast, because I won’t give them to you without your word, Madeline, that my conditions will be met.”
“Doesn’t accessing the pocket realm require you to use your magic?” she asked, “If so, that means breaking one of the clauses of our agreement already. What’s to say you won’t try something?”
“Because I’ll kill him before he gets the chance to flee,” Leo said, grinning like a hungry wolf staring down a wounded elk, “And he’s made it clear his own survival is more important than his loyalty to Elroy and his troupe.”
Madeline nodded. “Very well,” she said, “I’ll grant you your requests.” Gesturing with her hand triggered the magic, floating circlets around Tom’s hands to burst into a cloud of glittering stardust.
Tom flexed his hands and stretched his fingers. “Thank you,” he said.
“I’m warning you,” Leo said, “If this ends with a result other than Henry and Covell, safely with us, we’re going to have a problem.”
Tom nodded. “I need to be in the basement for this.”
“Go with him,” Madeline said to Leo. “You too, George.”
The Keeper, who had been silent this entire time, opened the door to let Tom and Leo through, then left with them. Dante glanced over at me, then left the room with the others, leaving me alone with Kyle and Madeline, who stepped up toward both of us, looking every bit as intense and ready for a fight—in her own graceful, elegant way—as ever.
“Thank you,” she said, surprising us both. “If not for you, we would know the things we know.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” I said, “Tom has to deliver.”
“I have a feeling he will, which is why I should get down to the basement and make sure this all goes smoothly. Meanwhile, the two of you should get some rest, it’s been a long day.”
I nodded. “You’re probably right, but I doubt I’ll be able to get any sleep.”
“Speak for yourself,” Kyle said, “I’ve been up since well before you were, remember? I could do with some sleep and maybe a drink, or three.”
“You should still try,” Madeline said, “Let the Alexandria take care of Henry and Covell’s wellbeing. The two of you have done enough.”
Madeline smiled, then also made her exit, leaving Kyle and I in the half-trashed room. “Well, our work here is done,” Kyle said. “We make a good team, you know that?”
“You think so?”
“No, I’m lying. I actually think you’re a terrible human being.”
“I’m not human at all.”
Kyle grinned, then moved past me and headed out of the room. I almost couldn’t believe what had just taken place here, but the reality of it set in while I was alone in the room. In a few minutes, or hours, or however long it was going to take, we would have safely rescued the missing mentors. Not only that, but we had unmasked at least some of the people involved in the production and distribution of that supernatural drug.
The only questions that were left now that the dust had settled were, simply, who else was involved in this, and were any more of the Alexandria’s tutors in on it?
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Hours had passed, and I hadn’t heard a thing from Leo, the Keeper, Madeline, or Dante other than, simply, mission accomplished. Had I not received a message letting me know that Henry and Covell had been successfully retrieved and were being seen to in the infirmary, I probably would have been a nervous wreck all day. As it was, I had managed to get some much-needed sleep, even if it was only for a few hours.
Eventually, I couldn’t justify lying in bed any longer. I had to go and see someone, I needed to get some answers, or even just a debrief. Vik and Raph were on their way back, Aiden and Liam were gone, Leo was still technically supposed to be recovering, and I wasn’t going to speak to the Keeper because I didn’t want to disturb him. That left only Dante.
Of course, in truth, was there anyone else I really wanted to see but Dante?
I padded over to his room, barefoot and in pajamas, and knocked on his bedroom door. When he didn’t answer, I knocked again, louder, a growing sense of dread building inside of my chest. I wasn’t sure why it was there. Much like the random elevated heartrate, this feeling had wormed its way into me and nothing I could do seemed to have the power to drive it out.
It’s okay, I thought to myself, we’re all fine… everything’s fine.
Dante opened the door, and I couldn’t help but smile when I saw him standing there, wearing a buttoned up black shirt, his suit jacket off his shoulders and draped over the chair in front of the small desk we all had in our rooms. Then I saw her sitting on his bed, and my smile deflated like a balloon that hadn’t been properly pinched at the end.
“Dante,” I said, arching an eyebrow.
“Lilith,” he said, “I didn’t know you were coming down.”
“I wasn’t interrupting anything, was I?”
Dante didn’t immediately reply, though by the look of things, I may have just walked into something before it had started. He had removed his suit jacket, something I had rarely seen him do, and she was sitting on his bed wearing a mini skirt and a white, off the shoulder crop-top. Sex clothes.
I had found the source for the feeling welling up inside of me.
“Laura,” Dante said, turning around to look at her, “Do you mind giving Lilith and I a moment to talk? It’s important.”
Laura swung her blond hair from one shoulder to the other, then stood, and tugged on her miniskirt before heading for the door. I moved into the room and stepped aside, but she stopped when she cleared the doorway, turned around, and gave Dante a disappointed look.
“Do you want me to come back later?” she asked.
Before Dante could say a word, I grabbed the door handle and glared at her. “He’s gonna be busy tonight,” I said, my eyes low, the scowl plainly visible on my face.
She was about to speak, but I slammed the door in her face, and son-of-a-bitch did that feel good.
Dante, as casual as ever, walked to the desk, picked up his glass of bourbon, and finished what was left before setting the glass down and turning his tight, narrow stare in my direction. “That was rude,” he said.
I shrugged. “She’s been a bitch to me ever since we first met,” I said, “From where I was standing, that was downright courteous.”
“Has she really been a bitch to you since you first met? Or do you simply believe that because she’s one of two other young women at this school?”
“Do you really think that?”
He opened the decanter of bourbon and poured himself a second glass, but then he handed it to me instead of taking it himself. “It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve witnessed female rivalry. There have been documented studies.”
I took the glass and drank deeply, but I didn’t finish it in one go. “I tried to be nice to her,” I said, “But the moment she found out about the guys, she looked at me
like I was some kind of freak. Since then she’s avoided me every chance she’s gotten. God only knows what she’s been telling the other girl.”
“Not everyone is going to understand—”
“Are you really defending this woman right now? I don’t care if she doesn’t understand. She’s been flirting with you on purpose to get to me because she knows…” Knows that I want you…
I had to stop myself from saying anything more, but the halt in my conversation was sudden, and entirely conspicuous. Dante stared at me, trying to read between the lines, trying to catch the subtext, I was sure, but I hid my face behind what was left of the drink, finishing it in a second, smooth swallow.
“It wasn’t like that,” Dante said, “She’d just heard about what was going on and wanted to ask some questions.”
“Sitting on your bed dressed like that?”
“Yes! Jesus, Lilith, what the hell is your problem?”
“My problem is that every time I throw myself at you, you waste no time in swatting me away like you’re not interested, and I can live with that, but not when I see you lowering your standards to a rat-faced blond in a miniskirt that should have been burned back in 2007.”
“I told you before, and I’ll say it again—it’s not like that.”
“Bullshit, it’s not like that! Give me one good reason why I should believe you.”
“Because she isn’t you!”
“Because she… what?”
“None of them are you. None of them are good enough anymore because they aren’t you.”
My windpipe closed to the size of a pinprick, chest tightened, hands went numb. I wasn’t sure I had heard him correctly the first time, but I heard him the second time, when he made clear what it was he had meant.
“Prove it…” I said, pursing my lips. “If you mean what you just said, then prove it.”
Dante advanced, pinning me against the door. My heart leaped at his sudden charge, and when he wrapped one hand around my neck and brought the full might of his lips against mine, it started to beat like a war drum signaling the start of an epic confrontation. I took his face in my hands and kissed him back, teasing his lips to open against mine, tongue searching for his. Dante’s kiss was every bit as intense as I had always imagined, but it was so much more than that too; there was something in it, some power, I couldn’t quite reach, not with a kiss no matter how intense it was.
Serpent's Bite: A Reverse Harem Urban Fantasy (The Last Serpent Book 4) Page 10
