by J. D. Brown
I had the unsettling feeling he was making an innuendo. I wrinkled my nose. “Not interested.”
“No, you wouldn’t be. You only have eyes for the vampire.”
“Did you need something, or are you just bored and wasting my time?”
“The real question is whether or not you will waste mine. I have something for you.”
I lifted my brow and crossed my arms. “Oh?”
Valafar held up two fingers. Between them was a small folded strip of paper. I reached for it, but he yanked his hand back and grinned while extending his arm high overhead. “Not so fast.”
“What is it?” I demanded.
“The one thing you need most right now. Apollyon’s location.”
The blood drained from my face and a shiver ran along my spine. “You’re kidding.”
Valafar shook his head. “Nope.”
“So you’ve changed your mind about helping us?”
He scoffed. “Not at all.”
“I don’t understand.” My brow furrowed in disappointment. “Why tell me you have his location and then not give it to me?”
His grin faded and his gaze darkened. “Come on, love. You’ve got to be smarter than that.”
I thought about it. Understanding dawned and my brow lifted. “You want something in return.”
“Now you’re getting it.”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine, I’ll bite. What’s your price?”
Valafar took a step back while lowering his hand, and then began to pace around the room, keeping the slip of paper close to his chest. “Well, you see, it seems you’ve gone and put ideas about me into my boy’s head.”
“Your boy?” I lifted my brow. “You mean Prince Brinnon?”
“He’s got his panties in a twist over me not helping you. He says I can’t be trusted. That I need to prove my intentions.”
Good for him.
Valafar stopped pacing. “Can you believe that? Well of course you can, you planted the doubt.”
“Let me guess… you want me to tell Brinnon that you helped. That you’re a good, trustworthy guy.”
“Let’s not get carried away, I do have a reputation to uphold.”
I gave him a sidelong glance.
“Just tell him I gave you the location and promise you’ll stay out of our private life… unless of course you’d like to join in other ways?”
I resisted the urge to smack my palm against my forehead. “I’ll tell them where I got the information, but I’m not butting out of Brinnon’s life. He’s my friend. I have no reason to trust you or the old woman. If you hurt him, I’ll castrate you.”
“Ah,” Valafar said. “But you won’t stop me from seeing him.”
I shrugged. What could I say? I couldn’t stop Brinnon from fooling around with anyone. That was his choice.
Valafar narrowed his gaze. “Very well.”
He handed the slip of paper to me. I unfolded it to find two numbers separated by a comma written in pencil.
“What is this?” I said, but when I glanced up the room was empty.
Maria, Brinnon, and Jesu talked in hushed tones behind the closed door of Nikolas’ office. I paused just outside to try and eavesdrop, but the voices stopped. I rolled my eyes. Of course they sensed me. So I walked right in and slapped the paper on the giant king’s desk. “What do these numbers mean?”
Nikolas glanced at the paper. “How should I know?”
“What is this about?” Maria leaned in her seat to peer at the numbers. “Where did you get that?”
“From Valafar. He appeared in my room and said it was Apollyon’s location.”
“Coordinates. Latitude and longitude.” Nikolas pushed his chair back and stood. “Someone get a map!”
“Got it.” Jesu glanced up from his cellphone. “They point to an island off the coast of Panama called Escudo de Veraguas. It is about fifty kilometers southeast of the Bocas del Toro district.”
“Panama?” I squeaked in surprise. “As in Central America?”
Jesu nodded.
I released a long stream of breath while raising my brows in difficult acceptance. I didn’t know where I expected to find Apollyon, but Central American definitely wasn’t it. All this time, he was in a completely different world. He certainly knows how to disappear.
Nikolas scratched his chin. “You said the incubus gave you this information. He’s cooperating now?”
“Is he still here?” Maria added.
Brinnon, who stood slightly behind his father’s large desk chair, perked at this. I looked him in the eyes and narrowed my gaze before answering them. “No and no. Valafar made it very clear we are not working together.”
Brinnon bit his lip and his gaze lowered. I felt bad for disappointing him, but he had to know the truth.
“Then why would he give you the information?” Nikolas asked.
“Good question,” I said, shaking my head. “I have no idea.”
“Could be a trap,” said Jesu.
“Wouldn’t that be a bit obvious?” said Nikolas.
Brinnon’s shoulders curled forward. He was taking this harder than I expected.
“Maybe he’s done with Apollyon,” Maria quietly suggested.
Nikolas turned his chair in her direction. “Care to elaborate?”
She pursed her lips, deep in thought. “Assuming they are connected in some way, which I think is a safe assumption, Apolyon’s part in Valafar’s agenda must have expired. Valafar’s done using him and wants him taken out, but for whatever reason he doesn’t want to be the one to get his hands dirty.” She glanced at me, her expression tight. “Maybe Valafar refuses to work for you because he wants you to work for him. He wants you to kill Apollyon for him, instead of him killing Apollyon for us.”
“He must know about the premonition.” Nikolas nodded, as though it all made perfect sense. I glanced at Jesu and cocked my brow. Now did he see? I was involved in this whether either of us liked it or not. In fact, I was up to my eyeballs in it. I might not have been the prophesized girl from Jesu’s vision, but I sure looked like her, and somehow word had gotten around through the grapevine. It wasn’t enough for us to know the truth when everyone else believed otherwise.
“Wait,” said Jesu. “There is another possibility. Suppose Valafar is working for my father, luring Ema into a trap. Apollyon knows Ema is protected here, that is why he does not come after her himself. He sends his lackey instead to bring Ema to him, where he has the advantage.”
Nikolas glanced at me. “Do you have any thoughts on this?”
I wet my lips and took a moment to consider it. I already knew Valafar wasn’t working for Apollyon. He worked for his mistress, the Crone. Valafar never would have given me the coordinates unless Lilith had ordered him to. She was the one who was connected to Apollyon. She was the one who no longer needed him. She was the one who wanted me to kill Apollyon for her. But why?
“It’s both,” I whispered.
Jesu narrowed his gaze. “What do you mean?”
I glanced at him, and then at Maria. “I think you’re both right. Apollyon sent the invitation. He will be expecting us, and he will be prepared. But the incubus wants me to win.”
“Why?” Jesu demanded. “How do you know this?”
“I just do.”
Jesu tilted his head in suspicion.
“You said there’s a good chance Valafar knows about the stone. I think you’re right about that, but I don’t think he told Apollyon about it. I think he’s betting on me using the stone and winning.”
Jesu straightened, but didn’t say anything.
“What if we wait it out?” Nikolas suggested. “Make Apollyon fight on our turf.”
“That won’t happen,” said Maria. “Apollyon might send an army here, if he has to, but he won’t attend with them. The last time he made that mistake, he died. He isn’t dumb enough to try it again. He’ll keep moving, keep hidden, and we’ll be in the same predicament we are now, wasting our time try
ing to find him.”
“So we take the chance,” I said. “And go in prepared for the worst.”
“Ema, the worst could mean my father does know about the stone and has devised a way to counter it,” said Jesu. “It could mean he has finished making a newer, stronger stone, or that he has tripled his numbers. It could mean we all die.”
“Do you have a better idea? Should we wait until he picks us off one by one?” I turned to Nikolas. “Valafar wants me to win, I’m sure of it. Why else would he keep me alive this long? Apollyon won’t know about the stone. Valafar won’t have told him. That’s why he’s betting I’ll win this. He’s putting his money on the stone, not just me and some cloudy premonition.”
Nikolas worked his jaw for a long moment, his gaze unfocused. Then he shook his head and sighed. “I guess we should all pack our bags.”
Jesu muttered under his breath. “Not like we had time to unpack them.”
Nikolas waved his comment off. “Go prepare yourselves while I speak with Tancred. I’ll call you all back once a plan is in place.”
I stood and exited the office. The others followed. In the hall, Jesu grabbed my elbow and pulled me aside. He waited as Maria and Brinnon passed. Then, he leaned in close and his sweet breath pooled against my temple. “Follow me.”
Jesu turned away and continued walking. I trailed his shadow across the ballroom and then entered a narrow passage. I’d only used this corridor once before. It led to the weapons storage room. Jesu paused at the heavy, solid wood door and pulled the metal ring. Row after row of swords, battle axes, bows, daggers, guns, and maces greeted us. My gut churned in knots as I thought about these arms coming out of their cases and tasting blood again. The bladed weapons stood with their deadly sharp edges facing the center of the room, as though the inanimate objects could sense the coming battle and hungered for it.
I gulped hard while following Jesu down the center aisle. He grabbed a number of weapons at random; two single-handed swords, a handful of daggers, a set of throwing stars, a knife, and a gun, yet his brisk gait suggested we hadn’t reached our final destination yet.
“Where are we going?”
“To the training room.” He cut a left at the end of the aisle, leading into a shallow inset hidden in the back corner of the room. I hadn’t noticed it the last time I was here. The door stood open, though no one occupied the dim space beyond.
Jesu flipped a switch and a single light bulb lit the high ceiling. I blinked against the harsh light. The space smelled dry and musty. The floor was made of compact dirt with two large blue tumbling mats lying in the center. A sparring dummy stood in the corner, its head bashed in from repeated abuse. The wooden walls were bare, except for a large black bull’s eye spray painted on the east side. A series of large cuts and tiny holes punctured the breadth of the target, marking it with years of use. Along the opposite wall stood a wide coat rack, from which hung several sets of thick black suits in varying sizes. I’d seen them before. Jesu wore one in the woods when he fought Jalmari. The suits were some kind of body armor. Jesu went to the rack and scanned the selection. He chose a smaller sized set and then handed it to me.
“Put this on.”
I took the suit. Its weight caught me off guard and my knuckles nearly hit the floor. “What is it padded with, iron?”
“Steel plates.”
“Right.” I rolled my eyes while laying the armor out on the floor so I could make sense of the pieces. There were shin straps, arm straps, and a vest-like section. The thick nylon material scratched my palms as I sorted out the many straps and buckles. “Why am I doing this, again?”
“Because you will be wearing it in battle. You need to get familiar with the extra weight now, or it will slow you down later. Consider this a crash-course. How to kill one-o-one.” Jesu set the weapons on the ground and then knelt in front of me and picked up the left shin piece, placing it against my leg. I did the same with the right piece, mirroring his direction as he tightened the straps behind my calf. I noticed each piece of gear had several small pockets, though I couldn’t imagine why anyone would need pockets on their shins.
When that was done, we both stood. Jesu lifted the chest and back piece, and then lowered them over my head. He tugged the straps across my back, adjusting them until the vest fit like a second skin—a second skin that itched like crazy and was in constant battle with the laws of gravity. I pursed my lips. The weight really wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle, it was just annoying. Not more than twenty-four hours ago, Jesu refused to let me carry a ten-pound bag. Now he was ordering me to wear a two-hundred-pound suit of armor.
Satisfied with the ties on my back, he came around front and picked up the two remaining arm cuffs. I slid my hands into them and then stood with my arms in the air as Jesu tied the laces.
“This isn’t so bad,” I said when he finished. “I just hope I don’t break out in hives.”
“We are not done yet.” Jesu took the two swords and strapped them across my back. Then he stashed a pair of daggers inside each arm cuff. The knife went in my left shin plate. Lastly, he holstered the gun to my inner right thigh. And just like that, the two-hundred-pound suit of armor became a three-hundred-pound suit of accidents waiting to happen. I felt frumpy and too terrified to move. One wrong step and I would stab myself in five different places while simultaneously shooting myself in the foot. I was certain of it.
I bit back a few choice words. I knew Jesu just wanted me to be prepared, and it was sweet of him, really, but… “Wouldn’t it be better if I could move faster instead of hauling all this around the jungle? This can’t possibly be good for the baby.”
His brow quipped. “Now you are worried about the baby? You volunteered for war, Ema. Hell, you built the war with yourself as its centerpiece, despite all my warnings.”
I winced. “I was kind of hoping I wouldn’t have to do much actual fighting. Nikolas’ army—”
Jesu grabbed my shoulders and shook me. I would have fallen, except he held on, digging his fingers into my skin. “Listen to me, Ema. For once, really listen to me. Everyone is about to put their life at risk for you. Most of them will die, do you understand? You need to bury your pride, bury it deep and forget the damn baby.”
My gaze widened. “Forget the baby?”
His mouth curled in a snarl. “This is not a game, Ema. One split second could cost you your life. If you die…” he glanced at my mid-section, “…then it dies. But if you live, you can always have another one.”
That was the most disgusting thing Jesu had ever said, and my anger showed in the heat rushing to my face. He held my gaze, challenging me as his brow furrowed. I wanted to tell him to fuck off, but my jaw clenched too tightly for words. My limbs were slowly going numb, but whether from the gear and weapons, or the fury mounting inside, I didn’t know. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
He’s only doing this because he cares. Jesu has my best interest at heart.
I knew it was true. Despite what Jesu thought, I did trust him. I never stopped trusting him. We loved each other, even if we couldn’t be together. Jesu would keep protecting me for as long as he could. I never thought otherwise. He did his best to give me a real chance of survival, and I would be an idiot if I didn’t listen. I slowly released my breath and opened my eyes.
“Okay. Bring it on.”
Jesu relaxed his brow and took a step back, letting his hands fall away from my shoulders. “Walk,” he instructed.
I paced around the room, trying my best to make my steps natural. I felt like a spring trap, ready to go off at the slightest touch of air. One wrong movement and something strapped to my body was sure to fire. I told myself to shut up and pay attention. Losing my life wasn’t an option.
Chapter 26
Jesu taught me to run in the armor. He taught me to throw knives and then he threw the metal stars at me so I wouldn’t be afraid of using my armor as a shield. He showed me how to block and counter an attack, to throw a punch w
ithout breaking my knuckles, and to kick without spraining an ankle. Then he showed me how to hold a sword, how to parry, and how to angle and thrust when I wanted to stab someone.
By the time we got to the gun lesson, sweat dampened my brow and my breath came in long, shallow gasps. I worked on my aim, feeling the weight of the cold hard steel in my hands as I pointed the barrel at the target.
“A little higher.” Jesu stood with his chest to my back. His breath pooled against my right temple as he brought his hands to my wrists and lifted my arms two centimeters higher. “Keep both eyes open.”
It was difficult to concentrate with our bodies touching, especially considering we were both sweaty and panting. I could feel the front of his hips through my jeans, his heart knocking on my ribs. I drew a breath to calm myself, but his spring rain scent filled my lungs, and my nervousness spiked.
“Why did you wait until now to teach me this?” I asked, needing a distraction. “It would have come in handy before.”
Jesu hesitated, his hands lingering on my wrists. “I fooled myself into believing that you would not need it. I thought phasing and shifting would be enough. I never anticipated…” He lowered his hands and placed them on my hips, just below the gear vest. His palms slid to the front, over the band of my jeans. A hot shiver trembled through my core and I squeezed the trigger. The gun went off with a bang, jarring me against him. I lowered the weapon and looked at the bull’s eye. Thin tendrils of smoke rose from a tiny hole in the center of the black painted wood.
Jesu let his hands fall away. “Very good.”
I faced him and finished his prior sentence. “You never anticipated that I wouldn’t be able to use my vampyre powers, because you never anticipated I would bear a child.”
Jesu turned away. “I thought I could keep you safe. I never intended for you to be this involved. I underestimated your stubbornness.”
I gave him a sideways glance and then laughed. “You wanted to be the hero while I sat locked in a tower, all pink and delicate like a girl.”
