Dark Liaison (An Ema Marx Novel Book 2)

by J. D. Brown

  I shook my head and then raised my voice so it would carry over theirs. “No, you’re not getting it. Apollyon was hiding in Alexandria, not looking for his ring there.”

  Everyone stopped talking and faced me.

  “A minute ago, you said he was looking for his ring,” Tancred challenged.

  “He is, but you misunderstood what I meant.” I scanned the dining hall. It was fuller now than when I arrived moments ago. Tancred, Sara, and Cecelia were all there, watching me, waiting for an answer. Even the soldiers surrounding us seemed to lean forward in anticipation.

  I looked at Jesu and then gently pushed away so that I could turn my whole body to face the crowd. He kept his hand on the small of my back, but didn’t resist. “The search for the ring must have hit a dead end after Helldora. What do people do when they can’t find something? They go back to the beginning and retrace their steps. The stone aids Apollyon’s power, right? I’ve seen a small demonstration of that power and it is terrifying. He toys with people’s spirits, raises the dead. That sort of magic is necromancy and it stems from ancient Egyptian and Sumerian beliefs. He’s hiding in Egypt because that’s where his power originated. It’s where he feels safe, and it’s where he can replenish and make a new stone if he needs to.”

  “I thought he was a master alchemist.” Brinnon looked to his father in question. “Alchemy is a Greek science.”

  “Where do you think the Greeks learned it?” I said. “Apollyon mastered it in Egypt. That’s what he was doing when he left Sumeria.” My voice was nearly a whisper as I thought of what I’d read in the text book Bridget gave me. “He’s not physically searching. He’s using location spells or something like that. You see? He’s totally wrapped up in his magic. He doesn’t know how to deal with life without it.”

  “She’s right,” said a deep, Middle Eastern accented voice. I glanced to the opposite side of the dining hall and noticed Naamah for the first time. The crowd parted to give him room as he approached the table. He watched me carefully as he addressed the group. “Apollyon centered his whole life on his skills. He is obsessed with power, but not the kind that comes from gold or land. He wants bodies to experiment on, captures of war.”

  “Why not experiment on the Rebels or criminals?” Nikolas asked.

  Naamah shook his head. “The ring is a vessel. Alchemy is all about transmutation. Apollyon’s end goal is to find a way to transfer powers and essences from other clans to himself. He wants only the strongest specimens—warriors, nobility, royalty.

  Or, in my case, vampyres who already possess a range of powers. I was a four-for-one deal. I didn’t voice these thoughts. Everyone here already knew, on some level, that I was at the center of this shindig, even if they didn’t understand why. It wouldn’t do any good to give myself away.

  Naamah stood close and Jesu’s grip tightened around my midriff, pulling me against his chest. His throaty growl brushed past my ear. Naamah bowed his head and whispered. “My deepest apologies, Ema.”

  I wanted to tell him not to be sorry. He and Maria were safe and that was all that mattered, but Jesu’s anger burned behind me. His fingers dug into my sides, forcing me further away. Maria took her husband’s hand and guided him to the other side of the table.

  Tancred’s scoff finally broke the tension. “That sounds like a weakness to me, considering he doesn’t have his precious ring with him now.”

  I whirled around and faced Tancred, my mind falling into the discussion again. “Exactly,” I said while prying Jesu’s fingers from my side. Now that Naamah stood a good distance away, Jesu relaxed his grip. “We need to find that ring before he does and destroy it. We also need to destroy Apollyon before he decides to make a new one.”

  Nikolas frowned. “How do you propose that we find this ring? Even without it, Apollyon is powerful and the Saga-Giga’s venom can kill at least half my army before we put them down. If we push him to desperation, he’ll double his numbers.”

  “We need to fight fire with fire,” I stated. “We need someone who is better at magic than Apollyon.”

  “Ema,” Jesu groaned.

  “It’s okay.” I covered his hands with mine and grinned. “I know someone who is.”

  He, Nikolas, Tancred, and Naamah all spoke at once. “You do?”

  I nodded. “Yes… I’m just not entirely positive that they will agree to help us.”

  “Who is it?” Nikolas demanded.

  I grimaced, thinking of how I didn’t actually know the Crone’s name or how to contact her. She always just appeared when I needed her most, but… “His name is Valafar.”

  Nikolas’ alabaster tone turned even paler. Collective gasps and disapproving chatter spread through the room until everyone, including the soldiers, talked at once.

  Okay, so they’ve heard of the guy with the violet eyes. Why was I getting a bad vibe about this? I looked at Jesu for help, but his wide gaze and slacked jaw spoke clearly of his shock and disapproval. He took half a step away, blinked, shook himself, frowned, and then decided to return to my side. A knot formed in my throat as my gaze fell to the floor.

  “Valafar saved me,” I whispered.

  Despite the roar of chatter, Jesu’s sensitive vampire hearing caught my words. He dropped his hold. His brow pinched and he glanced away as his chest heaved in short quick breaths. I realized too late how my words could have been misconstrued. Valafar saved me… you didn’t.

  I hadn’t meant to demean him. I only meant to say that I trusted Valafar despite whatever reputation preceded him. I immediately wished I could take the words back. I reached for Jesu’s hand, but before I could take it Tancred shouted above the mass.

  “Enough! Men, mind your tongues.” The room fell silent. Then Tancred scowled at me. “Young lady, we are vampyres. We do not associate with incubi.”

  I let my hand fall to my side and gave Jesu the best apologetic look I could muster before turning away to face Tancred. “I admit I don’t really know what an incubus is, but—”

  “Filthy, dangerous, savages is what they are,” Tancred supplied.

  “O-kay.” I cocked a brow, thinking about how savage vampyres could be. “Well, you don’t need to associate with all of them, just the one. Valafar can cripple the Saga-Giga with a single glance, I’ve seen it.”

  “There is no doubt that an incubus is stronger than a vampyre. That is why we hunt them.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course you guys hunt the one group that can end this in a snap. Kill the humans, kill the incubi, kill the Romani—” Jesu kicked my Achilles tendon. “Ouch, what in the—”

  “That is actually brilliant,” Brinnon interrupted.

  Nikolas, who had been stroking his chin all this time, shook his head. “If the incubus is willing to cooperate, and if Lilith doesn’t mind us borrowing one of her children.”

  “What’s a lilith?” I asked while balancing on one leg and rubbing the back of my foot.

  “Lilith is a who, not a what,” Tancred muttered.

  “Lilith is the mother of all incubi and succubi,” Brinnon explained. “She’s the only one able to create them, but no one’s seen her in over five-hundred years. I doubt she’ll show up now. It’s a brilliant plan. We can make it worth the incubus’ while. Father, this can work.”

  Tancred sneered. “With all due respect, Your Highness, that plan is horrid. We cannot trust our lives in the hands of an incubus.”

  Nikolas massaged his temples and then sighed. “I agree with you, Tancred, but we must stop Apollyon by any means necessary.”

  “Your Majesty—”

  Nikolas lifted a hand to silence Tancred. Then he looked at me. “This is your plan, girl. You will speak with the incubus.”

  Jesu grabbed my shoulders and twisted me aside. I would have lost my balance except that he held me upright. “Your Majesty, may I have a word alone?”

  Nikolas shook his head. “Your devotion is admirable, Prince Jesu, but I tire of your interference. Go with her this time. See for y
ourself, and for everyone’s sake, that she stays alive.”

  Jesu’s fists fell away and clenched tightly at his sides.

  “Ema,” Nikolas said as an afterthought. “Meet me in two hours in my office. I will brief you on the subject of negotiating with incubi.”

  I nodded. Nikolas and his wife departed. Tancred shouted orders to the soldiers and they soon filed out of the dining hall. Brinnon, Sara, Maria, Naamah, Jesu, and I were the only ones left.

  Brinnon’s brow rose. “So you know Valafar?”

  “Our encounters were very brief,” I admitted.

  “Encounters? As in plural?” Jesu grumbled.

  I ignored his attitude, wondering how I would contact the incubus and whether or not the Crone would mind. I still had this nagging feeling that she wasn’t totally on my side.

  “I’ll go with you,” Brinnon offered. “This plan has to work.”

  “Brinnon,” Sara kept her voice soft. “You should go accompany father. See if he needs assistance with anything.”

  Brinnon looked from me, to his sister, and back. “I will meet you in my father’s office for the briefing. He will want one of us with you, I am sure, and Tancred is certainly not the wise choice.”

  Well that was true. “Thanks, Brinnon, I appreciate it.”

  Brinnon bowed and then left the room in the direction his parents had gone. Jesu wrapped his fingers around my upper arm. He gently, yet urgently, pulled me against his chest. His lips went to my temple as I instantly melted.

  “Have a rest with me,” he said.

  I nodded. His arm snaked around my waist and he led me toward the stairs. At the last moment, I glanced over my shoulder. “Maria, meet me in Nikolas’ office.”

  She nodded just before Jesu pulled me around the corner, and then she vanished out of my line of sight.

  Chapter 25

  I sat on the edge of the bed as Jesu closed the door. It was the most distance between us since we were reunited in the dining room. I expected him to come straight back, to lie with me on the bed and hold me in his arms. Instead, he went to the mantle, shoved his hands into his pants pockets, and stared into the empty hearth.

  “What are you keeping from King Nikolas?” he asked.

  I sighed. “A lot of things.”

  “Name a few.”

  My lips puckered into a tight pout. “I have no idea how to contact Valafar, for one thing. I don’t even know if my plan will work.”

  “And what are you keeping from me?”

  My heart sank and I glanced away. “A lot.”

  “Like?”

  My fingers started picking at each other. “It was too easy to fall in love with you.”

  His narrowed his gaze. “Is that bad?”

  “The easier it is to fall in love, the more it will hurt in the end.”

  “I will not hurt you, Ema.”

  “It’s not me I’m worried about right now.”

  “You think you will hurt me?” His voice was closer then. His breath and pulse drummed in my ears, but when I dared a quick glance, he still stood by the mantle, unmoved.

  “Haven’t I already?”

  He looked at me and his broad chest inhaled a deep breath. “You will never begin to understand how you cripple me, Ema.”

  I winced and glanced away.

  “I am the one who is incompetent.” His voice rose steadily, as did his anger. “I cannot keep you safe from my father. I cannot please you. I cannot even—”

  “Jesu…” I stood. My hand went to my chest as if I could reach inside and keep my heart from falling apart. “Please don’t.”

  His features were taut, his eyes half-hooded and creased in the corners, his thin lips in a sad frown. “I see he gave you a new finger.”

  My shoulders stiffened and I jerked my hand behind my back.

  “I thought I lost you, Ema. I thought I was too late to save you and my father had won. I thought that you were… dead.”

  “This feels a bit like déjà vu,” I smiled weakly, “but I’m not dead, Jesu. I’m fine.”

  His brows pulled tighter at the center and his eyes glowed with a green fire. “No thanks to me. You had to be rescued by an incubus. What good am I if I cannot keep you safe?”

  I went to him. “You stop that, understand? That wasn’t you fault. Neither of us could have known what Naamah was planning.”

  “I did know.” Jesu growled and turned away. “I had a feeling in my gut, but I ignored it. Whatever pain and suffering my father caused you is because of me.”

  His hand went to the mantle. He gripped it so hard, his pale-blue knuckles went white and the cement under his fingertips cracked as he folded into himself. “Ema, I do not know what I would have done if you were dead.”

  A cold fear burrowed under my skin, into my veins. I went around and placed myself between him and the fireplace. My hands cupped his face and gently drew him toward me. He let go of the mantle and slowly sank to his knees. I guided his head to rest against my chest. His arms wrapped around my middle and I cradled him while stroking his long black hair.

  His embrace filled me with warmth and everything else in the world melted away. My sole care became the gentle creature in my arms. His life, his love, was all that mattered. I dropped my chin, closed my eyes, and pressed my lips to the crown of his head. “I love you, Jesu ta Korento, and your love is all I need to be saved.”

  He lifted his gaze and then slowly shook his head. “I love you too, Ema, but a love filled with holes that carry secrets—”

  I placed both hands on his cheeks and ran my thumbs over them. “Temporary secrets, Jesu. Please trust me. I will tell you everything when the time is right.”

  He looked to the side and then nodded.

  The clock on the nightstand announced that I had thirty minutes to get my behind downstairs. I groaned, not wanting to untangle my legs from Jesu’s long lean ones. Somehow all his clothes, and half of mine, found a semi-permanent home on the floor. But that was one-and-a-half beautiful hours ago. Now we rested together in bed, his limbs wrapped around me. His head rested against my shoulder and his curtain of silky black hair fanned across my blouse. The cream-colored sheets draped carelessly over our feet.

  I knew he was awake, but we both lay in silence, enjoying the simple bliss of each other’s company and the odd yet comforting sensation of our hearts still beating as one entity. Jesu was the only man I had ever experienced such a connection with. I didn’t know if it was because we were more than human, or if it was because he was the first man to ever truly love me back. It didn’t matter. I didn’t care what the reason was.

  Regrettably, I sighed and then pushed onto my elbows. “I have to meet Nikolas soon.”

  Jesu made a lazy sound in his throat and then tightened his hold around my waist. “Every time I let you go, something bad happens.”

  I scoffed. “It’s just downstairs.”

  He kissed my collarbone, then my neck, and then rose to press his lips to my temple. “Shower with me,” he said.

  A grin spread across my lips. As tempting as it sounded, I had to reject the idea. I pushed a few stray hairs away from his face and then kissed his forehead. “Sometimes there are things a woman needs to do in the shower that I am not ready to show you yet.”

  “Whatever those things are, I am certain they are nothing a two-thousand-year-old vampire hasn’t seen before.”

  I rolled my eyes and swatted at his hands. “Come on, let me up before I’m late.”

  “You could phase through me if you wanted.”

  “True, but are you going to make me?”

  He scoffed. “Promise you will hurry back.”

  I slid off the bed and then went to the wardrobe to find something clean to wear. “You know I would rather stay in bed with you if I could.”

  “Mmhmm.” He stretched his long, lean Adonis body. I couldn’t help watching as I crossed from the wardrobe to the bathroom, my steps slowing as my gaze traced over every exposed muscle. His biceps
flexed, bringing thick graceful artist arms up along the wood headboard. His washboard abs lifted his back in an arch. His toes fanned out from under the blanket, his thighs and calves tight as the pads of his feet stretched past the end of the bed. The sculpted “V” of his torso twisted to the right, and that damned organ between his legs flopped hard with the motion. The vein pulsed as if it could sense me watching it. Heat rose to my face—and a couple other key areas.

  Oh, jeezus.

  I shook my head as I turned into the bathroom and then yanked the curtain across the arched opening. Jesu’s chuckle sounded on the other side. I wished for once that the curtain was a door so I could lock it. What if he snuck in for a little shower sex? I’d just have to keep my senses alert and work fast.

  I placed the clean clothes on the sink counter and then peeled off my shirt, the only article of clothing that I insisted remain on during our romp. I had to be careful to guide his hands away from the front of my waist without being too obvious. I looked at the scar burned into my flesh at the center of my torso.

  Why didn’t it heal like all the other wounds and broken bones I’d had?

  Whatever the reason, I wasn’t ready to let Jesu see it. He already blamed himself enough. I showered, dried, and dressed quickly. Then I phased past the walls so that he couldn’t insist on coming with me. I materialized in the dining room where I found Rudo setting the table for supper.

  “Rudo, do you know where Princess Sara is?”

  He nodded. “I will fetch her for you—”

  “Actually, I’m in a hurry, so could you just give her a message for me?”

  He nodded.

  “Great. Tell her to keep Jesu distracted and away from Nikolas’ office for the next hour.”

  “Right away, ma’am.”

  Satisfied, I continued to Nikolas’ office. Maria waited for me outside the narrow hall. An acidic mix of nerves, fear, and regret bubbled under my skin, making me itchy and sick to my stomach. I swallowed the knot in my throat and prayed I wouldn’t break a sweat.

  Maria draped an arm across my shoulders and hugged me against her. “Are you positive you want to do this?”