Enraged, he tackled me and we went to the ground hard, rolling and grappling for our very lives. Every punch I managed to get in was met by two or more of his. I was losing the fight quickly and knew that magic was my only chance for survival. Concentrating on the runic stones in my pocket, the words whispered through my mind, a spell so terrible I’d never used it before, but this demon deserved a gruesome death. This demon dared to take what’s mine not once, but three times. He would die here today if it was the last thing I ever did.
He rose up above me, pinning my arms beside my head and smirked. “She won’t even remember your name when I’m done with her.”
I smiled back. “She’s already forgotten yours.”
Before Dimitri could react, several things happened at once. I spat my blood into his face as the last few words of the spell whispered through my mind. At that same moment, his sword was shoved through his back so hard that it tore through my stomach and hit the stone floor beneath my back.
The pain was agonizing, but I wanted to get out from under the fire demon before the spell really kicked in. “Pull the sword out,” I gasped. Renee did as I asked and I rolled Dimitri to the side just as his body seized. The sound of bones snapping echoed through the chamber along with his screams and cries for help. Next, his internal organs exploded one by one leaving him a bloody mess with blood and guts leaking out of every orifice.
Renee rushed over and pulled my upper body onto her lap. “I was so scared Solomon. I thought I was going to lose you.”
“Not a chance,” I promised, wincing when pain flared in my stomach. “I’m sorry I broke my promise though.”
She looked down, clearly confused. I reached up to wipe the tears from her cheek. “I promised you I’d give him a quick, painless death.”
Renee snorted. “That bastard got exactly what he deserved.”
“When did you become so bloodthirsty?”
“When I realized there is nothing more important than sharing my life with you. Nothing will ever come between us again.”
She leaned down and kissed me. It was tender and full of love, and it ended far too soon.
“Do you know where Rachel and Katerina are? They were both with me when something knocked me out.”
I sat up and reached for the sword. As we stood I filled Renee in. “That wasn’t really Kat, but we’re not sure who was impersonating her. Grayson and Jasper went to find Rachel. They were supposed to use a portal to escape once they found her, but Sergio blocked all portals.”
We slipped out the door, and stayed in the shadows as we searched for the others. We found an empty room and knew immediately that Rachel had been there recently. The scent of her blood was strong, too strong in fact. Growing more worried with every step, we followed her scent to a nearby exit. Outside, we found Jasper propped against the side of the mountain with Rachel draped across his lap. She was out cold and Jasper looked like he wanted to join her more than anything else in the world. Not far away, I heard the clash of metal that let me know Grayson might be fighting for his life.
“Stay with them Renee. Hide them in the shadows.” I kissed her forehead and left before she could respond.
I heard shouts in the distance and the sound of boots thundering through the corridors inside. If we were lucky, all the chaos meant help had arrived.
Holding my stomach to ease the pain, I scrambled up a hill and slid down the other side. Just as I reached the bottom, Grayson’s opponent looked up and met my eyes. Grayson took advantage of his distraction and swung his sword, cutting right through flesh and bone. Sergio’s sword clattered when it hit the ground with his hand still gripping its hilt. He stumbled back, screaming as he fumbled with his belt.
I think Grayson would have moved in for the kill, but we were both struck stupid by the sight of Sergio’s true face. He must have worn a ring on his missing hand to maintain his disguise. Without that ring, his hair was sandy blonde just like mine. His eyes were light brown like mine - hell; he was me, or what I would have looked like if I hadn’t been changed into a vampire before I reached full maturity. He looked like an early thirties version of me.
Grayson was the first to recover, but Sergio already had the belt tightened around his arm to slow the bleeding. He’d picked up his sword and was ready to defend himself if necessary.
“What do you want me to do,” Grayson asked me without taking his eyes off Sergio.
“Let him go.” I wanted answers before Sergio met his end, but now was not the time.
Sergio tipped an imaginary hat at me and opened a portal.
“Solomon, you need to snap out of it.” Grayson clapped his hands in front of my face.
I blinked a few times until his face came into focus. I had no idea how long I’d been standing there staring at nothing, reliving that moment of revelation over and over.
Grayson put his hand on my shoulder. “I will let you decide who needs to know about this and when they should be told.”
“Thank you, Grayson. That means a lot.” I fisted my hand over my heart and bowed to him. He returned the gesture and we headed back toward Renee and the others.
On the other side of the hill, the troops had everything under control. Rook was in charge since Dragon stayed behind with Serafina, but Danarius was there to help round up any stray vampires. Most of Sergio’s henchmen fled at the first sign of trouble but there were enough left behind to squeeze for information. From the looks Danarius was giving them, he was going to enjoy doing the squeezing.
Renee hopped up when we came into view and hurried over to my side. “We have to get them out of here.” Her eyes flicked to where Jasper and Rachel were still sitting, unnoticed by anyone else because Renee had them cloaked in shadows.
“What...”
Renee cut me off with a slash of her hand. “Later. Right now, get them out of here.”
I raised an eyebrow but did as she said.
“Where did you send them?” Grayson asked.
“Rachel’s apartment.”
Grayson nodded. “I’ll tell Rook we’re all too exhausted to answer questions tonight. Then I’ll meet you there. What’s her apartment number?”
I started to argue but Renee said, “819.” Then she tugged me into the shadows. “Trust me Solomon, they might need our help.”
When I started to ask questions, she went up on her toes and kissed me. I allowed it. After all, we’d both had a very long night, but that didn’t mean I was going to stay quiet for long.
When the kiss ended, I opened a portal to Rachel’s apartment. Just as we arrived, there was a knock at the door. Renee looked through the peep hole, then she opened the door for Grayson.
I waited long enough for the door to shut behind him. “What’s going on here?” I asked, looking back and forth between Grayson and Renee.
He shifted from one foot to the other while Renee examined her nail polish. I sighed and sat down on the couch. That seemed to put them both at ease and they joined me - Renee on the couch beside me and Grayson in one of Rachel’s gigantic beanbag chairs. The sight of the fearsome time demon being swallowed by a red and black beanbag chair was too much. I laughed long and loud until my eyes watered and my stomach ached. Apparently, my laughter was infectious because Grayson and Renee couldn’t seem to help laughing as well.
Eventually, when we settled down, I asked again, “So what’s going on that has the two of you acting so weird?”
Grayson cleared his throat and sat up as straight as he could. “When Jasper and I found Rachel she was a breath away from death.”
My chest tightened as I imagined Rachel on death’s doorstep. Renee moved closer and twined her fingers with mine.
Grayson continued, his eyes dark and haunted. “I tried to open a portal, but quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen. She needed help, and Jasper was the only one who could give it to her.”
His eyes met mine, begging me to understand. I didn’t get it at first, but then it all made sense - their pan
ic in the fire demon realm, their need to get Rachel and Jasper out of there as fast as possible.
“What was Rachel dying from?”
Grayson took a deep breath and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he answered, “Severe blood loss.”
Now it was my turn to close my eyes. The virus could heal a lot of injuries without taking over the host, but not severe blood loss. Without a full supply of blood, the body’s immune system didn’t stand a chance of fighting off the virus.
Renee gently brushed my bangs away from my eyes. “I think Dragon and Rook will understand the choice Jasper had to make.”
I nodded and opened my eyes. “I’m sure they will. I’m more worried about Rachel and how she’s going to take this turn of events.”
“I’ll be here for her, and so will Jasper,” Grayson promised.
I smiled, hoping it wouldn’t take Rachel long to realize how lucky she was to have Grayson and Jasper in her life.
Shortly after that, I told Grayson to let me know if he needed anything at all. Then we said our goodbyes and I took Renee home to get some much-needed sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
~ Solomon ~
“In your opinion, was there any other way to save Rachel from death?” Dragon asked Grayson.
The three of us and Rook were seated around the conference table in the security office at Supernova. It was the final night of the tournament and we were hoping to finish up the debriefs before the feast began.
Grayson shook his head solemnly. “Without Jasper’s blood, Rachel would have perished within moments.”
Dragon glanced at Rook who nodded. “You’re free to go Grayson.”
“If I may...” I cut in before Grayson could stand. Dragon inclined his head and I continued, “I only stayed in the room where you found Rachel for a few seconds but something about it has been bothering me. Did you get a good look at the plastic bags that were tossed on the floor in the corner?”
“Yes, they looked like blood bags - like the ones humans use when people donate blood.”
“That’s what I was afraid of.” I focused on Rook and explained, “I don’t think they drained her for kicks. I think they wanted her blood for a very specific reason. I’m not sure if she told you yet, but I can’t get into her head anymore, and I’d venture to say, no one else can either.”
Rook’s eyes zeroed in on Grayson, who straightened his spine and met his Elder’s gaze without flinching.
Dragon cleared his throat and motioned for me to continue. “I believe Sergio worked a spell using Rachel’s blood to prevent you from altering time during the hand-to-hand finale.”
Silver stars lit up Rook’s black eyes. “Are you sure that’s possible?”
“I think it’s not only possible, but it’s probable. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. What else could have stopped you from altering time? The River of Time flows through you like a never-ending source of power. What could be strong enough to stand in the way of the River?”
“The blood of another conduit,” Grayson answered for Rook. “I should have known. I tried to set time back when we found her, but that didn’t work any better than trying to open a portal.” Grayson shook his head.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Rook told the other time demon. “None of us knew what Sergio was up to. All the chatter warned us that a female would be kidnapped during the tournament, but we had tunnel vision - always seeing Serafina, no matter which direction the chatter pointed.”
“Should have, would have and could have, will get us nowhere,” Dragon growled. “What’s done is done, and apparently, there’s no way it can be undone. What I need from all of you now, is a way to counter Sergio’s spells. Assuming he only needs a few drops of blood per spell, he could unleash a hell of a lot of mayhem with the amount of blood he stole from Rachel.”
I glanced over at Grayson, and when our eyes met, I knew we had an understanding. We would find a way to stop Sergio if it was the last thing we ever did.
“We’ll get right on it,” Grayson promised.
I inclined my head to Dragon, “It will be our top priority until Sergio is stopped for good.”
I hesitated a moment, knowing I had to tell them the rest. Dragon picked up on my discomfort and asked, “What is it Solomon?”
“Sergio lost his hand during the fight with Grayson. Whatever charm he used to disguise himself must have been on that hand because we got a good look at his true face.” I looked away, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. “There’s a name that goes with the face we saw and it’s not Sergio. It’s Ezekiel.”
Rook sucked in a breath and I heard Dragon’s chair creak as he sat back.
“Are you certain?”
I met Dragon’s warm brown eyes and answered his question, “I am certain. Sergio and Ezekiel are one and the same. Sergio is my brother. We could have ended his life right then and there, but I couldn’t do it. I let him get away, and now any life he takes will be on my head.”
“It would be difficult for any of us to watch a brother die under those circumstances, no matter who he was or what he’d done,” Dragon said, offering me absolution. “His actions are no more your fault than they are mine. Don’t let this eat you up inside. Put it behind you and move forward with purpose. Find a way to stop him before more lives are lost, or ruined.”
I nodded, knowing he was right, but still laying the guilt at my own feet. I wasn’t able to watch Sergio die when Grayson could have easily finished him off. Would I ever be able to watch him die? Would I be able to strike the final blow myself? Those questions and more drove me as the meeting ended and I sought out the only person who might have any of the answers.
Claire was in the back room of her studio sipping from a mug of hot chocolate when I arrived.
“Do you know why I’m here?”
She gestured towards the seat across from her. “Of course, dear.” I sat down and she handed me a triple shot caramel macchiato. “The answer is yes. I knew Sergio was your brother Ezekiel all along. So did your father, but he hoped you’d never have to be burdened by that knowledge.”
I sat back and sipped the caffeinated goodness. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because the time wasn’t right.”
“Will you tell me more?”
She stirred her hot chocolate, watching the marshmallows melt as they swirled around in the mug. I waited, knowing she would eventually talk.
“Ezekiel fell in love with a young wolf. He wanted her for a life partner, but the clans never mixed back then. When word of their relationship reached her clan leader, he was furious and he struck out without even thinking. She was dead before she hit the ground.
When Ezekiel heard what happened, he went after the wolf that killed his one true love. Physically, Ezekiel was no match for the wolf, but he had magic on his side. Magic was strong then, and Ezekiel was very powerful even at a young age. The wolf suffered an agonizing death.
It took a while for a new leader to be named, but after many deaths, Bran’s father finally rose to the top. To satisfy his clan, he called for Ezekiel’s head. Your father gave them what they wanted, or at least they thought he did. Then he packed up and moved away. Ephraim used his magic to convince the wolves your brother was dead. Then he banished your brother and told him to never return.”
I leaned back and let that sink in for a moment. “How do you know all of this?”
“I had a vision the night before the wolves came for Ezekiel. I warned your father and your mother so they would have time to prepare.”
“Thank you Claire, you likely saved both their lives and mine, though I was yet to be born. Had the wolves shown up unannounced, my parents would have gone down fighting for Ezekiel’s life.”
“That’s exactly right. Your father might have been able to sit back and let Ezekiel meet what he thought was justice, but your mother never would have watched her son die.”
“And my father never would have let my mother die without
a fight,” I finished for her and she inclined her head. “Where does all this leave us now? I mean there has to be something big coming with you dishing out partial prophecies and finally opening up about Ezekiel.”
She smiled serenely. “It leaves us all teetering on a precipice.”
“You’re not going to tell me any more are you?” I said shaking my head.
“You best run along dear, unless you want to be here when my son arrives.”
With that said, I made a quick exit. Knowing how frustrated I was after talking to Claire, I really didn’t want to stick around while she pushed Dragon’s buttons.
With business finally out of the way, I met up with Renee at the tournament feast. This feast was different from the banquet for so many reasons, the most obvious being the setting and primal atmosphere. The feast was held outside near the tree line. There weren’t any tuxedos or gowns. In many cases, there weren’t any clothes at all. It was a place for shapeshifters to get back to their roots - hunting and feasting, and fucking. It was exactly where I belonged.
Surprisingly, Danarius and the vampires that hung around for the final blowout also seemed to fit right in. No longer the shunned outsiders, the vampire Master and a select few of his minions were welcomed into the family - and a warm welcome it was. Lacey and the other sex demons kept them happily occupied long into the night.
Doyle turned up for the party but only stayed a few minutes before disappearing into the woods for a run. I thought I heard a lonely wolf howling later that night, but there was no way to be sure it was him. He’d come to me when he was ready to talk, and I’d be there no matter what he needed.
Merek won first prize for the dance club transformations and he stood beside Danarius and Lucien while everyone cheered for the champions. Katerina however, was suspiciously absent from the festivities after her heroic rescue of our newest ally. I considered looking for her, but decided she’d turn up when she was ready.
M&L03 - SS Page 29
