by Lucinda Dark
Barbie shifted against me, having positioned herself—wisely—between Torin and me as he took the aisle seat—glaring at me all the while. With his money, he could’ve flown in first class, but since that night at Esperanza’s, Torin hadn’t been far from Barbie’s side. Not that I could blame him. Neither had I.
I reached up and touched the medallion the old witch had given me as it rested against my chest beneath my shirt. The cool metal warmed beneath my fingers as if the creature inside rose to meet me. I pressed my lips together as I recalled the warning Esperanza had given me three weeks before.
"I need power."
Esperanza stared at me for a brief moment, roving her murky gray-eyed gaze over me. I didn't like it. Though she looked blind, I knew she wasn't. Not completely. Whenever she focused on me, I felt like she was peeling back the layers of my soul. It was fucking uncomfortable. "And what will you do to attain that power?" she prompted. "What will you sacrifice? What will you give up? What will you do?"
The answer was simple. I'd already resigned myself. "Anything," I said. Barbie wasn't going to do this alone. It wasn't that she wasn't willing to. God fucking knew she'd do it. Demons. Vampires. Torture. Vengeance. Her life had already been dropped smack dab into the darkness. Whereas I was still on the fringes. I still had a choice.
Perhaps if I'd been smarter, if I'd felt less for her, I would've taken a step back and made the intelligent choice. I would've left and pretended that I didn't know what I did. But what kind of fucking man let the woman he loved sink into the abyss without doing something? And that was the catcher. I fucking loved her—every feisty, fucked up, revenge-seeking, demon-possessed inch of her. Somehow, someway, she'd dug her way through the surface of my flesh and now she was perfectly ensconced within.
"Be careful," Esperanza warned quietly. "This is a choice you will not be able to take back. Once you step over this line, there is no going back."
There was already no going back. "What can I do?" I asked. "How can I get the power I need to protect her?"
Esperanza turned away from me and for a moment, I thought I'd failed whatever test she'd meant for this to be. But she merely shuffled across the kitchen and reached up to a cabinet in the corner of the room. She withdrew a long key from beneath her dress and pulled the string that attached it around her throat from her neck and used it to unlock the cupboard. I moved forward, curious.
"Are you willing to change?" she asked me as she turned around and looked up at me as I hovered nearby. "Are you willing to forsake your humanity and become something ... other?"
"Will I die?" I asked. She shrugged. Great, that wasn't a fucking answer. I scowled. "I'm willing to change," I answered. "If that's what it takes."
She reached out, opening her palm face up and for the first time, I caught a glimpse of what she had retrieved. It was a circular piece of metal, something like a thick bronze coin. But the surface of it was smooth. There was no image on it. When she continued to hold it out as if she meant for me to take it, I reached for it. My fingers slid against hers as I grasped the piece and I jerked when I realized how fucking cold she was. Her skin was like a goddamn glacier. I stared at her as I held the object in my hand.
"Feel it," she said simply.
With a breath, I returned my attention to the coin. It was even heavier than it looked. A thick circle with a definitive weight. It encompassed about a quarter of my hand but felt four times as large.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It is a medallion, carved from the base of an extinct volcano," she answered.
"A volcano?" I turned the thing over in my grasp. It didn't look like anything volcanic. The stone was bright, shining as if it'd been painted a deep copper, but there were no brush strokes. Volcanic rocks didn't look like this.
"Yes," Esperanza huffed at me. "You are to wear this always. Let it rest against your skin. Keep it with you and it will bring forth an ancient beast."
"Like..." I couldn't help but think of Barbie. "Will it possess me?" I asked.
Esperanza tilted her head to the side, her dark hair sliding off one shoulder. "In a manner of speaking, it might," she replied. "But not like your friend. This kind of beast is old—much older than anything that has ever existed on this plane of existence. But like the girl's demon, it, too, requires a living portal to manifest. You are to become this portal and if you tame the beast, it will do as you say. With the beast's powers, you very well might see your life extended far beyond what you ever imagined. If you manage to ingratiate yourself to the monster, you will find yourself with a loyal and eternal companion."
That ... sounded exactly like something I needed. Power. A tool to use. A way to show the others that I wasn't the fucking weak link. "Thank—" I began my thanks as I curled my fingers around the medallion, but Esperanza's hand latched onto me, her nails digging into the muscle of my forearm, halting my words.
"But be warned, Maverick," she said, her voice low and stilted with severity, "if you prove too weak for the beast, it will consume you and you may very well suffer a death that I would not wish on any living creature. With great risk, comes great reward. If you make an adequate sacrifice, the beast will be yours. But if you cannot bear to use it, it will kill you. Understand that now. I cannot tell you more than this because even I—as long as I've carried that piece of magic—don't know what kind of beast will emerge. It was passed down to me from a dying coven with that warning. If it does emerge, I may not be able to help you. But know this, should you choose to walk this path, you will be irrevocably changed."
My hand tightened on the circle of metal. "It's too late for that," I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I met her clouded gaze. "I've already been irrevocably changed." By Barbie. By Torin.
"You may see your humanity as a curse now," she said. "But be careful. Keep it as long as possible. To be underestimated is a gift in and of itself. Use it wisely and only use the medallion when it's absolutely necessary."
"How will I know when that is?"
"When the time comes, the creature will speak to you, and you will know."
I stroked my fingers over the circle against my chest and reopened my eyes as the plane began to taxi down the runway. Outside the window, fields whizzed by in a blur and the cabin shuttered as the machine lifted from the ground—one moment, stable and the next, airborne.
“Torin?”
He lifted his head up over Barbie’s. “What?”
I lowered my voice. “Did you get the weapons on board?”
Torin’s eyes darted to the aisle for a brief moment before he turned his head and nodded. “Beneath,” he answered.
“I don’t even want to know how you fucking managed that,” Barbie said with a sigh as she sank back into her seat and reached down to untangle her headphones from inside her bag.
“Did you want to leave them behind?” Torin asked, quirking a brow.
“Of course not,” she snapped, stopping her movements. "I also don't want to get pulled by TSA or customs or whoever the hell checks that shit in Italy."
"We won't be," Torin said, turning and crossing his arms over his chest.
I arched a brow. "You sound sure about that," I commented dryly.
He met my gaze over Barbie's head. "I am."
Of course he fucking was. Because he was part-vampire and I knew, first hand, the powers they had. I sat back in my own seat and gritted my teeth as I recalled just how I'd gained that knowledge. But that wouldn't be a problem anymore, I reminded myself as I reached up and fisted the medallion through my shirt. Esperanza said they’d need me in Italy. And I needed them.
Everything had changed. Had been changing. Might change more.
Now I would, too.
Chapter 35
Barbie
Rome wasn't just old, it was ancient. It was startling to see modern conveniences—fast food restaurants and cars—in a city that was held up with thousand year old pillars. The people who lived within the city were either immune to its ch
arms or unimpressed. The class tour guide led us as a group through the middle of the city even though exhaustion pulled each and every one of us low.
I'd barely managed a good three hours of sleep on the plane and as soon as we'd landed, we'd been ushered onto a large charter bus and dropped off smack dab in the middle of the city, right next to the Vatican. The sun beat down mercilessly on our heads. Sweat dripped down my spine beneath my shirt and within minutes of leaving the bus, I'd pulled off my cardigan and wrapped it around my waist.
"Have you ever been to Rome?" Maverick's question pulled my attention from the old ruins of what looked to be a small building roped and gated off on the side of the main road. People just moved past, no pictures were taken. They didn't even stop to realize how strange it was. Nothing in America was this old.
"No," I answered.
"What do you think?" Torin asked.
"It's..." What did I think? It was ancient. It was crumbling. It was ... beautiful. And dangerous. I had to remember that. It was the real reason why we'd all come on this school trip. "It's pretty," I settled on. Torin nodded, his lips twitching with self-contained amusement, though I didn't know at what. As the group turned a corner, I reached out and snagged the backs of both their shirts as they moved to follow. Both stopped and looked back.
"When are we going to do something about Arrius?" I demanded.
Torin exchanged a look I couldn't interpret with Maverick and I frowned. They hadn't been talking much in the last few weeks, but somehow—an understanding had settled between the two of them. At least, when it came to me, they had. "Well?" I prompted, dropping my hands away from them. "What's the plan? Are you going to be approached by someone or—"
Torin held up a hand, interrupting me. "It's hard to say," he finally answered. Glancing over his shoulder, he noted the distance of the group and how they'd stopped to listen to the guide drone on about something they were all looking at as they snapped pictures. He nudged me back with gentle hands and Maverick followed until the three of us were in the shadows of a particularly narrow alleyway. "In the past," Torin continued, "I was taken directly to him. But this is a school trip. One he knew I'd be attending. I have a feeling he merely made it seem like it was convenient to have me see him while I'm here, but I don't think that's the case."
"Why not?" Mav asked, frowning as he settled his back against the wall and propped his foot up against a rock jutting out from the side, nearly level with the ground. I folded my arms over my chest.
"He's been calling his people to him for a while. First, Eloise—"
"Who's Eloise?" Mav interrupted him.
Torin closed his eyes and reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "She's unimportant," he said as he drew in a breath. “Just someone who was staying with Katalin and me. She's one of Arrius' personal advisors. I didn't think anything of it, but just before I was summoned, he called my sister to Europe as well."
"You think he's planning something?" I asked.
He dropped his hand and looked at me. Hard hazel eyes swirled with intensity. I swallowed roughly, feeling an echo of demonic power rise as if pulled by a string directly connected to the man in front of me. "I do," he said. "And we have no clue what it is, so we need to be cautious, especially considering the city we're in."
I eyed him speculatively. "What does that mean? What does the city have to do with anything?" I asked.
Torin settled back against the opposite wall, but with how close together the buildings on either side were, it was still less than a foot from me. I turned my cheek as Maverick shifted against the stones. I could feel the heat of his arm against me. As far as I was concerned, he'd helped me when I needed it. It was a life or death situation. We didn't need to turn it into a big deal. Even if the thought of him getting hurt on this trip made me feel like I'd swallowed acid.
"Old cities like Rome attract supernaturals," Torin explained. "Especially long-lasting ones like vampires. The older the city, the more they flock to it. Ancient cities remind them of the past, kinda like their glory days, I suppose."
"Shit." I dropped my arms and clenched my fists as my eyes darted to the mouth of the alley and the people passing by. Rome was over two thousand years old.
Torin tipped his head down and scrubbed a hand over the long strands that flopped over onto his forehead. "Yeah." He sighed.
"It's daytime now," Maverick said. "So, we should be fine, but we'll be extra careful at night."
"No," Torin said, jerking his head up and leveling Mav with a dark look. "You need to be on guard at all times," he hissed. "Even if vampires can't travel during the day, humans can be a threat, too. Humans are even worse. They can be bought or bribed to do almost anything and there are so many of them..." He trailed off, looking in the same direction as me. "We don't know who we can or can't trust."
When Torin turned back to the both of us, his gaze caught mine once again. This time, he didn't look away. "Humans are easily swayed by money and the promise of eternal life," he said, his tone low. Dangerous. Warning. "We can't be certain there won't be an attack in daylight, but just in case..." He trailed off with a grimace.
"What?" I demanded. Torin kept his focus on me, but it was clear he didn't want to say what he was thinking. I stepped closer to him until his chest nearly brushed mine as I glared up at him. "What were you going to say?" I pressed.
"You should let me give you more of my blood," he said. My shoulders tensed and I could feel all of my muscles stretch tightly beneath my skin. It was my mind that rebelled against the suggestion, not my body.
I agree, Satrina said. You should let him give you his blood.
Why? I demanded. Because you want him to invade my dreams again? You already got what you wanted from Maverick, now you want Torin too?
I didn't need to see her to sense the eye roll she gave me. It was there in the sarcastic lilt of her voice when she replied. Oh, yes, blame the succubus for your own sexual desires, she said sardonically. We've been over this, darling. I can't make you attracted to someone. I just heighten it. Your desire for him—for both of them—is all you, booboo.
Why do you want me to take his blood? I repeated as Maverick said something behind me. Torin replied, but their voices drifted as Satrina's came to the forefront of my mind.
It's not unnatural for you to take your mate's blood, she replied. It'll make you stronger—even with my power. You'll do whatever you want regardless of the pristine advice I've given you, but I would suggest you hear him out.
Pristine advice my ass, I thought. To Torin, I asked, "Why?"
Torin dropped his attention back to me. "Because, on the off chance you're taken, I'll be able to find you. As long as my blood is in your system, it'll act as a sort of tracker. Not something they can block or get rid of either."
I hated to admit it, but Satrina was right. Taking his blood would be more of a benefit than a hindrance. I bit down on my lower lip as I dropped my focus to the ground. I shouldn't want it and yet, I did. There was no denying it—no matter how badly I wanted to. "Fine," I said. "But on one condition." I looked up and stepped away, from both Torin and Maverick.
They followed me with their eyes. A frown curving Mav's lips. "I'll take your blood if you give it to Mav too."
His eyes widened. "Barbie, that's not—"
"You don't take it and neither will I," I interrupted him.
Mav's fists clenched at his sides as he glared at me. "It's not me that's in danger here," he argued.
"Simply being in this city and being connected to either of us puts you in danger," Torin said quietly. "I agree with Barbie."
The shock that fell over Maverick's features would have been amusing if this wasn't such a serious matter. “You're fucking serious?"
I nodded. "As serious as a fucking heart attack."
"This is bullshit," he growled as he dropped his leg from the wall and took a step back.
"And I would like to confirm that I don't give a shit wh
at you think about this. It's necessary." I pushed through the two of them as I headed for the sidewalk. Across the way, our group was already moving on. I paused, turning to look back over my shoulder. "So suck it up, buttercup—literally, or else neither of us gets Torin's special go-go juice."
I grinned as he slapped a palm over his face. "Fuck!" Mav slid it down over his jaw. "Fine, but for the love of all that's fucking holy, don't ever call it that again.”
Even as I smiled at his clearly irritated tone, inside, the pressure of being so close to my objective was heavy. I was walking a tightrope over an ocean of poison tipped daggers. One wrong move and I'd be impaled. I couldn't stop now. The other side of my vengeance was so fucking close, just out of my grasp.
As we reached the group and easily slid into the back—our missing presence having gone unnoticed—the guide commented that Rome was also known as the eternal city. I hope not, I thought to myself. At least, I hoped it wasn’t for Arrius Priest. Whether he knew it or not, his nights were fucking numbered.
“Tonight,” Torin whispered, his breath drifting over the top of my ear and sending a bolt of lightning down my spine. “We’ll do it tonight. My room.”
The world tilted as I nodded, but I didn’t feel the movement. All of the nerves in my body were solely centered on Torin Priest. And what a dangerous thing that was.
Chapter 36
Torin
I cracked my eyelids open as a knock sounded across from me, a heavy hand coming down in a quick succession belying the visitor's anxiety. I stared straight up at the ceiling from where I laid on the hotel suite's lounge before taking a breath and releasing it. I already knew who it was. I could scent him through the door. "Come in," I called.
The knob turned and Maverick appeared, his gaze shooting through the room until it landed on me. Moving on near silent feet, he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "We need to talk," he said quietly.
