by G. K. DeRosa
“The sakra lampiada?” Declan asked, moving closer.
“Not quite. I believe I may have misinterpreted the ancient translations, but we are definitely on the right path.”
My shoulders slumped, and I let out a groan. What the heck does that mean?
“Patience, child.” Sammarah pushed her dark curls out of her eyes and ran her hand over the wall. The symbol pulsated with life as her palm brushed over it.
My knees suddenly trembled, and my hands shot out to keep myself from falling. It took me a second to realize the tremor wasn’t coming from within me. The entire passageway quaked.
“Mom, watch out!” Declan yanked her out of the way just as an avalanche of rocks crashed to the ground.
I clung onto the side of the wall, the landslide setting off a cloud of debris that temporarily obstructed my sight. When the murky veil cleared, Declan and Sammarah stood beside me, both brushing dirt and rock fragments off their clothes.
“Look!” Sammarah pointed to the dead end. The symbol lit up, and a bright blue glow bathed the cavern. With a sharp crack, the rock wall slid open.
My jaw nearly dropped to the floor. Before Declan could stop her, Sammarah darted through the opening.
“Mom, wait.” He grabbed my hand and tugged me along behind him.
Could this really be it? A hidden cavern buried thousands of feet underground seemed like the ideal place to hide a mythical shield that could save the world. I held my breath as we followed Sammarah into the secret chamber.
A narrow rock formation sprang up from the center of a crystal clear turquoise body of water, creating a sort of bridge. At the end of the path, right in the middle of the glowing lagoon stood a pedestal. Thousands of shimmering stalactites hung from the ceiling like icicles in a winter wonderland. I tilted my head back to admire the glittering mineral spikes.
Sammarah was already half way down the bridge by the time I stopped staring. Her footsteps echoed across the cavernous space drawing my attention back to her quick movements.
“Mom, be careful,” Declan shouted.
She didn’t even turn around. It was like she was in a trance, her feet leading the way without her control.
Declan raced after her, and I ran after him. The minute I stepped on the bridge, I felt something. A wave of goose bumps rippled over my skin, like the air was charged with electricity. Every single hair on the back of my neck stood at attention. “Do you feel that?”
Declan craned his neck back but kept moving. “Feel what?”
“I don’t know. Something weird.”
Sammarah’s footsteps stopped, and I glanced ahead around Declan’s large frame. She was hunched over whatever was on that pedestal. A wild giggle burst out of her mouth, reverberating across the limestone walls.
Declan reached her side and placed his hand on her shoulder. “What is it?”
I sprinted to catch up to them.
A sizable gold box sat atop the limestone base. I got on my tiptoes and peered over Declan’s shoulder. The same symbol that had been etched on the wall was engraved on the golden encasing. There was no keyhole, no seam along the edges. Nothing that would provide an opening. Sammarah pressed her palm against the image and an ethereal glow lit up the chamber.
The gilded container unsealed, and the lid popped open.
My heart deflated as I peered into the mysterious vessel. “That doesn’t look like a shield to me.”
A manic smile twisted Sammarah’s lips. “Don’t you see? This is only the beginning.” She pulled a thick leather-bound book from the box and held it tight against her chest.
“What is it?” asked Declan. His gaze darted from his mother to the book and back to me.
I tried to school my features, but I was pretty sure his mom had lost it. Sammarah’s mental state bounced back and forth between lucidity and insanity faster than a ping-pong ball.
“It’s a sign that we’re on the right track.” She lifted the book, revealing the worn brown cover. Elaborate golden scribbles surrounded the same symbol we’d seen everywhere.
“What does that mean? Is it Aramaic?” I asked. Sammarah’s cryptic answers were really starting to annoy me.
Declan shook his head. “No. It’s even older.” His brows furrowed as he scrutinized the strange characters.
She pointed at the symbol. “It’s the seal of the divina sanguine. And it will lead us to the shield.”
“Divine blood?” asked Declan.
She nodded, her eyes glassy. “It’s the symbol of the blood that runs through my veins.” She pressed her hand to her heart and smiled.
I wanted to believe her. She had led us to this underground cavern after all. That couldn’t have been a coincidence, but divine blood? “So where do we go now?”
“The book will tell us all we need to know.”
Chapter 2
“Do you think any of this could be true?”
Declan glanced over his shoulder to the backseat, and I followed his gaze. Sammarah’s head leaned against the headrest, a peaceful smile on her face. Duke lay across her lap, snoring contentedly. Declan blew out a sharp breath. “I don’t know.” His grip tightened on the steering wheel of the little electric car. “You saw what happened back there. She opened a door in a rock wall for God’s sake—with a wave of her hand.”
I nodded, the weight of his words heavy in the air. As insane as all of this sounded, it was true. Sammarah had some sort of magical powers. There was no other explanation. “Do you believe in magic?”
“No.”
“Then how do you explain all of this?”
“Maybe she really is from this chosen bloodline. It’s not magic, it’s her destiny.”
“So you believe in all of this now?” Up until a few hours ago, Declan had been as skeptical as I was.
He lowered his voice and turned his head to face me. “Before we left the catacombs, I touched the divine seal.” He winced as if the memory were painful.
“And?”
“Nothing happened. No light, no ground shaking, no avalanche—nothing. It only reacted to her.”
Hmm… I hadn’t even thought to test it out myself. Declan had Sammarah’s blood running through his veins and if anyone should’ve been able to access it, it should’ve been him. Unless whoever created the symbol had specifically designed it to ward off angels. Which definitely made sense.
“It’s because you’re an angel. Isn’t this shield supposed to be a fail safe? It’s to be used by a human against the immortals.”
He grimaced, his shoulders slumping. “Yeah, I guess.” He averted his gaze back to the dark road ahead. “It’s just… I’m part human, and I’m her son after all.”
A pang jabbed me in the chest. I’d never fully realized it until now. Declan wanted to be human. Why he’d wish for such a dire fate, I didn’t understand.
His hand rested on the gearshift. I reached over and placed mine on top of his, giving it a squeeze. “Listen, with the way things turned out, you’re lucky you’re on the winning side. Trust me.”
“It doesn’t feel like I’m on the winning side of anything.”
Silence swept through the car as I thought of something to say—anything to make him feel better. Nothing came to mind. I hated the angels and the vampires. They’d taken everything from me—my parents, Asher, my whole world. There wasn’t a single redeeming quality that I could think of to bring him comfort.
“Let’s stop here.” He pointed at a sprawling suburban community off the highway and took the exit ramp.
We were somewhere in southern Pennsylvania, but I wasn’t sure where. Our first two stops in search of the shield had taken us through Maryland. Who knew where the book would take us next?
Declan stopped in front of a two-story colonial home with ivory columns and a red brick façade. Somehow it had remained fairly intact while the surrounding houses had entire roofs blown off. There was no rhyme or reason to the immortals’ destruction.
We trudged inside, Declan
carrying his sleeping mom and Duke at my heels. We’d spent every night over the past week in a different place. I was tired of all the traveling and would’ve given anything to be back home in my own bed.
Except my home didn’t exist anymore. Not really anyway.
The basement was still standing—or at least it had been when Asher and I left, but a house without the people you love, isn’t really a home. Asher’s face flashed across my mind, his dull green eyes starred in most of my nightmares. What had the angels done to him? I struggled to convince myself the person I knew died long before Declan had killed him. It was the only way I could live with myself. And Declan.
“You okay?” He appeared at my side as I dragged my feet into the living room.
“Yeah. Just tired.” I noticed his mom was no longer in his arms. “You found the bedrooms?”
He motioned his head to the left. “Down that corridor to the stairs. There are three of them and a bathroom up there.”
I nodded and slumped down on the couch.
“You’re not going to bed?” He stood in front of me, dark locks nearly covering his maroon eyes.
“Not yet.” I stared at the huge flat screen TV, wishing we had power. I missed my old TV shows like crazy. It would’ve been nice to escape reality for a bit.
Declan sat beside me, wrapping his fingers around mine. His palm began to glow and waves of soothing energy flowed up my arm. Zapping me with angel light had kind of become our thing. A small sigh escaped my parted lips.
“It’s like bottled sunshine,” I whispered.
“What?” Declan chuckled.
“Your power. It’s amazing. It’s like I’m sitting on a sandy beach in the Caribbean without a care in the world.” As I said the words, it hit me. This. This was Declan’s gift. His angelic healing power was extraordinary. I squeezed his hand and glanced up. Piercing maroon irises fixed on me. My breath hitched, as it had a tendency of doing lately when Declan gave me that look. “I’m glad you’re part angel.”
His eyes widened, breaking the lock they had on mine. “I didn’t think I’d ever hear that from you.”
I shrugged. “I guess I’d forgotten some of the perks that came along with it. Like this one.” I glanced down at our glowing intertwined hands.
A big smile flashed across his face, one that actually reached his eyes. It reminded me of the old Declan, the funny, cocky one I’d first met. He wasn’t around that often anymore.
“Liv, there’s something I need to tell you.”
I straightened, the tone in his voice ominous. “Okay…”
His mouth opened, and then snapped shut. Duke barked, his claws clicking across the hardwood floor as he raced to the front door. Declan jumped up. His expression tensed as he strained to hear whatever Duke had heard.
“Dammit,” he growled.
“What?”
“Looters outside.” He released me and crept toward the door. I hurried behind him, but he raised his hand. “Stay there,” he mouthed.
I leaned against the flowery wallpaper, craning my head around the corner to get a better view of the entrance. Duke barked and growled, his claws scratching at the door. Declan moved beside him and peered out the peephole.
The sound of approaching footsteps sent my heart rate on overdrive. Declan backed away from the door just as a gunshot rang out in the heavy silence. He grabbed Duke and yanked him away as splintered wood torpedoed across the fancy foyer. I dropped down, throwing my arms over my head to protect from the flying debris.
The door flew open, smacking against the wall and two men with rifles filled the entryway. Duke bared his fangs, his hackles raised as Declan pushed himself off the floor. Shards of wood stuck out of his chest, trickles of blood dripping down his shirt.
I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.
The bigger guy pointed the rifle at Declan. “Give us everything you’ve got.”
The pungent odor of booze permeated the stale air, reaching all the way to my tucked away hiding spot.
Duke began barking again, and Declan raised his hands. “No need for the guns. I’ll give you whatever you want.”
“Where are the other two?” The guy who wore a backward baseball cap nodded toward the grand staircase.
“What other two?” Declan folded his arms across his chest.
“Don’t lie to me, boy.” The big guy stepped into the light, revealing a gruesome scar across his eye and cheek. “We saw you drive in here—you and two women. We’ll take that car off your hands too.”
My heart pounded against my ribcage, all too eager to escape its prison. Duke continued barking, the frantic rhythm echoing through my eardrums.
“Shut that dog up or I will,” hissed blue baseball cap guy, turning his rifle on Duke. “The vamps are gonna hear him and kill us all.”
No!
“Duke, enough.” Declan lowered his hands and yanked on his collar. “There’s no need to kill anyone tonight. As for the women with me, they’re asleep upstairs. Let’s keep them out of this.” He moved away from the staircase and toward the living room. “I’ll get everything you need, and you can be on your way.”
What was he doing? He couldn’t let those scumbags take our supplies, especially not our car.
Once the foyer was clear, I tiptoed after them. Peering around the corner to the living room, I found Declan filling a bag with food and water. The men had lowered their weapons, but scar guy still had a firm hold on the handle of his rifle. I eyed my backpack sitting on the couch and cursed. If I could only reach my gun somehow…
Declan continued to pile more supplies into the bag as Duke kept an eye on the strangers. He stood in between them and Declan, his muscles tense, a low growl vibrating in his throat.
I shifted positions, and the old wood floorboards creaked. Son of a vampire! Duke’s ears perked up, his head whipping in my direction. The man with the scar followed his gaze and raised his weapon.
“Come out here now, or I’ll shoot,” he snarled.
“It’s nothing,” shouted Declan.
The man took a step toward me. I stopped breathing.
Chapter 3
Declan leapt over the coffee table and slammed into baseball cap guy, but the other man slipped by him. “Liv, get down!” The click of the safety echoed through the quiet house, and a spray of bullets rained down. I hit the floor just in time to see Duke lunging at the guy with the weapon.
“No!” A strangled cry tore out of my mouth as Duke’s body lurched back then fell to the ground.
Declan had the other guy pinned on the floor across the room. The sound of flesh smashing against bone made my skin crawl.
I darted out of my hiding spot and slid to the ground next to Duke. Deep crimson liquid stained his thick fur. Tears blurred my vision as I pulled his head into my lap. His eyes were closed, his breath coming in shallow spurts. “Duke, please don’t leave me. Please.” I rocked back and forth, cradling his limp head in my arms. “Declan, help!”
“Get up,” a voice hissed from behind me, and a cold muzzle rammed into my back.
Ice trickled down my spine, but I didn’t move. I wouldn’t leave Duke. This dirt bag would have to kill me first.
A brilliant flash of light illuminated the bleak living room, nearly blinding me. The pressure in the middle of my back disappeared, and a loud thud crashed behind me. I spun around to see the man splayed out on the floor, his vacant eyes staring at the ceiling.
Declan raced over and slid down beside me. His eyes blazed an intense maroon as they skimmed over me then Duke.
“I’m fine, Declan. Please, help him.”
He pressed his lips together, grinding his teeth. A golden glow lit up his palms as he placed them over Duke’s still form. My breath caught as the ethereal light swirled around us, warming the air. Declan’s brows furrowed, deep lines creasing his forehead as beads of sweat collected along his hairline.
Heat radiated around us cocooning us in soothing warmth. My wildly thrashi
ng heart finally slowed.
Declan rocked back, his head swaying, but he kept his hands perfectly still. Duke’s breathing began to normalize. His furry chest rose and fell at more regular intervals. I ran my hand over his blood-matted fur, and my fingers closed around two small round objects.
I picked them out of his hair to get a better look. Bullets. The wounds in his chest had completely healed, expelling the shells from his body. He slowly sat up, his big tongue hanging out of his mouth and licked the tears from my cheeks. I dug my fingers into his fur, hugging my faithful companion.
Declan lowered his hands, and a sigh of relief escaped through his clenched teeth.
“Thank you!” I threw my arms around his neck, squeezing him tight. Hot skin grazed mine and I had to pull away, the heat so intense it burned my exposed flesh. I glanced up at glassy orbs. “Are you okay?”
His eyes rolled back, and he slumped to the floor.
“Declan? Declan!” I shook him by the shoulders, but his eyes remained closed. Deep red stained his cheeks, and his breathing was shallow. “No. No. No. This can’t be happening.” I placed my hand on his cheek and jerked it away. It was like touching a hot furnace.
I raced to the kitchen and rifled through some drawers until I found a dishtowel. Dunking it in the cold sink water, I ran back to Declan and draped it over his forehead. After a few seconds, it was warm again so I repeated the procedure, grabbing an extra dishtowel to cover more skin.
In all the excitement, I’d completely forgotten about Sammarah. How had she slept through the gunshots?
“Duke, go get Declan’s mom. Go wake her up.”
He whined and turned for the staircase, tail wagging furiously.
I knelt down beside Declan and replaced the dishtowel on his forehead with a cold one. “Please be okay,” I murmured into his ear. I pushed back a few dark locks sticking to his damp skin. He looked so peaceful. Too peaceful.
Footsteps raced down the stairs, and my heart took off at a gallop. Sammarah and Duke rounded the corner, and I wanted to smack myself for being so jumpy.
