by Linsey Hall
He gave a wobbly grin. “As long as I get out of here, I don’t care. Don’t get many adventures like this, working in a bank.”
I laughed, gasping for breath. “No one gets adventures like this.”
The Pūķi who’d helped me flew around to land in front of my head. He peered down, his head close to mine and black eyes peering curiously at me.
I patted him gently on the nose. “Thanks, pal. You saved our bacon.”
Fire ruffled from his nose, a tickle against my skin. His buddy landed next to him. I used the last of my strength—praying I wouldn’t need it for anything else—and conjured two apples, handing one to each dragon.
“Dragons. They like you,” Kevin’s eyes were wide at the sight of the dragons.
“We’re pals.” I staggered to my feet, my hand on one of the Pūķi’s shoulders for strength.
Ares appeared at the corner of my vision, having approached from his viewing point, no doubt.
“Fat lot of help you were,” I muttered.
In the cold light of the moon and the warm light of the volcano, his face was a contrast between the more human Ares that I’d met in Magic’s Bend, and the vampiric one who’d appeared as soon as we’d stepped foot in his realm.
The vampire realm definitely did something to him.
“You did well,” he said.
Magisteria and Doyen appeared next to him. Doyen had transported herself out of the volcano, but I wasn’t sure where Magisteria had been hanging out. No doubt lurking like a spider to see if I fell in some lava.
I scowled at the three of them.
Kevin stepped slightly behind me. I couldn’t blame him. At least I’d known I’d be getting myself into some serious shit with these folks. He’d just been doing paperwork at some bank.
“You did well.” Magisteria inclined her head so slightly I might have imagined it.
“Yes. You passed,” Doyen said.
Annoyance surged, filling my veins with temporary strength. “Are you freaking serious?” I pointed to Kevin. “You wanted me to steal from this guy! You put me through mental hell to do it! You put him through hell!”
“That was the test,” Ares said. “We want an ally, not a minion. You showed moral fortitude and that you can’t be swayed from the path of right. Not even by threat of death or being revealed.”
“Well I coulda told you that!” I threw up my hands. “I’ve lived a life not abusing my power. But you guys had to put me through hell—muck around inside my mind, manipulating my thoughts—in order to figure it out?” That’s what really got me. I didn’t mind the physical challenges. Didn’t love it, but whatever. The mind manipulation, though? Putting Kevin in danger?
Screw that.
“It was the best way,” Doyen said.
“Whatever, screw you.” I swayed on my feet, exhausted beyond reason, then turned to Kevin. “You want to get out of here?”
He nodded, but his face was so pale I could almost see the veins beneath his skin. A moment later, his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out. The Pūķi nearest him shifted to break his fall, but Kevin was sprawled out on the rocks a moment later.
I knelt, checking his pulse. Alive. Out cold, was all.
I stood and turned to the vampires. “I cannot believe you guys. You’re the worst.”
Doyen and Magisteria’s eyes flared. Ares gave a slight grin.
“No one speaks to us like that.” Magisteria’s voice was cold.
Fear shivered across my skin, but I propped my hands on my hips, going for bold. “Well, maybe it’s time someone did. You’ve clearly forgotten what decency means.”
They ignored my brashness, but I’d take it. Better than them smiting me for my insolence. I could barely stand, much less fend off a vampire attack.
“We will return Kevin to his home.” Doyen stepped forward, her eyes on the prone man. “His role is done here.”
Again, I believed her. Same as when she’d said she’d leave Kevin in the volcano, she meant this. Probably because he was a pawn and his use was over. Cleaning up the trash, in her mind, I’d bet.
“Good.” I knelt by Kevin and fished around for his wallet, pulling it out of his pocket and finding his ID. Kevin Michaels. 12 Fortitude Lane, Magic’s Bend. Address memorized—no wonder he lived on Fortitude Lane, because that dude had some—I put everything back in his pocket. I stood and met Doyen and Magisteria’s gazes. “I know who he is and where he lives. If he’s not there tomorrow, I’m coming for you.”
Doyen and Magisteria scoffed, but I turned from them. I avoided Ares’s gaze, not liking the vampire version of him. “I’m getting out of here. Let me know when the next challenge is.”
I turned, stomping off across the lip of the volcano. At least, I tried to stomp. It was more of a stumble. I was getting out of here even if it meant fighting my way back through that miserable wizard’s freaking castle and the poisonous Mountain Laurel tentacles.
I was about twenty yards away, out of sight of the vampires, when Ares joined me. Whether that was good or bad, I had yet to determine.
“Let me help you get out of here,” he said.
“Now you can help?” I kept walking, dreading the poison tentacles that weren’t far away now.
“You handled yourself well back there,” he said.
“Yeah. That was the point, wasn’t it? To prove myself?”
“You did a good job.”
“Thanks. But I don’t like tricks. Or mind games.”
“Vampires love them.”
I turned to him. “I got that impression.” I poked him in the chest. “But if you think of pulling any of that mind-game shit with me, you’re going to regret it.”
“That’s not my gift. It’s Doyen’s.”
“Yeah, yeah. She has magical powers that help her manipulate minds. But it doesn’t always take magic.” I gestured to his face, to his features that were somehow sharper, his eyes harder. “And you’re different in this realm. It’s screwy. Hard to tell who you are here.”
He rubbed a hand over his face, eyes dark. “Yes. I know.” His gaze met mine. “Let’s get out of here.”
He wasn’t going to say more on the subject. Not now, anyway. And that was fine—because I needed to get the hell out of here and take a nap. For all my bravado and determination, I wouldn’t make it back through the minefield of poison tentacles. Certainly not through the wizard’s castle.
I had to accept his help.
“Can you transport me home?” I asked.
“Not from here. We have to go to the gate first.”
“Fine.” I held out a hand, grateful when his warm grip closed over me. Close. I was so close to getting out of here.
The ether sucked us in, spitting us out at the grand entrance to the vampire realm. The moon was bright ahead, the air cool and breezy. The white arch shined so purely in the moonlight that it looked like it was built of snow. The giant trees loomed overhead, a gorgeous set of sentries that guarded their realm.
“This place looks a hell of a lot better after where we’ve just been,” I said.
“It does.”
Felt a heck of a lot less dangerous, too. Though I wanted to gaze upon it for ages, I was more than ready to get home. “Can we get out of—”
Behind Ares, a woman appeared out of thin air. Power rolled off of her in waves, feeling like the crashing sea and smelling like the desert. Her magic felt enormous. Endless. Infinite.
I stepped to the side so that I could see her better. She was tall and blond, her slender form draped in a white catsuit that was almost futuristic.
“Who are you?” I asked.
Ares turned, then bowed. “Laima. Your high divinity.”
My brows shot up. “Laima? The goddess of fate who the wizard was obsessed with?”
The catsuit was an interesting choice for an ancient goddess, but maybe she was trying to keep up with the times. If the times involved dressing like cat woman’s snowy sister. Snowball. Wasn’t that wha
t people named white cats?
I choked back a laugh. This woman was far too impressive, and powerful, to call Snowball. Even in my head. Clearly exhaustion was getting to me.
“We must talk, Phoenix Knight.” Her voice was light and airy, yet somehow still powerful.
“All right.” It wasn’t often that I got to talk to a god. Scratch that—it wasn’t ever.
I approached. Ares stayed back, but I could feel his gaze on me. As I neared, her power signature grew stronger.
Whew. Gods were serious business, all right.
“You made quick work of Corbatt.”
“Corbatt?”
“The Burtnieki who wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Ah, Corbatt. Yeah. Charmer, that one.”
Laima grinned. “I tried to make it clear to him that no matter how nice he was, my interest was elsewhere. But alas. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
In fairness, Laima was super beautiful. And powerful. She was a great catch.
But not for poor Corbatt, it seemed.
“You were too busy being a goddess,” I said.
“Essentially. I have duties. No time for romance. Nor interest, honestly. Particularly in his gender. Males.” She shuddered.
Oh, Corbatt. Barked up the wrong tree.
“I watched you on your trials,” Laima said. “I liked how you handled Corbatt, but I was particularly impressed by the volcano. Your perseverance was…stunning. You should have died.”
“Thanks. I like to think of it as a poor sense of self-preservation.” Where was this going?
Laima cracked a smile. “Be that as it may, I’d like to help you.”
“How?” I’d take whatever help I could get, of course.
“I’m one of the three goddesses of fate here. As you are in my realm, I can peek at what is in store for you.”
Fear shivered over me. “I don’t think I want to know my future.”
“Not your future, no. But your present.”
“Present?”
“Your role in the Triumvirate has begun.”
I swallowed hard. I’d expected it might have, but hadn’t known for sure. Months ago, it’d been prophesied by another seer that Cass, Del, and I each had an important task to accomplish. That seer had called us the Triumvirate—three of power—though I didn’t feel very powerful. Cass and Del had done their parts. They were powerful.
Me?
Not so much.
“So it’s begun?” I shivered. “For real?”
She nodded, silver eyes gleaming in the moonlight. “Very real. It began with the Bell Beaker.”
“That little clay pot from the Yorkshire Dales?”
“The very one. It’s more than just a pot, as I’m sure you’ve guessed.”
“Yeah. Some powerful people stole it, but I don’t know why.” My heart raced, excitement thrumming in my veins. “Do you?”
We could use any help we could get—and a goddess had to be the best kind of help.
“It is more than just a clay pot, I can tell you that. You must figure out what it is. And it is vital that you find out soon.”
“Like, nowish?” In the middle of my trials for the Vampire Court? When I could hardly walk?
“Nowish.”
“My friends are looking for it.”
“They’ll need your help. You’re a vital part of this puzzle. The keystone, if I want to mix my metaphors.”
“What about the people who took it? Who are they?”
Her slender shoulder shrugged. “I cannot see the fate of those not in my realm. But because you are here, I can see that you are fated to recover it—you and your friends together. But you—and only you—can stop their greater plan from coming to fruition. The world relies on you, Nix. You must succeed in your fated task for the Triumvirate.”
Well that was vague. And scary. Talk about pressure. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”
“Only that you are capable. And special. And that you must persevere.”
Persevere, fine. Capable, sure. Special?
That one was harder to believe. I just felt so… normal. But since I didn’t know what to say, I just went with, “Oh. Okay. Thanks.”
Laima smiled, as if she knew how cryptic her response had been. “Good luck, Phoenix Knight.”
“Thank you.”
She inclined her head. I gave an awkward little wave—how did one properly depart from a goddess?—and turned, walking back to Ares.
I was nearly to him when I stumbled, my stomach churning with that now-familiar sickness. Ares caught me by the arm, righting me.
I forced a swallow, barely controlling the urge to vomit.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Fine, just exhausted.”
“It’s more than that.” Concern shadowed his gaze.
“It’s nothing. Let’s just get back to my place. I need a shower.” The sweat and blood that coated me were beginning to itch. And the smell?
Oof.
At least Ares didn’t seem to mind. He stood right next to me without even grimacing.
“Come on.” I gestured. “Let’s get a move on.”
“Fine.” We’ll finish this later.
The subtext was clear.
But whatever—as long as he got me out of here.
I reached for his hand, grasping it tightly. He transported us away from the vampire realm. A heartbeat later, I stood on the sidewalk outside of my apartment. The cold was bracing after what I’d been through.
I stumbled, the illness making my stomach lurch. My unsettled Destroyer magic, combined with my exhaustion, was wiping me out.
Ares swept me up into his arms.
“Hey!” I wacked him on the arm, more weakly than I wanted to.
“You can barely stand. Something is obviously wrong with you.” His voice was gruff. Concerned.
“I’m fine.” I wasn’t fine. “Just take me upstairs.”
He nodded, stopping in front of my door. I dug my key out of my pocket and slipped it into the lock. When I withdrew it, Ares pushed the door open, then shut it behind him and climbed the stairs.
It felt too good to be in his arms as he carried me upstairs.
As soon as we entered, I shoved at him. “Put me down.”
I needed distance.
He set me down. I stumbled back. “I need a shower.”
I didn’t wait for an acknowledgment. After the last few hours, I was just plain cranky. So I turned and headed for the tiny bathroom. Inside, I cranked on the shower water, trying not to dwell on how much I liked Ares but didn’t trust him.
How could I trust him?
He was on the Vampire Court, one of the group who was forcing me into horrible trials, all while threatening to reveal my species to the Order of the Magica. Worse, it would reveal my deirfiúr as well.
I couldn’t trust him.
But I liked him. And I hated that.
Was it because of the connection through his blood?
I couldn’t deny that there was something there because of that. Could I trust my own feelings? I had no idea about vampire blood and what it did to a person.
Exhaustion pulled at me, distracting me from my worries.
I needed to sleep, but not like this. I was too filthy. It took all my strength to step under the hot spray of water. I propped myself against the wall, scrubbing myself clean. Thankfully, Ares’s blood had closed any wounds from the tentacles. I was covered in scratches from the volcanic rock, but those only burned.
It sucked, but the pain helped keep me conscious.
Please don’t let me pass out. Please, please, please.
The last thing I needed was for Ares to find me naked in the bath.
Oh fates, what if I drowned? That’d be the most embarrassing way to die ever.
Here lay Nix, drowned in the shower.
Nope. That wasn’t gonna be me.
I sucked in a steadying breath and scrubbed the shampoo out of my hair, the
n stumbled out of the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. I was mostly dry, so I left the bathroom, peering into the living room. Ares sat on the couch.
“Be right out!” I called. I’d throw on some clothes, then ask him to leave. That’d work.
I’d made it six steps into the bedroom by the time my head started spinning. It took all I had to stagger to the bed, where I collapsed on top of the covers.
Blackness took me a moment later.
Chapter Seven
It was dark when I opened my eyes.
I jerked upright, heart pounding. Why wasn’t the bathroom light on? I always left my bathroom light on. I leaned left and searched blindly for the bedside lamp.
My fingers found the base, cool and smooth, then traveled to the little knob. I twisted it, and pale yellow light filled the room.
I felt weird. Tired. Vaguely ill. My head ached like my brain had been put through a blender. What the heck had just happened?
It took a moment for my exhausted mind to click on.
Ares and I had returned from the vampire realm. He’d brought me here, where I’d promptly passed out. After showering.
I looked down, heart in my throat.
Yep. Those were my tits, out and about like they wanted a walk in the sunshine.
Damn it. Had Ares tucked me under the covers? Because I distinctly remembered passing out while wearing a towel.
A towel that was now draped over the door.
I groaned, flopping back against the headboard.
Come on. Couldn’t I get a break here?
I did not need Ares seeing me naked. Perv.
My stomach grumbled, sounding like a snoring giant. After what I’d been through, no wonder I wanted a snack. The bedside clock revealed that it was 3:00 a.m.
Time for a late-night snack and some recon to see if my pervy babysitter was still in my apartment.
Since I felt too many mixed feelings about that, I focused only on dragging my sore ass out of bed and pulling on a long T-shirt and pair of raggedy shorts.
When I crept out into the dark living room, the lump on the couch confirmed my fears.
“Hey.” His voice was groggy. He sat up.
I flipped on the light. It wasn’t bright, but he hissed anyway. Hissed, like the freaking vampire that he was.
Too bad his tousled hair looked so damned sexy and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. The slabs of muscle that I’d read about in romance novels were prominently on display in my living room.
