Aldric rushed to my other side. “Darlin’, what can I do? Please, tell me what to do.” His face was pale, and his eyes were red and puffy.
I tried to smile, but my lips burned as they stretched out. “Just take care of each other.” I needed them to be strong. I needed them to have each other’s backs. This war was going to take its toll on all of us. They would have to learn to rely on each other.
Dragos snapped, “We will not, because we have you for that. You are going to get better. You have to. We need you to keep us from killing each other.” His words trailed off into a whimper.
I chuckled and winced as my chest ached from the movement. “Both of you, listen to me. I killed a shadow demon. No one could have known what the effects would be. Now we do. There is some good that has come from this. But I’m not going to get better. You have to let me go…”
Aldric hung his head down as Dragos roared to his feet. He pounded his fists on the wall and collapsed to his knees. Aldric covered his face with his hands as his shoulders heaved up and down.
Tears rolled down my cheeks. Not for myself, but for the pain this was causing them. Their love for me had always brought them pain in one way or another. And now they were watching me die and it was ripping my heart out.
I choked back sobs and reached a hand out to each of them. Dragos clasped it tight as he leaned over and buried his head in my hair.
Aldric swatted my other hand away, his eyes turning milky white. “No. I will not accept this.” I gasped at the gesture. He was becoming unhinged.
He turned toward Josephine. “I need your help.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you need me to do?”
He straightened up, regaining his composure. “You are going to help me summon a god.”
The rest of the night was agony. Heat flushed through my veins like wildfire. I gripped Dragos’s hand tighter with each pain that shot through my body. Aldric and Josephine were no longer in sight and I wondered just how they were going to pull this off. The gods didn’t just come when they were beckoned. That journey through the Harpy Forest to Elysium taught me that much. And even if they did, what would they want in return? All magic came at a price. Even the gods had theirs.
I drifted in and out of consciousness for what seemed like an eternity. In truth, I didn’t know how long I had been lying there. The windows were draped, and I had lost my voice. It could have been hours, days, or even centuries for all I could tell. Maybe this was my punishment for opening the gates to the Underworld. To spend eternity in a state of agony and pain.
When I opened my eyes again, Josephine’s study had faded away. Through heavy eyelids, all I could see was white. The air smelled of honeysuckle and rosewater, sweet and fragrant. The sheet underneath me was crisp and cool. I strained harder to open my eyes and let out a sigh of relief at the familiarity of the room. I was in the healing clinic at the Hall of Secrets.
The Keeper heard me stir and dashed to my side. “You gave us quite a scare, Gray.”
I took a deep breath and relief washed over me at the realization that it didn’t hurt to breathe. “What happened?” My voice was no longer betraying me.
The Keeper smiled. “You’re healing. You’re alive. And you are going to be just fine.”
My eyes widened. “Aldric and Josephine…they succeeded?”
He lowered his head. “Not exactly.”
Panic rushed through me. “What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?”
His fingers trembled. “The gods did not answer, so we injected your Narcissus venom into Seven. He insisted on doing it. There was no talking him out of it.”
My heart raced. An image flashed in my mind. A memory. My own voice echoed in my head. I’m going to suck the poison out of him.
No.
I shot forward and ignored the wave of nausea that hit me instantly. I jerked my head to the right and saw Seven’s lifeless body in the bed next to me, just a few feet away. My stomach dropped.
I gasped. “Why would he do this?” Tears streamed down my cheeks.
The Keeper stared at him with pride. “To give you a fighting chance. And to keep Dragos and Aldric from having to do it.”
My eyes widened. “Wait…what? They were going to do it?”
He nodded. “They both volunteered. Seven and I slipped out of sight and did it before they could stop us.”
My heart swelled and threatened to burst. “Is he…alive?” The thought of him in that state of agony made me sick to my stomach. But the possibility of him dying was too much to bear.
The Keeper sighed. “For now. I will continue to figure out how to reverse this. You need to focus on ending this war or Seven’s sacrifice will have been in vain.”
I nodded slowly, blinking back tears. “I will not let that happen.” It was a promise I intended to keep.
My strength was slowly returning. I could feel it in my bones as I pushed myself up out of the clinic bed. “Where are the others?”
The Keeper smiled. “Right outside. They have been chomping at the bit to get in here. I wanted you to have a moment with Seven before you were bombarded.”
I winced slightly as I pulled on my boots. “Thank you. Tell them I’ll be out in a moment.”
He nodded and exited the room without hesitation.
I slinked over to Seven’s bed. Resting my hand on his forehead, I whispered, “You stubborn fool…thank you.”
I wiped a bead of sweat off his brow and gave him a light peck on the cheek. “I promise I won’t screw this up.”
I gave him one last lingering glance before sauntering out the door and into the hall.
After a sea of multiple embraces and kisses, I gathered with The Keeper, Aldric, and Dragos in the study. The roaring fire in the hearth would have normally comforted me, but after the raging inferno my body just went through, I wanted nothing to do with the heat.
Before I could speak, the clanking of heels stomping down the hall at full speed broke my train of thought. I could smell her lilac-scented curls before she appeared in the doorway.
Valentina rushed over to me and threw her arms around my neck. “I came as soon as I heard. Are you okay?”
I hugged her tight. “I will be. Seven on the other hand…”
Her eyes filled with tears. “Poor Seven...”
I nodded. “I’m glad you’re here. And I see you are not alone.”
Lycos perched quietly in the doorway, his eyes glowed blue and gold. He walked over and shook my hand. “I am glad to see you are well. Val has been beside herself the whole journey here.”
Dragos stood to face him. “Now that we have the pleasantries out of the way, let’s have a chat about your charming pack. Have you managed to get a hold on them? Or will you be the first alpha in history to lose control over his own wolves?” The contempt in his voice was thick.
Valentina shot him a glare. “Back off, Dragos. It’s not that simple.”
Dragos spat, “Explain it then, sister. What is so complicated about the Lupi wanting Gray dead?”
Lycos gently nudged Valentina behind him and looked Dragos square in the eye. “I think you need to calm down. This isn’t her fault. It is mine.”
I wedged myself in between them as Dragos’s eyes began to shift. “Everyone needs to sit down and let Lycos finish telling us how he is to blame for this.” I pulled Dragos away from Lycos’s death stare and shoved a drink in his hand.
Dragos snickered. “Please, enlighten us.”
Lycos placed a protective hand on Valentina’s shoulder. “I let my guard down around Arcadia. I should have been watching her more closely. She has convinced the pack that killing Gray will stop the demons and earn them favor with the gods. She believes that Cerberus is only here for you.” He looked in my direction with sadness in his eyes.
I snorted. “She believes no such thing. Arcadia has wanted me out of the way since she learned of my existence. This is just another ploy to get others to do her dirty work for her.�
�
Valentina’s eyes flashed red. “I will destroy that pack before I let her have them.”
Lycos patted her hand. “Hopefully, it won’t have to come to that.”
Aldric, who had been curiously quiet, cleared his throat. “Once the Lupi see that she’s wrong, they’ll abandon her. We just need to keep them at a distance until the time is right.”
I nodded in agreement. “When they meet us in New Orleans and have to fight for their lives, they will see what side they should be on. Ours.”
Dragos nodded but continued to stare daggers at Lycos. He didn’t trust him. I could sense it. And maybe he was right, but Valentina was in love with him and we had to trust her.
The Keeper stood and raised his hands to silence us. “We may be one step closer to proving all of them wrong. Gray, join me in the war room. I have something to show you.”
Twenty
The Keeper stood over the fire, his eyes gleaming. In his hands was a long golden broad sword. It glistened and sizzled, giving off waves of magical energy. I took a deep breath and walked slowly toward him. He held out the sword to me and motioned for me to take it.
I was mesmerized as he placed it in my hands. It was cool to the touch and much lighter than I had expected. My skin tingled and my magic responded by surging through my veins like lightning. I could barely tear my eyes away from it.
My heart raced. “Is this mine?”
The Keeper nodded and smiled. “It’s a sun blade, forged in the fire with smoke and ash from the sacred soil of Delos, Apollo’s birthplace.”
I looked closer and noticed the symbols. Etched in bronze were three arrows, a laurel tree, and a perfect sun right above the hilt of the sword.
My hands trembled in awe. “You made this? Will this send Cerberus back to the Underworld?”
His eyes twinkled as he nodded. “I’ve been working on it since Seven arrived at your coronation feast. It is the only thing that can kill Cerberus. Permanently.”
I gasped. “What do you mean kill? He is the guardian of the Underworld.”
The Keeper smiled mischievously. “The sun blade is blessed by the gods. It will disintegrate him, and he will cease to exist.”
My heart was beating out of my chest. I hadn’t thought about nothingness until I was lying on that cot at the Wolf and Crescent fighting for my life. Since I became a Dhampir, there had always been an Underworld and an Elysium. There was nowhere else to go when death came knocking. The thought of just not existing was hard to fathom. It reminded me of free falling through the Siren’s song, except with no end in sight. Just eternal darkness.
The sword soothed me as I clutched it to my chest. “How do I do it?”
The Keeper raised an eyebrow. “One scratch won’t be enough. Cerberus has no heart, only a deep carnal hunger. You’ll need to plunge it into his belly. The blade will do the rest.”
I chuckled wistfully. “Easier said than done, I imagine.”
He smiled in agreement. “I have faith in you. You will do what needs to be done.” He gave me a gentle pat on the back and left me alone in the war room with my new weapon.
I turned it over and over in my hands, admiring its edges and its smooth surface. I had never seen a sword more magnificent than this. It rested in my hands, comfortable and familiar like an old friend.
At the sound of unfamiliar footsteps on the stairs, I sheathed it on my belt and spun around.
“Hello, little one. I see you have a new toy to play with.” A smirk spread across Chaos’s face.
I groaned and let out a sigh. “Stop calling me that. And this isn’t a toy. None of this is a game. You realize that, don’t you?”
Chaos’s eyes burned into mine. He studied my face with amusement. “Everything is a prize to play for. Humans have been playing for centuries. The Olympic games, the Roman Coliseum, religious wars. In their supposed fight for survival was a quest for power fueled by ego. And there are those who have watched, entertained.” The words rolled off his tongue like molasses, sweet on the way down but bitter in the aftertaste.
I gripped my sword tight. “Is that all we are to you? Entertainment? People’s lives are at stake. The fate of the entire human world is hanging by a thread.” My contempt for him was growing.
He didn’t react or flinch from my tone. “You are so much more. You could be a god. Leave this all behind and I will make you one.”
My eyes were shifting to black as the sword vibrated at my side. “I will not abandon my people.”
He regarded me carefully but with that same flicker of amusement in his eyes. “I see. Dionysus is upstairs with the others. We will accompany you to New Orleans when you are ready.”
I let out a deep breath and willed my eyes to change back. My jaw hurt from clenching it. “Good. We should leave within the hour.”
I started to storm off when he caught me by the arm. His touch was warm and tingly against my flesh. His gaze held me in place like a magnet. I closed my eyes as he whispered, “Remember, Gray, if the scales start to tip in their favor, I will not be able to save you.”
His voice was intoxicating as his breath tickled my ear. I shook him off, breaking the trance. “At least you are calling me by my name now. That’s a start.”
He chuckled, but his face darkened for the first time since I had laid eyes on him. I shivered as I sprang up the steps to the main hall.
Dragos was pacing around the room fuming when I entered the study. “There is no way I’m letting Gray walk into an ambush.”
I raised an eyebrow and glanced around the room. “What’s going on?
Valentina rolled her eyes. “My brother is upset as usual. Lycos just informed him that we will be meeting Arcadia and the Lupi at the Wolf and Crescent.”
Dragos clenched his fists, his nostrils flaring. “Arcadia should come here, and we should throw her in the catacombs with her mother.”
I sighed. “I want that just as much as you do, but if we lock her up, it will only anger the Lupi more. They need to see for themselves that she has led them down a wrong path.”
Aldric nodded, a new bow peeked out from behind his back. “She’s right. Imprisoning Arcadia will only cause chaos.”
“Did somebody say my name?” A smug and relaxed Chaos sauntered in behind me, eliciting groans from both Dragos and Aldric.
I ignored him. “We should go soon. The other covens are already on their way to New Orleans. We will go over the plan with the Witches and then…we will take back our city.”
As everyone shuffled around, gathering supplies and weapons, I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of dread. It loomed over me like a dark cloud. It knotted in the pit of my stomach. A dark ominous sensation crept up my throat. I had my army, the sun blade, and even the gods themselves, but something didn’t feel right. And as we boarded my ship and set sail for New Orleans, I couldn’t shake it.
The covens were waiting. They stood in their separate clusters awaiting my arrival—Zari and the Rain Makers, Nadia and the Striga, Josephine and the Crescent Witches, Tobias, the Rougarou, and… Arcadia and the Lupi. As I approached, the faces staring back at me were a mixture of fear, relief, and contempt. But as I moved closer into their view, an outburst of gasps followed as Dionysus and Chaos positioned themselves on either side of me, towering over me with wings out in full view.
I brushed past them and headed straight toward Josephine. Her eyes widened. She flinched as I reached toward her and her eyes lit up in surprise as I pulled her in for a warm embrace.
Her eyes welled up. “I… I’m sorry about your friend, the pirate. I should have never involved you in that mess with Samuel. It’s all my fault.”
I shook my head. “No. It’s mine. All of this is my doing. I’m happy Samuel is all right. I would do it again if I had to."
She nodded and closed her eyes. “Thank you.”
The thought of Seven lying on that bed in the healing clinic, trapped in a world of pain, ignited a new fire in me. I couldn’t le
t anyone else end up like that.
I smiled, but that sick feeling returned to my stomach. “Tonight, we pay tribute to the gods and then tomorrow, we send those demons back to hell.”
Since the beginning of time, the Crescent Witches paid tribute to the gods before battle. For the first time ever, we would be joining in on the festivities. We needed all the help we could get. If appealing to the gods with wine and music was what it took, then so be it. We had so much to lose but everything to gain.
The celebration was started with offerings of wine and fruit, followed by dancing, and then finished with ritual spells of blood and protection. It was a bit much for my taste, but if it helped to unite the covens and spur them on, then I was all for it. We’d had enough darkness to last an eternity.
I was sitting alone, deep in my thoughts, when Aldric approached. He plopped down next to me by the bonfire. It was odd being this close to him after everything we had been through. It should have felt natural, but we were not the same people who had met just under a year ago. It’s strange how so much can change in such a short time. Strange and heartbreaking.
Aldric winked and threw me a shy smile. “How are you holding up, darlin’.”
I shrugged. “I don’t really know anymore. There’s so much at stake…”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’re holding back. How are you dealing with the Narcissus magic? Is it still…affecting you?”
I sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “I’m always dealing with it. I’ve learned to control it better, though, if that’s what you mean. Not like when I was in your apartment and terrified to go outside.”
He nodded and looked away sadly, a crease forming on his brow. “I shouldn’t have pushed you. I should have seen that you were struggling. I’m sorry.”
I shook my head. “I’m sorry you got taken. And I’m sorry that Tobias kept the truth about your parents from you. I can’t imagine what you must be going through.”
Gods and Demons (Blood and Darkness Book 3) Page 13
