6
I expected to see all three of the Vontex standing before their usual exit the next night. I was surprised that only Lothar stood by the tall gate leading out of the fortress and toward the bridge into the forest.
I quietly walked up to him with my trench coat covering my head. I held it tight from the brisk air sending goosebumps over my skin, proving that winter was just around the corner. He waited for me with his hands tucked into his coat and his eyes full of tension. In other words, things were relatively normal.
“Where are the others?” I asked as I approached him.
“Waiting in the forest. Alina insisted.”
I mentally rolled my eyes.
‘Figures. She thinks I have to work some magic on Lothar alone. Or whatever she assumed.’
“I was hoping you might enlighten me as to why,” he added.
I gave a small shrug of my shoulders, feigning ignorance. “Why would I know?” Then I walked passed him and out of the fortress’s large gate and draw bridge. The guards outside lifted their swords as we walked away, allowing us through the entryway and making me feel like I was some sort of noblewoman walking away from her castle.
“Alina told me Adeline Prescott came for a visit,” he said.
“You know her?” I asked.
“I make it my business to be at least moderately acquainted with the vixra family that patrons the academy. They sponsor the Vontex all across Europe.”
A slight shiver ran down my spine. I tried pretending as though it was the wind sending a gust of air straight through me and throwing my hood right off my head. My hair went flying out the back and lightly brushed against Lothar’s chest as he walked behind me. “Yes,” I admitted plainly. “She’s an old family friend.”
“Not too many people have friends among the vixra.”
“It was my father’s way of looking out for my brother and me when my mum went abroad. He asked Adeline to befriend my mum. I’ve known her for some years. She stopped by for a visit.”
“And nothing else?” he asked, knowing full and well that I wasn’t sharing the entire truth. “You can go ahead and say it because I already know.”
“Know what?” I asked, stepping over the grass and getting closer to the massive bridge.
He reached for my wrist and pulled me in closer. I turned around to face him to see his eyes staring me down like laser beams. A few of his fingers reached over the leather of my trench coat and touched the bare skin over my wrist. His touch was warm. Inviting. I swallowed hard and stood up a little straighter. Something told me I couldn’t fool him. Nor could I lie to him. At least not without him knowing. He didn’t become the leader of the Northern Vontex because he was used to believing everything before his eyes was exactly as it seemed.
“I received a message from Ellinor Prescott,” he said. “She told me I’m to train you on how to use vixra blood.”
‘Okay. So much for breaking the question out softly.’
“Adeline mentioned something about that.”
“And Alina said you’ve had dreams of the ritual ground where your brother kidnapped you. That’s the whole point of tonight, isn’t it?”
A pit in my stomach grew larger as he stared down at me. He was close enough to touch if I reached out my other hand. Anyone watching might think we were having an intimate moment. Far from it. He was prodding me for more information.
“You demanded my honesty,” he said. “Now give me yours.”
“It’s not about being honest or dishonest. Rodrick said he didn’t think I was ready to use vixra blood. But I keep having visions of the same place. And then a luxra witchling Adeline has been searching for went missing.”
Lothar cursed under his breath. “He’s acquiring witchlings for his inner circle.”
My eyes fell. I wasn’t used to cowering. I needed to stand my ground. Flirting didn’t get me what I wanted from Rodrick. It wouldn’t get me anywhere with Lothar either.
‘Alina’s advice will have to wait. I can’t work magic on Lothar or give him small details. I can only be upfront with him.’
“I want to go back to the ritual ground,” I admitted. “I know we were supposed to hunt down werewolves tonight but the visions are getting more frightening. And there was a thing that happened in Professor Huxley’s class.” I wasn’t sure why but I wasn’t capable of hiding anything from Lothar. At least not for long.
“What thing?”
“The link between my brother and I did something to me. It showed me things. I think Dirk found his luxra. The one Adeline was searching for. Adeline gave Alina vixra blood to travel to the site in the Czech Republic but she didn’t think you’d immediately approve. So she told me to ask you.”
“You mean she told you to manipulate me.”
I shook my head. “No. I wouldn’t do that. I don’t think I’m capable of doing that. You’d see through me.”
The tension in his face softened a bit. It was as if he never thought he’d hear a compliment fall from my lips. Especially about him. Then he covered it up in an instant.
I watched as he thought through what to do. If he took me to the ritual site he would be directly disobeying Rodrick’s intentions for me. If he didn’t, we might never get the answers we desired. And he would break his vow that he would help me find my brother.
“Why didn’t you just ask me outright?” he asked. “And why not come to me sooner? I would have taken you. You know I would have.”
“Alina made it sound as though it would be a mistake to assume you would take me.”
“Alina and I have a push-pull sort of relationship. I push, she pulls back and vice versa. You and I aren’t that way.”
I would be a liar if I didn’t admit that I sometimes thought of Lothar and Alina together and how they might have broken up. Maybe this was it. Alina thought being playful and mysterious was more important than honesty. As someone who was routinely lied to throughout her life, I could see why Lothar would eventually lose his patience with it.
“What are we like then?” I asked, sensing the question might be a bit bold but willing to take the chance.
“We’re honest. We see things for how they are. We prefer the truth to illusion.”
“What is the truth then?”
He loosened his grip on my hand, allowing his finger to slide down the tender part of my arm until his touch fell away entirely. “Tell me what you need and I will do what I can to make it happen. That’s the truth.”
His answer took me aback.
“Why?” I asked. “Why would you risk angering Rodrick for me?”
“Rodrick was trained to be practical. I was trained to be lethal. I do as Rodrick tells me but only within reason. The vixra are the Vontex’s true masters. And I want you to survive. You can’t become a Vontex if the Dolch Erbe finds you or if you end up dead. Few people have passed through the walls of the academy with the amount of fortitude that you have. I don’t want that potential wasted because a group of psychotic beings have you on their hit list.”
He shrunk back. I sensed he probably thought he revealed too much. Or maybe he took his honesty with me to a level he never intended.
“Let’s go,” he said, leading the way over the bridge. “The others are waiting.”
I lifted the hood of my trench coat back over my head, feeling a bit shell shocked by how Lothar reacted to me. Alina made it sound as though I needed to woo Lothar to get what I wanted. Maybe that was the relationship she used to have with him. And maybe it worked. But whatever resided between us was different. He expected more of me. He wanted honesty, just like I wanted from him. I couldn’t help but smirk as we crossed the bridge and got closer to Alina and Jake waiting for us on the dirt road on the other side. Lothar basically told me I was on another level than Alina. Which wasn’t a place I ever expected to be. Alina was breathtakingly beautiful, smart, and a lethal badass. Did Lothar think more of me?
‘Is that even possible?’
“So,” Jake h
ollered over to us before we got too close. “I hear tonight has the potential to be quite special.”
I wanted to slap that smile right off his face. The man who once asked if I could be discreet had no qualms about his own lack of discretion.
“Really Jake?” Alina snarled at him. “I told you to wait and see what Lothar says.”
“And I told you he wouldn’t be able to resist. For more reasons than one.” Jake winked over at Lothar who thank god ignored him and went straight over to Alina.
“Give it to me,” he demanded.
“What?”
“Don’t act dumb. It doesn’t suit a woman of your caliber. Now hand it over.”
‘Her caliber? Alright. Maybe I miscalculated his standards. Alina might always be on top.’
She sighed and dug deep into her pocket for the small pieces of paper with droplets of Adeline’s blood.
“All of them,” he said.
“What?” she asked, clearly mortified.
“You heard me. I’m the leader of the Northern Vontex and I don’t want you misusing it again.”
‘Again?’
“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean,” she snickered.
“Your affection for Italian leather knows no bounds, Alina. I saw the new set of boots you bought a few months back. I also know your favorite shops are all in Milan.”
Alina crossed her arms over her chest, not interested in giving in to his accusation.
“Now, Alina!” Lothar roared.
“Fine!” she grunted, reaching into a hidden pocket inside her trench coat and handing over a few more pieces of paper. I counted each one as she placed them in Lothar’s hand. She must have had some stashed back in our room or elsewhere because they still weren’t all there. Her eyes locked on mine, begging me not to speak up and knowing I was aware that she was holding back.
Lothar handed one piece back to Alina and one to Jake. Jake didn’t hesitate to place the piece of paper on his tongue and let it dissolve. I watched him with squinted eyes, wondering what about him would change. From the looks of it, absolutely nothing. He shut his eyes and opened them only to shudder a few seconds later.
“Damn, that never gets old,” Jake said.
Alina did the same, taking the piece of paper of Adeline’s blood and letting it dissolve on her tongue. She went from extremely annoyed to looking as though the sexiest man on the planet had just asked her for a date. Her eyes lit up, her jaw dropped, and her skin seemed to glow in the bright moonlight. “Yeah,” she said. “It’s pretty incredible.”
Lothar turned around and faced me. He took one piece of paper with Adeline’s blood and held it up. I expected him to hand it to me. He didn’t. He reached forward to place it in my mouth.
“You’ll feel a surge of energy,” he warned me. “Let it roll over your entire body and make sure you keep your focus on the present. Blackatters are particularly sensitive to vixra blood. It will enhance your magic and make you feel far more powerful than you are. But don’t be fooled. It’s fleeting. This is just enough to get us through the night and provide us with an edge should we run into anything or anyone that might mean us harm. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I answered firmly. “What will it do for you? You don’t have crowning magic.”
“It will heal us faster if we’re hurt and will make us much stronger. Again, focus Riley.”
I gave him one solid nod, agreeing to try my hardest. I had gotten better with my crowning magic from Rodrick’s lessons but there was still the occasional hiccup.
I opened my mouth and let Lothar place the small piece of paper on my tongue. His finger grazed over my cheek as he did so. Then he promptly moved it away.
I shut my eyes as the piece of paper slowly dissolved. What followed was a sensation unlike anything I had ever experienced in my entire life.
It started at the top of my head and traveled all the way down to my toes, rolling through my limbs like lightning striking my body, tensing up my muscles then releasing them. Only when they released, they were surging with power. I opened my eyes to see Lothar place the vixra blood on his tongue and go through the same sensation that I had. I took a deep breath once the feeling passed and walked down to the center of the dirt road before us.
“Come here, Riley,” he said. I followed him and he brought me in closer, taking my hand into his and pointing it upward. “Point out your index finger,” he instructed.
I did as he said.
“Now close your eyes and envision the place where Devon took you in the forest. Think of it in as finite detail as you possibly can.”
I shut my eyes and revisited the god awful memory that haunted me in my dreams and when I was awake. The look of the ruins, the cauldron on the ground, the trees surrounding me, the stake tying me down, and the hidden crypt below.
Lothar took my hand in his, sending a flicker of goosebumps down my arms as his hand folded over my fingers and our skin molded into one another. I was thinking of the place where I nearly died. And yet, the single gesture of Lothar holding onto my hand was so oddly intimate.
Then he took my hand and pointed it upward and to the left. “Let out your crowning magic from the tip of your finger. But only a touch of it.”
I opened my eyes and watched as a spark of red light illuminated from the tip of my index finger. I nearly shut my eyes from the brightness of the scarlet red hue. It was more vibrant and powerful than I had ever seen it before. And the best part of all, I could control it easily. Smoke flared from my hand as my other fingers started to glow. Lothar took my hand and dragged it down and to the right. I did my best to keep the image of the ritual circle fresh in my mind.
“How in the world?” I mumbled as the magic from my finger formed a gateway right before my eyes. Lothar helped me create a vixra tunnel. The ritual circle in the forest would be on the other side waiting for me. I wanted to go there. I needed to see it once more. And at the same time, a crippling fear took hold of my body. If Lothar hadn’t lowered my hand, I don’t know if I would have moved at all.
I peered down at his fingers still entwined with mine. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Hold my hand as we walk through. I understand you’ve been through a vixra tunnel before but you’re still new to it. Let me guide you.”
I took a deep breath and prepared myself in silence.
“Are you alright going through on your own?” Lothar asked.
His words were obviously for Jake given it sounded like Alina had used the vixra tunnels for random shopping trips in the past.
“Where you go, I follow,” Jake said in a stunning turn of reassurance. Jake might have been a bit of a prick but he was loyal to Lothar.
Lothar stepped into the tunnel. I watched the wind flap the bottom of his trench coat as he pulled me in along behind him. I nearly covered my eyes with my free hand but I forced myself to keep them open. What I saw stunned me. When Devon took me through the tunnel I didn’t get a good look at what was happening. I was more concerned with the silver vapors that paralyzed my body. Not this time. I had a clear view of what was going on around me. The tunnel was exactly that. A tunnel with a walkway. No rails and no ceiling other than what looked like the night sky above us. Then I looked down. Big mistake! Below us was the world rushing by faster than anything I had ever seen before. Not even flying on a plane compared to the speed which we were traveling. My hair whipped in my face as I looked back up at Lothar. I gripped his hand a little tighter and he returned my rising tension with a squeeze, letting me know I was alright. Only he didn’t consider the final part. The landing.
Lothar stepped out of the other end with ease while I was thrown forward from the sudden stop. Lothar managed to catch me just before my face smacked against the stone ground. He lifted me back up on my feet to where I stood right before him with his eyes locked onto mine. His gaze was different from Rodrick’s. He didn’t hide what lay behind his eyes. The intensity wasn’t shadowed by mystery. Lothar was strong, p
owerful, dedicated, and for some reason, he saw something inside of me that I didn’t see in myself. His emerald green eyes stared back at me, telling me everything his words didn’t have time to say.
Be careful, be strong, and if the worst should happen, fight like hell.
He reached inside his trench coat and pulled out one of the many daggers the Vontex used and I was only permitted to hold during my random adventures out with them. I took it in my hand and tucked it away on my belt buckle just as Alina and Jake stepped out of the tunnel and soaked in their surroundings.
The bright light of the tunnel disappeared behind them, along with the rushing wind. The cool night air was still, the moon was covered by overcast clouds, and I didn’t hesitate to let my hand sit on the dagger as I backed away to take a quick glance of everything around me.
I was back. I returned to the place where the darkest and most terrifying moment of my life occurred. Before Dirk permanently scarred my face and cast a spell over me, linking our lives, I thought the graveyard where I killed a man would always be my worst memory. That was before my own blood attacked me.
I walked outside the stones shapes in a circle. If I didn’t have my lycan vision the entire area would have been nearly pitch black without a clear moon in the sky. As it was, I could see everything with more clarity than I wanted to. The center of the stone circle where Dirk tormented Margaux lay before me. I could still see her body convulsing as sweat plummeted down her face if I closed my eyes.
No one said a word. I think they wanted to get a feel for the place and decide for themselves if anything was menacing other than its general creepiness. The only person that really struck me as being equally disturbed by it was Alina. She stopped at the center of the circle where the cauldron once lay and looked about, examining everything with wide eyes.
Jake found Devon’s skeleton tossed away to the side of the stone circle. He took Devon’s bones by the ankle, lifting it up and dragging it along until a few of the bones broke apart.
Resist Page 6