Ian flashed a smile at me. “Off to steal a laptop, then.”
He left, and I gave the bourbon-and-demon-blood mixture a longing look. However, I didn’t pick up the glass. If this went well, I’d need every last bit of my wits for the upcoming battle. If it didn’t . . . well, all the spiked beverages in the world wouldn’t make a difference.
Chapter 38
Hekima now wore a multicolor brocade jacket shot through with silver thread, with a peacock-blue silk blouse and black pants. Her hair was in a sophisticated knot, and her makeup was subtle and artful. No one looking at her would guess that fifteen minutes ago, she’d been doing shots of demon-spiked liquor.
Squares containing video feeds from the eight other council members plus five Law Guardians including Xun Guan filled the screen of the laptop that Ian had swiped from a hotel guest. Hekima didn’t waste time on pleasantries. She detailed Morana’s attack on Marie, Morana’s plans to split up the globe, Marie’s offer of alliance, and what Ruaumoko could do if he grew impatient. Hekima closed by saying she was invoking article seven of the vampire charter, and then let the objecting council members scream for the next fifty minutes.
“I haven’t heard any objections based on law,” Hekima said, interrupting Lucius’s current tirade. “Without that, article seven is in force, and I appoint Xun Guan and Priscilla to the council as its newest members.”
Both women looked shocked. Lucius’s eyes bulged, and if he scrubbed his hands through his blond locks any harder, he’d rip out his own hair from his rage.
“I refuse to accept this!”
“You would be a child?” Hekima’s tone turned scathing. “Very well, I will speak to you as a child. What did the one dinosaur say to the other dinosaur about the new, bright light in the sky? Nothing, because then the asteroid hit and vaporized them both! Likewise, our destruction is coming unless we act now to prevent it.”
Sanjay finally spoke. “I accept Hekima invoking article seven, and welcome Xun Guan and Priscilla as council members.”
Five more council members voiced their acceptance. Only Lucius, Phoenix, and Rolfe refused.
“You go too far selecting vampires whose opinions align with yours,” Lucius hissed.
“Do I?” Hekima said in dangerous tone. “Article seven gives me the power to appoint any vampire I wish. Both Priscilla and Xun Guan have impeccable service records, so if you waste more time that endangers our people, I will appoint this vampire”—her head jerked at Ian, and my mouth fell open—“instead even though I shudder to imagine him as a council member.”
“I withdraw my objection,” Phoenix said at once.
“As do I,” Rolfe chimed in.
Ian swiveled the laptop so that Lucius could see him. “Do it,” he urged. “Object. I’ll wreck your whole bloody life.”
“I withdraw my objection,” Lucius said in one of the most sullen tones I’d ever heard.
“Wise,” Hekima said, and then swore in Priscilla and Xun Guan. Both women looked stunned as they repeated the oath that made them the vampire council’s newest members.
“I now call for an immediate vote on allying with the ghoul nation for the duration of this war against the gods,” Hekima said as soon as she was finished. “All in favor, say aye. All in dissent, say nay.”
Nine “ayes” and two “nays” followed. No surprise, Lucius and Phoenix were the nays.
“I also call for a vote rescinding the illegality of magic,” Hekima said, surprising me. “Magic saved us from the volcano, and magic protects us now. We will need more to ensure our victory against our adversaries, yet we can hardly expect it while simultaneously condemning the vampires who use it.”
“Once more, you go too far,” Lucius growled.
“No, this law did,” Hekima countered. “Continuing to make something illegal simply because it makes vampires like you uncomfortable is nonsense. All in favor, vote aye! All in dissent, vote nay.”
I clenched my fists as the replies came in, thinking of all the vampires I’d helped into hiding because of this law. Far too many more hadn’t lived long enough to hide. They’d been killed or had taken their own lives out of despair. Please, I thought. Please, let this injustice end!
Ian took one of my closed hands, squeezing it. When the voting was finished, I almost burst into tears.
Seven ayes, four nays. Magic was now legal for vampires.
“I now call for a final vote to rescind the illegality of mixed-species persons,” Helena said.
“I will not stand for this!” Lucius shouted.
“Then leave, and forfeit your chance to vote,” Hekima replied in her stoniest voice. “Any others are welcome to forfeit as well. The motion will pass or fail based on those who stay, as per article seven of the emergency powers because a mixed-species person holds the only weapon effective against Ruaumoko and Morana.”
“Lies,” Lucius said in a hiss.
I rolled up the sleeve of my top and showed the council members the cuffs embedded in my skin as if they were thick tattoos.
“When I am near Morana or Ruaumoko, these manifest into restraints that I will use to send them straight to the netherworld.” Then, my voice roughened from thousands of years of unnecessary self-loathing: “But that isn’t why you should decriminalize mixed-species people. Do it because this law never should have been written in the first place since we are worth more than the worst prejudices of people who hated us enough to make our very existence illegal.”
With that, I walked out of the hotel room. I had endured many things, but I couldn’t endure hearing how many council members would vote for the continuation of violent hate under the guise of maintaining the “purity” of our species.
I’d made it all the way to the first floor of the hotel when I heard Ian’s voice.
“Veritas!”
He was in front of me in the next moment. I only had an instant to see his face before he crushed me in his arms, but that single glimpse told me everything.
I didn’t hug him back. I didn’t even move because I felt too numb, but it was a beautiful, shocked kind of numb. It felt so long since I’d been surprised by joy.
“They didn’t,” I choked out.
Ian pulled away enough for me to see his blinding smile.
“Six ayes, five nays, with the nays still screaming when I left, but sod ’em. You’re no longer illegal, little Guardian. You and all other mixed-species people are finally free.”
Chapter 39
We ended up staying at the same hotel for the next few days. Right now, there wasn’t much that we could do beyond waiting. Marie’s ghosts as well as the ghosts we’d enlisted were scouring the globe for Ruaumoko, Morana, and Phanes; we were watching the news for any new “natural” disasters that might indicate their presence; and everyone had warned their people and their allies to keep an eye out for the three gods.
Normally, I’d be frustrated by the waiting. Now, I considered it the calm before the storm. Ashael fetched Silver and brought him back to the lovely new suite he put on his tab for us, calling it a belated wedding present. It certainly felt like one to have Ian and my beloved pet under the same roof with nothing to do except enjoy being together.
No, more than a present. It felt like being part of a family, and I hadn’t had that for nearly seven hundred years since Tenoch died.
I knew it couldn’t last, but I didn’t realize how much I wanted it to, even just a little longer, until I saw Cat’s name flash up on Ian’s new mobile.
For an incredibly selfish moment, I considered not answering it. Ian was in the shower, so he didn’t hear or see Cat’s call. I could squeeze out a few more hours with him, if I just turned his phone off until later tonight . . .
I answered on the fourth ring. “Yes?”
“The ghosts came through,” were Cat’s first words. My stomach turned to lead. “The gods are in the Tov province of Mongolia, hiding out in the Togchin temple ruins.”
“That’s good news,” I fo
rced myself to say, then meant it as I added, “No super volcanoes are located nearby, and if memory serves, that area has a very low population density.”
Cat grunted. “Low as fuck as far as people go. I looked it up. There’s a restoration group for the former monastery and a small hostel near the ruins. That’s it for miles. We never would have found them, except that area had lots of slaughters in its history, so it’s got ghosts. Thankfully, one of them talked.”
I closed my eyes, steeling myself. “We need to hit them there as quickly as possible.”
The selfish part of me still wanted to stall, but I couldn’t bear to see more innocent people killed.
“Agreed, but your brother and Ian can only transport two people at a time, and we’ll need to attack in much larger numbers to take them down,” Cat replied.
I heard the bathroom door creak, but I didn’t turn around. “We know a guy who can transport over a hundred people at a time.”
“Really?” Cat sounded skeptical.
“I’ve seen it myself. Ashael went to seek him out two days ago, but there’s no guarantee that he’ll help. He, uh, kind of blames Ian and me for his secret island hideaway getting wiped out.”
Another grunt. “You both do tend to leave a trail of destruction behind you.”
She wasn’t wrong, and if we were lucky enough to survive this, I didn’t think that would change.
“Hey,” Cat said, sounding more tentative now. “I want you to know that I’m glad you and Ian found each other. I think you both deserve to be happy. So know that when you don’t see me in this final battle, it’s not because I don’t care.”
“You’re not coming?”
She sighed. “I want to, but Bones and I talked, and Katie can’t lose both her parents if things go south. She’s already spent most of her life trapped and experimented on like a lab rat. I didn’t even know she existed until she was seven. Now, she’s just starting to act like a little girl instead of a trained killing machine, and I can’t . . .” Her voice broke.
“I understand,” I said at once. “It’s also very logical. Bones’s telekinesis is much more advanced than yours, and this will be a fight of powers, not brawling abilities.”
She let out a sound that was half sniff, half laugh. “I’m glad you see it as logical. I see it as ripping myself apart and hoping the pieces will be rejoined because if I lose Bones, I lose the best half of myself.”
I finally turned around. Ian’s hair was still wet, making it look darker and longer. Water ran down his creamy skin in rivulets, highlighting the muscles, ridges, and hollows of his body. If not for the dark crimson scars that streaked his back and zigzagged over to his taut stomach, he’d look like a flawless statue come to life, and all that was nothing compared to what was in his eyes.
He was my real home. He was also my deepest love, my wildest passion, my truest friend . . . he was everything I’d never dared to dream for, yet now had.
And now, I could lose him. Again.
“I know how you feel, Cat,” I said in a voice that cracked at the edges. Then, as I had many times before, I forced the crushing weight of my emotions back. In a steadier tone, I said, “We’ll contact Ashael and call you back.”
I hung up. “They found them.”
“I heard,” Ian replied.
We stared at each other. From the other room, I heard Silver whine as he sensed the new tension in the air. It gave me an excuse to take a moment to collect myself, so I left the bedroom and went into the living area to pet Silver. If I touched Ian instead, I might grab on to him and refuse to let go.
He followed me. When would I learn that he wouldn’t stay behind when he knew I needed him? His arms came around me, and his chest was a hard, welcome wall behind me.
“We’ve got this, luv.”
His voice rolled over me in its own caress. For a moment, I closed my eyes, willing myself to believe him.
“I know,” I said while thinking, Actually, we probably don’t, but we still have to try. Too many lives are at stake.
“This is different from the other times. We’re no longer taking on enemies by ourselves,” he replied, guessing at my doubts. “I kept insisting that my friends stay out of our battles, but I was wrong. Just as you and I are stronger together, so the pair of us will be stronger with allies at our sides. This time, I’m confident that all truly will be well.”
I gave up trying to pretend that I wasn’t wracked with nerves. He knew me too well to fall for it, anyway.
“The last time I was confident that all would be well, you ended up dead. So, no offense, but I’ll stick with being paranoid and anxiety ridden. I’ve had much better luck with those two.”
Breath from his laughter tickled the back of my neck. “Whatever you prefer, then.”
I leaned back against him, allowing myself to sink into this moment. It wouldn’t last, but for now, all was well. I shouldn’t waste a second of it.
“This is how we first met, remember?” he murmured, his hands starting to roam. I only wore one of the hotel’s robes, and it fell open beneath his touch. “Only then, it was a life-and-death battle between vampires and ghouls.”
I did remember, although it was getting harder to think with him seeking out my most sensitive spots.
“You looked bored before the fight,” he went on, voice deepening, “and I thought, ‘Ah, another useless politician.’”
“Understandable presumption,” I said, arching to give him better access. If I was risking losing him forever, I at least deserved a quickie before summoning Ashael.
“Then, on the battlefield,” Ian said, his strokes becoming more possessive, “you tore through a group of ghouls until all I saw was flying body parts. At that moment, I had my first premonition about you, and it seared through me as if I’d been branded from above: she is mine.”
“Yours,” I agreed, turning around to kiss him.
Three hard knocks on the balcony glass doors shattered the moment. Ashael stood outside, wearing two thick, hooded coats that covered all his skin except for his face, which now had a very baleful expression.
“I didn’t spend the last thirty-six hours straight convincing Yonah to help us only to stand out here and burn while waiting for the two of you to finish copulating.”
“Come in,” I said, reluctantly stepping away from Ian.
Ashael teleported into the bathroom while I closed the drapes. With a sigh of disappointment, Ian put on his trousers.
“Yonah agreed to help?” I asked Ashael.
He peeked out, saw that the sun was now blocked from streaming in, and threw off his cloaks, revealing a designer jacket, a sleek bronze shirt, and black denim trousers.
“Yes, mostly. He’ll drop off the reinforcements, but he won’t stay to fight, and convincing him to reveal himself to so many strangers after he’s been in hiding for thousands of years was the opposite of easy.”
“Well done,” Ian said. “Hope that Yonah has nothing important planned right now, because we attack within the hour.”
Both Ashael’s brows rose. “You found them?”
“Yes.”
Ice rolled over my nerves. This was it, so I had to be ready.
“Get Yonah,” I said to my brother in a steady voice. “I’ll call Marie so she knows to have her people ready. Ian will call Bones and the others, and then Yonah can mass transport us.”
Ashael grasped my shoulders. “Yonah can take Marie and the others. I’ll take you and Ian. Where are we going?”
“Drop us about a kilometer outside the Togchin temple ruins in Mongolia.” The site of a former, awful massacre. With luck, history wouldn’t repeat itself.
Ashael nodded. “I know the place. Make your calls. I’ll return with Yonah.”
With that, he threw his cloaks back on and vanished.
I stared at Ian. “Promise me you won’t use the power from the cursed fruit tonight. Promise me.”
His mouth curved in the barest of smiles. “I can’t make th
at promise, and you know it.”
Dammit! I did know that, but I’d had to try.
“Then don’t. You dare. Fucking die,” I said, biting off each word.
Now, his smile widened. “Have no intention of it, but I will murder Phanes. That, I can promise you.”
“He’s unkillable,” I began, only to have another set of sharp knocks come from the balcony again.
I glanced out, saw the hooded figures of Ashael and a bald man with a prominent Roman nose. Ashael had been fast, and we hadn’t even begun making calls yet.
“Come in!” I said, bracing myself again.
Time for talking with Ian about personal concerns was over. Now, it was time to gather everyone and fight for all our lives.
Chapter 40
The Bogd Khan Mountain cradled the Togchin temple ruins as if still attempting to shelter them from the outside world. This mountain had long been considered sacred, leading to its protected status banning hunting, mining, and other industries. Forests of larch trees dressed the high peaks in green and gold while the tall grasses were brown from the chilly temperatures. Winter had come early to this part of Mongolia.
It would be winter everywhere if we failed, and it wouldn’t leave for hundreds or even thousands of years. That’s why we couldn’t fail.
The Togchin ruins were about a kilometer above the tree patch that Ashael had teleported us behind. Between us and them were the remains of the Manjusri Monastery, a former Buddhist complex consisting of nearly two dozen temples plus housing for hundreds of monks. Now, the original structures were reduced to intermittent stacks of blocks and the occasional weathered Buddha statue, barely hinting at the place’s previous size and glory.
Time and cruel people had that in common. Both could ravage without mercy, leaving nothing but ruins in their wake.
“Ready?” Ashael asked, so low that I could barely hear him even though he was standing right next to me.
I nodded. My cuffs hadn’t activated yet, but the skin on my arm now felt . . . itchy. I’d take that as a sign that Morana and Ruaumoko were still in one of the ruins above us.
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