by Raven Steele
After a while I pulled back, knowing we had things to do. I glanced at Lynx. “Where’s Briar?”
“She’s inside helping.”
“And Aris? Oz, Rocky?”
She smiled. “They are all okay.”
“Is there fighting still going on inside?” I asked. There was no one left outside but a few fae soldiers standing erect, keeping an eye on things. The others must’ve killed or chased off the last of the Hydes.
“There’s fighting, but it’s not between who you think it is,” Mateo said.
I didn’t mean to look, but my gaze landed on the spot where Sersi had violently died. Pain lanced my heart, and my legs weakened, but Mateo was there to catch me. I swallowed down the agony of losing Sersi, forcing my eyes and thoughts away from her. I would deal with the pain later. The time to mourn would come soon enough. “Who’s fighting?”
“Briar and Luke. I’m surprised you can’t hear them.”
“Why would they be fighting?”
Mateo pursed his lips. “You’ll find out.”
He kept his arm around me as we walked toward the entrance. I stopped when we reached Detrand and placed my hand on his arm. “I’m so sorry.”
He stared straight ahead, his expression emotionless. “There are things we need to discuss. Not now, but soon. You need to deal with the mess in there first.” He motioned his head inside.
I moved forward, curious to know what had happened.
As soon as I opened the front doors, Mateo began to explain. “Hydes entered a back door that was supposed to be locked and barred. They poured in and quickly overwhelmed Aris and Detrand.”
“Was Aris hurt?” I blurted, my heart racing.
Mateo eyed me sideways. “He will recover.”
After a long pause, he continued, “Many Hydes pushed through deeper into the building. The Wild Dogs tried to hold them back, but somehow they gained access to the basement through the use of explosives.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. “They found the archive room?”
He nodded grimly.
“And the Abydos?”
“It’s gone.”
I stopped moving and gripped him tightly. “The Phoenix has it?”
“Not exactly.”
“I don’t understand.”
He continued down the hallway taking me with him. “You should talk to Briar.”
Just as he said her name, I heard Briar. She was yelling. Hurrying now, we turned left into a small atrium. Three tall flowering trees filled the space with two benches facing each other. One of them was smashed. I frowned and swallowed, my eyes landing on Luke who was staring down at Briar. They were practically nose-to-nose glaring at each other. Behind them was a gaping hole in the wall with debris scattered all around. Loxley and Angel were there too, but close against the wall as if they were afraid they might get hit.
“She’s coming back,” Luke growled at Briar.
Briar’s nostrils flared. “I don’t think she is.”
“What’s going on?” I asked. The last thing I felt like doing was getting involved in one of their fights, especially after just losing Sersi. I wanted to be anywhere but here.
Briar whirled around and jerked her thumb in Luke’s direction. “He told mother dear where the Abydos was, then she took it.”
“To protect it!” Luke protested.
Many questions struggled to leave my mouth. The first one to find its way out was, “How did Luke know where the Abydos was? You were magically sworn to secrecy.”
Briar looked toward the ceiling. “Well, he didn’t know exactly where it was, just that it was in the basement. There are ways around spells that don’t involve words.”
I shook my head trying to wrap my head around what had happened. “So where is Trick now?”
“She should be contacting me any second,” Luke said. “She took the Abydos because the Hydes were almost to it.”
“But how could she take it?” I asked. “It required either my breath or my blood to access it, along with saying the right words.”
Luke drew his brows together. “It did?”
Briar’s jaw flexed, and she tightened her fists. “Not even you knew this, Luke. How did your mother? And how would she have gotten Samira’s blood and known the right words to say?”
He stood with downcast eyes, mouth parted open.
Briar drilled her finger into his chest. “You should’ve talked to me! Asked me before you told her.” Her throat bobbed, the pain of his betrayal showing clearly through her eyes. “You swore to me I could trust you, that you would take my secret to the grave. That you would protect the Abydos with your life!”
“That’s exactly what I was doing! I was fighting here to keep the Hydes from getting it. My mother saved the Abydos.” He stared her down defiantly with fire in his eyes. “I bet she’s waiting for us at Fire Ridge. She wouldn’t betray me! I’m her son and Alpha.”
“And a fool,” she added, her voice sad.
“Call her, Luke,” I said. I wasn’t ready to accuse anyone just yet but how could she have gotten my blood? Or even known the right words to say to access the Abydos? My blood chilled.
Luke grabbed his phone and walked away. Briar turned to those of his pack in the atrium with us. “Any of you know anything about this?”
They shook their heads, backing up at her wrath.
“Fuck this,” she said and walked away. Angel watched her go, his jaw grinding. But he didn’t try to follow her.
When she was gone and the others had begun to disperse, I leaned back into Mateo. “I can’t believe everything that’s happened. It wasn’t supposed to be this way.”
His arms came around me. “But Korin is dead. Please don’t ignore that victory.”
“You’re right.”
He rested his chin on top of my forehead. “Let’s just get through the next few days.”
I inhaled a hitched breath. “How?”
“One day at a time. I’ll be by your side every second of the way.”
Chapter 38
Mateo stayed true to his word. The next several days were full of grief, anger, and love. Many flew in from all over the world to attend Sersi’s funeral. She had been loved by many. Even Oona showed up, a fact that shocked everyone.
She wasn’t the only to cause an uproar. Several elder members of the Ministry attended, including Cassandra. It was the first time in centuries the Ames de la Terra and the Principes Noctis had been in the same space without fighting. And it took Sersi’s death for it to happen. Maybe that could be built upon, especially with the Phoenix growing stronger. We’d need all the allies we could get.
Surprisingly, Detrand had led the services. He wouldn’t talk about his past with Sersi, but it must’ve been significant to take on such an important role.
Throughout the funeral services, my body felt numb. It was as if I was watching myself going through the motions, saying the right words to guests, offering my own condolences. I didn’t remember half of it. I hadn’t even felt any hunger pains. But they would come. I feared the ferocity of them when they did.
Briar nearly missed the funeral. She had spent every spare second searching for Trick and her sidekick Richard who had also disappeared. Luke was searching for her as well, but they weren’t doing it together. I’d never seen Briar more angry.
I wanted to search too, as I knew how important the Abydos was, but there was too much to do at Blutel Estate. I’d get my affairs in order, then I’d help. Lynx, too. She’d said as much, but she’d been busy helping Aris recover. His wounds went beyond physical as he’d accidentally gotten trapped in one of the witches’ spells. He was unconscious the first two days, but with Lynx and Roma’s help, he’d slowly come out of it. However, he was left unable to speak. Roma expected he would soon, but it would take time. The magic he’d been hit with was a powerful spell. His heart had even stopped.
With two hours left of nighttime, I slipped away from everyone and returned to the garden whe
re I’d last spoken to Sersi. I sat on the stone bench and plucked a petal from the same rose I’d taken one from before. I held it to my nose and inhaled.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
I glanced to my left. Detrand stood on the stone pathway, his expression grim. “I know you probably want to be alone, but there is something important we must discuss, and it can’t wait, especially with the Abydos missing.”
“What do you mean?”
He walked toward me. “Sersi knew she was going to die, Samira.”
Pain sliced through my chest, suffocating and stifling. “She did?”
He nodded and cast his eyes upward. Moonlight reflected in his dark eyes. “That was one reason she called on me so many times. She wanted me to help her put things into motion.”
The fullness growing in my throat nearly choked me.
“I tried to get her to leave this place,” he continued, “but she wouldn’t listen to me.”
He cleared his throat and ran the palms of his hands along his thighs. I wanted to offer him some comforting words, but I was too stunned to speak. Her death could’ve been prevented.
“I helped her transition with my powers. I brought to light things from her past that she needed to reconcile before she could go peacefully.” One of Detrand’s powers was reaching into someone’s mind to pull out memories. “And, in the end, she was at peace with everything.” His eyes bore into me. “She died for us. She knew no one else was strong enough to stand against Zane. So many more would’ve died.”
I groaned and leaned back, my stomach swirling with sickness. I sucked in several large breaths, feeling the anger and sorrow breaking through my facade. It was coming, and when it did, I was going to rage. I needed Mateo.
“Sersi had a Will.”
“She did?” Everything in me stilled.
After a moment, he said, “She wants you to take over.”
My head snapped in his direction. “What?”
He stared straight ahead. “It was her final request. She wants you to be the new President of the Ames de la Terra.”
“I can’t!” I gasped. “I’m not good enough.”
“She said you’d say that. She also said that when you do, I’m supposed to say that you are exactly what this place needs. She didn’t want perfect or even good. She wanted you.”
I shook my head, still in disbelief, my eyes burning with unspent tears. “I can’t do it.”
“You told her that night you would give your life for these people, this place.”
“And I would.”
He stared me straight in the eyes. “Then do it. Your role is not to die for this place, Samira, but to live for it.”
My breath caught as emotions tumbled through me. Sersi’s confidence and love vibrated into the core of my being, crowding out the fury and grief. She’d loved me. She trusted me with her most precious mission. I nodded, a smile curling at the edges of my lips at her confidence in me.
“Okay, Detrand. I will.”
I sat behind the dark and old mahogany desk and slid my hands across its shiny top. Sersi had once touched this very wood. My fingers grazed a few nicks in its top. I wondered if she’d made them while pressing too hard with a pen, maybe writing a warning letter to a vampire coven in Europe telling them to cease their violent actions toward humans. Or maybe she’d dropped a glass in shock at learning someone she loved had died.
Her burden had been great.
And now it was mine.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.
“Come in.” I shifted in the plush chair, feeling much too small for it.
Briar and Lynx walked in, followed by Angel, Mateo, Detrand, Adelade, and Aris.
“You look good in the captain’s chair!” Briar exclaimed.
“I don’t feel it.”
Lynx smiled. “You’re going to do great.”
I came to my feet and gave Aris a hug. His arms were weak around me as he was still recovering. He smiled at me but still couldn’t speak.
I glanced at Mateo. “Is everyone in place for the ceremony?”
He nodded. “It starts in twenty minutes.”
I kept an even expression even though I felt like running as fast and far as I could away from this place. Tonight, I would be made President of the Ames de la Terra, a position I never expected nor wanted.
The ceremony would only last minutes, but the celebration after would last hours. I didn’t feel like celebrating.
Mateo gave me an encouraging smile. “I’ll be there with you.”
“Before we go in … ” I lowered my eyes to the desk, focusing on a deeper cut in the wood six inches long. Maybe Sersi had made it during a fight with someone. She always was good with a dagger. I looked back up at Briar and then at Angel. “I want to give you two an assignment.”
Briar frowned, and her gaze darted to Angel. “Us?”
“Yes. And I want you to leave as soon as possible.”
“Where to and to do what exactly?” Briar asked while Angel waited patiently for me to continue.
“To accomplish two things. First, I want Trick hunted down. Get back the Abydos as soon as possible. Use any methods necessary.”
“Gladly.” Briar smiled. “And the second thing?”
“Reach out to other covens, vampires and witches. Also other shifter packs. We’re going to need allies. Lots of them for what’s coming.”
“Um,” Lynx said, “I can help with the witch part.”
I turned to her. “No. You have a bigger job to do.”
“What?”
I lowered my voice. “You need to access the deep part of your powers, from your father’s side. Do not let your mother try to dissuade you. I have a feeling you’re going to be the only one to stand up to Zane now.”
“I don’t think—” she began, but Briar interrupted her.
“Don’t doubt, just do. All of us know you’re capable of more. It’s about time you found out for yourself.” She glanced at Aris and winked. “You’ll help her, right?”
He nodded.
I turned my attention to Detrand and Adelade. “I know you’re probably anxious to return home, but I’d like to ask a favor.”
“Anything,” Detrand responded.
“Stay? At least for a little while. I could really use the support right now.”
Adelade smiled kindly. “Of course we’ll stay. Besides, I’m not quite finished with Loxley.”
“What exactly are you doing with her?” Briar asked.
“Preparing her. She’s important to our future. I need to make sure she’s ready.”
Briar and I looked at each other, then at Lynx.
“Can you be a little more specific?” Briar asked Adelade.
“I wish my gift gave details, but I only have feelings.”
Detrand interrupted them, clearing his throat in a commanding way. He was the only person I knew who could do it effectively. “We will stay for a time.”
“Thank you.” I looked at Mateo and Aris. “Can I ask a favor of you two?”
“Anything,” Mateo answered.
“We need to find out how the Phoenix is creating so many vampire Hydes. We all know how difficult it is to make them and yet, the Phoenix is doing it. Maybe it has something to do with what was happening in Coast City?”
Aris nodded and Mateo said, “We’ll look into it.”
I smoothed my light blue dress, feeling self-conscious in it. It was similar to the one Sersi had worn hundreds of years ago when she was made President. I hoped I lived as long. But more importantly, I hoped I governed as well as Sersi had.
Lynx gave me a quick hug. “We’ll see you inside.”
Briar came after her. “Don’t be afraid to be a boss, and if anyone tries to screw with you, I’ll beat their ass.”
They moved toward the door. Before he left, Aris nodded his head and smiled at me in approval. My friends. I never knew life could feel this good, feel so complete.
Angel l
ooked at me next and said, “We’ll bring back the Abydos. I swear it.”
As soon as everyone had left but Mateo, I exhaled a weighted breath. “How am I ever going to do this?”
Mateo drew me into his arms and stared into my eyes. “You are a powerful and strong woman. Don’t ever doubt yourself.”
“But I’m weak.”
“You’ve been made strong through your weaknesses. Use your experience to help others. That’s why I think Sersi chose you. You’ve learned to work with both the light and dark inside you. Both of them may be needed to protect this place.”
The way he was looking at me, his golden eyes full of love and admiration, warmed me to the core. I kissed him fiercely, fire igniting my veins and spreading into my thighs.
He must’ve sensed my sudden need because he pulled back laughing. “We don’t have time for that.”
The Kiss and I groaned, frowning. “Maybe a quickie?”
He gripped my side, pulling me closer to nip at my neck. “There will be plenty of time for that tonight, and for eternity, if I get my wish.” He kissed me on the mouth and whispered, “Endless days of loving every inch of your body, my anima gemella.”
“I’d like that very much.”
His tongue flicked at my lips once, then he stepped back, his expression serious. “It’s been several days since you’ve had human blood.”
My blood lust had grown exponentially in just the last day, and so far, no amount of blood bags had satisfied it.
“I asked Rocky to come tonight,” Mateo continued. “He said he’ll let you feed on him after the ceremony. I think it will help you.”
“Yes,” I said a little too quickly. The thought of warm blood in my stomach made me feel that same fire in my veins again.
“If this is what must be done to keep the Kiss of Eternal Night at bay, then I support it.” He pressed his palm to my cheek. “I support you.”
I searched his eyes, my heart swelling with love and pride. Those feelings swallowed a little of my grief of losing Faithe, Teddy, and Sersi. Maybe one day, it would swallow it all.
“Come on.” Mateo smiled and held my hand as we walked out the door.