Blood King (Spirit Seeker Book 1)

by Amber K. Bryant

  When he finally reached the bottom, she grabbed him by his arm and dragged him out the front door and across a lawn to where a white SUV waited. “Get in.”

  He paused, bracing himself against the car’s side. “Why should I? I don’t even know who you are. Where are you going to take me?”

  She clicked her key fob to release the lock and then opened the door for him. “I’m taking you to Sybille. Do you really need to know any more than that?”

  Soon they were on the road. Elis glanced over his shoulder. He couldn’t believe Nathanial would kidnap him, run a series of tests, and then release him. It didn’t make sense.

  The woman picked up on his unease. “There’s no one following us. I assure you.”

  “That doesn’t add up. You said Nathanial knows what I am. He had me constrained and attached to those machines. He kept me drugged. Why would he just let me go?”

  “I might have told him that I had gazed upon the face of your spirit and it showed me a great darkness in which you destroyed all bloodthirsters who were anywhere near, even so-called invincible ones.”

  “Oh, come on!”

  “He bought it, didn’t he?”

  “But why didn’t he just kill me?”

  “Because the plan is to drive you to Port Everan, drug you again, and deposit you on the nearest cargo ship heading to Asia. You’re supposed to wake up somewhere in Russia a week from now. ‘Let the Siberian thirsters deal with him,’ he told me. Plus, obviously, killing you would be even worse than keeping you around. Releasing your wrathful spirit would only free it to set in motion the apocalyptic demise of every bloodthirster in North America.”

  Elis rested his head against the window. “Right. We wouldn’t want that. But the apocalyptic demise of Russian bloodthirsters is okay, I guess.”

  She shrugged. “What, you expected him to be anything besides self-serving? Nathanial’s a mean son of a bitch and he doesn’t want his little kingdom crashing down around him, especially not now while he’s basking in his invincibility. Did you know he had his men stake him over fifty times yesterday while everyone watched? Can you imagine how powerful he must have appeared to them? He’s already Blood King; now he thinks he’s Blood God.”

  “But he’s not the only one. There’s a Blood Goddess too, isn’t there?” The way she’d tasted—dream or not—hadn’t been like anything he’d experienced before. Everything was falling into place for him now—who and what this woman was. “Pull over, Raelyn.”

  She started at the mention of her name but did what he asked of her. “What is it? Why do you want to stop? I thought you were anxious to get back to Sybille.”

  “I am. I have one need that’s more pressing, however.” He brushed the hair away from her neck.

  Her eyes grew wide, but she didn’t ward him off. Instead, she tilted her head, just as she had in his dream. “We wouldn’t want your needs to go unmet now, would we?”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Juliana studied Zareen’s face as she drove them out of the city, past rolling countryside and into Low Hollow. Zareen eyed her nervously several times.

  “It’s weird—you staring at me like that. Cut it out.”

  She couldn’t, though. Moving at the speed the car traveled proved to be no easy feat. She was a spirit, not a physical being who could strap herself in and go along for the ride. She had to keep a connection with the human to stay in the car and regrettably, this meant focusing on her as much as possible.

  Zareen relaxed a little when Juliana explained this to her. “Okay, well, I guess that makes sense. Lowers the creep factor a notch, at least. It’s just, we don’t usually take spirits around for joy rides, you know. I’m not used to this.”

  “This is hardly a joy ride.”

  Zareen winced. “Tell me about it.”

  She turned on the radio, but it soon became apparent that they were never going to agree on what to listen to.

  Juliana rolled her eyes as Zareen scanned through the stations. “I hate everything written after the eighteenth century.”

  “Yeah, well, the classical station doesn’t get good reception out here.”

  Soon they were riding in silence again, Juliana vigilantly training her gaze on Zareen to avoid being sucked out of the car and left in a nearby wheat field.

  Finally, Zareen piped up. “So, I’ve noticed you haven’t done any manipulation of matter.”

  Juliana raised an eyebrow. “I haven’t what?”

  “You know, you haven’t channeled your inner poltergeist. No chain rattling, no lifting candelabras and dancing through the room with them, no slamming doors. All those good Victorian ghostly things.”

  She raised her chin and sniffed. “The Victorians, such imbeciles. A nasty, dirty time. It’s beyond me why humans romanticize these past eras. Would you prefer to be forced to marry an unwashed, parasite-infested man who doesn’t think you should have the right to vote or own property? Disgusting.”

  “Jesus, I was only suggesting that if you want to destroy your hell beast ex, you should probably be able to lift a chair or two and fling them across the room. I wasn’t suggesting we all start wearing corsets and ride around on those bicycles with the gigantic front wheels. You’re so touchy.”

  She was touchy? Humans and their lack of self-reflection. Still, Zareen brought up a good point. In all her years as a spirit, she’d never gained a knack for affecting the material world. It was enough of an effort trying to stay in a speeding car. She couldn’t imagine being able to grab the wheel and turn it, for instance. Though maybe it was worth a shot.

  She reached across Zareen’s lap.

  “Hey, what the fuck? What are you trying to do?”

  Juliana’s fingers slipped harmlessly through the wheel.

  “I didn’t say you should try it now. I’m going seventy miles per hour. You want to get us killed? Or, me killed, at least? I won’t be able to help you if I’m dead.”

  Juliana sighed. “As you can see, I lack the skill you spoke of.”

  Zareen seemed surprised. “Really? Even Nate can do a little bit, and he’s a lot younger than you, plus I think we can both agree he’s a tad on the dimwitted side.”

  “It’s not about intelligence!” Juliana moved so she was right next to Zareen. “My body was destroyed. I gave up my freedom so that I could set the world right. With that, I also gave up certain abilities spirits gain over time. I’d rather have my mental capacity than be able to flick light switches.” Though truth be told, being able to turn on a light would be useful too. Too many nights she’d sat in dark rooms because the humans had gone to bed.

  “Okay, I get it. I didn’t mean to offend you. Your sacrifice was very noble. But, how are you going to defeat Elis, then? I’m not much of a fighter, so if you expect me to stake him or something…”

  “I expect you to stay out of it and let me worry about that. Get me where I need to go and trust that I know what I’m doing. I’ve had years to think this through.” All a bluff, but a convincing one. She’d done a lot of thinking—that part was true, but it hadn’t been until yesterday that she’d realized a hierophant had gotten mixed up with her ex-love. From there, though, it hadn’t been difficult to figure out what she would need to do. It was perfect, really.

  The journey to the Low seemed like it would never end. Finally, they crossed into its territory, thickening woods on either side of them, the sky darkening even though the morning was making its way towards midday. The strain on Juliana eased as the divisions between her plane and the Now World began to blur. It took less and less concentration to stay in the car.

  She grasped at the door handle hoping that maybe she’d be able to feel the cold metal and then sighed.

  “Nothing?”

  “It doesn’t matter.” And it didn’t. The only thing that did matter was that Elis and that human of his were dealt with properly. “Properly” didn’t require any poltergeist skills on her part.

  The farther they went into the Low, the mor
e relaxed Juliana felt. It amazed her that she’d never come here before. She could have spent years in this place, relishing in the freedom it gave to her. Of course, it wasn’t true freedom; it wasn’t the total release she sought. But it was pleasant. Then she remembered what the Low was known for—a bloodthirster safe haven. A land of heartless, soulless beasts and a cesspool of humanity’s worst to boot. It disgusted her to think a place that had the potential to ease her own burdens was the sort of environment she despised the most.

  That confliction threatened to undo her tenuous sense of ease. “How much farther?”

  Zareen laughed. “You sound like Adelaide. She hates long car trips.” The woman glanced in the rearview mirror at the booster and car seats stationed in the back of the minivan. “My car needs several thousand dollars of repairs that I can’t afford to make. So my dad lets me borrow this car to cart the kids around in.”

  It was inevitable that Zareen’s thoughts would gravitate towards her children now that a dangerous situation was growing ever nearer. Juliana fought with herself not to think about them too. This woman made her own decision. She wasn’t being forced to help Juliana; she’d chosen to. Of course, Juliana had been exceedingly persuasive; her argument for ridding the world of the scourge of Elis was quite compelling. Still, Zareen could have played the mother card to get out of helping: she had young children, she shouldn’t put herself at risk. They could never get by on only her husband’s meager part-time school counselor income if something were to happen to her.

  Well, no matter. Zareen had made her choice. Juliana would not feel guilty because of it.

  Zareen’s eyes shifted back to the road. “It’s just like my father said it would be. It’s strange here. Like I’m being drugged.”

  “You’re not going to crash the car, are you?”

  Zareen gripped the wheel tighter. “No, I’m all right. I can handle it. If you see my eyes glazing over, scream in my ear.”

  Juliana renewed her vigilant study of her human companion, this time to make sure Zareen didn’t take a turn into the Low’s chasm of crazy. By the time they reached a small log cabin situated on a forested hill overlooking a crescent-shaped lake, Zareen’s breath was shallow and sweat glistened on her temple, but she still appeared to be coherent.

  “We’re here.” She parked the van next to a dark blue pick-up truck. “And so are they. What do we do now?”

  “We go say hello, of course.”

  Juliana floated behind Zareen, her feet brushing the cold ground. It was almost like real walking, or how she remembered real waking to be.

  The cabin door opened before they reached it. A woman with an oval face and sleek dark hair stared out at them, her expression flying through a series of emotions: hopefulness, confusion, surprise, and finally…horror.

  “Zareen, what are you doing here?” Sybille gave her cousin a quick hug, which turned into a spin that placed Zareen behind her so she was standing between her and Juliana. “Why did you bring this spirit with you? You have no idea how dangerous she is.”

  Zareen tried to step out from behind Sybille, but Sybille held her back. “No, no, Juliana’s not the one you have to be worried about. You’ve been tricked, Sybille. Elis is evil. He’s a monster! He means to kill you and turn you into a bloodthirster!”

  Naturally, Sybille had already thought through that scenario. She wasn’t naive. Hell, she’d spent her whole life dealing with beasts. She knew their inclinations. Elis might have a soul, but he was still a thirster. He had dark desires. None of that mattered, though. Despite what he might want, he wasn’t a mindless beast anymore. He wasn’t the monster her cousin or this Juliana claimed him to be. He’d had plenty of opportunity to kill her and he hadn’t. It was a line she felt strongly he would never cross.

  “You know, Zareen, it’s not the smartest thing in the world to believe the word of someone’s deranged disincarnated ex.”

  Zareen stomped her foot. “Come on, Sybille, think about it. Have you ever known a bloodthirster who got its spirit back? You don’t know what sort of power that gives it, what sort of awful things it might do with that power!”

  “I do know, actually. That one there,” she pointed at Juliana, “got her soul back and she went insane and killed every human within reach. That’s the sort of monster you’ve aligned yourself with.”

  Zareen looked back and forth between her cousin and Juliana, who shrugged her shoulders. “I killed myself for that reprehensible act, so I think I’ve paid my dues. Elis, on the other hand, has not. By the way, where is he?”

  Sybille put her hands on her hips. “Not here. Nowhere near here, so leave us be.”

  Devin and Charlie, both carrying firewood, appeared from around the side of the house. “Sybille, what’s going on? Zareen, why are you here?”

  Juliana wandered over to him. “Who’s this?”

  “Stay away from him!” Sybille yanked on his sleeve and grabbed the girl’s shoulder, ushering them both inside.

  Devin tossed his wood into a metal bin next to the wood burner and came back to stand behind Sybille. “What’s going on? Don’t tell me we’ve got another client already. Couldn’t it have waited, Zareen? We’re a bit tied up with our current case.”

  “She is our current case.” Sybille eyed Juliana with distaste as the spirit wandered into the cabin, keeping as close to Devin as she could. She usually prided herself on the fact that her feathers weren’t easily ruffled, yet here she was, a mere two minutes after Juliana showed up and she was already fantasizing about releasing Juliana to an afterlife featuring flames and medieval torture devices. The worst thing was that Juliana had noticed her discomposure and was playing it to her advantage.

  “Devin…” Juliana placed her ghostly hands over his chest and slid them downward, exploring as much of him as she pleased. “I like that name.”

  “I can see you, you know.” Charlie scrunched up her nose. “And it’s gross. That’s my uncle!”

  Devin looked from side to side. “What’s going on? Am I being felt up by a spirit? Is she hot, at least?”

  Sybille pulled the little girl onto the couch next to her. “Yes you are, and unfortunately, she’s admittedly attractive. If you like your spirits vengeful and brooding.”

  “Not really.”

  “The bigger question is,” she turned to Charlie, “how are you able to see her? You didn’t get this ability from Devin’s side of the family, that’s for sure.”

  “Hey, now.”

  The girl shrugged. “Maybe it’s the invincible thirster mom thing, maybe it’s from my dad’s side. All I know is, I see her, and Sybille, seriously, don’t you see what she’s trying to do? She’s trying to make you mad. Don’t you get why?” The girl took Sybille’s hand.

  “The Low is teaching you terrible things, Charlie.”

  “This isn’t about me. It’s about you. And Elis. Stop worrying about me and worry about yourself.”

  “It’s exhausting to be here. I hate this place.” Sybille slumped back against the couch. Juliana was here in the Low. With her. Just like in her vision. This should have made her extra vigilant. Instead it left her depleted. What was wrong with her?

  “I know how you feel.” Zareen wrapped an arm around her. “Dad seems to have fixed this old cabin up nicely though. The Low’s attack isn’t as strong inside. Don’t worry, Sybille. We’re here to help. Elis is the reason this is happening to you, but we’re going to stop him.”

  “You don’t understand.”

  “You really don’t.” Devin crouched in front of Sybille. “I mean, I hate the guy, but what you think is going on, it’s not. It’s a lot more complicated than that.”

  “Or maybe it’s actually very simple.” Juliana swept over to them from her position at the window where she’d been searching for any signs of Elis. “A car is coming. I presume my husband is home at last. It’s finally time to pay him back for everything he took from me.”

  She glided right through Devin and situated herself in
front of Sybille. With her in close proximity, the Low’s assault mounted anew. In her weakened state, even Peter’s buffered cabin could not keep it out completely. Why was she so drained? She’d never felt this way, not even after a possession.

  She barely registered it when Zareen squeezed her shoulder. “Oh my God, the bloodthirsters know you’re here. Holy shit, Sybille, what have you gotten yourself into?”

  That was different, all right. Bloodthirsters. Hundreds of them gathering from all corners of the Low. They were awake and making their way to her, craving her, her blood, her power. Out of all of them, some were probably old enough to be able to mesmerize. Were there enough to break through her defenses, forcing her to be powerless so she could do nothing to prevent them from killing her?

  They would be here soon.

  “You should leave,” she whispered. “Devin, take Charlie and Zareen and get out of here.”

  Devin gasped. “What? No way. You’re coming with us!”

  “I have to wait for Elis so we can deal with this and it isn’t safe anymore for you to wait with me. Please, Devin.” She willed herself to look past Juliana’s scornful face towards her friend. “Please. Save your niece.”

  “No one is saving anyone!” Juliana spun herself around Sybille who flinched when the spirit drew near.

  “What do you mean, Juliana? You said you were here so that you could save everyone!” Zareen finally seemed to be questioning whether she’d taken up arms with the right side.

  “And you wonder why I kept secrets from you people.” Charlie sat with her arms wrapped around her knees, trying her best not to look scared. “Adults are all so dumb!”

  A car engine purred louder and louder and then cut out. Juliana smiled while placing spectral hands on each side of Sybille’s face. “It’s time. Open up, Sybille. I want in.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Why is there an extra car here?” Elis tumbled out of Raelyn’s SUV, the effort of putting one foot in front of the other while simultaneously staying upright nearly more than he could manage. If it hadn’t been for the tasty meal he’d just had, he’d probably still be slumped in the passenger seat, completely spent. “Sybille?”