The journey through the veil was just as hot and quick and disorienting as it had been the first time. This time Stellan rode Cyrus with me, though Meredith went through alone. The same gut-churning feeling nearly had me doubled over as the hellhound bounded forward, finally stopping a few moments after we were through.
“Just need a sec, guys,” I said, closing my eyes and trying to get ahold of myself as I slid down off Cyrus’ back.
“You sure you’re gonna be able to do this?” Meredith asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
“Not you. I was asking him.”
“I’m fine.”
“If you say so… What’s the plan?” Meredith asked.
“We check the cottage and make sure he isn’t still there. If he’s not, we go to Theodosia. She’ll be able to help us find him. When we’re certain of where he is, Cyrus stays back. I’d rather slip in undetected if possible,” I said.
Stellan nearly snorted as he stifled a chuckle.
“What?”
“You really think they won’t see us coming from a mile away? Especially if they have the king? They’ll be lying in wait for you. Take Cyrus.”
“No. If we can do this without killing, that’s what I want to do.”
“You need to be prepared to do just that though. You know that, right?”
“I do, but you’re right. They’ll know we’re coming. I’ll distract them while the two of you sneak in and get him out of there. Just promise me that if they catch me, you’ll come back for me, even if you can’t wake him. I’d really rather not die in a fiery blaze today.”
“I swear it,” Stellan said, kneeling in front of me.
The sight shocked me, but it shocked me even more when Meredith did the same.
“I swear it as well.”
“Thank you… now let’s do this.”
18
Delia
The cottage was empty, just like I suspected it would be. We nearly bypassed checking just to save time, but Theodosia didn’t live far from the place and it was practically on the way, especially since Cyrus could cover a lot of ground quickly. It seemed stupid to not at least check it out and hope for the best.
“Let me go ahead,” I said when we got close to her cabin. “I’m not sure how she’ll react with the two of you entering her land. She was a little terrifying when she didn’t know who I was before.”
I found Theodosia, dressed in tight pants, boots, and a cloak that no doubt housed a menagerie of magical aids, waiting at the edge of her land.
“They have him in Mallory Falls,” she said, her tone more serious than it had been before. “He’s in the dungeon.”
“Well, at least they haven’t moved him somewhere else. I know exactly how to get there,” I said. “I’ve brought help.”
Theodosia nearly jumped stiff-legged and gasped. “Sweet mother,” she exclaimed. “You could warn a girl you know,” she said and tilted her chin toward Cyrus as he came into view.
“Sorry,” I said. “We need his help.”
“Yes, you certainly do, it’s just that I haven’t seen a hellhound in decades. I thought most of them had migrated to the mountains surrounding Velum Mortis.”
“They did,” said Stellan. “But Cyrus is a special case.”
“Well, I’d say our odds of success just drastically increased, but his presence will likely give us away before we get close enough to do anything.”
Stellan looked the hellhound in the eyes and nodded. Cyrus vibrated like he might burst out of his skin, but a moment later, the strangest thing happened. As the vibration subsided, his size changed. He was no longer as big as a workhorse on steroids. Now he was no bigger than a large dog. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“You’re going with us?” I asked, focusing my attention back to Theodosia, excited at the thought of extra help.
“Absolutely, dearie. My Samuel is in that dungeon as well and I intend to get him back.”
With that, we all set off into the forest toward Mallory Falls. The journey was longer and quieter than I would’ve liked, the stillness of the woods unnerving me. It was like the whole place had gone dead and silent, save for the crunch of the earth below our feet.
The silence gave me too much time to contemplate where I’d been and where I was going. The threat of death was the heaviest it had ever been since the very first day I’d picked up a sword five years ago. There was a good chance I wouldn’t make it out alive, but even worse, I was positive someone, whether it was one of us or one of them, wouldn’t make it through the night. And maybe it would be someone I’d thought of as a friend.
I didn’t want to have to kill but was willing to if necessary. I only hoped I wasn’t being a complete fool when it came to Liam. There was no doubt left in my mind that I was his mate. More than one had told me so at that point, but the way my heart ached without him was a sign I couldn’t ignore.
I was putting my life on the line to save him. A vampire. The very same creature that from my earliest memories I’d been groomed to hate. But I could never hate Liam. He’d been the only person who ever believed in me. He never made me feel inadequate or like I’d fuck everything up if left to my own devices the way Harmon had.
Of course, I had sort of fucked things up when left to my own devices when I kissed Liam, but I didn’t regret it anymore. If my people could so easily turn on me for something they knew I didn’t really have control over, they would’ve likely cast me out for some other violation. I mean, really… how hard would it have been to tell me what was up and send others with me to prevent me from kissing him in the first place?
Liam would never turn on me or abandon me like Harmon had. Even in our short time together, I knew deep in my heart that it was true. He wasn’t by my side at that moment only because he’d been poisoned while trying to save me. I owed it to him to bring him back.
I’m going to kiss him again, long and deep—among other things—just as soon as I can.
“You’re thinking too loud again,” Stellan said quietly, pulling me back to reality.
“Sorry,” I said.
The sky in the distance began to brighten, the lights from town reflecting through the night.
This is it, I thought to myself. There was no turning back now.
In a few minutes, we’d cross the boundary to Mallory Falls. We proceeded ahead swiftly but with caution, stopping every so often so that Meredith could listen. Stellan didn’t seem to use any of his vampiric abilities the way Meredith did. She smelled the air and cocked her head as if she were trying to pick up someone’s trail, while Stellan only waited in anticipation. But as long as he could fight half as well as I expected him to, we’d have a chance.
Meredith nodded, and said, “It’s clear. There are a few voices, but they don’t seem to be bothered by us at all. Certainly nothing threatening.”
“The dungeon is this way,” I said and led the way. “We’ll still try to slip in unnoticed, but I’ll be ready to create a distraction if necessary.”
“I’m going with you, dearie,” Theodosia said. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Stellan said, “We’ll be right behind you. At the first hint of this turning into a shit-show, I’m calling in Cyrus, and when I do, you jump on his back and get to the king by any means necessary.”
I liked my plan better, but I wouldn’t rule out Stellan’s, even if it meant I had to ride into battle on the back of a hellhound.
Creeping around the outskirts of Mallory Falls toward the dungeons, I couldn’t help but notice how unusually quiet the town seemed to be. It was around four in the morning, which normally would be a quiet time for most places, but not here.
I hadn’t slept past three in the morning for the last two years or so because we were expected to be up and ready to train by four. The sound of wooden training swords hitting one another, fists and feet connecting to opponents, and all the different sounds a person makes when fighting should have been echoing through the night,
but it was quiet and still.
“Something’s not right,” I whispered and drew the sword from the scabbard at my side. It wasn’t as light or familiar as my own, but it’d have to do. “It’s too quiet.”
“Shit-show time?” Stellan asked.
“Maybe,” I said. “I’ll go ahead and see what’s up. If nothing else, I’ll lure them out if they’re waiting for me. Just be ready.”
I left most of my companions behind, but Theodosia stayed on my heels.
“They’ll see you,” I said. “It’s better if they think I’m alone.”
“No, dearie,” she responded. “They won’t see either one of us.”
Before I could ask what she meant, she smashed a ball that looked pretty similar to the one she’d given to me on the ground. This one was larger and emitted a thick green smoke that wrapped itself around the two of us.
“This one won’t last as long, I’m afraid. I didn’t have time to make one like I gave you. It takes weeks for the potion to simmer long enough to last as long as that one, but this will allow us to get into the dungeon without being seen.”
“But that means Stellan and Meredith can’t see us either,” I said, not knowing how I felt about the plan changing without a way to let them know.
“Stellan will likely be of little use anyway, and I’m not familiar with the other one or her skills. I’m sure she’s fine, but you said yourself that you’d rather not kill anyone, and that’s exactly what they’ll do given the chance. This is how we keep from it.”
With no choice but to move along with her plan, I hurried to the building that housed our two loves.
“How much time do we have before this wears off?”
“Not long at all. A few minutes maybe.”
“We’ll have to move fast then.”
Taking the handle of the door into my hand, I turned it, surprised to find it unlocked with no one guarding it on the other side. Another sign that I was walking into a trap, but at least I had Theodosia’s magic on my side.
“Can you see anything?” I asked.
“No,” she said.
A moment later, a bright ball of light stung my eyes, forcing me to shield them for a moment.
A ball of fire levitated just above the palm of Theodosia’s hand.
“Won’t they see that something is here?”
“Yes, but they won’t see you. Not yet. Better make haste.”
Running down the corridor, the light faded slightly as I left her behind, but there was just enough that I could still see where I was going. Glancing into every cell as I went along, I found them empty with every door standing open.
The door of the next cell I checked out stood slightly ajar like the rest of them, but this one had a pool of blood staining the floor just within. My heart sunk to the floor.
Samuel’s cell.
Glancing back toward Theodosia, she made her way slowly down the hallway, a look of contained excitement plastered on her face.
Something bad had happened to Samuel and her hopes were about to be smashed to pieces.
My heart broke for her, but I was pissed at myself for giving her hope in the first place. Maybe it would’ve been better for her to continue thinking he had been lost to her years ago.
I waited for her to approach before moving on. I couldn’t let her go through this one alone.
The look of excitement drained from her face as she spotted the blood. Tears welled up in her eyes, her chin trembling.
“Samuel,” she whispered, a tear falling to her cheek.
“It doesn’t mean he’s dead,” I assured her. Maybe it was wrong to try and give her more hope, but without a body, I couldn’t blindly believe he was dead either.
She nodded, and said, “I’ll keep hope until my last dying breath.”
Placing my hand on hers, I squeezed.
“All of these cell doors are open. Would the slayers do that for any reason you can think of?”
“No,” I said and trudged forward toward the last cell, the one that had been mine. If he wasn’t there, then we were too late. They’d already moved him, and we’d have to retreat until we could track him down again.
Emptiness greeted me and my heart shattered.
“He’s not here,” I said, a hitch in my voice.
“That’s impossible. I did a locater spell on him. I can still feel his presence close by.”
“We need to get back to the others before the cloaking spell wears off. I think there are bigger things at play here.”
“What do you mean he wasn’t there?” Meredith asked. “I thought your witch friend here located him.”
“I did,” Theodosia responded.
“Obviously, your little spell didn’t work,” Meredith said.
“It did,” Theodosia said back to her sternly.
“Well, then where the fuck is he if it worked so well? I don’t see him, do you?”
“Stop,” I said. “Arguing amongst ourselves isn’t going to help anything. If Theodosia says he’s still here, then I’m inclined to believe he is. We go with plan B.”
“And which one would that be?” Meredith asked. “The one where you create a distraction or the one where the witch takes over and does her own thing? Or the one—”
“Shit-show,” Stellan said and whistled.
19
Delia
Cyrus grew even larger than I thought he had been previously, though maybe it was just the contrast between the two sizes that jarred me so much. I’d never seen a thing in the world like him. He was both mesmerizing and terrifying. Hard to look at, yet hard to look away from…
“You can either go in on his back or go in by yourself. Either way, you have to draw them out. They’ve obviously hidden the king somewhere and are waiting for you to make your move.”
“I’ll go on Cyrus.” The element of surprise was on my side with him. They were expecting me, there was no doubt in my mind, but they weren’t expecting me to bound into the center of town on the back of a hellhound.
“We’ll be right behind you.”
A moment later, I was on Cyrus, riding him toward the fountain, situated at the town center, sitting at the bottom of the hill leading up to the council. The council chambers were likely where the others holed themselves up, waiting to pounce.
Cyrus ran fast and hard, skidding to a stop just past the fountain as I tugged on his fur.
“Harmon,” I shouted. “I know you’re here. Come out now, and let’s end this.”
I waited, my heart pounding in anticipation. A movement off to the right caught not only my eye, but Cyrus’ as well. Vibration rumbled through his body and mine as a low growl emanated from deep within him.
Harmon stepped into view, never taking his eyes off the hellhound. He appeared to have no weapons, but I wasn’t buying it. There was no telling what trick he had up his sleeve or what sort of magic aided him.
“Let’s end this now,” I said. “Give Liam back to me, and we’ll leave you in peace. Refuse and I cannot ensure your safety. I haven’t come alone, and the others are ready for a battle.”
“Good to see you’ve embraced everything you were taught to hate,” he said. Shaking his head as he shifted his glower to me, he continued. “You’ve been such a disappointment. Your father would be ashamed of the whore you turned out to be.”
“Your words can’t cut me the way they used to,” I said, recognizing then that he’d used his tongue to try and defeat me in the tomb where Liam slept. It may have affected me then, but it didn’t now. “You’re wasting your breath.”
“And you’re wasting your time,” he said.
“You refuse to comply?”
“I would if I could, but I no longer have possession of lover boy.”
“Where is he?” I said, growing irritated. “What have you done with him.”
“I haven’t done a thing with him… He’s no longer a prisoner here. Did you not see the blood when you were traipsing around the dungeon?”
“I saw it, and I’m guessing you knew I was there because of your own use of magical cheats?”
Ignoring the accusation, he said, “The blood was a byproduct of the destruction he tried to inflict on our people. My people, I mean. Not yours. Not anymore. If you’d bothered to have a look around town, you would’ve seen a lot more splattered here and there, I assure you.”
“How is that possible? You yourself had a hand in putting him down again. How is he free to do as you say he did?”
“Just like your father, the witch fooled me. He woke up a few hours ago and killed everything in his path. Did you not notice how quiet it is here? The lack of training going on didn’t tip you off that something was up?”
“I don’t believe you,” I said. Cyrus shook his head as if he were agreeing with me. I hoped Theodosia was far enough away that she couldn’t hear what Harmon’s words implied. I didn’t believe Liam would harm someone as innocent as Samuel or anyone else in town for that matter, not unless they were trying to hurt him first.
“Believe what you want, but you’ll find most of the people in town gone and the ones who stayed have tucked themselves away in their homes. The council members tremble now behind their locked chamber doors, pleading for their lives as we speak.”
Something wasn’t right, that was for sure, but it wasn’t Liam who concerned me the most. If what Harmon said was true, why had he so nonchalantly joined me out in the open if everyone in town were all so scared Liam would take them out if they showed their faces? And where were the other slayers? I knew most of them well enough to know they wouldn’t tuck tail and run.
“He’s there with them now, probably draining the last of the blood from their bodies, and here you sit. On the back of an unholy beast trying to rescue the piece of dick who slaughtered them.”
“He’s more than that, and you know it. You know what we are to each other. You knew it all along. And to think, I was willing to settle for a life of mediocrity with you.”
Beyond the Veil (Vampires of Velum Mortis Book 1) Page 13