Burning Blood: Bonds of Blood: Book 2

by Daniel De Lorne

“What assistance can you lend? Do you have the key? Have you recaptured Xadrak?” The words fired from her, propelled with scorn. She wanted to wound, but Sinara was unmoved.

  “No, but I have a gift that will aid you in your fight.”

  “What is it?”

  “Xadrak imbues his minions with power, and I would do the same for you and your followers.”

  Chains bound her heart, their hot metal searing into the bruised muscle. She was being bought off again. As tempting as the added power was, right now she couldn’t accept.

  “I can’t take it…maybe the others will.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it must be given freely and taken with gratitude. Right now, I don’t have any in me.”

  “I…understand. I hope you change your mind.”

  “I’m sure you do.”

  Sinara blinked. “I offer it because I want to give you something as a mother would give her child. You might not believe me capable of it, but I love you and always have. This power is yours by birthright but is also a gift I would like us to share. Promise me you’ll think about it.”

  She looked at the demon for a moment longer, and for all the differences between her face and Elaine’s, the similarities threatened to break her completely.

  She gave a hurried goodbye and dropped to Earth, returning to her home inside the mountain. And that night, for the first time in centuries, she entered her mother’s tomb.

  VII

  Another day and night passed without much said between Hame and Carn. Animosity grew like algae on a pond. While before they might not have talked a lot, there would still be a touch, however fleeting, or a look, sometimes even a smile, to stir in some kindness and disrupt hatred’s spread. Now light and oxygen couldn’t get in. Life withered, leaving in its wake a dead indifference.

  And still his visions remained beyond reach. He sat in his sanctuary as long as he could, running through exercises Loic had taught him and methods he’d since developed to bring them forth. But nothing came, except a frustration that gnawed on his sanity. He stayed until chill air splintered his concentration.

  When he walked back inside, his head pounding, Carn bumped into him on his way out the door. He didn’t stop or apologize.

  “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Carn swung round. “It speaks.”

  “Too right I fucking speak. This is what we’ve become, is it? Something to be ignored?”

  “You started this whole silent treatment thing.”

  “Bullshit. You’ve only been too happy to ignore me.”

  “How could I do anything different? You look at me with such hate. You think I’ll just take it?”

  Xadrak’s name hovered on the tip of his tongue. He wanted to say he knew what Carn was doing. He wanted Carn to know he could help restrain the evil that had latched onto him. But he didn’t dare now he was so unsure of the reason. What if Carn followed Xadrak because he chose to?

  “What has happened to you? You’re not the man I fell in love with.”

  “I’m the same, but you expect to see someone else.” Carn stormed out the door.

  “Where are you going?” he called after him.

  “You’re the oracle. You tell me.”

  Then he was gone, vanished, and Hame roared until his throat bled.

  Aurelia met two of her witches inside a London pub at two in the afternoon. They occupied a leather-seated booth in a back corner, bought a couple of drinks, and she cast a warding spell. Zach and Zoe, a brother and sister from Liverpool, with matching twinkling eyes, had requested to meet her. They had news about Carn.

  “You’re sure?” she asked.

  Zach nodded, rotating the half-full pint glass in his hands. “We both saw him. He was talking to the witch Mira sent us to investigate.”

  “Maybe…” She was about to say maybe Hame had sent Carn to the potential witch’s home, but Hame’s ability had ceased working. “Did you confront him?”

  “No,” Zoe said, “there was something sketchy. How did he know about the witch?”

  “We thought he was out of the whole recruiting gig anyway,” Zach continued. “He’s certainly not been of use lately. When was the last time he helped exterminate of one of Xadrak’s lot?”

  Despite being close to it all when he’d first joined her, Carn had gradually removed himself from their operations. And after their latest confrontation she assumed he wasn’t helping anyway. Hence the need for witches like Zach and Zoe. They were also far more agreeable.

  “We tracked him afterwards.”

  “Carn? How? He’s shielded. Even I can’t get a fix on him.”

  “Sometimes a bit of human tech helps.” Zoe flashed her brilliant white teeth. “We put a tracker on him.” She pulled out of her pocket a round disc, extremely thin and small, and placed it in Aurelia’s open palm.

  She held next to nothing. If Aurelia had been given it blindfolded, she’d doubt she held anything.

  “You put this on him? That’s incredibly risky.” But that was Zach and Zoe. They exuded youthful recklessness, despite having lived for more than sixty years. They maintained connections with the mortal world, and still buried themselves in the rapid changes in technology that made Aurelia’s head ache.

  Zach shrugged. “It emits a beacon, but its basic components are material, so it doesn’t show up when testing for magic. Of course, we used some, but it’s inverted. Makes it untraceable, which is ironic. We’re pretty pleased.”

  And they looked it.

  ’How did you stick it on him without him noticing?”

  “A new recruit bumped into him when he walked out. She slipped it in his coat pocket.”

  She dreaded to ask what they’d discovered, hoping there’d be no more to tell, that Carn’s appearance at the potential’s door could be explained away in their favor, that he’d gone home, or somewhere boring. But Zach and Zoe wouldn’t have bothered her if that had been the case.

  “Where did he go?”

  “Hampstead. He’s watching someone.”

  “Who?”

  “His name’s Peter. He has a wife and daughter. He’s totally ordinary.”

  “You’re sure you have the right guy? Maybe it was just a coincidence.”

  Zach shook his head. “He’s returned twice already. The only thing that’s the same is this guy. Different locations, once at a playground, once while Peter was at work. We’ve asked Mira, but she hasn’t picked up a thing. He’s completely normal.”

  “Then why is Carn bothering?”

  Zach and Zoe’s shoulders rose in unison.

  Xadrak. A stone lodged in her throat. Surely she’d know if the demon had returned. Hame would have told her. Or perhaps he’d told Carn and he was now trying to be a hero. She needed to find out more.

  “How long will the device last?”

  “Until we destroy it. It has a built-in self-destruct function. He might find it, but it’s innocuous enough he shouldn’t think much of it.”

  “Let’s hope so. I saw Carn recently and he’s barely holding it together.”

  “He could be in love.” Zach laughed.

  “If only.” Because then Hame might see things had changed. Perhaps it would be better to show Hame what Carn was up to. “How do you trace him?”

  “The signal beams straight to us. We can hook you in.”

  “Do it.”

  Zoe reached forward and touched her fingers to Aurelia’s temple. A spark shot into her mind then came the awareness of a friendly and welcoming consciousness. She connected to Zach and Zoe and slipped into the tracker.

  She finally knew where Carn was.

  “I’ll follow Peter. Can you keep an eye on the witch Carn visited?”

  “Already on it. No sign yet whether he was there for us or…”

  “Let’s hope there’s some innocent explanation.”

  “Meanwhile we prepare for the worst?”

  She considered how many of her coven Carn had encountered. In t
he beginning, when out of necessity she had discarded her dislike at enlisting new witches, he had almost rock star status among the allies. He was the good-looking blond with the dreamy oracle on his arm, and a talent for shields that left most of them gasping. He’d been charming and personable.

  Now he was unapproachable and acerbic. She’d stopped introducing him to recruits a while ago, but regardless, he knew too much. If he had gone bad, his knowledge of her coven would prove disastrous.

  “Tell everyone to ensure their shields are secure but try not to spook them.”

  “You don’t want us to warn everyone to stay clear of him too?” Zoe asked.

  “Not yet. There’s a chance he’s on our side.”

  “But if he’s working for Xadrak?”

  Her heart stopped and fell into a yawning emptiness.

  “He’ll have to be assassinated.”

  And that was going to destroy Hame.

  VIII

  “Come with me, Hame,” Aurelia pleaded as she barged into his sanctuary.

  “For God’s sake, I don’t want you here.” He struggled yet again to force even the easiest of visions. Tomorrow’s lottery numbers, who’d win next week’s football match: easy things that usually required such minimal effort they were laughable. But now, he might as well attempt to predict how the world would look in ten thousand years.

  “I have to show you something.”

  “Whatever it is, I’m not interested. Besides, Carn will return soon, and if he sees you, there’ll be hell.”

  He was bluffing, of course. Carn hadn’t been home for nearly a week.

  “I know where Carn is.”

  “You…what? No one knows where Carn is. Even I can’t…well, I didn’t…couldn’t see him if he didn’t want to be found. And you’re telling me you can? How?”

  “It’s not important. You need to see this.”

  “Why? What’s he doing?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “If this is some sort of trick to show me Carn at his worst, I won’t go. I’m not surprised you’d think up such a spiteful thing.”

  “God damn it, Hame! Open your fucking eyes.”

  His stomach sank. What was she trying to show him? Carn with someone else, someone he wanted more than him? No, that wasn’t possible. There had only ever been him and Carn, no one else, and he wasn’t likely to start cheating now. Yet where had he been all week?

  “I’m sorry, Hame. I know…I know you’ve lost your visions.”

  His head snapped up. “How do you know that?”

  “Sinara told me.”

  “Sinara…Sinara knows? And she told you?”

  She ignored his pointed remark. Aurelia talking to Sinara was as baffling as him losing his visions.

  “I want to help you.”

  “But I don’t want your help. I can sort this out by myself. Me and Carn.”

  “If he’s meant to be helping you, then why is he in Hampstead right now?”

  Hame opened his mouth to fire some rebuttal but he had nothing to say.

  Carn’s in Hampstead?

  “Please, Hame, come with me and we can help each other, like we used to. Carn is up to something, and I want you to see this because I’m not sure what I’m looking at. If we don’t uncover it, I’m worried there’ll be trouble.”

  He didn’t want to see anything; he’d tried for so long not to. He thought that by being there for Carn, giving him as much love as he could, then he could be the anchor he needed to stay good. The future was not fixed; things changed. But he was forced to see this tactic hadn’t been working for a long time.

  He held out his hand and Aurelia, with awful pity in her eyes, took it. They ripped through the ether and landed in a park. She hurried them along.

  Despite the time of year, the air was dry and crisp, warm for winter, with a bright, clear blue sky. The good weather brought out the crowds and smiles. Lots of people strolled through the parklands.

  Aurelia took them down a dirt track until they stopped at a lake. She pointed across the water at a park bench. Though his back was to them, Hame recognized Carn instantly.

  Momentary relief swept through him at finding him doing something so innocuous. But Aurelia wouldn’t bring him there if it were to watch Carn soak up the sunshine.

  “So what? He’s sitting in a park.”

  Why pick this place? They had acres of natural land at home, and Carn had never been the social type, yet families and knots of friends were everywhere.

  “He’s not sitting. He’s watching.” She raised her finger and directed his sight to a man, a woman and a little girl on a picnic blanket. The man and the woman talked, heads close together, bodies towards each other, while the girl played with a set of toy cars. She’d then lift one to her parents, and they’d bend and smile and laugh. A more perfect picture of familial bliss he’d never seen—aside from the saccharine portrayals on television that substituted for actual visions.

  “Who are they?”

  “Peter, Jane and Diana. But we know—”

  “We? Who else is following him?”

  “That doesn’t matter. But we know Carn is only interested in Peter.”

  “You think there’s something going on between them? That’s ridiculous.”

  I would know if Carn was fucking someone else, wouldn’t I?

  “No, as far as I can tell he’s not romantically involved. But he’s watching him for a reason.”

  “Maybe he’s another witch in waiting.”

  “We’ve checked. He’s practically a table when it comes to magical potential.”

  “Well, there are plenty of other possibilities.”

  “Like Peter is Xadrak?”

  “No,” he said decisively. “Xadrak hasn’t returned.”

  “But how do you know?”

  He didn’t. Not with any certainty. Just hope. He couldn’t look her in the eye.

  “Did you send Carn to meet a witch a few days ago?”

  He shook his head. “Why?”

  “He was seen talking to a potential. We were going to recruit him, but Carn got there first.”

  “Maybe he was acting on your behalf.”

  She shook her head. “If he was, he hasn’t told me or anyone else.”

  “Perhaps it was a bust. It happens.”

  “We’re concerned he’s working for the other side.”

  He didn’t speak, couldn’t confirm her suspicions because he’d buried the truth six feet under, covered it in dirt and allowed the grass to grow. But the dead had a way of coming back to life. He swallowed hard.

  “I’d get some proof before you make those sorts of accusations.”

  “I know. And I’m hoping it’s all a misunderstanding. But if not, you might be in danger.”

  “If he belongs to Xadrak, don’t you think he would have hurt me before now?”

  “You’re already hurt.”

  Her words got into the wounds over his heart and stretched them wide. He had to get away before he broke. “I’ve heard enough. Take me home.”

  She hesitated but he ignored her. Instead he switched his focus between Carn and the man who held his lover’s attention, until finally, thankfully, she took him away.

  IX

  Aurelia brought him home. She hovered and fussed, trying to convince him to sneak away with her, but he refused.

  “You aren’t safe with him.”

  He’d never felt safer, in fact. “Lucky he’s not here.”

  “You don’t have to face him alone.”

  “I’ll be fine. Please go.”

  “But what about your visions?”

  “Later. Please go.”

  “Promise me you’ll contact me the moment you need help.”

  “Aurelia—”

  “Promise. Me.”

  She wouldn’t go until he’d given his word. She gently nudged his mind, the link sturdier than it had been in years. Kindness tripped along it, concern and empathy, too—everything he craved. He retu
rned grudging gratitude, and the connection thickened. A grin bloomed across her face like petals unfurling in the morning sun. He wasn’t the only one suffering withdrawals.

  They hugged, though the worry of Carn catching them together hardened his joints into rusty hinges. He withdrew. “You should go.”

  She kissed him softly on the cheek and left him to await Carn’s return.

  Whenever that will be.

  Having already been absent for a week, was he ever coming back? If he did, would he offer an explanation, even if it was a lie? After more than two centuries Hame deserved that at least, but with the way things stood, he’d likely get silence. He simmered over the possibility of enduring such contempt. Hadn’t he done his best to protect the witch and provide safe haven?

  Rage steamed and bubbled through the next day until Carn’s reappearance that evening.

  “Where were you?” The hairs on the back of Hame’s neck bristled.

  Carn walked past him and into the bedroom, as though Hame had never spoken.

  “Well?” Hame followed

  “Out.” Carn threw his jacket on the bed and unbuttoned his collared shirt.

  Although acting cool, he couldn’t hide the small tell-tale signs of his aggravation—the lips pulled taut over his teeth, the cheek twitching just beneath his right eye.

  “Out? For a week?”

  He put on a white T-shirt that molded to his body. “I needed some space.”

  “Who’s Peter?”

  He paused in the middle of picking up his jacket. “Who?”

  “You know. Has a wife called Jane, a daughter called Diana?”

  Carn faced him. Slowly. “How do you know about them?” he asked quietly.

  “Take a guess,” he said, glad he hadn’t confided his blindness.

  Doesn’t that sum us up perfectly?

  “What did you see?” The hate drained from his eyes and was replaced with blank fear.

  You thought you could lie to me.

  “You, looking at Peter. Who is he and what does he mean to you?”

  The muscle in Carn’s cheek jumped. “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It matters to me!”