by Hayley Todd
I nodded, not trusting my voice to come out smoothly. He grinned that arrogant but attractive smile and retreated into the room beyond.
It wasn’t long before I heard the knobs twist and steam drifted into my bedroom. I climbed out of bed, pulling open my closet and finding a silk robe hanging there that I hadn’t worn in years. I pulled it on, putting one arm through the hole and draping the other side over my shoulder. The silky material felt cool and smooth against my skin. I desperately needed a shower too but it could wait.
Now that I was awake, I needed to see how Evelyn was doing. She had injured herself for me. It was the least that I owed her.
I took the stairs two at a time until I ended up back on the first floor. Fortunately, my face hurt less today and the pain in my arm was fading all the time. I was beginning to feel like myself again.
The first floor of the building was bustling with activity. The doors to the day room were closed now and I really had no desire to head that direction. If I could find my father, I’d be able to figure out what was going on.
It didn’t take long to find him. The kitchen was attached to an expansive living room with the dining room in the next room over. It seemed like that was where he had set up his base of operations.
As I rounded the corner into the kitchen, the smell of food wafted to me. We nearly collided as I entered the room. Damien drew up short, swerving a plate piled high with food out of the way before I could ram into it .
“Good morning, daughter,” he greeted with a smile. I could see the strain around his eyes but if he didn’t bring it up, I didn’t want to worry him further.
“Good morning,” I replied, looking around the room. I spied several of the council members busy with other Magicks but noted no presence of Austin Wells or Evelyn. Lord Wells was one of the younger council members and I didn’t know him well, but still I found no trace of him to be odd.
Damien shifted his hand until he held the plate out to me. “I was just coming to see you,” he explained. I took the plate from him and admired the buffet he’d laid out. The plate was piled high with eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, and fresh fruit. It smelled delicious.
“Thank you,” I replied. I felt like the words weren’t an adequate level of appreciation. I was actually over the moon. I had felt a bit shuffled off with him lately, though I didn’t fault him for it in the middle of a literal war. I couldn’t believe he had taken the time to make sure I had breakfast.
“I was actually looking for you,” I told him, feeling a bit more down as I recalled why I had come downstairs. He quirked an eyebrow at me and held his hand in the general direction of the stairs and rest of the house. I made my way all the way to the stairs before I turned back, resting the plate on a hall table there.
“What’s up?” he asked and the modern phrase seemed bizarre coming from him. I still didn’t know exactly how old he was but I knew he was ancient.
“How’s Evelyn?” I asked immediately. I wanted to ask about a million other things but I had to bide my time. I couldn’t find out everything in one breath.
Damien hesitated before speaking and even then he cleared his throat roughly. “Evelyn is...not doing well. The doctors don’t think she’ll make it. I...I can arrange for you to speak with her?” My heart squeezed as I realized he was trying not to let his voice break.
“I’d like that,” I said softly. My stomach felt like it was twisted in knots.
Damien moved toward the day room, opening the door for me. I followed. He led me to one of the beds that was separated by a curtain and slid the curtain aside. The “room” was nearly empty. There was a tall Aeronyx man seated beside the bed and Evelyn—broken and worn—in the bed.
The man leapt to his feet the moment we entered and gestured toward the empty seat. I gave him the best smile I could manage and nodded my head in thanks, sliding into the chair. Evelyn was conscious though I hadn’t thought she was when we entered. She blinked her eyes slowly and watched me without turning her head. I hadn’t considered that she may not be able to move it. I stood, abandoning the chair so she could see me fully.
“Kyra,” she said, barely a whisper. She smiled though it was laced with pain and exhaustion.
“Evelyn,” I replied and already my voice broke. My knees felt weak beneath me and it was all I could do to keep from collapsing. She wouldn’t be able to see me if I knelt and I didn’t want her to see how upset I was anyway.
“This isn’t your fault, you know,” she said.
I ignored the fat tear that rolled over my cheek. “You were trying to save me,” I said in disagreement. “You did save me.”
Her smile widened, though still seemingly exhausted. “Then my purpose was served,” she replied and the words cut deeply into me. “Kyra,” she continued, “I am eight hundred and seventy-nine years old. I have lived a dozen lifetimes. If my life were to end in servitude to my King and Princess, then my life was lived to the fullest.” She paused for several seconds but I thought it was more about gathering the air for her words than drama. “I trust that you,” she looked me up and down, grimacing at what I was sure were my battle wounds, “will lead the Magicks to victory in this war. You will provide for our future generations. You’re smart and bright and beautiful. There is nothing you cannot do.”
I couldn’t help but smile at her kind words, despite the fact that I wanted nothing more to do than to cry. “Who is that man?” I asked in a whisper, though I knew his vampire hearing would be able to hear me if he was paying attention.
Evelyn’s eyes flicked to the side before returning to me. “I’m glad you came, Kyra. That man, is my son, Asher Flynn. I hope that you and the rest of the Magicks will embrace him in a way that I never could.” She smiled again before jerking roughly and coughing. We all smelled the blood without finding its source.
“Nurse!” Damien bellowed, pulling me back by my uninjured shoulder. Seven figures in scrubs burst into the room, immediately rushing the bed. My father guided me out, leaving Asher to find his own way.
The sobs hit me before I passed the curtain. Through my tears I didn’t even see him coming.
Anton crashed into me, pulling me into an embrace. His arms locked around me, gentle but strong.
He and my father exchanged words but I didn’t hear them. I kept my face pressed into his neck, sobbing as quietly as I could. I didn’t see it but I knew he wrapped his arms around my knees and cradled me as he walked away.
I lost myself in my agony and guilt and despair until he opened the French doors and laid me on my bed. He didn’t try to discuss it and I was glad for that. He climbed into the bed behind me and held me as I shook.
I didn’t know how much time had passed before my sobs faded. But I felt grungy and exhausted when they did. He didn’t speak for a long while, letting me lay there in silence.
Finally, he lifted himself into a sitting position, pulling me up with him. “You need a shower,” he said, pushing my robe over my shoulders.
I nodded and slipped off the bed leaving the robe behind me. He came around to me and tugged at the hem of my tank top until I lifted my arms. He pulled it off and discarded it in a heap before spinning his finger in a circle.
I turned and felt his warm fingers twist at the claps of my bra before it went slack. I dropped it into the pile with my shirt.
He gently pulled the strap of my sling over my head, slowly let my arm fall to my side, and laid it on the bed.
He went for my pants next and it was hard not to feel awkward as he slid them over my hips and onto the floor. I thought he could feel the rigid tension in my legs because he stopped and turned without looking and gestured me toward the bathroom.
I went and he followed, stepping beside me as I reached the shower door. He slipped it open, reached in, and twisted the water on to a suitable temperature. Then he stepped back, kissed me on my cheek, and went back into the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind him.
I stared after him for several long moment bef
ore I pulled my underwear off and climbed into the steaming water. It felt heavenly running down my skin, even with all my injuries. I felt filthy. More even than physically. I felt hurt and betrayed, grimy and depressed, broken and lost. Everything but that water hurt.
I stood in the spray for so long that I had to remind myself of what I had and had not done.
“One step at a time, Kyra,” I said to myself before grabbing shampoo from the shelf. Despite that I hadn’t been back here in so long, there was a brand new bottle of my preferred brand on the shelf.
I paused for one second, staring blankly at the shampoo. I tried to force my right arm to lift and still it did not heed my call. It would have to be a one handed hair washing then. I picked the bottle up, flipping its cap with my thumb and poured it directly on to my head before returning the bottle to its shelf and massaging the liquid in with my left arm.
The rest of the cleansing process became infinitely more tedious without the use of my other arm but after a bit, the job was done and I felt fresh and clean for what felt like the first time in days. I climbed out of the shower after twisting the knobs off and wrapped the clean hanging towel around my form. Its fabric smelled surprisingly fresh considering how long it had been since I had been back here. Maybe Damien had prepared even more than I had thought.
I stepped out onto a fluffy bath mat and glared up into the fogged mirror. It was a huge structure from ceiling to countertop and from one end of the wall to the other. Even through the fog, I could see part of my image.
Thankfully, the skin from my shoulder down my right arm had healed completely. It was perhaps slightly more red than the rest of my body but otherwise looked normal. I knew it hadn’t finished healing though since I still couldn’t move it.
My face still looked atrocious which didn’t surprise me. Most of the blood I had ingested seemed to have leapt to the most severe injury, trying desperately to repair my arm. The bruises around my eyes had actually darkened to a deep purple but the edges were beginning to yellow, indicating some healing. Though I was fairly certain it had been broken too, my nose was straight despite also being bruised. My cheek was still swollen, as was my jaw, but I hoped the swelling would reduce as the healing continued.
The image was shocking. I tried to force the rational thinking of who had caused what injuries to the back of my mind. Dwelling on the beating I had received from Carson would do nothing for me but cause me pain. I still wasn’t entirely sure what to do about him.
He hadn’t even asked how high when Valeria commanded him to jump. He had just done it. He reminded me of a zombie, following orders to the letter. That wasn’t my Carson. I wasn’t sure what she’d done to him, but my heart broke at his absence.
I hadn’t really considered what I would wear as I pulled a brush from one of the vanity drawers and pulled it through my matted hair. That fight had really done a number on me, physically and cosmetically. I was surprised when I looked at the long makeup counter on the opposite side of the room and found a neatly folded pile of clothes waiting for me.
I set the brush aside, digging through the clothing. They were mine. They were from years ago but they were my own clothing. That was some relief at least. I tugged them on, undergarments then a form fitting pair of jeans and a tank top and adorable button up shirt and admired myself in the mirror.
My style had changed significantly over the years, usually through Kellic’s intervention. She was the fashionista between us. She followed style changes over the seasons as well as the correct seasonal colors in hair and makeup. I couldn’t fault her for it, though. She was good at what she did. I never found myself disliking anything that she had selected.
This was an outfit that I had picked out myself when Will had dragged us both on a hike with him through the mountainous regions a few hours away. It had been fun, hard work but we’d had a blast. I missed days like those.
I folded my towel over a drying rack and stepped out into my bedroom. The room was empty except for Anton who sat at a small table in the attached kitchenette. He was facing away from me and held something in his hands when I approached.
“Feel better?” he asked, without turning to me.
I swept passed the bed and snatched up my sling, noticing my dirty clothes absence as I made my way across the room to him. “Much, thank you,” I replied. I needed to keep my mind straight and not on certain things before the despair pulled me back.
“Damien brought by the clothes and food,” he gestured to the plate from before sitting on the countertop beside the microwave, “and this.” He lifted his hands where he’d been fiddling with something and my heart thudded hard in my chest as the silvery chain unfurled from his fist. The sapphire stone hung delicately beneath his hand.
I didn’t go for the amulet at first, though my instincts told me to. Did I even want the thing now? I felt deep within myself that it could help me combat Valeria’s mental control but Carson had turned so completely from me. Would it even help now?
Anton turned, a forced grin on his lips. He was good at that. He could smile and show you his arrogant teasing grin even when he didn’t feel it but I could see it now, the strain beneath the show.
He held his arm aloft until I lifted my hand palm up and he dropped the chain and stone onto my skin. It was cold against my flesh but felt like it weighed a million tons.
And I’d be damned if it didn’t immediately suck me into the darkness.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
I didn’t think Sage noticed when I slipped into her consciousness but Seira was there with me watching through her eyes.
“Kyra,” she greeted quietly. I hadn’t noticed the tattoo down her cheek before but it seemed to glow now. It was a circle surrounded by lines that spread in all directions and it was bright blue-white in the darkness.
“Seira,” I greeted in return, watching her carefully. She was the closest to me she ever had been, occupying space directly beside me. I had begun to expect her alien presence and it seemed to help me cope with the fact that she existed and continued to appear in my life.
“If you want to see what’s at stake, watch,” she commanded, turning her attention to what Sage was doing.
I did the same and like I always had with Sage and Achillia’s visions, I sank into Sage as though I were her and she were me.
I sprang into the sky, far above the chaos below. The Greek and Trojan troops were in full disarray now, colliding with one another in clashes of explosive sound.
The Champion trials hadn’t gone well for me. It was Ares who had suggested them but I figured that was only under Eris’ guidance. She was the one who truly benefited from the outcome and she had become infinitely more dangerous as a result. She flew opposite me on opaque golden-violet wings and she reveled in it. I could hear her yips of excitement even from my distance.
She and I had each fought lords from one of the vampire houses. I had done well until my fight with the Incubus lord. He had gotten in my head, twisted my thoughts, and broken down my resolve. For Eris though, the thoughts hadn’t seemed to infiltrate her convoluted mind and she had overcome him easily.
That was supposed to have been the end of this war. Zeus has finally agreed to it, with the victor winning the current conflict. Eris, however, seemed to have different plans as she used the Chaos Amulet to turn her soldiers into vile nearly indestructible entities.
Even now, three giant single eyed creatures lumbered across the field of battle, wiping out the Greeks in droves. It took the cyclops only an arm swing to send human bodies scattering over the field.
Eris laughed gleefully, watching her creations decimate the Greeks in the thousands.
Zeus had called me to the forefront of battle after the first creatures had appeared. We had hoped that the monsters who existed were the last of their kind but with the Chaos amulet, Eris was calling them into existence faster than they could be defeated.
A lightning bolt arced through the sky, exploding onto one of the Cyclops.
It jerked as the electricity entered its body, shook itself, and resumed destruction as though nothing had happened.
“Harmonia,” Zeus called, lowering to my height. I peered over at him, knowing we’d both have to land soon as the roars of thunder grew farther apart. With the aid of a storm, we could both pull qualities from the sky but without it, we were returned to our normalcy.
I nodded at Zeus, knowing without further instruction that he wanted me to center my focus on the unstoppable monsters below.
I fell back, touching down on a sloping hill behind the line of fighting. I took a moment, pulling strength from the clouds above before hurling myself into the air once more.
I hovered forward and pulled the necklace from the pouch at my waist. The sapphire blue gem slid out last and I pulled the silver chain over my neck until the gem rested on my chest.
I felt the tug at my consciousness immediately. Zeus and Hera had hoped I would find myself on the winning end of the trials because with the extra mental influence the other vampires’ abilities would have provided, I should’ve been able to fight off the changes the amulet forced on my psyche.
Instead, I had to employ the gem’s endless power without protection. I couldn’t afford to not take the risk.
Unimpeded anger enveloped me. I wanted to go straight for Eris, to knock her from the skies but I had to fight past that and think rationally.
First, her creatures. Then, I will take my time with her.
It didn’t even feel as though the thoughts were my own. I harbored no hatred for Eris. We had, after all, once been the closest of friends.
Zeus had produced enough covens for the ritual and the rest was contingent on me downing Eris and her beings.
I braced myself, took a deep breath, and lifted my hand toward the front line of my own troops.