by Stella Night
She looked offended. “This isn’t punishment. Just the opposite. It’s a chance at redemption. A chance to make things right. Besides, it’s not your life that I need.”
He froze. “Amanda?”
“Of course. Why else do you think I kept your little princess alive? It’s certainly not because you two make a good couple. I mean, really. She’s quite the downgrade from me, don’t you think?”
“Go to hell. There was never anything between us. You knew that.”
“Of course, but that doesn’t mean seeing you together doesn’t sting a little.”
Santiago gritted his teeth and bit back a nasty comment. He didn’t want to piss her off now, not while Amanda’s life hung in the balance. “Why her? Why not sacrifice one of your mercenaries? I’m sure some of them deserve to die for things they’ve done.”
She nodded. “I’m sure all of them have blackened souls beyond repair. But that’s exactly why they won’t work. Gods are so finicky. They want clean hands and clean souls.”
Santiago chuckled. “I hate to break it to you, but Amanda isn’t a virgin, if that’s what your getting at.”
Eliza’s lip curled in disgust. “Really, Santiago? So crude. But no, that’s not what I need. I need someone pure in other ways.” She wiggled her fingers at him like a stage magician. “No blood on their hands. And I need someone who is cherished. Someone who is loved. After all, it’s not really a sacrifice if no one gives a shit about them dying.”
Santiago thought fast. “Well, there you go. Amanda might be pure but I don’t think she’s loved by anyone.”
She sighed. “How stupid do you think I am? I saw the way you charged in when she was in trouble. So heroic. So dumb.”
He shrugged, trying to act like Amanda didn’t matter. “You know I have a weakness for damsels in distress. But I sure as hell don’t love her.”
Eliza’s eyes searched his face, scrutinizing the authenticity of his words. “Well, I guess we’ll find out whether you love her or not.”
“How are we going to do that?”
“Simple. I’ll sacrifice her. If the ritual doesn’t work, I’ll know you were telling the truth.”
Chapter 12
Eliza marched Santiago along a worn path. His hands were bound behind his back. Eliza held the rope with an iron grip. There was no way he could escape and no way to shift.
He kept his head down, looking at the hundreds of boot prints pressed into the soil. She and her men must have been here for a while if they had eroded away the grass along this route.
“You’ve been out here a long time,” Santiago said.
“Yes, I’m about ready for a hot bath and a huge stack of pancakes.”
“Can you eat pancakes?”
She laughed. “Of course, I can. I mean, they don’t provide any sustenance, but they still taste damn good.”
“So in all this time, you haven’t gotten the ritual to work?”
“No, not yet.” She patted him on the back. “But now that you’re here, I’ve got a good feeling about this. You and I always made a good team.”
“That’s right. We did.” Santiago stopped walking and turned to face her. “Look, why don’t we slow down here. I can help you figure this out. Maybe find a way to fix you that doesn’t involve killing.”
“I’ve searched the world over looking for a way to change me back.” Her voice sounded tired. “I chased every rumor and whisper, and this is the only thing I’ve found.”
“There has to be another way.”
“Well, if you know of one, I’m all ears.” She paused for a moment, like she was waiting for an answer. “Oh? You don’t know of another way? Then it looks like I’m sticking with Plan A. Sorry.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do.”
“How do you know this will even work? How do you know you won’t be murdering Amanda for no reason?”
Eliza rummaged in a satchel hanging off her shoulder. She pulled out an ancient looking book and lifted it up so he could see it. “This is the only text I’ve found on the subject. It’s bound in human skin. Gross, huh? Damn vampires have such a flare for the dramatic. I think it’s because they get bored, living as long as they do. They have to go big to make things interesting.”
“How convenient that you found a textbook on how to change a vampire back into a shifter.”
She whacked him over the head with the book. “This wasn’t easy to find. But it was worth all the trouble. Some ancient vampire scholar roamed the world back in the day. He describes this temple and talks about an ancient ritual to summon a powerful being. A being who can open the bond between man and animal spirit.”
“Sounds like a fairy tale. Like the fountain of youth or the city of gold.”
“It does, right? But here we are. The temple is here. The energy is here. Why wouldn’t the rest of the story be real, too?”
“Okay, fine. Let’s assume the book is right. Can’t you take a second to realize how crazy this is? How crazy you sound?”
Eliza’s face twisted with anger. She jabbed an accusatory finger at him. “You try losing your connection to your wolf, then see if you’re so damn high and mighty.”
“Do it. Change me. Let me see what it’s like.”
She cocked her head at him, considering his request. Then a slow smile spread across her face, followed by a fit of laughter. “Goddamn, Santiago. You almost had me there. You clever little wolf.”
“I’m serious,” he said.
“No, you’re not,” she said, still chuckling. She shoved a hand in his back to get him walking again. “If I change you and make you like me, then you won’t be a real shifter anymore. And that means you won’t be able to initiate the ritual. Clever, clever. Goddamn, I miss hanging out with you.”
He said nothing. His last ditch gambit has almost worked. But almost didn’t mean a goddamn thing.
“You know, after all this messy business is over and I’m back to my normal self, you should stick around. I could use someone like you at my side. I’ve got some scores to settle.”
Santiago barked a harsh laugh. “You really believe that’s possible.”
“I know you’ll be sore about this for a while, but you’ll come around. Time heals all wounds, after all. Well, most of them. It didn’t heal my severed connection to my tiger.”
Eliza’s train of thought kept wandering off as she spoke. She had never done that before. Maybe the vampires who’d captured her drove her insane. He felt a surge of pity for his old friend.
Even though she stood here talking to him, the real Eliza had died that night. The person she used to be was gone, replaced with this hollowed out shell of a woman. As sad as it was, it didn’t change the fact that Eliza was planning on sacrificing Amanda to some made up god.
“If you go through with this, I’ll never forgive you. No amount of time will change that.”
“I wish I could change you. Show you what it’s really like to lose the connection to your spirit animal.”
Santiago laughed bitterly. “I think it’s pretty obvious it drove you insane.”
“That’s a definite possibility. But it’s even worse than that. It’s like they ripped my soul out of my chest. I want my soul back, Santiago. I need it back.”
“The price is too high.”
“Not for me. But look, I’m not a monster. No matter how hard those bastards tried to make me one. I know this is hard for you. That’s why I’m gonna give you some time with your girlfriend. Let you two make peace with everything.”
“How kind of you,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
She yanked on his bindings, pulling his arms into a painful position behind him. “If you want, we can do the ritual right now. Would you prefer that?”
“No,” he said through gritted teeth.
“That’s what I thought.”
Eliza walked Santiago over to a squat ring of stone walls that looked as old as time itself. The ruins were s
urrounded by soldiers, their rifles at the ready. Inside, Amanda sat leaning against one of the walls, her eyes lost in thought.
Eliza shoved Santiago towards the nearest opening in the walls. “Hey, princess. I’ve got a visitor for you.”
Amanda looked up with dull eyes, as if she expected the worst. Her expression brightened at the sight of him. He could see some of that old fire burning in her gaze.
He stumbled over to her, off balance because of his restrictive bindings. But he didn’t have time to be careful. He wanted to touch her again. To smell the scent of her, like lavender and vanilla. He wanted to taste her lips again.
Her eyes flared with anger as he got close. “You son of a bitch,” she cried. “You lied to me!”
Santiago’s shoulders sagged at the accusation. He didn’t know how much time they had left together. He didn’t want to spend it arguing. “I know, but I can explain—”
She held up a stern hand, cutting him off. “You lied. Eliza is way prettier than me.”
Santiago stopped short. His eyes widened in surprise. Then he laughed. “Are you serious? You’re mad about that?”
She grinned at him. “No, not really. But you looked so sad. I wanted to see if I could make you smile. Did it work?”
He grinned from ear to ear. “You’re amazing. Have I told you that?”
“Yes, but I like hearing it anyway.”
“And you are so much prettier than Eliza. Believe me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, duh. She’s so masculine. It’s like sleeping with a guy. I mean, it’s fine if you’re in to that sort of thing, but—”
“Amanda, stop,” he said, his voice low and serious. “We’re in trouble here. What she’s planning, I’m not sure how to explain it.”
She smiled sadly. “You don’t have to. I already know. She told me while you were knocked out. I couldn’t get her to shut up about it.”
“Then why aren’t you freaking out right now? Lord knows, I am.”
“I’ve had time to freak out already. Now I’m just hoping you’ve got some cunning plan to get us out of this mess.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Amanda. I can’t see a way out of this.”
She sighed and nuzzled her face against his neck. “Yeah, me neither.”
He kissed her cheek. “But that doesn’t mean we have to go down without a fight. It’s not a fight we can win, but we can take a few of them with us and spoil her plans.”
Amanda stroked his hair. Her touch was soothing. “That sounds nice, but no. If there’s a way for only one of us to die, I’d rather it be me.”
He tensed up, filled with panic. “Absolutely not. I’ll die before I let them hurt you.”
“I know you would, but in this case, you don’t have that choice.”
“There’s always a choice,” he growled. “All I have to do is fight back. They’ll kill me, but without me, there’s not point in sacrificing you.”
“Until they find someone else like you to start the ritual.”
Santiago pulled away from her so he could see her eyes. “About that. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I didn’t know how to explain it. You must have so many questions.”
She looked back at him with a tender look in her eyes. “I do, but none of them really matter now. I know enough. I know that you saved me that first night in the glade. And I know you risked your life again and again to keep me safe. No matter what else you are, you’re a good man. You’re the man I love.”
He groaned. “Don’t say that.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m trying so hard not to love you right now. If I don’t, the ritual won’t work.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter if the ritual works. They’re going to kill me anyway. If you want to love me, now’s the time.”
Moisture filled his eyes. “Then I love you. With all my heart. Now and forever.”
He pressed his lips to hers, sealing the words with a kiss. Her tears streamed down her face, mixing with his where their lips met. A final union before the end.
“Alright, love birds, it’s time,” Eliza called out harshly.
Santiago gazed into Amanda’s eyes. “I can’t do this. I can’t let you go.”
“I can do it, as long as it means keeping you safe. You’ve saved my life so many times. Now it’s time for me to save yours.”
“I can’t,” he said, and whirled to face Eliza. She stood looking at him, one hand resting on her hip and one foot tapping impatiently.
“Well?” she asked.
“I won’t do it. I won’t help you kill her.”
“Haven’t we been over this? Do I really need to say this out loud?” She examined Santiago’s stubborn expression and shrugged. “I guess I do. Fine.”
She spoke in a bored, “let’s get on with it” voice. “If you don’t do what I say, the girl suffers and dies. Blah blah blah. Come on, already.”
“You know that’s not much of a threat, right?” Santiago said. “You’re going to kill her anyway. So threatening to kill her if I don’t let you kill her isn’t much of a bargaining chip.”
Eliza nodded. “I guess I should have made myself more clear. If you don’t fall in line right now, I’m going to do more than kill her.” She advanced towards him, her voice getting louder with every step. “I found out the hard way that there are fates worse than death. I can make her like me. Worse than me. Do you know what a thrall is?”
He shook his head.
“Well, let me tell you. It’s like the lowest form of vampire. I will strip her of all free will. Amanda will answer to me and only me. She’ll do whatever I say, when I say it. If I tell her to jump off a cliff, she will. If I tell her to kill a stubborn fucking wolf, she’ll do that, too.”
Rage boiled in Santiago, ready to burst. Tendrils of red fog clouded his mind, making it hard to think about anything but killing. His own death wouldn’t matter, as long as he took Eliza down.
A soft hand settled on his shoulder. The fog of war lifted like the sun clearing the morning mist. “Don’t,” Amanda said softly. “It’s okay.”
She walked past him, her head held high and her shoulders back. Her face serene. She looked like a queen walking bravely to the gallows.
***
Eliza led them to what looked like an Aztec pyramid, only much smaller, roughly thirty feet tall. Stone steps had been carved in each of its four sides, leading to a flat platform at the top.
“It was a real pain in the ass to find this place,” Eliza said breezily. “We had to clear a thousand years worth of overgrowth to uncover it, but it was worth it. I mean, just look at it.”
She chatted merrily, like they were on a tour of an ancient site instead of heading towards some grisly ritual. Santiago could hear the excitement in her voice. The closer they got, the more she talked. Like she couldn’t contain herself.
He had the vague realization that she was lonely. Like she hadn’t had anyone to talk to like this in a really long time. Again, he felt an ache of pity for his old friend. But that sympathy was tempered by what she was about to do.
“There are twelve steps on each side,” she continued. “Something to do with the cycles of the moon or the sun, or some such nonsense. And each face of the pyramid is lined up with the cardinal directions. It’s all based on some forgotten form of sacred geometry. I never really believed in that kind of thing until I found this place. I mean, just feel the air.”
Santiago understood what she was talking about. The air hummed with energy like the pyramid hid some giant, throbbing machine. But there was nothing mechanical here. It was something else. Something unexplainable.
Still, it was impossible for Santiago to take any joy in finally finding the source of power that had been calling to him these last few days. Not when he knew what was coming.
“Can you just shut the fuck up?” he growled at Eliza.
Her smile faltered. “Don’t ruin this for me.”
“I don’t
give a damn about making this fun for you.”
She shook her head. “Maybe someday you’ll understand just how awesome this moment is. And I don’t mean like, hey, that cheeseburger was awesome. I mean something that inspires awe. Like it or not, you’re involved in something here that’s bigger than both of us.”
“Fuck big. All I want is normal.” He looked at Amanda, striding ahead of him. All he wanted was her. But he didn’t say it out loud. Eliza wasn’t a part of what Santiago and Amanda had between them. She didn’t deserve to know how he felt about her.
“Well, after this is done, you can do whatever the hell you want,” Eliza said sourly. “Now I’m going to free your hands so you can shift. Are you going to behave?”
He glared at her, not dignifying the question with a response.
“Let me remind you why you should cooperate,” Eliza said. She moved in a blur, almost too fast to see. She reappeared beside Amanda as if she’d teleported. Then she blurred back beside Santiago. “I’m faster than you now. Now that it’s night time. You fuck with me, and Amanda becomes my slave. Got it?”
He nodded. Eliza pulled a glittering knife from her waist and sliced through the ropes at his wrists. Santiago flexed his fists and rubbed his forearms to restore circulation.
“Now shift,” Eliza demanded.
He opened himself up to the power inside him, letting his wolf free.
“I forgot how pretty you are when you shift,” Eliza said.
Santiago looked up at her and growled.
“Easy now,” she said. “No shenanigans from you.”
Santiago padded up beside Amanda. His wolf was bigger than a regular wolf. His head came up to her shoulders, so that they were almost face to face. She looked at him, her eyes bright with moisture. “My beautiful wolf,” she breathed. “My forest guardian.”
She ran her fingers through the silky fur on his head. Her touch lit a warmth in him. He nuzzled his face against her breast, savoring the smell of her and the steady sound of her heartbeat.
The pulse of power called to him, almost overwhelming him with the desire to run up the pyramid and find it. But that feeling was nothing compared to how much he wanted to stay with Amanda.