by Eve Vaughn
In its purest form, Malum takes only a few minutes to kick in. When taken directly it happens quickly but if it’s contracted from a bite or mixed with something else, like a drink perhaps, it takes a while to manifest. So someone could be infected with it for days before the effects kick in.”
“I’m guessing he used you to create more of this serum?”
“Yes. He wanted to wipe out shifter kind with it but I couldn’t produce it fast enough. And that’s when the abuse kicked in. I found that if shifted into other wolf forms I could temporarily take on their abilities and produce more of the serum Gage required. And then something happened. I took the form of a shifter who worked with Gage and I couldn’t shift back. It was pure agony. I felt like I was losing my mind. All I saw was rage and a darkness that I had to fight. That was one of my last memories before I saw a beautiful blinding white light. It calmed me and I felt at peace.”
“What happened?” Aries asked gently. His gaze was unwavering.
It was Anisa. She touched me and healed me…temporarily. I don’t think she could finish before Gage pulled her away from me. I was in my human form again. But I’d learned from another hunter that all the shifters within a ten-mile radius, with the exception of Anisa, were dead. Apparently, Malum had been in my blood for so long that it took over and when it took over my mind, I must have let out some kind of pheromone off that killed all. I must have been in that state for days because as I was told that the hunters would capture enemy shifters bring them to my location where they were met with certain death. It was only when Anisa intervened that I was in my right mind by then but it was already too late. I’d killed so many of our kind.” Tears slid down her cheeks.
From the time she was born she was told her abilities were a blessing and would bring her great luck in her lifetime but all it had caused was nothing but pain and heartache.
Aries grasped her by the shoulders. “It wasn’t your fault. Gage is behind this. On the bright side, you had to have taken out some of his men when you were in this state.”
“Only the shifters who were in residence at the time of my madness.”
“Gage wanted me to do it again… become his killing machine but it wasn’t something I could turn on and off. He was so angry with me but he couldn’t kill me because he still needed my serum. Eventually, Anisa escaped and that’s when things started to turn dark for me again. I believe her presence actually kept what had happened to me under control. But when she was gone, I’d shift to the forms of other wolves without even trying. I think Gage sensed that this darkness that you asked me about was coming back, full fledge. The only thing I could do was think of her. The she-wolf who led me out of darkness. I concentrated on her so hard I became her wolf and Gage hated me for that. He couldn’t even get any more serum out of me and the torture was ramped up. I was starved, beaten and made to suffer in unimaginable ways.”
“You were stuck in that form, weren’t you?”
Nina nodded. “And Gage adopted me as his Pet.” There were others before me, but I was different because I thwarted his plans wanted to make an example of me, to show me that I was nothing to him but a beast her could misuse and casually dismiss at his whim. He didn’t even keep me locked up anymore because I was too broken to try to escape. And then one day he dropped the bombshell. He said that even if I wasn’t able to produce the venom, it was still in me and eventually the darkness would return. The fact that I couldn’t heal and I was in constant pain indicated to me that he was right. Shortly before Persephone was captured and she was brought to his compound, I could feel its effects slowly taking over. Aries…whatever Sarah did to me, may work now, but it wasn’t the same feeling as when Anisa did it. With more time, I believe she would have completely healed me. So it’s only a matter of time before the darkness consumes me again which is why I can’t be on this island when it happens. You have to let me go.”
Aries cupped her face in his hands. “I can never let you go. Where you go I go. But you’re right, I can’t risk the rest of the pack by having you on Circe. I have a safe house in Athens. You and I will leave, first thing in the morning.”
She shook her head. “But you could die if you come with me.”
“I think a part of me would already be dead if I let you leave.”
Chapter Twelve
When the line for Paris’s private line rang, he immediately picked it up. This was the call he’d been waiting for. “Paris Kyriakis here,” he answered.
“You sound very stressed my friend,” Dante Grimaldi replied on the other end of the line.”
“I am stressed. It’s been an extremely stressful week waiting for Gage’s next move and I was just informed by my nephew that his mate is some kind of ticking time bomb waiting to go off.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what Malum is, don’t you?”
“Of course. It’s decimated the shifter population. But what of it?”
“What if I were to tell you that Aries’s mate is the source of it.”
“What?”
Paris sighed, raking his fingers through his hair as he relayed the story Aries had told him this morning. He wasn’t happy that the pack’s beta was taking off with this woman he barely knew because she could possibly cause devastation to their ranks. But then again, he knew more than anyone else the power of the mate pull. It was what kept him pining for a woman he’d pushed away several years ago because of his arrogance. But his worry about Aries wasn’t because he was the Beta, but he was his nephew. He saw Aries as one of his own. And he worried about him as much as he did about Constantine and Persephone.
When he finished his tale, Dante whistled. “Whoa. That’s a lot to unpack. So you mean to tell me that if this illness manifests within her she could potentially wipe out your entire pack?”
“Apparently. When we brought her here, Sarah was able to heal her but Nina thinks it’s only temporary. The only thing I can surmise from that is that it’s because Sarah is only a quarter seraphim. I believe if we can find Anisa she could be cured.”
“I suppose my call came right on time then.”
Paris’s heart sped up. “If you have something to tell me, then don’t leave me in suspense.”
“I’ve sent several Underground agents out to Greece to and other parts where there had been heavy hunter activity. That estate where Persephone was held prisoner is empty. Gage was one step ahead of us, however, a couple of our agents managed to capture a hunter for interrogation. Unfortunately, the fucker wouldn’t crack even when we started cutting off body parts. If nothing else, these zealots are loyal. Anyway, we got some help. Niccolo’s mate Sasha was able to use her powers to get him to talk.”
Dante’s brother Niccolo was mated to a witch from a very powerful family and it was said that she was the most powerful one in the bunch because of a special mark she bore. “And what did you find out.”
“There was a sighting. We may have found Anisa. I’ve already dispatched agents to that area.”
Paris sat up. “Where? I need to know the location so I can go there.”
“Hold on, I don’t have confirmation which is why I sent the agents to check it out first. There’s no point in getting your hopes up and going there only to find it was a false lead.”
“I don’t care. If there’s a possibility that it's really her then I want to be there.”
Dante sighed. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“Of course I want to know. I’ve waited decades to find her. And now more than ever it’s imperative that she be found before Gage gets to her. And the fact that Aries’s mate needs her.”
“Fine, but if you go, I’ll meet you there. No point in you going alone.”
“I’ll take some of my pack members with me, besides, shouldn’t you be home with Isis. Isn’t her due date coming up?”
“Not for another couple months. Besides, she told me that I’m driving her crazy with my constant hovering. I think she would welcome me giving
her a brief respite,” he said referring to his mate.
Paris could hear the pride in his friend’s voice and an emotion he never thought he would feel toward his friend welled in his chest. Jealousy. Dante had found happiness with his mate while Paris didn’t know where his was. He felt guilty for allowing this emotion to briefly take over because he would never begrudge his friend his happiness. Paris more than anyone knew what the vampire had gone through. “Okay,” Paris finally replied. “It would be good to see you again.”
“Good, the location I was given was a little province in France. I’ll fly out to Athens and we’ll meet there before heading off to France together.”
“That sounds like a plan. I’ll contact you when I arrive.”
They exchanged a few more words before hanging up.
He clenched his fists at his side. After all these years, did he dare hope that he’d found her? Paris didn’t know if his heart could take the hit if he discovered it was another false lead.
<><><>
Nina gripped Aries’s arms as they were about to board his boat. “I can’t let you do this, Aries.”
“I’ve already told you, that I’m not letting you go off on your own. I want to be there to protect you.”
“The hunters will leave me alone because of this thing inside of me.”
“Or maybe not. They could very well come for you and use you as a weapon. I’m not letting him get his hands on you again.”
“Either way, I’m putting you in danger. I can’t have that on my conscious. I’ve already lost people I care about. I don’t think I would bear it if I were to lose you too.”
Aries raised a brow as a tiny smirk curved his lips. “You almost sound as if you care.”
She looked away from him unable to meet his gaze. Nina couldn’t understand it either. It wasn’t as if she knew Aries that long. So why did her heartache at the thought of something bad happening to him? “It’s the mate pull. Nothing more.”
He grasped her by the chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. Maybe so, but it doesn’t change how we feel. Look, this is all new to me as well. I never wanted a mate because as I’ve told you, my guilt made me believe that I didn’t deserve to be happy. But since you’ve come into my life, no matter how briefly we’ve known each other, what I feel toward you is something that can’t be denied. I will never let anyone harm you and I’m going to keep you safe. This thing between us, I don’t know if it’s love. I’ve never been in love before. I just know that the thought of being without you makes my heart ache.”
Nina gasped in surprise. His words mirrored her own thoughts. Even with Kuruk, she’d never felt this strongly. Sure she had cared for him more than she had any other male in her pack which is why she’d eventually picked him. She’d even been happy with him during their time together. But her feelings for him didn’t come close to this unexplainable passion she had for Aries. A tear escaped the corner of her eyes. “Losing you would be like losing my Micco all over again but much worse. I still dream about him every night. I let him down.”
“You can’t blame yourself for what happened to him. You did the best you could. It was all Gage’s fault and for that, we will make him pay. In the meantime, we should be heading off.”
Nina wanted to argue but the fierce look in Aries’s eyes told her that she’d be fighting a losing battle. The thought of something happening to him frightened her but even scarier was being without him.
As they boarded Aries’s yacht someone called out to them. When Nina turned around, she saw a woman with long brown hair racing toward them. She had to admit the woman was probably one of the most beautiful women Nina had ever seen, and from the way Aries stiffened, Nina could tell that there was something between the two of them. She didn’t need to be told this was the friend whom Aries had gone after. It took everything within her not to pounce on the other woman.
As she approached, Aries stood in front of Nina. “Calliope, what do you want?”
“I know I’m the last person you probably want to see right now but—”
“And you would be right. I didn’t tell my uncle about the stunt you pulled so don’t make me regret my decision.”
Nina almost felt sorry for the other woman who was clearly taken aback by her Beta’s tone, but then Nina remembered the danger Calliope had put Aries in. “I deserved that. And I can’t apologize enough for what happened but I had another dream…about the all-black.”
Aries flexed his jaw and his irritation was evident. “Her name is Nina.”
Calliope bowed her head in submission. “I meant no offense.”
“Fine,” he grunted. “What was it you had to say about this dream?”
“You know my dreams can be interpreted many ways but I saw darkness. And it was all around us. And your mate was in the center, in her wolf form. It could mean many things but…I think it involves her shifting. If she transforms into her wolf form, something bad is going to happen. Something very bad.”
“That’s enough Calliope. Haven’t you done enough? Was it too much that you nearly got me and yourself killed? You’ve come to me with more lies? Accept that there can never be anything else between us.”
Tears welled in Calliope’s brown eyes and this time Nina really did feel pity for the she-wolf. Nina placed her hand on Aries’s arm. “Aries, hear her out. What…what if she’s telling the truth?”
“She’s lied to me before.”
Calliope shook her head. “I swear, I’m telling the truth. I messed up before, yes, but this time…” her voice trailed off and her gaze darted toward Nina as if imploring her to get Aries to listen.
“But what Calliope? We don’t have all day. As you can see, my mate and I are about to leave.”
Nina noticed how the other woman flinched at the word mate. She gave Aries arm a slight squeeze and projected his thoughts into her mind. There’s no reason to be unkind.
But she’s put us in danger once before? How do I know that she can be trusted? He shot back.
I think she’s being sincere, besides, something she said has jogged my memory.
He released a mental sigh before turning back to Calliope. “Tell me what you need to say so we can get going.”
Calliope’s gaze briefly darted in Nina’s direction before returning to Aries. “I dreamt that when Nina shifted, everything went black. I don’t know what that means but maybe she does.” She looked at Nina again.
Nina’s mind went back to that incident where Anisa had healed her. She whispered something to Nina before they were separated. As long as you have a piece of me, you can’t hurt anyone.
At the time, Nina didn’t understand what that meant but now it all made sense. “She’s not lying,” Nina whispered.
“One of you needs to explain this to me right now,” Aries demanded.
“I just have the visions. I don’t always know what they mean. Maybe Nina could shed some light on the matter.”
Nina shifted on her feet nervously. “I don’t know the origin of our history but I do know that shifters of my kind were called all blacks not just for our dark fur but because we were like shadows. And what does a shadow do?”
“It mimics,” Calliope answered correctly.
Nina nodded. “Exactly. If I’m around another shifter, I can take on their wolf form, but it also means I can take on some of their abilities. And in most cases, it wouldn’t matter because we all share the same gifts unless, in fact, the shifter had other powers like psychic talents.” She turned to Calliope. “If I were to take on your form, Calliope, I’d have visions but only as long as I can hold your form which at the time of my capture wouldn’t have been long because I was young. So when Anisa healed me, it must have done something to me because that was when Gage could no longer draw out the serum. That was also around the time when I was on the receiving end of a, particularly vicious beating. And that’s when I shifted. I took Anisa’s and that being trapped in a replica of her wolf was what’s kept me alive all these years. But a
s I said, I can take on certain powers from the wolf I’ve shifted into. And Gage used me for his dark magic until he couldn’t anymore. I became a glorified punching bag to him but I was stuck in that form. I didn’t understand why until now.”
Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of all the torture and pain she’d suffered through. Anisa had saved her in more ways than she possibly knew. Not only had she held off the darkness but she had also kept Nina’s sanity intact because no one else would have been able to survive what she’d been through without some kind of protecting force. Whenever Nina had felt as if she’d succumb to madness, she’d envision a soothing light that brought her back from the brink. Even in her broken state, she’d managed to survive.
Aries placed his hand on either side of her face and brushed his lips against her. “I can’t imagine what you must have been through agapi mou, but it’s going to be okay. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with this together.”
“But I feel the darkness coming back.”
Aries shook his head, but the day we went on that run in the forest, you shifted after Sarah healed you.”
“It might be because of what she did that I was able to shift into my true self. But I think it was only temporary. If Sarah’s other parent was basically human, the strength of her powers wouldn’t equal her mother’s.” Nina pulled away and looked toward Calliope who was attempting to look at anything but them. Nina felt bad for the other woman but couldn’t be helped now. “Calliope, maybe that’s what your dream meant. If I shift, I’m going to be a danger to everyone around me.”