“I didn’t mean anything by it, I just didn’t think you were the type to be interested in botany.”
“Well, I guess I’m not, or at least I haven’t been, but I do like to learn about new stuff.”
“Then in that case I think you’ll like my laboratory.”
“You have a laboratory?”
Tom gestured toward the door we had come through, and I went through it. He then led me further down the hall on the same floor until we reached a red door at the end of it. He opened the door to a dark room which had an earthy smell, like freshly tiled soil. Tom flicked the lights on, revealing what looked like a chemistry lab of some kind. There were test tubes, beakers and burners, all sitting on counters, some tubes and beakers filled with quietly bubbling liquid, others filled with what looked like dirt.
“Come in,” Tom said, stepping into the center of the room.
“Okay, I know you don’t cook meth in here.”
“I don’t.”
“Are you sure? Because I know what a meth lab looks like…”
Tom smiled. “It’s not quite that. Take another guess.”
“I don’t know. Do you make chemicals here?”
He shook his head. “I’m an alchemist.”
“When you say alchemist, you mean that as in—”
“The medieval practice of changing base materials into precious ones? Yeah, among other things.”
“Bullshit. Prove it.”
“Demanding proof, I like that. Alright, look at this.”
Tom led me over to a tray sitting on a trolley. On the tray were a bunch of small metal chunks, some which shone like silver, others that were flat and dull, like lead. He picked one of the silver pieces up and handed it to me. It was shapeless, but shiny, and cold to the touch; very much like the real deal.
“You’re telling me you made this?”
“I did, out of a handful of that,” he said, pointing the beaker I had seen a moment ago, the one filled with dirt.
“That’s impressive, but how do I know you’re not trying to pull one over on me?”
“I wish I could just click my fingers and turn dirt into gold, but that isn’t how alchemy works.”
“Don’t worry, I believe what you’re saying, I’m just…”
“Are you finding out the world is bigger than you believed?”
“I think so.”
“I remember that day,” he said, walking around the lab. “I had been found by a mage who was almost as new as I was. We’d spent some time together, learning what we could from each other and from the world around us. Three months passed before we were found by the Alexandria’s recruiter, and then suddenly I realized I had been swimming in the kiddy pool, when I should have been swimming in the ocean.”
“You spent three months on your own?”
“We were, yes, and during that time we made a lot of discoveries, but also a lot of mistakes.”
“What kind of mistakes?”
“The kind idiots with power make. But if it weren’t for those mistakes I would have discovered my natural affinity with metals and materials. I never would have figured out I could do alchemy.”
Walking around the room, I found a small beaker above a Bunsen burner. It had a little green liquid inside it, and the liquid looked like it was simmering—popping and gurgling—even though there wasn’t a flame on underneath it. I also noticed the green stuff in the beaker had a kind of sparkle going on, and almost seem to move around in it.
“So,” I asked, “Now that you know I know very little about this whole thing, how about you tell me what a warlock is and does?”
“I suppose it’s only fair since I’m read up on the succubus lore.”
“I may have questions about that, too, but I want to know more about you first.”
“You sure you wouldn’t rather go to breakfast?”
“I’m not hungry anymore. Lost my appetite while talking to your mentors.”
A smile crossed his pale face, causing the apples of his cheeks to flush red with blood. “The spotlight makes you nervous, too?”
“Oh, totally.”
“Understandable. When I was young, my mother would insist I join every possible drama production I could. I didn’t have the heart to tell her the spotlight did the same thing to me every time.”
“You must have balls of steel by now, then.”
“I don’t, I’m just better at hiding it than I used to be.”
I picked up an empty beaker.
“Do you get many Americans here?”
“We get some. A recruiter picks supernaturals up wherever he can find them. We don’t get many women, mind you. Until you arrived, it was just Caitlyn and Laura. You’re different from there are, though, aren’t you? And not just because you’re a succubus. There’s… something about you. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s there.”
I shrugged. “If you say so. I think I just won some kind of supernatural lottery, or lost it depending on how you look at things.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, being the last of something doesn’t exactly fit well with me. I’m not a fly on the wall or anything, but people look at me like I did something wrong. It’s exhausting.”
“You knew why you had invited you up here though, right? I knew.”
“Yeah, I did too, but being told something is gonna happen isn’t the same as the moment when it happens.”
Tom nodded. “Well, how about this—I won’t ask you about your past, or your try to figure out why you’re a succubus, or how it’s even possible.”
I arched an eyebrow. “And what do you want in return?”
“I get to take you out to dinner.”
“Dinner? You don’t mess around, do you?”
Tom shook his head. “I don’t. So, do we have a deal?”
He was looking at me with a cocky half-grin, the kind I was likely to find on Dante’s face every now and again, and for one crazy moment I found myself comparing the two. Neither men were alike in any way that I could determine except for that arrogant grin—in that, they could have been brothers—but that was enough to warn me about him. This guy was trouble, and under no circumstances could I go out with him,
“Tom, that’s sweet, but—”
“Don’t finish what you’re saying,” he said.
“Why not?”
“Because as long as you don’t finish that sentence, it isn’t a rejection.”
“It has to be.”
“Why? Are you seeing someone?”
Yeah, I thought, four someone’s, in fact. “I am,” I said, remembering my conversation with Laura at the bar and deciding to leave it at that. “But like I said, it was sweet of you to ask.”
Tom nodded. “Fair enough. It was worth a try.”
“It was. And look, I really am interested in all this stuff. I’d love it if you could show me how you do it.”
“It’d be a pleasure. Alchemy is two parts skill, one part talent; anyone with supernatural blood can do it.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely, and I’d be glad to give you a couple of lessons.” He walked over to me. “Of course, since you rejected my deal, you can’t stop me from asking questions.”
“I suppose that’s fair. At least you aren’t a cabal of inquisitive mentors.”
“I’m not a mentor, but I am inquisitive. All warlocks are.”
“Huh, that’s funny.”
“What is?”
I walked over to the door and opened it. “I just realized you completely avoided telling me what a warlock was. Did you do that on purpose?”
Another smirk. God-damn that smirk. “Go on a date with me and I’ll tell you.”
I smiled at the attempt. “Sorry, but the answer’s still no.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying, can you?”
“Nope. Goodbye, Tom.”
I shut the door behind myself and walked down the corridor, finding my way back to my room with relative ea
se compared to how hopelessly I had been wandering the Alexandria’s halls earlier. Whether I liked it or not, Tom had left an impression on me, but I didn’t think it was because I found him attractive, or because he was charming, or even because he had been persistent about wanting to take me out. It was the way in which he had been able to avoid my questions, while still getting me to talk liberally about myself while at the same time side-stepping around my thing with being on the spotlight.
Maybe that was what warlocks did?
CHAPTER SIX
I had reached the foyer, now starting to feel hungry, when I saw Raph and Vik standing around. When they noticed me, they headed over like they had a purpose. I was smiling at first, but their faces were grave, and with a look they had wiped the happiness off of my face. I frowned as I approached.
“Hey,” I said, “Is everything okay?”
Vik took my arm and pulled me aside, into a quiet, adjoining corridor. Raph followed. “I’m glad we found you,” Vik said, “We’ve been looking for you.”
“Yeah, sorry, I was on a tour of the place… what’s going on?”
“Look, I have bad news… Raph and I have just been speaking to the Keeper.”
“And?”
“He’s sending us away for a while.”
My heart thumped hard, once; a disorienting, bass-heavy note in an otherwise calm rhythm. “What? Where’s he sending you?”
“We can’t tell you,” Raph said, “It’s meant to be a secret.”
“Since when do you guys keep secrets from me?”
“I don’t want to,” Vik said, “Believe me, I don’t, but the Keeper asked us to explicitly not tell you where we were being sent to or why.”
“Did he at least give you a reason for the secrecy?”
Vik shook his head. “Because the Keeper doesn’t want to risk you going after us.”
My chest was starting to tighten, but I had to keep it together. I didn’t want Raph and Vik seeing me as off balance as I actually was. “You’re probably right to do what the Keeper’s asking, especially given how Leo is right now, but… damn, this is just so sudden.”
“I know,” Raph said, “I wish this wasn’t true, but we aren’t pulling a prank on you. I think it may have something to do with what happened to Leo, but I cannot be sure.”
“You think the Keeper would send you both anywhere dangerous?”
Vik shook his head. “Highly doubtful, so I don’t think you should worry, but I don’t know how long we’ll be gone for. I just wanted to make sure we told you before we left. The Keeper wanted us to leave half an hour ago.”
He hugged me tightly, throwing his arms around my neck. I kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Thank you for telling me,” I said, choking back the anger, the sadness, welling in my throat. I then hugged Raph and kissed his neck. “Please be safe, both of you, I don’t know what I’d do with myself if something happened to you.”
“We will” Vik said, “Please tell the others for me? We won’t have time.”
“I will… I’ll go and find them right now.”
The residual feeling of both men’s kisses on my skin tingled as I watched them leave through the Alexandria’s front door. I wanted to go and find the Keeper, ask him where he had sent them and why—maybe if I promised I wouldn’t go after them, he would tell me. But I had already promised Vik I would tell Aiden and Liam first, so I messaged both of them, asking them to meet me at my room, then headed up to my room.
They were both stood by my bedroom door before I had even arrived. I ushered them in without saying a word, then shut the door and locked it, noticing how they both had on their faces the same concerned, oblivious look I must have just a moment ago been wearing downstairs.
“Okay,” Aiden said, looking at Liam, then back at me. “What’s going on?”
Liam shrugged. “I dunno,” he said. “Lilith?”
I took a deep breath. “Raph and Vik are gone.”
“Gone?” Liam asked, again trading a look with Aiden. “Where?”
“That’s just it. I don’t know. They couldn’t tell me.”
“And, what, they just left?”
“They did, but they couldn’t tell me where they had gone or why. The Keeper had asked them to promise not to say anything.” I paused when I caught sight of the pale, blue mist rising up from behind Liam’s shoulders. It wasn’t quite fear, it was more like apprehension, or a slight tingle of dread—not because of what I had just told him, but because of something he hadn’t told me; of that much I was sure just by sensing the mist itself. “What is it?” I asked, eyebrows meeting at the middle.
“I…” Liam hesitated, then stared at Aiden.
“Lilith, we’re… leaving too,” he said.
My heart whacked against my ribcage this time, hitting me so hard the force alone could have pushed me up against a wall. Only this time it didn’t stop with a single, powerful blow—my heart kept up this insane, powerful rhythm, causing my vision to shake a little.
“Wait a second,” I said, putting my hands up. “What are you talking about, leaving?”
Aiden approached, took me by the hand. “Nikolai needs someone to help him organize the move,” he said, “The task is bigger than anyone thought, so seeing as Leo is incapacitated and nothing is likely to happen to any of us here, Liam and I have been asked to catch a flight out to Germany and help him. We leave in a couple of hours.”
“No way,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t accept it.”
“It’s the best time to do it,” Liam said. “I don’t like it either, but the plan is solid. This’ll get us all set up here much faster than if we were to let Nikolai handle it all on his own. I can also get your cat for you myself; it’s not all bad.”
“No… first Vik and Raph, now you guys too? Whose idea was it? The Keeper’s?”
“Well, yeah,” Liam said, “Who else’s?”
“Doesn’t it seem a little weird that he’s sending all of you away at the same time?”
“Lilith, his idea is a good one. You’re safe as long as you’re here, and none of us are doing anything until Leo is better anyway. Now is the time.”
I stared at him, then looked away, still frowning. “Wait, you said we’re safe a minute ago, now it’s you’re safe?”
“What’s the difference?”
“The difference is, I might be safe in here, but what about you and Liam? Vik and Raph? You’ll be away from the Alexandria, and Leo, and Dante… what if something happens to you?”
“I don’t think it will. And if it does, that’s probably why the Keeper is sending us in groups of two. I know it sucks, but it’s going to be okay.”
Aiden drew me close to his chest, and I hugged him tightly. “I hate this,” I said. “I want to come with you guys.”
“I know you do, but even if the Keeper went for it, is it really a good idea you leaving the Alexandria?”
I shook my head, then pressed my face into Aiden’s chest. The beating of his heart helped to calm mine, but I was shaking in his arms. Not only were my men, my men, all leaving me at the same time, they were going in different directions to do different things. I had no idea where Vik and Raph were, but they had made it seem like they were going on a dangerous mission. They’d said there wouldn’t be any danger, and part of me believed the Keeper wouldn’t put them in any, but there’s no way to guarantee they wouldn’t somehow get hurt.
And now Liam and Aiden, they were also leaving, and while they were going back to the mansion in Germany on what would probably turn out to be a short trip, the potential for them to wind up getting hurt was there. The people hiding in the shadows were watching and waiting, probably looking out for just such an occasion. What the hell was the Keeper thinking sending all four of the guys away at the same time? If he had a plan, from where I was standing, it was a stupid one.
I hadn’t noticed Liam come around beside Aiden. He put a hand on my shoulder and I pulled away from Aiden’s chest.
“We are
n’t going anywhere just yet,” Liam said, taking my hand. “I know this is all really sudden, but none of us really have a choice here.”
“I know we don’t,” I said, also taking Aiden’s hand. “I just don’t know what the hell I’m going to do here with all of you gone.”
“Catch up on some Netflix?” Aiden said, trying to break the serious mood with a smirk.
I laughed, couldn’t help it. “Yeah, I guess I could.” I squeezed their hands. “I’m going to miss you.”
“You don’t know how long we’ll be gone for, could only be a couple of days.”
“Couple of days too long.”
Liam approached, placed a hand on my cheek, and tipping my face up toward his, gently kissed my lips. I wrapped a hand around the back of his neck and parted my lips for his tongue, enjoying the taste of his mouth.
“I’m going to miss you too,” Liam said, once the kiss had broken.
Then suddenly Aiden’s hand was turning my cheek toward him, closing the distance between our lips before I could even register what was going on. Tingles burst through me like fireworks. “I’ll miss you more than he will,” he said, his lips turned up in a cocky smile.
I had my eyes on Aiden still, returning the smile, when Liam’s warm lips touched the space where my neck met my earlobe, sending a second starburst rippling through my body. My breath hitched, pinpricks of pleasure caused each and every hair on the nape of my neck to stand on end. Unconsciously, one of my hands rose to touch the back of Liam’s head, fingers running through his hair. I shut my eyes only for a second, but then opened them again when Aiden tugged gently at the collar of my t-shirt and planted his lips on my breastbone. At that point, I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. I shut them, tilted my head back, and sighed with delight.
Aiden and Liam’s lips were like kindling to my skin, and my body was a bonfire ready to burn. The sheer weight of both men pressing against me was enough to back me into a wall. I had my eyes shut and each of my hands entwined in the hair of a different man, each taking their time to kiss my neck, shoulders, my collarbone. I sensed a hand snake its way into my t-shirt and slowly rise until it had cupped one of my breasts. I arched my back, pushing myself more closely against the hand, enjoying the pressure, when Aiden moved away from me, leaving Liam still kissing my neck, his hand in my shirt.
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