Dark Becoming (An Ema Marx Novel Book 3)

by J. D. Brown

  “No,” I answered automatically while scanning the selection of daggers.

  “Okay,” he grinned, right on cue. “What did you get yourself into this time?”

  I couldn’t help the upward inclination of my lips. “What do you know about philosopher stones?”

  “You mean, like, the King Arthur myths?”

  I selected a dagger and lifted it from its mount, testing the weight of the blade and the comfort of the hilt. I knew Ciaran would let me borrow whatever I wanted. He had more weapons than he knew what to do with. He collected them, traded them, sold a few—not always legally. The hobby complemented his career, but it ruined any chance for a healthy social life. Frederiksberg was the longest Ciaran had ever stayed in one location, but it too would pass. He would eventually get paranoid, pack his inventory, and move to the next inconspicuous hellhole.

  “Zat’s zee Sword in the Stone,” I said, shaking my head at his earlier question. “I’m talking about alchemy.”

  He scoffed. “People still do that hocus pocus?”

  “Are you saying you don’t know anyone who does?”

  “Well, sure. The Romani, for one, but I doubt they’d talk to either of us about it.”

  “I don’t mean petty con artists; I mean zee real thing. An alchemist master. You don’t know anyone with any knowledge about it at all?”

  Ciaran pulled his lower lip between his fangs, his brow pinched in concentration, and I knew the answer was no. I sighed, disappointed. Without knowledge of how the ring worked, my plan would be a lost cause. Maybe I could still use it as leverage and strike some sort of deal with Apollyon, or I could use it as a distraction before putting a bullet in his head. Either way.

  “Ne t’en fais pas. Don’t worry about it,” I said, patting Ciaran on the shoulder.

  “Since when are you into alchemy anyway?”

  “I’m not.”

  “So it’s part of this big secret case you won’t tell me about, the one that’s got you in here taking my shit.”

  “Borrowing your shit. I intend to give it all back. And yes, if you must know, it is part of zee same case.”

  “You sure you don’t want a partner in this one, Bri?”

  “Nah, your testostérone cramps my style.”

  Ciaran chuckled. It was nice, hearing a guy laugh at my lame jokes. I sucked in a breath and reminded myself to reel in the buddy crap. It didn’t matter how much Ciaran acted like a friend, he was still a man, and we had fallen into bed before—a mistake on my part. It wouldn’t happen again.

  “Do you have zee sheath for zis?” I twirled the dagger in my hand while moving on to the selection of guns. He owned a good-looking .308 bolt action rifle.

  Ciaran went to a drawer, opened it, and then tossed a soft leather pouch at me. I caught it and sank the blade into its cover before strapping it to my belt.

  “Merci,” I said.

  “So, Escudo de Veraguas. That’s, like, Central America, right?”

  I nodded. “Panama, to be exact.”

  He whistled long and low. “This case keeps getting more and more bizarre.”

  “Only because you don’t know zee specifics, and I am not saying another word about it.”

  “Come on, Bri, level with me. Why would your client send you to America? They have their own vampires to take care of shit.”

  “Zat’s between me and my client, Ciar.”

  He raised his hands, palms forward. “All right, I get it. I’m Elite too. Just promise you’ll have my babies back by the end of the week. Don’t be denting them up, either.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Such a charmer.”

  “You know it.”

  After packing my selection of borrowed arsenal, I went to the local postal office and shipped the supplies to Panama City via over-night express. The Elite provided us with the necessary papers to move artillery freely through human security. For all they knew, I could be CIA. Flashing my weapons’ license and government clearance I.D. meant the Elite would have a record of this little endeavor, and the paper trail would eventually alert Naamah to my whereabouts, but I saw no other alternative. I had no idea what kind of situation lurked in the jungle, so I needed to be prepared for anything. In addition to the gun and dagger, I’d taken over half of Ciaran’s tracking and camping gear. Facing Apollyon on my own might have been an impulsive idea, but that didn’t mean I was dumb. I had everything I needed to survive the jungle and hunt a vampyre.

  I paid the woman behind the counter and then exited the postal office. I rounded the building and ducked behind the large hedge in the back, where I stripped, shoved my clothes into my messenger bag, added the jade ring, and then shifted into an Albatross.

  Almost twenty-four hours later, I found myself navigating the muggy poverty-ridden streets of Panama City, searching for the address of the post office I’d shipped the weapons to. It wasn’t too difficult to find. Men were the same all over the world, so there was no language barrier for ‘pretty lady needs help’. Especially when the lady was from out of town.

  I tore open the boxes as soon as the service person handed them to me. All the weapons and supplies were safely locked inside two hard-shell briefcases. From there, I went to the bus station and purchased a ticket to Chiriquí Grande, a small town off the interstate with an even smaller port that went out into Chiriquí lagoon. Escudo de Veraguas was a small island just east of the lagoon and, in this part of the world, braving the water was a whole lot easier and quicker than braving the jungle. I’d rent a boat… or steal one if I had to… and cut across the lagoon to get to the Gulf.

  A smile touched my lips as I boarded the bus. Facile comme bonjour.

  Chapter 24

  We packed our bags, checked out of the hotel, and took a water taxi to the mainland. Looking over my shoulder and watching the floating city shrink behind us elicited a mixture of sadness and confliction. Part of me wanted to stay in Venice, forever transfixed in the city’s historical beauty. I knew, in the deepest blackest parts of my mind, that once I left, I would never be able to go back. My memories of Italy would forever be tainted by the murder of Hesiodos and the end of my relationship with Jesu. However, I didn’t see what other choice I had. I was already on the boat headed home.

  The airplane touched down in Germany at one o’clock in the morning. A short drive later, we arrived at the large double doors of the vast Aplan castle. Brinnon went ahead and pulled the doors open. I stepped inside the multi-layered foyer and sighed in relief. Though I couldn’t have been more out of place when I first came to Nikolas’ abode, the castle now harbored a familiar homey feeling.

  It’s safe.

  The vampyres and vampires who live here were bound by a legal contract to protect me. I could breathe a little easier.

  The giant king entered the foyer from the main hall. Nikolas wasted no time with pleasantries. “You four. My office. Immediately.”

  I glanced at Maria and Brinnon. The prince shrugged his shoulders and then trailed his father. I followed after him, with Maria on my heels. Jesu brought up the rear. I had avoided him through the entire trip home, which was easy since Jesu also did everything possible to avoid me. It hurt, but I didn’t blame him. It’s better this way. The hardest part is over. Now we can both move on.

  Tancred and Cecelia met us in Nikolas’ office. Tancred narrowed his gaze. “You have the stone?”

  I reached into my jeans pocket and pulled out the sapphire. It twitched slightly in my fist. I opened my hand and showed the gem to the room.

  “It’s just a jewel,” said Tancred, his disappointment obvious.

  “And not a very large one,” Cecelia added. The diamonds dangling from her earlobes were three times the size of my philosopher’s stone.

  “The size doesn’t matter.” I closed my fist, not bothering to hide the defensiveness in my tone. “It’s powerful.”

  Nikolas cocked his brow. “So it works, then? Let’s have a demonstration.”

  I glanced at Maria. She hadn�
��t told me the magic words yet. The power I felt coursing through my veins when I stood in the circle in the hotel room was all the reassurance I needed at the time.

  Maria smiled at the king. “Let us save the demonstration for Apollyon.”

  “How do we know it is strong enough to take Apollyon?” Tancred pressed. “We should at least test it.”

  “Would you like to volunteer as the test subject?” I snapped.

  The beginnings of a growl curled Tancred’s lip, showing his right fang.

  Nikolas lifted a hand, calling off his attack cat. “If you are confident this tool can defeat Apollyon, then that is good enough for me. So, what’s the plan, Miss Ema?”

  Plan? Shoot, why didn’t I think of a plan? Surely, between killing Hesiodos, falling out with Jesu, and suffering morning sickness, I should have thought to have a plan.

  “The plan,” I made it up as I went, “is to find Apollyon and crash his party.”

  Nikolas nodded. “Tancred, contact surveillance. Tell them to triple their numbers and spread out. Search every corner of the continent. Then phone the High Blood Council.”

  “Your Highness,” Tancred hesitated. “Are you sure you want to make this public?”

  “Apollyon is a threat to all. If he is not in Europe, then we’re going to need more eyes. Contact the head of R.E.D. if you have to. I want this bastard found.”

  Tancred gave his king a curt nod and then pushed past me, knocking my shoulder on the way out. That guy needed a Xanax, but at least he was on our side. Tancred was the kind of hardened militant that got things done. We could use more of that.

  “Okay,” I said. “We need a real strategy. The stone will work on Apollyon, but I have to get near him first. Getting through the Saga-Giga—and anyone else who might have joined his possé since I’ve seen him last—that’s going to be the hard part.”

  “Right you are,” said Nikolas. “Cecelia, darling, bring us a round of drinks. This might take a while.”

  The mere thought of blood caused two reactions. First, I salivated as my Nephilim side clawed to the surface. It had been over a week since I had a proper drink. Second, my hormones instantly recognized their cue, and a stream of bile climbed my throat. I slapped both hands over my mouth, mumbled “bathroom” through my fingers, and then ran out of the office.

  Christ, I forgot how huge the castle was, and I couldn’t phase through the walls. Doctor’s orders. I wasn’t going to make it all the way down the hall, across the ballroom, into another hall, across the foyer, up two flights of stairs, into my guest room—and I didn’t know where another bathroom was located. So instead, I swung a left turn after the ballroom and booked it for the kitchen, thinking I could vomit in the sink.

  I got as far as the dining room when the chunks exploded from my mouth and seeped through my fingers. I paused, glanced around, and then yanked a vase off a nook in the wall. I finished retching into it, heaving until my hands trembled. When my stomach finally felt better, I wiped my mouth on the back of my arm and then flew the rest of the way to the guest room, carrying the vase with me.

  Inside the bathroom, I washed my hands and then poured the contents of my stomach into the toilet. I flushed, washed the vase in the sink, and then washed my hands a second time. “This isn’t cute anymore, kiddo,” I said to myself. “Pregnant women are supposed to get fat, not develop bulimia.”

  On the way to the bathroom, I had noticed that someone, probably Rudo, brought my suitcase inside and laid it next to the bed. I dug through the pack and found my toothbrush. I was midway through brushing my teeth when the bedroom door creaked open and Jesu’s spring rain scent filled the air. I tensed—what did he want?—and then rushed through the rest of my oral hygiene routine.

  “Maria told Nikolas your stomach is still unsettled from the motion sickness you got during the flight,” Jesu said quietly. His shadow flashed across the bathroom curtain and I could see a sliver of his black T-shirt and upper arm in the inch-wide gap between the curtain and the molding. Jesu continued talking while I rinsed. “Brinnon backed her up, saying how you got sick on the boat in Italy.”

  I dabbed a towel against my lips and mentally debated whether or not to continue with the silent treatment. Jesu’s tone seemed friendly enough. Was all forgiven, just like that?

  “They are not going to be convinced with motion sickness for long, Ema.”

  I swung the curtain aside. His back faced me, his right shoulder leaning against the edge of the bathroom opening. Then he turned and our gazes locked. Damn my stupid knees for turning into jelly! How long before I stopped falling for those dazzling green eyes?

  Hopefully never.

  I sighed and pushed past him. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “I hope you realize the risk you took. Binding the stone to you.”

  I rolled my eyes and faced him. “We’ve been over this, Jesu.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Has it occurred to you that we have not seen the incubus in several days?”

  I bit my lip. I had seen Valafar in Brinnon’s room—both here in the castle, and in the hotel in Venice, but I hadn’t told anyone about either occurrence. I was keeping my promise to Brinnon. As far as Jesu knew, the last time we saw Valafar was in the woods. I shrugged a shoulder. “So?”

  “So…” Jesu pushed away from the wall and took two short steps in my direction. “Suppose he knows about the stone. Suppose he told my father. Your enemies, Ema, are the type that would come running in the night to kill you before you ever get the chance to use that stone on them.” Jesu took another step closer, leaving less than a foot of space between us. “Have you forgotten what Apollyon is capable of?” He slid a hand under my shirt and ran the pad of his thumb over the scar above my navel. I smacked his arm and twisted away. Jesu sidestepped me and then hooked his pinky around my index finger. “Or what those monsters of his are capable of?”

  My gaze went to the thin pink scar ringing my finger, a horrid reminder of the time when Enki, one of the Saga-Giga, bit me. His fang only sliced the tip, but the venom melted the flesh and bone right down to the knuckle. Apollyon later used his magic to replace it. I shivered at the memory. “I think I liked it better when we weren’t speaking to each other.”

  Jesu shook his head. “You need to remember what you are dealing with, Ema. You want to play the hero and save everyone, but you need to wake up and realize that lives are going to be lost no matter what and, when it comes to my father, tortured. Those scars will never heal, Ema, because that is the kind of sadistic man he is. It is not enough for him to physically hurt people; he has to impair their minds, too. He has to haunt them with reminders of what he has done so that they never fully heal. He has to make sure they break.”

  I yanked my hand away and glowered. “Good. I’m glad he mutilated me. You think I forgot the suffering and fear I went through? You’re wrong. It’s because I remember it that I want to end him so badly. I’m glad I have these scares to remind me. But Apollyon didn’t break me, Jesu. I’m not broken until I’m dead.”

  Jesu’s gaze narrowed to slits. His lips thinned into a tight line and he nodded once. “Good. Hold on to that anger, Ema. You will need it.” Then he reached into my pants pocket.

  I squeaked in surprise. “What are you doing?”

  He rolled his eyes and then pulled out his hand, holding the sapphire between his thumb and forefinger.

  “Hey, what you doing with that?”

  “Relax.” Jesu reached into his back pocket and pull out a thin length of silver chain. My breath hitched. It was the bracelet from San Marco, the one with the intricate linking roses. Someone had attached a charm inset to the center link. Jesu carefully placed the tiny stone into the charm setting and then pressed down on the silver edges, bending them into place over the stone.

  “You bought it?” I said in disbelief. It was twice as pretty with the sapphire dangling from the charm. “I told you not to. I can’t accept it.”

  “Too bad.” Jesu wr
apped the bracelet around my wrist and focused on the tiny clasp. “Something this important should not be carried in your pocket. That is how things get lost.”

  I scoffed. “Right. There were no intentions of groveling and winning me back when you bought it.”

  Jesu glanced at me from under his lashes and wet his lips. He looked like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it and lowered his glaze. “There.”

  The clasp secure, Jesu let his hands fall away. He took a few steps back to admire his work. A sad grin played on the edge of his mouth. “I was right. It suits you.”

  He turned and went to the door. Every fiber of my being screamed for me to stop him, to run to him and take him in my arms, to hold onto him forever. But that would be selfish. Jesu walked out the door without a second glance. I raised my adorned wrist to my chest and cupped my other hand over the bracelet. The soft silver smelled like him. A dry prickle stung the back of my eyes as my heart broke all over again. Talk about torturing people with reminders.

  Jerk.

  Chapter 25

  “Well that was dull.”

  My stomach flip-flopped as I spun around and came face to face with Valafar. “You!”

  “Me.” He stood in the corner between the bed and the vanity, cloaked in shadow. His neon violet eyes and white toothy grin gave him away. He reminded me of the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland.

  I lifted my chin and glared. “What are you doing here?”

  “Such tone.” Valafar tisked while taking a step forward. “What is it with everyone today? It’s like the whole lot of you had your arses sewn shut.”

  “You know exactly what’s going on,” I said. “Nice to see it hasn’t affected your mood.”

  “Not much does, love.” He glanced about the room, taking his time.

  “Were you watching Jesu and me just now? How long have you been in here?”

  Valafar chuckled. “I’m always watching you, love. Well…” he amended, “…almost always. Even I can’t be in two places at once.” He glanced to the side in thought and then turned a wicked smile my way. “Though there is one exception to that rule. Care to see it?”