“That you’re psychotic?” Mina couldn’t help the truth. It fell from her lips like everything else did. Was it her imagination or was it getting colder? How she wished she could determine his emotional state, but with the gris-gris and the fluctuation of his power, it was hard to get ahold of anything.
“They say you’re a smart girl,” Alexei scoffed. “But you aren’t. You’re like every bitch I come across, judgmental and weak. You don’t have the ability to handle the responsibilities. But…” Here he gave that sly smile. “…I’m still willing to bring you in with me. To be on the winning side.”
“No.” The word was out of her mouth even before he’d finished. She said it so fast and forcefully, it silenced the young Tri for a long moment. “I won’t. You’re going to burn out. You think those gris-gris can keep you balanced? That is death magic, and what it buys you is time. There’s a price, and when it’s paid, there won’t be enough left of you to hold an element.”
And he called her stupid. Idiot.
“By that time, I’ll find another sacrifice. There are ways around everything, you know this.” Alexei stepped forward. “But, no, I’m not here to talk about me. I’m here to discuss what you’re going to do.”
“You can discuss it with yourself.” Mina reached out for the shadows, but they resisted. Her father had done a number on her in his misguided attempt to protect her. She edged backward. There was another way to the blood room. She heard the scuttling behind her and froze. They sounded like spiders.
Turning her head, she caught a flash of something. Without even thinking, she stepped as close to the dim light as she could.
“Is that anyway to speak to someone who has very important information for you?” Alexei raised his eyebrows in a fake attempt at innocence.
She was really beginning to hate this boy. This wasn’t a man. No wonder Petrov threw him to the Darks; he was as terrible as anyone of them. He fit in better in her world than she did.
“What information?” Mina didn’t like this feeling of being threatened. She saw movement in the shadows, and the monster within wanted out. Wanted to show this pissant what a Dark could do when cornered. The paper crane in her shirt wriggled then, and she exhaled slowly, keeping her focus on the unpredictable boy in front of her. Not yet.
“Now you’re interested.” Alexei began to walk toward her. “Thought you would be.” He stopped short of her, so close she could see the texture of his course facial hair, smell the rotten scent of decaying meat and blood on his breath, and see the gaping raw wound of his missing right ear. That must’ve hurt.
“You’ve given some flesh…” Mina blinked. This wasn’t good.
“It was worth it. It’s how I got my friends and this.” He hooked his thumb under the leather cords and lifted the putrid bags toward her, then let them drop. “Sometimes it’s good to be unwanted. They don’t watch who you talk to or where you go. Isn’t that right, Mina?”
“I didn’t have to destroy a young girl to get here.” Mina didn’t flinch from under his glare, his eyes rotating color. The first hint of emotion—hate—was there, but it was indistinct as if coming from a long distance. She still didn’t like the septic essence of it.
“Really? Your lover is being tortured because you brought him here. Who’s the bad guy here? Me? No. With me, you know what you get, but with you?” Alexei huffed out a laugh. “You’re like a Venus fly-trap. Beautiful, sharp, interesting, and deadly. You get people killed.”
Oh.
Mina opened her mouth to say something. Shut it. Silenced by his words. She may be at heart a monster, but there were some dark places of the soul she never touched. His inference that she wanted what happened to Xander to occur, that she was the purposeful cause of others’ deaths, sparked something in her—a simmering burn licking at her insides, feeding her own blackness. Alexei not only embraced this part of himself, he wore it with pride. Evil wasn’t something to celebrate. How they’d all underestimated him.
“But you’re weak. You don’t embrace what or who you are,” Alexei spat at her. “But I’m here to give you a chance to reclaim your birthright.”
“I don’t need to reclaim anything, but…Xander.” Mina’s hands curled into fists. Alexei reminded her of the elves by the lasciviousness in his expression as he spoke about her heritage, and it dawned on her who might have encouraged them to feed on Xander.
“He’s just a step-stool to power, and you know it,” he began to mutter to himself.
Then he stopped, rolled his head around, and turned, a decision on his face, evidenced by the narrowed eyes and thinned lips. Now she knew why she couldn’t read him, other than the evil magic he had around his neck. He was a sociopath—someone whose emotions weren’t engaged in the right way.
“I want to help you,” he continued, “not like the rest who want you dead. I’m here to offer you a deal.” He smiled his slightly off-kilter smile. “If you side with me, show me all the tunnels you know, I will tell you why your oldest brother, Calev, died and who your real mother was.”
Everything stilled. For a nano-second, the air didn’t move, Mina didn’t blink, and her heart didn’t contract as she processed what Alexei uttered.
“And I know how your father died, but it doesn’t make you the bearer of all secrets,” Mina replied, her voice flat. The sudden image of Ivan’s throat, muscles red and raw, and arterial blood spurting across the room as his vocal cords were torn out made her swallow. He’d been a good man; how did Alexei come to this? He may know this information, but there were some things she wasn’t going to compromise. Her capitulation would hurt Xander, and hadn’t she done enough already?
I still want to know.
“Doesn’t it?” He smirked again. “This information is only on the table for as long as I am here. After that…” He spread his hands. “If you come to me begging for asylum, you’ll get nothing.”
“If I come to you begging, then I’ve had a lobotomy,” Mina told him, the violence she’d suppressed twining around her nerve endings, making her thigh muscles contract, her fingers clench. She wondered what an Elemental’s blood tasted like. Was it sweet? Bitter? Metallic?
He stopped; he must’ve seen something in her eyes. “This is your only chance.” He smiled, a mischievous curl of lips that reminded her strongly of his cousin, Mikhail Petrov. “Tell me; haven’t you wanted to know what it’s like to hold all of the power in your hands?”
Hasn’t everyone? But she’d seen what having power did. She watched as her uncle, a Mage, slowly crumbled under the effect and responsibility. Her father had become hard and vicious, torturing the man she loved. One brother murdered, another bitter. Even Petrov, who’d sacrificed everything until he’d met Laurie. If this was power, she didn’t want it.
“And lose myself?” Mina responded. “Like you? No. You’ve forgotten what it’s like to live. You sacrifice the light for the dark. Tell me, Alexei, is it worth it?”
“Of course.”
She heard Mikhail in his reply. There were some lessons the boy learned from his family, but not the right ones.
“Then go into the dark,” Mina told him, stepping up and putting herself face-to-face with him. “Walk into its depths and see if you come out.”
“You’ll regret this.” His smirk slipped. “Just watch.” Water began to trickle down the side of the tunnel walls, snaking down the rock to pool on the floor.
Fear should’ve made her tremble, but instead, a vicious glee made her reach out and pat the side of Alexei’s cheek. He flinched as if she’d struck him, and he smacked her hand away. She took a step closer, ignoring the foul odor of the spell bags.
“Your elements are strong, but you can’t control the shadows yet. Sure you can travel them…” She smiled as she spoke, making sure he saw her very sharp teeth. “But can you call them? Something you need to remember when the hunters come for you.” He took a step back. She followed, her earlier uneasiness bleeding out of her like the water pouring out of the stone.
“You’ll never learn all the tunnels. Not from me,” she promised him. Here she leaned in and whispered in his ear. “Give me more threats, Alexei. I am waiting.”
Drawing back, something slithered in the depths of his eyes. Fear, relief…she wasn’t sure. She tried to ignore the uncomfortable flicker of unease winding through her, because she meant what she said.
“It’s better you don’t help me,” he seethed, his voice starting low and ending on a higher pitch, telling her he bluffed. He moved backward. “But soon you’ll wish you’d agreed.”
She doubted that.
The tiny scraping sound made them both stop. Her skin crawled as the cool emotionless tone broke over them.
“Good, you’re both here. This makes it much for efficient.” Elspeth stepped from the shadows into the light, her midnight eyes glittering with rapacious hunger. Behind her, things moved.
Yep. Definitely spiders.
Getting around security wasn’t too hard. Poppy sprinkled some of the dust in her pocket and in her shoes. A pinch of it was all she needed. She’d have liked to smuggle out some teeth, but she knew she’d be pushing her luck. She’d managed to do this twice before they decided to make them wear scrubs. It’s what she appreciated about the government; they could be counted on to react slowly to everything. There was one exception.
“Have you configured the scanning programs?” John Bradford was at her elbow. This man was more than determined to react to what he perceived as a threat.
“Almost done,” Poppy promised. The truth was, she’d been done an hour ago, but she’d wanted to go through and memorize the information she’d collected to transcribe later. Nothing—no personal disc, thumb drive, cell phone, or anything electronic—was allowed in this restricted area of the lab.
“I’ll upload the information after I recheck it,” she assured him.
John didn’t move. “I know you’ve taken some of the dust from the bodies,” he told her, his voice flat, with only the barest hint of accusation.
She froze and didn’t react, staring instead at the numbers on the computer screen. She wasn’t going to admit guilt until she had to. This trait she learned from her cousins who managed to get away with everything, including drug running. There was a reason she didn’t contact that side of the family often.
“Your point?” Poppy clicked off the screen and swung around to face him. She’d perfected the poker face. It didn’t fail her when she was a teen, and she was successful here as well.
“You’re no longer going to the hotel. We’re keeping you here under house arrest.”
“What?” It didn’t matter if she had a PhD and was beyond juvenile theatrics; her first reaction was to be pissed off. “You can’t—”
“It’s martial law, Ms. Delacruz.”
So, he was going to be that way. “That’s Dr. Delacruz to you.”
He wanted something, or he’d have arrested her right on the spot and had her escorted out.
“Tell me what you want.” She kept her voice low and even.
His eyebrows twitched. He hadn’t expected her calm. She was still mad as hell, but screaming wasn’t going to help her here. She wasn’t some spongy spine of a female who quailed at threats, especially his. She had her own connections.
He studied her for a long moment. She didn’t back down, kept his gaze, and crossed her arms. The harsh lines of his face inscrutable, he must’ve seen what he wanted because he nodded as he stepped back.
“You have a unique skill set,” he began, his hand making a small movement toward the computers. “As a scientist, you understand facts and the importance of objective data.” He picked up one of the discs she’d burned. “But your background is interesting. Your extended family is involved heavily with illegal activities.”
Shit. A man who was detail oriented. Normally she admired this trait, but not when it came to her family. She shouldn’t be surprised; it was bound to come up eventually.
“Again, your point?” Poppy didn’t like where this was headed. She’d spent years trying to dissociate herself from her past, but, like now, it still came back to haunt her.
“Your grandparents raised you, didn’t they?” He didn’t wait for her answer, not that she’d give him one. There were some things she didn’t discuss. “Weren’t they brujas and curanderas for your community?”
“There are no such things as witches,” Poppy spat. “We’re not talking about my family. Arrest me or tell me what you want, but I’m done.” No. Her family’s beliefs were not hers. She made it very clear when she left for college she wanted nothing to do with their “magic” and “herbs.” She wanted fact, not supposition. She hadn’t spoken to them since.
“Consider this, Dr. Delacruz,” he drew it out, mocking her. “Perhaps there is a shred of truth in their beliefs. This magic is really based in science, and they’ve been right all along about the monsters under our beds.” His face twisted in disgust. “I wonder how long they’ve been living right underneath our noses.”
“This may be an anomaly.” Even as she said it, she didn’t believe it. Nor could she suppress the thrill of discovery. Here was a possibility that genetics could be bent far more than originally thought, and she was on the ground floor of an incredible breakthrough. What this could do for science and the human race was incredible.
“Don’t,” he warned. “You’re gifted in your field. It’s why we tapped you.” He put down the disc in his hand with a slight clap of noise. “What I want you to do is lay out what you know of your family’s practices. It may help us find more of these things. We need to know how many are out there, if we’re outnumbered.”
“My family’s superstitions are not going to help us here, John,” Poppy said his name deliberately, knowing it drove him crazy. A good place for him, because she was furious right now at his threats and assumptions. She wanted him as ticked as she was. “What we have is data that will help us find more if, and that is a big if, there are more out there.”
“Oh, there are more,” he assured her. The bastard had a secret.
“You found more bodies, didn’t you?” She uncrossed her arms. “You could’ve asked and not threatened. I’ll help how I can.” Because I am as interested as you are, she thought.
“Yes, you will.” He smiled, turning to walk away he added over his shoulder. “Your things are being brought in. In two days, we launch the UAVs.”
“What am I supposed to do about my real job? I can’t stay here indefinitely,” Poppy shouted. She knew she should’ve refused the opportunity when they called her to come in on this disaster. Her damn curiosity always got her in trouble. Just like when she mixed baking soda, vinegar, and Mentos in a soda bottle—just to see it explode.
“You’ll be compensated accordingly,” he told her, pausing at the door to the lab. “Until then, you’ll do research, just like we hired you for.” He left the room and she was alone.
Arrested. Sort of. This could be worse. She could be teaching a room full of students who didn’t want to be there. No matter how much she resented the situation, she was doing the real work, not talking about it, but elbow deep in the thick of it all.
Poppy tried not to feel excited. This whole situation was wrong, but still—more bodies.
Chapter Eighteen
HERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY.
Mina’s mother—step-mother, she corrected herself—was now here before her, smirking her cold, cruel smile of someone who scented victory. Her dreadlocks coiled and moved about her face. In her black leather, her head and neck appeared to float in the darkness, a disembodied entity. Behind her, flashes of movement, a claw, the disjointed fluttering of thin legs. She didn’t come alone.
“Why did you lie about being my mother?” Mina’s intention was to keep quiet and look for a way out. She needed to get to Xander. It was an ache greater than any craving. He needed her, but once again her mouth had other ideas. Beside her, the young Tri-elemental stiffened, his smile brittle. His emotions didn’t have a hint of f
ear; no sweet acrid taste of it lingered. It had been there only a few moments ago. Curious.
“Of course I’m not your pathetic mother.” Elspeth was offhand, keeping her strange black eyes on Alexei, who continued to smirk. “I wondered when you’d find out.”
She’d asked the question. Mina was confident enough to know already there was truth to it, but still hearing these same things fall from the lips of this woman made her muscles seize up as if her world had ceased to be. Because the deepest truth in her wanted it to be a lie; even if this woman had tried to kill her, she’d been her mother. There were few certainties in her life, and they’d always been there. Her brothers, her parents…and now the world under her shifted as if she stood in a boat being tossed about and she didn’t have her sea legs. What other lies were there? She’d sacrificed so much, and now she found in the end she was a coward. She didn’t want to know. Not yet. Not now.
“Tell her, Elspeth. Tell her who her real mother is,” Alexei mocked. His attitude was confident, and there was the faded taste of anticipation, the faintest whiff of baking bread.
“Yes…tell me,” Mina echoed Alexei. She’d been about to tear him apart moments ago, and he’d recoiled. Where did he get this attitude? Something in the air made her heart beat faster even as she watched the woman who raised her.
“I will never speak of her.” Elspeth wasn’t smiling anymore, her expression flattened. “Because of that bitch, my son”—she spat the word out—“was murdered. You were a means to an end, Mina, and now you’re no longer useful to me or anyone else.”
She lunged forward, but Mina, anticipating this, jerked out of the way to stand behind Alexei. Her enemy was now her ally. Let him be cannon fodder. This meant she was closer to what accompanied him in the dark. Her only consolation: it wasn’t spiders. She could handle almost everything else. A brush of scaly skin on her hand made her jerk.
Maybe not everything.
Why had her father prevented her from moving in the shadows? How the hell did they get around it? Then it struck her why Cazacul did this to her. It wasn’t because he wanted to hem her in; he knew she’d take Xander out. She didn’t have time to ponder this because Elspeth knocked Alexei aside and reached for her.
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