by Grosso, Kym
“I get that Luca’s not my biggest fan, Samantha. Ya’ll hardly know me. I can’t blame him. But I’d never stand by and let Léopold kill him without trying to stop it.” Laryssa picked up two mugs of coffee, set one in front of Wynter and then sat down.
“True. We don’t know you. And that’s why it means even more that you stopped him. Wynter and I both know Léopold and he’s…” Samantha looked away, unsure of what to say.
“You don’t have to say anything. Really. Léopold is lots of things, but he cares and he’s helping me. He saved that little baby girl right there. He didn’t have to but he did. And now the demon. He won’t stop until we find the knife.”
“The demon. I know Ilsbeth doesn’t mind speaking of it but maybe we shouldn’t,” Samantha suggested. “The wards are strong but it knows where we are.”
“I have to kill it.” Laryssa took a sip and swallowed. When she looked up, both Samantha and Wynter were looking at her as if she’d sprouted an elephant’s trunk. “What?”
“How can you say something like that and be so calm about it?” Wynter asked while she played with Ava’s toes.
“Léopold’s not going to let you go after a demon,” Samantha asserted.
“Léopold doesn’t have a choice. Neither do I.” Laryssa took another drink then continued. “Not sure if Dimitri mentioned it but that thing…that creature…it came after me the other night. It, uh, it scratched me up pretty bad. Somehow, with me dying all those years ago, it thinks I belong to it. The knife that it wants…it’s the only thing that’ll kill it. Unfortunately I have to be the one to do it, because only a naiad can kill it. Léopold knows. I don’t think he wants to face the fact that I may die, but deep down, he knows that it has to be me.”
“Speaking of Léopold, I guess that chat we had the other day didn’t make any difference,” Wynter commented with a small smile.
“I saw it too,” Samantha added. “Never thought I’d see the day.”
“Me either. The way he looks at her…” Wynter began.
“What?” Laryssa had an idea of what they were talking about but she couldn’t bring herself to discuss her feelings for Léopold when Sydney was upstairs fighting for her life and her own life could very well be gone by tomorrow night.
“Like an ice cream sundae with whipped cream on top?” Samantha smiled.
“You really are preggo, girl. No, he looks at her like…you know, like a lion who’s about to find his mate. Leo the lion finds his lioness.” Wynter’s voice became sultry as if she were trying to really sell her story.
“Yeah, I guess that does sound better. You’d think with me being mated to a vampire, I’d know a bit about what he really wants…and I can tell you it’s not ice cream.”
“I know you warned me about him, Wynter, but we…I’m…let’s just say that I care about him a lot. But none of it really matters…I could be dead tomorrow. It’s not fair to him.” Laryssa set the cup of coffee on the table and raked her hair up into a ponytail, nervously twisting it into a bun. “We probably shouldn’t be talking about this when the detective is so sick.”
“You’ve been feeding him,” Samantha noted quietly. Her eyes darted over to Wynter and then back to Laryssa. “Have you bonded?”
“Léopold? Bonded? No way,” Wynter blurted out, shaking her head. Even though Léopold seemed smitten with his nymph, she found it hard to believe that he’d commit to anyone, given his proclivity for solitude. One glance to Laryssa told her that she’d made the wrong assumption. “Hey, I’m sorry. It’s just that Léopold…I never thought he’d bond with anyone. It’s nothing personal, it’s just that he’s, pardon the pun, a lone wolf….vampire.”
“He’s not how you see him. He’s had his reasons. But to answer your question, I have been…feeding him, that is. He said that we’ve started the bonding. I don’t know what to say about it. It’s complicated.” Laryssa rose to defend Léopold. Her fingers absentmindedly flittered over the bite mark on her neck. With Sydney nearly dead, the realization that she soon would have to face her own mortality was not lost on her. She smiled at Wynter and Samantha who waited for her to finish her thoughts. Her eyes began to brim with moisture, and she pressed a fingertip to her bottom eyelid, in an effort to catch a tear. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t want to hurt him.”
“You? Hurt Léopold? Sweetie, I really don’t see how you could do that. Not sure if you noticed but he’s usually the one who does the hurting…” Wynter’s words trailed off, as she realized how upset Laryssa had grown.
“Listen, I know he’s arrogant. Bossy. He’s really bossy.” Laryssa gave a small laugh. She stood and walked over to the kitchen sink, placing her cup inside it. “But he’s caring and he doesn’t deserve to lose someone else. Look at what just happened to Sydney. Let’s face it, there’s a very real possibility that I may die tomorrow. The bond…for his sake, I have to try to stop it.”
“A bond with a vampire cannot be broken.” Samantha felt Laryssa’s pain. Having bonded with Luca, she knew how it felt to have that intense connection with a vampire.
“No it cannot,” Léopold asserted, having walked in on their conversation.
Laryssa’s face flashed to his, and an overwhelming barrage of guilt surrounded her, knowing what she planned to do. With the bond already set in, it was as if she could feel him touching her soul, reading her innermost thoughts. She attempted to think of something unrelated, altogether pleasant, like how she enjoyed reading a book at the outdoor café while listening to live music. As she did so, the guilt worsened. Liar. The word rang in her mind. No, she wasn’t really lying, she told herself. Masking private thoughts was her right. Yet as he strode over to her and caressed her cheek, her stomach clenched in shame. She averted her gaze, unable to look him in the eye. They’d talk soon enough, she reasoned.
Stupidly, she’d mentioned her concerns to Wynter and Samantha. Blaming it on her naivety, she’d take responsibility if the conversation went further. Pasting on a passive expression, she glanced to the women who cautiously eyed them from the sofa. She wished she didn’t care what any of them thought, yet they’d known her secret and hadn’t rejected her. Talking with a wolf and a witch had felt natural, as if she’d finally found other women who were like her. Even though she’d always felt that way with Avery, their hushed conversations were intended to eradicate the evidence of her naiad origins. No longer in the shadows, she could finally openly engage with others.
“How’s Sydney? Kade?” Laryssa changed the subject. “That was fast.”
“Not much to be said. Sydney’s resting. Kade is stronger than people give him credit for. He’ll be her rock while we do what we need to do. What he doesn’t need is people fussing over him. He can handle this.” Léopold crossed the room to Wynter, who stood with the baby. “Ava? She’s doing well?”
“Yes. She’s adorable. Just the sweetest little girl,” Wynter gushed.
“Oui. She’s loved here. I never doubt my actions,” Léopold observed. “Sometimes the best things in our lives are unexpected, no?”
“True. I swear Logan and I will do everything we can to keep her safe. Promise me, Léopold that you’ll get rid of this beast that’s after her. Please,” Wynter pleaded.
“We,” he looked to Laryssa, “will do our very best.” He ran his fingers over Ava’s back and then turned to Laryssa. “We need to get going.”
“Is Dimitri coming with us?” Laryssa asked.
“No, I’ve asked him to stay here. Where we’re going, we’ll be safe until we meet up tomorrow. Ladies,” Léopold nodded at the women, and walked to the sliding door, opening it, “Good evening.”
“Thanks for the coffee,” Laryssa said with a small knowing smile, appreciative that Wynter and Samantha hadn’t pursued the discussion about her breaking the bond with Léopold.
As Léopold ushered her out the door, she purposefully jammed her hands into her pockets, resisting the urge to touch him. Like a magnet to steel, her body and heart was drawn
to him, but if she was ever going to break the bond, she’d need to stay strong, keep herself at a distance. She caught Léopold’s eyes roaming over her posture, and suspected that he’d detected her deception. Laryssa had never been in love, really loved another person with all of her soul, enough that she’d sacrifice everything to make him happy. It was in that moment that her heart crushed with the reality that she’d fallen for Léopold. She’d never be able to take away the agony he’d suffered watching his wife and children die, but she’d be damned if she’d torture him all over again. If she could break the bond, he’d survive her death with little consequence.
She looked down to her phone for the time. In less than twenty-four hours, her life would most likely be over. Even if she somehow managed to find the knife, she didn’t trust the demon not to take her anyway. Closing her eyes, she shuddered, recalling its tongue on her skin. No, it’d never be satisfied with some little trinket that promised it a free pass to the other side. It wanted what it had tried to take once, what belonged to it. Her body. Her mind. Her soul.
Chapter Nineteen
“Where’re we going?” Laryssa asked. The sign to the Lake Ponchartrain marina alerted her that they weren’t returning to his home.
“We’re getting off the land, ma chérie. This demon. It’s grounded to the earth. The water. Now that’s where we’ll find a bit of peace.” Léopold pulled into the yacht club and drove up to the valet parking. Shifting the car into park, he opened his door as the attendant arrived.
Laryssa fumbled the fish puzzle in her fingers. She ran her thumb over the cool metal fins, and tugged, hoping that for once, something would just magically happen…that it would open, revealing its secrets. As she expected, nothing happened. Swirling clouds of worry passed through her mind as she stared mindlessly at the rows of boats. The door hinge clicked, jarring her contemplation, and she jumped in her seat.
Léopold towered above Laryssa, studying her. Before he had a chance to reach for her, she leapt out of the car and wrapped her arms around her waist. She’d been acting strangely ever since he’d returned downstairs to find her talking with Wynter and Samantha. Whispers of broken bonds were all he’d heard, but it was enough to tell him that his little rabbit was readying to flee.
He thought it interesting that although he’d never bonded to another person in his life, how naturally he’d taken to the experience. With her blood in him, he could sense both her thoughts and feelings. Reading Laryssa was becoming as simple as reading a menu. She’d deliberately tried to deceive him, shielding her true emotions with false ones, but he’d known all the while what she’d been doing.
“You okay?” Léopold inquired. He tapped his finger on the top of his car.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little tired.”
“I guess breaking into convents will do that to you,” he joked.
“A museum. We broke into a museum…to keep evil out of the city. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” She gave a small laugh.
“I knew you’d see it my way. Come, pet. We must get to the boat.” Léopold strode down the docks, taking care to make sure Laryssa was in step with him. Whatever storm brewed inside her pretty little head, he planned to calm it and make sure she never lied to him again.
“Here we are,” he commented, unlocking the chain. “Ladies first.”
Laryssa went to take a step and stopped, realizing the ‘boat’ was not a simple fishing skiff. In line with everything Léopold, the sixty-foot yacht sparkled underneath a flood of lights. Rolling her eyes at him, she shook her head and smiled.
“Is this yours?” she asked, stepping onto the boarding ramp.
“Mais bien sûr, mon amour,” he replied.
“You know I don’t speak French, Leo. But I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Oui. And I do believe you do speak un petit bit. I recall that you don’t appreciate being called mon lapin.” He smiled and winked.
“So, um, how’d you learn to steer this huge boat of yours?”
“Ah, my sweet Laryssa, you’d be surprised at all I can do. When you’re immortal, you have much time on your hands, no? I usually employ a captain to sail it for me. This, however, is not one of those times. We need to be alone.” Léopold retrieved a small stainless steel flask from his bag and handed it to her. “There’s some water in here. Go ahead inside. See if there’s anything you can find in the book to get the puzzle to open, to show us where we need to go to get the knife. Remember, this fish was meant for you, a naiad.”
Laryssa heard the anchor drop and was certain that Léopold would soon be down to check her progress. After an hour of looking at the puzzle, she hadn’t come any closer to finding the solution. Tracing the pad of her thumb down its underbelly, she could feel small bumps, but they didn’t move. Remember, it was meant for you. The track of Léopold’s words played in her mind. The water. Everything, since the day she’d drowned, came back to the water. It was who she was, how she thrived, how she’d continue to survive as an immortal.
Opening the flask, she dribbled the water onto the fish, expecting to see it glow. Disappointed when it didn’t, she flipped it over. Trying again, she waited patiently but nothing changed. Only wet metal lay in her hands.
“Come on, dammit. I’m running out of time,” she gritted out. Furious and frustrated, she lost her temper, and hurled it across the room. The fish smashed into the wall and tumbled onto the floor.
“It’s going well, no?” Léopold said, entering the cabin. He shook his head and picked up the puzzle. “Come now, you must concentrate.”
“I can’t, Leo. Can’t you see? It’s not working. Nothing is going to work,” she replied.
“You can’t give up,” he scolded. He tossed the fish in the air and caught it. As it landed in his palm, he felt movement. “Perhaps a little anger goes a long way?”
“What?” She sighed.
“It’s moving. It has to be the water. Look…the scales, they’re peeling.”
“Really?” She jumped to her feet and ran over to Léopold, watching as he thumbed away the scales. Like a fan, they began to spread, until the cavity was revealed.
“A key,” Laryssa breathed.
“Yours.” Léopold held out the copper object and offered it to her.
Laryssa hesitated, and then reached for the key. As soon as she touched it, her body quivered as if she were a tuning fork that had been struck against metal. The resonance of the key shocked her, searing into the layers of her skin yet her hand wouldn’t release it. Tears ran down her face as it burned her palm, her eyes widening with the realization that they’d discovered something horrific. Death. Torture. Blood. Screaming. Flashes of the demon flickered through her mind. Laryssa fought for breath, her chest heaving in pain.
She faintly heard Léopold’s voice but was unable to respond. Driven by its diabolical energy, she staggered out onto the deck. Evil coursed through her veins and she was helpless to stop its commands. Léopold lunged for her as she teetered on the edge of the stairs, but she thwarted his efforts to catch her by effortlessly causing a chair to fly through the air, nearly cracking him in the skull. Scrambling over the seats, she reached the ledge of a railing. In the recesses of her mind, she fought to stay sane, but the drumming of evil propelled her over the edge into the deep abyss of the lake.
Like water on a hot oiled pan, her body sizzled as it hit the lake. Convulsing, Laryssa lost herself to the dreadful coil of death that had taken her as a child. The water, typically her savior, rejected her as the evil shroud ensconced in the key held her under, searching for its target. She gasped for breath, and her throat flooded with water. Choking, her eyes bulged in terror, but she was helpless to resist its compelling draw. Shackled to the key, she gave in to its will.
By the time she hit the lake bed, she’d embraced the cold darkness that sought to take her. The metal in her hand burned like fire, forcing her to consciously experience the slow torture of drowning. With the demon dancing in her head, she praye
d for God to take her, yet she remained awake in her nightmare. As her fist hit the rocks, a single chasm illuminated a few feet away from her. Laryssa’s attention was drawn to the small hole. Unable to move her body, she slid her arm toward it. Feeling as if she was ripping the skin from her hands, she pried her fingers open and jammed the key into the rock. The last thing Laryssa saw before she drifted off into oblivion was the brilliance of a white stone blade.
Léopold lay naked in bed, skimming his finger over the flint edge of the Tecpatl. The primitive stone had been chiseled into a razor-sharp point. Bound to the rock with cord, its ornate handle had been carved into a warrior. Decorated in black and red, the soldier bowed on his knees, its hilt bore his horns. Léopold wasn’t entirely positive how she’d found it, but was certain her power had somehow summoned it forth. She’d invoked the magic, and it had responded. It made no sense that it would be in the location where he’d anchored the boat, but as he fingered it, he surmised the object was otherworldly in nature. Perhaps at one time it had been of the earth, created by man’s hands to slice open the chests of fellow humankind. But at some point, it had taken on meaning to the demon. For however long it had existed clandestinely in the depths of the lake, the enchanted knife had finally returned to a naiad.
Léopold contemplated how Laryssa had been possessed by whatever evil was infused into the key. After she’d fallen into the water, he’d dove in, frantically searching for her. By the time he’d found her at the bottom of the basin, she’d lost consciousness, but still glowed in the blackness of the waves. Curled in her hand was the Tecpatl. As they’d reached the surface of the water and the midnight breeze brushed her face, her eyes flew wide open in horror. He’d tried to comfort her, but she’d batted him away. Wrapping her shaking hands around the ladder, she’d climbed out of the lake, leaving him to hold the knife. Her fear and foreboding was palpable and while Léopold continued his attempts to assuage her, she’d rejected his company. She’d insisted on showering alone, so against his better judgment, he’d ceded to her wish.