Diadem of Blood and Bones

by Ripley Proserpina

  “That’s really distracting.”

  “Good,” Sylvain replied. “Maybe it’ll give us an advantage. You heard her, Marcus. Take your shirt off.”

  But Marcus only growled. He spun in a slow circle, knees bent and hands fisted at his side. The wind shifted, blowing a fresh waft of rot and Marcus launched into the darkness. A second later, soldier after soldier spilled out of the forest. Sylvain leapt into the air, over her head, and crashed into the soldiers like they were bowling pins.

  Theia, visible in her red coat, darted between the trees.

  Go. Her vampire was ready to fight, and so was Briar. “I see her!” she yelled to Sylvain and Marcus. They threw off the creatures they were fighting and dashed after her. Together, the three of them raced after Theia.

  Something crashed through the trees, and Sylvain whirled around, ready to attack.

  “Sorry that took me so long,” Valen said, running up to them. He pointed. “Let’s go.”

  She was leading them somewhere. This whole chase was a ruse, meant to get them exactly where she wanted them.

  Briar knew all this, but still she ran, more determined than ever to finish the war Asher had started. Eyes trained on the red coat, Briar didn’t see the rocks in front of her and tripped. The stones crashed to the ground, and ahead, she heard a peal of laughter.

  Marcus helped her to her feet. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes,” she answered.

  Ahead of them, Theia stopped and stepped closer. Briar kept her in her periphery while she studied their surroundings. The water was behind them and it was relatively open, though scrubby pines grew up alongside the misshapen clearing. Ahead of Briar were granite pillars, about waist high, connected by a wrought iron chain.

  “You’ve only brought me three,” Theia called out as she walked closer. Her words spurred into motion all the beings they’d sought, but who hid, each time Briar hunted. It was like something out of a nightmare. Crawlers slid past Theia’s feet, dragging themselves across the snow while wave after wave of soldiers emerged from the forest or dropped out of trees.

  Briar heard a splash and turned around. Crawlers came from the water. Their skin was tight and bloated, cracked in places like they’d absorbed so much water their body could no longer contain it.

  “Was this what you had in mind when you said we’d go to war?” Theia asked.

  The beings around Theia bombarded Briar with their emotions. The sentient ones were gleeful, anticipating a fight where they could finally get revenge.

  Revenge?

  Careful. Her vampire warned her off of digging too deeply, but Briar didn’t understand. With Asher dead, the crawlers were no longer under his control. But they weren’t happy about that. The anger of so many different minds threatened to drown her.

  Enough! These were creatures with only one purpose. Briar’s vampire wasn’t going to let her be distracted because she was butt-hurt the crawlers didn’t appreciate their freedom.

  Their emotions were oily and black, like tar. Briar held her breath and pushed at the ripples, refusing to let them lap against her mind. She was hit with a surge of anger as the soldiers and crawlers crowded them, surrounding them from every side.

  “I like these odds,” Sylvain said suddenly, glancing at Valen and smiling.

  “At least they can all die in one place,” Valen replied. “Easier clean up.”

  Briar bit her lip to keep from smiling, and Theia frowned.

  Enough talk, more fighting. Anxious, her vampire didn’t want to stand around and talk. She wanted to act.

  So did Briar.

  Using the pillars like a path, she jumped from one surface to another and then dove at Theia. The vampire braced herself against Briar’s attack. Sharp nails dug in Briar’s arms as the Theia caught her in midair, spun her around, and threw her into a pine tree.

  Briar rolled, came to her feet and ran at Theia again.

  Let me. The vampire was asking for control. Briar could fight, but it was what her vampire was born to do. It was an easy choice, and her vampire roared to the forefront.

  Theia swung a clawed hand at her, but Briar blocked it. She slammed her hand into the center of Theia’s chest and was rewarded with a loud crack. Theia’s eyes widened, and she fell backward.

  “Briar!” Sylvain leapt over the soldiers surrounding him to land next to her.

  Theia arched her back to push off the palms of her hands and leapt to her feet. Before Sylvain could react, she jumped on him and sank her teeth into his neck. Theia kept her eyes on Briar, cheeks hollowing as she drank.

  “No!” Briar cried.

  Sylvain reached back, grabbed the vampire’s hair, and dragged her over his shoulder. Hitting the hard ground didn’t stop her. She merely bounded to her feet and charged Briar again as the soldiers and crawlers swarmed.

  Kill her.

  With renewed determination, Briar rushed toward Theia. They exchanged blows, but Theia’s didn’t connect. She telegraphed her movements before she made them, and Briar’s vampire easily countered each one.

  Theia feinted in one direction, but when she moved in the opposite, Briar was ready. Wrapping her hands around Theia’s neck, Briar dug her nails into her skin.

  Valen suddenly roared, distracting Briar for an instant, but it was enough for Theia to break Briar’s hold and shove her away.

  The guys were in trouble. In battling Theia, she’d left Valen, Sylvain, and Marcus to fight the overwhelming numbers in Theia’s army.

  And they were struggling.

  For each soldier they killed, another one sprung up to take its place. Valen had fallen to one knee and a crawler slithered away before he could grab it. A soldier jumped onto Valen’s back and grabbed his neck. Slowed to near paralysis by the crawler’s venom, Valen wouldn’t be able to save himself.

  Briar had no choice but to let Theia go.

  Briar ran toward Valen, leaping over the crawler that darted from its hiding spot and over the soldiers who tried to tackle her. She hit the soldier on Valen as soon as he was within arm’s reach. Briar’s hand smashed through skin and bone, and the soldier fell to the ground twitching once before it disintegrated.

  Barely a second passed before another soldier attacked. Sylvain and Marcus appeared, bitten and bleeding, and they fought together.

  But there were too many. For as many soldiers as they killed, another was ready to fight to the death.

  “Briar, I want you to run!” Valen yelled when they were surrounded by another surge of soldiers.

  She shook her head and her vampire growled. Protect them. “I’m trying!” she yelled at the creature, but God, how long could she fight?

  As the thought crossed her mind, something flew past her, taking out the soldiers with it. For a moment, Briar thought it was Hudson, and her knees shook with relief, but the dark haired man who stood tall and proud was a stranger. “Get back,” the man commanded, his words forcing her to do just that.

  “Briar!” Marcus grabbed her, placing himself between her and the stranger.

  “Briar!” She spun at the sound of the familiar voice. Hudson battled his way through the soldiers and crawlers. By his side were two men, twins, who ashed every creature that stood between them and Briar.

  Hudson's presence re-energized her, and her vampire crowed. Together, they could defeat Theia. The stranger’s power held Briar in place, but as his gaze met hers, he released her.

  “No!” Theia’s shriek carried over the sounds of battle. Her wide-eyed stare went to Hudson, and she narrowed her eyes. A wave of influence hit Briar as she attempted to manipulate Hudson. Kill her.

  Spinning toward her vampire, Briar readied herself for an attack, but it didn’t come.

  “I see you,” Hudson yelled, and then ducked when one of the granite pillars flew toward his head.

  Briar, without the help of her vampire, reacted. She ran toward the pillar to pick it up where it came to rest, and flung it at the soldier. It smashed into the creature, throwin
g him backward toward Valen, who dispatched him quickly.

  In that moment, the tide turned.

  Sylvain and Valen worked in tandem. Sylvain swept up a crawler and tossed him to Valen before he could bite. Then Valen would rip off his head. Briar fought next to Marcus and Hudson and ended every soldier she could reach.

  All the time, though, she was aware of the new vampires, who seemed happy to grab any soldier close by and turn them into dust.

  But Theia still stayed away, pacing the edge of the clearing as they fought.

  Why wasn’t she attacking?

  It was then, as Briar ashed a crawler, that she saw the dark stranger approach Theia. The vampire growled and lunged toward him. As she did, the crawlers and soldiers stopped as if they didn’t know whether to go on fighting.“They’re mine!”

  With the lull in battle, Hudson swept Briar up in his arms. “I thought I wouldn’t get here in time.”

  “You’re alive,” she said on a breath. “Where did you go?”

  “We found him first,” one of the twins said. Now that they were closer, Briar could see they weren’t actually twins. The man who spoke was dark haired, but his eyes were blue, almost navy. The man who stood at his side was obviously his brother, but his eyes were brown.

  “Hud…” she began but stopped when Theia began yelling.

  “You think you can take them from me?” she screamed at the man, who’d yet to speak. He tilted his head, studying her, but was silent. “They’re my army! I have waited for them! They’re mine!” Jabbing a finger over the man’s shoulder, she pointed to Hudson. “And he’s mine. The day-walking vampires are mine.”

  “No, Theia.” When he spoke, Briar found herself hanging on every word. His voice had a power she’d never experienced, and she wanted to cover her ears and listen closer at the same time. She glanced at Hudson.

  “It’s okay,” he assured her, but Briar wasn’t certain. The man oozed power, and his emotions were dark.

  “It’s almost daylight,” the brown-eyed man called out.

  The stranger glanced over his shoulder and smiled. “Yes, Horus. Thank you for reminding me.” He faced Theia. “We’re going to stay right here, Theia,” the stranger said. “And watch the sun rise.”

  “No.” Theia’s voice was choked. “No. Ra.”

  Pressure built behind Briar’s eyes, and her vampire hissed.

  Ra shook his head. “I believe you turned down the queen’s offer of peace.” He looked over his shoulder at Briar. “You told her to leave, didn’t you?”

  “I did,” Briar answered. Valen and Sylvain closed in around her while Marcus held onto her hand. Hudson squeezed her, and she felt his emotions. Safe. “I told her to take them where they couldn’t hurt anyone.”

  “But you refused, Theia.” Ra frowned. “And now, I can feel the sun rising.”

  Behind them, a creature cried out in pain as the first rays of sun touched the land.

  Theia began to beg. “Ra. The army is yours—I will cede control.”

  “You’ll only wait for us to fall, Theia. Biding your time like you did with Asher until you can sit on the throne.”

  “I won’t!” she yelled. And then she glanced at his brothers. “Seti! Horus! Think of the power we could have!”

  “We don’t want it,” Horus replied. “It belongs to Briar.”

  “I don’t want it!” Briar cried and the man smiled.

  “It seems none but you want it, Theia. So it will die with you.”

  “You!” Theia narrowed her eyes at Briar. “What kind of queen refuses power? And day-walking vampires—imagine the life they could have! And all of you have thrown it away.” She straightened her shoulders. “I’ll give you one more chance. All of you: Ra, Seti, Horus—the day-walkers—join me, and we’ll share the throne.”

  No. Marcus, Hudson, Valen, Sylvain—all refused what Theia offered, though they didn’t say a word. They would be powerful, but because they were a family, not because they wielded an army.

  Briar watched Theia as the forest began to flood with light. Around her, the crawlers and soldiers went up in flames. They screamed and writhed, but none of them ran. They seemed frozen in place, watching their inevitable death creep closer with the rising sun.

  As did Theia. She bucked and squirmed, but her feet were rooted to the ground, and when the sun rose, flames engulfed her. Her cries would haunt Briar for the rest of her life, but her vampire reveled in them. Safe. Protected. Theia’s death meant the end of the war.

  As she disintegrated into ash, Ra faced them. His gaze landed on Briar before flicking to Hudson. “The ones that live received your medicine,” he said.

  Her family moved fast, dispatching the dozen or so soldiers and crawlers who remained. As snow began to fall, covering the gray mounds of ash, her guys surrounded her and faced these new people. They stared at each other. Briar got the sense her family was preparing to fight, but the emotions she sensed from the three newcomers weren’t hostile.

  Confusion. Sadness. Hopelessness. Curiosity. They would leave as soon as their questions were answered.

  “Thank you,” Briar said.

  Ra narrowed his eyes. “We aren’t your friends.”

  “Ra,” Hudson said. “Caref—”

  The man held up a hand, and Hudson’s voice was cut off.

  “Stop it!” Briar said, and when he merely held her gaze, she added, “Please.”

  Hand falling to his side, Ra stepped away from them.

  “Who are you?” Briar asked.

  “They’re originals,” Hudson answered. “I had wondered if they were Asher’s first sons, made by him, but they weren’t made by anyone.” He glanced at her and gave a half-smile. “We have so much to investigate, princess. It’s going to take us lifetimes.”

  “We’re as we’ve always been,” the blue-eyed man said. “Though once we had a mother.” His gaze dropped to Briar’s belly. “Maybe she was like you.” He stared at her. Confusion. “Are you happy about your baby?”

  “Yes,” Briar answered. She stepped back and covered her stomach with her hands.

  “Don’t be afraid.” He spoke in warm, calming tones. “I won’t hurt you. I am curious. You are happy even if the child needs blood to survive?”

  “I need blood to survive,” Briar answered, and he shook his head.

  “No,” he replied. “You need the blood of your husbands—the ones your vampire has chosen to stay by your side throughout the length of your life.”

  “How do you survive?” Briar asked. “If I’m like your mother, are you like me?”

  “Yes and no,” the blue-eyed man said.

  “Seti drinks human and vampire blood,” Horus explained. “When it is the three of us and we are far away from the world, we can survive by drinking the blood of a brother.”

  “So my baby will survive on both,” Briar said. “Thank you for telling me.”

  Seti nodded before turning his back on them. “I want to stay awhile, Ra. What do you think?”

  Frowning, the man gazed at Briar and her vampires. “We don’t want your territory and we don’t want to fight.”

  “You’ll leave Briar alone,” Hudson said.

  Ra glanced at Briar. “We will only approach her with your permission,” he said to Hudson.

  “My permission,” Briar interrupted. “You can ask me. I can speak for myself.”

  Sylvain growled and Valen whispered, “Briar…”

  But Ra smiled. “Of course. Horus, what do you say?”

  “I have not been south in a long time,” he replied. “I’d like to enjoy the weather.”

  The wind blew, icy and strong, and Briar shivered.

  “We need to go,” Marcus said to Hudson. “This weather isn’t good for Briar. She’s not even wearing shoes.”

  Oh! She’d forgotten she’d shed her wet clothes to fight. “I’m going to look strange running through Boston in my sock feet.”

  “We’ll be too fast for anyone to notice,” Sylvain replied
.

  “We’ll contact you later,” Ra said. He and his brothers began to walk toward the forest. “Take good care of your queen.”

  “I’m not a queen!” Briar called out.

  “Whatever you say,” he replied and with that, spun and ran into the trees. A moment later, his brothers followed him and Briar was left alone in the clearing with her vampires.

  “Can we go home?” she asked.

  “Only if I can carry you,” Hudson replied and stole her from Marcus. He held her in his arms and kissed her.

  “Hurry up!” Sylvain called. “I’m freezing my nipples off over here.”

  Hudson began to jog, Marcus keeping pace next to them.

  “Why did you take off your sweater?” Valen asked.

  “It hindered my ability to fight,” Sylvain muttered, and Valen laughed.

  “You were showing your muscles to Briar, weren’t you?”

  “No!” Sylvain retorted.

  “I once watched you battle in a bearskin coat in the middle of a wildfire,” Valen said. A second later, Briar heard flesh hit flesh and a huff of air.

  “Sylvain!” Briar called over her shoulder.

  “Sorry,” he and Valen answered and then began to laugh.

  Hudson picked up speed. The snow fell around them, but by the time they got back to Boston, it had stopped and the sun had come out. The world was blanketed in white and where the snowflakes caught the sun, it twinkled like diamonds.

  “We’re safe,” Briar said as Hudson passed the Charles River. “We’re really safe.”

  “We are,” he answered. “Safe from Asher and Theia.”

  She held her hand out. The sun revealed old scars usually hidden. “Safe from the sun.”

  “The only thing you have to worry about is passing your final exams,” Marcus called out.

  “Oh, she’ll pass,” Hudson replied. Marcus’s house was right ahead, and he leapt over a fence and into the backyard. Marcus hurried past them and up the stairs, opening the back door. “She’s wicked smart.”

  “Smahht,” Sylvain interjected. “That’s how they say it here. ‘Wicked smaht.’”