Seconds passed as she waited, listening to the dead silence on the line. “What?”
“She has a brother.”
A long pause followed, and Alera held her breath, hoping Varick hadn’t lost his signal. What if Angelica really was Antonia’s daughter? Questions and more questions.
“A brother?” A whisper escaped Varick’ lips. “Is he here with her?”
“I’m not sure, but Antonia died thirty years ago, and her son just disappeared off the face of the earth.” Alera paused. “Varick, do you think maybe it’s Eli Dark?”
The Destroyer, Eli Dark, was the son of Feverand Dark, a Destroyer who was one of the first of their kind, one of the first ten. His death had been a severe blow to Gyth and his loyal Destroyers. Feverand had been chosen to take Antonia, Alera’s sister, through her Burning. They had bonded their souls and, in the old tradition, they had married. Most Destroyers were unable to bear children, and Eli’s birth had been celebrated in Gyth’s own palace in the stars.
Alera spoke slowly. “Varick? Do you think that Gyth knows of her? She’ll be turning thirty soon. All descendants enter the Burning at that age — all of them.”
“If she is to go through the Burning, then Gyth would know. It’s conceivable she was born without the mark. Many of the gods’ descendants have been.”
Alera grinned as she answered, “She has the mark. It’s the same as mine.”
“I wonder whom Gyth is going to choose. I hope the poor bastard knows what he’s getting into.”
“Varick, please!”
“Don’t take it the wrong way. It’s a task I will never take on again.”
Alera closed her blue eyes. “You know it wasn’t your fault … what happened was … I just don’t want you to think I hold it against you.”
Varick was silent for a few minutes before speaking. “I would have saved your sister if I could have, but she … ”
“You don’t have to explain it. It was a long time ago.” She heard metal on metal and wondered what he was doing. “Most of us don’t make it through the Burning.”
Varick growled and hissed. “She didn’t want it, Alera. She wanted to die. She wouldn’t let me help.”
Alera gritted her teeth to keep from trembling and managed to respond, “I know she didn’t want to … she didn’t want immortality.”
Varick was silent, and she continued. “Like I said, it was a long time ago, but I’m worried my niece doesn’t know what’s going to happen to her body.”
“Find out more about her in the next few days, and I will ask Gyth about her. But I’m sure he has chosen for her already. He knows when the Burning is coming.”
Alera held the phone to her ear for a long time after he hung up. She looked up at the ceiling and a tear slid down her cheek as she prayed that Angelica made it through the Burning.
• • •
Grace, ethereal and majestic, watched as the scene played out in the office of the club. Her smile stretched across her pale pink lips as a low hum left her mouth. Things were looking brighter every second that passed, whether the darling Angelica knew it or not. She stood, and the cloud she had been floating on disappeared as she waved her hand. It was indeed good to be a goddess.
She glided across the white marble floor to a pedestal of gold and reached down to turn the pages in the silver book that lay awaiting her touch. The Book of Promises had long ago belonged to the god known as Jaiden. It was a link between the Heavens and the Earth. Or better yet, it was a link between Grace and the Destroyers Gyth so carefully watched and commanded. And what he didn’t know wasn’t going to hurt him.
Soft laughter filled the white marble room as she ran her finger down the page to the name of Varick Ta Farg, son of the god Gyth and the vampire Vicery Beth. A brief description of his life before becoming a Destroyer was entered by his name, but the important part was what Grace saw under the description.
Under his name, gold letters appeared, the power of the missing god, Jaiden, evidently still in use. She smiled as she watched the inscription scroll down the page.
“Well, my skilled assassin, it seems our debt will be paid in full in due time. Oh, it does give me such great pleasure to know that a vampire … no … a reborn assassin of your worth will be rewarded so richly.”
Smiling with unrefined pleasure, she turned the page and suddenly frowned as she saw another name appear in her book. Damnation! Couldn’t a goddess get a break every now and then?
Just because the Destroyers were warriors of the higher powers did not mean they should be emotionally destroyed. Over the years, she had watched their misery and pain surface and explode, but with the help of the Book of Promises she had given a few of them a reason to continue. It wasn’t that she liked to meddle; she just didn’t like Gyth. He was intolerable at best.
She opened her hand, and a small white light appeared as the faces of the Destroyers fluttered in and out of her sight. There were a hundred of them, all as handsome as Gyth himself, all with tortured pasts, and all thinking that they owed Gyth for their making. Unbelievable, but at least they did carry out the main task. They protected the One Race from the spawn of the Underworld and killed as many of the evil creatures as they could.
She sighed. It was a pity Gyth had lost sight of the fact that the Destroyers were a race of unequal endowments. Their beauty and power alone were enough to make her stomach clench hotly. The part that angered her was their pain, each of them suffering in their own way, each of their hearts and souls battered and bruised almost to the point of no repair.
Grace grinned mischievously; she had taken it upon herself to make sure at least some of the Destroyers found happiness, and dear old Gyth was completely unable to do anything about it!
After all, she was the goddess who promoted love and sexuality.
She paused in her thoughts as she turned back to the Book of Promises. Varick was going to be in for a life-changing experience. She had already set into motion the events that would lead to his much-earned happiness.
Grace waved her hand and Angelica’s face appeared hovering over Varick’s name. She was strong but gentle, tough but loving, someone kind but mean as hell when she needed to be. Most of all, Varick would need someone who could make his heart skip two beats just by looking at her. Grace laughed merrily as she manifested a bone pen in her right hand.
She carefully wrote Angelica’s name in the Book of Promises under Varick’s. Yes, this is the one.
It was going to take some very careful planning and time, but Grace had all the time in the universe to wait for this. Angelica would be Varick’s saving grace. She giggled, saving grace, indeed. What a play on words.
She turned back to the book and hummed into the air. “Amay! Come, join me in my chambers!”
Amay, golden and shining with an unearthly light, appeared before Grace. She bowed slightly and shimmered until she stepped onto the marble floor. Her long, black hair trailed the floor behind her as she glided to Grace’s side. Her ocean-blue eyes swirled with the tides of the seas as she smiled. It was a much too refined and practiced smile for Grace’s taste.
“Angelica Dark is entering her Burning. Your descendant is quite the picture of loveliness.”
“Thank you, Grace.” The goddess narrowed her eyes. “It warms my heart that you think of her so kindly.”
“Tell me, Amay. Do you think she will love my Varick?”
Amay kept her keen eyes narrowed and looked to the Book of Promises. “Grace? What have you done?”
“If it’s not her fate to find him, then she won’t find him. True?”
Amay bit her lip. “True, but she is to be — ”
“A Destroyer? Is that what you think she’s going to be, like her brother?”
“Her brother was born a Destroyer and she will be too. It’s the way fate
works.” Amay dropped her eyes and shrugged. “Who am I to question?”
Grace turned on her heel as she spoke. “Gyth is a fool! He has been trying so hard to control the lives of his … ” She paused. “ … his Destroyers that he has almost destroyed them because he uses them for his own purposes. Is that what you want for Angelica? The one you begged me to hide from Gyth?”
“What are you saying?” Amay’s eyes glittered with restrained intelligence. “To go against his wishes is suicide.”
Grace delicately touched the book’s spine. “Varick can save Angelica from Gyth.”
Amay crossed her arms. “What exactly do you want from me?”
“A trade.”
Amay scoffed. “What do you have that I might possibly want that I don’t have already?”
Grace held out her hand and from the floor of her chamber arose five gold pedestals, each with a silver book resting on its crown. Amay stepped back, and her eyes glowed with anticipation as Grace snapped her fingers. The gigantic chamber doors sealed shut, and the room grew three shades darker. Amay’s eyes glittered like diamonds as she beheld the five silver books, books she had longed, ached to see. Grace knew these were the books that, at one time, Amay would have sold her soul to gain possession of.
“Was that really necessary? There’s no reason to get all dramatic over this, is there?” Amay bit back her sarcastic attitude as she leveled a cold stare on the other goddess. “Does Gyth know you have these six books in your possession?”
“Of course he doesn’t know. Do you really take me for an idiot?” Grace held out her hand, and a small, round pendant appeared in her palm. “I want you to bless this pendant.”
“Why?”
“Because, dear Amay, I know the power of calling on Terror Sky lies only within your hands.” Grace laughed as Amay’s face contorted with hate. “I know he gave you the power to seek his audience.”
Amay took a deep breath. “How do you know that?”
Grace smiled softly. “The books tell me everything I need to know.””
Pulling away, Amay turned her back and whispered, “Gyth won’t allow me to bless that.” She walked circles around the books, trying to keep her wits about her. “If Gyth should find out I aided you in calling Terror Sky forth, he’ll have my head.”
“And what do you think he’s going to do when he finds Angelica?” Grace’s eyes glowed dangerously red. “Gyth is a fool. Can you not see that he has overstepped his bounds? Terror Sky must be made aware of what’s happening to the world below, what’s happening to the Destroyers.”
Fear was evident in her voice as her hand fluttered to her throat. “Gyth rules the Heavens! He rules us. If he ever finds out you’re conspiring against him, he’ll make you regret it.”
“Are you afraid of Gyth? Surely you know we’re as powerful as he is, and combined, we are stronger.” Grace’s eyes glittered as she saw the little flicker of hate and betrayal cross Amay’s face. “Gyth doesn’t rule me, and he doesn’t have to rule you, either.”
“Don’t be a fool, Grace. Gyth controls the godbolts. He could kill us whenever he wants.”
“Then I must admit I’m disappointed you won’t take an interest in saving your descendant. It seems like a fair trade; you bless this pendant, and I’ll change your descendant’s fate.”
“We cannot change her fate. It’s forbidden!” Amay gritted out through clenched teeth. “Gyth is the only one allowed to change anyone’s fate.”
“Do you honestly think Gyth was meant to decide all the world’s fates?”
Grace slid her fingers down the spine of the Book of Promises. “Admit it, Amay, he has lost his way.” Exasperated, she pointed to the other five books. “We can control Jaiden’s words. New inscriptions appear every day, and we have the power to see to it Gyth is stopped.”
Watching Amay’s reactions, Grace continued, “Terror Sky won’t take pity on Gyth or anyone who has broken the Heavenly Laws.”
“What do you know of those dictations? You were a mere child, barely able to control the powers of that Olympian bitch Aphrodite, when Gyth became ruler of the Heavens. Under Isten’s command, Terror Sky helped Gyth take the throne of the Heavens. What makes you think he’ll turn on Gyth when Isten wanted Gyth to have the throne? And do I need to remind you Terror Sky has been dormant since Gyth took over the Heavens?”
Controlling her anger, Grace smiled. “What about Angelica? Do you want her to suffer? Do you want her to die?”
“What are you offering me in return for blessing the pendant?”
Grace went to the five pedestals and picked up one of the silver books, “I’m offering you the Book of Knowledge.”
Grace handed Amay the book satisfied by the look on her face. “Hope you enjoy Jaiden’s cryptic writing.” She held the pendant out and waited.
Amay closed her eyes and held out her hand over the pendant. “There, it’s done, but I don’t want any part of this little plan of yours.”
Pouting, Grace asked, “No lights? No fireworks?”
“No, I don’t like the dramatics of it,” Amay answered dryly as she shimmered and disappeared. “And I’ll refuse any knowledge of what you’re doing if I’m asked.”
“Spoilsport,” Grace whispered as she clutched the pendant to her breast. As she looked upon the books, she murmured, “You may have everyone else fooled, but the books show me all your secrets. And everyone else’s too.”
Chapter 4
Varick Ta Farg walked through the crowd at Tortured Souls, the local bar, and gritted his teeth. Humans smelled of sweat, fear, sex, and disease. His white hair hung down his face, covering his left eye. The curse that slid out of his well-formed mouth went unheard as he noticed his black biker jacket was torn at the sleeve and his fingerless leather gloves were covered in gray ashes.
The new jeans on his muscled legs were ripped down the inside of his thigh, and a trace of his own blood peeked through the hole. The wound had healed easily, but Varick’s ego had been slapped around pretty hard. It was rare that a vampire ever got a good hit on him. Seemed like these days the bastards were getting smarter and a lot more numerous. The fierce growl that erupted from his throat rumbled through the crowd, parting his way.
The vampires he had slain stank of death and old blood, but then again they always did. Varick laughed viciously as he pulled his jacket off. It would be a cold day in the hottest of the nine hells before he would let a vampire take him out. He had not survived this long as a Destroyer to lose his soul to the damned — or to anyone or anything else, for that matter.
He made his way to the table in the corner of the human-infested club and sat down in the white-cushioned, high-back chair. The others would soon be arriving with news of their encounters. He expected them to advise that the number of enemies was rising, and he frowned at the thought.
Their own numbers were scarce compared to that of the enemy, and if Gyth did not take it upon himself to deliver reinforcements soon, Varick had a feeling things were going to get worse a lot quicker than Alexander had expected.
As Varick turned his thoughts to Alexander, the man himself appeared in the shadows along the wall and sat down in the red-cushioned chair to Varick’s left. General Alexander of Greece was a deadly Destroyer, and his accomplishments as a human had never been matched. He was good-tempered and easy to get along with until you pissed him off; then it became a completely different matter.
Varick watched him shift in his chair several times before getting comfortable. His leather pants stretched tight across his thighs as he settled his weight onto the groaning chair. Alexander stretched his foot, clad in a steel-toed, black boot, onto the tabletop and leaned back in his chair.
“How did the night fare?” Alexander’s face was void of emotion, detached.
Varick shrugged. “Twelve tonight. Creatures of
habit that they are, they were in the same location beside the graveyard in the western part of town. And you?”
Alexander frowned. “Two more covens have risen up. One had ten members, and the other had six. They’re getting more and more recruits every day. The humans are being easily led and converted.”
“It’s the same with the vampires. They’re turning humans by the dozens and killing even more.” He held Alexander’s stare. “It’s as you expected, perhaps worse.”
Varick growled as he pulled his hair back and tied it into place at the nape of his neck. Alexander turned to the blonde woman who slid up alongside their table.
“What will you have tonight? The usual?” Her voice was deep, and her blue eyes twinkled as she licked her lips.
Alexander smiled a well-rehearsed smile. “Yeah, the usual.”
The woman edged closer to Alexander. “You need some company?”
“Maybe later.”
“Three. I get off at three,” she replied as she leaned closer. “I can meet you at the usual place.”
He flatly stated, “Go get our beer.”
As she reluctantly pulled away, the third of their companions arrived through the crowd. Kreach paused as the crowd hurriedly got out of his way.
Alexander waited for Kreach to take his seat. “How did you fare?”
Kreach held up his large hands and showed nine fingers. The scars across his knuckles glistened in the strobe lights, drawing Varick’s attention to the tattoos across the width of both his wrists. Each symbol told a story and each dot after each symbol represented a number.
Kreach’s right wrist depicted a day — his original birth no doubt. His left depicted a day of transition, of a turning of some kind. Varick could only guess that it had something to do with becoming an alpha male. The Destroyer had his secrets, just as he himself did.
Kreach leaned back and pulled the nine canine teeth from his jacket pocket and slid them across the table to Alexander. The lights caught the piercing in his eyebrow, sending hundreds of sparkling lights around Kreach’s face.
Embrace the Fire Page 3