by D. C. Gambel
“There’s something I need to show you.” He stood without waiting for a reply or to see if I would follow. I debated on just staying where I was, but knew he’d just return and would be more insistent.
Padding across the floor, I saw Ty dart into the library just as I crossed the threshold into the hall. When I entered to large room, I saw that only Ty was present and I couldn’t help but feel relieved. I didn’t want to be around anyone right now. My heart was breaking.
Ty held out a piece of paper and waited for me to cross the distance between us. He didn’t move even as I stood before him, but remained as frozen as a statue doing nothing but holding the paper out for me to accept. With a deep exhale I took it.
Eyeing the flimsy sheet, I flipped it over only to have my confirmation confirmed. It was the same paper I’d seen earlier that held Cam’s note.
“It’s the paper from the warehouse,” I stated not understanding why he had to drag me away from my wallowing.
He nodded. “Cam’s note is on one side, but a spell is on the other.”
“A spell?” I asked curiously hoping for some elaboration. I turned it to the side he spoke of staring hard at it hoping to make some sense of it.
Taking a deep breath, Ty slowly exhaled it almost like he was attempting to draw strength from the air. “I don’t think Cam chose this piece of paper by coincidence. The ingredients listed—” Ty handed me his cell phone having already pulled up a picture. It was of the alter Shane and Nyx had used in hell. “The items on the left are all listed here.” He tapped the paper I held in my hand.
“I don’t understand.”
“Evie,” Ty began. The way he spoke my name was almost as if he was afraid I’d spook. “I think someone put a spell on Cam.”
I snorted back a laugh, but Ty’s stone cold, serious face made me pause. Then it hit me. Nyx standing over Cam muttering and sprinkling him with some kind of powder, the black lines racing towards his heart that had vanished from one moment to the next. His black eyes.
Seeing that I did no longer doubt him, Ty continued. “Nyx wanted Cam on her side. Disabling him long enough for her to perform a spell… Seems like her thing. Shane was simply following orders.”
“Shane?” I wondered what his part was in it.
“The Blade of Sin. It’s made to sever. To sever mortals from their bodies, Jesus from Earth. But we aren’t affected in the same way. We’re immortal,” Ty explained. “We’re not bound by the same rules as humans. The blade won’t kill us, which I think Shane knew.”
With a knitted brow I spoke. “You’re saying that you believe Cam was Shane’s intended target. That’s a bit of leap, don’t you think?” I recalled Shane charging me, and Cam stepping in to protect me.
Ty shook his head. “You have to remember that they’ve been studying us. They knew of Cam’s attachment to you. It’s not farfetched to believe he’d take a bullet for you, or in this case the Blade of Sin.” He paused letting his words sink in. “The blade is known to be excoriating. The pain is meant to sever the soul from the mortal body by shocking it into expelling itself. That kind of pain would be enough to knock anyone out long enough—”
“Long enough for Nyx to perform the spell. But what’s the spell?”
Ty turned grim. “To taint the soul. They want him dark.”
I felt my legs give out. Almost as if Tyler was prepared for my reaction, a chair at the table had already been pulled out so I fell into it with ease. Nyx’s words from our first meeting came rushing back.
“Now,” she hissed into my ear. “He’s what I truly wanted—heartbroken and wounded. He’ll release a plague on this world. Wiping out the weak. Giving my demons the fun they so seek.”
It had never been about the apocalypse. She had always wanted Cam and now it seemed she had him.
Chapter 22
Cam stood with Cain awaiting the boatman’s arrival. Cain had dripped some of what War now knew to be Evie’s blood into the water to summon the ferry. How he got it, the horseman didn’t ask.
Even though she was free, Nyx still preferred the seclusion Hell had to offer. It also meant more difficulty for the horsemen to find her. Hell was vast and unless you knew where to look you could get lost trying to find someone.
“He always takes forever,” Cain mumbled.
Cam stifled a smile. The ferryman wasn’t tricked by Cain’s offer. Evie hadn’t had any delay summoning the ferry the first time and ever since the boatman arrived without a summons whenever the horsemen needed. Cam mouth quickly turned to a frown realizing that he stood waiting beside Cain and the ferry still didn’t arrive. He shook off the feeling of unease and crossed his arms over his chest to wait.
It was another ten minutes before the outline of the ferry approaching blinked into existence on the river.
“About time,” Cain grumbled loud enough as he stepped onto the boat.
“I am not at the beck and call of the living,” the boatman demanded pocketing his coins.
“You should be at the beck and call of your queen,” Cain spat.
“She’s not my queen and like all falsehoods she too will fall.”
Face turning red, Cain opened his mouth, but Cam heard no words even though he could clearly see his mouth moving.
“Tell me Sodales to my mistress, why are you with this keratin?” The boatman asked.
“I’m at the service of his queen,” Cam stated.
“Ah,” the boatman claimed realization. After a long pause he spoke again. “Beware Horseman of War, the spell she has you under can fade. Treat the false queen as you would a Seelie. Do not digest anything she offers you to eat or drink this will only strength her false hold on you. Only one truly has a claim to your soul and it is not Nyx.”
“Evie,” Cam breathed his eyes briefly flashing blue before turning back black.
“Indeed.”
The outside noise returned and along with it was Cain’s bellowing. Cam turned a glare at him.
“What now you hear me? I’ve been talking to you for the past several minutes and you couldn’t respond.”
“Maybe I didn’t want to hear your babbling,” Cam replied successfully ignoring Cain for the rest of the trip.
When they stepped off the boat, the ferryman placed his skeleton like hand on Cam’s arm halting him. “Remember what I said.”
Once the boatman shoved off, Cain demanded to know what was said.
“He offered to throw you overboard into the river of souls if I chose. You’re lucky you went silent when you did. He was close to making the choice for me.”
Cam stifled another laugh as Cain’s face turned red.
Not another word was spoken as Cain led the way through Hell. Just as it always did, Hell toyed with Cam’s mind only this time instead of living the death of his fellow horsemen, Hell showed him another fear; Evie moving on with someone else. There were glimpses of Derek, Ty, even Asher, which was crazy since Cam knew he was dead, but what he saw was the night he found her on the vampire’s desk kissing him with a passion that Cam knew should have been reserved for him alone. He’d been a fool then to deny his feelings and it seemed he was a fool once more.
Now when she noticed Cam lingering in the doorway, she snuffed him off only to turn her attention back to Asher. Cam’s feet kept moving forward but the scene moved with him maintaining the same distance. He was forced to watch Asher removing Evie’s shirt, laying her out on his desk. He watched the vampire kiss down her stomach to unbuckle her jeans.
“Cam!” Cain yelled breaking the connection. Cam had never been more grateful for the demon than he was at that moment. “We’re close.”
The mind games stayed away the rest of the trip. Perhaps Hell felt it and had tormented him enough. He was unsure why the vision bothered him so. After all, the place Evie once held in his heart no longer existed, yet the thought of her with anyone else brought forth the unaltered essence of War.
Mine, his mind whispered in thought of the female horseman.
“There he is.” A woman practically squealed launching herself at him forcing him back a step. Nyx clung to him making Cam feel uncomfortable. Feeling the tension is his body rise she withdrew with a bashful smile. “So sorry, my darling. I forget that displays of affection probably make one such as yourself uneasy.”
“Such as myself?” Cam wondered.
“She means moral-less,” Cain stated with a shrug. “I’m the same. Most of the damned I know are. Touching beyond necessity is an annoyance.”
Nyx nodded. She reached out to touch Cam’s arm but thought better of it. Instead she gestured for him to follow.
“This is my sanctuary. I have a deal with the King of Hell. He leaves his tricks at the door here. Once inside the effects of Hell are powerless. Would you care for a drink?”
Remembering the ferryman’s words Cam declined.
Nyx had been waiting for this moment forever. Cam was finally within her grasp, but she knew she had to play her cards right. Her plan had always been to eliminate Death, but with no idea how to kill a horseman, she had to come up with the next best thing, expelling her from War’s heart. She just hoped it was enough to gain the results she wished.
“Now that you’re here with us, I think it’s very important to start anew. After all you did try to kill me.”
“You tried to kill me too,” Cam stated unapologetically. His eyes flashing blue alerted Nyx that this was not the right path.
“Forgive me. I want to wash away the past or rather light it on fire then we can start anew from the ashes. The Horseman of War is no more. You, my dear boy, will be the fire and the salvation this world needs. You will be my Phoenix.”
The End
Evie’s story concludes in Phoenix.
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Also by D C Gambel
The Edge of Forever Series
Fate
Blood Ties
The Return
The Prophecy
The Horsemen Chronicles
Awakened
Obsidian
Black Phoenix
About the Author
D.C. Gambel is a mother, army wife, and a hopeless romantic. Romance has always been her genre of choice whether it's contemporary, historical, paranormal, or even pushing towards erotica in both reading and writing. When she first decided to try her hand at writing, romance was the obvious choice. Getting lost in a different world, living unimaginable lives is something she strives for even if it's just a temporary enjoyment.