Anger radiated from him, and Raven carefully rose to her feet when he looked ready to start his own witch hunt. “The Prime wants me for something. By going out first, I can buy time to get the others into place.”
He stalked forward until he was right in her face, looming over her as if to intimidate her into doing what he wanted. “You’re gambling your life that he won’t try to kill you outright.”
Though she knew she shouldn’t, that he wouldn’t welcome her touch, Raven laid her hand on his chest. Much to her surprise, his heart thumped once beneath her palm before he pulled away.
Vampires didn’t have a heartbeat.
“Rylan—”
“Don’t change the subject. Do you think you can beat him in battle?”
Raven glanced at the sword, then shrugged. “I can hurt him, which is more than anyone else has been able to accomplish. I’m not a warrior, and I’m sure as hell not a leader. I have no intention of dying, but if we don’t strike now, we might not get another chance.”
Rylan didn’t say a word as he raked his fingers through his hair. It fell back into place, not a strand out of order, everything in his life ever obedient…except for her. It must annoy the very snot out of him that she didn’t fall into line with the rest of his well-ordered life. When he lifted his head, the raw emotions on his face, something he never allowed himself to display so openly, struck terror in her heart.
He didn’t want her anywhere near that kind of powerful destructive force. Hell, she didn’t want to be there either. Too bad neither of them had a choice.
The Prime was coming for her one way or another.
Yet, despite all that, Rylan seemed to believe she was capable of handling the weapon and the Prime.
Warmth spread through her at his belief in her, but she wasn’t sure it was merited. Rylan had never seen the Prime in action, his ruthlessness in battle, only the devastation he’d left behind. “I wish I had your confidence.”
“You don’t have a clue why people are drawn to you. Your iron will and determination are a lethal—not to mention irresistible—combination. Being a leader isn’t about giving orders. You don’t ask anything from anyone. If there’s trouble, you’re the first one on the line. Courage and bravery are bred into your very bones, and people are drawn to that strength. They know they can trust you, that you won’t betray them. Once you give your word, you keep it. While others issue orders…you get volunteers.”
Raven shifted uncomfortably. Something about the phrasing of the words let her know it wasn’t exactly praise.
“Some people see your compassion as a weakness, but you inspire them to be better and want more. That’s dangerous.” He stalked toward the door, his shoulders bowed as if under a heavy weight. He glanced back at her with unfathomable eyes. “You know what happens to heroes? They die. I have no intention of letting you kill yourself.”
Chapter Twenty-three
DAY FIVE: LESS THAN AN HOUR BEFORE SUNSET
Raven waited in the tunnel that lead outside, needing a few minutes by herself before the last of the wards fell. Rylan had disappeared after his dramatic declaration, and she hadn’t seen him since. She was worried about what he might do.
Each blow now shook the mountain so hard she half expected it to tumble down at any moment. The walls seemed to close in on her, and the need to get out scratched at the inside of her skull. Her energy had risen at her unease, a living, breathing thing that pulsed in the air around her.
“I see you managed to scare away everyone else.” Nicholas strolled into the tunnel as if he didn’t have a care, but his gait was stiff, still not completely healed. With his curly hair and open face, he could pass for human. That was until he stopped. It was as if he turned into a statue from one moment to the next. There was something predatory in his stillness, and the way he studied her sent her hackles rising.
“Why did you come?”
Though he remained smiling, something sinister moved behind his eyes. “The Council sent me.”
Raven listened closely. Though she couldn’t detect a lie, the total lack of inflection in his voice made her hand tighten around the sword, and she cursed her carelessness for being caught alone. “Why are you really here?”
He gave a humorless laugh and leaned his shoulder against the wall. “I volunteered. You’re so honest and upstanding, I thought it might be an act.” All humor was stripped away, his eyes becoming hard, seemingly baffled as he stared at her. “You have no artifice.”
“Rylan said the same thing. You both make it sound like a bad thing.”
“Those kinds of traits aren’t valued in the paranormal community, not if you want to survive.”
“I don’t understand.”
He sighed, a gust of air which seemed to deflate him, and shook his head. “Hope is a dangerous thing, especially to paranormals. You don’t belong to anyone. You’re an outcast no one should look at twice.”
Each word gouged out a piece of her, not because they were wrong, but because he was right. “What do you want?”
“You value honesty, so here it is. Jason was my friend. I was his guard from the day he was turned. You worked his case, caught his killer, but his father blames me for his death. I went from being a protected member of the clan to having a target painted on my back. Those clawing and scratching for status see me as an obstacle to overcome. All they have to do is take me out to earn favor in the clan.” He spat the last word, but the unadulterated fear on his face was very real.
Raven gave a half-laugh. “So you came to me to die on your own terms? Maybe exact a little vengeance while you’re at it?”
He ran a hand over his hair and began pacing. Raven flexed her fingers on the sword, not certain she’d be fast enough to defend herself if he used his vampire speed. He didn’t even bother to look at her.
“You found justice for my friend. I will be forever grateful. My failure was not protecting him in the first place. For that I was sentenced to a year of entombment.” All defiance evaporated at the bleak future before him.
Raven flinched at the harsh sentence. He would literally be placed in a coffin, then buried alive. He would starve in the first month. After three, he would be insane. After a whole year, all his humanity would be stripped away, nothing remaining but a monster to be put down. “By coming here, you delay your sentence.”
“Yes.” But he didn’t seem pleased at the reprieve.
Her heart sank as she stared at him.
He wanted her to save him.
The last thing she needed was to make an enemy of the whole vampire clan.
“What do you want from me?”
He appeared hesitant for the first time, unable to look at her. “Talk to Rylan for me. He severed his blood bonds and survived. I’m nearly a hundred years old, the same age he was when he went through the process. I need to know how he survived. It’s the only way I can escape my sentence.”
A sour taste filled her mouth, especially since she’d long suspected her involvement had something to do with Rylan’s change. “When did this happen?”
He gave her an odd look. “Nearly two hundred years ago. It’s a legend. He’s one of only three who managed to break with his master without willingly being released.”
She nearly dropped to her knees in relief.
Then her mind started functioning again. “If we stop the war, do you think you might be granted a reprieve?”
He didn’t look hopeful. “Possible, but vampires aren’t exactly known for their lenience. He might pardon the entombment, but leave me to be ripped apart by the clan. I’m strong enough to protect myself, but it wouldn’t be long before I’d be overwhelmed with challenges.”
Raven narrowed her eyes. “I’ll agree on one condition.”
He stilled, not even his chest moved, a fragile hope lighting his eyes. “Anything.”
“Watch Rylan for me during the battle. Protect his back. Don’t let him do something stupid.”
Only when he nodded
did she release her breath. “Then I’ll do my best to find your answers. If we survive, you’ll come back with us to my house.”
He looked like she’d just thumped him over the head with a two-by-four. “You’ll really do it.”
Raven smiled until a whisper of sound made her whirl. She lengthened her stance and brought up the sword, the hilt tight in her grip. It might be useless as a magical weapon, but it was still a usable blade.
A young witch gave a startled yelp when she turned the corner, raising her hands in surrender. “Your shifter sent me to find you. He found something in the well he wants you to see.”
“Durant?” She lowered the blade. “Where?”
She eyed the sword, both fear and awe in her expression. “I’ll show you.”
Raven took a step when Nicholas pushed away from the wall and followed. “I think I’ll join you.”
The witch stopped and stammered. “I didn’t…you don’t…” she took a deep breath and tried again. “He said come alone.”
That would be the last thing Durant would ever say, since he harped on her every time she disappeared without a guard. The creature rose, scenting the air, and found the girl reeked of fear.
Anxiety for Durant coursed through her with crippling strength. She barely held back from leaping at the girl and beating the truth out of her. The chit wasn’t smart enough to concoct the plan and lure her away all on her own.
“Nicholas, find Rylan and stay with him.”
He barely spared her a glance. “Once I deliver you to your cat.”
He knew.
He’d somehow figured out it was a trap, and the stubborn jackass wasn’t leaving. She debated ordering him to obey, but didn’t dare for fear he’d make a scene, and their slight edge of surprise would be gone.
She couldn’t risk Durant being harmed.
The girl gave a nod, unaware of Raven’s private exchange with the vampire, and scurried away like a mouse. Raven glared at the vampire and picked up her pace. She’d become used to the noise of war and filtered out the sounds, focusing on what remained. Whispered conversation. Laughter. Running footsteps. A couple engaged in sex.
No sign of Durant.
Her calves ached from downward angle as they wound deeper and deeper into the bowels of the earth. Soon everything faded until the absolute silence became unnerving.
The tunnel became less carved and more roughhewn.
A low rumble echoed through the tunnels, and the girl smiled nervously at them before speeding up. “Almost there.”
Raven shared a glance with Nicholas, her hand flexing on the sword, and he gave her a nod.
They were ready.
The opening was surprisingly narrow, the walls worn and thin with age. As they entered the well, she scanned the room for any sign of Durant.
It was empty.
The cavern was ginormous, the soaring ceiling at least twenty feet high. Ten foot spikes dripped down, resembling a giant maw about to swallow them. It was downright chilly, the cold rising from the water, the twenty-degree drop in temperature like a slap in the face. The walls were curved and smooth, worn away by years of swiftly-moving current.
The acoustics amplified the roar of the underwater spring. The water was like an impenetrable wall, spanning ten feet across, leaving a narrow path on each side if you considered five inches a wide enough walk space. The current churned like a whirlpool, the water frothing as it whipped past at an amazing speed. It bubbled up from under a massive rock, before curving around the bend and disappearing.
“This is the only way out of the fortress without triggering the wards.” Two witches, a man and a woman, walked through the opening behind Raven. Another one stood further back, next to the little mouse who trembled in the shadows, his presence the only thing preventing the young girl from bolting. “We were able to contact those outside. They’ve promised to let everyone go if we hand you over.”
Raven didn’t care what they thought they were doing, only one thing mattered. “Where’s Durant?”
“We just delayed him for a time. He should wake up in an hour with a nasty migraine.” The woman waved her hand as if it was unimportant. “Unless you don’t do as I say. Drop the sword and get in the water. The weapon should never have been yours in the first place.”
Bitterness and the need for retribution oozed from the witch in a toxic brew, corroding her ability to listen to reason.
Raven’s fingers clamped down possessively on the hilt, and she glanced at the churning pool behind her. Part of her trembled at the thought of being pulled under the water. “Don’t do this. If we strike hard and fast, this might be our only chance to defeat the Prime.”
Doubt darkened the man’s face, but the woman scoffed. “This is the only way to prevent a war. We negotiated a peace treaty. Once you’re gone, we can leave safely.”
They honestly believed what they said, but they were fooling themselves. “War is coming either way. You can leave today, but he will hunt you down. By then it will be too late. He’ll be too strong, and you won’t be able to stop him.”
“Get in the water or your cat won’t be the only accident.” The woman showed her teeth in a malevolent imitation of a smile. “Funny things happen in battle. Mistakes happen. People die.”
Raven backed closer to the ledge, and a spray of freezing water soaked her clothes. Her creature snarled in displeasure, but didn’t make any overt threats against the witches, not without confirmation that Durant was safe. She could kill one or two of the witches, but not all four without giving them a chance to escape. If Durant was unconscious, they could slit his throat before he was even aware of the danger.
Though they seemed confident she’d survive being thrown into the water, Raven wasn’t so sure. If hypothermia didn’t kill her, drowning would. There was no guarantee she would come back this time.
“I won’t ask again. Drop the sword and get into the water.” The pleased expression had dropped away.
Magic built in the air, but Raven wasn’t able to tell if the attack was aimed at her or Durant.
She couldn’t take the risk.
Frustration at having her hands tied roared through her, and Raven tried to release the sword but she couldn’t get her fingers to obey. A sheen of light ran down the blade, barely visible under hundreds of years of grime. When she blinked, it had vanished. Though she didn’t sense any magic, the sword was preventing the separation.
“I can’t get the blade to let go.”
It didn’t deter them.
“It’s stuck.”
Magic swelled as three of the witches began chanting.
Raven stepped backwards and landed in water up to her thighs. The cold literally stole her breath. The current was so strong she struggled to remain upright. Nicholas clenched his jaw and jumped in after her, grabbing her arm to steady her. He took a position at her side to keep her from being swept away.
“I did what you asked.”
“If you’re not going to give up the sword, kill the vampire.” The demand was for no reason other than the witch’s sadistic pleasure.
“No.”
“Do it.” A muscle ticked in Nicholas’ jaw as he gritted his teeth. “I’m a dead man anyway.”
Her very soul rebelled at the idea of taking his life. She shook her head and backed away, nearly losing her balance in the water. “No.”
Magic flared, and they hurled a spell at Nicholas. The strike hit him center chest before she could react, and he froze. “It would have been much kinder had you killed him. Now, he will be swept away by the current. If he’s lucky, they’ll take pity on him and fish him out. If not, he’ll be dragged out to sea. I wonder how long he’ll last once the spell wears off.”
Rage swelled around Nicholas, his body shaking as he fought the effects of the spell, but he was held fast. The fury turned to acceptance of his fate. Pleading eyes met hers, and she knew what he wanted.
An honorable, true death.
Hatred for the witche
s thundered through her. If the Prime didn’t kill her first, she’d make it her personal mission to hunt all four of them down.
Her intent must have shown, and primal fear darkened the witches’ faces. The man took a step back, while the mouse fled with a squeak of fear.
Raven lifted the sword toward Nicholas, dread crushing her chest. The edge of the blade was just inches away when it blazed to life, a hunger in it a living thing. The tarnish burned away to reveal gleaming metal, and ancient runes shimmered like blue fire. The spell wrapped around Nicholas shriveled like it had been burned away and drifted down in strings of ash. All that remained were glittery pieces of energy that settled on the sword, smothering the flame.
No, not smothered.
The sword had absorbed it all.
With no escape, the flames imploded.
Searing pain spilled up her arm, consuming her bones like a firestorm, and a cry of pain escaped her parted lips before she could bite it back. Armor locked together under her skin, blocking the agony, and she glanced up to see Nicholas’ black eyes staring back at her.
His smile was all fangs.
Then he was gone, using his speed to barrel into the witches. The man went flying, barely missing her when his body torpedoed past. He splashed into the water. By the time he surfaced, he was ten feet down the tunnel, his head barely above water. Terror filled his eyes just before he was sucked down in the swirling mass and disappeared from view.
When she turned, Nicholas had the leader in his grasp, feeding on her. “Nicholas, stop.”
Raven struggled against the current, trying to reach the ledge, but the sword had done a number on her. She was as weak as a kitten. Instead of leaping out of the current, she was forced to heave her upper body on the edge and roll free from her watery grave.
By the time she could stand, the witch was a pasty mixture of gray and white.
She touched his shoulder, nothing more, knowing better than to interrupt a vampire lost in a feeding frenzy. “Enough.”
Surprisingly, he listened.
She expected to see blood drip down his chin and a ghastly wound, but apparently he was a neat eater, only a single drop of blood remained on his lips. He studied her for a few seconds, deciding whether she was food. Something other stared back at her, something totally inhuman that had been banished to wander the darkness of night, too dangerous to be released in the light of day.
Electric Heat (A Raven Investigations Novel Book 3) Page 25