Sabrina blinked at him, trying to wrap her mind around the words she just heard. Her pendant flared to life as her stress increased. The lioness woke, stretch, seemed to sniff the metaphysical air, and gave a warning growl. Sabrina tensed up even more. Suddenly the room didn’t have enough air. Everything she and Eleanor worked for went up in flames. Tears threatened to spill over before an intense wave of anger fought them back. The lioness made sure of it.
“Sabrina, I’m really sorry. The shop’s a total loss. The fire chief blamed it on faulty wiring, but Winston thinks it’s a case of magical arson,” he said sincerely.
His words sank in fully. Fire. Magical arson. Total loss.
Her breathing turned into heavy shudders. Gritting her teeth together, she let a low growl rumbling from within her chest. She thought of all the people who might be responsible for destroying the store. Her store. The one chance she had of merging her past with her future, and now it was gone.
“Sabrina, honey, you need to calm down,” Brandon said, looking bewildered and shocked. “It’ll be okay. We have insurance. Eleanor’s things were still in storage. We’ll get it fixed,” he said as if trying to calm a child on the verge of a temper tantrum. When the overhead light bulb exploded and the appliances began sparking, he pleaded with her to regain control of her magic.
His tone only increased her anger. Dark rainbows and hazy shadows played in the air around her. A light breeze picked up, blowing her strands of her ponytail around her like blue-black whips.
“I. Have. Had. Enough!” Sabrina shouted.
Her mind searched for the cause of the fire. She pictured the store and saw the now charred remains. A peculiar scent caught the big cat’s attention. The lioness prowled with metaphysical indignation, tracking and tracing the magic back to its source. She found it—or rather, more to the point, them.
Brandon’s shouts fell on deaf ears as she allowed her anger and grief over her loss to drag her toward the source of her pain. She felt the world spin and the floor fall away.
“Get ready, bitch. It’s my turn,” she said.
Chapter 17
Brandon watched in horror as Sabrina’s face contorted with rage. She faded in and out for a moment. Instead of slowly dissolving like she usually did when she wanted to use magic, she simply popped out of existence, giving Brandon no time to take a hold of her.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Brandon shouted into the empty kitchen.
He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and tried to speed-dial Hadrian, but a ringing from the other room said there would be no answer. Hadrian had left his phone on the end table beside the couch, giving Brandon no way to reach him.
Thinking quickly, Brandon thought of Delilah, but only Hadrian had her number. Rushing to the emperor’s unattended cell phone, Brandon tried to access the contact list, but the phone’s password screen stopped him.
“What in the hell would he choose?” Brandon asked himself aloud.
He typed “Mea Dulcis.” Nothing. He tried with all caps and all lower case. Still nothing. He growled in frustration and was ready to throw the useless device out of the nearest window when the hint popped up. Midnight was the only clue. Brandon thought again and typed “Aradia.” The phone made a cheerful noise and greeted him with “Hello Publius Aelius Hadrianus Augustus.”
Scrolling through the contacts, no Delilah came up on the list. He did find Lilith’s Daughter. Could that be the demoness? Was she really Lilith’s daughter? Not wanting to waste time hunting for another number, he pressed send.
Ring after ring, Brandon waited. Each ticking second felt like a century. He needed help and now.
“Hellooo,” cooed a smooth, familiar female voice.
“Delilah? I need you—” Brandon tried to say when the voice cut him off.
“…I’m not in right now. Leave a message at the tone. If this is a hellish emergency, just scream, and I’ll get back to you when I feel like it,” the voice said. A tone like a fax machine trying to connect screeched in his ear followed by silence.
“Delilah, please, you have to call me back. It’s Brandon. Sabrina’s gone!” He hung up and shoved Hadrian’s phone in his other pocket. He pulled his own phone back out and called Winston, hoping the night’s events did not prevent him from picking up.
On the third ring, Winston answered timidly. “He-hello,” the young man said quietly.
“Winston, I need to know if you have a way of calling Delilah for me. I tried her phone number but got the voice mail,” Brandon said rapidly.
“I don’t need to call her. She’s here,” he admitted, sounding frightened.
A female scream came from the background. “No! Please! No! I didn’t do anything! Salem cut us off from her telepathy. We didn’t know!” The sound of leather on flesh and another scream filled the phone’s connection.
“You’re at home? I’ll be right over. Tell Delilah Sabrina’s gone,” Brandon said and hung up before Winston could answer.
Not bothering to secure the house, Brandon ran out of the back door toward the converted barn they used as a garage. His hands shook so badly that he scratched the paint several times before managing to get the key into the lock and opening the door. He scrambled into the driver’s seat and dropped the keys to the floorboard.
“Fuck!” He scooped them up and found the ignition key. Just as he gave it a twist, something hit the top of his car. The sound of tearing metal coincided with a blade piercing the car’s roof. The tip of a long sword drove down into the seat between Brandon’s legs. “Holy shit!”
Dropping the back of the seat into a full recline, Brandon pushed with his feet to get into the back seat and rolled toward the rear passenger door. He used all his supernatural strength to push against the door and tear it loose from the hinges, rather than taking the time to open the thing and give his attacker a clue as to his next move. He held on to the ripped metal by the interior handle and armrest to use as a shield until he could identify his attacker.
He hit the ground and tumbled into a pile of leftover straw. Getting his feet under him just enough to leap up, he propelled himself into the old barn rafters, leaving the door behind. Looking down, he saw Mars pacing back and forth beside the twisted metal and damaged car, his long sword in hand.
The celestial god of war gazed up at him with a wry smile. “Very good. Come to think of it, I might would take you on as a secondary student, if it wasn’t for the fact that she’s so attached to you. The distraction makes for a bad learning environment,” he said thoughtfully. “I’ve seen you fight on the arena floor in centuries past. It’s no wonder why she chose you for her plaything. You’re fast, strong, and honorable, or at least you used to be. My, how times change. It’s all organized crime now, from what I hear.”
“Do you have a point?” Brandon asked sharply. “All this foreplay is getting really old.”
Why can’t they just shut up and get on with it already?
Mars chuckled. “I can hear your thoughts when they contain aggressive emotions, and I know what’s in your heart,” he said. “It’s more fun to provoke you, to make you lose control and give into your anger. She’s the same way, but magical.”
“Did you know she isn’t here, and do you know where she is?” Brandon asked, both baiting Mars and hoping to find answers. He slowly made his way toward the middle of the rafter, knowing the hay loft doors were never latched. They became his new escape route.
“I know about the store, if that’s what you mean. Seems dear Salem was more than happy to set the fire, thinking it would curry favor with both Nemesis and me. Her previous stunt to kill Sabina failed when her goodie-two-shoes brother took the pack to the Dumpster. Sabrina has had a bit too much good fortune, cosmically speaking. It’s time someone brought her back into balance. Personally, I don’t care about the store, but it was another distraction. Whether Nemesis has any thoughts on the matter is between her and the half-demon spawn who would betray her own kind, and even her current meal ticket. N
ow that’s something I can’t abide. A lack of loyalty to one’s former master doesn’t speak well of a want-to-be pupil. Sabrina, on the other hand, is very loyal, just not to me. Well, not yet anyway,” Mars said. He left the ridiculous grin on his face.
Brandon pondered the possibilities. Was there a way to beat him at his own game? Given his answer and his presence in the old barn, Brandon got the impression Mars might not really know the full scope of things.
Getting him to leave and getting to Delilah remained Brandon’s first priority. Brandon felt confident Delilah would know how to find Sabrina and be able to offer assistance. Lately, the demoness failed to charge the proper accounts for her time and services. She appeared to have more interest in Sabrina and her future than in money, a first for Delilah. Even though Brandon failed to see the reason why, he felt sure Delilah would help first and worry about personal gain later. If Hadrian’s contact list entry for her was correct, Delilah was not just any demoness, but the daughter of all earthbound supernatural creatures of the night.
“She’s not at the store,” Brandon said. The flicker of surprise in Mars’s eye told him the god of war did not know as much as he pretended. “In fact, she was so angry, the gladius began to glow. She blinked out before I could stop her. I’m guessing she and Nemesis are having words right about now.” If his heart had a beat, it might have stopped altogether when the meaning of what he just said sank in. The thought of his beloved wife facing an enemy alone terrified him.
“I feel the truth in what you say, and I smell the fear of it on your skin,” Mars said, the wry grin gone. He sheathed his sword. His brow furrowed and jaw clenched. “Are you sure the gladius glowed white?”
“Yes. A blinding, white light,” Brandon confirmed. He wondered if the color of light made any difference.
“It makes all the difference in the world. She did not leave the house with anger. She left with blind rage. Unfortunately for Nemesis, her underling attacked without provocation or authority. Salem forfeited the rules. As Nemesis has taken her in hand, the goddess is responsible for the half demon’s actions and the consequences of them. It no longer matters whether Nemesis abides by the arena’s code of honor, Sabrina has free rein. She could kill my fellow celestial without repercussion,” Mars said and began fading out of being.
Not knowing where Mars might go, Brandon made a dash for the hay loft door. He burst through the half-rotted wood and leapt into the hot night air. He landed on the ground with a graceful crouch, with a good view of a pair of very expensive high-heeled Jimmy Choo rope sandals.
The sandals connected to a pair of black-leather-clad legs that flared to curvy hips and a narrow waist nipped in with a black leather corset. Pale, seafoam-green cleavage poured over the top like large pillows. A long, thick, herringbone braid of coarse brown hair swung down and tickled his nose as the woman leaned over to look him in the eye.
“Nice to see you could make it to the party,” Delilah said with a laugh. “Come on, lover boy. Let’s go find your wife before she gets so pissed off she tears the Underworld apart.”
* * * *
Sabrina materialized with sand under her feet and a blazing sun overhead. The light hurt her eyes, but it did not harm her. She knew her magic prevented the UV light from destroying her the way it did normal vampires. The reminder of her differences annoyed her, but in this case, she would use it to her advantage.
Nemesis stood a few feet away with a spear in her hand. She appeared to be giving Salem instructions on how to use the weapon. Neither the teacher nor the pupil noticed Sabrina’s arrival.
Without thinking, Sabrina wished the gladius in her hand would give her access to its memories. In her haste, she forgot to be very specific and block the full power of the weapon. A searing rage took over her entire body. She felt as if all the knowledge the short sword possessed from centuries of use filled her like an empty vessel. With it came hate and a deep-seated need for vengeance. The element of surprise belonged to her. They might have burned her store, but she had the advantage of the first attack.
As Nemesis rotated the spear over her head by its shaft, Sabrina swung the blade, taking off over a foot of wooden rod. Instinct made her leap back and prepare for a full assault from the enemy. Her pendant grew hot enough to nearly burn her neck as it created a shield around her. The lioness in her head screamed and snarled with her ears laid back and hackles raised.
The goddess swirled around and called a sword and shield. The long sword appeared in one hand and the shield formed on her other arm. She struck a defensive pose and stared at Sabrina.
“How dare you enter my private sanctum!” Nemesis said from between gritted teeth, her wings flared out behind her.
“How dare you burn my store,” Sabrina retorted. She felt more energy rise up her arm from the gladius. The lioness pushed against it, trying to prevent it from adding to the magic already flowing in Sabrina’s system.
“I burned your store? It was never I who did such a thing,” Nemesis said with outrage. She took a few steps to one side, starting a circle around Sabrina’s position.
Sabrina shifted to match her stance. “If you didn’t do it, then you ordered the job done,” she said with conviction. The lioness fought with every ounce of strength to keep the sword’s power at bay. The big cat seemed to want Sabrina to have time to cool down.
“That is a bold-faced lie. My complaint with you would have been met with a challenge on the next full moon. I sent Salem with my terms out of courtesy to another celestial creature, even if you are only half-blood. Dis Pater named you a keeper. Your mother is a goddess in her own right. I would never dishonor myself by stooping to such a tactic, nor would I have it done on my behalf,” Nemesis said. She never broke eye contact with Sabrina as she continued to move.
Sabrina’s neck itched with the energy the pendant was giving off and she wondered how long she could maintain the output. The lioness was slowing, losing ground, but Sabrina did not dare drop the gladius for fear Nemesis might attack. What would happen if the power managed to mingle with the magic in her necklace like the demonic magic had?
“Well, that’s funny. I don’t remember Salem telling me anything but to stay away from Mars. He’s all hers, don’t you know? My store is a charcoal briquette and reeks of magical foul play. Tracing the residual magic brought me here. So, exactly how were you not involved?” Sabrina felt the sword push harder to force its power toward her chest. She stumbled slightly when the lioness metaphysically swatted it back.
Nemesis’s eyes widened. “That would be a serious breach of honor on both counts,” she said, barely louder than a whisper.
“Yes, indeed, Nemesis dear,” Mars said from behind Sabrina.
Sabrina quickly shifted positions to get Mars into her peripheral view. The last thing she needed was an attacker behind her, one in front of her, and an internal battle to prevent the sword from taking over her body, mind, and magic.
Aunt Eleanor, how did you manage all this hate?
“Oh, sweetheart, she didn’t. That’s what made her so good. When she unleashed, I mean really unleashed, there was no stopping her. She gave into the sword’s call, became one with it, with me. If you took her place, you could take on entire armies single-handed. Call me master, and I’ll show you how,” Mars said seductively. His voice magnified the sword’s power.
“I’ll admit that you’ve had more than your fair share of fortune, Sabrina Thorpe, and the balance is coming due, but do not give into him,” Nemesis said. She stopped her circling and took up a position that made a triangle between the three of them.
“What have I ever had that was excessive good fortune?” Sabrina asked harshly. She swallowed hard. A burning sensation began to build in her throat. Fighting the power of the sword made for thirsty work, but she was not likely to find blood here.
“Your birth, your life sheltered away from the realities of the world, your collection and blending of powers, your attempt to turn vampire at the expense of th
e Underworld, Dis Pater’s affection and bestowing you with a title and gift, your friendship with the ferryman, your wealth and marriage with Brandon, and your unearned amassed treasure and magical weapons from Eleanor all place you in excess of fortune,” Nemesis answered. She shifted her weight as if expecting an attack from either side.
“The circumstances of my birth were outside of my control, as was my raising. Sheltered? Do you know how miserable being a magical misfit is in a coven of witches? To be treated like a blight on their doorstep? I didn’t ask for Eleanor to die, I certainly didn’t ask for her treasure, and I don’t want magical weapons,” Sabrina said angrily. Every word rang true down to her soul. She loved Eleanor as much as she might have her own mother. Someone acting as though she wished for her life to be as it was offended Sabrina. The gladius glowed a little brighter with her ire. The lioness and Sabrina added extra energy to fighting the short sword’s rising power.
Mars chuckled. “Just give in, Sabrina, and join me. At least I’ll let Brandon live after this is all over. Do you think she can bear to watch her lost love in the arms of another woman? Come with me and ensure his safety,” Mars promised. “Besides, I know you can feel Eleanor’s emotions and passions in the sword’s memories. Those can all be yours. Just open your heart and let them into your soul. With the power comes Eleanor’s memories, a part of her life you never knew existed. It can all be yours.”
A primal shriek came from the far corner. “Mine! You can’t have him. He’s mine!” Salem screamed. She lunged forward with her claw-like hands ready to strike Sabrina. Her magenta, spiked hair made her skin, flushed with hate, resemble Delilah’s pale, seafoam-green, instead of her usual human-like tones. She looked more like a full demon in her seething rage.
Without warning, Salem fell out of the air with a spear through her shoulder pinning her to the ground. She cursed and moaned as she tried to shift the wooden shaft. “You said you would protect me,” she said, looking directly at Nemesis.
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