by L. C. Davis
Hunter stood on the other end of the table, staring into space. For all I knew, he still was. I grabbed his shoulders and shook him hard. "Where is he?" I snarled. "What did your fucking board do?"
"It wasn't the board," he said in a hollow voice. "The board was just the conduit."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"He was...taken."
"No shit, but where?"
"To the aether," he said, his eyes growing sharp again as they focused on me. The next words out of his mouth were in Alex's prim affectation. "The link between them must have pulled him through."
"What? That was a risk and you didn't tell us?"
"There are enough variables when you're mixing humans and the spirit world, never mind the hybrid prince," Alex hissed, shrugging out of my grasp.
"Was it the spirit in the board? Z?"
He hesitated. "I don't think so. This isn't his style."
"You said there was a link. You mean between the spirit pretending to be Victor and Remus?"
"It may have been Victor for all we know," Alex said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, but I thought the link between them was broken when he chose Sebastian."
"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. "Nothing is certain on the other side. I warned Hunter. This isn't a game."
No, I thought. If it had ever started out as a game, it certainly wasn't one now.
Chapter 29
REMUS
When I opened my eyes, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I still had hands. And feet. And a whole body, it seemed.
That had gone better than I expected. Maybe this whole aether thing wasn't as bad as it was made out to be. The thought lasted only long enough to realize that I was in the middle of an expanse of nothingness that seemed to have no end. It was a lot like the maze of my own mind, only no matter how far I walked, no doors appeared for exploration.
My wolf whimpered inside my mind. It seemed as lost as I was, but at least it was hard to feel alone. Then it occurred to me that there was still something left besides the wolf. Had I somehow come through the aether more intact than I had been on the other side? Supposedly Victor had suppressed my vampire half, but it felt as present as it ever had. The fear that his suppression had vanished because he no longer existed kept me from celebrating prematurely.
I rubbed my right hand and it still burned from touching the planchette. It had felt like any other hunk of wood before, even when it was moving, but the moment I touched it after Victor's arrival, it had filled my hand with a familiar pain as sweet as it was piercing. In my desperate state, it was enough to convince me that the link I shared with Victor was also still intact. Hope was all I had been going off of for a while anyway.
"Hello, little one."
A smooth male voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere in particular. I turned around but couldn't find the source in the strange haze that was neither darkness nor light. A moment later, a shadow materialized in front of me and a cloaked figure came to a stop a few feet in front of me. He lowered his hood to reveal long, dark hair and glimmering green eyes. His skin was white with a greyish tint and his lips were rimmed with purple. Images of Clive Burns' corpse flashed through my mind and I stumbled back.
"Z?"
A slow smile spread across his deathly pale lips. "Guess again, dear prince."
I gulped. "Thanatos?
"Clever boy. Just like your mate."
I frowned. "Victor?"
"Of course," he mused. "The only soul to make a deal with death, and as a child no less. You remember a fellow like that."
My eyes widened. "A deal? What are you talking about? Where is he?" I asked, determined not to lose focus. "He pulled me in here."
"Quite by accident, it seems. I saw the whole thing."
"What happened?"
"Do you like riddles, hybrid?" he asked casually, circling around me.
"Not particularly."
He chuckled. "Do you know what the antithesis of death is?"
"Life?"
"No," he murmured. "Life is my natural companion and my greatest source of inspiration. There is another who is both my opposite and my equal. We are powerless against each other. With him I am an illusion and yet without him I have no meaning. He is the one thing death cannot kill, yet life so often does. Venture another guess, hybrid?"
I frowned, sifting through his words for any hint of a clue. "What does this have to do with Victor?"
"Everything," he breathed. His icy fingers curled around my shoulders as he leaned in to whisper, "One more clue, my darling. He is the source of all your pain and the thing that makes it all worth enduring."
"Love," I murmured. "Love is the opposite of death, not life. Love is powerless to stop you from taking the people who matter most. Love couldn't stop you from taking Ulric, but you can't stop me from loving him. When you love someone, death is an illusion because they never stop being real to you. Without love, death is an illusion. Love is the one thing you can't kill, but life tears it apart so easily."
My throat tightened even as Thanatos' grip loosened on me. "Very good, young hybrid. You and the prince of man are the only ones who have solved my little riddle to date. In fact, I offered him passage from this place as a reward long ago. I wonder, will you also turn it down?"
"I'm not leaving without Victor and Sebastian," I said firmly.
He brought a long finger to his lips and his gaze flickered over me. "Very interesting. I see why she created you. You really do embody the best of both her children--and the worst."
"Tell me something I don't know," I mumbled.
Thanatos gave another chuckle and the sound made my flesh crawl. "You of all creatures should understand the concept of balance, hybrid. I can't simply allow souls to pass in and out of the aether."
"No, but Sebastian doesn't belong here," I said firmly. "As for Victor, I'd say a single vampire's soul is more than a fair trade for a hybrid."
"Cunning little thing, aren't you?" he mused. "You underestimate your value, I'm afraid."
"Are you making a better offer?" I asked. "My soul for all of the vampires. Is that a deal that interests you?"
"The price has gone up steeply."
"It can keep going up," I warned.
The corner of his mouth twitched ever so slightly. "You amuse me, hybrid."
"Then keep me around. I'll amuse you for all eternity if that's what you want, just let the others go back."
"So eager to sacrifice yourself."
"Haven't you heard? It's kind of my shtick."
He shook his head, but I could tell from the look in his eyes that he was considering it. At least until a huge grey shadow overtook him. For a moment I stared in shock and horror, knowing that I didn't stand a chance against whatever creature it was that had taken death by surprise. When the beast landed on its feet, its fangs bared at Thanatos, I knew I didn't.
"Victor?"
The wolf turned on me, his upper lip curling back into a scolding snarl. Thanatos rose behind him, but before I could cry out to warn Victor of the impending attack, an even larger black beast came out of the grey and took him down.
Victor seemed as surprised to see Sebastian as I was, but he immediately joined his brother in the attack. I watched as the onslaught continued. Neither wolf gave Thanatos a moment to catch his bearings, but to be fair, he was death and it was doubtful that they stood a chance if he did.
Sebastian's beastform brought its jaws down on Thanatos' arm, holding him in place as Victor lunged. Before the grey wolf could sink his fangs into the death god's neck, a pair of ink black wings burst from Thanatos' robe, sending both wolves flying.
The remnants of Thanatos' robe turned to ash, falling away to reveal a scythe that hadn't been in his hand a moment earlier. He raised it and swung the curved blade in Sebastian's direction.
"No," I cried, throwing out my left hand out of instinct. Pain surged in my flesh like my hand was on fire and a shield of blue light formed over Sebas
tian, only visible the moment Thanatos' blade collided with it. Sebastian's eyes grew wide with shock before he bounded away from Thanatos and put himself between us.
Thanatos' cold eyes met mine and for a moment, some unspoken truce passed between us. "It seems you have awakened, after all," he murmured, letting his staff rest on the ground. Victor and Sebastian were still crouched and snarling, and I knew they were waiting for the slightest provocation to launch another bullheaded attack. Sometimes they were both idiots.
"You can call off your hounds, hybrid," Thanatos said calmly.
I stared down at my left hand, bewildered. Sebastian's mark was fully visible now. Before I could process what had just happened, a flurry of movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. Like a shadow, Victor overtook Thanatos again. The god threw him off, but before Victor could lunge again and get himself killed, I raised my other hand, this time vaguely aware of the energy field before I sent it out to block him.
A sharp yelp echoed through the expanse as Victor hit the invisible wall and scrambled to get back onto his feet. His eyes met mine, filled with equal parts confusion and betrayal.
When I looked down at my right hand, Victor's mark was every bit as prominent as Sebastian's. "The mark," I murmured in awe. "It's back.
"As I said, you have awakened as the true hybrid," Thanatos said, watching us with a knowing gaze.
"I don't understand," I said, holding my hands out to examine both marks. "Gaia said I messed everything up by suppressing my vampire side and choosing Sebastian."
"Sometimes it takes the risk of losing someone for the heart to realize what it wants," said Thanatos.
Who the fuck is this guy and what's he going on about? Sebastian demanded. His golden eyes fell to my hands and he whimpered in confusion. And how did you do that?
I gave him a small smile. "I don't know. I knew I had to protect you and I just sort of did it."
"I am death, the one who guards the aether," said Thanatos, taking a step forward. "You may call me Thanatos."
Sebastian growled low and his hackles raised as the switch flipped from curiosity to protectiveness. You can hear me?
"Of course I can. This is the aether, most of the limitations of the physical world do not apply here."
Get away from him, snarled Victor, inching closer.
"Victor, it's alright," I said earnestly. "He won't hurt me. He can't."
"That's true," Thanatos mused. "Now that you are awakened as the hybrid, you and I are equals as immortals. But you weren't talking about Remus, were you, Victor?"
The grey wolf remained perfectly still, but his unblinking gaze never left Thanatos.
Victor? Sebastian asked, echoing my concern.
Stay away from him, Sebastian, Victor warned.
"Worried I'll come calling on old debts?" Thanatos asked in a coy tone.
Sebastian looked between them, growling. What is he talking about, Vic? What debt?
"Ah, so that's it," Thanatos said with a nod. "You're afraid I'll tell him the truth about his soul."
I cringed. My reaction didn't escape Sebastian's notice like I'd hoped and he backed away from all of us. Why do I feel like I'm the last one to a party I don't wanna be at?
"Don't worry, young wolf. Your soul has been bought and paid for. You aren't due to pass through this place for quite some time," said Thanatos.
I don't like riddles, Sebastian growled, inching forward. Start making sense or you're gonna be fetching that stick outta your ass.
Thanatos wagged a finger in the wolf's direction. "I see why they keep secrets from you. It's always bite first, ask questions later with you dogs."
Sebastian froze, looking between me and Victor. His confused stare came to rest on me. Remus?
I looked away, suddenly unable to meet his eyes. Victor seemed to be having the same problem. Evidently, I didn't know as much about how Victor had gotten a vampire soul as I thought I did, but what I did know and hadn't told Sebastian was damning enough.
Sebastian's fangs gnashed the air. Enough! Enough secrets. It was bad enough when you two ran off together, but this is just bullshit.
"I didn't know about the deal," I said softly. "I should have told you about his soul, but I --"
It's alright, Victor said, cutting me off. I won't ask you to lie for me, too. Sebastian, there's something you need to know.
"A confession? How touching," said Thanatos. "Granted, it would be more touching if it wasn't the result of coercion, but still. No one brings families together like I do."
Shut up, Victor snapped, turning back to Sebastian. Sebastian, how much do you remember about the night our parents were killed?
Not a lot, he replied warily.
There's a reason for that. Victor's shoulders sagged with a heavy sigh. I suppressed your memories, just like I did with Remus.
You what?
"To be fair, the dead don't remember much," said Thanatos.
I said shut up, Victor roared. Sebastian, the vampires didn't just kill our parents, they killed you, too.
The massive wolf took a step back, thrashing his head in refusal. No. Don't, Victor. Don't do this.
I couldn't let you go, Victor said, hanging his head. You were so fragile back then. Protecting you was all I had, my only reason for living. I couldn't let those monsters take you away.
What did you do, Victor? Sebastian demanded, his voice growing frantic. He was close to either running or lunging at Victor, and I wasn't sure which was worse. The aether seemed like the kind of place it would be easy to get lost in forever. Maybe that was the whole point of it.
Victor fell silent and wouldn't look up. Sebastian turned to me, but before I could speak, Thanatos saved us both the trouble.
"He made a deal," he said simply.
"What kind of deal?"
"The only kind worth making," Thanatos said with a sympathetic smile.
I gasped. "It was Victor...the only living soul to make a deal with you. We thought it was the prince, but it wasn't."
Thanatos nodded. "I came to that house to take a soul, and in exchange for Sebastian's, Victor gave me his. The soul of a young wolf willing to sacrifice himself in order to save his brother--a rare treasure, indeed."
Sebastian staggered, his teeth gritted in pain. His golden eyes flashed with anger before grief took over. "Then how the fuck has he been with me all this time? If you have my brother's soul, who's in his body?"
"He is your brother," said Thanatos, "at least in most of the ways that count. His mind, his memories, his spirit are all the same, minus a few key virtues and plus a few vices. I gave him a replacement soul, of course, to keep his spirit tethered to his body. A vampire soul isn't of quite the same grade as a wolf's, but it does the job and there were a couple of fresh ones floating around."
Victor has a vampire soul? Sebastian asked, looking directly at me. And you knew about it?
"It wasn't my place to tell you, Sebastian," I said, taking a step towards him. "I didn't know until recently, and I didn't know why."
Don't blame him, I'm the one who kept it from you, said Victor.
I blame both of you! Sebastian cried. You're my brother, Victor. My twin. Lately it seems like all you do is lie to me, and now it turns out you've been lying the whole time? And you. He turned to me, his eyes glistening with betrayal. How could you? I know why Victor did what he did. If he had told me before, I probably couldn't have lived with it. Knowing he traded his soul for one of the things that killed our parents just to keep me alive would have destroyed me, but you?
"I'm so sorry, Sebastian," I said, tears falling down my cheeks. "I know it was wrong to keep it from you. I wanted to tell you so many times, but I knew it would only drive you both further apart. I still hadn't chosen you as my mate, and I was afraid that if you found out it would just make things worse."
This isn't about you being my mate, he snapped. This is about you being my friend. My best friend, the person I share everything with.
&nb
sp; His words stung so much more than if he had just been angry. Knowing that I had played a role in causing the pain in Sebastian's voice filled me with more guilt than ever before.
You're not the only one he's been keeping things from, don't be such a martyr, muttered Victor, stepping between us. You think I knew my Plan B was just a cover for his Plan A?
"The hybrid is a dirty doublecrosser? You don't say." Thanatos chuckled. "My, you lot are amusing. I just might keep you all here to entertain myself."
"You're sending them both home," I said firmly. "You said it yourself, I'm the real deal now. Whatever Victor is or isn't, surely my soul is a fair trade for both of theirs."
Dammit, Remus! Sebastian barked, snapping his jaws at me. It was all a bluff, but it served the purpose of startling me. Stop martyring yourself for two fucking seconds so someone else can have a meltdown.
Thanatos rolled his eyes. "If you're done squabbling, I might as well inform you that there's only one way back to your world, and it's about to close. You'd better come to a decision in," he paused, glancing at his watch, "the next half hour, give or take."
"What are you talking about?"
Thanatos pointed and suddenly a swirling void was visible beyond the grey. I recognized it as the same black mass that had pulled me into the board.
"How is that possible? When I got pulled in here, the hunter's moon was still a week away."
"As I said, time doesn't pass in the aether the way you're used to," said Thanatos. "What will it be?"
He's going back, Victor growled. They both are. I'm the only one who belongs here.
"No!" Sebastian and I cried in unison.
No more fucking sacrifices, Sebastian growled. I'm not going anywhere without either one of you.
You have to, said Victor. He made his choice. Besides, the pack needs you.
Fuck his choice! I didn't sign off on your bullshit plan.
While the twins bickered, I turned to Thanatos. "The offer I made earlier still stands," I said softly, hopefully out of their earshot. "I'll stay here, just send them back. The vampires, too."