Brett was a big guy, but this guy was huge. I shot Lauren a quizzical look and he nodded.
Shit.
“Brett?”
Brett turned his head to look at me, and I bit back a gasp. His face … There was nothing human about that face. It was all translucent flat planes and sharp angles, and his eyes, oh god, there was no colour in those eyes. They sat in his head like glass pebbles. It was eerie and frightening and what the fuck was I thinking.
I rushed across the room and threw my arms around his new larger granite form and was relieved to feel his heart beating strong and steady against my chest.
“I’m sorry, so sorry I wasn’t there. Oh, god.” I couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.
After a long beat he returned my embrace, holding me lightly, carefully so as to not crush me.
“I should have stopped you. I should never have let you go.”
He sighed. “And then someone else would have gone. Someone who may have given Orin what he wanted.” His voice rumbled in my ear. “No. I’m glad it was me. I’m glad I could stall him.”
Orin had done this to him. Turned him into this … creature. My blood began to simmer and the tears dried up beneath the heat of familiar rage. I pulled back. “I’m going to kill him. I’m going to crush his fucking skull.”
Brett smiled, or at least I think he did, the action looked alien and disjointed on his new face. “Not if I get to him first. My metamorphosis was interrupted when Lauren got me out, but if I’d been given the final dose I’d have been his bitch. He plans to do this to other humans. I pretty sure he wants to build an army, and if I’d signed that treaty he’d have had access to all the humans he could want.”
“Caldwell has given us all the details,” Baal said, “it’s not just the humans he plans to use. He plans to use the denizens too. And if he succeeds in taking Lindrealm by force, in building an army, he will turn his attention to the fifth dimension.”
Something scratched at the back of my brain, the forceful nudge of an important revelation, and then like a candle flaring to life it fell into place. “We have a spy at the palace.”
Baal’s brows snapped together. “What?”
My pulse quickened. “I reveal who I am, and suddenly we get attacked by flying fucking scorpions?” I began to pace the room, my muscles twitching to take some kind of action “That’s too much of a coincidence. It has to connect to Orin. A true heir for the fifth dimension could really stick a fly in his ointment.”
And the creeper/crawler hybrids. Orin must have sent them to kill me. I’d been unwittingly interfering with his plan by encouraging the Fearless out of enforced retirement.
Brett cupped my shoulders. “Listen to me Kenna. If we’re going to go up against Orin, then you’re going to need an army, and to do that you need to claim that throne. Because, now Orin’s failed with the treaty, he’ll try and take Lindrealm by force. He has a weapon. The Hunt. And with our defences low, I have a terrible feeling he may use it against us to get what he wants.”
There was silence in which I allowed myself to really look at Brett. To gaze into my best friend’s eyes and unearth the pain that his diamond cut face hid so well.
I turned to Baal. “There must be a way to reverse the effects of whatever Orin did to Brett.”
“Caldwell is working on it, but until then Brett will remain here, out of sight and protected.”
“What about the government, the treaty … What will we tell them?”
Baal pressed his lips together. “I fear we may have to tell them the truth. It’s time they realised what danger they’re in and who their allies truly are, but until you have the throne, until we can tell them for certain that the djinn will be their allies, we stall.”
“There’s more,” Lauren said.
He exchanged a quick glance with Brett who nodded.
Lauren continued. “On our way out of the palace we saw something strange. Rows upon rows of dark djinn suspended by glowing vines.”
Baal’s eyes narrowed. “The dark djinn vanished decades ago.”
Lauren nodded. “That’s what I heard, but we saw them with our own eyes.”
I looked from Lauren to Baal. “Dark djinn like Erebus?”
Baal nodded, his face draining of colour. “If Orin has them, then it can only mean that the crafty bastard has been playing the long game. The dark djinn were among our most fearsome warriors in the alliance wars, and by taking them out of the equation he set up his stage. Now if he succeeds in claiming Lindrealm and building his hybrid army, he not only levels the playing field when it comes to taking the fifth dimension, he gives himself a huge advantage.”
“Then we need to slow him down. If he’s building a denizen army then we need to warn Erebus to keep a closer watch on Evernight, where else would he be getting the denizens to experiment on?”
“Good point,” Baal said. “Can you contact him though your connection?”
I’d been blocking him for so long I wasn’t sure I could, but I’d try. “Yeah. I’ll give it a shot.”
I closed my eyes and slowly opened myself to the thread that connected us, chipping away at the cement that I’d encased it in, and grasping it to feel the vibrations. I tugged, calling to him and waited for the answering tug.
Nothing.
I tried again, and again.
“Something’s wrong. I can’t feel him.”
Baal cursed. “I guess we’ll have to take a detour on the way back home.”
The way he said the word home made heat bloom in my chest. I tore my gaze from him and turned my attention back to Brett.
“I will fix this, Brett. I promise.”
He nodded, his expression stoic. “Just do what you have to and claim your throne, Kenna. We can deal with the rest later.”
43
The doors to the fortress fell open as I approached, and a warm welcome tingle ran over my body as it accepted me into its sanctum.
Baal remained in the courtyard at my request. I needed to do this alone, I needed to show strength if he was ever gonna take me seriously, and having Baal at my back would only make him think I needed propping up.
The foyer was empty, so I asked the fortress to take me to Erebus, wherever he may be in the vast structure. Striding up to the nearest door and pushing it open, I walked directly into Erebus’s chambers.
His head whipped round, his silver eyes flaring. My gaze dropped from his harsh face to his bare chest, all pecs, muscle, and abs, to the towel that hung from his hips. I dragged my gaze back to his face, ignoring the pulse that was suddenly hammering in my throat.
“We need to talk.” My voice came out firm and authoritative.
Erebus adjusted the towel at his waist, his gaze raking over me almost hungrily. It wasn’t a look he’d ever given me before, and frankly it was pretty alarming.
“I didn’t expect you to come back here, not for some time at least.” He sauntered toward me.
I backed up a step, but not quick enough to avoid his chest in my face. His arm came up and over my shoulder, followed by the snick of the door closing.
‘Kay, he was closing the door.
But he didn’t back up straight away, instead he leaned in, his face inches from mine. “So how did the quest for the throne play out?”
His breath was hot on my face.
I blinked and cleared my throat, all too aware of his almost naked body inches from mine. “Not so great, but I get a rematch in a day and a half.”
His brow furrowed.
“I get to walk the judgement pit?”
He exhaled, tucking in his chin to press his forehead to mine. “Don’t do it.”
“What?”
“No one who’s ever walked the pit has returned to tell the tale. Kenna, if you do this, you will die.”
Ice trickled into my veins. Baal hadn’t mentioned the odds. I’d just assumed they were higher.
“Baal didn’t tell you, did he?”
I wanted to lie, because
I didn’t want to give him fuel for his Baal bashing speech, but I couldn’t.
“No.”
Erebus’s chest rumbled. “Of course he didn’t.”
I felt the first lick of anger. “What is that supposed to mean?”
He broke away from me, releasing me from the cage of his arms. “It doesn’t matter.”
Feeling suddenly adrift, I said the first thing that popped into my head. “Why didn’t you answer when I called?”
His shoulders tensed, the ripple of muscle almost mesmerising.
“I blocked the connection.”
“Why?”
He exhaled and turned to face me. “Because it was becoming too painful.”
“Painful?”
He fixed his gaze on a point above my head. “We’re connected Kenna, so certain strong emotions, certain strong sensations, travel through the bond, even though you may have blocked me.”
For a moment I didn’t understand, and then it clicked. My cheeks heated. He knew about me and Baal. He’d … felt it? I dropped my gaze, my neck on fire.
“But you didn’t come here just to ask me that, did you?”
I exhaled, grateful for the change of subject. “No, but it was because I couldn’t communicate with you I had to come.” I was back on track and the heat drained out of my face. “Orin is snatching denizens from Evernight and experimenting on them to create hybrid monsters. He has a serum.”
“How do you know this? Tell me everything.”
I filled him in best I could, leaving out the part about the dark djinn Brett and Lauren had seen at the palace. I knew we’d have to get them out somehow, but now wasn’t the time. I needed Erebus here, keeping watch on the Evernight denizens and stopping Orin from getting his hands on them. Later, once I had the throne, we’d work out a plan to get them back.
Erebus listened carefully, his eyes slits of concentration. When I was done he moved quickly to his wardrobe. “I need to get dressed, so unless you want to watch I suggest you leave.”
“So I can leave this one to you?”
His brow furrowed, and his lips turned down. “You can always count on me Kenna, I’m just sorry I’ve failed to prove that thus far.”
I walked out of the fortress feeling strangely confused and bereft.
44
“Is everything alright?” Irina came rushing out of the kitchen to greet us.
“Not, really.” I sighed. “But we’re working on getting it there.”
“What can I do?”
“Help your father find an antidote to the serum they used on Brett.”
Irina looked to Baal, who nodded. “Yes, go be with your father. He’s back at his lab, heavily guarded. Orin’s men won’t be getting to him this time. Take the carriage, we won’t be needing it.”
Irina pressed her lips together and nodded. “Thank you.”
We watched her leave. “Where’s Agares?”
“Guarding Caldwell.”
“So they’re not coming back to the palace with us for the judgement?”
Baal shook his head. “The priestess has spoken, and no djinn will dare harm you. We won’t need them. Besides, you have me.”
He slipped his arms around me and pulled me close. I rested my head against his chest as a wave of his unique scent enveloped me, I waited for the pull, the sense of belonging but it didn’t come. Instead, a prickle of unease skittered across my scalp.
I pulled back.
“Why didn’t you tell me about the judgement pit?”
His brow furrowed. “What about it?”
“That no one who’s gone in has returned.”
Baal exhaled and pulled me to him, squeezing gently. “I tried to get you away, remember? You were adamant it was something you could do, and honestly, I know deep down you can do this. I didn’t want to frighten you, Kenna. Especially when I have complete faith in you.”
The apprehension melted away, and I sighed into the soft fabric of his shirt, rubbing my cheek against his pecs like a cat desperate to be petted.
He hardened against me, his hands running down my body to cup my buttocks. “We have the house to ourselves, Kenna.”
I tilted back my head to look up into his face. A deliciously sinful gleam lit up his eyes and my heart skipped a beat as my core melted.
“Yes please.”
His lips claimed my mouth and the judgement pit and threat of death were momentarily forgotten.
_____
Baal handed me a mug of tea and took the chair opposite me by the fire.
I’d tucked in my legs and Baal had thrown a blanket over me. It wasn’t cold, but the whole thing made me feel safe and cosy.
Baal sipped his tea. “There’s been something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Kenna.”
I looked over the rim of my mug. “What?”
“The priestess said you weren’t whole, and I saw your face when she said that. What did she mean? And don’t tell me this is about your leg, because I don’t buy it.”
I cradled my mug in my lap. “No. I don’t think it is about my leg. I think it’s about my mind.”
He sat forward. “Explain.”
“All those lives I’ve lived, those personalities … They’re still inside of me, battling to take control. I have them locked away for now, but I don’t know how much longer I can fight them. All I know is that I can’t risk losing myself, this self. I can’t risk losing Kenna. This is who I am now.”
Until this moment, until I’d said the words out loud, I hadn’t allowed myself to dwell on the enormity of my predicament—the fact that I was sharing my mind, my body, with the alters, the fact that if I weakened they could take me over—that I could be lost. The fear that I’d been holding at bay crawled out from under a rock and sat on my chest.
Baal stared into the fire, the orange and yellow flames dancing in his eyes. “They are your demons, Kenna, and I fear that they are who you will be facing in the pit.”
My throat grew dry. I took a heart-pounding slurp of my tea, searching for some cool words of bravado and coming up empty. “I wish I knew what facing them meant.”
“Me too.” He slipped off his chair and knelt by my feet. “There is still time to back out. You are the heir, the priestess confirmed it. We could use that to our advantage and enlist more allies—I already have the ear of four Overlords. With the truth of your heritage more will join us, and we can take the palace by force.”
It was tempting. No judgement pit, no facing the alters but, “All we’d be doing is creating a war among our people and feeding the hoard.”
He blinked at me, a small smile tugging on his lips. “You sound like Erebus.”
I returned his smile. “I’ve avoided dealing with the alters for long enough. If I’m ever going to be free, then I need to do this.”
His gaze ran across my face searchingly. “I just … I can’t lose you, Kenna. If there is any doubt in your mind …”
God, my mind was saturated with doubt, my chest tight with fear, but the alternative was not an option. I would not put my people, both human and djinn, in danger by starting a war. I wouldn’t belittle Bella’s sacrifice. Her soul had made me the woman I was, and this woman would do whatever she needed to protect her people, so I looked Baal straight in the eyes, cupped his cheek, and lied.
45
BRETT
He was dreaming, he knew this because he recalled falling asleep in a bed that seemed much too small for his huge frame, he knew this because he was standing in an underground cavern dripping with stalactites, surrounded by twisted mash-ups of denizens.
Usually when he had a lucid dream that was a little too weird, he’d just visualise himself somewhere else—a beach or a stage where he got to live out his secret pop star fantasies.
He closed his eyes and tried to focus on a new destination, but the light feeling that usually accompanied the transition was absent, instead his feet felt heavy, weighed down by invisible cement blocks. His skin was too tight, itchy and uncomfo
rtable.
The denizens skittered closer. His hand went to his waist as he willed Lance into being. Fingers closing over the hilt he drew his weapon, flicking it to activate it. Sweeping Lance in an arc, Brett caught the flash of gleaming eyes, dripping stingers, and glistening mandibles.
Oh shit. Bad, bad, dream.
A low chuckle reverberated about the chamber, sending the denizens into a skittering frenzy.
“Who’s there?” Brett turned in a circle, Lance raised. The luma lit up his hands and he gasped.
His hands were normal. Human.
That chuckle again, mocking and amused.
Brett’s scalp prickled, a finger of unease tracing his spine.
This was a dream … just a dream …Wasn’t it?
“My dream, human.”
Brett moved in a circle. Where was the voice coming from? The cavern where he stood was bathed in weak light that trickled outward to illuminate his unwelcome companions, but beyond that there was nothing but darkness.
Darkness and the voice.
He really needed to get out of this messed up dream.
Focus Brett, just focus and wake up.
“Not yet, human. Let me see you. A fine specimen, and my first of your kind. I feel your soul, so warm and inviting. It will be a delicious feast, I can tell.”
His gut twisted, his bowels growing liquid. He’d been in some pretty dicey situations, some bone-melting, heart-pounding scrapes, but this dream was by far the worst. The voice was a scrape inside his skull, invasive and intrusive, teasing awake a primal part of his brain that screamed at him to run.
Brett glanced over his shoulder to find nothing but more darkness.
There was nowhere to run.
“Come closer human, so that I may taste your soul.”
Brett made to step backward, but found himself taking a step forward. No. No, he didn’t want to do this. He didn’t want to see. A low rumble of anticipation stirred the stale musty air. The denizens moaned. Brett’s feet moved forward another step. He grit his teeth.
Into Evernight: an Urban Fantasy Novel (Fearless Destiny Book 2) Page 18