I leaped at the griffin, shoving him away from her gaping maw, and drew my daggers midair. She was on me before my feet hit the ground, pinning my arms to my body before I could strike. She hovered a few inches above the floor, unfairly giving herself a height advantage. “I’m only supposed to hold you, but he said I can have them,” she said. Her eyes were bigger now, and almost as red as her lips.
Shade again? My companions were still in some sort of daze, and I didn’t even want to think about what she’d do to them.
“They don’t belong to you,” I said, head-butting her giant boobs. It felt like bouncing my head on a water balloon, but Lorna screeched in pain, dropping my arms to protect herself. The second I was free, I spun around, slicing her arm with one blade while stabbing her in the leg with the other.
The shocked look on her face said she hadn’t expected me to have teeth. She jumped back and examined the dark goo oozing from her wounds. Shock morphed into hatred as she hissed and advanced again, slashing pointed claws at my face. I ducked and took another stab at her, but she feinted right and rushed me. I was quick enough to stab my blade into her side, but then I was sailing through the air. Lorna grabbed me from behind, midflight, and held my arms in her claws.
“Drop the knives,” she said into my ear.
When I didn’t immediately do it, she pierced my skin with her claws, squeezing through the flesh of my arm.
I screamed, but did not release my weapons.
“I’ll cut them off. I told him I would hold you, but I don’t have to keep you in one piece.”
She’d cut through nerves and my damaged arms could no longer hold my knives. They clattered to the floor as Lorna and I landed directly in front of Demarco and Tweety, who still weren’t moving. “What did you do to them?” I asked.
“Pheromones can be very powerful. They can see us—they know exactly what I’m doing to you—but they can’t do anything to stop it. And they’re both strangely turned on by it.”
The heat of her fiery locks caused beads of perspiration to run down my hairline. I tried to wriggle free, but her grip tightened, squeezing the breath out of me. Literally. As I watched gold sparkles float through the air between me and Demarco, I got an idea. Directing my next blow right at his handsome face, I emptied my lungs. Gold shimmered and disappeared into his eyes. He blinked. Confusion, then revulsion and anger, contorted his expression as he looked from me to the creature holding me. Tugging the giant hammer from his back, he lunged forward swinging, yelling at me to duck.
Sometimes being short has serious advantages.
Lorna’s claws dug deeper as I hit my knees. Demarco’s hammer cracked the side of her head. The claws yanked out of my arms as she flew through the air before slamming against the wall. I thought she’d be down for the count, but the second her feet hit the floor she took flight again, skirting me and Demarco to land behind her desk.
Blood ran down my arms. I reached for my daggers, but my hands were too wet to hold them and I couldn’t squeeze my fingers together.
“We gotta get you bandaged.” Demarco raised his hammer and headed for Lorna. “Medical kit. Now.”
“Romi!” Tweety’s voice was much higher than I remember. “Gods, I couldn’t…there’s so much blood. I’m so sorry. I tried, but I couldn’t.”
“It’s not your fault. Lorna’s the Empusa.” It all made sense, now, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. She and Shade must have had some sort of agreement over the years that kept her from going all psychotic on us.
“The what?” Tweety asked, eyeing Lorna.
“The Empusa. Didn’t we cover that yet?”
He shook his head. “I think I would remember.”
“My bad. She’s a flesh-eating, blood-drinking baddie who uh…likes to play with her food. She guards the crossroads, which explains why she’s moonlighting as a travel agent.”
“Tweety, pick up those daggers and watch her, whatever she is,” Demarco commanded before dropping to his knees in front of me and opening the first aid kit.
Tweety picked up my daggers and positioned himself between us and Lorna.
“Be careful,” I warned, needing to focus on something other than the blood rushing down my arms. “A minute ago you were ready for her to be the momma of your little birdie babies.”
“A minute ago she was hot!” he defended. “And not trying to claw your arms off.”
“The point is…make better life choices, Tweety.”
My head felt light and my body felt heavy. I swayed, but Demarco steadied me while he wrapped gauze around my arms, pulling it tight to cut off the blood flow.
“I can do that, you know,” I said, although, truthfully, I wasn’t so sure. I still couldn’t flex my hands.
“Stop moving. So can I.”
“We need to get out of here. Shade’s on his way.”
“Have you gotten what we came for yet?” Demarco asked.
Right. That. Addressing Lorna, I said, “Fun time’s over. Now…business.”
“I will not help you,” she spat, seething as she drifted listlessly like a drunk butterfly. I had no idea what effect Demarco’s hammer had on the head of the Empusa, but I was willing to bet she’d earned herself a pretty gnarly concussion.
“You’ll give her whatever she needs,” Demarco growled, standing and picking up his hammer again. “And you’ll do it now.”
Lorna swallowed. “That’s not how this works. The child knows, there’s always a price.”
“Stop calling me child,” I said, trying to tug my backpack over my healing shoulder. My arms screamed in protest, the gauze already turning red. Tweety rushed in to help me. He took the pack from me, and I almost passed out. Leaning against the table for support, I said, “My name’s Romi.”
“What am I looking for?” Tweety asked, staring into the open pack.
“I don’t care what you have to trade. I want nothing to do with you,” she insisted, keeping one eye on the bag and the other on Demarco’s hammer.
“A little tin box in the front inside pocket.”
“This?” he asked, waving it in the air.
“Yeah. Put it on the table, but don’t open it.”
“What is that?” Lorna asked, creeping forward to investigate.
The Empusa was a demon, and demons were known to be greedy, which I was counting on. I released the magical ward protecting the contents and tried to pop open the box. Demarco gave me two tries before he reached over and did it for me. I almost growled at him while inwardly rambling thank yous.
“It’s a key to my home. As you may have guessed, Shade and I had a falling out. I had to abandon my home unexpectedly, leaving behind all of my possessions.”
Her eyes practically doubled in size. “Everything?”
“All we have is what would fit in our packs.” I pointed to Tweety and my bags. “There’s all sorts of treasures hidden away, waiting to be discovered by the next owner.”
“Like what?”
“Whatever I could steal away for myself. But if you’re unwilling to deal…” I snapped the lid shut on the key.
She hesitated. I could almost hear her arguing with herself as she glanced from the box to the door.
“What did Shade offer you to hold me?” I asked.
“Nothing,” she lied. “We have no agreement.”
Sure. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. You will not hold me, so you won’t get whatever he promised. But my home and all of its hidden treasures…” I tapped the tin, immediately regretting it as pain sliced up my arm. “You have one minute to show me a recent photograph of Eleusis, or I walk out that door and you will lose everything.”
Panic flooded her eyes. “I need to think about your offer.”
Demarco flexed, bouncing his hammer as if warming up his arms. “I can give you a little something to help you think.”
Lorna’s gaze cut to the hammer and she let out a little whimper.
I had to give the guy mad props. For neve
r leaving his beach, he sure had the intimidating henchman gig down. Determined to play my part equally well, despite the chill that told me I was probably going into shock, I ground out, “Forty-eight seconds.”
She glanced at the door again. “I need more time.”
“Thirty-nine seconds.”
“You don’t know what’s at stake here, child. Romi.”
I chuckled. “Oh, I’m pretty sure I do. You don’t want to piss Shade off. Trust me, I get it. Regardless, I’m out that door in eighteen seconds. It’ll take a little time, but I’m sure I can find another travel agent to help me out.”
“Fine,” she said, heading for her computer. As I watched the clock, she pounded keys.
“Five. Four. Three.”
“Here.” She spun the monitor around so I could see it.
Before I even looked, I recited the words I’d heard Shade ask her more than a dozen times, “Do you swear on your life that this is a recent photo of Eleusis, taken within the past five days, and neither the photo nor the location has changed to the best of your knowledge?”
She started to say something, and then thought better of it. Once again her fingers flew over the keys. Another image populated on the screen.
“Say the words,” I growled, picking up the box.
She repeated the oath, word for word. Then I let my gaze drift to the screen, soaking in the details—every stone of the ruins, the curve of the mountains on the horizon, the visible slanted rooftops and boxy buildings of the city—and committing them to memory. Once I’d absorbed it all, I tossed her the key and closed my eyes to keep the image fresh, thankful for my photographic memory.
Someone knocked on the door. I opened myself to the shadows and felt the darkness of my sire respond. Shade had arrived.
“Shit. We gotta go.” Eyes still closed, I reached out for Demarco and Tweety. The instant I felt their skin beneath my hands I gathered shadows to us, focusing on the image of Eleusis.
Demarco’s muscles flexed seconds before I heard the crash of his hammer against something. Lorna screamed. I blocked out the sounds and stepped into the realm of Erebus, keeping a tight hold on my companions. I tried to take the next step—the one that would land us in Eleusis—but the shadows refused to release us.
CHAPTER TWELVE
DEMARCO, TWEETY, AND I were stuck in the realm of Erebus.
“What’s going on?” Tweety asked. His hand squeezed mine and pain shot up my arm.
I bit down on my lip so I wouldn’t scream out.
“Sorry,” he said, loosening his grip.
The display gained us the attention of the shadows. Forcing my heart to stop trying to pound out of my chest and my voice to strengthen, I lied, “It’s just technical difficulties, everything is fine. I need you to stay relaxed. I’m gonna move my hands, but I can’t let go of either of you. Hold on to me no matter what, okay?” The realm of Erebus didn’t take kindly to strangers, but as long as they were with me, Demarco and Tweety would be fine. At least that’s what I kept telling myself.
“What do you need us to do?” Demarco asked, sounding way calmer than he should.
Couldn’t he tell I was one heartbeat from freaking the hell out? Anything could be in the darkness, just waiting to pounce on us. I needed to open my vision without cluing them in on the fact I could do so. “Loosen your grip and look in the opposite direction of my voice. Both of you.”
I expected arguments or questions, but the guys shifted and told me when they were ready.
Hoping I could trust them not to peek, I pulled my hands to my lips and blew. Gold shimmered in the darkness, illuminating the small area in front of my face before it disappeared. I rubbed my eyes and blinked, half expecting Shade to materialize in front of me, but he didn’t show. The shadows did, however, and their aura was menacing. I felt them gather, watching us and preparing to strike. They’d trapped us here because they knew I was weak from blood loss, and if I didn’t do something soon, they’d attack.
Although I was wounded and probably going into shock, I needed to make them pay for this so they would never attempt it again. I crouched and extended my awareness. I needed to embrace my sire’s side of the family and show them I was still their boss. Mentally distancing myself from my companions, I opened myself to the realm. A dank, earthy smell filled my nostrils and I took a deep breath, letting the atmosphere resonate within me.
I belong here.
As much as I hated it, this realm was my heritage and the shadows were my kin. Darkness had always called to me, but this time I called back, encouraging it to approach. It danced over my toes like waves, ebbing and flowing, waiting for me to push it back like I always did. Even now, habit had me holding it at bay, refusing to let it climb higher than my boots. Truthfully, I didn’t want it to touch me. I’d seen what happened when people let the darkness rule them. I’d only just earned my freedom and had no intention of giving it up.
Something hissed in the distance.
What little blood I had left froze in my veins. I’d heard that hiss before. “You can never let it find you,” Shade had told me. “You hear it, you run.” It was the only time he’d ever told me to fear anything. And as much as I’d love to run from it now, I was certain if I did, neither my companions nor I would survive.
“What is that?” Tweety asked.
“Nothing. I’ve got it. Calm down.” More lies. I seemed to be getting better at them with time. Shadows continued to dance over the toes of my boots, promising power if I’d just open myself up to the darkness. I didn’t want to do it, but I needed to force the shadows to let us pass. Promising myself I’d stay in control, I encouraged the tide of shadows to rise up my calves, over my knees. Dark power pulsed, covering my thighs and swimming over my waist. It felt electric. Invigorating. It swept through my veins, alleviating my aches and pains. Within moments, I felt like a whole new person. Craving more, I invited the darkness up my stomach and over my chest, reveling in its power.
“Romi!” Tweety shouted. “What’s happening to you?”
His fear smelled like honey: sweet, enticing. It made my stomach rumble and sent hunger pangs through my entire being. He was weak, scared. The shadows would tear him apart unless I shut him up.
“What’s going on?” Demarco asked, still calm. “I can’t see anything.”
He was strong and unafraid, and the yearning I felt for him was different. I breathed in the scent of metal and man and let it ground me and remind me of why I couldn’t lose myself.
Doreán.
My kid looked so much like his dad it made my chest ache. We needed to get him back.
“I’m fine,” I reassured us all, even as I fought to keep myself together. My body wanted to be free, but I knew if I gave in completely, my companions would be lost. I needed to help them. “Grab my hands and don’t let go.”
“I don’t want to hurt you,” Demarco said.
I laughed. “I don’t think anything could hurt me right now.”
Turning back to the shadows that had trapped us there, I unleashed my grandsire’s power. It extended from my body, pulsing outward, gobbling up everything in front of me. Shadows nourished me, strengthening my mind and will, making me feel invincible. Still, I hungered for more. They shrank back, and their fear only encouraged my advance. I was the predator now. The shadowy lower-half of my body extended forward to absorb more, but couldn’t get far while still tethered to my shoulders, head, and arms.
“Romi! Stop!”
Tweety again. He didn’t understand the way the power called to me. I needed to release the rest of my physical form so I could grow and conquer our enemies. Then I could rule my grandsire’s realm, and Shade would fear me.
“Romi, your fingers are disappearing.”
Demarco. His voice stirred feelings with in me. Want. Desire. Loss. Sorrow.
“Come back to us,” he said.
Rough fingers touched my face, tracing my jaw, then my lips, leaving little bolts of electricity in their w
ake. Then his lips were on mine and everything else faded into the background. Now I needed my body. I forced it to materialize so I could feel this new power pulsing through my veins and setting me on fire. Memories tickled the back of my mind. Legs and arms tangled on the beach. His lips roaming down my stomach.
He pulled back, ending the kiss. Panting, I wanted more. Demarco’s silvery-blue eyes stared down at me, glowing with passion and want.
“Romi, Demarco, we need to get out of here,” Tweety said, yanking my hand.
Shadows had gathered around us. My shadows, the ones I’d swallowed when I turned. They were here to protect and lead us out of the realm of Erebus, but only as long as I was stronger than them. Their conditional loyalty grated. I pulsed power through them, jolting them into submission, and closed my eyes. Darkness enveloped me, and power continued to pulse through my veins.
The hiss again. Closer this time. I could feel its malevolent intent extending toward me and my companions.
Determined to escape it, I forced myself to refocus on the picture I’d seen on Lorna’s monitor. Ruins, buildings, mountains. I rebuilt it all from the ground up, forming the structure in my mind. Once confident our destination was fixed in my mind, I stepped forward, pulling my companions with me.
This time the shadows got the hell out of my way. I stumbled out of the black realm of Erebus and into dusk at the ruins of Eleusis. The place looked deserted. I released my companions and bent over, sucking in air while trying to get my heart rate and emotions under control.
“Well that was…the most terrifying thing I’ve ever seen,” Tweety said. I could feel his glare burning a hole in the side of my head but I couldn’t look at him. “Romi, you—”
“Let’s give her a minute, okay?” A warm hand patted my shoulder. The internal sparks it ignited told me it belonged to Demarco. “You all right?”
I held up my index finger. No, I wasn’t all right. I’d lost control, which was something I’d sworn I’d never do. Even now the shadows called to me, taunting me, promising real freedom and endless power. I’d almost given in, but something had stopped me. Someone. Demarco’s kiss still burned on my lips. Chancing a peek at him, I shuddered.
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