We sat in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts.
Niki knelt beside me and leaned in to touch my knee. The heat from his hand warmed my chilled skin. “You said there was a deeper pull, right?”
“Yes.”
“Was the pull outside or inside his body?”
My eyes widened in wonder. “I think the pull was from inside, but since it’s never happened before, I’m not exactly certain. Do you know what it was?”
Niki sat back with a resigned expression. “You drew the blood.”
I didn’t like where this was going. “Say what?”
“There are earth elements in blood. Copper, zinc, and selenium to name a few. If the body has been exposed to bad metals, no matter the species, the blood will absorb those as well.”
“What are you, a chemist?”
He sat back on his heels, his brows arched and his mouth raised with a hint of lofty pride. “Well, it is a hobby of mine.”
“Great,” I moaned. “My least favorite class in school. Go figure.”
Lucien looked like he was watching a tennis match while we talked. He stopped and threw a hand in between us. “Wait a second. You’re talking Greek. Start at the beginning.”
“I think what Niki’s trying to say is I called the metals in his blood. Now I’m a bloody vampyre.”
Niki chuckled. “No. You are most definitely not a vampyre.”
“I hope you meant that as a compliment.” I kept my eyes trained on Lucien as I continued my explanation. “Let’s see if I got this right. The more corrupt the blood, the deeper the pull?”
At his affirmative murmur, I heaved a relieved sigh. “Then all I know is, whatever I did seemed to work. For Markus’s sake, I just hope it’s permanent.” I gave Niki a lopsided grin. “As soon as this is done, I expect you will probably start analyzing his blood?”
“Stop reading my thoughts,” Niki groused.
I opened my mouth to retort, but when I caught the smoldering expression on Lucien’s face, I snapped my jaws shut.
“I sent one of my guards to delay her with several problems to gain us some extra time, which is flying by at an advanced rate of speed.” Lucien glared at both of us.
Sighing, I glanced around the room. “Can we keep it simple? We’ll surprise her—maybe even use Markus. I think he’d be strong enough to hold her so we can do our thing, if he can sneak up on her.”
Niki nodded in encouragement. “Go on.”
“Well, if I can work miracles on Summoned demons, maybe I can get to her, too.”
Chapter 17
Everyone crowded into the yellow room’s adjoining space, but I couldn’t call the area we were crammed into a room, per se. It was simply too small and seemed more like a large bathroom. I was beginning to feel claustrophobic.
I squirmed, the tight space beating against my head . . . or was it a migraine? It was getting so I couldn’t tell anymore. I had a nagging feeling we were overlooking something. Whatever it was, though, I couldn’t quite put my finger on. When another demon apparated into the room, I had an epiphany.
“Uh, guys? We might have a small, teeny tiny problem with our plan.”
Niki kneaded the back of my neck, and I had to fight back the moan trying to escape my mouth. His fingers were so talented. “What is it?”
“Up a little. To your left . . . ahh, nailed it.” I sighed. “Too many people in here. With the amount of testosterone filling the room, she’ll know something’s up.”
“Any ideas?” Lucien asked.
A wicked smile spread across Niki’s face. “Let me introduce you to Johnna’s favorite person.”
Niki mumbled something under his breath, and a small black bottle appeared in front of him. Plucking it out of the air, he unscrewed the lid and swiped the opening under his nose and inhaled. He screwed the top back on and waited. He aged before our eyes. His skin lost its ruddy color, and his muscles deflated as he morphed into a familiar zombie.
“Cheesehead.” I couldn’t hold back my huge smile. “I missed you.”
Lucien’s face scrunched up in a very confused frown. “Excuse me? Who is this Cheesehead, and what in Hell’s name did you just do?”
Niki’s teeth chattered in his skeletal head as he tried laughing with no facial muscles. “This is how Johnna met me.”
I nodded happily. “Yep. He’d just killed me. I didn’t like him much at the time either, but he grew on me.”
Lucien’s eyes glowed red. “You did what? Niki, you better start explaining before I kill you myself.”
The center of his eyes turned blue. Niki held up his hands and I stepped back. “Hold on a sec. Gerard told me it was the only way to retrieve the diary key, which he used as one of her ribs. Her magic absorbed the metal in the key, and we couldn’t take it out without killing her.”
“He’s right,” I added. “A skeleton key.” I ignored their groans at the ancient joke.
Lucien looked back and forth between us. “How did you bring her back to life?”
“The only way I could. I gave her part of my soul.”
“Holy shit.” The king ran his fingers through his hair, making him look as flustered as he apparently was. “And it worked?”
“Yes, it worked. If there had been any other way, we would have taken it. Max had already threatened her once. We had no other choice.”
I laced my arm through his and kissed his cold cheek. The normally smooth skin was now leathery and dry. In his ear, I whispered, “I fell in love with you as Cheesehead.”
Niki's head whipped around, his bright yellow eyes boring into mine. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. I drank in the love shining down at me. I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my mouth to his, showing him the emotion filling my heart.
Lucien groaned. “If you two are quite done, we need to step it up because she’s almost here.”
Niki held out the black bottle to Lucien. “Take the lid off, inhale the potion, and put the lid back on as fast as you can or the entire room will turn into zombies. It’s one of the most potent spells Gerard has.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Yes. The only other spell more powerful is a potion to enhance magic. The one time he used it, the person died. Evidently, it twists the magic, turning it back on the person, causing something like an implosion. That was how he described it anyway. He said he was going to destroy it.”
“My dad made something so terrible? How could he?”
“He didn’t do it on purpose, imp. He was trying to find ways to defeat his father and had no way of knowing how bad a few of the potions from the book were.”
My insides jiggled like jelly. Every nerve was on edge. While we talked, Lucien took his whiff of potion and now looked like Niki, only larger.
“What am I supposed to do?” I asked.
“Hide,” Niki said firmly. “Only half of the demons will stay in the room with us, the rest will go with you. Once we’re sure she doesn’t recognize us, send the rest in. You show yourself after everyone’s in the other room.” He motioned to the door behind us. “Go in there. It’s Lucien’s private chamber—you’ll be safe behind the door.” He ran the pads of his fingers down my cheek and gave me one of his toe-curling kisses.
“Be safe yourself,” I whispered. “How am I supposed to walk when you turned my insides into a quivering mess?”
Even as a skeletal zombie, his smile was wicked.
Lucien divided the guards, sending the second shift into the room ahead of me. The screaming metal was my only warning, and I took several running steps, throwing myself behind the door seconds before the queen strode into the room. Thank the gods she hadn’t apparated or we’d never have made it. Through the thick wooden door, her shrill tone shredded my nerves. She might be my gr
andmother, but I didn’t have to like her.
A loud boom came from the other chamber, and I pressed my ear against the door, trying to hear something above the shouting.
Steady, imp. Wait for Lucien’s signal. The deep, sultry sound of Niki’s voice was like hot fudge dripping down over melting scoops of ice cream.
I squatted down in front of the keyhole, trying to see something, anything, as my nerves rebounded. I found Giselle interrogating one of the guards we’d threatened. Niki and Lucien shuffled closer, trying to get in better positions without her noticing. She threw a tantrum, gesturing and pointing, as her face swelled.
A twinge of unease reared its ugly head and I refused to acknowledge the negative feeling. I looked through the hole from different angles and only saw the queen and the one guard. My anxiety rose. Where were Niki and Lucien? I took a deep breath, rallying my stubbornness. Our plan would work. It had to.
Are you ready? Niki asked, startling me from my reverie.
You betcha. I forced my tone to sound more positive than I felt. Neither of them had let me in on what they were going to do. Knowing the two of them, though, it wouldn’t be boring. My nerves chilled as I waited for Lucien’s signal. I hated not being able to see anything.
Concentrating on Niki, I closed my eyes and pictured a door. I imagined it turning hazy then fading completely from my mind. Through the darkness, I focused on the speck of light in the center of my vision. Slowly, the light expanded, and I found myself staring at Giselle.
“This is so cool,” I whispered. Now I saw everything Niki saw, except Lucien who must be standing behind Niki. The queen’s mass blocked a quarter of the room. Her neon purple muumuu looked like it had been splashed with gold, black, and lime green paint. She must shop at Tents R Us.
Too bad she didn’t wrap her hair in a matching caftan. I think she’s wearing one of those ugly quilts from the seventies. Niki chuckled.
You’re terrible. I admonished, unable to stop my laughter, though I kept it soft.
Enjoying my view?
I nodded and remembered he couldn’t see me. I can’t believe how cool this is.
Giselle made her way around the room, talking a few minutes with each guard. Evidently, two of the guards gave her the right answers, because she pulled them together to stand side by side. Neither one looked happy about being there.
I listened closer to what she ranted about, and my anger ignited like a powder keg. How can she cut Lucien down like that? He’s her son, for gods’ sake!
“. . . such a demeaning little worm—always acting superior. Now who’s superior? Me. That’s who. He’ll never know what hit him. As soon as we’re done here, I will finish taking care of him.” Giselle’s eyes fell on Niki. She curled her lips and nose like a pug dog. “What are two zombies doing here?” She threw a look at the guards next to her. “Get rid of them. Immediately.”
Lucien shuffled into view as he moved around Niki, trying to get closer to his mother. He was almost within arm’s reach when the queen’s hand flew up. Her fingers were curled into claws, their brilliant yellow tips resembling five miniature daggers flying through the air.
My vision arced to the left, leaving me disoriented . . . then everything went black.
Niki? What’s happening?
I stared at the door in front of me, a nauseous feeling in my stomach as I realized what had happened. Niki had thrown me out of his head.
Pushing away from the door, I paced in front of the annoying barrier a couple of times to get the blood circulating through my legs again. Then I stopped and faced the demons who’d backed as far away from me as they could. Slapping my fists on my hips, I turned a thunderous snarl loose on them. “Your king needs you—get in there and help him!”
The demons apparated into the other room as I twisted the knob and threw the door open. The sight greeting me was chaos. The guards we’d left with Niki and Lucien were fighting against those I’d just sent back in. A few had circled around the king, who was in a one-kneed squat. I scowled. Even I knew he couldn’t protect himself in such a horrible position.
The queen stood near the door shouting strange syllabic words in what I had to assume was demon language, if there even was such a thing. From the evil expression on her face, I didn’t have to understand a word she said. The sound of the words excoriated my eardrums—if the groans, barks, and grinding noises coming from her mouth were actually words. I also noticed a slow, dragging cadence, the magic they produced slamming into me like a hurricane.
She was in the middle of a spell—one I wasn’t about to let her finish. Figuring out how to stop her, though, could be a problem. From what I remembered my dad telling me, spells weren’t normally long, so I figured I had maybe a few seconds left.
Grandpops, I need you to stop Giselle’s spell.
But—
Just do it before it’s too late.
I shoved my way through the fighting demons and skidded to a stop in the middle of the room. My throat closed with a painful squeeze as my scream bounced around inside my skull, penetrating every tiny, dark spot in my brain. My uncle had made himself vulnerable to protect Niki, who now lay facedown on the floor, blood pumping from a wicked-looking hole where his magnificent abs had been.
This wound was two times more horrible than the one I’d accidently given him with my sword. It seemed like an eternity ago.
Feelings of horror raced through my body, freezing blood and breath. My anger erupted like a pyroclastic cloud, roiling in furious waves through the room. The guards still alive were thrown against the room’s walls, except for the two standing beside the queen.
“Well, well. Look who we have here.” Giselle smirked. “Are you here to enjoy this party?”
“I’m afraid my plans are a tad different from yours. I’m here to wreck your little party. You will pay for hurting my mate.”
A golden shadow flickered across her cheek, morphing into a strange design, but I didn’t care. Her ever-present smirk made my blood boil. A crimson haze clouded my eyes and tinged everything in front of me. My fingers tingled, and the itchy, crawly feeling worked its way up my arms. When the tingling hit my chest, it turned into a burn. I focused only on the queen, the heat from my magic searing my insides, but I no longer cared. She’d hurt Niki.
Giselle raised her arms, and lightning popped above me, hitting several of the guards behind us. Their screams wrapped around my head, echoing in my ears along with the moans from the injured. From the corner of my eye, I saw Lucien pull Niki closer, shielding him with his own body. He placed a hand over the gaping wound in Niki’s stomach and hid his other hand behind his back. When the moaning stopped, I knew he’d sent a healing spell to his guards.
I let my magic build as my fury increased. When I didn’t attack, the queen’s gaze refocused on Niki. Without hesitating, I called to the metal now adorning Giselle’s corpulent body. My magic sang along with the off tunes, and I realigned and softened the harsh music swirling around her, thankful she’d shown up accessorized more for a party than a war.
Lunging forward, she struck at Lucien. When her taloned hand swept across his face, he flicked his free hand and her obese body flew backward. To see her arms moving wildly as she sailed through the air was a rare sight. Evidently, my uncle had some serious magic.
The guard closest to where the queen had stood moments before barreled forward and he, too, sailed through the air. Dark red blood soaked through Lucien’s shirtsleeve. Giselle’s second guard pulled a knife from behind his waistband where it had been tucked. I focused my magic and the metal quillion and blade dripped in large silvery drops to the floor. Only the leather handle remained in his hand.
The guard tossed away the remains of his dagger and threw himself at the king. I concentrated on the rapper-level amount of metal bling covering his body. The discorda
nt sounds swirled, slowly blending their melodies. Finally, they joined, and a beautiful orchestra sang through me. From out of nowhere, a harsh wind swirled around the room. The elastic holding my ponytail broke, and my hair flew about my head, snapping and whipping my face. A pearly white glow skittered along my hands and arms as I absorbed the guard’s power like a sponge.
Giselle apparated next to Lucien, leaping at him, a short, black blade in her hand. Lucien threw himself backward, arching to avoid the knife, but he hadn’t moved fast enough. I jerked as the swish of the blade sliced through his neck. Because of the zombie spell, his paper-thin skin crackled and popped in its dryness. He clamped a bony hand over the gaping wound, black blood seeping between his fingers.
My fury reached tsunami level. I ignored the knife still gripped in her hand and went straight for the mother lode. Like the guard, I focused on the god-awful amount of metal adorning her. It was now or never, and I threw every last ounce of magic in my body at this despicable woman, worry for Niki and Lucien increasing my power even more.
Copper, gold, and silver burst through her skin, the long thin tendrils waving around her like tall grass blowing in the wind. The expression on her face should have been amusing; however, I wasn’t in a joking mood.
My anger twisted the gold and silver tines, wrapping around her over and over until she was secured inside a cocoon. I fought to harness my building power, which was now at an almost uncontrollable level. Giselle thrashed around, trying to free herself, but the precious metals were too strong. I shoved more magic at her. Her mouth opened in a piercing scream.
I sent a quick glance toward Lucien and Niki. My uncle’s hand still covered Niki's wound while the other gripped his own neck. More black blood seeped between his fingers and pooled beside his leg.
The queen’s squirming drew me back to my task. I moved closer to her until our faces were only a few inches apart. Her eyes, as round as saucers, were the only visible part of her face as she peered through the metal cords and gave me a wild look. I caught my reflection in her reddish-black gaze and smiled. If I hadn’t been on a power high, I might have been afraid of myself with my red hair waving like a tornado around my head and my glowing blue eyes. My smile widened, showing pointy, white teeth. I ran the end of my tongue over the tips. I looked like a psychotic vampyre.
In Mage We Trust (Of Mystics and Mayhem Book 1) Page 24