Nine Lives: The Caelum Academy Trilogy: Part THREE

by Akeroyd, Serena

  “We’re not exactly found. None of us know where the hell we are or where to go,” I argued, then turning to the left, added, “I mean, look.” Pointing behind me, there was another tunnel. “We can go left or right. Which way do we go?”

  Dre pulled a face, and Eren nodded, so with us all in agreement, I said, “One, two—”

  On three, we called out, “To the pit of Tamag we wish to be led.”

  When nothing happened, Eve blew out a breath and stared at the ground. Because I was focused on her, I saw that one of her laces was coming undone and told her. She bent down, knotted the lace tighter, then pressed her hand to the wall to steady herself as she stood upright.

  The second she did?

  “Son of a bitch!” Dre hissed as the cave glowed where she touched.

  “Jesus. You’re the guidance system,” Samuel ground out, as she pulled her hand away with a squeak.

  Frowning, I told her, “I wonder if the glow means you’re in the right direction or the wrong one.”

  Samuel grunted. “Let’s hope it means we’re right. Walk to the left, Eve. See if the light shows up.”

  She did as bid, walked a few steps past me, then pressed her hand to the rocky wall.

  Nothing happened.

  She moved a few more steps, dipping her head as the tunnel grew narrower and shorter. Touching the wall, again, nothing happened.

  As she returned to us, she headed down the steps, passing us in the narrow entranceway, and this time, when she touched the wall, the glow appeared.

  “It’s like the light from the first wish charged the rock or something,” Nestor mused, and I heard his fascination at the prospect.

  “I’m more concerned with the fact that this means Eve has to take point,” Reed grumbled, and Nestor’s face fell.

  “Shit. Yeah.”

  “Guys, it’s okay,” Eve countered.

  I wasn’t sure what it would take for Eve to realize that nothing was okay when her safety was in jeopardy.

  I’d never anticipated feeling this much for another person. Pack was Pack, but this? It went beyond even the connection I had with my brothers.

  It would kill me to lose one of them. Hurt me so deeply that life would shift to subsisting.

  But if I lost Eve?

  I might as well die, because there was no way I was walking on this planet without her at my side.

  And it was as simple and as terrifying as that.

  ❖

  Samuel

  Frazer’s unease literally throbbed in the air, and because I knew him so well, I knew it would kill him to let Eve take the lead.

  There was a reason Frazer always put himself at the forefront of any danger. It wasn’t because he was a danger junkie, or because he wanted all the glory after the battle. It was because he was a protector. Through and through.

  He’d die before anyone he loved was hurt on his watch, and Eve putting herself in the front was going to be agony for him.

  Especially if something happened to her.

  I raised my hand and pressed it onto his shoulder, squeezing down and shooting him a look I hoped would ease him a little. I could sense his disquiet, knew he wanted to argue with her, but logic alone told him he couldn’t. She was right. She made sense.

  Without her to guide us, we’d be stuck in this cramped space, with its too low ceilings, rounded walls, and craggy steps that led to only the fuck knew where.

  If this was considered a Ghouls’ paradise, then they could fucking keep it.

  I wasn’t claustrophobic, but I had a feeling that after this was over, I would be.

  Thinking about how narrow everything was just made me feel antsy, and as we traipsed after Eve who appeared to be the only comfortable one among us, because she was shorter and less bulky than the rest of us, I felt myself grow more and more miserable from the tight confines.

  Of course, my Vampire just happened to love it.

  Even though the glow emitting from the wall where Eve touched it was enough to guide our path, to let us view the kind of Hobbit rooms the Ghouls had been living in—there were signs of bags of Cheetos and cans of Coke littering some rooms, a Playboy magazine in another, and even a cell phone that was buzzing when we entered a bedroom—my creature appreciated the darkness. The Vampire loved these conditions, fought best in them.

  In fact…

  As the thought swirled inside my brain, it made me queasy with disquiet.

  All our creatures functioned well in this environment.

  Almost like we’d been made to fight in tight spaces and darkened pits.

  Shaken, I pressed my palm to the wall where Eve had touched moments before and was bewildered by the warmth that lingered there. It wasn’t boiling, not hot enough to sting, but it was comforting against my digits.

  “What is it?” Dre asked from behind me.

  “I was just thinking,” I rasped, “how these are ideal fighting conditions for us.”

  He snorted. “Think again. My bear—”

  “Would fit.” He wasn’t the largest species of bear out there, and the grizzly didn’t exactly need room to maim and kill, did it?

  “Shit. That has to be a coincidence. Right?”

  “I don’t know,” I rumbled, “but I don’t like it.”

  His hum told me he felt the exact same way.

  As we headed into the depths of the cavernous network, it was impossible to avoid the sight of the thousands of piles of ash that lingered here and there.

  Though we’d seen proof in the cities above ground, the wind had swiftly done away with them. Here? They’d rest for eternity unless something, vermin or whatever, disturbed them.

  “I wonder how many lived in the temple,” Reed commented from in front of me. “If there were that many there, then Jesus.”

  “I wonder why Drekavac didn’t live somewhere similar,” Dre mused.

  “He probably did. Remember, the clue said he lived in the mountains. He only came down because we drew him out.”

  “The people living here had to be important. They were his inner circle,” Reed postulated. “Erlik has to be pissed at being left alone.”

  “Unless he has already escaped.”

  “He hasn’t,” Eve stated, her voice as calm as anything.

  “Can you hear water?” Reed inserted before I could utter a word.

  I tilted my head to the side and focused on anything other than the scrape of our feet against the rocky floor. “Yeah. I can.” My brow puckered.

  Frazer asked, “Where is it?”

  I thought about the maps of the underground city I’d studied, and even though this part was probably uncharted, I had to figure it was built on a similar premise. Every few rooms, there was a large ventilation shaft and a water access point. But this sounded more than just a well… that flushing sound?

  It was a river.

  Impossible.

  Surely?

  Uncertain whether I was concerned or just bewildered, I shook off those thoughts because they were getting me nowhere and carried on, with one foot in front of the other, growing more and more miserable as we passed an endless array of small rooms, rounded ceilings, and walls that had the names of thousands carved into them—ancient graffiti. Who could beat it? And behind those walls? The throbbing power of water.

  Disconcerting?

  Very.

  We walked for ages. It felt like hours but was probably only twenty minutes, still, my misery added to the time. When Eve rasped, “This is it,” I wasn’t sure whether to be elated or more despondent.

  Our time of reckoning had come, and this might very well be the final moments I had with my Pack intact.

  A nauseating thought, and one I didn’t need to contemplate. These people were my family. They would never replace the one I’d left behind, but they didn’t need to. With time, I knew my Pack would help me break free from my parents and brother and sister, because they already had.

  Even amid the chaos, I hadn’t had time to think of th
em. Hadn’t worried about them because I had enough on my plate without fretting about them.

  Only my Pack and Eve could have managed that, and yet, here I was, heading into a situation that could mean the end of us all.

  Fun times.

  Not.

  This part of the cave was wider, almost like it had been broadened for heavy traffic. We fanned out and saw why Eve hadn’t moved on.

  There was a stone door, but it was circular and needed rolling to open it.

  My mouth gaped at the ingenuity of the people who’d originally built this city. I couldn’t make out how it worked. With the Temple either. Had ancient people built this city and that place of worship? Had the Ghouls overtaken them as their own? Or were they the ones who’d built them? Adding to them as their numbers grew?

  It didn’t really matter, but I found myself fascinated nonetheless.

  Reed, Nestor, and Dre headed to the door. As the Shifters, they were the strongest, and my ego wasn’t that wimpish that I needed it stroked by attempting to shift a boulder that required some heft behind it.

  As they began to move it, though, Eve blurted out, “Wait!” When they froze and turned to her, she whispered, “We don’t know what’s beyond there. We don’t know what we’re facing or if the light even managed to get into this part of the city. We’re deep, the door is solid, and there could be a thousand more Ghouls hiding inside…” She gulped. “I-I just wanted to say that…”

  “No,” Stefan grated out. “This isn’t goodbye, Eve.”

  Eve’s bottom lip quivered. “We don’t know that. We don’t know what’s going to happen, and I just—” She blew out a breath, took a second to compose herself, and whispered, “I love you. I love you all.” She began flittering about the circle we’d inadvertently made around her, since her safety, as always, was paramount for us.

  As she neared me, she whispered, “Thank you for doing the dirty work, for making yourself a target to protect your brothers.” She reached up on tiptoe and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I love you for that, and I love you for needing us to be safe.”

  She didn’t let me cling to her, didn’t want to be stopped.

  At Stefan, she kissed him, then whispered, “Thank you for keeping us together, for making me a part of this strange family, and welcoming me and coming to care for me even though I was something to be feared.” Another kiss. “I love you for that, and I love you for loving me.”

  Eren came next, and after she kissed him, she said, “Thank you for teaching me the whacky things in this world. For being gentle with me even though I must have been irritating.” She sucked in another shaky breath. “I love you for that, and I love you for letting me see the real you.”

  With Frazer, she pressed her forehead to his. “Thank you for guiding us. For not being afraid to take the lead, and doing what has to be done to get us where we need to go.” She sighed, kissed him gently, and whispered, “I love you for that, and I love you for needing me.”

  By the door, Reed was the closest to her, and she pressed her face into his bulky chest, squeezing him tight as she embraced him. Into his pecs, she mumbled, “Thank you for being a spitfire. For keeping me warm with your temper and for always keeping me safe. I love you for that, and I love you for grounding me.”

  When she hugged Nestor, my throat grew tight and my eyes stung—she didn’t think we were getting out of this alive. No further proof was required than this ceremony she needed to get through.

  “Nestor,” she whispered, “thank you for watching over us, for being willing to watch our backs so we can be safe. I love you for that, and I love you for showing me what it is to love.”

  At last, she came to Dre, and as she stared up at him, I saw, even in the dimness, the tears in her eyes. “I’ve spent more time hating you than loving you, and that’s your fault. But although your words have mostly been mean, when you made me yours, they’ve become sweeter.” She cupped his chin. “I love you for that, and I love you for opening yourself up to loving me.” She kissed him, then grabbing his hand, turned around, and whispered:

  “Whatever happens, you go into this knowing that I wouldn’t be here without any of you. This is our destiny, guys. We have no say in it, but I didn’t have to love you for this to happen.” She gritted her teeth. “Now, I don’t want to die, and I want you guys to die even less. I have too many plans, and too many things I want to do with you, but now you know how I feel.”

  Dre squeezed her fingers. “We’re going nowhere, and neither are you.”

  Her smile was tight. “I think it’s time.”

  I hated that she wasn’t wrong, and I hated that I wasn’t sure of the outcome.

  Whatever was behind those doors?

  It could mean our end, and she was right—I wasn’t ready to die. I didn’t want to tell her I loved her, I wanted to spend a lifetime showing her, and with that in mind, I focused on what would happen when we made it out of this fucking horrible place because the future was only bright if we were all in it.

  9

  Eve

  After the harsh scraping sound of stone grinding against stone, the intense quiet that followed was enough to make my heartbeat sound loud in my ears.

  All around me, I could hear my men breathing and I took comfort in that, used it to ground me as I prepared to face a situation I had no control over.

  Pressing my hand to the wall, the light appeared then sputtered out. “Great,” I grumbled.

  “Means we’re in the right place,” Dre whispered at my side, his body close to mine.

  “I guess,” I said on a sigh.

  My vision as a creature enabled me to see into the dark cave, but it wasn’t comfortable. I wanted the light like I’d never wanted anything in my life—even my men—and that was saying something.

  As we hesitantly stepped farther in the darkness, I heard another scraping sound, and the flickering noise that came from fire.

  I’d heard the latter enough these past few days to be wary, and the narrow tunnel we found ourselves in, all craggy walls and rough floors that I kept stubbing my toe on, suddenly opened up once more.

  What I saw stunned the shit out of me.

  In a million years, I never could have anticipated the large pit in the center of the cave, nor would have I envisaged the Ghoul who hovered nearby on a throne that was far too pretty for him. Gilded and bejeweled, the seat was grand enough for any king, but the beast atop it? Only knowing his name was Erlik and not Satan told me he wasn’t the devil himself.

  But if he roamed the land above, no wonder Satan had come to be described as bright red with a whippet tail, horns, and a snout.

  Erlik was vile, revolting, and so other that nausea swirled inside me.

  There was a forced languor about his pose, like he was making himself look relaxed, but I knew he had to be aware of the loss of his Ghouls, because there were piles of ash in here too.

  The pit was the size of a small house, and it had two falls in it. One of water that gleamed black—the one that had so concerned the men as we’d been trudging down to this cavern—and another of fire that burned blue. The contrast was disconcerting, and I had to wonder why it was open that way. Did it lead to hell? Was this truly Tamag?

  “I know you’re there.”

  The voice was ragged, but not from fear, but because no words should be formed by a creature like that.

  “You’d have to be deaf not to have heard the door opening,” Dre, ever ebullient, called out as he stepped into the chamber.

  The blue fire lit the creamy red walls with an unearthly light, and the heat in here, though combatted by the waterfall, was ungodly. Sweat beaded on my brow and dotted my lips and the small of my back. It was enough to rival a sauna, and I wasn’t sure how Erlik could stand the heat when it was this suffocating.

  “Ah, a straight talker. Good.” Erlik grated out a sound that could only be a laugh, still, it was like nails down a chalkboard and had me wincing. “I have a proposition for you. I’m not s
ure who sent you, but they didn’t tell you something important.”

  We fanned out, heading from the tunnel and deeper into the cavern.

  I hadn’t anticipated a board meeting before we got down to proceedings, but I’d admit, I was curious as to what he had to say.

  Why?

  Because I wasn’t entirely sure humans deserved to live without fear.

  Horrible of me? Perhaps. But the fact that some bastards had taken advantage of the world’s disarray to set off a bomb in Ankara? And that similar scenarios would be happening the world over as evil people manipulated this situation for their own gain?

  Better the devil you knew than the one you didn’t.

  I knew I had no say in that. My Jannah, guided by God’s hand, had brought me here for a purpose. Coming to terms with Erlik wasn’t that purpose, but still, I listened.

  “What’s so important that I can’t kill you now?” Dre mocked, and I wanted to elbow him for being so damn cocky—it would be the death of him, and that was my major fear.

  It didn’t matter that not all of them had told me they loved me. They showed me every day. With their hugs and gentle touches, their belief in me, their faith in me as their woman and as an equal in this fate we found ourselves in.

  Sometimes, actions spoke louder than words, but before we’d met our destiny, I had to tell them all. Had to let them know what they meant to me.

  I’d never loved before, and now, I had seven loves worth fighting for. Dying for. Killing for.

  “This pit is a portal. It takes you straight to Hell. If you think the devil isn’t gathering his legions to counter the billions of Ghouls you’ve struck down, you’re a fool.”

  “Billions?” I choked out, drawing Erlik’s attention my way.

  “Yes.” He grinned, and it was so disgusting, the maw that appeared when he smirked had me barely holding on to the toast I’d had hours before. Now I knew why he was considered the original Sin Eater—that open-ended jaw? It was exactly like Frazer’s when I’d seen him kill those Ghouls in the parking lot. “Our numbers are more than even Nicholas’ spawn managed to quantify.” His sneer made me wince, and I realized that he and Nicholas were related—damn, Nicholas was his uncle.