AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hours. I’d sat here for hours, watching and waiting, but that damned council never left the chamber, not once. Didn’t they have to pee or something? Damn. I could see the open balcony perfectly from where I perched, and I watched them refer to books and talk and talk and talk. Occasionally, I would catch the black and gold uniform passing by the balcony as Cameron and Xavier did their rounds. Every time Cameron’s gaze would focus on the heavy tree where I sat. It might be exhaustion trying to creep back in after the exertion of power it took to get here, or maybe it was just paranoia, but I swear he looked right at me each time.
I shook it off, nestling into the thick part of the tree, and waited.
And waited
And waited.
The sun set, and the world finally went quiet.
I glanced at the balcony again. This time I saw no one and heard no feet or voices. Finally. I wasted no time in taking to the sky, flying toward the balcony. As soon as I passed the ledge, my form twisted into black smoke, and I became myself once more. My heels clicked across the marble floor, the twin tails that hung from my jacket flowing behind me with each step. The enchanted vial Camilla gave me rested snug between my breasts. I patted it, making sure I hadn’t lost it.
“Spill one drop to enter. Two drops to summon the vortex. Three drops to return to the Etherworld.”
Camilla’s voice floated in my head, reminding me what to do. I released a long slow breath, remembering just what swished in the vial between my breasts. It held Samkiel’s blood I had collected on that ship, and blood from a god could open many doors.
The council room was silent. The flames flickered in the sconces, casting puddles of light on the floor. I spun, turning back toward the balcony. This was where we had come after visiting Roccurem for the first time. I had held his arms and forced him to look at me, to listen as I tried to exorcize the demons that plagued him. I cared for him more than I wanted to admit. My eyes grew hot, the pain in my chest threatening to grow.
And a lock on a door in a house rattled.
No. It wasn’t real. It was just convenient at best. We were stuck together, looking for that damned book. That was all it was. That was it, and it had cost me everything. I spun away from the edge and those memories, turning my attention to the books scattered on the table. Old texts and scrolls I could not read. Hmm. They may come in handy, though. My fangs descended as I raised my hand and bit, blood pooling in my palm. I drizzled it over the books, chanting as I went.
“Ves grun tella mortumon.” Return to the void.
As the blood touched the texts, they popped out of the room one by one until nothing was left but an empty table. Good, now it was time for the real work. I dipped my hand into my shirt for the enchanted vial and stopped.
I wasn’t alone.
“Well, aren’t you gorgeous and not a little bird, after all?”
I slipped my hand from my bodice and turned toward his voice as the room shimmered and changed.
It wasn’t dark or empty as I’d first thought. Cameron leaned casually in the doorway with an ablazed weapon in hand. Xavier was on my right, his hands clasped in front of him as he stared at me. I didn’t need to look to know that Imogen was glaring holes in my back, her own sword drawn.
“You like?” I ran a hand over the white pantsuit I wore. The top exposed my midsection, the jacket hanging off my shoulders. “I thought white seemed more of your guys’ style here. The fake notion of all things good and right in the world. I wanted to look my best and fit in.”
A low whistle left Cameron’s mouth. “You’re a nasty little thing, aren’t you?”
“You have no idea.”
A corner of Cameron’s lip twitched as the other two circled me.
“I am curious.” My words were short and genuinely concerned. I hadn’t felt them here the whole time. “How does your little magic trick work?”
“If you know about this place, I assume you know about us. See, Xavier here descends from the Witch Goddess, Kryella. He may not have all her powers, but he can cast a very effective glamor.”
“That’s neat.” And unexpected, I thought. Fuck. This was going to take longer than I had planned.
Cameron’s eyes scanned me from head to toe, no doubt scanning me for weapons. “So, tell me, little bird, who and what exactly are you?”
Eighteen
Dianna
“An old friend.”
“Of Samkiel,” Xavier said, not as a question but as a statement.
Cameron smiled and bit his lower lip, pushing away from the wall. “I don’t know. I know all of Samkiel’s friends, and I would have remembered you,” he said, his eyes raking over me.
