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Chapter 22: Bad Luck
***
Thin shards of pale early morning sunlight streaked across the huge storage room, making it difficult for vampires to find their way anywhere. The occasional hiss and curse as one or two got burnt by the light made for an interesting distraction. Every inch of the warehouse had been searched and there was no sign of how they’d escaped, though we knew there must be a tunnel somewhere. Our prisoners were locked away and questioned about Airell - humanely, Atanas had promised – but they had given up no more than we already knew.
Another soul broken yowl broke out from the basement.
I covered my ears, rocking myself on the concrete step I’d collapsed on over an hour ago. I couldn’t stand to hear Gideon’s cries, or the rattling of his cage as he battered and bruised himself in an attempt to get free. Padraig looked as unnerved by the sound as I was, standing by my side with a furrowed brow, flinching every time Gideon started up again.
Lifting my head when Atanas and Kincaid finally came back into the room, I strained to hear what they were saying.
“The good news is they’ll be stuck somewhere in the mountains until nightfall too, if they even made it that far.”
“The bad being that they’re still hours ahead of us.” Blue eyes caught mine from across the room but he didn’t look perturbed to see me listening in. “We need to be ready to move before the sun goes down.”
The pair made their way over, sliding between the gaps in the light with care. It meant bending at awkward angles, especially for Kincaid who must have been regretting the short-sleeved tunic he wore. His Fly Plaid only provided so much protection, unlike the thick leather armour Atanas wore. Like spies avoiding lasers, they’re expressions were harsh with concentration.
“If you start humming pink panther, I swear...” Padraig glanced down at me with amusement glittering in emerald eyes. I grinned up at him and nudged his leg with my elbow.
“Aww, Padraig. I’m touched you know me so well.”
He chuckled and reached down to ruffle my hair so strands of silver covered my eyes and fell into my lips while I attempted to batter his hand away. Atanas tutted a few feet in front of us as if he’d caught too brawling toddlers.
“We’re secure here for the time being,” my mate promised. “Why don’t you find a room to sleep in, I’ll wake you at dusk.”
I shook my head, hugging my knees to my chest. “I want to be here when Ihrin has recovered. I want to hear what she has to say.”
Even while Nadia and Xiaodan had helped her out the cage, she’d muttered that one word in Romanian repeatedly with more fever the closer she got to me. The wide-eyed fearful look when she’d been led past me to find food and water for her, had shaken me to my core. Nobody had ever looked at me like that before. Such terror that for a moment, even I’d been afraid.
“She wasn’t herself, Libertas Mea-“
“If it had been you she’d called cursed, you’d want to know why too so stop coddling me!” I snapped, shoving myself to my feet. A quirked brow reminded me I was shouting at my King, in front of most of our warriors. Kincaid shifted uneasily while Padraig rubbed the back of his neck.
I swallowed my anger down, shoulders slumping. “Sorry. I’m tired and I feel like we’re about to watch the world fall down. If Ihrin can shed more light on who I am. . .rather, what I am, I have to hear it. If she knows what we might face tomorrow, I want to know now.”
Blue eyes flicked away as he debated, and then he nodded and offered his arm. “Lets go see her together then.”
Surprised by how easily he agreed, I tentatively slid my hand around the crook of his elbow. He looked back at Kincaid, murmuring, “Remember what I said.”
Before my nosy side could interfere, Atanas whisked me up the rest of the stairs and through the door Xiaodan had almost blasted down.
“Tomorrow this will all be over.”
I didn’t acknowledge his words, unable to help but agree because we’d either have finally caught Airell, or we’d probably all be dead. And now I couldn’t even be sure by who’s hand. Would Airell get to us first? Would Leyla?
Perhaps he sensed my tumultuous thoughts for he tucked me a little closer to his side and I didn’t even care that it made it difficult to walk.
Nadia was closing a door in the hall when we arrived, her head whipping in our direction. She relaxed at seeing us, bowing her head. “She’s eaten and seems much better. Tired, and a little battered and bruised, but she’s fine.”
“Thank you, Nadia.” Atanas reached out to squeeze her arm. “Make sure you get some rest too.”
“I’m going to call Tash then I’ll be finding a place to hunker down until the sun starts going down.” She gave me a smile, bowed her head again, and left with her phone clasped tightly in her hand. How hard it must be for her to be so far from her mate while she faced danger every waking minute.
Staring at the grey door, I could hear Ihrin’s fluttering heartbeat on the other side. Atanas reached out to open it, motioning for me to go first but I was stuck the spot. Being faced with answers was a paralysing prospect. With a small chuckle, he stepped in first but kept a firm grip of my hand so I was forced to enter after him.
The room was small and lit by an old squint lamp in the corner. The on window was boarded up tightly, and underneath, on a small wooden stool, sat Ihrin. White hair nearly the same shade as mine was tied at the nap of her neck, ringlet tendrils curling around a wrinkled face. Mahogany eyes were bright and alert, but it wasn’t me she stared at as we entered.
Pale lips pulled up into a smile, her voice hoarse as she spoke. “My daughter gave enough blood to awaken you after all, Atanas.”
My mate stopped short in the doorway, shock giving way to a charming grin. He took the seat across for her and reached out for her hand.
“I should have known you had something to do with it. Nobody was there when I woke.”
“Airell made sure you were not left unguarded for long amounts of times so Dumitra had to be quick; that is why we were uncertain if she’d given you enough blood. Finding your location was not easy either. It turned out there were many Airell had locked away, rivals just as bad as him mostly. But his witches were no where near as talented in creating their wards as my people are and Dumitra broke through easily enough.” The smile left her lips and she squeezed his hand tight. “I saw a dark vision, old friend. Of demons awakening in the depths, the moon being smothered by the night, the north star’s light fading. And a crown. . .a crown on the head of a shadow. The images haunted me for weeks and I knew it was time I did something despite my wish to stay out of vampire affairs.”
Once again my mate stilled, as if her rambling prophecy had made any sense. Frustration built until I felt like I’d crawl out of my own skin, Atanas not bothering to translate the meaning of her vision. And I knew he understood at least some of it or he wouldn’t have reacted as he did. It was only gratefulness that she had freed him from his imprisonment that kept me from baring at her to get to the point.
Hearing footsteps in the hall, I turned to shut the heavy door and hoped it was thick enough to keep our conversation from prying ears. The click of the handle brought two sets of eyes my way, as if both had forgotten I was even there.
“You must be, Shylah,” the old witch studied me intently and I was glad that no fear lingered in her gaze this time. “I’m sorry if I frightened you. Your aura is. . .startling after so long being kept in the dark.”
“My aura?” That was a rare talent for witches even from strong bloodlines.
Her head quirked to the side, her gaze wandering around me. “It flickers in silver and white, then shrouds itself in dark greys.”
Though she didn’t elaborate, from the crease between her brow, I could guess that was either not normal or not good. My nose scrunched and I fell back against the wall with folded arms. “Comforting.”
As eager as I was to get to the point, the stool creaked as Atanas leaned forward to rest his arms on his legs, capturing Ihrin’s gaze. “We know Airell is looking for Leyla.”
“Yes.” Ihrin clasped the mug of sweet-smelling tea tighter between her hands. “I’m the one who told him where she is and how to get through the wards. I can show you as well. He believes his blood will be strong enough to wake her, I do not know if that is possible after so long asleep, but do not let him get close enough to try.”
“He won’t get the chance,” he agreed before straightening. “You knew she was there all this time after all then. I knew your mother was the last to see Leyla but she said she did not know where she went.”
“Come now, Atanas. If you look deep enough, you will admit you knew as much yourself. You sensed great magic used and you decided not to acknowledge it.”
I’d never seen my mate look like a child being put in their place. His nose scrunched in displeasure and the old witch chuckled.
“My mother sealed Leyla in a tomb buried deep in the mountains days after she took her babe and left the shelter of the Ailill. When she came to our tribe, the elders, mother included, saw a chance to rid the world of evil. We’d had enough of being tormented by her, doing her bidding whenever she clicked her fingers. So many met their deaths to early...and now there is only me and my line left.”
Her mother was the one to make Leyla disappear? That meant she must have been a thousand years old at least! Which meant Ihrin could be just as old. Older than me for sure, and she too had such grief in her expression from losses and suffering great enough to echo through generations. The silence was thick and I shifted easily on my feet. There was nothing to say that would ease her burden.
“Your mother didn’t seal her up alone though, did she?” Atanas guessed. “Something caught up with her that she knew she could no longer escape. That is why she wanted help.”
Ihrin shifted on her chair, eyes darting to the wall and Atanas growled, offering another possibility, “I bet she didn’t plan to be trapped with whatever it was.”
“We both know the world is a better place without her. I won’t waste time defending my people’s actions and you can not be upset with me because I was too young to help. Our elders took pity on the babe and let it grow up none the wiser of where she came from in a country far away from her mother. In doing that, we showed Leyla mercy. Her line continued.” Dark eyes flicked to me and she gave me a watery smile. “Every few generations, one in Leyla’s line is marked as being able to wield magic by the light of the moon.”
I took quick steps forward at that tidbit, my heart skipping a beat with desperation for anything that would tell me about what I was. “What does that mean? Why me? Where does this magic come from, every witch I speak to tells me they’ve never felt anything like it.”
Ihrin considered me with her lips pressed into a thin line. Her silence made me itch, my hands fisting by my side. Just as I was about to growl with sharp fangs, Atanas grabbed my hand. The small commotion woke Ihrin from wherever she’d went. Much to my annoyance, I was left wanting.
“There is not time for this now. Airell knows how to take down the wards, nothing is in the way of him getting what he wants. So, whatever you do, however you handle this, whether Airell wake up Leyla or not, this is my warning for you: the man she rests with must not be woken, do you understand?” Her dark eyes pierced each of us in turn, and she pointed a bony finger at me. “Your magic, your aura, is a beacon to creatures beyond your imagining. Creatures that haven’t roamed the earth for a long long time. He wanted Leyla and the baby with a vengeance, and it took an entire tribe of witches to trap it.”
“What is he?” I breathed, suddenly feeling the cold draft from the boarded window.
“I do not know. And if my mother did, she never passed that knowledge on to me. She believed he may be the father of Leyla’s child but that is something only they can answer.” She tried to stifle a yawn behind her hand but trembling fingers gave away her exhaustion.
“We should leave you to rest, Ihrin. You can tell us where to go once you wake.” Standing slowly, Atanas took her hand and kissed the back of it. Ihrin blushed, and shook her head.
“You haven’t changed one bit.”
I might have felt jealous at the familiarity they shared if I wasn’t shaken to my very core by what I’d heard. Letting the pair have a moment, I stepped out the room, barely flinching as a shard of light burned across my face. It wasn’t every day a girl heard that not only was a mentally unstable original vampiress one of my ancestors, but some unknown creature with powers and origins unknown too.
“I’m so not in the mood for a family reunion,” I muttered, patting my jacket for my cigarettes but they must have fallen out during today’s scuffle.
I slumped against the wall, rubbing my face roughly with trembling hands. Atanas’ gaze burned into me and I half expected him to triumphantly say ‘I told you so’. There was something more dangerous in the world than Leyla, and Airell knew all about it; though I didn’t think him fool enough to awaken whatever it was.
“You should go to bed. You’ll need your strength tomorrow.”
I managed a smile as I looked over at him, happy he wasn’t going to try and convince me to go home or stay away from tomorrow’s battle. Nor was he touching on the sore subject of my lineage. That was something we could drown in later.
“There’s still so much to do if we're leaving as soon as it’s dark enough,” I said. “Who will stay with our prisoners? What will we do with Gideon? Ihrin will need to go home too before her family realises she’s gone, we can’t have police out looking for her.”
Leaning against the wall opposite me, he folded his arms and hummed. “We’ll leave Padraig here with a few warriors, and someone can drive Ihrin home. William and the other Principes should arrive soon to back us up as well.”
“And Gideon?”
“I think the best course of action is to leave him in his cage until we return. Who knows if coming off the Ailill blood alone will be enough to bring him back. We don’t know the extent of the damage Airell inflicted. . .” He sighed, looking down the hall. “I should never have sent him and Erik here. It’s a mistake I’ll carry with me. I might as well have turned him into one of the Fallen myself.”
I dismissed that notion with a firm shake of my head. “He isn’t Fallen. I know their look, smell, movements, and thoughts better than any other on the planet. He just needs time. Almost every Fallen I’ve come across has been that way from the moment their eyes opened after they were changed, or in the weeks after. Gideon has been a vampire for decades.”
He gave me a sad smile, stepping away from the wall. “I know you want to believe that, Libertas Mea.”
“I have to believe it. That’s me in that cage,” I said quietly, forcing myself to hold his gaze when shame weighed heavy on my shoulders. “Me at my worst. I’ve dragged myself out of that state so many times.”
“Gideon isn’t you.”
“Maybe not. But I didn’t have anyone to help me, Gideon does.”
Sympathy creased his brow as he looked at me, eyes searching before he nodded slowly. “Okay. Ok. We’ll figure out how to best help him once Airell is dealt with. You need to go find a place to rest, Shylah.”
Falling against his chest, I took a deep inhale of his scent. His arms wrapped around me, squeezing tight.
“Promise me one thing,” he murmured into my hair. “If I tell you to run tomorrow, you go with Kincaid and you run. Immediately. Don’t pause. Don’t look for me if I’m not there. He knows where to go and what to do, and he knows not to leave your side.”
Suddenly his arms didn’t feel so safe. Leaning back to peer up at him, I searched his expression but it gave nothing away. “I can’t promise that.”
“You will,” he said sternly.
Defiance flared but I had the feeling Atanas wouldn’t use his usual methods of convincing me to do something, or his usual methods of punishing me for arguing.
“As long as you promise not to pull some sort of Gandalf the Grey sacrifice.”
Perplexed, he hummed. “One day, we’ll have a conversation where I understand every word you say.” Stealing a kiss, his squeezed my hips then spun me around, spanking my denim clad rear. “Off you go. Try not to worry about what Ihrin said, it could be entirely wrong.”
“I’ll try.” Heaving a sigh, I traipsed down the hall in search of a room to sleep in, preferably one protected from the sun. Atanas watched me until I rounded the corner before I heard his steps heading back to the storage room.
I did try not to think about Ihrin’s revelations but every time I peered into a darkened room, I half expected to see some deformed demon hanging from the roof to snatch me. But there was only sleeping warriors on the floor, wrapped in the abandoned blankets and snoring soundly. I was about to give up my search and sleep in the hall when quick footsteps sounded behind me. Hand on the hilt of my dagger, I spun around to see Xiaodan.
“You need to come with me. I think I’ve found how they escaped.” She waved for me to follow, something akin to desperation in the impatient way she bounced on the balls of her feet.
Groaning, I wondered if I’d ever get a good sleep again. I opened my mouth to tell her to show Atanas and the others instead but curiosity got the better of me. “Okay. Show me.”
Turning quickly on her heel, she pelted back down the hall at a speed that impressed me. Jogging to keep up, it looked like we were heading for the others anyway until she took a sharp left. It led us into a part of the warehouse I hadn’t been before, where the windows were less boarded up and moving became a challenge. Tucking my hands inside my jacket sleeves, I tugged the collar up too, but it didn’t protect my face from the bright sun. Xiaodan became ever more restless every time I slowed down to pick my way carefully down the hall.
On the other side, we came to a stop at the other end of the building. I couldn’t even hear the mumble of voices anymore. Frowning at the dead end, I glanced around for some sort of door. Yellowed pages littered the ground, probably having fallen off the squint metal shelving leaning against the wall.
“I don’t understand.”
Xiaodan smirked, or at least I think she did because as usual, her hood was pulled to hide her face. With a wave of her hand, the metallic screech as the shelf was moved aside tore through my ears. My lips parted in shock at the hole it revealed, a cool draft ruffling my hair. How had Xiaodan found this?
“We have to tell Atanas. Now. We could leave earlier if it stretches on to the mountains, we won’t have to wait till sunset.”
Tutting from behind me and I peered over my shoulder to see Titus rounding the corner. Grey eyes were calculated as he walked over, hands clasped behind his back. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”
“What? Why?” Straightening up, the predatory gait he moved with sent the hair on my neck standing on edge. “What’s going on Titus?”
He didn’t answer, and didn’t seem surprised to see a giant hole in the wall.
A lump formed in my throat, instincts kicking in, warning me to run.
“You knew this was here.” I tried to take a step back to put a safe distance between us but my feet felt heavy, as if cemented in brick. His eyes sparkled at my confusion when I saw nothing stopping me. I couldn’t move, couldn’t scream for help when I opened my lips, and the matebond between Atanas and I felt oddly muted and cloudy. Looking down at the silver light flickering around my fingers, I aimed a furious hiss at the witch behind me.
Suddenly her prodding at my defences back in the jeep made sense. She’d been testing me, seeing how easily I would be to subdue, and it turned out it was easier than I wanted to admit. I pushed against her power with all my might and while I had freedom from the waist up, I couldn’t break that last bit of control despite the huffs of exertion I could hear behind me.
I stared longingly at the end of the corridor waiting for help. Someone would notice something out of place. All the while, Titus crept ever closer.
So predictable, I wanted to hiss.
“I told you and Atanas I would remain neutral, and I did. Now I’ve seen what both sides have to offer and I can make my choice.” There was an edge to his tone I couldn’t quite place, and fear spiked adrenaline through my veins. I had to get free.
My fingers brushed the smooth leather of my holster slid only to find it empty. Then my blade was spinning through the air, tossed from behind me by Xiaodan who must have taken it when she brushed by me. Titus caught the weapon easily, the jewels glinting under harsh florescent lighting. He admired it for a moment, turning it in his hand.
“When I invited Atanas to meet with me, I wasn’t sure if he would trust me, and I certainly didn’t know how convince him to. Atanas had. . .let’s say grown out of our friendship; even before he was locked away like his maker before him. Such bad luck runs in your bloodline.” He sighed, as if irritated that he had to deal with it all. “Airell knew how to draw you to Rome, and he made it clear what I was to do if I was to be allowed to remain neutral and make my choice at a later date. I didn’t think I could pull it off. Then the whole drama with the human police happened, and gods.” He laughed as if he couldn’t believe it, shaking his head at me. “I really couldn’t have planned it better myself. How else to quickly gain your favour than for you to need my help?”
“You fucking bastard.” I grit out, dizzy with the effort it took to speak. “Is Seth sitting back at your fort free and happy then? You better not have hurt the vampire’s we left there-“
“I don’t care about Seth.” He waved his hand and scoffed. “He’s scum. He can rot for all I care, I doubt Airell will mind.”
The band of magic tightened around my throat but I forced rasped words out anyway. “You were shocked when you saw they left a vampire body to be found by any human who looked; you don’t want to do this. You don’t want our kind to be outed. You don’t want to see the world burn.”
His expression darkened and he took a few menacing steps forward, pointing my own weapon at me. “I don’t care what happens to the world, Shylah. As long as I get my piece of it where my people and I will be left alone without interference. Atanas’ made it clear I would need to bow to him in the end.”
I snorted, shaking my head. “If you think Airell will give up a piece of his empire for you, you’re more stupid than I thought.”
Titus glared, jaw clenching so hard I could hear his teeth grinding together. “We will see. Things have been set in motion far beyond our comprehension, I’m just making sure I’m on the right side.”
“You mean the side you think will win.”
Grim faced, he nodded. “That may be. My help was sincere despite the circumstances, even if you don’t believe it, but the events of last night have shown me Airell is the one with the upper-“ He stopped short as footsteps echoed down the hall, whipping around and shoving me back as if to try and hide me.
“Shylah? Are you down here? Anna’s on the phone and is demanding to hear your voice.” Padraig called from the other end of the hall and frowned at the three of us, then the gaping hole in the wall. “Did you do that?”
Before I could demand he run, Titus spun around and launched my dagger spinning through the air. Xiaodan’s magic constricted again, wrapping like a vice around every inch of me so I could only watch in silent horror as the blade pierced his heart. My mouth opened in to scream, my vision blurring with tears before something blunt made contact with the back of my head and knocked my lights out.