Rami stood in the doorway.
Of course he'd be involved.
I stepped up beside Noah. He stiffened and moved to shield me by his shoulder. Persistent wolf.
The flickering light behind Rami gave him a halo. With his long hair, sharp handsome features and dark cloak, he looked like a fallen angel.
Several fae and witches stood outside the cell behind him. Too many for us to take on, especially when they had their magic and we didn't.
"Lady Elle, Alpha. I see you are awake."
"No thanks to you," I said. "Is this what you do in your time off, Advisor? Silver people and lock them in dingy cells?"
He stepped inside. His light eyes glowed silver in the darkness. "I apologize if the accommodations aren't to your liking, my lady. You may leave this cell, if you choose to."
Aha. And I would be seven feet tall, if I chose to.
"Is that why you're here?" I asked. "To let us out?"
He linked his hands behind his back and smiled slightly. The effect was chilling. "Indeed. I only need your help in a small matter."
There we go. "Which is?"
"I want you to summon the phoenixes."
I blinked. I should've expected it, really. Phoenixes were necessary to the ritual of opening a gate to the other realm, according to Kat's interpretation of my mother's sketches.
The thing is that a very select few knew I could summon the phoenixes. I racked my memory. My father might be in those select few.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," I told him. "What do you mean, to summon the phoenixes? What phoenixes?"
His smile widened a fraction. He snapped his fingers, and one of the fae behind him stepped in.
A root shot out of the ground and impaled Noah in the stomach.
I stared at the root, Noah's pained groan drowned by my heartbeat. It had broken through the stone floor and took Noah several feet into the air. Blood dripped to the floor.
"It will be much easier on all parties involved if you work with us, my lady," Rami said in his cold, serene voice. The root retreated into the ground. Noah dropped, somehow staying upright. A dark spot slowly expanded on his shirt. Blood.
I swallowed my anger and the snappy response on the tip of my tongue. With silver in his system, Noah's injury would take much longer than usual to heal. But it didn't seem life threatening.
I faced Rami. He looked taller, somehow. More confident. In his element. The fae and the witches looked at him for orders.
"How do you know about the phoenixes?" I asked.
He chuckled. "Why do you want to know? It's not useful information right now."
"I'd like to know everything since I'm probably going to die anyway, won't I?"
He sighed. "If I'd thought you'd be interested in joining us, I would've extended an offer. Unfortunately, you and your savage of a mate are too narrow sighted to see the full picture."
Arthur would just love being called a savage. "You'd be right, I guess. So, who told you?"
He heaved a deep sigh, cocking his head to the side. "So different from your mother, yet so similar. It's a shame things had to turn out this way, truly. However, given my history with your mother and the respect I had for her, I would answer your questions. Your father knew about the phoenixes."
"My father isn't involved in this crazy crap." I really hoped he wasn't.
"He's not. But he trusted a little birdie with the knowledge, and that little birdie told me."
Amelia. It had to be Amelia. That bitch. The confirmation that my father's hands were clean lifted a weight off my chest.
"Why do you want a phoenix anyway?" I asked.
"You don't have to know that to summon the birds. But you already know, I believe," he said. "So, what will it be? Will you cooperate, or should I continue making holes in your wolf?"
He raised his hand, his fingers ready to snap.
"Fine," I bit out. "But I can't do it with silver in my blood."
He narrowed his eyes. "You aren't lying to me, are you, lady Elle?"
I rolled my eyes. "The ability is part of my magic. I can't access my magic with silver in my blood."
"Very well." He turned to one of the witches outside. "Silver the wolf again, only the wolf, and restrain the two with silver chains."
Damn it.
Rami watched as his lackeys locked our ankles and wrists into the manacles. Despite the silver in my blood, the chains still burned my skin. They injected Noah with a syringe.
Rami took a dagger from one of the fae. He closed the distance between us and reached for me. Heart in my throat, I leaned back out of the way. His face twisted for a fraction of a second, I thought I imagined it. Then he gripped my hair. Noah snarled. Rami hacked off a lock of my hair and smiled.
"What do you want with it?" I asked when he straightened.
"Just a little incentive to get your mate's cooperation."
They left after those cryptic words.
"Don't do it," Noah said when we were enclosed in darkness again. I blinked my eyes to get used to it. "They'll open another gate."
"I know."
"Think of the loss of life. My life isn't worth the price the world will pay."
"I thought we agreed that no one life is worth more than the other?" I asked, wiggling my wrists. The manacles were loose but not enough to break out of, even if I broke my thumbs. Besides, where would I go anyway? The cell door was locked.
Noah leaned his head on the wall and closed his eyes. Hair damp with sweat stuck to his forehead. It was so black it swallowed what little light reached it. "It's not just one life. The world will change. Monsters worse than us will once again walk the earth."
I sighed. "I know. I know it'd be the right decision. But I won't do it. It's not in me."
"Arthur would've done it," Noah said. "He would sacrifice my life for the higher good," he said. "I would've done it."
I chuckled. "Good thing I'm not either of you. This is me. Get over it. What I know is that you're still alive and with me. I can't see myself sacrificing you for a supposed future. As long as you and I are alive, there's always a third option."
"Too optimistic." He swallowed, his throat must be as dry as mine.
"I'll take it as a compliment."
We lapsed into silence. Rami's words flashing in my head. So Amelia might be involved in this. My father would be heartbroken.
But why? Was she involved in the gate scheme, as well? Or did she just want me gone? I was almost certain she was the one who killed my attempted murderer back in Paris when the fae started talking about the prophecy. That meant she was involved in this scheme very deeply, and not just from a bout of jealousy of my mother.
Jealousy...
I chuckled. "I bet Arthur is going out of his mind right now. Out of all the people I could've been kidnapped with, it had to be you."
Noah shifted and glanced at me, his gaze heavy. "He's not wrong to be jealous, you know."
I raised my brows. "Oh?"
"If I had met you before he did, I wouldn't have let you go."
I was really glad for the dark. My face felt like it was on fire. "Are you feverish?"
"I'm serious."
"Way to make this awkward," I grumbled. "Silver must've loosened your tongue."
He chuckled. "I suppose."
My stomach growled. "I wonder if they'll give us something to eat."
"It'll blur the effects of silver," Noah said. "They might give you something, though."
I sighed. I felt so dizzy, just moving my head made me want to throw up. Noah must be feeling ten times worse with the fresh dose of silver in his blood.
"You must contact Arthur as soon as you can," Noah said. "You can send your thoughts through the bond, yes?"
"Yeah. Although I don't know if I'm going to be any help. We don't even know where we are." I eyed his shirt. The blood had stopped expanding, but the amount of it on his front and back was not comforting. "How do you feel?"
"I'm fine." He shifted. "My body is knitting itself from the inside. It would take some time."
"How about that story now?" I asked. He turned his head lazily. "About your scars."
His eyes smiled. "You first."
"Mine is pretty boring. A sword almost took my arm off."
"When?"
"I was fourteen. Martin Malone and his squad had found uncle Robert and me. There were around two dozen mercs. It was a vicious fight." In this dingy room, so far away from that forest, that time seemed like another lifetime. "I didn't even realize the severity of the wound until long after... everything was over. I did a poor job in mending it, that's why the scar is awful."
He looked at my arm, as if he could see the gnarly skin under my top. "The blade was silver?"
"Yep."
"Hmm."
"Alright, your turn."
He opened his mouth. Two sets of footsteps echoed outside. I held my breath, looking at the door like it'd reveal a cobra.
The keys clanged and the door swung open. Two fae. One stood by the door while the other came to unlock my chains.
He pulled me to my feet, his grip on my arm none too gentle.
"Where are you taking her?" Noah asked.
"Keep your mouth shut, wolf," the fae spat out. Noah's lips twitched in a snarl that he held back.
I gave Noah one last glance before we stepped out of the cell. The hallway was gray stone walls and floors, lit up by fire sconces on the walls and lined with several doors on either side.
One of the fae locked the door. I debated making a run for it. I could maybe take two fae if I took them by surprise so they didn't use their magic. But the sound of voices outside the hallway stilled me. They were pretty busy out there and there were more than enough of them to handle me in my current state.
The two men held my arms and dragged me along. Outside the hallway and up a rickety flight of stairs. We emerged to what seemed like a big hall of some sort. A massive space lined with benches and tables. The windows let in enough light to illuminate the space. It was early in the morning.
Immortals cluttered around, fae and witches and vampires. There were even a few shapeshifters. At least seventy people, all armed and grizzled and scarred. They looked like hired muscle. Rami had his little mercenary army.
The sight made me pretty glad I hadn't attempted to escape. Breaking out of here would be a pain in the ass.
Conversation dimmed. All eyes focused on me.
"Is that her?" one voice called from the back of the room.
"Hey princess! Come spend some time with us. I'll show you a good time!"
The man, sitting at a table with a few vampires, guffawed with his friends. The two fae lead me through the room towards a door on the other side.
"Oy, Sean!" another called, this time a fae. "Won't you bring her here? I want a bite before the boss gets a taste."
A funny lot, these mercenaries. The man holding my arm, Sean, snickered. "Maybe later, Brad."
We pushed through the tables. The men and women were all armed, swords and maces and axes, and they looked like they knew how to wield them. Bad jokes thrown in left and right, mostly by the same crowd at the back of the room.
I looked through the faces, wondering if I'd recognize someone. Some met my eyes and leered. Others looked away or gave respectful nods, mostly vampires. I wouldn't expect help from them. This was business for them, nothing personal.
We reached the door, right next to the table with the rowdy bunch.
Someone slapped my ass.
I stopped and looked behind me. The man, a fae with a red beard and a ponytail, grinned at me. His friends slapped his back and roared with laughter.
"Like what you see, sweetling?" he winked.
I smiled. "Just committing your face to memory."
He chuckled, whatever he saw in my face made it die down. The fae holding me opened the door and we went out to another hallway, leaving the bluster behind.
I would have loved to say the men's words and looks didn't get to me. But I was tired, weak and hungry. And their insinuation that they might have the chance to do something like that made my skin crawl and my insides churn with fear and anger.
I'd always thought of myself as strong physically. But faced with a bunch of immortal males, without my magic and weakened from silver, I knew that I wouldn't stand a chance if they decided to act on their threats right now. And that made me pissed off beyond anything.
My two guides led the way to the one door. It opened, revealing a rather luxurious room by this place's standards. A large table occupied one side of the room, littered with maps and papers and books. A seating arrangement occupied the center of the room, two couches and an armchair, a coffee table set up with food, and a dark fireplace on the other side.
Rami lounged in one of the couches, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He put his glass down and rose, waving the two fae outside.
What a gentleman.
I glanced at the window behind him.
"I wouldn't do that, my lady. There are enough guards around this place to make any attempt a failure." He indicated the couch next to him with an elegant sweep of his hand. "Please."
I sat on the armchair.
His lips twitched. He sat down. His robe was disregarded on the back of the couch, and his black shirt and pants made him look like a dark prince.
"Please, help yourself," he said, picking up his glass. "If you have any preference for food, let me know."
"What about Noah?"
His jaw locked. "The wolf can go without." His voice turned cold.
Asshole. I raised my brow. "Are you trying to starve him to death?"
He put his glass on the table with a thud. The liquid sloshed inside. A storm brewed in his gray eyes. "The only reason he's not dead yet is his use as leverage against you. Don't make me regret keeping him alive."
Well, someone's touchy this morning. I looked at the food. Would he poison it? It seemed counter productive, since he wanted me well enough to summon the phoenixes. I was hungry, and fighting with a full stomach would be better.
I picked up a plate, filled it with eggs, toast and sausage. Rami watched as I cut through the contents with efficiency, filled it a second time and demolished it in minutes. I wished I could sneak some to Noah.
"Do you require blood?" He asked.
I scanned the table. There was no blood in sight. Rami rolled his sleeve and offered me his forearm.
I almost scoffed. Right. No. I wanted to rip into his wrist and break it just to see his reaction. I bet he'd regret offering his arm, then.
"No, thank you. I can do without."
"Very well," he lounged back, his arms stretching along the back of the couch. It would be easy to cut through his jugular from this position. If only the fork or the knife were silver...
"I was serious about my offer to join us, lady Elle," he said. "Your power will be a great asset in the world we'll build."
"Why do you want to open a portal to the other realm?" I asked.
He leaned forward. "Answer one of my questions and I'll answer yours."
I shrugged. I had nothing to lose, really. "Sure."
"What do you see in Arthur?"
I blinked. What did I see in Arthur? He was an arrogant ass, insufferable and stubborn. That was all I saw when I first met him. He was handsome, extremely powerful, skilled and graceful.
But he was also loyal, generous, unexpectedly kind, and gentle with the most vulnerable. He loved animals and children. And he loved with an intensity that took my breath away.
I didn't know exactly when I began seeing him as something other than an arrogant immortal, but he had sneaked his way into my soul and settled there without my conscious thought.
Telling Rami this was out of the question. It felt too personal, too precious a sentiment to share with him in this place. I didn't feel like having a heart to heart with him.
But I wanted answers to my questions, and there was no better person to ask than Rami. He'd been involved in this for decades, he'd known my mother for a long time.
"He's powerful and attractive."
Rami squinted. "Huh."
I shrugged. I thought he'd call me on my bluff, but he settled back on the couch and drummed his fingers on its back.
"Why do you want to open the portal?" I repeated.
"Do you know who's the most powerful race on the planet?" Rami asked.
I blinked. All immortals were powerful. The four main races; vampires, witches, shapeshifters and the fae. There were some subraces, like trolls, winged shifters, mythical creatures like Irene. Those had such small numbers that their existence didn't have an impact on the world.
However, if I had to choose one race... "Vampires?"
"Correct," Rami said, swirling the liquid in his glass. "Vampires have the largest population on Earth, after humans. Specifically, the Five. They have control over the vast majority of the vampire population, they control the silver mines around the world. They even split the world into their own territories where they could practically do whatever they feel like without accountability."
I frowned. "They answer to the council."
Rami gave a disgusted chuckle. "The council. Right. The Five only answer to themselves. If you think the council has any control over them, you must be more naive than I thought. The Five play the part for our benefit. But everyone knows that if they want something, they simply get it with no regard to its effect on other races."
His argument reminded me a lot of Taro's words. The bitterness in his voice made it clear he didn't have any positive feelings for the Five.
"So you want to open a portal to get rid of the Five? How?"
"Among other things," Rami said. "Immortals are too cowardly to stand up to the Five. The other races are too divided. The only beings that could wipe out the Five are Demon Lords."
Over my dead body. I narrowed my eyes. "And how did you convince Rion of going along with this insane plan?"
He grinned. The expression looked odd on his face. It made him look unhinged. "The Seer has been a great help. Did you know she is still alive? That bastard, Santos, has managed to actually turn her into a vampire. A miracle, isn't it?
"She's the one who put you on our list. Unfortunately, after she was turned, her prophecies have become erratic at best. She said that the only way for the ruler of the world to change is by opening the gates of hell once again. That was enough to convince Rion. But the true reason, the one even he doesn't want to admit, is the throne. Your uncle is jealous of your father. Has always been. He wanted the throne and the prestige of being the ultimate power over the fae. Promising to get your father off the throne was enough to get Rion on our side."
He chuckled, linking his fingers under his chin. "However, securing Rion's cooperation wasn't enough. We needed enough of the nobility's ranks to be on our side, or at least, to turn a blind eye to our operations. Would you like to know how we convinced them?"
Fortunately for me, Rami liked to hear himself talk, so he continued without any prodding from my side.
"The fae's ultimate vulnerability. Vampire venom."
"What does that have to do with the gate?"
Rami leaned forward with an eager smile. "You know the story of the origins, right? If we open another gate, we can emulate what happened in the very beginning of time, when the fae were first made. We could make a new strain of the fae and use them to breed the weakness out of the current race. It's a theory, one we are not certain might work at all. But the nobility were willing to take the risk and they jumped on board. If they want their race to be invincible, they have no other choice but to put their stakes on our plan. Because it was the only option the fae have after your mother refused to rejoin the research."
"What research?"
"The research to find a way around the venom's effect on the fae. Rion has been one of the funders of research done in the area. Did you know that your mother worked on this little project decades ago, my lady?" he asked. "She was one of the leading forces in the project. She had been such a bright woman. After I told Rion of her involvement, he tried convincing her to rejoin the research. She refused. Her mating to your father had made her lazy."
His eyes looked very far away, his grin fading between one minute and the next. Chills ran down my spine.
Now I knew why Rami had always felt odd to me.
He mimicked emotions so well. But now that I spoke to him in length, his lack of emotion was plain to see. How had I ever missed it? He was very good at imitating whatever emotion he wanted you to see.
He was a damn psychopath. His gray gaze swung my way. "Did you know that I had your mother first?"
What?
He rose abruptly. I tensed, gripping the fork. "Your mother and I had something long before she ever met your father. I understood her. Her darkness, her desires, her deepest secrets. I knew your mother in ways your father never did. She kept her true self hidden from her own mate, afraid the bright king would run for the hills if he knew how dark she truly was."
The animosity in his voice when he spoke of my father ran deep in his blood. Was he responsible for the attack on my father? He paced through the room. I kept him in my line of sight.
"The project was going so well. It has expanded since your mother left, the goal growing with time until it became something... more. But that's not something you should worry your pretty little head over, my lady."
He moved to stand behind me. I turned in my seat, my legs ready to propel me up in a blink. His gaze scanned my face, then down. I did not like the way he looked at me.
"Were you responsible for the attack on my father?" I asked.
He smiled and leaned on the back of my chair, bringing his face closer to mine. The fork burned my fingers. "I am. Even the attack on your coward of an uncle."
"Why?" I asked.
He shrugged. "He was getting cold feet. You see, after our efforts in Paris were thwarted, the plan was to get Arthur in Ireland. His presence and your father's, along with another of the Five, would generate enough magic flow for the spells to work. The only issue is that your uncle feared getting caught. He was so afraid of Arthur catching up on our scheme, he was willing to shoot all our efforts down the drain. Lily livered bastard. The Demon Lord we are in contact with threatened your uncle, but even that wasn't enough. Lily livered bastard."
Rami raised his hand to my face. I leaned out of reach before his fingers could touch my cheek. His lips tightened. And then he smiled.
It happened between one moment and the next. I didn't have my magic, but I didn't need it to understand what happened.
I couldn't move.
Something clamped down on me like a vise. My muscles froze, my lungs and my eyelids the only parts of my body that moved.
Panic burned my chest. The helplessness and the claustrophobic sensation threatened to knock me out. My heart beat a drum in my chest.
Rami brushed his fingers on my face. "Now what shall I do with you, my lady?" he asked. "Your mother was too afraid of her true self to embrace the darkness within. She left me. Me."
His fingers closed on my chin, painfully. I struggled inward, wanting to break free of his hold. Blood roared in my ears. It felt like I was encased in a block of ice.
"She thought she was better than me, didn't she?" he said, his fingers straying down until they closed around my neck. He squeezed. "If only you could see what has come of the child you sacrificed yourself for, Orla."
He chuckled, the dark sound raising the hairs on my body. Air turned scarce, his grip on my throat bruising.
Move.
I screamed at myself. Move, damn you!
Rami moved around the chair. His hand shoved my shoulders so that I leaned back. Ice crawled up my veins.
"Do you know how frustrating it is to watch that filthy, spawn of a demon put his hand all over you?" He leaned his face down and spoke against my neck, the smell of liquor and old books filling my senses. "It was like watching Orion and Orla all over again."
Move.
His proximity made my blood boil. Sweat trickled down my back, my efforts to break through sending my heart into overdrive.
Move.
Desperation burned my eyes when his hands tore my sweatshirt apart.
Move!
The cold air nipped at my skin. The ice clamping down on me cracked. Rami's hand strayed down, his body hovering over mine, his eyes hungry and dark. The earth shook beneath us.
MOVE!
Crack. The ice broke.
The fork in my hand found its aim in Rami's left eye. He roared, trying to pull back. But I held him in place with a hand on his collar and twisted the fork.
A wild expression came over his face. He pushed off of me and stumbled back. But I wasn't done with him. The helplessness, the fear of what almost happened fueled my body. I jumped to my feet, kicked his legs from under him. He dropped like a log on his back.
I felt a brush of his magic on my body, trying to lock me in place again.
Oh, no, you don't.
The spell slid over my body like slime. It didn't catch. I kicked the fallen witch in the balls.
He abandoned his efforts to pull the fork from his bloodied eye and tried to kick my legs from underneath me. I jumped over his leg.
The door burst open. The fae froze, looking between his boss on the ground and me standing over him. The fae's magic shot forward. A thick root shot off the floorboard, breaking it, and clamped me in its embrace like a snake, wrapping around my length and restricting my movements.
Rami staggered to his feet and slapped me with the back of his hand. My cheek stung, I tasted my blood.
"You bitch," he spat out. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you."
"Get that fork out of your face, first," I told him, clamping down on my fear. "You look ridiculous."
His face contorted in rage. He took a step forward.
The ground and the walls shook again, this time so hard the glasses on the table fell down and the plates clattered.
"My lord," the fae said from the door, his voice shaking.
Rami slapped me again. He took a deep breath and stepped back. "Take her back to the cell, and have Marilyn lock it with a void spell. Lady Elle will have her magic back in a few hours. I don't want her to have access to it or to her bond before I am there."
"Yes, sir."
Rami stormed out of the room. The fae called his friend. The roots retreated to the ground. I clutched my torn shirt with one hand, covering my chest.
What almost happened had me shaking. I hated it. I hated the fear and the panic. I could deal with facing down a dozen fighters, but the helplessness I felt minutes ago was too much.
The two men guided me through the room full of mercenaries again. Fortunately, no one decided it was a good idea to grope me. They were oddly subdued, their eyes watching me like I was a ticking bomb.
Another earthquake hit.
The earthquakes' frequency increased. Arthur must be close to his limits.
Noah sucked in a sharp breath when I joined him in our cell. The fae kept their distance from him as they chained me up, staying as far away from him as they could.
A witch dressed in a black skirt and tunic came. She drew a circle on the floor of the cell, glyphs I couldn't make sense of crossing the line of the circle. She muttered under her breath for several minutes. Her eyes glowed the longer she chanted, until the lines on the floor lit up. The walls of the cell pulsed with energy. Then everything dimmed. She walked out. The fae locked the door.
"Did they hurt you?" Noah asked as soon as the lock turned.
"A couple of slaps, nothing I can't handle." I leaned my head against the wall and closed my eyes. The ghost of Rami's fingers felt like bugs crawling over my skin. I swallowed, regretting eating anything. The food settled badly in my stomach.
"He didn't...?"
I peeked at Noah. His face was impossibly blank. I gave him a smile. "Nope. He tried, but I planted a fork in his eye. He looks much better now."
Noah closed his eyes for a moment, breathing out. Noah shook his head. "How much until you get your magic back?"
"A couple of hours." I nodded to the circle on the floor. "That's a void spell. So I won't be able to do shit even if my magic is back."
Noah rubbed his face on his shoulder. His forehead glimmered with sweat.
"How are you holding up?" I asked.
"Fine. What about you?"
"Peachy. Just peachy."
I told him about my conversation with Rami. He needed to know in case something happened to me.
"I wonder if Charles and Irene got the Seer," I said after I was done. The earth shook. Noah waited until it settled before replying.
"The seer would be the last thing on their mind, right now," he said. "Arthur must be losing it."
I sighed. "Arthur is going to flatten these walls on us and save Rami the trouble."
And maybe that would happen and I wouldn't have to summon the phoenixes. It was as likely as the sky turning green. But one could hope.