When Rose's phone rang, I thought she'd ignore it, but when she saw the number she answered. "Hello?"
Her face turned deathly pale and she jumped off the couch. "We'll be right there."
She hung up and turned to me. "That was Beleth. Sam and Drake have been captured."
TWENTY THREE
Weigh Thy Words
DRAKE
Thou weigh'st thy words before thou givest them breath.
— William Shakespeare, Othello
A THIRST FOR blood woke me. My tongue felt thick and coated, like I'd been asleep and drugged for a long time. My head pounded in pain and the world around me spun. I had no idea where I was, and I couldn't see Sam.
Someone was dragging me forward. The stone floor scraped at my body until I righted myself and tried to walk on my own. My wrists were handcuffed behind me, and I couldn't release my wings. "Where's Sam?" I asked the Emzara who held me. The one who had attacked us.
"Drake!" I heard her voice behind me and spun toward it. She was being dragged forward by one of the soldiers in red.
"Sam, are you injured? Are you okay?"
The Emzara jerked me forward and I lost eye contact with Sam, but at least I knew she was all right. "Where are you taking us?"
I had so many questions. Why had we been attacked? What did the Emzara want with us? No one answered me.
'Drake. We need a plan.'
Sam's thoughts came to my mind weakly. Quietly. Like it took all her effort to make the mental contact. 'Are you powers compromised?'
'Yes. I can't reach anyone but you. I can't push my mind too far. It snaps back, like a rubber brand. Someone's blocking me. Or something.'
That eliminated Plan A. We needed a Plan B. 'Have you learned anything about where we're going or why?'
'No. They haven't spoken and I can't read them. I'm scared.'
I glanced back at her, locking eyes. 'So am I. But we'll be okay.'
I hoped that was true and I wasn't lying to my wife.
We finally stopped and were pulled through a huge double door that had the symbols of Sunrise and Nightfall intertwined. A sun and moon.
'I think I know where we are,' Sam said to me mentally.
I nodded, also suspecting the truth of our location. The Twilight Court in Venice, Italy, ruled by Queen Seraphina. It was confirmed as we approached a floating royal throne where a beautiful Nephilim sat, her silver blue wings spread behind her. In her left hand she held a glowing white orb. Her midnight hair flowed like water down her shoulders and her dark silk dress clung to her slender figure.
Sam's voice broke the spell the Twilight Queen had cast over me. 'Hey! Stop drooling, husband!'
I glanced at her sheepishly. 'Sorry, that was weird.'
She smiled to show she wasn't truly upset. 'I was pulled in for a moment too. I think it's part of her power.'
We were both shoved to our knees by the Emzara escorting us. They also knelt as the Queen looked down at us.
Her voice filled the open space when she spoke. "Rise and face me."
We were yanked up and pushed forward.
She directed her gaze toward me and I did my best to keep my mind latched to Sam, to not lose myself in her mystique.
"Drake, son of Beleth, you have broken one of our most sacred laws. You have turned a human into Nephilim without seeking permission from your Queen. How do you plead?"
I stepped forward and shoved my fear down as I faced her. "I had no choice… Your Majesty. My wife would have died had I not acted fast. She was attacked by a beast who is killing paranormals."
"Be that as it may, you still broke our laws and must pay for your crimes," she said.
A heavy stillness settled on the room as we waited for her verdict. My stomach tied itself into knots with the waiting.
Finally, she released her orb and it floated beside her as she leaned forward. "I am truly sorry, but I cannot allow the creation of new Nephilim. Your wife will be executed at sunrise. She shall suffer the fate of her destiny, as if you had not interfered."
The edges of my world blurred and my heart dropped to my feet. I lunged for Sam, but the chains around me jerked to keep me in place. Her face was a mask without emotion, and I knew she was trying to be strong for us both. I couldn't.
"She's no danger to you!" I screamed at the Queen. "You have no right ending her life like this."
"I have every right," the Queen said in a quiet voice. "I am your Queen."
Sam stepped forward, a single tear falling down her cheek. "Please. I have a child who needs me. Let me return to her, to my family. I won't harm the Nephilim Court."
"That may be," said Queen Seraphina. "But the law must be upheld. If anyone could create Nephilim without my approval, what would stop them from creating an army? What would stop them from turning all of mankind?"
Sam's voice broke as she pleaded once again for mercy. "Please."
"You shall both be punished," said the Queen. "Emzara, take them—"
The door to the throne room burst open and Beleth flew in, wings larger than normal. "Queen Seraphina, you must suspend your judgment."