Nefri regained her balance, although she allowed Santiago to keep a protective arm around her shoulders. She already sensed that there wasn’t a power on this earth that could force him to release his hold on her.
Besides, she liked the solid weight. It reminded her that after endless centuries of being alone, she now had a companion she not only trusted, but who filled her heart with a joy she’d never dreamed was possible.
This man.
This glorious, irreverent, sexy vampire she loved without condition.
The man she intended to claim as her mate.
At least once she could be absolutely certain the danger was over.
“Why didn’t you destroy it?” she demanded of the Oracle, belatedly noticing that the tiny demon looked as drained as Nefri felt.
“Because none of us could be certain what would happen if we did.”
Styx stepped forward, his arm still healing from her savage attack and his face bloody. “Cryptic as ever, Siljar,” he accused her.
“Not cryptic. The simple truth,” Siljar answered, one of the few demons in the world not terrified of the King of Vampires. “The creature is dangerous, but it did spawn vampires as well as other species of demons.” She shrugged. “To destroy it might very well damage its offspring in ways we can’t predict.”
Nefri gave a grudging nod. Life and death were a far more delicate balance than most people realized.
“So it’s in that . . .” She struggled to remember through the haze that had clouded her mind. Hadn’t the witch been pressing something against her? Something that had driven the spirit from her body? Ah, yes. “Book?”
“It’s trapped in a vacuum between time and space,” the Oracle said. “So long as it’s properly monitored it won’t be allowed to escape.”
“Shouldn’t you have thought of that before sending Nefri’s clan into danger?” Santiago asked, as always living on the edge.
Thankfully, Siljar didn’t appear offended. Instead she gave a lift of her brows. “Nefri’s clan?”
Santiago tightened his arm around her. “Our clan.”
Siljar smiled in satisfaction. Not the most reassuring sight considering the razor sharp teeth. “The sorcery created by the witches was enough to hold it prisoner for centuries.”
Santiago lifted a brow. “So you had no nefarious purpose in allowing Nefri to lead her people beyond the Veil?”
“She came to me with a request for a place of peace.”
“And?” Santiago pressed, ignoring Nefri’s frown. He wasn’t fooled for a moment by the Oracles display of innocence.
The tiny demon gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “And we hoped that having her people living beyond the Veil would give us an early warning if the spirit did start to waken.”
Before Santiago could say something even more stupid than usual, Nefri smoothly cut him off. “But the spirit never disturbed my clan,” she pointed out. “At least, not that we ever noticed.”
The dark eyes suddenly held a deep, unfathomable wisdom. “Unfortunately, we didn’t realize how thin the walls between dimensions had become. The spirit was able to remain hidden while manipulating a handful of vampires into killing the witches, and then slipping past the Veil using Gaius’s medallion.”
Styx snorted at the understatement. Nefri didn’t blame him. The thinning of barriers had been more than unfortunate. It had been a breath from the apocalyptic.
“Oh yeah, and while the spirit was sneaking around, we were all nearly killed by the Dark Lord,” he said dryly. “You remember that, don’t you?”
“Of course.” Siljar squared her shoulders, smoothing her hands down the robe that was once again a pristine white. “The Commission was concentrating on trying to locate several missing prisoners that escaped through the weakened dimensions while you put an end to the threat.”
“Several?” Nefri muttered as the two males hissed in shock. “Do you mean—”
“Do you have the medallion?” Siljar interrupted, holding out an imperious hand.
Santiago hesitated, clearly consumed by a need to demand a further explanation of the missing prisoners.
Such as whether they’d been captured or were lurking in the shadows to cause yet another catastrophe.
Thankfully, her sharp elbow to his ribs helped him recall the dangers of antagonizing a member of the Commission.
With a grimace he dug into his pocket and pulled out the medallion. Nefri lightly touched his arm, knowing he would be suffering from the loss of his sire.
No matter what Gaius had done, they’d shared a connection that could never be truly broken.
“Here,” he muttered gruffly.
“I’ll take it.” Siljar reached up to snatch it from his hand.
Santiago frowned. “It needs to be destroyed.”
“It will be taken care of,” Siljar promised, and with a wave of her hand, the medallion disappeared.
Whether it was hidden in the folds of her robe, or something more mysterious, was impossible to know.
Santiago wasn’t satisfied. “Taken care of? Does that mean destroyed?”