chapter Twenty Six
Wait a minute. Back up. I wasn’t ready for this. In fact, I couldn’t even stand up. My body shook so hard, beating and hurting against the cold rock of the mountain.
No, no. I had imagined it all, right? It had been bizarre dreams not visions, right? Because, oh my God, Ceris couldn’t be Cheryl. If she was, what did that mean?
“Besides,” Ceris’s voice broke through my woozy state, “you saw too much.”
On my knees, still unable to stand, I blinked several times. My gaze flicked to Victor and Micah. Both still stood on the sign I’d assigned them. They stared at me, their lips tight, their eyes grave, their poses regal.
I squinted. There was something different about them. It was like they shone. Like their wisdom and strength now glimmered through them. Like they knew.
I stared at Victor and whispered, “Levi.” He didn’t confirm or deny the name. He didn’t even blink. But he didn’t need to. That he was a god was written all over his features. I glanced at Micah. “Mitrus,” I said. He gave me his trademark expression. A sly grin.
“Thank you, Nadine,” Ceris started, getting my attention back. “I thank you for your help. Though, I don’t understand how you were able to help with the pain. And I don’t understand how Mitrus came to be here. But thank you for helping Levi to this place. This was the only way to bring back his memory.”
I fell to the cold ground again, nausea threatening to take over.
It was over. Everything was over. Victor was Levi. He was a god. He was Ceris’s mate. The boy I fell in love with in a vision was actually a god. Everything had been a plan, a setup, and I had been a toy, a tool. Ceris had used me to get her lover back. Now, he would leave with her, and I would have to watch.
I wiped the tears that filled my eyes before they could spill. Victor moved toward me, his eyes gleaming with compassion. What? Now he was feeling pity and wanted to say he was sorry? Or perhaps he would say thanks, like his mate, for having helped him to get to her.
“Stop!” Ceris pointed a finger at Victor, and I thought she used her powers to keep him in place. “Stay where you are. The three of you. If you get out of your circles, Imha and Omi will know where we are.”
“Imha is near?” Micah perked up. He struggled against Ceris’s magic, wanting to get out of the circle.
“Micah,” I whispered. “Mitrus. Whatever.” I frowned. “Imha isn’t on your side. Your death wasn’t an accident. She planned it. In a manner, she killed you.”
He growled. “What?”
I winced. “I just saw it in a vision. Cheryl … Ceris knows this too.”
“No, no.” Micah shook his head. “It can’t be.”
“Oh, it can,” Ceris said, smiling. A cruel smile in such a perfect face. “She betrayed you. Micah snarled and Ceris laughed. “Anyway, Imha is coming, but Omi and his demons are closer.”
“What do you care?” I asked. “You’re as bad as Imha. You’re a murderer.” I turned to Victor. “She was the one who orchestrated your parents’ deaths. And Jason’s and Lauren’s.”
Victor shook his head, his eyes wide. “No, she couldn’t.” He turned to Ceris. “You couldn’t.”
She inhaled sharply before looking into his eyes. “I did what I had to do.”
“No,” Victor whispered, trying to lunge at her.
“Don’t waste your energy, love.” A smile slipped over her lips. “You may have your memory back, but your body is still human.”
“You’re insane,” I whispered. God, how I wanted to kill her. Kill her … a god shouldn’t be killed without risking tipping the scale. My world was upside down because of it right now. And Ceris had forged a thorn capable of killing a god. “The Black Thorn,” I said. Victor and Micah stared at me. “You made a Black Thorn. Who is it for?”
“She did what?” Victor returned his gaze to his mate. Or should I call him Levi? Oh God, what a mess! “You created a Black Thorn?”
“I did.” Ceris raised her chin. “I found a pure, untouched, and untainted maiden and went to the Lake of Life. I used her heart and bones to create a thorn to kill Imha.”
“But a god shouldn’t be killed,” I argued. “We have seen what happens if the gods aren’t together.” I extended my arms toward the dark skies above us. “The Fates told you this.”
“I don’t care what the Fates said,” Ceris shouted. Her fury brushed against my skin. “Imha and you”—she pointed to Micah—“didn’t respect the rules. I’ve been through the underworld, thinking Levi was genuinely dead. And if we don’t find his scepter soon, he will die. Forever.”
In her mind, Ceris acted out of love and for that I couldn’t blame her. Nevertheless, I was furious. She had made me suffer. She had tricked me. She had orchestrated my life for more than eleven months.
“So now, to survive, we have to find our scepters?” Micah asked.
Ceris glared at him. “You’re on your own now. And, honestly, I hope you die.” She looked skyward. “Time to go.”
“Where?” I asked.
“You, I don’t care about,” Ceris snapped. “You served your purpose. Now forget about us and return to your pathetic life.” She approached Victor, who tried to retreat but was prevented by magic. “Imha is getting close, love, and she won’t be fooled by the circle.”
“You think I’m going with you?” Victor asked.
She leaned toward him. “I’m certain you are going with me.”
“I’m going with Nadine, and you stay away from me.”
My breath caught.
Shocked by his statement, Ceris opened her mouth and gaped. “After all I did for you? You’re my mate. You choose to go with a mortal over your own goddess?”
“Yes,” he shouted. “After all, in case you didn’t notice, you killed, you lied, and you betrayed our rules, claiming it was for me.”
“I did those things because I love you,” the goddess whispered.
“Perhaps it’s time for you to revise your definition of love.” He crossed over the circle and headed in my direction. Instantly, screeches and ruffling of wings sounded overhead.
“By the Everlast, they’re already here.” Ceris turned to me. “Goodbye, Nadine. I hope the Fates don’t treat you well.” She waved her hand toward Victor, producing a vortex of pink wind that enfolded both him and her. Quicker than a blink of an eye, the vortex was gone.
And so was Victor.
I didn’t have time to process it. Bats landed around the edge of Grandmother Rock, and I was alone with Micah.
For a second, I thought he would leave too. Instead, he came to my side and helped me stand. I was grateful for not being alone but I wondered how we would survive against the dozens of bats and other demons that climbed up the rock.
I kept myself frozen in place, hardly breathing, to avoid any rushed attack. I needed time to think, to come up with a plan, but I had no idea what to do.
The bats and demons formed a circle around the edge of the rock with us in the center. I tried not to flinch, but it was hard not to as they growled, shrieked, scratched their claws on the ground, and slobbered all over.
My muscles tensed when some of them started closing in on us. Micah held my arm and kept me close. I didn’t relax when the creatures moved aside so something or someone could come up the trail onto the rock top.
“Hello, Micah. Hello, Nadine.” Brock approached us, an artful sneer on his face in between his reddened cheeks.
My mouth went dry. “You!”
“Yes, me. Am I late? I thought all of your friends would be here too. Where is the third one?” As if we would answer him. “All right, let’s change the question. What are you three?”
Micah snorted. “Power Rangers, ever heard of them?”
“Amusing.” Brock paced before us, his tone not amused. “You see, if you don’t answer to me, I’ll have no other option than to take you both to Lord Omi.” His eyes showed interest in that threat. Perhaps he was into torturing. He turned to me and I shivered. “Will you be a good girl and answer my questions?”
“Never,” I snapped. If I’d been a guy, I would have spat on his feet.
Brock shook his head and stepped closer to me.
Micah put himself in front of me and snarled, “Leave her alone.”
“I’m afraid we’re going for a ride.” Brock snapped his fingers and the demons advanced.
Micah did his best to keep them off us, off me, but there were too many. In seconds, we were pulled apart.
Fear clawed inside me, making my body shake.
“No,” Micah yelled, trying to get to me.
The bats closed in on me. I turned around, looking for a space to crawl through, and ended up face-to-face with Brock.
Then a fist met my face.
***
I woke with a loud gasp, only to have a blow to my stomach take the air out of me. I recoiled in time to escape a second kick.
“You’re awake,” Brock said. He knelt before me as I scrabbled backward until I hit a wall.
We were in some kind of classroom. A freezing, putrid, and deserted classroom. A long crack ran down the length of a blackboard and the windows were boarded. Broken desks cluttered the area and spiderwebs coated the ceiling.
“Have you reconsidered?” he asked.
For a second, I was lost. What was he talking about? Then it all came rushing back to me.
I still couldn’t believe it. Levi was Victor, Mitrus was Micah, Ceris was Cheryl. And I had been a toy in their hands. I felt sick and put my hand over my stomach in an attempt to soothe the turmoil. It still hurt from the kick and was quite painful to breathe deeply.
Brock touched my leg. I slapped it off. “Stay away.”
“Hmm, a feisty one.” His gaze ran the length of my body. “Hmm, I bet you’re delicious.”
“Go to hell!”
He laughed. “My dear, Nadine, we already live in hell.”
“Then why do you want to help Imha and Omi make hell even worse?”
“Because I won’t be living in it,” he answered. “I’ll receive gold, women, a title, and a new home near the Clarity Castle if I deliver them any information that may justify the recent powerful episodes.”
So, did the gods know about Victor and Micah and their true identity? I might be outside the situation now, but I wouldn’t be the one to crack and tell who the guys really were—especially after Micah had stayed with me and tried to defend me from the demons. I wanted to ask where he was, but I didn’t want to show Brock I cared, and I was sure he wouldn’t answer me.
“You’re wasting your time,” I said.
“We’ll see about that.” Without taking his eyes from me, Brock walked to the door and opened it.
Two giant demons, larger than gorillas and smelling worse than skunks, entered the classroom and approached me.
I swallowed the bile that built up in my mouth and cringed. “No,” I whispered. I pressed myself against the wall, wishing I could blend into the wood and plaster against my back.
They grabbed me and made me kneel, holding my arms outstretched. I squirmed against their cold, strong holds.
“Now, Nadine,” Brock said, pacing, “be a good girl and answer me. What happened at Cathedral Rock?”
I didn’t say a word. The grip around my arms tightened, and I clenched my teeth.
“Remember, you’re asking for it,” Brock said. He punched my stomach.
My vision blurred and I couldn’t breathe. If the brutes hadn’t been holding me, I would have crumpled to the ground and cried.
Brock readied himself to deliver another punch.
“No, please,” I whispered.
“Where is your friend?” he asked. “Why wasn’t the third one with you atop the rock?”
I shook my head. Brock hit me in the stomach again, then in my face, then in my chest. I clenched my teeth and swallowed back agonizing screams. I wouldn’t humor him while he beat me or answer anything he was asking.
Then, he changed tactics. Instead of hitting me again, Brock produced a crystal vial from inside of his pocket.
I struggled against the brutes that held me pinned in place. “What is that?”
He glanced at the liquid inside the vial, a sneer taking over his features. “I’m the one asking the questions here. What happened at the rock?”
I bit my tongue and held his pretentious gaze.
“Suit yourself,” he said, approaching me.
I jerked against the demons’ hold, but one of them tugged my hair, causing my head to tilt back. The other used its ghoulish fingers to open my mouth. I fought them, but how did I hope to win? I was a domestic cat being squashed by two rhinos.
Brock let a few drops of the vial’s liquid drip inside my mouth, which slid down my throat. Its taste was sugary and almost pleasant.
“Let her be,” Brock ordered. They pushed me to the floor. “I’ll give you some time to think.”
He stormed out of the room and the demons went with him. I was left alone in the dark classroom.
It was my chance to try and get away. Instead, I remained on the ground, weak and hurt and exhausted. I hugged my knees and let the tears fall.
Where was Micah when I needed him to come and save me?
That was when it began. The drops he’d given me burned and slowly made their way into my chest, then my stomach, and then it was everywhere. The drops scorched, prickled, and maimed every inch of my body.
I wished the pain would stop. Even if it meant I would have to die.