“If the Vamp Queen learns this information ahead of my scheduled arrival it will put us in even greater peril. Your brother is going to be a problem.” I glanced up in the sky. He’d left, but I was certain he was close enough to hear us. He wanted the information; he just didn’t want to accept what was happening. “How do we force him to cooperate?” Thinking of ways to convince Eamon not to expose us made my head ache. “He will not come on his own. I can guarantee that. He reviles me.”
“I will deal with my brother,” she said, her voice brisk. “He will not be so quick to turn against me. Our kin-bond has held for all these years; it will prevail. He knows he will sign my death warrant if he dares breathe a word of our secret.”
“And if he does it anyway?”
Naomi’s face became grim, hard as ivory. “Then I will sign his.”
My eyebrows shot my forehead. “You could kill your brother so easily?”
“Non,” Naomi said. “But I know ways to incapacitate a vampire. He would not be able to move until I set him free.” She paused. “And that would be long after our side wins.”
16
We made it to the bottom of the canyon unscathed by any more of Selene’s traps. A large stream cut through the gorge at the base. Selene’s fortress was on the other side and up the steep mountain face, according to the vamps. My eyes shot to the water as something bubbled in the center. “There’s something in the water,” I yelled. “Everyone step back!”
Naomi took flight as I turned to my brother. “Let’s try to find a place to cross before whatever it is breaks the surface.”
He shook his head. “No. We have to see what it is so we know what we’re up against. It might be a fucking siren or a serpent with ten arms. We can’t risk it without knowing.”
“No way. Once that thing emerges it will be much harder to defeat. Let’s cross while we can. Most likely it’s something Selene has to conjure, so it might take some time to arrive. My guess is it was triggered once our feet hit the bottom of the basin.” I grabbed on to his arm. “It’s still not here yet; we have time. Come on. Let’s go!”
“I’m with you,” Danny called over his shoulder, trotting downstream. “Once that thing rears its ugly head we’re likely in for it. Best to get to the other side while we still can, and once we’re there we can fight it or just bloody run.”
“Ray, stay close to me,” I called as I started to jog. “If you can’t keep up, Naomi can fly you over.”
“Like hell she can,” Ray said, charging after me. “I’m not going into the sky again while there’s still breath left in my body. I’ll take my chance in the water.”
I snorted while I ran. “Yeah, like that will work.”
We jogged down the stream away from the bubbles. Danny called from ahead, “This part here looks shallow enough to cross and there are some rocks.”
“Go,” I yelled, motioning with my hands. “We’ll see you on the other side.”
Tyler trailed behind us reluctantly, eyeing the water. “I still think this is too risky,” he said. “We should wait and assess the threat.”
“Too late, mate,” Danny shouted as he flung himself from shore to the first rock. It was solid and he continued quickly, not wasting any time. He was over in less than ten seconds. From the shore he bounced up and down. “Come on, then! It was a piece of cake. We can scale the hill behind here and hurry away from the swamp monster without having to dirty our hands at all.”
I was almost to the third rock when a rotting smell hit the air, followed by a stifled scream from behind me. I twisted my body in one motion and tried to reach him, but it was too late. Ray was under the water before I had a chance to see what grabbed him. “What took him?” I yelled to my brother, who was charging up quickly behind me. “What was it?” I searched frantically in the water.
Tyler’s face was grim, almost sallow in the moonlight. “Jess, we can’t worry about it. The thing is occupied for now. Ray gave us a chance. Let’s not make his sacrifice in vain. Go!” He shoved me forward with two hands, but I held my ground, my feet locked in place. “Jess,” he said in an exasperated tone, “you can’t help him. He’s human, and this is our chance to escape. Whatever that thing was, it will kill him quickly. Now stop wasting time!”
Tyler was right, but I didn’t want to listen.
I turned and took a flying leap onto the next rock. “Dammit!” Once I reached the shore, I ran to where Danny, and now Naomi, stood, their faces set. The water hadn’t moved, not even a ripple. “Did you see what took him?” I asked. “If there’s a chance to save him, we have to try.”