“Because that’s what the Oracle ordered us to do.”
Oracle. Styx frowned. First Levet and now one of the Commission? Christ. Had everyone known where Cyn was but him?
“What Oracle?” he snapped.
“Siljar,” she said. “She’s the one who took us from my father’s palace.”
“Meddlesome . . .” Styx bit off his furious words. He should have known without asking it would be Siljar. The tiny Oracle always managed to dump Styx into a shitload of trouble. “What did she want from Cyn?”
“I can’t tell you.” Tears filled her beautiful eyes, her voice thick with fear. “Please, you have to believe me.”
He did.
He didn’t have the power to read her mind, but he could sense the sincerity of her words.
Not that he was happy at the thought of traveling around the world through a magical portal.
He’d rather have his fangs pulled.
“Shit,” he muttered, accepting that he had no choice. Cyn needed him. End of story. “If you don’t kill me, Jagr will.” Pulling the sword from the sheath angled across his back, he stepped out of the house and headed down the stairs. “Let’s go.”
Fallon didn’t hesitate. With a speed that caught him off guard, she was sprinting past him, her bare feet barely seeming to touch the frozen ground.
Together they headed down the long drive and out the front gate, halting in the middle of the quiet suburban street. Then, with a wave of her hand, she was creating the portal that Styx couldn’t see or feel.
Grimacing, Styx allowed the female to grab his arm and lead him through the invisible opening. No matter how prepared he might be, it was still a jolt to step from the public street into complete darkness.
God Almighty, he hated traveling this way. A vampire was meant to use his two feet to go from point A to point B, not be magically jerked through dimensions.
The sensation of being surrounded by complete emptiness barely had time to form before Fallon gave another wave of her hand to open the portal and they were stepping into a large room with stone walls and an open-beamed ceiling. On the far wall a cheery flame burned in the massive fireplace and the opposite wall was dominated by an arched stained-glass window that Styx had seen before.
Cyn’s lair.
Instinctively stepping away from Fallon so he had room to fight, Styx swiftly scanned his surroundings, making sure that there were no lurking enemies. Only then did he turn his attention to the large vampire who was stretched out on the floor, surrounded by bowls of water and one tiny gargoyle.
“Christ,” he muttered, barely capable of sensing Cyn.
With a graceful flutter, Fallon was moving to kneel beside the unconscious vampire, her face pale with worry.
“He won’t wake and he was too heavy for me to move to his bed,” she breathed.
“It was best to leave him,” Styx absently assured her, squatting beside Levet. “What happened, gargoyle?”
“Magic,” Levet answered, his leathery skin more ashen than usual as he struggled to maintain a hold on Cyn’s fading life force.
Styx’s initial suspicions returned in a rush. “Fey?”
Levet gave a sharp shake of his head. “Human.”
Fallon ran her fingers through Cyn’s hair, her touch unconsciously intimate. “Can you help him?”
“I can add my strength to his and hope it’s enough to heal him.”
Styx gently pushed aside Levet’s hand and replaced it with his own. He’d slice out his tongue before he’d admit it, but for once he was glad the irritating creature had been around. His efforts had quite possibly saved Cyn’s life.
Pressing against Cyn’s chest, Styx concentrated on the thread that connected him to his people. Then, with a ruthless determination, he was shoving his power through the bond and into the unmoving vampire.
This was one gift as Anasso he truly appreciated.
Focused on his brother, he forgot about his audience, flaming the spark of life until he could sense Cyn regain his awareness although his eyes remained closed.
It was at last Fallon who broke the heavy silence. “What can I do to help?”
Lifting his head, Styx continued to offer Cyn his strength to aid in his rapid healing. “He’ll need to feed to regain his full strength.”
“Do not look in my direction,” Levet grumbled, hurriedly heading out the door. “I am no à la mode for a leech.”
Styx didn’t bother glancing at the retreating gargoyle, instead concentrating his gaze on the beautiful princess. “Fallon?”
Surprisingly she abruptly surged to her feet, her face pale. After her possessive way of touching Cyn, he’d assumed that they were already lovers. Now he sensed that he’d touched a raw nerve.
“I’m certain he must have a store of blood in the kitchen,” she muttered.
Styx frowned. “It won’t be as effective as yours.”