2. Harpy Heathens
Harpy Heathens
Levi
“Nerezza!” I yell and dive for my woman, but a sharp blade along my neck halts me, causing a tightness in my chest.
Chaos erupts where we once sat as two portals open below, and demons pour out. Shifters rip from their uniforms and engage as my family quickly surrounds Rez.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” a husky voice whispers.
“Don’t fight us and we’ll tell you what we gave your precious trashcan,” a smoky voice continues on my other side.
I can hear the half-truths in their words. What part are they lying about or, better yet, what are they omitting?
I give them a slight nod before my arms are roughly pulled back and cuffed with dampening cuffs. I don’t feel the strong drain of my powers like I usually would with the spelled items—just another way to reinforce what I already knew. I’m bone dry of magic.
“Careful. Don’t ruin the goods.” That voice I recognize. Angel.
I glimpse my captors as I’m spun around to face the stairs: Angel, the Twilight twins—Myka and Miska—Serafin, Emer, and Marigold.
The brief sight is short-lived as they push me off the stage and away from the sounds of fighting.
As we walk around the corner of the Administration building, Emer slides up next to me and wraps herself around me, entwining our arms, which is impressive since I’m still cuffed behind my back.
As Emer smiles up at me with baby-blue eyes, someone ties a black silk scarf over my eyes, blinding me to my surroundings.
“Is this really necessary?” I ask dryly.
I know this building like the back of my hand from spending countless hours here with Dad.
Each hallway is unique in its own way, not just because of its color or material, but also because of tiny flaws.
For instance, there’s the slight dip in the middle of the professors’ hall and the rough patch of the wood from an errant curse that makes your shoes catch.
“Sorry, Levi, but we can’t take any chances,” Emer speaks up as she runs a hand down my chest. “We need to go someplace where we won’t be disturbed.”
“And what is it that we are about to do that has the potential to be interrupted? A talk? A stroll? A séance? How about a study group? Need help with class?” I feel a little bit of pride as I fire off questions, knowing that Lynx and Rez would laugh at my words.
It’s not my typical reaction at all, and it does what it intends to do, throw the group off kilter as I feel Emer jerk beside me.
“Uh.. Oh.. Its.. It’s more of a precaution, Leviathan. I can’t trust your family and that filthy piece of garbage to show up and ruin shit again.” She growls and grips my bicep harder. I tense slightly under her words, but try not to show any reaction on my face as she continues to rant about Rez.
“I bet it was her fault that you didn’t show up for our bonding ceremony,” she spits.
“Do you know how humiliating that was for me? My mate didn’t show up for our fucking bonding, all because some damn HUMAN stole him?
” Her breath heaves out of her chest as our steps echo down the empty hallway, highlighted by the squeaking of our soles.
Ahh! We’re at Danger Alley, my father’s hallway.
The floors here are polished to a brilliant shine, but only this hallway allows your shoes to squeak, as they are now.
I’ve often wondered if it’s a spell, but Father hides that knowledge too close to the chest.
“Do you know how it affected my father?” Emer continues on, not really caring if I reply. “We had to admit we didn’t know where you were and had to rely on your father to handle the issue.”
“I’m sure that was the worst thing that you had to handle in all your life. How in the world could you even handle showing your face in public again?” I deadpan. I roll my eyes behind the silk cloth so hard I see color.
Emer shrieks and digs her claws into my leathers, but I don’t feel it thankfully, and inwardly groan as she finally notices what I’m wearing.
“What in Fates’ name are you wearing? Leather? And is this a fucking corset? Where’s your suit? Did that Sentina make you change into this shit?” she howls as I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
We turn left and start down the stairs, which I know lead to the Nova portal. Unfortunately, I don’t know my way around Nova blindfolded, but the good news is that more people will be around, and seeing me blindfolded and being held at knifepoint might raise some eyebrows and questions.
“Come on, Hopper, do your thing,” I hear Marigold say, before opening the storage room in front of me.
What’s in there that she needs? Before I can inquire, I’m turned to the right, where there’s only a dead end, when I hear a few clicking noises.
“I love this part,” Serafin whispers as I feel air disperse against my face.
The smell of dust, sulfur, and something like the sea is heavy in the air.
Not a well-known combination, but it makes me weary as I remind myself I’m doing this for Rez.
I need to know what they gave her. She doesn’t know that I saw it, but I know she was hurt during Level Two.
I might not be the most expressive, but I don’t miss much when it comes to the analytical part of my day-to-day life.
“Come on, Levi,” Emer purrs. “We will finally be together.” She nuzzles into my neck, causing my skin to crawl as I clench my jaw. They’re not going to hurt you, Emer is too infatuated with you to do that, I tell myself. But I can’t help feeling a little anxious.
“Was it some kind of poison you gave her?” I ask as I’m led deeper into an area I’ve never been.
Angel’s laughter bounces around the room, indicating we’re in more of a cavern than a small room.
“Don’t worry, Levi, we’ll keep our word. We’ll tell you what she was given,” Emer warns.
“Of course we will, Emer. I can’t help it if it makes me happy, though.
It’s no secret that I hate the bitch, and I’m happy about the turn of events.
” Angel’s gleeful tone nauseates me as we finally come to a stop.
The stench of death permeates the room as I’m turned around and pushed down onto a rickety stool before my blindfold is released.
“Sorry for earlier, baby,” Emer says, kneeling down before me. She pushes back a stray hair that has fallen into my eyes. “But we couldn’t take any chances of having you know where this place is,” she continues, grabbing my chin and focusing my gaze back on her.
“Understandable.” I glare at her.
I’ve always been an understanding gentleman, so the fact that they have to resort to this level isn’t lost on me. Whatever they have planned isn’t noble or legal in our world. I am not happy.
“Oh, don’t give me that look. I’m here to make things better between us.” She runs her claws down my cheek before getting up and walking out of the light for a moment, so I take the opportunity to survey the room as much as possible.
I got one thing right: I am in a place I’ve never been before.
The room is shrouded in darkness, so dark that I can’t tell its size; the flickering candles only let me see various parts of it.
Like a few tapestries hanging on the wall depicting the Sulks, demons, the fae rowan tree, and a black magic ritual.
From what I can see at my feet, there’s a pentagram etched into the floor, and by the smell of the room, this is where they’ve been practicing their magic.
Possibly harvesting blood magic. My stomach suddenly rolls at the thought that this has been under the Administration building.
How long has it been here? What would my father or the rest of the council think when they find out?
Emer emerges naked from the dark, a large black-and-gold pendant around her neck, swinging between her exposed breasts. I don’t get a good look before it swings, and I see the back, but it has some kind of sigil on it. Knowing the harpies in front of me, it’s not good for either Rez or me.
“Like what you see?” Emer purrs, and bile rises in my throat.
Yep, done looking at the pendant.
“Okay, Emer,” I start, looking at her as if she’s the responsible one in this group.
She’s obviously more unhinged if she’s allowing kidnapping to be a part of her arsenal.
“I’ve complied. I’m here now. So, unlock the cuffs and tell me what has happened to Rez.
I have done what you’ve asked,” I deadpan, cocking an eyebrow.
There’s chuckling behind me, but I don’t dare breathe or take my eyes off of Emer. She fidgets under my piercing gaze for a moment before she turns and picks up a tube of red liquid.
“Here, drink this,” she demands, holding it out to me like I’m not tied.
“What’s in it?”
I need to know what’s in it so I can undo whatever I’m about to swallow. There has to be an antidote if I’m about to ingest something willingly.
“It’s just something to make things right,” Emer hedges.
“Lie,” I call out, and she recoils as if I’ve slapped her. Her voice naturally fluctuated, and her tone sped up, indicating a lie. She lied like it was second nature to her, as if it was like breathing. I wonder how many of her past words were lies.
“I wouldn’t lie to you,” she lies once again.
I roll my eyes and peer up at her, cutting to the point.
“How about you stop lying and just tell me the truth. I’ll drink the damn stuff because I have no choice, but I want to know the ingredients. Say it’s the mage side of me that’s dying to know. Potions are my thing, and learning them is my weakness,” I tell her, spilling my own white lie.
“It’s the demon memory potion, so I don’t know what all is in it, plus Condonial,” she admits, proudly walking closer to me.
Before I have a chance to process what she says, someone yanks my hair, causing me to yelp, and pries my jaw apart, while Emer dumps the warm, smoky liquid down my throat.
‘Levi!’ Knots’ voice rings into my head.
‘Knots?’ I try to focus on his voice, but it’s hard as Emer starts whispering an incantation.
‘We’re almost there to save you. We see the glowing lights,’ he explains.
I’m relieved yet panicked at the same time.
I can’t be saved until I find out what they did to Rez first. And second, am I supposed to have this burning sensation in my chest?
It started when Emer began her incantation or spell.
It’s digging deeper into my chest minute by minute, and since I’m not sure what the demon memory potion or Condonial does, I’m a little worried.
I was positive the harpies wouldn’t harm me, but now I’m not so sure.
‘We?’ I ask, hoping to clear up my first question.
‘Yeah, I have the furball with me,’ comes his reply. Oh, he has Lynx! That’s good. Knots isn’t alone, and the Harpies won’t know who Knots or Lynx are, so they won’t immediately target Rez because of this impromptu rescue.
‘I need to know what they gave Rez first!” I get out before I’m hit with a wave of dizziness as the room and the pentagram at my feet start spinning.
“Levi?” Emer kneels before me and smiles as I blink owlishly at her. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I’m on a fiery sizzler ride and have been lied to,” I growl out as the pain in my chest diminishes, but I have other issues. My shoulders are aching from being behind my back for so long, and I’m getting irritated from my prolonged captivity.
A flash of light catches my eyes, and I look over Emer’s shoulder to see into the dark. Again, I don’t see anything special, except for the flash of two pearlescent eyes seven feet off the ground that can see in the dark, glowing back at me.