Chapter 15
CHAPTER 15
T he next morning, the visit with Nailah had only intensified my worries about the potential dystopian outcomes, undermining Dominic’s constant reassurance of our success. Jittery and on edge, the three hours we took to prepare for the spell dragged.
Hoping my demeanor showed more confidence and less skepticism than I felt, I’d still caught Dominic giving me assessing looks several times. I hadn’t fooled him. I was a discord of emotions, the most prominent of which was fear. The more I thought of the many things that could go wrong, the more my fear grew. I wasn’t in a hurry to come face to face with two Dark Casters. Sheathed at my leg was a knife, which Anand had displayed an exceptional level of optimism giving to me. I clipped the pepper spray Emoni brought with her onto the top of my pants. My shirt was long enough to hide it. No matter how powerful you might be, pepper spray in the eye was a good deterrent and a good equalizer. Unfortunately, if you’re able to use pepper spray on a person, they’re too close for comfort.
Areleus held on to the Book of Umbra, his face an unreadable slate. I couldn’t help but recall Callum’s look of confusion that he’d seen nothing. Watching Areleus’s confident stride and protective hold on the Book of Umbra as he moved throughout the room, there was something I couldn’t quite pinpoint. It only added to my uncertainty as to whether he would relinquish the book or let it get destroyed because he had other plans. No one else seemed to have the same concern. Perhaps they figured he’d had enough time with the book to have copied or committed to memory the spells he wanted.
I attempted to adopt the veneer of cool indifference that hung heavily in the room. The surety etched on their faces and effortless movements should have emboldened me, but instead I was nagged by the persistent feeling that being overconfident ensured that whatever could go wrong, would. Dominic putting so much faith in how his father would be his own undoing was a variable I didn’t like. Trust him , I reminded myself. Ileana was trusting him and we had only been given parts of the plan. Areleus would be the sacrifice.
Pushing aside my doubts, I returned Emoni’s hug, assuring her that everything would be fine. It didn’t stop the various ways she cajoled and demanded I be careful, before she returned to the other side of the house with Anand, who kept a safe distance between me and the bespelled infinity knot. He planned to meet us at my apartment, after taking Emoni home. Steadfast in her objection to stay with me, she finally conceded when I pointed out that she was another body to protect or one to be used for retaliation or bait.
Anand stood several feet from me, holding the bespelled infinity knot. In Dominic’s home, when the knot wasn’t in my vicinity, I forgot how torrid the magic felt.
“Are you okay?” he asked, and I pulled my focus from the object in Anand’s hand to him.
I shook my head. If vampire compulsion was anything like this, no one stood a chance. The unbearable ache reached deep to my bones. My fingers tingled and it took everything for me not to grab for it. Closing my eyes, I sucked in a breath and counted backward. It did absolutely nothing. My body craved to take a running leap at the object and take whatever it had to offer. I opened my eyes at the eclipse of darkness I’d sensed, to see Dominic standing in front of me.
“You’re doing great,” he whispered, his lips inches from mine. I fell into the pools of amber in his eyes, allowing them to consume my thoughts.
“I’m so done with magic when this is over. I will never try to satisfy my curiosity again. I might not even read another book,” I pledged.
His low rumble of laughter redirected my ache for the object to him. “I’m magic. I won’t let you be through with me.”
“Not you. That’s different.” The words rang true because they were, but so did the reality of my existence.
Lifting my chin he studied me, the smile leaving his eyes. Face to face, I forgot we were in the room with Anand, Areleus, and Ileana. It was an intimate moment. Just the two of us, the world falling away.
“Do you wonder what I really am?” I asked.
“You’re my Luna. That’s all that matters.” Once the spell was over and Dark Caster magic destroyed, I was Luna. A different version of Luna. A post Dark Caster magic wielder and a world of chaos, violence, and strife left behind. That Luna was going to be a hell of a lot more cynical. How could she not be?
I nodded, finding some comfort in his words although the unanswered questions remained.
“I need you to be careful. If there was another way, I would have chosen it,” Dominic whispered.
Maybe I was too naive, but Ophelia wanted me, so I didn’t feel like my life was in jeopardy. More than likely, I’d be annoyed by her pandering and speeches of persuasion or disgusted by her plans.
Taking hold of the bespelled infinity knot, magic laced around me, no longer a tug. It secured my fingers to it, which shook from the force of it and the magic that pulsed through me. Meeting Dominic’s gaze, outwardly I exhibited a bravado that was being whittled away by the second into a chaotic maelstrom.
My optimism quickly escalated to anxiety in equal measure when the knot emitted a vibrant glow that punched more magic into the room. Alone. Panic crowded out all other emotions. All the discussions hadn’t prepared me for the immense loneliness of facing Peter and Ophelia alone, or the creativity of my thoughts as they conjured more harmful scenarios. What if the royals were unable to break any of the wards Ophelia had created? After all, she had avoided capture for years. And was powerful enough to snatch my magic with magic alone. No objects to assist her. What if the locating spell Dominic placed on me failed? Or as revenge for punching her, Ophelia threw out any plans of having me as an ally and decided to kill me? Ophelia killing me was unlikeliest of them all. Doubt became like a persistent shadow, lingering in my psyche.
“Luna.” Ophelia’s expression matched her satin melodious voice that welcomed me. “What brings you here?”
Is she screwing with me? One look around the room confirmed my visit was expected, and the mood was set for it. Heavy terra cotta curtains blocked out any hint of light or any way to reveal the proximity of neighbors, if there were any. This was a house, I was sure of it. I stood in the middle of a living room. The open floor plan gave me a full view of a modern kitchen, a sitting room, and a section of the home that had been designated as a library. The bookcase held more objects and talismans than books. The midnight-gray walls could easily be mistaken for wallpaper instead of paint, and the sigils and glyphs covering every inch of it created a macabre pattern that could have lent to a gothic décor. My heart thrashed against my chest. Would they disrupt the location spell?
Slowly turning, I took in the full view and possible exits. The curtains covered what I assumed was a sliding door exit in the kitchen. To get to the front door, I’d have to get past Ophelia. I looked for things that could be used as a weapon. I got sight of a vase, a computer on the coffee table, a ceramic bowl on the table against the wall, and a few decorative items that didn’t quite fit the dark décor.
“I got your invitation,” I said, opening my hand to reveal the magic object and shooting a glance to my right where Peter was perched in a chair next to a dispirited Helena. She looked physically fine and had no noticeable restraints. My overactive mind created the scenario of another betrayal, until I saw the sigils laced around her fingers. Similar ones decorated Peter and Ophelia’s fingers. I couldn’t determine what had made her eyes glassy, but she was losing the fight to keep back tears. One emotion was obvious whenever her eyes drifted in either Peter’s or Ophelia’s direction: a thirst for retaliation.
“I wish it was an invitation that you’d accepted alone.” She tossed a look in Peter’s direction and he stood. He joined her in making rote movements of their hands while their lips moved at a fervent pace, casting a spell. With a final swiping hand movement, the markings on the walls became white illuminations of bars that stretched over all the walls in the room. Where there wasn’t a wall, a network of lines formed, attaching to the bars. Fear blazed in me at the sight of them. Once again, I was imprisoned. It seemed like my concerns were warranted.
“I’m locked in,” I said softly.
She smiled. “You’re not locked in. They’re just locked out.”
“Is there a difference?”
“To me there is. The same as lying low and refusing to be hunted.” A dark sneer made it to her eyes. “They’re here. Too bad there was a small part of me that wanted to believe in you.” She turned to Peter. “You were right, she is enthralled by him . She will never align with us.” Cool, disapproving eyes traveled over me and snagged on the cross purse where I’d stored the Diax. Nothing could be done without Dominic and Ileana.
The bars around us wavered and shimmered in a gallant effort to stay intact. Worry crept over Peter’s face while he watched the attack on their ward. Ophelia didn’t share that same concern; she smirked at whatever the royals were doing on the other side of the house. A thunderous sound snapped my attention to the door. Resounding thuds and pounding were heard from outside.
“They’re occupied, for the moment,” Ophelia said to what had become her preemptive distraction. Fighting.
The front door pulled away, giving me a view of Dominic just as a wolf lunged at him and a vampire swooped in from another direction. At the sound of bone breaking followed by a shrill, tortured sound that ended abruptly, I was sure with a death, I swallowed down the bile that had arisen.
“Search her,” Ophelia commanded of Peter, pulling my attention from my limited view of the commotion outside.
“Don’t touch me,” I snapped when he moved toward me.
A sneer warped Ophelia’s features. Blue whirls of magic danced over her fingertips. “Should I coax you into compliance?” she asked. “I can assure you it won’t be pleasant.”
Her eyes snapped to the glowing bars that continued to waver and shake but held. “They despise us because of our magic.”
“Don’t forget your abuse of it.”
“Has his sister been held to the same standards?”
The ragged breath I sucked in served as my answer, because there wasn’t any defense for Helena’s behavior, and she’d never been held to account for it. She was cruel. She wielded her magic with vengeance and never suffered any penalties for it. Peeling my eyes from Ophelia, I looked at Helena. Crestfallen eyes and her somber appearance showed something I’d never seen on her. Regret. Her glistening eyes dropped to her fingers. I couldn’t make out the sigils and it wouldn’t be very helpful even if I could. The only thing that made sense was that it was a magical restriction, or they’d figured a way to bind their magic to hers, giving them access to the Underworld.
“What do you have on you, Luna?” Ophelia demanded. As she slowly approached me, the magic that moved over her fingers became more frenetic, bringing back painful memories of my other run-in with her magic. A dark smile flitted over her lips at the grimace the recollection forced.
“Why me?” She was probably the only one who could answer that question. Of all the people in the world, I was the one chosen to carry the magic and to be brought into this chaotic, nefarious world.
“Luck,” she said.
“Is it? How so?”
Her lips parted to answer when the bars shook again.
“Ah, you have no interest in the answer. Just more time. For what? What little scheme do they have planned?”
I shook my head. There wasn’t an Oscar in my future. “I don’t know. Answer my question. Why me?”
Whatever she saw on my face, she sighed. “I’m not sure. Opportunity and desperation to preserve the magic.” I got the impression she wished it was someone else, too. Perhaps someone she could have coerced into it. Someone who shared her thirst for domination and to rule the supernatural world without any care for the number of casualties it would take to do so.
Ophelia repeated her question about the contents of my bag. The Diax was too large to put on me or even hold in my hand without looking suspicious. We knew the risk of her thinking something was in the bag rather than it being as simple as part of my outfit. Although it was possible she did believe that and was just being overly diligent.
“Phone, wallet, lip gloss, lotion, an e-reader, and other junk.” The Diax was flat enough that it could be hidden among the other items. “Are you really interested in that?” In response to her inching closer to me, I revealed the lip gloss and phone. If that was true, hopefully she’d believe the rest.
Looking at me with skepticism, she made a show of winding her hand back. Shuffling back, I yanked off the purse and tossed it to her feet. Peter snatched it up and took out all the contents, palming the Diax and examining it for several moments. Ophelia split her attention between me and the object.
“What is it for?”
“I don’t know. I just had to keep it with me.”
“You’re a terrible liar,” she snapped.
A sentiment that Helena shared. Shaking her head, she sank deeper into the chair and looked at the ceiling, probably aware that any efforts to save her probably just went out the window.
Ophelia quickly closed the distance between us. Glaring at me, she demanded through clenched teeth, “What is it for?”
“I don’t know.” The magic felt worse than it looked when it came in contact with me, sending throbbing pain and an ache through me. I crumpled to the floor. Tears blurred my vision.
She lowered herself closer. The rings of gold that circled me made my heart race. “What is it for?” she repeated.
I attempted to blink back the tears, but they streamed down my face. “To take your magic. It will be destroyed afterward.”
“How is that possible? Anything of that sort requires a sacrifice of magic. Strong magic.”
I nodded. “Dominic was making the sacrifice.”
“What spell is it?”
At my shrug, she moved the golden magic closer to me. I flinched at the threat. “I don’t know. He has it in his office and plans to destroy it afterward.”
“You’ve aligned yourself with the weak. Are you satisfied?” After a long assessing gaze, she frowned. “You’ve weakened him. People spoke of him with great fear, and he makes this choice?” She scoffed. “You’ve dulled his edge and compromised him to the point that he will not be feared enough to be of any use.”
That was the first time I felt really concerned that she’d kill me. I was no longer viewed as an asset but a liability.
I’d seen the look that passed over her face when she looked at Areleus. Unrestrained yearning. Still palming the Diax, the magic fizzled from her hand. She took hold of my wrist, then nodded in Peter’s direction. He closed his eyes, and so did I, in preparation for what I knew would happen.
When I opened my eyes, we were outside the Perils. The only place Peter had been and therefore the only place he could use the magic to travel to. Outside the cells were me, Ophelia, and Peter. They’d left Helena. There wasn’t any way Helena would have stayed behind of her own volition.
It was up to me.