Black Blood (20 page)

Gemma felt her
fingers twitch as her hand hovered over the brass doorknob. The
sense of dread soaking into her muscles was painful as she tried to
strike up the courage needed to achieve this endeavor. Biting the
inside of her cheek, she twisted the handle and let the heavy door
creak open beneath her weight, wincing still at the sound.

She waited a
full minute, straining for any sound of movement before inching the
door open far enough to squeeze her body through. The hallway was
pitch black, but she still gave in to the urge to check over her
shoulder before entering the room. Clicking the door shut behind
her, she leaned against the wood and closed her eyes, steadying her
heartbeat and praying that her parents didn’t wake up in the next
few minutes. After several deep breaths, she fought off the
nauseating worry, flicked on the light and opened her eyes, ready
for action.

Gabe’s training
had intensified since her little mishap in Chicago. She had been a
little nervous the next time around, but he talked her through it…
by the end of the day, she’d made it back to where she’d meant to
go originally. A week later and she was traveling with relative
ease. The day before she had managed to make it all the way back to
1901. Gabe had been quizzing her relentlessly on all her trips,
gleaning as much information as he could. As she recounted various
tales she had been able to remember some so vividly that she’d made
it there and back again without even breaking a sweat. The further
back she went, the harder it was, but with the help of pictures and
research, she was finding the distance manageable and was confident
she could make it back to Canon City in two days time.

Her mind
tingled as the thought of seeing Harrison again was becoming more
and more bona fide. They had spent hours researching and they now
knew that Coyote had spent nearly a week in prison before walking
to the gallows. Gemma had to go back to the same day he was
captured in order to make sure he met Mary on the same night. They
couldn’t be certain she would get the timing exactly right with
history not specifically recording it, but they had counted back as
best they could. If she got it wrong she would just have to come
back and try again the next day. She despised the idea and was
fervently praying that she would only have to cross to 1885 once.
Her nerves twittered at the thought of what she was going to do and
the fact she would be doing it alone, but she couldn’t afford to
focus on that. Right now, she had a job to do.

She took a few
steps into her father’s study as she fulfilled Gabe’s final request
before leaving him that day. Scanning the room, she took in the
large, polished desk, piled high with papers and historic books.
Next to his rounded back chair sat the old globe she used to play
with as a child. She remembered spinning it around as fast as she
could then stopping it with her finger and declaring that she
wanted to go to whatever country her digit was resting on. She
could hear her father’s laughter as he shot her a wink and promised
“some day.”

Running her
finger along the edge of his desk, she snuck around the stacks of
books on the floor and stopped in front of the large safe, which
she was sure housed every secret her father had.

When Gabe had
asked her to find out what was in the safe she had out right
refused, but his constant persuading over the last week had broken
her, not to mention the lurking feeling that he just might be right
about her birthmark. She hadn’t been investigating very hard, but
sure enough, she found one on Dom too. It was behind his left knee.
She had spotted it while surfing and wiped out sufficiently enough
to have Dom hassling her for days.

She had been
trying to subtly inspect her parents over the last week, but had
had no such luck with them. She wasn’t quite ready to buy the whole
tattoo story and start gouging a hole in her ankle, but she was
willing to find out more. So here she was pilfering through her
father’s belongings.

As the days
passed she found herself able to believe Gabe more easily. His calm
manner and honest gaze had nearly won her over completely. She
wished, just occasionally, that he was her father. But then the
idea of Alistair killing Lena and stealing her as a baby was so
repulsive she didn’t want to believe it. So she would jump back
into the safe zone of believing that Gabe was just a really good
guy whose theories on her parents were a little askew.

Pulling back
the intricately carved wooden door, Gemma stared at the lock and
wriggled her fingers in preparation. She had been in here only that
morning, hiding under the desk as she watched her father dial the
combination. At one point she thought she was going to faint, her
body was so tense with the prospect of being caught, but thankfully
she’d faded into gold dust just before he turned. She’d had to time
it perfectly and it had really been a fluke to even be in the
position.

After spotting
him entering his office the first time, Gemma had been keeping a
close eye on her father whenever she was home and she just happened
to notice him do it again one afternoon. Once more he gave away his
motives with a little look over his shoulder. This time Gemma had
noted the time and snuck up to the door, listening with a careful
ear. As she’d leaned up to the keyhole, she had heard the spin of a
dial and the click of a lock coming free. Upon mentioning it to
Gabe she was made to promise she would sneak into the office and
find out exactly what was in that safe.

Her heart
accelerated as her mind ran with the various prospects of what she
might find. Her fingers spun the lock to eighty-three, then danced
it back to twelve, before turning it towards fifty-nine and hearing
the click of release. Holding her breath, she turned the handle and
pulled the metal door open.

It took her a
moment to open her eyes. The fear of having her growing suspicions
confirmed was terrifying. When she did squeak her eyes open, she
was relieved to find the safe filled with tattered journals and a
wooden box as opposed to various potions and weapons.

She snorted
with mirth at her own imagination as she reached into the safe and
pulled out the ancient looking box. It was about the size of a
Kleenex box and decorated with exquisite carvings. Handling the
piece with the utmost care, she pulled it into the light and
studied the rich design. On the top of the box was a circular shape
set into the heavy wood, obviously some sort of lock. Gemma ran her
fingers over the indentations. It looked like a star with six
points and a cogwheel shaped middle. She could almost taste the
familiarity of the shape, but couldn’t quite place it. Setting the
box aside, she reached for the leather pouch that had been resting
under it. Untying the string, she emptied the contents into her
hand and gasped.

Picking up an
arrowhead with shaking fingers, she held it to the light and
recognised the Roman letters.

“Tita,” she
whispered before picking up another one.

“Gaia.”

And then
another.

“Titus.”

And then
another.

“Mania.”

And the
last.

“Manuius.”

These
arrowheads belonged to the electus. She grasped them in her fist
and felt the pinch of pain. Whatever her father was up to, it felt
wrong. Opening her palm again she looked at the arrowheads. They
had had their leather bands removed. Her eyes traveled to the
box.

“A puzzle.”

Lifting the
first arrowhead she placed it in the depression of one of the star
points. It didn’t quite fit and she had to try three more points
until it slotted in perfectly. Pulling in a sharp breath, she
quickly rifled through the rest of the arrowheads until they were
all placed in their spots. All that remained was one more arrowhead
and the centerpiece.

“Gaius and
Decimus.”

Biting the
inside of her cheek, she felt her brain exploding with questions.
How long had her father had the box? How far off was he from
collecting the last two pieces and if he did, what would the key be
unlocking?

She felt the
power of its contents, even if she didn’t know what lay inside. It
must be important if the seven parts of the key had been scattered
far and wide.

Am I holding
Pandora’s box or a treasure chest?

The creak of
floorboards above made her jump. Scrambling with lightening speed,
she dug the keys out of the lock and shoved them back into the
leather pouch. Placing it in the safe, she tried to leave it
exactly as she found it.

Moments
later she had the lock bolted and was diving for the study light.
Standing against the door, she held her breath as she listened to
the shuffle of feet coming down the stairs. She knew she couldn’t
risk opening the door, so instead waited in rigid silence until,
after what felt like a millennia later, she heard slippers scuffing
over the tiles once more and the soft thud of feet on
stairs.

Leaning her
head against the wood, she ordered oxygen through her nostrils.
Whatever her parents were up to, she knew without a doubt that it
wasn’t good.

Gabe was right.
Bad things were brewing.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

St Augustine, Florida
– 2011 AD

Gabe’s face was
so impossibly hard to read sometimes. Gemma bit the inside of her
cheek as she watched him soak in the news from her midnight
escapade.

“
Astrum arca archa
.” He nibbled on his lip. “Damn, I thought that was just a
legend.”

“Star box,”
Gemma translated. “Well, legend or not, Gabe. I held the thing in
my hands.”

He let out a
heavy sigh as he reached for his coffee.

“What’s in
it?”

“
I’m not
one hundred percent sure.” He took a sip and winced as the hot brew
hit his throat. “But if legend’s true, it holds seven vials of gold
dust.”

“Like what the
priest stole from Decimus?” Gemma’s voice was a whisper as she
watched Gabe’s head bob.

“The power of
that thing is terrifying, especially if it’s placed in the wrong
hands.”

He gave her a
pointed look, making it all too obvious what he thought of her
parents’ hands.

“So the priest
found each of the electus and stole from them?”

“From what I’ve
heard it was more than just one man, but some sort of secret
society. By the time news of what they were doing reached each of
the electus, it was too late. Lucia must have been heart broken.
All those years she had spent trying to protect them.” Gabe shook
his head.

“Lucia,” Gemma
whispered. “I like that name.”

The cup in
Gabe’s hands stilled and he gave her a long, deep look. She gazed
back at him with a quirked eyebrow.

His eyes began
to shimmer with pleasure. “I’m glad.”

Gemma was about
to ask why when the phone in her pocket rang. Pulling it free, she
gazed at the number and felt her body slump with a sigh. Rolling
her eyes, she pressed the screen and forced an airy tone to her
voice.

“Hey, Mom.”

“Sweetheart,
where are you today? Ruby and I are going shopping. You should join
us.”

“Actually, I
don’t really feel like shopping today.”

“Why? What else
will you be doing?”

Oh I don’t
know, heading back to 1885.

She bit her
cheek and waited in silence.

“Gemma, what
are you up to?”

“Nothing.” She
felt herself blush with a lie and noted Gabe’s broad smile. “I just
don’t feel like shopping, that’s all. We spent the whole day
together yesterday. I just feel like hanging out on my own for a
while.”

“You’re not
still moping over that boy are you?”

The question
was said with such scathing that Gemma had to bite back a very
sharp reply. The woman had no idea. Breathing in through her
nostrils, she fought against the red haze of rage and plopped a
cube of sugar into her voice.

“I still miss
him, Mom… and I’m allowed to do that. Just give me a break and let
me have today, okay?”

Her mother
relented with an indignant huff. Gemma rolled her eyes again and
listened to firm instructions about being home for dinner before
hitting the screen and throwing her phone into the caravan’s small
sink.

Gabe let her
simmer in silence for a while, but didn’t take his eyes off
her.

She eventually
let out a sharp sigh and shook her head. “Can I just go and get my
boyfriend back please?!”

Gabe’s smile
was slow and broad. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

Gemma’s nerves
steadily grew as they went over the plan. Gabe quizzed her on what
she could see, hear, smell, feel and taste as she prepared to send
herself back to Canon City.

“Okay, now just
stop and take a deep breath.”

Gemma opened
her eyes and gazed at him as she pulled in a few decent mouthfuls
of air.

“I’m going to
be gone a lot longer than a few minutes this time. Do you think
Alistair will feel it?”

Gabe shook his
head. “I really can’t say. It’s a risk you’re gonna have to
take.”

She nodded,
happy to accept it.

“You know… this
isn’t a guarantee, kid. He may not be waiting for you when you get
back.”

Her
insides rebelled against the idea, but she knew she’d be a fool to
rule it out. “I know Gabe, but I
have
to try.”

He shot her an
accepting smile and slapped her shoulder with affection.

“Just, um,
remember everything I’ve told you, watch your back and… return in
one piece, okay?”

“I will.” A
lump formed in Gemma’s throat.

Gabe’s eyes
melted to soft butter as he studied her. Stepping forward, she
wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her head in his
chest.