Dawn of Darkness (Daeva, #1) (43 page)

"The door
won't open," I said.

"Stand
back," Daniel shouted. We moved away from the door and there was a
loud bang, followed by some cursing. "Jesus! Who the hell makes a
door out of silver?"

"Someone
who wants to keep a vampire or werewolf out," said
Violet.

"Or keep
something in," I added. "So what now?"

"We'll
find a way through," Violet said. "Try and find Nate, but don't do
anything stupid."

"Okay.
What should I do with Russell?" There was no answer.

"Is he
still alive?" Ash asked. "He looks pretty toasted to
me."

"Yeah,
he's still in there. He probably won't be able to heal that without
a lot of blood though."

"What do
we do with him?"

"Good
question," I mumbled. I wanted to be free of him, but I wasn't sure
if I could let him die. How much of that was because of the bond, I
wasn't sure.

"You–"
Ash started. I looked up to see Nate appear from the other exit,
clapping his hands.

"Congratulations," he said. "You've made it through to the
final stage of this little game."

"What are
you going on about?" I asked.

"You'll
find out soon enough." Nate chuckled. He gestured to Russell. "Did
you like my present to you, Mik? I promised I would free you from
him, didn't I?"

"You
didn't do a very good job," Ash said. "He's still
alive."

"Oh?"
Nate held out his hand. A stream of fire leaped from him to the
body, which erupted in flames. The ringing and screeching in my
head started again. It felt as though my head would explode. I
clutched the sides of my head, doubling over in pain, but just as
suddenly, the pain stopped. He was dead. Truly dead this time. "How
about now?"

I looked
up at Ash in disbelief. He must have known Nate would finish off
Russell. And yet, he had taunted Nate into doing it without
hesitation.

"I was
planning on finishing him off myself," Ash said. "I don't know what
happened between the two of you, but I would've killed him to free
you."

"But you
didn't," Nate said. "I did." He made it sound like a
competition.

"Why?" I
asked. "There had to be another way. What if he wasn't bluffing?
Violet, Daniel and Sebastian might be killed because of
this."

"Like I
care about them," Nate said, laughing. "They were a means to an
end. But you... you're different. We have a special connection, you
know?"

Ash's
body tensed next to me.

"No, we
don't," I said. I took a deep breath and held it, before letting it
out. "I didn't want to tell you, but it was my ability that made
you develop feelings for me."

"You
think I didn't already figure that out? Verloren knows a great deal
about the nature of your ability. But the why isn't important
anymore. All that matters is that I love you, Mik."

"No," Ash
shouted. "I love him."

"You have
a funny way of showing it. Do you even know how much pain you've
caused him? I was the one who comforted him when he'd lost all
hope. I was the one who was there for him."

"That's
not fair," Ash said, his fists clenching. "I've been worried sick
about him every single day."

"That's
enough, Ash," I said, taking hold of his hand. "I know you believed
you were doing the right thing, so don't let him taunt
you."

"I
wouldn't have abandoned you, Mik. I would have believed you. Can't
you see that he's not right for you? Don't you remember how much he
hurt you? You told me you didn't want to live anymore."

"Is that
true?" Ash asked, turning me to face him.

I hung my
head. "I thought it was over between us. I couldn't bear the pain,
and I just..."

"I'm
sorry." His hand cupped my chin, bringing my gaze up to meet him.
"I never meant to hurt you like that."

"I know,
but we have more important problems right now." I turned back to
Nate. "Why are you doing this?"

"Power.
Immortality. Cliché, I know. You could have that too, Mik. Verloren
would be willing to give you a second life as well. We could spend
eternity together. Think of it as a reward for helping us advance
our plans."

"I'd
never help you," I snapped.

Nate
laughed. "But you already have. Why do you think we left you alive?
Thanks to you, we now have what we need to crush Aldar."

"How?" I
gasped. "And why me? You were already in Aldar! Why did you need
me?" I shouted.

"All in
due time," Nate replied.

I shook
my head in disbelief. "I trusted you. How could you do this, Nate?
What about Shannon? They killed your twin sister, and you're
teaming up with them."

Nate burst into laughter. "They
didn't kill her.
I
did. I tried getting her to join Verloren in his war
against the vampires. We could have made a great team, but the
stupid bitch said she was going to expose him. So I killed her.
Couldn't have her messing up my plans."

"You sick
fuck," Ash yelled. "You killed your own twin?" Ash pointed his gun
at Nate. "I didn't wanna have to do this, but I think it's clear
you're no longer human."

"No fair,
you've got a gun. How about we even the odds? Fire versus ice,
winner takes all." Nate's eyes fixated on me when he said
'all'.

Ash
smirked. "Fair enough. I don't need a gun to deal with scum like
you." He clicked the gun's safety on and handed it to me. "I'll be
fine," he said, before I could say anything. "Besides, we'll
probably need the bullets for this pure-blood anyway."

"You
don't have to fight him alone."

Ash
looked at me, his face deadly serious. "If you wanna help, then
stand back. I don't want you getting caught in the
crossfire."

"No. Let
me help. You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I
do," Ash replied, smiling. "Male pride and all that. Now stand
back."

"Fine," I
conceded. "But if you die, I'll never forgive you."

Ash
laughed. I went to step back but his hand caught mine and he pulled
me into him. Our lips came together. I opened up eagerly as his
tongue pressed into me.

"That's
right." Nate chuckled. "Say your goodbyes, because you won't get
another chance. The next time you see him, he'll be nothing more
than a charred husk. And then we can be together,
forever."

I pulled
back from Ash to scowl at Nate. "I will never love you. How could
I, after everything you've done? I thought you were my friend, and
you betrayed me. And if you hurt Ash, I promise I will kill
you."

Nate
smiled. "You say you made me fall in love with you. I'll just have
Verloren do the same to you. It seems only right, don't you think?
You forced me to love you, and then you deny my feelings. Do you
know how that feels?"

"That was
an accident," I yelled. "I'd take it back if I could."

"But you
can't. And you should have to pay the consequences, an eye for an
eye."

"You
first," I said. "For Shannon."

Nate
shrugged. "It had to be done. Now, why don't you be a good boy and
go stand over there?" He pointed to the doorway behind him. "I'd
hate for you to get caught in the blast."

I looked
over at Ash and he nodded. As I passed Nate, I paused. "Just tell
me one thing. All those times you kept me going, you gave me a
reason to fight against the Silver Dawn. Why?"

"To get
you to Aldar and back," Nate replied. "That was my job."

Nate took
hold of my hand and pulled me towards him. His hand on the back of
my head forced our lips together. I struggled against him, pushing
my hands against his chest. I could hear Ash screaming. Nate's
tongue pushed between my lips. I stopped struggling and reached
down inside of me, flinging my magic at him. Nate pulled back, his
hand going to his face. A fine line of blood decorated his
cheek.

"Worth
it," he said, a lop-sided grin stretched across his
face.

The taste
of his lips turned my stomach and made my blood boil. I jerked back
from him and spat on the floor. Looking into his eyes, I could see
there was nothing left of the Nate I had known. His eyes were
hollow, devoid of anything redeeming.

"See you
soon, Mik."

"Not if I
can help it," Ash said. Every hair on the back of my neck and arms
stood on end. My breath formed a dense mist in front of me. A
shudder ran up my entire body. "Mik, go. Now!"

I stepped
back towards the doorway, unable to take my eyes from Ash. His
chest heaved, fists clenched and shaking. He stared at Nate with
such intensity, his hatred seeping out and filling the room. My
mouth went dry as I reached the corridor. I had never seen Ash like
this before. Nate looked over his shoulder and gave me one last
crooked smile as a wall of flames leaped up, forcing me back,
stumbling into the corridor. I shielded my eyes from the burning
light.

"Ash," I
yelled over the roar of flames. There was no reply. Had I made a
mistake? Should I have left him to fight Nate alone? A heavy weight
in my chest seemed to force the air from me, making it difficult to
breathe. I shouldn't have given in to their requests. Fire melts
ice. Surely, Ash didn't stand a chance.

"Ash!"

I
contemplated charging through the fire, but even a few steps back I
could feel the unbearable heat beating against my skin. There was a
loud crash, followed by the sound of ice shattering. I was stuck,
unable to help, or even see.

'Come to me,'
a deep voice rumbled
down the corridor. I looked behind me and clicked the safety off
the gun. I aimed down the hallway with my right hand, holding the
flashlight in my left.

'Come,'
the voice said again. I was torn
between my curiosity and my worry for Ash. Turning back to the
fire, it was clear there was nothing I could do, short of diving
through the flames and probably getting myself killed. But if I
followed this voice, maybe I would find Verloren. If I could take
him out, then there would be no need for Nate and Ash to fight to
the death. I could save them both. Even then it sounded like a
stupid idea, but it was the only plan I had.

I started
cautiously down the corridor, pausing to peer around a corner. At
the end was another large room. Torches flickered on the walls. An
elderly man sat at the back, on what appeared to be a large throne.
His hair was short and grey, thinning on top. He had dark eyes, set
amidst a mass of wrinkles and long, bushy eyebrows. In the dim
light I saw another body by his side, crouched down on the ground.
The flickering light from the torches danced across his naked skin.
Ropes bound his wrists and ankles. His body trembled.

"And
finally we meet," the old man said. There was no doubt he was the
owner of the voice that had called to me.

"Who are
you?" I asked, crouching and setting the flashlight on the floor.
My hands shook. I steadied my aim with both hands.

"I am known by many names," he
replied. "Verloren, Jules, Salvatore. All of these are names you
have no doubt heard before." Verloren, I was expecting, but not the
other two. My heart began to race. If he were to be believed, then
he wasn't working with the Silver Dawn. He
was
the Silver Dawn.

He
kneeled by the body at his side, and grabbed a handful of hair,
dragging the man to his knees. The man panicked, screaming and
thrashing. Verloren leaned in to whisper something and the body
went slack. He bent the man's neck back and drew a long nail across
his throat. My eyes widened. Verloren's mouth lunged at the wound,
blood gushing out. He slurped loudly, sucking the body dry before
letting it fall to the floor. I should have shot him there, but I
was hesitating. There were so many questions I wanted to ask,
questions I might never have another chance to find the answer
to.

"Oh,
where are my manners?" Verloren turned his blood-smeared face to
me. "Did you want some?"

I shook
my head, grimacing. "What do you want from me?"

"Straight
to business. I like that," he said. "I merely want the coordinates
of Aldar from you."

I
laughed. "And what makes you think I'd know such a thing? Do I look
like some kind of navigation device to you?"

"Actually," Verloren started. He picked up a small device
from the arm of his chair and moved to my side in a flash. He
tilted my head to one side, running the device along the side of my
neck. "You were just the vessel."

The
device beeped several times. Verloren let go of me and disappeared.
I looked around the room in confusion, until I spotted him
attaching the device to a piece of machinery at one side of the
room. The lights on the panel and monitor flashed to
life.

"Excellent." Verloren chuckled. "You see, last year we
discovered a nuclear missile in an old bunker. I planned to use it
to wipe out Aldar in one swift strike, but without the coordinates,
which you have so graciously provided, the missile was
useless."