Drowning In The Dark: #4 The Veil Series (8 page)

“
I
f you ask me
, he’s faking it.” I admired Adam’s bookshelf filled with technical-sounding titles written by various doctors. Behind me, Adam leaned against the front of his solid oak desk. Like the man himself, his office was organized, neat. Everything had its place. “You have no idea what you’ve captured. You can’t quantify Akil. He’s chaos.” I trailed a finger along the books.

“Did you sense any power coming from him?”

“No, but then I’m not exactly myself either.” Adam’s attention crawled up my back like a spider. I gave my shoulders a shrug. Tension strummed through my body. Acutely aware of the drug in my veins, I had to fight the urge not to scratch it out. I’d already caught myself digging my nails into my wrists.

“When he spoke to you in Arabic, do you know what he said?”

Arabic. Interesting. “No.”

“He said,
‘I will not be chained.’”

Adam couldn’t see my smile. I made sure to wipe it from my lips before turning to face him. “He’s playing you.”

“He’s in denial.”

“Oh, I’m not arguing that. He’s forever in denial. Please, Adam. I won’t beg again, but please let him go. He will destroy you and this place if you don’t.”

“Muse, what you ask is impossible. He’s our only direct link to the princes—”

“Who he can’t reach right now because he’s off the grid.”

Adam’s silvery eyebrows rose. “Explain.”

“Prince FM.” I tapped my temple. “Akil has tuned out, probably due to P-C-Thirty-Four. They don’t like one of their own going off the grid.”

Adam’s inquiring expression portrayed something like admiration. “Go on.”

“No.” He bristled at my rebuttal, a reaction which warmed my insides. “If you want information from me, if you want me to help you, then you must do something for me.”

“I won’t release him.”

It was his funeral. “Show me your half bloods.”

I’ll give him credit. His level expression gave nothing away. “Why?”

At least he hadn’t denied their existence. “I’m curious. Stefan and Dawn are all I’ve met of my kind, and they didn’t turn out so well. I just…” I sighed, laying it on thick. “I’ve never belonged. A man like you wouldn’t understand. Reared in the netherworld, I had no real identity, no self-worth. As you know, Akil saved me from that, but even with him as my… mentor, we weren’t the same. I became human under the ever-watchful eye of the Prince of Greed, a being as demon as they get. The only genuinely human contact I’ve had was with an Institute spy.” He flinched. Good. He deserved it. “And then Stefan…” I let his name hang in the air like a ghost and watched Adam swallow hard. “Well, we both know how that ended.” Unexpected moisture blurred my sight.
Hey, look at me, the poor little half-blood experiment, so lost and alone.
“I just need to see them. It’s not a lot to ask. And in exchange, I will tell you everything I know about the princes.” Which wasn’t a great deal, thanks to Akil’s uncanny ability to wriggle out of the truth.

“And you’ll tell me what Akil meant when he said his investment had not yet come to fruition.”

Ah, that. “I don’t know for sure, but I’ll tell you what I’ve figured out so far.”

“Tell me now, as a… precursor to our agreement.”

Damn, he could bargain hard. “He believes me to be a weapon. One he can wield.”

“How exactly?”

Always with the pertinent questions. “You saw what I did over the gardens, how I drew from the veil and boosted Akil’s power so he could drive the Larkwrari demon back?” Adam nodded. “I funneled so much power into him, I think it altered him somehow. He says he’s different now. I think, and this is just my gut feeling, but I think the two of us together would be…” Unstoppable? Terrifying? “…formidable.”

“And how does he intend to control you?”

“He’s always controlled me, one way or another.” I had no intention of telling Adam about the soul-lock. There be dragons down that path.

“To what end?”

“You’ll have to ask him that.”

“No, you will.”

I bit my tongue and smiled sweetly, gulping back my innate desire to argue with him and resist his orders. “Did you know there was a queen?”

Adam’s eyes widened. “We suspected, given their titles, but we have no confirmation. He’s spoken of her? Does she live?”

My smile turned sour. “Show me the half-bloods, Adam, and I’ll tell you everything.”
Especially the part when you have the most likely candidate for the King of Hell in your cell
.

He nodded. “I’ll allow you to meet them. And then we talk.”

I couldn’t help wondering as I watched him brighten with the idea of new knowledge if I was, in all likelihood, talking to a soon-to-be dead man. Stefan would kill him if he got close enough. Akil would kill him in a heartbeat. Hell, if I lost control, Adam was at the top of my demon’s to-do list, and her ideas put mine to shame. A lot of good his knowledge would do him when surrounded by demons thirsty for his blood.

“I knew you’d come good, Muse.” He straightened, squared shoulders, head up, eyes gleaming with pride. It took all my control not to snarl over my smile.

A
dam wasted
no time escorting me through the facility to an area innocuously called B Section. I’d been told the Institute’s half bloods were little more than animals in cages. To a degree, that was true. But their cages were the beds they’d been strapped to and the drugs keeping them subdued. The two half bloods, one male, one female, were naked beneath the single white sheets draped over them. Only the various monitors displaying jumping graphs and twitching numbers indicated any life. I’d get more conversation from bodies in a morgue.

A curious urge to touch proved undeniable, and standing beside the bed of a young male, I reached my fingers out, but stopped short of his bare shoulder. He appeared to be perhaps eighteen or nineteen years old. His hair, so short it was barely there at all, would probably be a honey blonde if left to grow out. Strong cheekbones, fine jaw. He’d be a heartbreaker at college. Resting my fingers on his shoulder, I expected him to flinch, but he didn’t react at all. Beneath his eyelids, his eyes twitched, as though he dreamed.

“They’re physically fit, athletic almost. You don’t keep them like this?”

“No. When Subjects Gamma and Delta are not in use, we put them in stasis. They have a strict training regime keeping them physically and mentally challenged.”

Adam stood behind my left shoulder, thankfully out of my peripheral vision. I couldn’t see him, which meant he wouldn’t be able to see my sneer. What he was doing here, it was so fundamentally wrong that it boiled my blood without the help of my demon.

“Do they have real names?”

“No.”

Of course not. That would humanize them. Like this, they were subjects, projects, pets.

The girl lay as still as her brother. Eyes closed. Chest rising and falling. She had a heart-shaped face, almost pixie-like. I imagined a bright, exaggerated smile on her pale lips if these kids ever smiled. This was no life. I thought I had it bad, but these kids were machines.

“Can they summon from the veil?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Are they aware? I mean, do they know what they are, who they are?”

“They know they belong to the Institute. They obey commands without fault. They are quite remarkable.”

I withdrew my hand from the boy’s shoulder. “You know these are kids, Adam?” Turning a little, I glared back at Adam Harper’s impassive face. This was routine for him and totally acceptable in his world.

“They’re half-bloods, hybrids. You know as well as I, uncontrolled half-bloods are dangerous. This is the best option for all of us.”

Stefan had listened to this bullshit from his own father for his entire life. Just when I thought I couldn’t hate Adam any more, he surprised me. “Don’t they get a chance at life? Y’know, school, friends, real things…”

“That method failed with Stefan.”

My hands curled into fists as the urge to argue swelled inside. “I’ve seen enough.” Following behind Adam, steps heavy, I imagined myself plunging a dagger into his back. It helped. How was I going to tell Stefan about these kids? For him, it would be like looking in a mirror. He wouldn’t react well.

At least I’d seen them. They existed. They were real, and Adam seemed to believe they were powerful enough to draw from the veil. We would need them if we had any hope of beating back the princes.

L
ess than an hour later
, it occurred to me as I sat opposite the unchained and impossible contradiction that was Akil, that he probably knew all about the half bloods. They were, in fact, the very reason he was there. In all likelihood, he’d planned to get captured so he might discover the Institute’s underground facility— much the same way I’d wormed my way inside.

He looked back at me, posed sideways in his chair, reading my face while I tried to stare the answers out of him. Shirtless, he oozed masculine
predator
. And it wasn’t his demon either. The man looking back at me was exactly that—all man—and my internal Akil BS detectors were spiking off the charts.

“Have they gone?” My soft words somehow hardened in the quiet.

He blinked and answered without checking the mirrored glass. “Yes. Although they’ll be listening, recording, scribbling notes, making assessments, measuring me against their inadequate benchmarks.”

Could they see the smile lurking on his lips from behind their monitors or how the amber in his eyes shimmered like sunlight on water? I doubted it, which was exactly why he let me see it. They were so screwed.

“What are you waiting for, Akil?” I realized I’d subconsciously mirrored his relaxed posture and sat upright, shuffling in my seat. They’d at least furnished him with a table, chairs, and a bed. Not that he’d care. He’d happily sleep on the floor or might not sleep at all.

His keen gaze warmed my skin as he slid it from my face, down the hollow of my neck, and let it linger on my chest, undressing me with his eyes. For a few moments, he did nothing then slowly, languishing in the rising tension, he lifted his searing gaze. “I find I have a new respect for humans. You suffer emotions well. I, on the other hand, am struggling to contain the many
feelings
flocking like frightened birds in my head.”

Nice try. “You can’t be human, Akil.” He might be damn close to it while trapped in his vessel, but the elemental creature inside him wasn’t of this world. “You can’t experience human emotion.”

“Then tell me why I spent months grieving your death?”

Blinking rapidly, I pulled back. It was the first time he’d admitted it. “I don’t know. Maybe what you felt was just a byproduct of having your plans destroyed. Grief for all those years you wasted on me, perhaps?”

He shifted sideways in his seat and leaned an arm on the table. “Perhaps, although sixteen years really isn’t much when you consider I am eternal.” He tapped out a one-two beat on the tabletop with his fingers. “You lured me into that alley, Muse. You knew I watched over you. You used me.”

“You’re wrong, although I almost wish you weren’t. How does it feel, Akil? Being used? Pluck one of those new emotions out for me, and tell me what the great Prince of Greed feels right now.
Had
I used you, you’d admire me all the more for my deceit.”

A tick of a smile twitched across his lips and was gone again. “Why didn’t you fight the demon in the alley? He almost killed you.”

“I told you why.” I really didn’t want to mention the details while sitting at the heart of the Institute and tried to convey as much with my eyes.
Don’t tell them about the soul-lock, Akil. Please.

He absorbed my silent plea, then his dark eyes narrowed. “You lured me in close and distracted me with the one thing you knew I couldn’t refuse.”

How could I tell him it wasn’t lies when I knew the Institute would jump on me the second they learned I had yet another demon cohabiting my body, soul, and mind. I genuinely wanted him to get Damien out of me. I needed it to happen, sooner rather than later, but it was a moot point while we were fifteen levels down and both elementally restrained.

“You’re paranoid. I wouldn’t turn on you, Akil. I owe you too much. We’ve had our misunderstandings, but I see you clearly now. Besides,” I tried a smile, but it felt too tight, “You used me to get yourself a one-way ticket to this place. So stop throwing stones in glass houses.”

“I didn’t plan this.”

“Liar.”

“You wouldn’t say that if you knew the turmoil I’m experiencing. I am not meant to be contained.” His eyes flashed. “I am elemental. The longer I’m trapped like this, the weaker I become. If the princes should discover…” He gritted his teeth, lips turned down, and tore his gaze away. “Not that it matters. There is little to stop what’s coming.”

“What is coming?” I wanted to know, as did Adam. We agreed on that, at least.

Akil leaned back. “In a matter of days, countless lesser demons will break through the weakening veil. My kind will create chaos. It is our…purpose. When your world reels from the first wave, the veil will fall. The princes will come, and there is no force here powerful enough to stop them. Besides you. And one other.” The brittle white light cut into his hardened figure. His golden skin seemed to soak it up, combining luminosity with raw wildness.

“What other?”

He looked at me then, his eyes wide, pupils swelling. I fought not to drop my gaze, like I would have once, when he’d plucked me fresh out of hell. “Half bloods are the key, if you survive the collapse of the veil.”

The veil could collapse? I held my expression, careful not to give away the internal alarm his words had tripped. “If the veil collapses, why would I not survive?”

“The veil holds back the elements. Should it fall, the netherworld will spill through.” He paused, allowing his words time to sink in. I’d summoned enough power in my time to understand what he meant. Too much netherworld energy would smother me. Half bloods walked the line between two worlds. We borrowed elements from both sides of the veil. A flood of netherworld energy could kill me, or it might drive me out of my mind. But Stefan had taken a blast from the netherworld, and he’d survived. I shifted uneasily in my seat. I’d also stolen too much before and suffered the consequence. Only the cold waters of Boston harbor had saved me from going nuclear. “It won’t come to that.”

“You shouldn’t be here,” Akil growled. “Half bloods need to be standing tall.”

The stilted tone of his words hinted at a deeper meaning. Half bloods. This was about the kids. It had to be. “I didn’t have much choice.”

“You came for me?” His expression softened with hope, but that couldn’t be right. Hope and Akil didn’t mix, like oil and water. He’d never waste time with hope. His words were clues, allowing me a peek inside his charade.

“Yes. Why else?” I blinked innocent eyes. He caught it, I think. Did we agree? I couldn’t read much beyond the half-smile and spark of intelligence in his eyes.

“You let them poison you again,” he gestured and gave a dismissive shake of his head, “after everything that’s happened?”

“Yes… I…” The words almost slipped free.
I needed it.
“It was the only way.” If it wasn’t for the Institute’s bad timing, I’d already be free of Damien. Akil would have evicted him, and I’d have that stinking, rotten darkness out of me. I huffed out a sigh, shoulders sinking, suddenly so damn tired. Portents of doom never failed to sour the air.

Akil stood, moved around the table with purpose, and settled his hands on my shoulders. His innate warmth immediately soaked through my muscles. Was it elemental or just male? I couldn’t tell, but it felt wonderful. I closed my eyes and let my head fall back against him. The familiar cinnamon and cloves scent of him, warm and comforting, smoothed my frayed nerves. He worked his fingers against my muscles, circling and kneading. I didn’t care that the Institute would be watching. I needed him close. He’d always subdued Damien and rejuvenated my reserves.

“You must leave,” he whispered against my cheek, so softly his breath tickled my skin and scattered needles of desire through me, “Your brother shares your element. Tear it out of him, as you did me. Destroy him before he rallies the remaining princes. You must be demon to do this, Muse. He will not suffer your humanity lightly. His lust will destroy the human in you, as it has the enforcer girl.”

I mumbled something like an agreement, but his touch worked out more than just tension. I found myself drifting in a sea of comfort, wrapped up so tightly in his warmth, that I just wanted to close my eyes and sleep. He massaged lower, fingers easing out the knots in my muscles, working them away.

“He has half bloods—” I murmured. He turned my head to the side, leaned over my shoulder, and captured my lips with a kiss. A ragged bolt of hunger and lust struck at my center. The ravenous need with which I kissed him back should have startled me, but I was too far gone to care. He plundered my mouth, devoured all I had to give, and would have taken more. Fire flared within me—ethereal, demon— and behind it swirled the dark like a looming storm. I gasped and tried to pull back. Akil clamped his hand to the back of my head and held me still. Whispers hissed from his lips, words I recognized only as part of the soul-lock, ancient words pregnant with elemental energy.

“Release Muse.” Adam’s voice shattered the spell riding me, but still Akil continued. His words touched my lips and dove inside, racing down my throat, and gathered like a lead weight in my belly. My parasite twisted. When Akil’s words stopped, so did the assault on my hitchhiker.

He touched his forehead to mine. “If they believed us allies, they would not allow you this close,” he whispered. “This gift will help. Be demon, Muse, but don’t let it win. I will come to you when I am ready.”

“Release her,” Adam’s disembodied voice barked. “We won’t ask again.”

So close to Akil, lost in his eyes, I witnessed his eyebrow arch before he gave me a hint of a smile and jerked away, lifting his hands.
See? Harmless.
Right. Akil had power. I touched my lips, absorbing the warmth through my fingertips.

“Muse.” Adam beckoned, not sounding particularly pleased.

I wobbled out of the chair and staggered to the door, head light, body numb, fire simmering, and darkness swirling. It was all I could do not to collapse in a heap and ride out the aftereffects of whatever Akil had just done to me.