Shift - 02 (37 page)

“But now Riley’s going to summon him, and Ithreal will be here.”

“And just as before, the hunters’ army will defeat him.” Her perfect smile made her figure glow, and she spoke with such confidence.

“But I don’t have an army. I can’t do this alone.”

“There are more of you than you think.”

“Who?”

Serephina lowered her gaze and a look of frustration crossed flawless features. “I cannot…the other gods are calling me back.”

“Tell me what to do, please?”

“I’ve told you what I am permitted. Use the Mark, Chase. Let it guide you.”

“But I don’t know how.”

Serephina’s smile filled me with an assurance I knew I shouldn’t have, and her body began to fade. It grew transparent at first, allowing me to see through it, and then she was a mist that vanished on the air.

The dark red gem on the ring exploded with bright light and blinded my vision. Air rushed around me, lifting me from the marble floor and cold air rushed over my skin. My body began to spin at incredible speeds before the light swallowed me.

Pressure surrounded my body as I soared through the ice cold air, but in seconds, the air was gone and I was thrown to the library floor. I hit the ground hard and shocks shot through my wrists, forcing the rest of my body to the floor.

Tiki and Rayna jumped from their chairs and rushed towards me.

“Are you okay?” Tiki asked.

“I think so.” I got to my feet and turned to Rayna, but I didn’t know what to say.

Rayna’s eyes were angry and she stormed towards me, slapping her hand across my face. My head jerked to the side and all the warm seduction of Serephina vanished.

“Okay, I may have deserved that.”

“You’re damn right, you did.”

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t know what was happening to me, and we were busy trying to get you to shift. ”

“That one wasn’t for lying to me. This one is.” She slapped me again and my head jerked the same way, leaving a stinging sensation over my face.

“What the hell was the first one for?” I rubbed my cheek.

“Because we’ve been sitting here worried sick about you!”

“Why?”

“You’ve been gone all day!”

My eyes opened wide. “No…it was just a few minutes.”

“Not here, it wasn’t.”

“Time works differently in each dimension,” Tiki said. “Wherever you were, time moves much slower than here. Where exactly did you go?”

“I’ve no idea; it felt like I was on a cloud.”

“Sounds like the Overworld.” Tiki nodded.

“What’s that?”

“It’s what my people call the plane the gods live on.”

“Did you talk to Serephina?” Rayna asked.

“Yeah.” I moved to a chair and sat down. My legs were tingling and I couldn’t stand any longer.“She said Riley needs the ring; it’s the only way he can communicate with Ithreal.”

“So we use a spell to hide it.”

“No, she said the Dark Brothers would find it.”

“And what happens if he gets the ring?”

“He can speak to Ithreal and find out where all his soul pieces are. Once he has them, he can finish the ritual. But Riley isn’t taking Ithreal’s powers. Riley’s body will be his vessel. Ithreal can’t leave his world in his pure form; the gods’ powers hold him there, but once the ritual is complete, his essence–a part of his soul–will take over Riley’s body.”

“Did she say anything else?”

“She said to destroy the ring. If we do, his link to Ithreal is cut off and he’s flying blind, but we need a god’s weapon to do it.”

“I’m guessing she didn’t give you one?”

“No, but she told me where to find one. One of Ithreal’s soul pieces is a dagger, in a dimension called Theral. If we get it, we can destroy the ring and we’ll have one of the pieces Riley needs.”

Tiki’s eyes widened and fear filled them. “Theral is a dark dimension, full of the purest, most evil Underworlders. They never leave their world, and no one goes there. Ever. You need to find another way.”

“We don’t have a choice. We need to do this and we need you to take us.”

“We will all die. I will not do it.”

“You said when we needed you, you’d be there,” Rayna said. “We need you now.”

Tiki shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.”

“If Riley manages to get this ring, he’s that much closer to bringing Ithreal into our world. If you’re this worried about something Ithreal made, think about what the god himself will be able to do. You want to talk dangerous now?”

Tiki’s orange eyes flickered between both of us and he sighed. “I need to think,” he said, and walked out of the room, his bare feet silent along the wood floor.

“Still mad?” I turned to Rayna with a sheepish grin.

Rayna glared at me and rolled her eyes before walking towards the stairwell.

“I said I’m sorry.”

Rayna turned and didn’t hold back the anger in her voice. “You know, the more I think about it, the more you sound just like Marcus. You hate that he keeps his secrets, but that’s exactly what you’re doing. We’re supposed to be on even ground, working together, but instead, you’re off on your own trying to be everyone’s hero. If you think an apology is enough, you’re wrong.”

“You’re right.”

“What?” Rayna’s anger turned straight to surprise.

“I didn’t know what was happening to me, so I kept it from you. It started when Riley invaded my dream, but I ignored it. I refused to believe it was more than a dream. Then we were at the werecat’s camp when it came again, but I didn’t want to tell you.
 
I didn’t want anything to distract you from shifting.”

“Don’t act like you did this for my sake.” Rayna crossed her arms, but as much as she tried to hold onto it, the anger faded.

“I didn’t know what was happening to me. Since I couldn’t explain it, I thought it best to keep it to myself.”

Rayna shook her head, the remaining anger evaporating around her. She came forward and stood in front of me, reaching out pale, slender hands on either side of my face.

“I don’t know how many times you need to hear it before it gets through your thick skull, but I’m with you. Together, we can do this, but we need to trust each other. With everything that’s happening, I need that trust, now more than ever. I don’t need secrets, Chase. I need you.”

Rayna’s eyes moved back and forth over my face, and for the first time, I realized how beautiful she was. There was something new in her eyes: a sparkle of power that had nothing to do with magic. She stepped closer and pushed up on her tiptoes. Her breath was warm as it rolled across my skin and the sensation sent a chill down my spine. I leaned towards her, and the scent of her perfume forced me to close my eyes and revel in its fragrance. Her breath grew warmer as she neared, and my hands found her hips. Her warm, soft hands slid over my neck, forcing goose bumps to scurry down my arms.

“If I do this…” Tiki interrupted.

Rayna and I immediately pulled away. We turned to face Tiki and he watched us intently from the doorway. We were silent and I felt awkward with his eyes glaring at me. His head tilted to the side, as if he was trying to understand what he saw. He shook his head and walked into the room. “If I do this, you need to understand what you’re getting yourselves into.”

“We’re listening,” I said, and cleared my throat.

“Theral is not like Drakar. It is not pretty and full of life. It’s a world full of darkness and death, lit only by moonlight. It reeks of corpses, and the creatures that inhabit it are ferocious. You think Vincent is bad? Wait until you see his ancestors.”

“Pureblood vampires?” Rayna asked.

“Yes, and they aren’t the worst thing that lives there.”

“Just tell me how to kill them and we’re good,” I said.

“It’s not like it is here. There is no sunlight to burn them. You must use fire, or cut off their heads. Your stakes will not hurt them.”

“Well, I’ve got fire covered.”
 

“It’s not that simple.” Tiki moved to the bookshelves. He pulled a book out and skimmed through it, opening it out on the table. “This is an understatement of what you’re up against, but it has similarities.”

The book showed a black and white sketch of a demon. It looked like a dwarfed human with a hunch and apelike arms. Its head was bald and the body scrawny. Claws hung from long, gangly hands and its mouth was filled with violent looking teeth. Small, jagged bones lined its jaw and forehead, and its eyes were huge.

“It doesn’t look
that
bad,” I said.

“This picture does not do the beasts justice. They are fully resistant to spells and their mental power is unparalleled. Their entire body is covered in a protective film no blade can pierce, and fire won’t harm them until that armor is gone. They are faster and stronger than anything you have ever faced.”

“Great,” Rayna said.

“How do you get through the armor?” I asked.

“There is a single bare spot on the front of their throat. If you cut deep enough, it hits a vital vein and they’ll bleed out.”

“But loss of blood doesn’t kill vampires,” Rayna said.

“That’s why you need to be fast. The blood is acidic. It will burn away the protective coating, but if it touches you, it’ll do a lot worse to you than it will to them.”

“An opening on their throat is all we get?”

“There are two other things that can pierce the armor: another vampire’s claws or the bite from a changeling.”

“What’s a changeling?” Rayna asked.

“In your world, it’s a shifter, but in the Underworld, pureblood changelings are not restricted to one shape; they take on many. Changelings, however, are among the rarest of creatures.”

“Vincent’s got vampire claws, think he would come?” Rayna smirked.

I laughed. “And put himself in harm’s way? Not a chance.”

“I’m not sure he would be of any help, or you for that matter. You are a shifter and Vincent is a vampire, but you are both half-breeds. Typically, our abilities do not affect purebloods.”

“This just keeps getting better,” Rayna said.

“So, you see my concern?”

“I get it. It’s dangerous, but it doesn’t change what needs to be done.”

Footsteps came from the stairwell and we all turned to find Marcus standing there. He carried his huge form up the last few steps and cleared his throat. Awkward didn’t begin to explain the silence. Everyone’s eyes were on the floor, except Marcus’. I could feel his eyes burning into me.

“I’d like a few moments with Chase. Alone,” Marcus said, his deep voice didn’t sound angry. It was quiet, and I wasn’t sure what to expect.

“I don’t want to talk. I’ll find a way to pay for the damages,” I said, and Tiki and Rayna vanished from the room.

“Well, I do. I don’t care about the damage, but as long as you are under this roof–”

“That can change.”

“Chase, what would you have me do? I made a promise to your mother that we wouldn’t say anything until we knew what our options were.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

“You need to realize you weren’t the only one who lost someone, Chase. We’re all hurting.”

“You lost a friend. I lost a mother,” I snapped.

“I lost the woman I love!” Marcus shouted, and his words silenced me.

My pulse was a hammer, smashing against my inside. “What?”

Marcus’ eyes were full of anger, then fear, and finally, sadness. “I…loved her. I always had. I could never break a promise to her. Not ever.” He dropped his gaze.

I didn’t know what to say. Marcus had finally broken down and shown me a piece of what hid behind his neutral expression, and it stole all the anger burning inside me.

“I…didn’t know.”

Marcus stood across from me, his massive form seemingly indestructible, but the sadness in his eyes was greater than any emotion I’d ever seen from him.

“I understand why you did it,” I said.
 

“You do?”

“I’m not angry with
you
.” I sighed. “I mean, I am, but…you weren’t the only one keeping secrets. She’s just as guilty.”
 
I didn’t realize who I was truly angry with until I said it, and I instantly felt horrible for even thinking it.

“She was your mother; her first instinct was to protect her child.”

“Well, she shouldn’t have. If you two would’ve told us, Rayna might not have been discovered. We might never have been in Drakar, and Mom…might still be alive.”
 

“That’s a lot of
ifs
. It was a decision your mother and I made together, and although I regret the results, I stand by my choice.”

“Well, when your decisions affect my life, I should be included. You don’t get to decide what I know and what I don’t.”

“What would you like to know?”

“Right now, I want to know how to get to Ithreal’s dagger. That’s all that matters.”