The Coveted (The Unearthly) (21 page)

Chapter 25

I blinked a
few times. “Le-Leanne?” How could she be real? I’d left her bloodied body only minutes ago.

“Gabrielle . . . what happened to you?” Andre asked, his voice hoarse. His eyes raked over me, and I realized that bits of bone and rubble dusted my skin, and blood stained my clothes and face.

“Listen,” Oliver interrupted, “explanations can wait. Gabrielle, I say this with love: get your ass over here.” Even as he spoke, the shadows along the walls shivered.

Consort,
they whispered.

A shadowy hand stretched away from the wall, the darkness condensing before my eyes. At the sight, I bolted towards the group.

“Take my arm,” Oliver said. I wrapped my hand around his upper arm, noticing that the others had already done the same.

Down the passageway, the earth trembled as the man in the suit came into view.

He took in the four of us, and his features hardened. “Gabrielle!” His voice shook the walls of the catacombs. “You shall not leave!”

Next to me Oliver cursed.

“What are we doing?” I asked, eyeing the devil and shifting my weight. Maybe my friends weren’t real; maybe this was a ploy. Although, considering the devil’s pissed off expression, I had to admit that it seemed a little too convincing.

“Going home. Just give me a sec.” Oliver pinched his eyes shut, and then, thankfully, the gruesome scenery vanished.

***

I glanced around me, the wind ruffling my hair. I stood in a field of green rolling hills, which fell away to water. A line of large stone men with long noses sat perched along the edge of the island, overlooking the water below the cliffs, the island’s sentinels.

In the distance I could hear the crashing surf, but other than that, all was tranquil. Only here, the sun had just set. We’d arrived on an island, but not the right one.

“Easter Island?” Leanne said. “You took us to freaking Easter Island?”

“You should be thanking me. I just saved all our asses.”

Arms wrapped around my torso, and behind me I felt Andre’s breath tickle my neck. “I thought I had lost you,” he whispered into my ear. There was a surprising amount of pain to his voice.

“What’s going on?” I whispered. I had so many questions I didn’t know which to ask first.

“We followed you by ley line. After you left, the circle collapsed.”

I turned in his arms. “You came for me?”

He brushed my hair back from my face. “Of course. I wasn’t going to let you slip through my arms a second time. Where you go, I follow.”

I leaned in and kissed him. His lips moved against mine desperately. Through the thin material that separated our bodies, I could feel his body trembling. My unshakable vampire had come undone.

“Yo hoes, Satan’s coming to town, and if we’re still here when he arrives, we don’t stand much of a chance.” Oliver tugged Leanne over to us. “Grab my arm.”

Andre and I broke apart only enough to grab Oliver’s arm. Across from me Leanne gave me a warm smile, her eyes bright. My own pooled with tears. I needed to know how she was here when she’d also been in the cathedral. I’d held her body in my arms. She hadn’t been a figment of my imagination. But that explanation would have to wait.

From above us a roar split open the heavens. The clouds spun and gathered.

“
Adios
asshole,” Oliver said, and then we were gone.

***

“Damnit Oliver, this is not the Isle of Man,” Leanne said.

“Listen, I’m a bit rusty with ley lines, but I’m working on it.”

We stood inside a cave. Buddhist artwork lined the walls. Outside the cave entrance, the land held no life. Under the light of the night sky, the stark reds, browns and grays of the soil stretched out, forming a valley bordered by cliffs of the same color. It was a beautiful, desolate place.

“Where are we?” I asked.

Andre came up next to me. “Somewhere in Nepal I think. This looks like a cave that Buddhist monks might’ve once used for meditation.”

“C’mon Sabertooth, Andre,” Oliver said, tugging on our arms. “Let’s keep moving.”

Leanne, Andre, and I all latched onto Oliver’s arm, and our surroundings dissolved away.

The air thickened, and the red-browns turned into verdant greens. Trees seemed to grow from the stone buildings surrounding us. A thick film of moss covered those stone surfaces the trees had missed. Man and Mother Nature seemed to be united here. This was an enchanted place
—
but it wasn’t the Isle of Man.

None of us let go of Oliver’s arm.

“Angkor Wat,” Andre murmured, glancing around at the night-darkened place.

The sky howled, and the jungle ferns shook.

“Whoops,” Oliver said. “We’re still not there yet.”

The scenery faded away, replaced by a familiar stone circle.

“Grab Leanne and run!” Andre shouted, picking up Oliver. I didn’t need any more encouragement. I snatched up Leanne, who couldn’t move as fast as Andre and I could, and sprinted for the edges of the circle.

On the outskirts of the circle the Politia clustered. My eyes found Caleb out of the crowd. He looked at me then glanced away.

Along with the Politia stood other men and women, together forming a substantial crowd. They began clapping when they saw us.

I passed the standing stones, and began pushing my way through the crowd.

“Put me down,” Leanne said breathlessly.

“No.” It wasn’t lost on me how much like Andre I sounded at that moment.

“I need to help close the stone circle so that the devil can’t follow us.”

Oh, well that made sense.

I brought her back to the edges of the circle. A good portion of the crowd surged forward behind us. I stepped aside, not sure what was going on.

Andre came to stand next to me. He twined his fingers through mine, his thumb making lazy circles along the skin of my hand. He seemed much too calm compared to me; my breathing was still ragged and my muscles were still ready to run at the first sight of danger.

“How did you know where to find me?” I asked.

“There was a surge along the ley line
—
Oliver guessed that was the devil’s doing, so we traveled to the source of the surge. And that’s where we found you.”

I squeezed his hand. “Thank you for coming to save me.” Who knew how much torture I would’ve had to endure had I not been rescued.

Some deep emotion filled his eyes. He leaned in and brushed a kiss along my lips. “For you I’d risk everything.”

I searched his face as he pulled away. Before I had a chance to respond, Cecilia appeared from out of the crowd, holding an ornamental knife.

“Cecilia?” My eyes had been playing tricks on me all night. That was the only explanation for why Leanne could die in front of my eyes and yet be very much alive, or why my childhood nanny was here now.

Cecilia’s eyes flicked to mine. She gave a slight nod to me and handed Leanne the knife.

A distant wail rose from all around us.

In front of me Leanne began to speak. “Spirits of the north, spirits of the south, spirits of the east, spirits of the west, I call on thee to cast this circle. Earth, air, fire, water, I call on thee to cast this circle.”

The crowd of men and women who I didn’t recognize linked hands. The one closest to Leanne placed her hand upon Leanne’s back.

The wail built on itself, vibrating along my skin.

“Take this blood as a sign of my sacrifice and bind the powers that be.” Leanne slashed her forearm and let the blood drip to the ground. “Hold fast until dawn set free.”

The air changed slightly, but other than that, I couldn’t tell that the circle had been closed. I rubbed my arms. Leanne wasn’t a witch and I knew she didn’t believe in dark magic
—
nor did the community
—
which this undoubtedly was.

Andre’s lips moved against my ear, answering my unspoken question. “The stone circle answers most powerfully to old magic. Leanne’s not a witch, but she has the sixth sense needed to properly cast a circle. Because of Leanne’s involvement in tonight’s events, Cecilia must’ve known that she’d cast the strongest protective circle. It’s the caster’s intent that really matters when it comes to old magic.”

My eyes darted to Cecilia, who pulled out a phone and placed a call, but I couldn’t hear what she said over the wail.

The sound came to a piercing crescendo, then abruptly cut off. The devil stood in the middle of the circle.

Goosebumps broke out along my skin, and I had to remind myself that I was safe. The man in the suit took us all in, his eyes finally resting on mine. None of his former anger showed in his features. That, more than anything, scared me; I couldn’t understand him.

“Consort, come to me.”

Dozens of heads turned to face me. Some looked fearful, others curious.

“You have proven yourself to be worthy.”

Somehow I seriously doubted that.

The surface of the devil’s body seemed to move, as if created from smoke. Whatever had made him solid before was weakening.

Because of the audience I’d now gathered, I pulled away from Andre and walked to the edge of the circle.

“Gabrielle . . .” Leanne said, her voice full of warning.

“It’s okay,” I told her. Behind her Andre watched me, his eyes missing nothing. When our gazes met, he gave a slight nod. Perhaps I hadn’t proven myself to the devil, but I had proven myself worthy to Andre.

I swiveled my head back to face the man in the suit. “I just wanted to remind the devil that this is an active circle; I cannot enter and he cannot exit,” I said, throwing his earlier words back at him. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say.

His features flickered, his rage surfacing for a moment before he rearranged his expression into something pleasant and harmless. “There are many entrances to your world
—
even on your island. This circle can’t keep me away from you.”

Cecilia stepped up next to me. “Pluto,” she said. I raised my eyebrows at the name she used. Pluto was the Roman name for the god Hades, the lord of the underworld.

“Nona.” His voice was as sharp as the edge of a knife. I didn’t know much about fates, but from the research I’d done on them, I knew Nona was the Roman fate who spun the thread of life.

Gasps erupted from the crowd. They must not have known Cecilia’s true identity until this moment.

“You cannot have her,” Cecilia said. “Not tonight. The girl has spoken.”

“You are not the only fate Nona. Decima and Morta are not here to cast their vote, and rumor has it they do not share your same feelings.”

“They are no concern of yours.”

“Stay out of this!” the devil roared.

“Pluto, you have gotten greedy. You will not have the girl tonight. It is not to be.”

I blew out a breath of air, noticing only now that my legs had been trembling. I was safe.

“She must die once more before you will have another chance,” Cecilia said.

Well hell. So much for safety.

Panicked, I gazed at my former nanny, sincerely hoping she wasn’t suggesting that I’d have to go through this all over again in the future.

A calculating twinkle lit up the devil’s eyes, a smile touched his lips, and I began to shake all over again. His focus turned to me, and I almost collapsed under his stare. “I agree to your terms Nona.” He spoke to her but looked at me. “When Gabrielle dies, then I will extend to her the same benevolent offer she received tonight. Until then, I’ll wait.”

His gaze lingered on me for another moment, and then he faded away to nothing.

Chapter 26

“Whose blood is
on your dress?”

I pulled the blanket I’d been given tighter around my torso, and shifted my weight. “Leanne’s.”

An inspector from the Politia wrote down my response. In the same hand that clutched his notepad, a recorder captured everything I said.

“The same girl who you carried out of the circle?” he clarified.

“Yes.” My skin crawled with the need to shower. I’d been here for over an hour, telling and now retelling my story. I’d probably have to do it a few more times too.

“And when did you get the blood on your dress?”

I sighed. This was the part where my story no longer made sense. “Right after she died.” His eyebrows nudged up.

Behind his shoulder Leanne sat with the same group of men and women who had joined hands earlier, looking very much alive. The group of them had decided to remain at the circle until dawn to make sure the devil wouldn’t try to get through again.

Oliver had told me earlier that the group consisted of local witches and psychics Leanne had contacted for assistance. Contacted for assistance days ago. Whatever had happened this evening, whatever I’d seen and been through, Leanne had been working to stop it for a long time. My heart clenched at her selflessness, at all my friends’ selflessness.

The inspector cleared his throat, and my attention returned to him. “I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked.

“How did she die?”

I bit my lip. “Minions of hell killed her.” Crazy laughter bubbled up, and I had to clamp my mouth shut to stop myself from cackling like a maniac.

“Minions of hell.”

I nodded.

This inspector was nicer than the last one who interviewed me, but that didn’t stop him from pinioning me with his gaze.

“What?” I said. “You mean to tell me you believe in the devil, but not minions of hell?”

“I believe in demons.”

“Well, the devil called them his minions,” I said.

“So they were the devil’s minions, not minions of hell.”

I can honestly say that I never thought I’d be having this conversation.

“Same thing,” I said. I could hear the defeat in my voice.

Energy thrummed through my veins, and my body tensed before I relaxed. A warm hand touched my back, and I didn’t have to check behind me to know just whose hand it was.

With his other hand Andre passed me a paper cup. The smell of hot chocolate rolled off of it. “You are the god of all things good,” I said, taking a sip of the steaming drink and trying not to moan at how good it tasted.

As always, Andre’s presence seemed to fill up the space, a pretty impressive feat considering that we stood in an open field. “I think Gabrielle is done for the evening.”

“I only have a few more questions,” the inspector said.

“Nonetheless, it’s going to have to wait until morning.”

The inspector’s lips began to protest, and Andre shot him a withering look.

Whatever the inspector had planned on saying died on the tip of his tongue. Instead he said, “Very well. Gabrielle, expect a call from us sometime tomorrow morning for a follow up.”

I handed the inspector the blanket I’d borrowed, then let Andre lead me back to his car. I snapped my seatbelt on as Andre gunned the engine.

“Where exactly are we going?” I asked, my body still shivering. I was cold from the inside out.

“You should know by now,” Andre said with a smirk. “My place. Where I’m not letting you out of my sight ever again.”

Bossy vampire.

***

Andre flicked on the lights to his bathroom. Along the room’s walls, mosaic saints gazed at me. For a guy with a supposedly damned soul, Andre seemed to be fairly religious.

He sauntered across the room and turned on the shower. Water fell from the ceiling, and it took me a moment to realize the showerhead was built into the very walls of the place.

I glanced down at my ripped and soiled dress, which had been so beautiful earlier. The bodice was no longer blue but instead the color of a dark bruise. At the sight, the entire hellish evening came back to me and I began to shake uncontrollably.

Andre scooped me up and set me on the bathroom counter. “Here,” he said gently, “I’ll help you.”

He slid his hands to my shoes and removed them one by one. Once he finished, he straightened back up, took my hand, and tugged me to my feet. “Turn around.”

I did as he said. Behind me Andre pulled at the laces of the corset I wore, and gradually the bodice of my dress loosened.

I held it to me and turned to him. “Please don’t leave me right now,” I whispered. I didn’t care that he’d see me naked. I wasn’t even thinking along those terms at the moment. I just wanted someone to help me stay in the present. Otherwise, my mind would relive my night with the devil over and over again.

He watched me for a beat, then nodded.

I let the dress drop, barely noticing how Andre’s guarded gaze fluttered and then moved over me.

I removed the rest of my clothing and then entered the shower, not sure whether Andre would follow me or simply stay in the same room. Considering the clear glass walls of the shower, I’d rather have him in here with me than feel like I was a specimen to study across the room.

A noise escaped my lips at the sight of the water that puddled at my feet. Blood and bones discolored the liquid that swirled down the drain.

Behind me the shower door opened, and Andre came in. He wrapped his arms around my shaking torso, his bare chest pressing into my back as he enveloped me in a hug. I could honestly say this was the first naked hug I’d ever received, and it was way more wonderful than I would’ve imagined.

Andre turned me in his arms and lifted my chin until our eyes met. In his own eyes I saw something that surprised me
—
pain. “I’m not going to ask you about this evening until you want to talk about it, okay?” he said.

I nodded to him. The Politia required that official statements be made either alone or in the presence of a lawyer, so Andre hadn’t heard me recount the events I’d been through.

“Are you comfortable washing off the . . . grime, or would you prefer I do it?”

I remembered the last awful shower I had to take. I had stood under a weak facet in the girl’s dormitory bathrooms and whimpered as I rinsed off my blood, Theodore’s, and a bit of Caleb’s.

The thought of someone else helping me . . . The offer had never been extended to me until now, and at the moment I wasn’t proud enough to turn it down.

“Can you?” The words came out soft.

He caressed the side of my face. “Of course.” He dropped his hand to reach around me and grab a bar of soap and a washcloth.

He hesitated. “This moment,” he said, “I want you to know it doesn’t count. Tonight I’m not the guy that wants you physically, I’m just the guy who cares about you.”

It struck me again that this was love. Me allowing someone to take care of me for once, and Andre doing something for me solely because he was concerned for my well-being. It had nothing to do with how we looked and everything to do with who we were.

I took a deep breath and studied the way water beaded along Andre’s torso. “I’ll tell you what happened tonight, that way I won’t have to relive it at another time.”

Before he could question whether I was ready to talk, I jumped into the story. “As soon as I disappeared, the devil took me to a cathedral made of bones . . .”

As I recounted the events, he moved the sudsy cloth around my hairline, over my neck, and down my back. I pinched my eyes shut as flakes of blood swirled into the drain at my feet. He moved the cloth along my quivering arms and across my chest.

His brows pinched together and his lips had thinned at each new piece of information.

After I finished Andre silently ran the washcloth over me a few more times. My skin had a pleasant pink hue to it where the heat and the washcloth had buffed it, but I still felt dirty. I’d need several more showers to psychologically wipe away the events.

Andre took his time setting the soap and washcloth aside before facing me. “Before you become a vampire, your human body has to die,” he said. I blinked at what seemed like a random topic. “Considering how fast you’re already changing, I give you a little over a year before that happens. Which means that we’ve got a lot to do in a short amount of time.”

“What are you talking about?”

Andre worked his jaw, indicating that he wasn’t happy about what he was about to say. “We’re going to have to equip you to face him.”