Devour, A Paranormal Romance (Warm Delicacy Series, Book 3) (30 page)

My wrath stepped forward in my mind, waving its hand as if to say
'pick me, pick me
!' And for the first time in my life, I stepped down and gave it the reigns, trusting that it wouldn’t go too far.

My fingers closed around her fragile throat, hefting her off her bed with little effort. Arrick’s voice called my name, but I lifted a hand to silence him. Her eyes drooped to my face as I held her before me, growling.

“Where’s your master you pathetic dog?” My voice was dripping with hate. I’d wanted revenge for what she’d done to me, but there were bigger fish to fry. Ana was working with Baal, and she was going to tell me where he was hiding.

She closed her eyes, as tears dripped down her dirty face.

“Answer me!” I shook her, and her body dangled like a ragdoll. Other voices called out my name but they were only whispers in the distance. I didn’t want anything to stop me from my goal. My sights were set on Ana right now, but it was Baal that I
really
wanted. Ana was the only thing standing in my way.

I shook her again, squeezing my fingers tighter around her throat. Her lips parted and a painful gasp escaped her. Blood still stained her fangs, bringing back visions of the night she’d almost killed me. My tongue slid across my lips when I realized how I could make her talk.

My father flew into the cell, shouting for me to stop but I didn’t even glance in his direction. He wanted to take Ana to Naos, but I knew there wasn’t time for that. Who knew when Baal would attack next? We needed answers, now.

Arrick tried again to connect with me, strengthing our bond in hopes of stopping me, but I couldn’t allow that. I closed my mind and my heart, barring him entry. I had to find a way to defeat Baal and Ana might hold the key. Maybe it was risky to allow my fury to have so much power over me, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

The more they all tried to calm me down the angrier I became. Instead of focusing on ripping the secrets from Ana’s throat with my fangs, my temper started to zero in on those around me. The very fact that they were trying to stop me felt like a violation. If they weren’t willing to find Baal at all costs then they might as well be working for him! If they weren’t with me, then they were against me!

A cry of pain shattered the building inferno of anger that was billowing out around me. The air grew hot enough to snuff out the oxygen in the room, and violent coughing broke out around me. Even Ana, still dangling from my iron grip, gagged violently. Happy to finally see a reaction come from her, I drop her like a rock.

“You’re pathetic,” I spit the word at her. “You wanted to kill me so badly last night, and now look at you. Come on, give me your best shot,” I said, baiting her.

And then Ana did the one thing I hadn’t expected her to do, she curled into a ball and wept. “I-I wasn’t trying to kill you.”

“Then what were you trying to do?” Ronon interrupted, and I’d forgotten anyone else was actually around me. “You flew at us a like a rabid animal, with the putrid stink of death wafting off you.”

She lifted her head then, looking up at me with tear filled eyes and reached for me. “I just want Luka back,” she said pitifully.

“What?” I jumped away from her grasping fingers as she clawed at my legs.

“What is she talking about?” Arrick stepped forward. There was anger in his eyes and when I realized it was directed at me my shoulders slumped. My temper was simmering down and the reality of the situation was becoming visible. I didn’t care so much about how I’d treated Ana, but how I’d treated Arrick. I had blocked him out, closed off our bond, and I should never have done so. I knew I’d hurt him, and the way he avoided my gaze made it painfully obvious.

“We don’t have Luka, Ana. He’s dead. Why have you come here?” Arrick continued.

Ana started wailing like a child, crying out Luka’s name loud enough to pull him from his grave. Everyone looked around uncomfortably while she had her temper tantrum and was clueless what to do. It wasn’t like we could comfort her.

She continued to cry out his name, over and over till it became a chant between her sobbing, and just when I’d had about enough the stone around my neck began to heat up. It got so hot my flesh started to sting where it touched me between my breasts. All I could think as the searing heat began to bite through my skin was to get it away from me, and without even thinking my hand reached for it, lifting it up out of my shirt before it cooked itself right into me.

Just as I pulled it free of my blouse, Ana launched up like a jack rabbit, snatching it from my grasp before I even realized what happened. The chain snapped like a twig from around my neck. Before she could squeal her victory over retrieving the stone, Arrick hurled himself forward, tackling her to the ground. She didn’t even seem to care, and began laughing happily as he sat atop her, pinning her arms down with his massive hands.

I wanted to grab the stone back, I wanted to pretend I’d never taken it out of my shirt and revealed the one secret I’d wanted to keep hidden, but it was too late. Titan thundered past me, shouldering me with his enormous width and knocking me to the side as he made his way into Ana’s cell. A growl howled out of his lungs as he pried the stone from Ana’s death grip. The sound of the bones in her fingers breaking resounded as loud as his growl before he finally wrenched it from her grip.

He held it before him by the broken chain like he was dangling a dead rat by its tail. His eyes found mine and bore into me with such utter disgust that I gulped loudly, completely losing any ounce of rage-filled power I’d thought I’d had.

“I told you not to bring those here,” my father stepped forward, shaking his head at me. I didn’t know what to say to him. Something told me “I’m sorry” wasn’t going to be enough this time.

“I’ve never seen anyone act like that toward a stone before,” Arrick said, relinquishing Ana to Ronon’s deadly embrace. My eyes glanced hopefully to him, grateful that he’d changed the subject away from my guilt, although probably not intentionally.

“Dear Goddess!” I exclaimed, forgetting how much everyone hated me at that moment. I leaned forward, plucking the stone from Titan’s hand and cupping it in my palm. My eyes followed the swirling darkness inside, looking almost identical to all the other stones, then I looked to Ana, and then back at the stone.

“Ana?” She reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the stone in my hand and up to my face. “Is Luka’s soul inside this stone?”

“Give him back to me!” She screamed in agony as if Ronon were branding her with a red hot iron, and I knew what I had always suspected was true. Luka’s soul was somehow trapped inside that dark stone.
That’s
why Ana came here.

It was obvious no one wanted to believe it, but the evidence spoke for itself. Arguments ensued, most of them directed at me. Things were feeling like they were falling apart with everyone barking back and forth at one another. Titan was cussing me out, my father and Arrick were defending me despite the fact that they both agreed I had been completely wrong in bringing the stone,
and
Ronon was standing back holding onto Ana like she was a rebellious child.

“Stop!” I shrieked at the top of my lungs making everyone grow silent and stare at me as if they’d forgotten I was even there. “We don’t have time to be fighting like this,” I said, pleadingly.

“You let her bring that thing into my city!”
Titan continued, pointing an accusing finger at me.

Fine, if he wanted to continue complaining about something that couldn’t be changed that was his problem. Yes, I was disobeying my father’s demands that I lock them up, but if I had kept my promise we wouldn’t have leverage over Ana. And that’s what this stone was, leverage. I could make her talk now, and that’s what I intended to do.

Ignoring Titan’s spittle launching tirade, I attempted to exit the cell. He gruffly snagged my arm, yanking me back to face him. “I’m not done with you!”

Both my father and Arrick pushed Titan off me, but he didn’t seem the least bit uneasy about either of them looking like they were ready to tear his throat out for touching me.

“That’s enough,” Ronon finally stepped in and pushed his father back with his free arm.

“This isn’t over,” Titan huffed.

“I don’t expect it to be,” I admitted and he seemed pleased with my reply. “I know I shouldn’t have brought this,” I held the necklace before him and he lurched back like it would electrocute him. “But because I did, we’ve been presented with a very unique opportunity.” Everyone turned to me wide-eyed like I’d gone completely bonkers, and Ana had resorted to blubbering.

“What kind of opportunity?” Arrick and Ronon both asked in sync. I looked to Ana and then back to the rest of the group and realized that for my plan to work we’d have to have this conversation somewhere more private.

“We should meet in your chambers,” my father said to Titan, catching on. Titan nodded his agreement and stomped out of the cell with my father, Arrick, and Ronon close at his heels. I hung back as Mikel stood at the door, ready to lock Ana back in her cell.

“Get her cleaned up and bring her to my room.” He looked surprised by my order, but didn’t question it. “
Don’t
let her leave.”

“She will not, princess. I swear on my oath.” He bowed his head, and entered Ana’s cell as I made my way out of the dungeon to Titan’s private chambers.

The door was open, waiting for me to enter and I stepped through the narrow gap with a heavy intake of air. This was going to be a very difficult conversation, I just hoped I could convince them all to look past the mistake I’d made and realize the opportunity we had. If Ana wanted that stone badly enough to travel to the Titan region on her own, risking the threat of burning alive in the desert sun, then that had to mean she would tell us
anything
to get it back. I was praying that the
anything
would be where Baal had his stronghold. It was time we came “knocking” on his door.

Ronon slammed the door closed behind me with a deafening thud, and I gulped loudly. Every face was expressionless, and I felt like I was on the chopping block. Even the two most important men in my life looked like executioners as I stepped hesitantly forward, wringing my hands together. They could forgive me, couldn’t they? I mean, what harm had I really caused? Sure, I definitely offended Titan, but no one had been hurt… well, no one except Ana, but I didn’t see anyone crying any tears for
her
well-being.

“Explain yourself!” Titan bellowed.

I looked around the room, first to Arrick and his face, surprisingly, softened. I’d thought
he
, most of all, would be upset, but I could feel his concern for me. Sadly, I could still sense how much I’d hurt him. He probably wasn’t even mad that I’d brought the damn necklace, certainly maybe because I hadn’t told him, but mostly he was upset because I’d shut him out. Even though it had only been for a moment, that didn’t make it any less painful and I had a sinking suspicion it would tear down everything we’d built together.

Ronon, on the other hand, looked as disgusted with me as the blood whore had when I refused to feed from her. I suppose I’d hurt him a great deal too. We didn’t exactly get along, but he’d opened up to me and I was carrying around the one thing that was probably the most painful reminder of his mother’s death. The same undoubtedly went for Titan, but I didn’t have the guts to look into his monstrous gaze again.

Lastly, my eyes retreated to my father, and the disappointment I saw there was heartbreaking. I refused to let the tears that were building in my eyes fall and took a deep centering breath. I felt bad,
really
bad, but I couldn’t let that distract me from what had to be done. Saving the world from Baal was more important than my feelings.

“I went against my father’s wishes by bringing that stone with me to Titan,” I said, thinking that admitting my guilt was the best way to get them to listen to me. In my peripheral vision I could see Titan stir in his seat, but I kept my eyes on my father. “I swore to him I wouldn’t, and I broke that promise. I’m sorry.” I swallowed hard, waiting to see if my father would accept my apology. He stared at me for a long moment until his features relaxed and he gave me a small nod.

“I regret the pain I’ve caused and I
will
say that I was wrong, but I cannot say that I am not glad I did.” I held my breath waiting for the wrath I knew would come.

“How dare you!” It was Ronon’s venomous voice that assaulted me.

“Please, I don’t mean that as an insult. I…”

“And how could that be anything but?” He interrupted me, stepping forward with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword like he was ready to chop off my head.

“Let her speak!” Arrick roared in a voice that scared even me. He closed the gap between us and rested his strong hand on my shoulder. If anyone was going to be chopping my head off, they’d have to go through him first. It was that tiny gesture that made it easier for me to breathe. At least he didn’t hate my guts completely.

“This isn’t the first time Ana has come after me. I believe she wants this stone more than anything else in the world.”

“What are you saying, child?” my father asked curiously. He was shifting his weight from side to side looking very uncomfortable with the situation.

“I’m saying we can use it to get information from her.”

“
No
,” Titan growled. “I will not allow that dark magic to be used in my region.” He slammed his fist against the armrest of his seat, baring his fangs at me.

“I agree with Titan,” my father nodded.

“That’s not what I meant. I don’t want to use its power,” I said with a sigh, getting a little frustrated. “Ana pretty much admitted that she believes Luka’s soul was used to make this stone. She’ll obviously do anything to get it back. She came all the way down here.”

“You want to use it as a bargaining chip to get information from her,” Arrick said.

“
Yes
.”

“Claire, how can we believe anything she says is even true?” my father questioned, full of disbelief.