Golden Stair (21 page)

“This is disgusting,” a feminine voice piped up.

Adonis’ jaw dropped as a slim pale figure wandered into the graveyard from the forest that lay just beyond. Ivy stepped out of the trees, holding the length of her white robe in her hands as she picked her way over the ground. With a few thrusts of his wings, Adonis landed at her side and took her hand in his.

“My love, what are you doing here?”

Ivy wrinkled her nose as she looked over at the swarm of zombies shambling toward them. “I wanted to see if Irina was right about me being able to find you by following our bond. She was, I’m here, and now I want to know why you’re in a graveyard full of zombies.”

“Does Kirill know Irina can find him like that?” Adonis asked. He couldn’t help the smile that came at the thought of the secretive vampire having a metaphysical leash his wife could follow anytime she chose.

“I don’t know,” Ivy said absent-mindedly, still eyeing the zombies. “Tell me about the dead people.”

Adonis dragged his attention away from annoying Kirill. “Ah, yes, the dead people. Well, the necromancer you see standing over there is the one who ratted me out to….er, to Dame Gothel,” Adonis explained, cursing himself for his lack of finesse. “I’m going to kill him.”

One of the zombies lurched ahead of the others and Ivy pointed. “Are you going to kill all of them too?”

“Yes, and I’m afraid it’s going to take some time, since the necromancer is too much of a coward to stop hiding behind them!” He shouted that last part back over his shoulder, scowling when the necromancer smirked.

“Would you mind terribly if I did it?”

“Did what?”

“Killed the zombies.” Ivy sighed. “It’s just, you’ve been gone for awhile and I’m feeling a bit…twitchy.”

Adonis couldn’t help the surge of hunger that made him step closer to his wife. “Twitchy, hmmm?” he murmured.

For a few moments, Adonis considered that information, balancing killing the necromancer tonight with taking his wife home and ravishing her for a few hours and then coming back to kill the necromancer tomorrow. Twenty-four hours couldn’t make much of a difference, could it?

He had an image of Kirill having a conniption at his indecision and sighed.

“I suppose that’s one way to release a little energy,” he admitted, hating the sulky tone in his voice. He planted a searing kiss on her lips. “Just don’t tire yourself out too much.”

Ivy touched his cheek. “Deal.”

Adonis flew up again. Zombies sledged in around her and she pulsed with light. He winked at the necromancer. “I don’t suppose you had a chat with the witch when you told her about my little visits?”

The necromancer frowned and rose up on his tiptoes slightly, straining to see what was happening past the zombies. Ivy’s body grew brighter and brighter, her flesh turning to pure light. Power exploded from her, rippling through the waves of zombies like a tidal wave of sunshine. The first several rows turned to ash instantaneously, the next caught fire and were blackened bones in seconds, and the rest lit the night like a sea of candles. The necromancer screamed as the flames reached the zombies standing next to him, and he ordered them back, trying to save himself from the flames.

Adonis was there in an instant, plucking the necromancer off the ground and flying high into the air with him. He dug his claws into the magic-wielder’s body, relishing the squish of his flesh and the hot spurt of his blood over his fingers. The necromancer screamed and Adonis fed his torment by letting his astral energy sizzle over his skin.

“So many ways to kill you,” Adonis murmured. He flashed sharp teeth at the pasty man hanging from his claws. “What good is your little death magic now, hmm?”

Suddenly the dark sky lightened, shedding several shades of darkness until the world seemed bathed in twilight. “It can’t be sunrise already,” he muttered.

Hoof beats echoed around them. After searching the ground and finding no sign of intruders, Adonis realized the sound was coming from above. Understanding dawned.

“Oh, Hades take it all,” he snarled. “A fine time to meet the in-laws.” He glared at the necromancer. “Looks like you’re going to get a much faster death than you deserve.”

Closing one hand around the necromancer’s throat to hold him up, Adonis dug his claws into the top of the man’s skull. Bone cracked under his fingers and a blood-curdling scream garbled from the man’s throat, ending abruptly when Adonis ripped his head off his shoulders with one violent twist. He tossed the decapitated head into the growing circle of fire spreading out from his wife below him, admiring the view for a moment before continuing to tear the necromancer’s body to bits, throwing each piece to the hungry flames.

He flew down to land beside Ivy as the zombies that hadn’t yet been eaten by the flames dropped, returning to their eternal rest now that the necromancer was no longer alive to sustain them. The smell of rotting flesh was tempered somewhat by the crisp ashen scent of immolation. Adonis sniffed and winced. This was certainly not the ideal setting for the reunion he suspected was coming.

Ivy toned her aura down until it was bearable. She was never anything less than radiant, but there would always be a special place in his heart for the sight of his wife sparkling with her own power, a dazzling display of strength that had been hard won. Adonis beamed at her and took her into his arms. He couldn’t help but lean in for a kiss, wanting to take a moment to savor his wife before he had to give her over to the situation bearing down on them in a golden chariot.

Ivy sighed into the kiss, parting her lips to let him slide his tongue over hers. Her fingers toyed with his hair, careful to avoid the small vial still bound tightly at his nape. He banded his arms around her waist, groaning when she pressed her entire body against him, tormenting him with the contrast of her soft curves against the hard planes of his own body. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, pulling back enough to whisper in her ear.

“We have company,” he murmured.

Ivy blinked as if coming out of a fog. She swayed a little. “Company?”

Adonis didn’t offer any more information. With one last deep breath of the sweet scent of her arousal, he turned Ivy to face the bright couple riding down to earth in a bronze chariot drawn by the horses with manes of fire and hooves of gold. They were both tall and thin with warm brown eyes. Both strangers wore pure white robes that glittered with gold stitching around the waist and hems. The man’s red hair was cut short, curling softly around his ears like a crown of flames. The woman had pale yellow hair, bright, but not nearly as deep a gold as Ivy’s. It tumbled down her back in a mass of waves and for a moment, Adonis was sorry that Ivy’s parents couldn’t have seen her hair as it had once been, the unending golden braid. Still, he considered, eyeing Ivy’s shoulder length waves. Ivy’s hair grew very fast. Who knew what length she would decide on in the end?

The horses hadn’t even come to a halt before the woman threw herself out of the chariot, stumbling and falling to the ground, and then scrambling back to her feet and racing toward Ivy. As she got closer, Adonis was touched to see tears glistening in her eyes and lines of worry etched into the lines of her temples.

“My baby!” she choked, jerking to a halt just in front of Ivy.

Her desperation to take Ivy in her arms was palpable, almost painful to watch. Adonis’ respect for the woman went up a notch as he realized she was trying not to frighten Ivy.

The man seemed only slightly more in control of himself than his wife. He leapt out of the chariot before visibly restraining himself to a less-hurried pace. Adonis held Ivy securely, a silent support as the shining couple stopped a foot away. His wife stared at the strangers with eyes as round as the full moon.

“Oh, it’s you,” the woman sobbed. “It’s really you.”

“How will you ever forgive us?” the man said quietly, a slight hitch in his voice betraying his emotions. His strong jaw clenched and unclenched and he swallowed hard.

“Who?” Ivy looked at Adonis, questions burning in her eyes.

“Ivy,” Adonis said gently, “I believe these are your parents, Adelpha and Nikias.” He glanced up at the couple. “Yes?”

They nodded, but their eyes remained on their daughter.

Ivy tensed. “My parents?”

Adonis put his arm around her, pulling her closer to him as she started to tremble.

“Oh, my daughter,” Adelpha breathed, her eyes glistening with tears. “We’ve been looking for you for so long.”

“So many false hopes and dead ends, we were starting to think we would never find you,” Nikias admitted, his voice thick with emotion.

“But how?” Ivy sputtered. She shook her head slowly, pressing closer to Adonis’ side. “I don’t understand.”

“We lost you to Dame Gothel a long time ago, through our own foolishness and fear. We—”

“If I may?” Adonis interrupted.

Adelpha paused and nodded quickly, pressing her lips together as a tear finally escaped to slide down her cheek.

Ivy blinked at him and nodded. Adonis smiled reassuringly and hugged her, pressing his mouth against her ear. “Trust me.” She tensed, but didn’t fight him when he gently took her by the shoulders and guided her closer to the couple.

“Adelpha, Nikias, may I present your daughter, Ivy.”

He held his breath a moment as he took Ivy’s hand and Adelpha’s hand and put them together. Gesturing for Nikias to follow suit, he stepped back, waiting.

Energy sizzled from the depth of each of the sun elementals, spiraling in a brilliant display down their arms before exploding at the point where their hands all joined together. Warmth pulsed out of the group and Adonis rubbed his hands down his arms to ease the tingling caused by the release of power.

Adelpha sobbed and a second later the couple had Ivy between them, hugging her as if they’d never let her go again. Ivy buried her face in her mother’s neck, her body trembling as her father ran a hand over her back in soothing circles. Adelpha murmured something in Ivy’s ear, stroking her hair as she swayed back and forth. After a moment, Nikias seemed to choke on a sob of his own and Adonis felt his own eyes tear up as the man lowered his head to his daughter’s, his lips moving as if in prayer.

Adonis nodded and retreated a bit to let the family have their moment. It wasn’t a complete fix. Ivy would have to be told the story, and it might take some time to become the happy family they might have been if not for Dame Gothel. But it was a start.

After a few moments, Ivy raised her head and looked back toward Adonis. She waved a hand for him to come closer and Adonis shook his head, gesturing for them to enjoy one another. Nikias smiled, but mimicked Ivy’s gesture for Adonis to join them. After just a moment’s hesitation, Adonis accepted the invitation, laughing when Adelpha reached back to jerk him into the middle beside Ivy. He sighed, enjoying being part of the family.

Even if it burned a little.

Epilogue

Eurydice sighed happily at the will o’ wisp. “I’m so glad everything turned out so well.” She sniffed. “Ivy seems so happy.”

The will o’ wisp glowed bright yellow. An answering happiness came off it in waves.

“Did Ivy enjoy seeing the ocean?” Eurydice asked.

The will o’ wisp blushed a deep pink and Eurydice felt her own cheeks heat. “Ah. Yes, her honeymoon.” She cleared her throat. “I’m sure it was lovely then.” A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “I’m so glad Adonis can finally rest. A man can only be the happy-go-lucky rake for so long before it starts to wear thin, even on an incubus.” She pursed her lips. “I’m afraid Patricio will not be so easy.”

The will o’ wisp turned purple, waves of unease rolling off it.

“Indeed,” Eurydice agreed. “His situation is a little tricky. His curse will make my job difficult, even if I can find someone for him who is not affected.”

“You mean if I can find the one who’sss not affected.”

Eurydice fought off a shiver as her latest messenger slithered down her limbs, curling around one of her branches to hang its scaly head in front of her face.

“There’s not just one person who’s not affected,” she corrected as politely as she could. “Many species would not be affected.” She sighed. “It’s a matter of finding someone who can care for him without him brushing off her feelings as part of the curse.”

“Doesssn’t sssound too difficult,” the serpent hissed.

“Well I certainly hope it’s as easy as you believe it will be,” Eurydice responded honestly.
But it won’t be.

Twin flaps of skin rose from either side of the small wyrm’s body. It slithered farther down until Eurydice could just barely make out the beginnings of its iridescent wings.

“Trussst me.”

She tried for a mask of confidence. “Of course.”

The serpent swirled its body around, looking at her upside-down for a moment before sliding off the branch. Its body snapped through the air, launching it onto a convenient wind current where its wings caught the breeze and it flew away.

The will o’ wisp turned green.

“I concur.” She shrugged. “Unfortunately, there are few creatures who can follow both into the air…and under the water.”

THE END

Continue on to
DIVINE SCALES
, book four in the Blood Prince series

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