Magick Marked (The DarqRealm Series) (35 page)

“She’s almost done,” Nick said, his voice strained as Eldon flailed beneath him.

Rho tried to keep calm, shoving the blazing pain aside. The more she fought this, the longer it might take for her body to accept the mark. Eldon didn’t have that kind of time.

Nick bore down his entire weight on the bed, the mattress dipping as he pressed Eldon against it with everything he could. “One more.”

One more pass, and this would be over.

“
Sana
.”

Closing her eyes, Rho tried to welcome the magick into her body. She wanted this. She was vampire. She could handle it.

“
Centrum
.”

Eldon was going to be so angry with her if he lived. He was entirely too proud to let a female take his burden, but she didn’t care. As long as he lived through this, everything would be worth it. He could yell at her all day long if he wanted to.

“
Tueri!
” Jess shouted as the candle extinguished itself.

Fire blazed through Rho’s arm, sending her into convulsions. She couldn’t control her body as she jerked against the floor, the pain spiraling from her arm through her chest.

Strong, warm arms wrapped around her body, holding her close as she flopped helplessly. The rumbling sound of low words spoken in a foreign tongue rattled around her head, somehow easing the pain radiating from her body.

Several minutes passed as she rocked back and forth in that vice grip. Hell, it could have been hours. Finally, her body stopped trembling and her arms fell still.

“Rho?” the male voice said. The same male who’d found her in that field and helped her save—

“Eldon!” She shot up and pressed away from his arms. “Where’s Eldon?”

The arms pulled her in again, the smell of oranges and cinnamon thick in her nose. Nick. That was Nick. “He’s in the bed, sleeping.”

“Did it work?” Rho murmured as she tried to blink the world into focus. “The transfer? Did it work?”

Jess’s face appeared suddenly before her, her expression both fearful and relieved. “Yeah, it did.” She lifted Rho’s forearm up.

Rho gasped. Branded on the inside of her forearm was a massive green X, extending from her elbow to her wrist. A circle with a line drawn through the center was positioned to the north of where the lines intersected and created a V.

“That’s the mark,” Jess said, reaching a hand out.

Rho flinched as Eldon’s sister touched the mark gently. “What is it?”

Nick released his hold on her but didn’t move far. “The X is a fae marking. It shows that you owe something. And that circle-line combo is a theta.”

“Like the Greek letter?” Rho asked.

“
Thanatos,
actually.” Jess dropped her hand and met Rho’s eyes. “That’s the mark of death.”

“You owe the fae your life now.” Nick frowned as he glared at the mark. “And they can collect it at any time.”

Pushing herself off the floor, she tried to ignore the aching in her body. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel all that bad. A few sore muscles from yesterday, sure, but she didn’t
feel
like she was going to die.

She glanced over at the bed. Relief struck her instantly.

Eldon’s breathing was deep and even, the sheen of sweat on his body gone. Just before Rho had conked out, his sister had tucked him in and given him a syringe of something she said would help him sleep. He looked so peaceful.

He was going to live.

Light poured in from an open door across the room, the soft sound of water dripping from a faucet taunting her. Luckily the safe house was large enough for people to have their own room and shower. She glanced down at herself and winced. Her leathers were still covered in blood, her shirt holding on to little pieces of grass. She was a hot mess.

She needed a shower and some clothes, stat.

Tiptoeing across the room and opening the door gently, she stepped out into the hall. The smell of detergent caught her attention and she wandered over to a set of double doors, hoping she could find something to fit her.

Her favorite yoga pants were folded on top of the dryer, along with a pair of her fuzzy socks, and she sent up a silent prayer of thanks for whoever was kind enough to do a little laundry. Still, she had no shirt.

Glancing up, she saw a white cotton button-down hanging on a rod. It was clean and she wasn’t picky, so it would do just fine. She yanked the shirt from the hanger and scooped her clothes off the dryer before heading back to Eldon’s bedroom. As she turned, two familiar faces intercepted her.

“Holy crap,” Rho said, stepping back. “You scared me.”

Preshea smiled and folded her arms across her chest. Tim smirked.

“I successfully scared a vamp? My life’s work is complete.” Preshea raised a brow. “We were about to check on you.”

Tim’s expression grew serious. “I was worried for a while there, when we saw all that green fire in the distance.”

“But don’t worry.” Preshea’s eyes narrowed. “Whatever you did there, your secret’s safe with us.”

Tim nodded, then stepped forward and pulled Rho into a strong hug. “I’m glad you’re okay. Really glad.”

“Thanks,” Rho mumbled against Tim’s massive chest. He released her and she took a step back, trying to wipe the surprise from her face.

Preshea stepped forward, coming toe to toe with Rho. “You’re crazy, girl. Fucking nuts. But I like you that way.” She threw her arms around Rho for a split second before stepping back again.

Rho stood in the hallway, frozen in shock. Tim hugging her was weird enough, but Preshea? If she didn’t know better, she’d say that she and Preshea were… friends now.

Preshea threw her hands up. “Oh, don’t look so surprised. I don’t hate you. You just bug the shit out of me.”

“Uh, thanks guys.” Trying to loosen up a little, Rho pulled the clean clothes she was holding closer to her body. “How’s Vectra? Is she okay?”

The answering smile on Preshea’s face was a stark relief. “She’s a little banged up but she’ll be all right.”

“No small thanks to you,” Tim added.

Rho glanced at Tim, then Preshea. “It was nothing.”

“It was something. You went after her when I couldn’t. You gave her your blood.” Preshea gave her a grateful smile.

The thanks really weren’t necessary. “I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have done.”

“I still appreciate it. But I gotta tell you.” Preshea grimaced. “You stink.”

Yeah, she did.

“Shower it is, then,” Rho agreed. She couldn’t help but smile as she stepped around them, feeling their stare at her back. “Thanks for stopping by.” She closed herself into Eldon’s room and took a deep breath, grateful that for once, someone seemed to care about her. Several someones.

That shower was quite possibly the best shower she’d ever taken in her life. She stood under the hot water for at least half an hour, letting the warmth sink into her bones, washing away the filth of the past few days.

Eldon was alive. She’d been given a second chance.

She got dressed quickly and gave Eldon another once-over. He appeared healthy, intact, and very much asleep. He shouldn’t wake for a while yet.

Rho closed the door quietly behind her and headed down the hall then downstairs toward the kitchen. Noises filtered from the room, the clanking of dishes echoing with the sound of female voices. The room smelled like coffee, but she ignored her craving and kept trekking along the narrow walkway.

The house was huge, way too large for just Eldon and his sisters. And it wasn’t even a primary residence. At least four thousand square feet, and she hadn’t explored anything beyond her—er, Eldon’s—bedroom, the kitchen and the living room.

Hadn’t Eldon said there was a library around here? With careful, quiet steps, she wandered down the hallway in the opposite direction of the kitchen.

“Where you headed?” a voice said from behind her.

She whirled around to find Nick standing in a doorway. “What?”

“Going somewhere?”

Shit. Busted. “Eldon said there was a library here?”

He lifted a brow. “There is.” He stepped past her and spoke over his shoulder. “Follow me.”

Doing as he asked, she trailed him down the hallway. Gorgeous landscape oil paintings lined the walls, and she had to keep herself from stopping to take a closer look. She could admire them later.

He pushed a door open and stepped aside, allowing her to enter first. She strode through the doorway and looked up…

Holy Hades.

The room was shaped like an oval, all rounded edges and finely shaped dark wood. At least three stories tall, bookshelves lined the walls from floor to ceiling. Hundreds of books. Thousands of them. Every wall, every opening, every crevasse was completely filled with literature both old and new, some of the spines tattered with age and others barely worn.

Moonlight streamed in from the curved windows near the ceiling, casting a silvery hue on everything in sight. Candles in hurricane lamps sprang to life one by one, and she pivoted around to find Nick standing with one hand raised.

“Just lighting the candles,” he said.

“No light switch?”

“They have electricity wired in here, but Eldon’s a traditionalist.” He lifted a shoulder. “He prefers it this way.”

She followed the flames around the room until they reached the wall behind her, and she realized not every wall contained only books. Small jars of various sizes lined a section of shelves.

“Those belong to Adelle,” Nick answered before she could even ask. “She’s a gifted earth mover. Grows most of this herself, with Jess’s help.”

Glancing up at the room again, Rho took a deep breath. The smell of old books made her smile. “It’s beautiful.”

“Glad you like it.”

“Does Eldon come here often?”

“They only come here on occasion, but it’s the most protected place they own. It’s where he keeps their records and extra supplies.”

“Have they had it long?”

“Centuries. Each generation adds to the collection, which is why it’s gotten so large. This has always been his favorite room in the house.” Nick tilted his head. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something.”

She could barely peel her eyes from the walls long enough to cast a glance in his direction. “Oh?”

“I was there last night. When you fought with Rhyannon.”

A sinking feeling overtook her joy as she met his eyes. Uneasy, she shifted her weight from foot to foot.

Nick held up a hand. “I’m not going to tell anyone. I want to help.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

“Eldon cares about you. I can tell.” His expression relaxed, his lips curving at the corners into a gentle smile. “He doesn’t act like this with most women.”

Most women. Right. As Eldon had kindly pointed out, there had been many of them. For some reason, the thought made her sick to her stomach.

“I think I may be able to help you figure out what you are,” Nick said.

“I’m a vampire.”

“Yes, but based on what I saw last night, there’s something else in there, too.”

She shook her head. “I’m… undead.”

“Yet you have an aura.” He cranked a brow up as he seemed to examine the air. “Which I would say was impossible if I couldn’t see it for myself. But it’s right there, all around you.”

“What does it look like?”

“Red, mostly. After the death mark, it has changed a little. There are black edges surrounding you that weren’t there before.”

“Am I going to be okay?” Rho asked, her voice barely above a whisper. As much as she’d hated her life up to this point, she didn’t want to die. There was way too much on her bucket list for her to go now.

“I can’t tell you that. What I can confirm is what Rhyannon already said to you.” Nick wandered across the room and pulled a brown, leather-bound book from a shelf. “You are a Siphon. Or at least partly one.”

“What is that?” Rhyannon
had
used that word. Right before Rho blasted her with enough magick to level an office building.

He cracked open the book and started flipping through the pages. “I didn’t know what it meant when she’d said it, but I did a little research while you were sleeping. Siphons don’t technically belong to any race. And they’re incredibly rare.”

Rho snorted. “Great. I’m weirder than I thought.”

He ignored the comment, setting his finger on the center of a page. “According to this, Siphons can pull magick from other people and use it as they wish. But they can’t channel magick themselves.”

Her socks were quiet against the wooden floors as she glided toward him. She needed to see this herself. “But I’m not a magick mover. Or fae.”

“Who were your parents?” he asked, looking down at her expectantly.

She gulped. She’d locked her mom and dad away in a vault of memories, never to be revisited, and she wanted to keep them there. Letting them out was too painful.

As if he could sense her discomfort, he stepped forward and set a heavy palm on her shoulder. “This could be important.”