M&L03 - SS (32 page)

Her brows came together for a
moment and then she threw her arms around me, burying her head in the crook of
my neck. “Oh Solomon, I’m so happy you’re not dead.” She was crying full
throttle now but we didn’t have time for a happy reunion.

I kissed the side of her head
and gave her a quick hug. Then I pulled her with me as I stood. She pulled back
enough to look me in the eyes.

“I need you to wake up now
Renee. Dimitri and Sergio have you in the fire demon realm. They don’t know I
found you yet, but it won’t be long before I’m discovered.”

She nodded her head and wiped
her tears away.

“Good.” I gave her a quick
kiss and then she vanished. I followed her to the real world where I was still
kneeling beside Renee.

“Let’s get out of here,” I told
her urgently.

“That’s not part of the
plan,” Dimitri informed me.

I spun around to face him
just as several torches flared to life, lighting up the entire chamber.
Whatever injuries he suffered during our last encounter were healed as far as I
could tell. His hair, however, would take a bit longer to grow back in. For
now, it wasn’t much more than a dark shadow covering the top of his head. He
held a sword in his right hand, the flickering light glinting off its sharp
blade.

I tried to reach through a portal
to grab my sword off the mantle in my apartment, but I ran into a brick wall.
Sergio had apparently blocked all portals again. I stood slowly and glanced
around for anything I could use as a weapon or a shield.

Dimitri laughed. “Not so
cocky without your sword or your magic are you?”

I snorted. “Sergio might be
able to block my portals, but he can’t stop me from using all of my magic.”

He came at me fast, swinging
his sword, but I rolled to the side and grabbed a straight-backed chair from
its place at a table. Using the chair, I kept him at bay much like a lion tamer
would a lion, but I knew my makeshift shield wouldn’t last long. Within
seconds, he’d already hacked off two of its legs.

I kept moving, throwing
things at Dimitri as I found them - a few apples, a candelabra and finally a
heavy glass bowl. While Dimitri wiped lettuce from his eyes, I grabbed the
nearest torch and snapped its pole in half. Then I ran forward and thrust the
flaming end of the torch into Dimitri’s chest. The wind was momentarily knocked
out of him and I took full advantage. Using the chair, I knocked the sword from
his hand. He dove for it, but I kicked it across the room before he could reach
it.

Enraged, he tackled me and we
went to the ground hard, rolling and grappling for our very lives. Every punch
I managed to get in was met by two or more of his. I was losing the fight
quickly and knew that magic was my only chance for survival. Concentrating on
the runic stones in my pocket, the words whispered through my mind, a spell so
terrible I’d never used it before, but this demon deserved a gruesome death.
This demon dared to take what’s mine not once, but three times. He would die
here today if it was the last thing I ever did.

He rose up above me, pinning
my arms beside my head and smirked. “She won’t even remember your name when I’m
done with her.”

I smiled back. “She’s already
forgotten yours.”

Before Dimitri could react,
several things happened at once. I spat my blood into his face as the last few
words of the spell whispered through my mind. At that same moment, his sword
was shoved through his back so hard that it tore through my stomach and hit the
stone floor beneath my back. 

The pain was agonizing, but I
wanted to get out from under the fire demon before the spell really kicked in.
“Pull the sword out,” I gasped. Renee did as I asked and I rolled Dimitri to
the side just as his body seized. The sound of bones snapping echoed through
the chamber along with his screams and cries for help. Next, his internal organs
exploded one by one leaving him a bloody mess with blood and guts leaking out
of every orifice.

Renee rushed over and pulled
my upper body onto her lap. “I was so scared Solomon. I thought I was going to
lose you.”

“Not a chance,” I promised,
wincing when pain flared in my stomach. “I’m sorry I broke my promise though.”

She looked down, clearly
confused. I reached up to wipe the tears from her cheek. “I promised you I’d
give him a quick, painless death.”

Renee snorted. “That bastard
got exactly what he deserved.”

“When did you become so
bloodthirsty?”

“When I realized there is
nothing more important than sharing my life with you. Nothing will ever come
between us again.”

She leaned down and kissed
me. It was tender and full of love, and it ended far too soon.

“Do you know where Rachel and
Katerina are? They were both with me when something knocked me out.”

I sat up and reached for the
sword. As we stood I filled Renee in. “That wasn’t really Kat, but we’re not
sure who was impersonating her. Grayson and Jasper went to find Rachel. They
were supposed to use a portal to escape once they found her, but Sergio blocked
all portals.”

We slipped out the door, and
stayed in the shadows as we searched for the others. We found an empty room and
knew immediately that Rachel had been there recently. The scent of her blood
was strong, too strong in fact. Growing more worried with every step, we
followed her scent to a nearby exit. Outside, we found Jasper propped against
the side of the mountain with Rachel draped across his lap. She was out cold
and Jasper looked like he wanted to join her more than anything else in the
world. Not far away, I heard the clash of metal that let me know Grayson might
be fighting for his life.

“Stay with them Renee. Hide
them in the shadows.” I kissed her forehead and left before she could respond.

I heard shouts in the
distance and the sound of boots thundering through the corridors inside. If we
were lucky, all the chaos meant help had arrived.

Holding my stomach to ease
the pain, I scrambled up a hill and slid down the other side. Just as I reached
the bottom, Grayson’s opponent looked up and met my eyes. Grayson took
advantage of his distraction and swung his sword, cutting right through flesh
and bone. Sergio’s sword clattered when it hit the ground with his hand still
gripping its hilt. He stumbled back, screaming as he fumbled with his belt.

I think Grayson would have
moved in for the kill, but we were both struck stupid by the sight of Sergio’s
true face. He must have worn a ring on his missing hand to maintain his
disguise. Without that ring, his hair was sandy blonde just like mine. His eyes
were light brown like mine - hell; he was me, or what I would have looked like
if I hadn’t been changed into a vampire before I reached full maturity. He
looked like an early thirties version of me.

Grayson was the first to
recover, but Sergio already had the belt tightened around his arm to slow the
bleeding. He’d picked up his sword and was ready to defend himself if
necessary.

“What do you want me to do,”
Grayson asked me without taking his eyes off Sergio.

“Let him go.” I wanted
answers before Sergio met his end, but now was not the time.

Sergio tipped an imaginary
hat at me and opened a portal.

“Solomon, you need to snap
out of it.” Grayson clapped his hands in front of my face.

I blinked a few times until
his face came into focus. I had no idea how long I’d been standing there
staring at nothing, reliving that moment of revelation over and over.

Grayson put his hand on my
shoulder. “I will let you decide who needs to know about this and when they
should be told.”

“Thank you, Grayson. That
means a lot.” I fisted my hand over my heart and bowed to him. He returned the
gesture and we headed back toward Renee and the others.

On the other side of the
hill, the troops had everything under control. Rook was in charge since Dragon
stayed behind with Serafina, but Danarius was there to help round up any stray
vampires. Most of Sergio’s henchmen fled at the first sign of trouble but there
were enough left behind to squeeze for information. From the looks Danarius was
giving them, he was going to enjoy doing the squeezing.

Renee hopped up when we came
into view and hurried over to my side. “We have to get them out of here.” Her
eyes flicked to where Jasper and Rachel were still sitting, unnoticed by anyone
else because Renee had them cloaked in shadows.

“What...”

Renee cut me off with a slash
of her hand. “Later. Right now, get them out of here.”

I raised an eyebrow but did
as she said.

“Where did you send them?”
Grayson asked.

“Rachel’s apartment.”

Grayson nodded. “I’ll tell
Rook we’re all too exhausted to answer questions tonight. Then I’ll meet you
there. What’s her apartment number?”

I started to argue but Renee
said, “819.” Then she tugged me into the shadows. “Trust me Solomon, they might
need our help.”

When I started to ask
questions, she went up on her toes and kissed me. I allowed it. After all, we’d
both had a very long night, but that didn’t mean I was going to stay quiet for
long.

When the kiss ended, I opened
a portal to Rachel’s apartment. Just as we arrived, there was a knock at the
door. Renee looked through the peep hole, then she opened the door for Grayson.

I waited long enough for the
door to shut behind him. “What’s going on here?” I asked, looking back and
forth between Grayson and Renee.

He shifted from one foot to
the other while Renee examined her nail polish. I sighed and sat down on the
couch. That seemed to put them both at ease and they joined me - Renee on the
couch beside me and Grayson in one of Rachel’s gigantic beanbag chairs. The
sight of the fearsome time demon being swallowed by a red and black beanbag
chair was too much. I laughed long and loud until my eyes watered and my
stomach ached. Apparently, my laughter was infectious because Grayson and Renee
couldn’t seem to help laughing as well.

Eventually, when we settled
down, I asked again, “So what’s going on that has the two of you acting so
weird?”

Grayson cleared his throat
and sat up as straight as he could. “When Jasper and I found Rachel she was a
breath away from death.”

My chest tightened as I
imagined Rachel on death’s doorstep. Renee moved closer and twined her fingers
with mine.

Grayson continued, his eyes
dark and haunted. “I tried to open a portal, but quickly realized that wasn’t
going to happen. She needed help, and Jasper was the only one who could give it
to her.”

His eyes met mine, begging me
to understand. I didn’t get it at first, but then it all made sense - their
panic in the fire demon realm, their need to get Rachel and Jasper out of there
as fast as possible.

“What was Rachel dying from?”

Grayson took a deep breath
and closed his eyes. When he opened them again he answered, “Severe blood
loss.”

Now it was my turn to close
my eyes. The virus could heal a lot of injuries without taking over the host,
but not severe blood loss. Without a full supply of blood, the body’s immune
system didn’t stand a chance of fighting off the virus.

Renee gently brushed my bangs
away from my eyes. “I think Dragon and Rook will understand the choice Jasper
had to make.”

I nodded and opened my eyes.
“I’m sure they will. I’m more worried about Rachel and how she’s going to take
this turn of events.”

“I’ll be here for her, and so
will Jasper,” Grayson promised.

I smiled, hoping it wouldn’t
take Rachel long to realize how lucky she was to have Grayson and Jasper in her
life.

Shortly after that, I told
Grayson to let me know if he needed anything at all. Then we said our goodbyes
and I took Renee home
to get some much-needed sleep.

~ Solomon ~

“In your opinion, was there
any other way to save Rachel from death?” Dragon asked Grayson.

The three of us and Rook were
seated around the conference table in the security office at Supernova. It was
the final night of the tournament and we were hoping to finish up the debriefs
before the feast began.

Grayson shook his head
solemnly. “Without Jasper’s blood, Rachel would have perished within moments.”

Dragon glanced at Rook who
nodded. “You’re free to go Grayson.”

“If I may...” I cut in before
Grayson could stand. Dragon inclined his head and I continued, “I only stayed
in the room where you found Rachel for a few seconds but something about it has
been bothering me. Did you get a good look at the plastic bags that were tossed
on the floor in the corner?”

“Yes, they looked like blood
bags - like the ones humans use when people donate blood.”

“That’s what I was afraid
of.” I focused on Rook and explained, “I don’t think they drained her for
kicks. I think they wanted her blood for a very specific reason. I’m not sure
if she told you yet, but I can’t get into her head anymore, and I’d venture to
say, no one else can either.”

Rook’s eyes zeroed in on
Grayson, who straightened his spine and met his Elder’s gaze without flinching.

Dragon cleared his throat and
motioned for me to continue. “I believe Sergio worked a spell using Rachel’s
blood to prevent you from altering time during the hand-to-hand finale.”

Silver stars lit up Rook’s
black eyes. “Are you sure that’s possible?”

“I think it’s not only
possible, but it’s probable. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. What
else could have stopped you from altering time? The River of Time flows through
you like a never-ending source of power. What could be strong enough to stand
in the way of the River?”

“The blood of another
conduit,” Grayson answered for Rook. “I should have known. I tried to set time
back when we found her, but that didn’t work any better than trying to open a
portal.” Grayson shook his head.

“Don’t beat yourself up,”
Rook told the other time demon. “None of us knew what Sergio was up to. All the
chatter warned us that a female would be kidnapped during the tournament, but
we had tunnel vision - always seeing Serafina, no matter which direction the
chatter pointed.”

“Should have, would have and
could have, will get us nowhere,” Dragon growled. “What’s done is done, and
apparently, there’s no way it can be undone. What I need from all of you now,
is a way to counter Sergio’s spells. Assuming he only needs a few drops of
blood per spell, he could unleash a hell of a lot of mayhem with the amount of
blood he stole from Rachel.”

I glanced over at Grayson,
and when our eyes met, I knew we had an understanding. We would find a way to
stop Sergio if it was the last thing we ever did.

“We’ll get right on it,”
Grayson promised.

I inclined my head to Dragon,
“It will be our top priority until Sergio is stopped for good.”

I hesitated a moment, knowing
I had to tell them the rest. Dragon picked up on my discomfort and asked, “What
is it Solomon?”

“Sergio lost his hand during
the fight with Grayson. Whatever charm he used to disguise himself must have
been on that hand because we got a good look at his true face.” I looked away,
unable to meet anyone’s eyes. “There’s a name that goes with the face we saw
and it’s not Sergio. It’s Ezekiel.”

Rook sucked in a breath and I
heard Dragon’s chair creak as he sat back.

“Are you certain?”

I met Dragon’s warm brown
eyes and answered his question, “I am certain. Sergio and Ezekiel are one and
the same. Sergio is my brother. We could have ended his life right then and
there, but I couldn’t do it. I let him get away, and now any life he takes will
be on my head.”

“It would be difficult for
any of us to watch a brother die under those circumstances, no matter who he
was or what he’d done,” Dragon said, offering me absolution. “His actions are
no more your fault than they are mine. Don’t let this eat you up inside. Put it
behind you and move forward with purpose. Find a way to stop him before more
lives are lost, or ruined.”

I nodded, knowing he was
right, but still laying the guilt at my own feet. I wasn’t able to watch Sergio
die when Grayson could have easily finished him off. Would I ever be able to
watch him die? Would I be able to strike the final blow myself? Those questions
and more drove me as the meeting ended and I sought out the only person who
might have any of the answers.

Claire was in the back room
of her studio sipping from a mug of hot chocolate when I arrived.

“Do you know why I’m here?”

She gestured towards the seat
across from her. “Of course, dear.” I sat down and she handed me a triple shot
caramel macchiato. “The answer is yes. I knew Sergio was your brother Ezekiel
all along. So did your father, but he hoped you’d never have to be burdened by that
knowledge.”

I sat back and sipped the
caffeinated goodness. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because the time wasn’t
right.”

“Will you tell me more?”

She stirred her hot
chocolate, watching the marshmallows melt as they swirled around in the mug. I
waited, knowing she would eventually talk.

“Ezekiel fell in love with a
young wolf. He wanted her for a life partner, but the clans never mixed back
then. When word of their relationship reached her clan leader, he was furious
and he struck out without even thinking. She was dead before she hit the
ground.

When Ezekiel heard what
happened, he went after the wolf that killed his one true love. Physically,
Ezekiel was no match for the wolf, but he had magic on his side. Magic was
strong then, and Ezekiel was very powerful even at a young age. The wolf
suffered an agonizing death.

It took a while for a new
leader to be named, but after many deaths, Bran’s father finally rose to the
top. To satisfy his clan, he called for Ezekiel’s head. Your father gave them
what they wanted, or at least they thought he did. Then he packed up and moved
away. Ephraim used his magic to convince the wolves your brother was dead. Then
he banished your brother and told him to never return.”

I leaned back and let that
sink in for a moment. “How do you know all of this?”

“I had a vision the night
before the wolves came for Ezekiel. I warned your father and your mother so
they would have time to prepare.”

“Thank you Claire, you likely
saved both their lives and mine, though I was yet to be born. Had the wolves
shown up unannounced, my parents would have gone down fighting for Ezekiel’s
life.”

“That’s exactly right. Your
father might have been able to sit back and let Ezekiel meet what he thought
was justice, but your mother never would have watched her son die.”

“And my father never would
have let my mother die without a fight,” I finished for her and she inclined
her head. “Where does all this leave us now? I mean there has to be something
big coming with you dishing out partial prophecies and finally opening up about
Ezekiel.”

She smiled serenely. “It
leaves us all teetering on a precipice.”

“You’re not going to tell me
any more are you?” I said shaking my head.

“You best run along dear,
unless you want to be here when my son arrives.”

With that said, I made a
quick exit. Knowing how frustrated I was after talking to Claire, I really
didn’t want to stick around while she pushed Dragon’s buttons. 

With business finally out of
the way, I met up with Renee at the tournament feast. This feast was different
from the banquet for so many reasons, the most obvious being the setting and
primal atmosphere. The feast was held outside near the tree line. There weren’t
any tuxedos or gowns. In many cases, there weren’t any clothes at all. It was a
place for shapeshifters to get back to their roots - hunting and feasting, and
fucking. It was exactly where I belonged.

Surprisingly, Danarius and
the vampires that hung around for the final blowout also seemed to fit right
in. No longer the shunned outsiders, the vampire Master and a select few of his
minions were welcomed into the family - and a warm welcome it was. Lacey and
the other sex demons kept them happily occupied long into the night.

Doyle turned up for the party
but only stayed a few minutes before disappearing into the woods for a run. I
thought I heard a lonely wolf howling later that night, but there was no way to
be sure it was him. He’d come to me when he was ready to talk, and I’d be there
no matter what he needed.

Merek won first prize for the
dance club transformations and he stood beside Danarius and Lucien while
everyone cheered for the champions. Katerina however, was suspiciously absent
from the festivities after her heroic rescue of our newest ally. I considered
looking for her, but decided she’d turn up when she was ready.

I knew Sergio was still out
there, planning and plotting against us, but for just one night I let all that
go. We ate, we danced, and we had a good time. Then my beautiful mate offered
to ride me until the sun came up. It was an offer I couldn’t refuse, especially
in a world where the sun never rose. I reminded her of that fact, but she only
smiled in return as she undulated above me.

Life was good, and from where
I sat, it
was only getting better.