The Devil's Soldier (12 page)

18

"Where in the hell am I supposed to get untainted spider's blood? And what does that even mean?" Rick asked.

He was leaning against the wall of the conference room just behind Eve. She knew some of the spell's ingredients would be difficult to obtain, but they didn't have any other choice.

"You're a vampire, Rick," Alana said in a chair opposite Eve. "Can't you suck it from one?"

"Untainted
just
means that it can't have anything else with the blood," Charlie said. "So we can't squish a spider and use it because it will have other parts of the spider in it too. Check with the surrounding colleges. There has to be an entomologist at one of them. In fact, a bet there's a whole lab full of spiders somewhere you could take blood from."

Eve swiveled around to face Rick. "But it can't be any spider. The spell requires the blood of a spider that hibernates. Not all spiders do that."

He moaned. "Why can't I have one of the easier ones?"

"Everyone has to do their part," Charlie said. "Besides, I hate spiders. What else do you need, Eve?"

"The blood from three other animals that hibernate. I figure we can easily sneak into a zoo somewhere for that."

"I can do it tonight," Lucien said. Under the table, he stretched out his legs and his knee brushed hers.

Eve sucked in at the unexpected touch as memories of their last several hours together sent a chill racing across her body. It was a time she would never forget.

"Actually, I'll do it," Alana said.

Everyone in the room looked at her.

"What?" she asked. "So I have a thing for animals. What's the big deal?"

"How do you plan on drawing Boaz
out
?" Henry asked as he moved from the corner of the room. He had been unusually quiet the last couple of hours, ever since Lucien had spoken to him privately. Eve had tried to stop Lucien, but it was useless.

"With the help of our new guest. Liane, my old friend," Eve said. "She's going to go to the club, Eclipse, and get cozy with that guy, Lex, the one who finds witches for Boaz. She's going to confess everything to him in a drunken stupor, especially the part about finding the great Eve Segur. She will tell him that I've been hiding out in upstate New York in a remote cabin." She glanced at Henry and Lucien. "I have no doubts that Boaz will come, and when he does, all three of us will need to focus our power on Boaz and one of us will have to shoot a dart containing the blood of the animals. Once that's done, I will say the spell. Within seconds, Boaz should fall into an eternal sleep."

Alana propped her legs up onto the table. "Aren't you afraid that Boaz will take your magic again?"

"Dmitri taught me how to stop him from stealing my powers. Boaz is no longer a threat to me."

"You hope," Alana said.

"I know."

"I don't like this plan," Henry said. Eve opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her. "However, I'm willing to try it your way. It's the least I can do."

Lucien tensed beside her. She wondered if Henry's sudden compliance had something to do with Lucien's talk with him.

"I'll be there with several men," Charlie said. "Just in case the fight becomes more than you guys can handle."

Henry shook his head. "It can only be us three. We've trained ourselves to block Boaz's magic, making us invisible to him. He will sense anyone else."

"You can't be serious," Charlie said. "It's way too risky."

"Look, everyone, this plan will work," Eve said. "I just know it."

"When to you want to do this?" Lucien asked. It was the first time he'd spoken. Eve wished she could reassure him more, but there simply wasn't time.

"As soon as possible. Boaz probably already suspects something since we captured Sable. If we don't act first, he will."

"I'll have the blood ready by midnight tonight," Alana said. "Rick?"

Rick shrugged. "I'll get the spider's blood somehow."

"Good." Eve met the gaze of everyone in the room in turn, finally settling on Lucien. "This will work."

He stared at her, his gaze hard and lips tight.

Alana slapped the table and stood up. "Let's get to work."

Everyone stood and left them room. Eve moved to follow them, but Lucien stopped her before she could escape.

"Are you sure you trust Liane?"

She nodded. "She wants him gone just as much as I do. Besides, if she wanted to betray me, why hasn't she already told Boaz where I am? And why would she help me write a spell that could destroy him?"

"Not destroy, just put to sleep. We don't even know how long the spell will last for."

"Enough!" She balled her hands up tight to keep them from shaking. "I have to believe this will work. The alternative is too frightening. Don't you understand?"

His expression softened, and he searched her eyes. She hoped he'd see how desperate she was. This was her only hope.

"I'm sorry," he said and pulled her into his arms. "This is a good plan. I'm sure it will work just as you expect. Everything's going to be okay."

She let him hold her long enough for her heart to steady, but not a beat longer. There was much to do.

***

By ten o'clock that night, all the ingredients for the spell had been collected. Rick had the most trouble and eventually ended up climbing under an old home in search of a brown recluse spider to take blood from with a tiny syringe. He found one, but not before being bit. Good thing he was a vampire and healed quickly.

"How do I look?" Liane asked.

Eve turned around. Liane stood in her kitchen wearing a short black skirt and tank top. "Like you're going clubbing."

Liane tugged at the top and inhaled deeply. "This feels so weird doing this. I haven't been out in so long. I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Are you having doubts? We could wait or think of something else. I know you've been through a lot."

She shook her head. "We've all been through a lot, thanks to that evil monster. He needs to be stopped. Tonight."

"Do you remember everything I told you about Lex?"

Liane grabbed a purse from off of the counter. "He sounds like a real charmer. I can't wait to meet him."

"Charlie, Rick, and Alana will be at the club with you in case you run into any problems."

"I won't," Liane said. "I know how to speak to men like Boaz. You just be ready."

"I will be."

"What about Lucien? Is he going to get in the way?"

"What do you mean?"

Liane shrugged a little. "He just seems overprotective. I mean, doesn't he realize you're, like, the most powerful witch in the world? He doesn't give you enough credit."

Eve shifted her weight, almost squirming at the edge in Liane's voice.

"Seriously, Eve. I don't know how you put up with it. You could do whatever you want, but I think Lucien holds you back."

"That's not true at all," Eve said, surprised by Liane's opinion of a relationship she barely knew.

"Sorry. I'm not trying to be mean, but he sat outside your room last night. Obsessive much?"

"It's not like that."

Liane walked by her toward the front
door
. "Whatever. Just think about it. We better get going."

Eve stared after her in shock. Was there any truth to her limited observation of her relationship with Lucien? Is there something Eve didn't see?

Liane turned around. "Are you coming?"

Eve grabbed the duffle bag of supplies from off the floor. "Right behind you."

They all loaded into the back of the van parked behind the Deific. The night was warm and the humidity in the air left a sticky film on Eve's skin. She slid in next to Lucien, who took her
hand
. Liane sat across from her, her gaze focused on their locked
hands
. Eve gripped Lucien's tighter. Liane better get used to seeing them together.

Charlie swiveled around from behind the steering wheel. "Everyone in?"

Rick closed the door. "All set."

Charlie started the engine and pulled away from the curb. Alana reached over from the passenger seat and turned on the radio to a blaring rock station. She propped one leg up on the dash and tapped her hand to the beat upon her knee. It was as if she was driving to the gas station for a Slurpee, instead of nearing the most dangerous man on the planet. 

Eve, on the other hand, was terrified despite her confidence in the plan. It had been years since she last saw Boaz, and even though she had grown much stronger, she feared his dark power that she had once been drawn to. Her pulse beat fast, and she knew Lucien could hear its frantic rhythm. He kept glancing over at her all worried like.

Henry sat on the other side of Lucien, staring straight ahead. Every part of him was tense, the way a soldier looked before battle. Henry had reluctantly agreed to help as long as his identity remained concealed to Boaz. Eve knew this was because he didn't think her plan would work, but if for some small reason it didn't, then Henry could still be their secret weapon against Boaz.

If this plan failed…

Eve didn't mean to, but she gasped for air at the thought of turning into Alarica again.

"Are you okay?" Lucien whispered in her ear.

Eve avoided Liane's quizzical stare from across from her and nodded at Lucien.

Twenty minutes later, Charlie parked the car. "This is our stop. We're about three block from Eclipse."

Eve followed Liane out of the van, along with the others. She gave Liane a big hug. "Be safe. I mean it."

Liane squeezed her back. "I will, just promise me you'll end this."

"I promise." Eve let her go.

"Good. And when this is all over, you and I can be proper witch sisters again. We'll travel the world together just like we always talked about."

Eve smiled.

"Eve?" Charlie asked, a few feet away near the passenger door of the van.

She turned to him. "What's wrong?"

His forehead was creased with worry. He took two steps to her and wrapped his arms around her. "This is going to be so hard for you. You still have a powerful connection with Boaz, but don't let it control you. Think of something else. Lucien, the Deific, anything."

Eve let him go, dread sinking to her gut. "Are you sensing something?"

"Just be careful." Charlie stuck his head in the van's open window and said to Lucien, who had moved behind the steering wheel, "Don't let her forget how important she is to you."

"Let's go already," Alana called. She was already halfway down the block.

Charlie smiled at them both, then hurried after Liane and Rick, who weren't far behind Alana.

Eve inhaled an unsteady breath before moving into the passenger seat next to Lucien. Any fears she had before were now amplified. Her hands were
shaking
so bad she didn't dare reach for her seatbelt, giving herself away to Lucien and Henry. She had to appear strong even though she was about to face the devil.

18

Lucien glanced sideways at Eve as they drove to the cabin located about a hundred miles outside of the city. She was staring out the passenger window and hadn't said a word since she had gotten into the car. He didn't want to say anything for fear of making her more nervous, but he was really concerned by how white her knuckles had become as she clung to the side of the seat.

Henry hadn't spoken either, but Lucien didn't care. He was still mad at Henry for not telling him about Boaz and the necklace a lot sooner. The whole time he was training him on blocking Boaz, Henry knew that none of it would matter unless Eve was able to restore Boaz's powers.

Henry had lied to him, and that lie could have made Eve make a decision that could destroy her life. There was always more than one way to solve a problem. Lucien would destroy every last one of Boaz's minions if he had to. That would at least put an end to Boaz's plan. Sure he'd still live, but so would Eve.

The night was especially warm, almost suffocating. He would've turned the air conditioning on full blast, but he was afraid of chilling Eve. The moon was full and its light illuminated the road in a silver haze. He tried to stay focused on the light, not the darkness they were driving toward.

Charlie's last words to him about making sure Eve doesn't forget how important she was to him almost had him driving Eve in the opposite direction. Lucien didn't understand the strange connection she had with Boaz. He was pure evil, nothing good about him. How could she be drawn to that?

Lucien glanced at her again. She shifted her position, turning away from him a little more.

Damnit!

He quickly shifted his gaze back toward the road. He was making her uncomfortable, and she could probably sense his confusion. He needed to let this go and just keep her safe. The past was in the past. Eve was with him now.

A wave of intense emotion washed over him as he remembered their morning together. Nothing and no one could ever break that love. He slid his hand over to Eve and gently hooked his fingers with hers. She squeezed them once and closed her eyes. Air escaped her chest, and her shoulders dropped.

"We're almost there," Henry said from the backseat. "Take your next right."

Lucien followed the rest of Henry's directions until they turned up on a windy, dirt road that finally
ended
at a small cabin, its green metal roof shining in the moonlight. Lucien turned off the car, but no one moved. The air felt cold and pressurized, as if someone had trapped them in a meat locker.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Henry asked.

Eve undid her seatbelt. "It's the only way."

She was the first one out of the car. Lucien followed after and helped her remove all of the supplies from the back of the SUV. Henry finally followed them toward the small cabin, but he stopped just before they went in.

"You know I can't go in there," he said. "Boaz can't see me."

Eve turned around, sighing. "This is going to work, Henry. Please, we need you."

Henry glanced behind him, toward the shelter of the dark forest. "I can help you from the woods. I won't be far."

"You're afraid," Lucien said and balled his hands into fists. He didn't mean to be confrontational, but he was sick of him always using his desire for anonymity to avoid fighting. They were ready to face Boaz. Why wasn't he?

Henry appeared in front of him faster than he could blink. His expression turned dark, and fangs elongated in his mouth. "There is a history you don't understand,
boy
, nor do I have to explain it to you."

Eve stepped between them. "It's fine. Just don't go too far. And remember to say the words I taught you when you hear me speak them. Got it?"

Henry flashed Lucien a dangerous look before disappearing into the dark.

"Let's go inside," Eve said. "We don't have much time."

Lucien stared after Henry before following Eve into the cabin. He didn't know exactly what had happened between Boaz and the four original witch families, but if Henry, the most powerful vampire Lucien knew, was frightened, maybe he and Eve should reevaluate their plan.

Eve used the
light
from her cell phone to locate a bunch of candles within a kitchen cupboard. Lucien helped her illuminate them all over the cabin. It was an open floor plan with thick wood posts down the center. Its kitchen was a quarter the size of a large living room. River rock extended from the twenty-foot ceiling all the way down and around a wide fireplace. There was a small loft; its railing overlooked the living room. Lucien would hide up there, but he wondered if that was even necessary. Surely Boaz would sense him.

"Help me push the furniture to the side," Eve said as she pulled an antique-looking coffee table into the kitchen.

Lucien dragged a sofa to the window and pilled the rest of the room's sparse furniture on top of it while Eve dumped the contents of her bag onto the wooden floor. She picked up a thick piece of chalk and drew a wide pentagram across the floor. Candlelight flickered through the room, casting shadows in all directions. Eve looked confident in this light. Her motions were sure and smooth.

When she was finished, she handed Lucien a small jar. "Dip your finger in this and smear it around the circle."

"What is it?"

"Bear blood. I'll do the same with the spider and bat blood." She picked up another jar of blood and dipped her finger into it.

Lucien copied her. "It's going to be hard to get Boaz to stay in this circle."

"He won't need to," Eve said, swiping her finger across the floor. "When we inject him with the same animal blood as what we are using now, it will automatically transport him inside this circle. Blood to blood." She wiped stray hairs away from her face with the back of her hand. "Do you remember the words you're supposed to say once he is trapped?"

Lucien smeared more blood onto the floor. "They are seared into my brain."

"Good. When the time is right, say them over and over until Boaz is unconscious. Use every ounce of concentration you have. This magic is powerful and dark. Don't let it overwhelm you."

"Are you worried it will do that to you?"

Eve used the last of the blood to close the circle. She straightened and stared down at the red symbol, firelight casting shadows across her face.

"I'm ready for this," she said.

Lucien wasn't so sure, though. Her trembling hands spoke a different truth. He crossed the room and pulled her to him, cradling her small frame.

"I won't let anything happen to you," he said. "We are more powerful together remember?"

She nodded against his chest and inhaled deeply.

"Just remember that I love you," he added.

She looked up at him, trying to smile through her fear. "And I you."

Lucien leaned in to kiss her, but stopped when a wolf howled in the distance.

Eve's whole body tensed. "He's here."