The Sacrifice (32 page)

Riana
curled her lip. “You
’
re forgetting one thing. I never swore fealty to
you, and I never will.”

Vind
’
s
cold, hard eyes glared at her. “Once we
’
re married it will be
the equivalent.”

Riana opened her mouth to deny his
statement, but her voice was cut off by his.

“
Soren, begin.
”

Soren
backhanded the boy. His frail body flew several feet as if he weighed no more
than a scrap of crumpled paper. The boy pushed to his feet and swayed. Soren
grabbed him by the neck, threw him to the ground and straddled his chest. Neil
Connors
’
face quickly became a bloody mess as Soren
’
s
fist repeatedly pounded him. With the mountain sitting atop him, the boy was as
helpless as a mouse caught in a trap. As the beating continued, the boy
’
s
eyes began to glaze.

Riana
’
s
stomach lurched.

I
have to stop this before the bastard kills him.
She lunged
forward, but Vind grabbed her around the waist, lifted her off the ground and
held her there. She kicked and swung her arms, ineffective at making contact in
her position.

“Put me down,” she screamed.

Vind
erupted into laughter. “And you said you had no warrior blood. I think you
’
ve
just proven I was right in choosing you to produce my heir.”

“I
’
m
trying to stop that asshole from killing the boy. Stop him—before it
’
s
too late!”

When the boy lost consciousness, Vind
sat her feet on the ground and circled her wrist with a vise-like grip. “Soren,
take him and do as you wish with him.”

Bile
rose in Riana
’
s throat as Iggy
’
s words came back to
haunt her.

“
He
does horrible things to them, Riana. We can
’
t let him do
to Lily what he
’
s done to the others.

Oh,
my God. By begging Vind not to kill the boy, she
’
d
sentenced him to an even worse fate—one where he would suffer and die anyway.
Soren picked up his prize, threw him over his shoulder, and dematerialized.

Vind led her inside the castle. He
grabbed her shoulders and stared into her eyes. “I trust this lesson has taught
you something?”

Yeah,
that you
’
re a heartless bastard.
She held the thought, lifted her chin and glared
at him through strands of hair covering her face.

“Go
to your room and clean yourself up. You
’
re a mess.”

Riana
held to the rail as she climbed the staircase. Her body felt as if it weighed a
thousand pounds from the stress of everything that
’
d
happened since last night when Iggy woke her. Almost to her room, she heard
heavy footsteps approaching and turned. Riana snarled at Ms. Rizzo before
opening her door. “You better stay the hell away from me.” She went inside and
slammed the door behind her. Seconds later, the locks shifted into place.

With
the violence she
’
d witnessed weighing heavy in her stomach, Riana
went into the bathroom and dry-heaved until she collapsed on the tile floor.

If
I don
’
t get out of here soon, I might not survive.
She hadn
’
t taken any of the
blood offered since arriving, and the effects were beginning to show. Even
though Alpheus had never drank from humans, and reassured her it was from his
private stock of synthetic blood, she wasn
’
t sure she could
trust him. He did whatever Vind ordered. But, if Vind gave her human blood, she
couldn
’
t birth him an heir—if that
’
s
even what he was up to. Lies flew from his mouth like the wind blew from the
north. She didn
’
t trust a word he said.

Now
that Lily was safe, she could start planning a way to end Vind
’
s
life. Even though she
’
d be dead at the hands of his men, with him dead,
the Protectors would have a better chance of destroying his army.

Cy
materialized inside the courtyard of the compound. He
’
d
returned from a meeting with the Royal Council. Those idiots took time from his
search for Riana and Lily…when all they wanted was a progress report.

When
Cy left, they were in quite a snit. If the Council wanted to stop him, just let
them try.
Try
being the operative word. Since hearing about his
engagement, they
’
d been an extremely happy group, thinking it would
take him one step closer to accepting his position as king. Today he told them
he fought feeders as second-in-command of the Protectors and had no intention
of stopping until Vind was dead. The group of aristocratic assholes became very
agitated. Why did he care what they thought? If he ever did accept his
kingship, he would fire the worthless bunch of pricks.

While
he was at the meeting, Oz had texted that he
’
d received several
tips. Vind was spotted in Spain. Several calls had come in around the same
time, spotting him other places, leaving them spread thin. Every Protector on
the planet had searched twenty-four-seven since Riana and Lily went missing.

Cy
went inside his apartment to change into his fighting clothes and collect his
weapons before joining his fighters in Spain. As he grabbed his phone to call
Oz and find out their coordinates, it vibrated. He didn
’
t
recognize the number, but quickly answered hoping Riana had somehow gotten to a
phone. “This is Cy.”

“Is this Cy…the Protector?”

His heart sank when the voice belonged
to a young boy. “Yes, it is. Who is this?”

“My name is Ignasha. I helped Lily
escape. Riana gave me this number and said I should call you to come get her.”

Cy released a huge breath. “Are they
all right?”

“Yes…well
Lily is, and Riana was a few hours ago when Lily and I left. I
’
m
sorry, but I couldn
’
t get Riana out safely. She said I should save Lily
and then show you where she
’
s at.”

“You
did the right thing. Where
’
s Lily now?” Cy began a fast pace around his
bedroom.

“I
’
ve
hidden her where they can
’
t find her. I
’
m to take you to her.
Riana said you could get here fast?”

“Yes, I can. How fast depends on where
are you?”

“I
’
m
in a small village in Italy, called Coldigioco. It
’
s
about fifty miles inland from the Adriatic coast. There
’
s
one small chapel in the village. I
’
ll wait for you
inside.”

“Okay, I will be there within thirty
minutes.”

“Mister
Cy, please hurry. Lily
’
s alone, and the feeders are already searching. I
saw them on my way into town.”

“Hold
tight, son. I
’
m on my way.” Cy hung up and called Oz for backup.
It went straight to voice mail.

“Oz,
this is Cy. Riana and Lily are near a small village in Italy, called
Coldigioco. I
’
m headed there now. Call as soon as you get
this.”
He tried Miles,
Kam, and several other Protectors. Everyone
’
s phone went straight
to voice mail.

Damnit
to hell! Where are they?

He called the two guards on duty at
the gate. “Do you know the Protectors’ location in Spain?”

“No sir. They signed out about an hour
ago.”

Cy had no choice. He would have to
take the guards for back up until he got a hold of the Protectors. “Nicholas,
radio every guard in the compound. Tell them they have sixty seconds to get to
my office or lose their jobs.”

A minute later six guards arrived,
breathing hard from their run. “Is this everyone?” Cy asked.

“Yes,
sir,”
Nicholas replied.

Cy
considered the guards standing before him. Only three of them were seasoned.
The rest had been at the compound less than six months. He didn
’
t
have time to worry about it. At the moment, they were all he had.

“Everyone
else is out following up on calls,” Cy told the small group. “I have a lead,
and need you all to come with me. You have five minutes to hit the armory and
weapon-up. Go heavy on the weapons. There
’
s a good chance we
’
re
going to need it. He pulled down the map, found Coldigioco, Italy, and called
out the coordinates to the guards. Now, let
’
s get a move on.” For
the first time in almost a week, he had hope of finding Riana and Lily.

As
Cy strapped on weapons, they felt heavier than usual. He hadn
’
t
been able to sleep or eat since Riana disappeared. Not keeping down food, and
the bare minimum of synthetic blood, had taken a toll on his body.

Thirty minutes later, Cy and the
guards materialized in a wooded area on the outskirts of Coldigioco. “Nicholas,
come with me. The rest of you stay here.”

The
boy was right about the place being small. It didn
’
t
take long to locate the little white chapel. Cy opened the doors. A boy with
blond hair sat on a bench near the podium. He didn
’
t
move or turn around. His head was down as if he were praying or meditating. Cy
walked the short distance to the front and took a seat beside him.

The boy raised his head and faced Cy.

This
is who rescued Lily? He
’
s only a child.

“Are you Ignasha?” Cy asked quietly.

The boy stiffened, and then relaxed as
their eyes met.

“I
am not Vind.” Cy reassured him. “We look alike because he
’
s
my brother.”

“I
know you
’
re not. Riana said you
’
re
nothing like him and I trust her.” The boy gave Cy a tight-lipped smile. “My
friends call me Iggy.” His shoulders drooped. “I
’
m
sorry I failed to get Riana out. Vind put a bomb around her neck. If she leaves
the property it will kill her.”

The
guilt etched on the boy
’
s face took Cy by surprise. “Iggy, you have failed
no one. Because of your actions, we will save them both. For that, I am
eternally grateful.

They
rose and left the church. “My men are on the outskirts of town. When we reach
Lily, one of them will take her to safety. Then you can show me where Riana is.
Don
’
t worry, we
’
ll find a way to get
her out of there unharmed.”

Iggy led Cy and the guards to a nearby
hilltop village he called, Elcito. Except for a couple of people peeking out
windows as they passed, it appeared abandoned. They went inside one of the
vacant houses and entered a pantry inside the kitchen.

Iggy
removed a small dusty rug on the floor, revealing a hatch. He pulled the latch
on the door and began singing. “No blooms are sweeter than Lily Magnolia. Li,
Li, Lily Magnolia are the sweetest of blooms. One, two, three, Lily come to
me.” Iggy looked up at Cy and smiled, flashing deep dimples. “She
’
s
not supposed to come out until she hears my song.”

Lily
flew up the steps leading from the cellar and jumped into Cy
’
s
arms. Her small arms circled his neck. “Cy, I knew you
’
d
come!”

Tears
threatened Cy
’
s eyes. “Of course I would, sweetie. We
’
ve
been so worried about you. Are you all right?”

“Yes,
but we have to go back to get Riana. Vind is going to hurt her if we don
’
t.”

“We
will, honey. But first, we need to get you home.” Lily let go of Cy and looked
around. “Where
’
s Kyra?”

“She
was out looking for you when Iggy called. I left them a message about where I
went. I
’
m going to have a guard take you to the queen
’
s
palace. You
’
ll be safe there until this is over.”

“But…I
need to go with you. I promised Riana I
’
d save her.”

“You
have saved her, Lily. You
’
ve saved her by being brave enough to escape and
find help.”

Lily’s
lip quivered, tugging at Cy
’
s heart. “Can Iggy come with me to see the queen?”

“He
has to show me where Riana
’
s at first. After that, I
’
ll
go back to get the other Protectors, and have Kyra bring him to where you are.”

Her long lashes cast down. “Okay.”

Cy handed Lily over to the guard. As
she looked back at him with sad tearful eyes, a knot tightened his throat. But
the instant she and the guard dematerialized, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Lily was safe. Now he had to find Riana.

Iggy
led Cy and the guards deep into the mountains. After they reached the edge of
Vind
’
s property, they lay prone on the ground, just
outside of the cameras’ range, while Iggy pointed out each one. The boy gave
them a vast amount of information about what went on around the castle.

Cy studied the property closely as
Iggy explained how he came by all of his info. About what happened to his
brother, and his plans for avenging his death. The boy had led a hard life, and
seemed wise beyond his years.

He
pulled his cell from his pocket and tried calling Oz again. This time, voice
mail didn
’
t even pick up. Now that he
’
d
found Riana, he didn
’
t want to waste any more time. He needed the
Protectors here, now. Where were they? Uneasiness settled in his gut. He tried
Miles
’
number again, but dropped the call and froze as
vapor trails shot through the forest.

Suddenly,
eight of Vind
’
s men materialized to his left. Gunshots erupted.
Cy rolled several feet, stopping behind a fallen log for cover. He pulled his
gun, took aim and shot two feeders. With a third in his sights he pulled the
trigger. At the same time he fired, the log splintered and the burn of a bullet
seared through his left thigh.

He swore softly and continued firing
his weapon, taking out three more before stopping. He glanced around and
spotted three piles of dust where his own men had been. Where was Iggy?
Hopefully, he ran for cover when bullets started flying.

A
flash of movement jerked Cy
’
s head to the left, the same direction the bullet
in his leg came from
.
Before he had a visual, Cy blindly fired his
weapon. He smiled when the thud of a body hit the ground.

Cy
looked around for his other two guards. If they were still alive he needed to
find them and get out of there. He glanced up and attempted to transport into
the trees for a better vantage point. When nothing happened he cursed. The
bullet in his leg must have contained some type of anti-transport material. His
injury wasn
’
t bad enough to interfere with transport. But it
was draining his strength faster than normal.