Unfaithful (55 page)

I trembled at the thought. Ginevra had been clear in the strict orders she’d given me. They were all counting on me. I couldn’t let them down. “We need to tell Evan,” I said, worried there wouldn’t be time.

“We’ll tell him when he gets back,” Simon reassured me. “Don’t worry.”

I sighed with relief. I wasn’t prepared for the possibility of carrying out the plan without his support.

“I wouldn’t be able to bring you back without him,” Simon continued. “I just hope Drake doesn’t take advantage of his being gone to get near you,” he said, looking concerned.

“What should I do if that happens?” I asked in alarm.

“Nothing risky,” he warned. “You can’t use the poison until Evan knows about the plan, otherwise you’ll complicate things.” Simon looked me in the eye to make sure I followed his instructions. “You risk actually dying, Gemma. I can’t do it all alone. It’s imperative that both Evan and I reach you in time to save you.”

“We’ll be there even if you can’t see us,” Ginevra explained. “We’ll have to keep a certain distance. That way Drake can feel safe enough to get close without being able to sense our presence. Still, we’ll be close enough to get to you in time.”

“Fine. I’m ready.” I swallowed and looked confidently at Ginevra. “Give me the poison.”

She nodded slightly, her eyes fixed on mine. “Come with me.”

I did as she said, but after a few steps I turned to look at Simon, puzzled. “Aren’t you coming?”

A bitter half smile escaped him. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Right.” I opened my mouth but closed it a moment later.

Simon was still smiling. “Don’t get bitten before it’s time or we’ll have to scrap the whole plan!” he warned with a wink and a touch of sarcasm.

“If that happens I guess you won’t need a plan any more,” I reminded him in the same tone, returning the smile and leaving the room.

Ginevra opened her bedroom door casually, disregarding the furious beating of my heart that I was sure she could hear. My blood was pumping so hard I felt my veins throbbing in my temples. This was all so bizarre.

I’d been in this room a hundred times and knew it well—I’d memorized its every detail. Except one, obviously: the vault, which had always been strictly off limits. I’d never paid much attention to it, but now the door seemed larger and heavier, as if it continued to grow out of proportion before my eyes and wanted to crush me. Or maybe it was me who felt smaller and more helpless than ever. In a moment I would walk through that door toward an encounter with my fate.

I’d heard them mention Ginevra’s serpent before, though rarely. Usually they preferred not to dwell on the subject. Ginevra came to a halt in front of the door. I was right behind her.

“You can wait outside if you want,” she said.

“I’d rather go in,” I replied quickly, yearning to give in to the strange instinct that continued to push me toward danger.

With a clack so loud it penetrated my bones, the lock opened and the vault door swung open. Shuddering as I followed Ginevra in, I looked around and realized we weren’t in a room, but rather, an enormous, unearthly garden under a lead-gray sky. It was as though the door had opened into a parallel dimension.

When Ginevra moved I followed close on her heels, staying alert. I didn’t want her serpent to lunge out and bite me. Of course if it did, it would spare them a few problems. In reply to my thoughts, Ginevra cast me an amused frown. “Just kidding,” I said with a grin and a shrug.

All at once her expression turned serious—not worried, just serious. “Don’t move,” she warned, stopping in front of me calmly. At her words I froze in my tracks. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a movement just over my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” she reassured me. “He won’t hurt you.”

Every fiber of my body trembled as the movement continued. I stood rigid and saw it: her serpent. It moved with Ginevra’s grace, weaving in harmonious patterns through the branches above my head.

“He’s under my control,” she continued to reassure me. “He won’t do anything to you. He obeys my thoughts.”

I weighed her words and something dawned on me: it wasn’t fear I was feeling. Something else was trembling inside me, some emotion I couldn’t put my finger on.

The serpent moved toward Ginevra, slithering over a large branch so smoothly he almost seemed to float through the air. Ginevra held out her hand and the creature obeyed, sliding sinuously onto her arm. I would never have imagined it, but seeing them together was electrifying.

The serpent coiled gracefully around Ginevra’s forearm. “Scared?” she asked me, her voice comforting as I stared at her, fascinated.

“No, I don’t think so.” It was the truth. “I think it’s something else. He’s so . . .
magnetic
,” I replied as the animal formed a perfect spiral, gliding elegantly up to Ginevra’s elbow. When he reached her upper arm, something unexpected happened. My eyes bulged as the serpent fused with her skin.

A glimmer spread over Ginevra’s eyes, making them even greener. Their emerald-like light was hard to describe. For a fraction of a second her pupils narrowed and lengthened in imitation of her serpent’s, leaving me breathless. She turned to me with the satisfied look an inventor might have when showing off their newest creation for the first time. Unable to believe what I’d just seen, I opened my mouth to speak, but not a sound came out. Ginevra continued to smile at me like someone who’s just finished a long journey through the desert and finally quenched their thirst.

The serpent had disappeared beneath her skin, leaving a spiral-shaped silver mark around her arm.
Magnificent
was the only word my brain could come up with.

“You really think so?” she asked, looking honored.

I was even more convinced than before: there was something magnetic about her creature, so powerful and extraordinary. I nodded, unable to take my eyes off the spot on her arm where her serpent had disappeared.

 “He’s part of me,” she whispered, her smile widening as she looked me in the eye in search of understanding.

I flashed her a reassuring smile. After all, I didn’t need to read Ginevra’s mind to guess how she felt. For centuries her only company had been three Subterraneans, and on top of that she’d always hidden the existence of her creature from them. She’d had to conceal an important part of herself and although Simon had always known her secret, Ginevra could never have shared with him the feelings that bonded her to her serpent. She’d even had to create an impenetrable barrier to separate them. It must have been nice for her to finally be able to share something so important, so personal.

The serpent rematerialized, gliding across Ginevra’s skin before my captivated eyes, as if he’d also heard my thoughts and wanted to give me the chance to see him more closely. He spiraled down her arm toward me. Ginevra reached her arm out, a pleased look on her face.

I instinctively moved nearer. The serpent triggered a strong attraction in me, a powerful energy that even the most hidden part of my brain could detect.

We were so close. For a moment, the serpent swayed in front of my face as I gazed at him in fascination. His venom was deadly and he could bite me so quickly I would be dead before I knew it. Yet I wasn’t frightened. There was no trace of fear in my body. Quite the opposite—it felt like the serpent was summoning me. The more I looked at him, the more I longed to touch him. It was a visceral need, a need I couldn’t control . . .

“Don’t get too close,” Ginevra warned cautiously. This must have been a completely new experience for her too.

“So small yet so powerful,” I murmured, my eyes riveted on the bewitching creature.

“True greatness doesn’t depend on size. Sometimes the greatest power resides in the most hidden things, unseen to our eyes. This is the first time I’ve shown him to anyone in who knows how long.”

“Yeah, that’s what I would imagine.”

“I even keep him away from Simon,” Ginevra said as though she needed to explain. She had the serpent slide down into her hands and showed him a tiny glass container the size of a thimble. I admired her movements. I would have given anything for an ounce of her gracefulness.

“He’s too dangerous for Simon,” she went on, frowning in response to my thoughts. She thought it was crazy that I sometimes looked at her with such admiration.
I
thought it was crazy that she considered
me
to be on the same level as her.

“I thought you said you could control him,” I said aloud after our silent disagreement.

“Yes, but I can’t guarantee his reaction in such an extreme situation. Simon is still a Subterranean, after all, and it might be too much for a serpent to bear. If his survival instinct kicked in, I would have to—” Ginevra stopped abruptly. There was no need for her to finish her sentence—I already understood. “I do it to protect both of them.”

As she said this, the serpent sank his fang into the vial, drawing my attention. The scent was so powerful and immediate it made me dizzy. I almost lost my balance, it was so intoxicating. It was just as I remembered it: intense, overpowering . . .
irresistible
. Who knew what it would be like to taste it. For a second, it almost felt like I was savoring its flavor. I would find out soon enough.

Ginevra raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “It’s strange that you can smell it,” she said with surprise.

“I thought Subterraneans were the only ones who couldn’t,” I said, confused.

“Actually, I’ve never tested it out on a . . . human.” She said the last word cautiously.

“Go ahead and say it—I’m not offended. I know perfectly well I’m a human,” I reminded her.

“It’s just that Angels generally can’t smell it.”

“That must be an advantage for you Witches.”

“I guess.”

“Since they can’t smell it, they can’t anticipate the danger, or something like that,” I said, still dazed by the scent. Who knew why humans were allowed to smell it? From the look on Ginevra’s face, I deduced that she was wondering the same thing.

“Done,” she told me, setting her serpent back on a large branch that hung directly over our heads. “We have the poison.” She raised the vial to show me its contents and a sparkling droplet slid ominously to the bottom, almost dancing—elegant and lethal, just like Ginevra. It was hard to fathom how much power was contained in that tiny vial. I stared at it for a long moment, struggling against the seductive power that tried to pull me into its black coils.

Ginevra tore me from my thoughts. “Still think you can do it?” she asked. “You won’t be able to change your mind. Once you’ve taken the poison you’ll have to see it through to the end.”

“Explain everything to me,” I said without hesitating.

After a long, silent, intense gaze, Ginevra took my hand and cautiously placed the vial in my palm. A shudder ran through me at the contact with the cold glass—or more likely, the awareness of what it contained had triggered my reaction. I had just signed a contract with death and in my hand I held the weapon with which I would take my own life. The key to my own end—or might it be a new beginning? I wasn’t sure.

“It’s essential that Drake not realize your intentions,” Ginevra warned as if I didn’t already know that.

“Are you sure I’ll have the chance to use it? Who says he won’t attack me right away? He might not give me the opportunity to get close enough to kiss him.”

“We create our own opportunities. Don’t forget he can’t come into our house in his real appearance and I don’t think you have any intention of leaving for the time being. That means the only way he can get close to you is to take the guise of one of us. He could take on my appearance or Simon’s, but that wouldn’t make sense, given that he can get a lot closer to you by transforming into Evan. Unless, of course, Evan is already there with you—but I doubt he’ll try that again, after what happened last time. My guess is he’ll want to approach you when you’re alone—that would make more sense. You’ll have to seize the chance. Once Evan knows about our plan, we’ll set the trap and pretend to leave you alone. I’m sure Drake won’t let the opportunity pass him by. At that point you’ll have to use all your powers of seduction to lure him close to you. It’ll be an invitation I’m sure he won’t be able to refuse. Then, making sure he doesn’t notice, moisten your lips with the poison. You’ll have a few seconds to kiss him.”

As Ginevra gave me my instructions, I stared at the little vial and gulped. She rested her warm hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you won’t even have to make an effort. From what I’ve gathered from your memories, you won’t even need to persuade him. It’s Drake, remember. This is all part of the game for him. He’ll kiss you first, but it will be too late for him by then.”

I looked up in time to see a glint in Ginevra’s eyes, preceded by a bitter smile. “We’d better not make Simon worry. He’s still downstairs waiting for us. I can feel his impatience even through the walls.” Ginevra locked the mighty vault and we left her room.

“Yeah, we’d better not.” I shut the door behind me.