Blue Voodoo: A Romantic Retelling of Bluebeard (The Hidden Kingdom Series Book 2) (32 page)

“Yes.” The vampire furrowed his brows as the incubus continued his pull-ups, apparently unaffected by the reputation of the tree.

Etienne turned to the god. “You said you’re here because you were meant to be here. Why?”

Prince Saamal started to shrug, then glanced at the incubus. Prince Adonis grinned and pretended to search the sky for the imaginary puppeteer. The corner of the god’s mouth quirked. “I do not know why. I do not see the future, I merely sense when forces are working toward a goal. I felt my place was here and so here I am.”

The werewolf shoved his hand through his hair. “So you have no idea what brought us all here or what we’re supposed to do now?”

The god stepped closer to the tree, drawing a small dagger as he did so. The blade gleamed black in the moonlight and a surge of energy raised the hairs on the arms of Eurydice’s ghostly spirit form. The blade was obsidian. And old.

“Not exactly,” the god murmured. “I don’t know who brought us here.” He lifted the blade to his palm and drew it over his flesh in one sharp, smooth motion. Blood welled up and filled his hand. “But I know what to do.”

The scent of copper filled the air and the vampire’s eyes dilated, his lips parting slightly. His fangs slid farther from their sheaths, gleaming white in the rays of the moon. A glow lit the werewolf’s eyes and a shiver ran over his skin. The angel rubbed his arms uncomfortably and averted his gaze. Adonis tilted his head.

They all watched silently as the god placed his bloody palm against the rough bark of the tree. Eurydice held her breath. Waiting.

A ripple of electricity rolled through the clearing. Eurydice swirled around the heart of her tree like a firefly in a jar. The rush of energy was thick and gloriously vibrant. She could feel her tree drinking in the blood, stirring from its long slumber. Darting back to her knot, she refocused her attention on the princes, forcing herself to concentrate through the drug-like haze the power had laid over her senses. Prince Saamal closed his eyes. An expression of peace came over his face and Eurydice smiled.

The vampire’s gaze sharpened and he drew a fang over his palm. He repeated the god’s motion, placing his hand against the tree. Without a word, the werewolf bit his own hand and followed suit.

Eurydice’s heart pounded. She’d known the god would know what to do, had known the vampire would feel the power rush and leap to be a part of it, and had been certain that the werewolf would follow the vampire out of spite. However, if the prophecy were to come true, she needed all five princes to touch the tree, all five of them to give that powerful blood to the thirsty bark. She clutched her hands to her chest.

Please.

“Looks like fun.” The demon dropped from the tree and took a swaggering step closer to the wide trunk.

He was being flippant, but Eurydice had seen his reaction when the god’s blood had touched the tree while the demon still hung from its branches. Prince Adonis had felt the energy too. She could hear his heart beat faster, could almost see the pulse in his throat. He held out his hand to the god, gesturing at the obsidian blade. “May I?”

Saamal offered the blade to the demon without taking his bloody palm from the tree.

Adonis glanced at the angel and sneered. “Need a some help, birdie?”

The angel wrinkled his nose as the demon cut his palm and added his to the tree. Prince Adonis waggled his eyebrows at Patricio, inclining his head in invitation. The winged prince ruffled his feathers and Eurydice held her breath as the angel’s fists clenched and unclenched. Her fallen angel had always been a bit sensitive.
Oh, please, Patricio. Please don’t fail me.

Prince Patricio sneered at the offered blade. “If you think I’m going to drag that demon blood-tainted instrument of sacrifice across my flesh, you’re as insane as you are vulgar.”

He raised his hand and Eurydice’s heart pounded as blood pooled in his palm, untouched by any weapon or sharp point of any kind.
Stigmata.
She clasped her hands in front of her, worrying her fingers. The angel was farther gone than she’d thought.

“However, I have nothing to lose here.” Patricio glanced at the god and for a split second, time seemed to stand still. Then, without a word, the angel added his blood to the trunk—making a show of being as far from the demon’s blood as possible.

The energy in the tree climbed higher and higher until Eurydice could barely breathe. She dropped her head back, her eyes rolling upward. She wanted to fill the tree with her spirit until she poured out of the trunk in her true hamadryad form, but she couldn’t risk it. It was too early for her Blood Princes to know the whole story. Witnessing the powerful magic of her human half emerging from within the tree would put all of them on the defensive. They didn’t know one another yet, didn’t trust one another—or her. To tell them now would only lead to fighting and then the prophecy may never come true.

The tree creaked and shifted as Eurydice fought to breathe through the energy. Leaves rustled and branches waved, a steady power building inside it. Her leaves grew to a more vibrant green, the bark a richer brown. The scent of wood and earth thickened in the air like a natural perfume. Eurydice didn’t need to see the tree herself to know what changes were happening. It had been a long time, but she remembered.

After several long minutes, the demon stared up into the leaves. “That’s it?”

“There should be more,” the vampire muttered, mostly to himself.

The god backed away from the tree, his face a smooth mask of serenity. “It isn’t time yet. There are things as yet unfinished and all the pieces have not yet moved into place.”

“What are you talking about?” The vampire’s eyes flashed. “What do you know?”

The god remained calm despite the vampire’s strained tone. “Some of the pieces are missing. We will have to wait.” Without another word he walked away, disappearing into the trees and melting into the shadows.

“What pieces?” The vampire’s eyes glittered with red flecks as his gaze twitched back and forth around the clearing.

The demon puffed on his cigarette. “I suppose I’ll be going too. I’m feeling a bit tired so I should probably find a nice young lady to give me a little boost.” He winked at the angel as he sauntered back into the woods, smoke trailing behind him.

“I don’t know what we expected to happen.” The angel rubbed his hand on his robes, smearing a thin red line over the perfect white cloth.

“What’s the matter with you?” Kirill pulled his cloak back down over his shoulders, shielding his body.

The angel shot a look of disgust at the retreating demon before shaking his head at the tree. “Nothing.” He spread his wings, white feathers fanning wide enough to be mistaken for the sails of a ship from a distance. With a few wind-raising passes of the downy limbs, he rose off the ground and disappeared over the canopy of trees.

“You don’t know anything about what’s going on do you?” Kirill’s voice was flat as he settled his hood over his head. Red sparks glittered from the darkness of the hood.

Prince Etienne ignored him. He stared at the vampire as a shiver ran over his body, muscles twitching as something shifted beneath his skin. Without a word, he threw himself into the change. Grey and white fur exploded over his body as his limbs contorted, throwing him to the ground on all fours. It was over in a matter of seconds, a seamless change that spoke of experience, power, and a true oneness with his beast. Kirill shook his head as Etienne bounded off into the trees.

The vampire contemplated the tree, standing alone in the clearing. He stepped up to the trunk, staring at the bark, examining the blood. For a second, Eurydice actually wondered if he’d take out his dagger and scrape off a sample. She held perfectly still, her heart pounding. Perhaps she’d underestimated Kirill, given him too much information, too much incentive to find out what was going on. She couldn’t in good conscience allow him to gather samples of the other princes’ blood, let alone a piece of the World Tree. Kirill wasn’t an evil man, but his ambition could lead him to make questionable choices.

She almost collapsed with relief when the vampire finally stepped back. With one last long look, he plunged back into the forest, not even a rustle of leaves giving away his path.

Eurydice rose through the layers of the tree to watch the vampire’s retreating back until he had completely disappeared into the woods. Safe and almost weak with relief, she raised her arms over her head, relishing the feel of the breeze on her smooth, pale flesh and running her hands down her body to where her lower half merged with the tree. Her incorporeal form was fine, but this…this was so much closer to how she was meant to be.

It had been too long since she’d come outside, taken her physical body instead of merely existing in an incorporeal form inside the trunk. She felt more alive than she had in centuries. The trunk of her tree greedily absorbed the blood from the five princes, practically sizzling with the release of power, and she sighed as the energy buzzed through her body. They were the ones. She’d been right. It was starting.

She peered through the trees in the direction the werewolf had gone. She could still see his face as the god had mentioned pieces missing, the pain that had creased the skin around his eyes and the sorrow that had made the grey orbs hazy. Her heart ached at the despair she sensed from him.

“Worry not, Prince Etienne. You will be whole again very soon.” She glanced up into her boughs, eyeing the tiny creature peering at her from a leaf with a rapt expression on his face. He’d remained miraculously silent during the evening’s events, even when the god had perched less than a meter away from him in her branches. “You have the wand?”

The tiny humanoid with the glittering dragonfly wings waved the white stick in the air.

“You know what to do.” Eurydice glanced toward the werewolf’s palace. “Do not fail him. He needs her.”

“Pixies never fail,” the little blue creature informed her imperiously. He disappeared in a blue glowing streak into the woods.

“I hope not,” Eurydice said softly.

Download BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Other Books by Jennifer Blackstream

Blood Prince Series

Before Midnight

One Bite

Golden Stair

Divine Scales

Beautiful Salvation

Additional Books Featuring Characters From the Blood Prince Series

Dead To Begin With

What Sharp Teeth You Have

The Blood Realm Series:

All for a Rose

Blue Voodoo

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About the Author

Jennifer Blackstream is a psychology enthusiast with both a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology. Her fascination with the human mind is most appeased through the study of mythology and folklore as well as any novel written by Sir Terry Pratchett.

Jennifer enjoys listening to Alice Cooper, trying new recipes (to which she will add garlic whether it calls for it or not), watching television with her family, and playing with her woefully intelligent young son. She lives in Ohio.

Jennifer spends most of her time drinking coffee from her X-Men mug and desperately trying to get all her ideas written down before her son can find that all magical button on her laptop to make her latest work vanish.

To learn more about Jennifer Blackstream and her novels, visit her website at
http://www.jenniferblackstream.com
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Copyright

All for a Rose

©Copyright Jennifer Blackstream 2016

Skeleton Key Publishing

Cover Art Clarissa Yeo of Yocla Book Cover Designs

Edited by Sharon Muha

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