Destiny Divided (18 page)

He stepp
ed toward her. She stepped back and bumped into Marcelo, reminding her she was a prisoner here.

“T
he oracles tell me you are destined to be the Queen of the Underworld,” he said. “I cannot allow that. I work alone.”

“You’re going to ki
ll me.” It wasn’t a question, just an observation of fate.

He nodded slowly,
his eyes downcast, almost as if he were sad about it. “But first I’ll drain you. A sorcerer-witch is bound to be an interesting combination. But enough sentiments. Show me what you’ve got.” He backed up a few steps, crouched down, and gestured her forward.

“You wa
nt me to fight you?”

“Of course.
I have to see what talents I’ll obtain when I drain you.”

The element of surprise.
She faked a stunned expression then threw a Bolt. But he moved too quickly and dodged it. Something hit her and she flew back then crashed into the stone wall behind her.

A
few of her ribs cracked with a sickening sound and the air rush out of her lungs. She fell to the floor, gasping for breath.

Cadmael
stood over her. “Is that all you’ve got? I’m disappointed.”

Gaze
on her target, she pulled energy into her palms and formed a sword. She held it in front of her as she stood to face him.

Cadmael
mimicked her lighted sword then smiled from behind the white glow.

James’ had told her, when fighting vampires, to anticipate their next move. T
hey were too fast to strike where they stood, so she had to be one step ahead. At the last strike, Cadmael moved left to avoid the Bolt. Would he move right this time?

Inste
ad of swinging the sword at him, she struck slightly to the right. His shirt ripped open and blood rose to the surface of his pale skin. Before she could follow up with another strike, sharp pain exploded in her shoulder. She hadn’t even seen the sword stab her.

She choked back
a scream, enduring the agony with dignity. Instead of falling to her knees, she managed to stay upright, just barely. Maybe being immortal wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

B
roken ribs and fire radiating down her arm made it hard to breathe. Fucking crazy ass relatives. She narrowed her gaze at enemy.

With a glance
at the ceiling, a bolt of lightning struck and hit something atop the castle. The building rumbled.

Cadmael
, momentarily distracted, looked up and whispered, “Fascinating.”

Desperately, she wished for the chandelier to fall. It creaked at first then silenced. Her heart sunk and she felt hope fading away.

Without warning, the entire iron piece came crashing down on top of Cadmael, wiping off his perpetually amused grin.

She winced as he fell to the ground underneath the heavy pieces of broken chandelier. It had to have
hurt, but he didn’t give any indication it did anything but irritate him.

His growl made
her flinch. Despite having been growled at plenty by her own vampire, Cadmael was unmatched. He leapt to his feet.

Great. She’d
only angered him.

He thrust
out his hand and one of the broken chandelier pieces flew toward her. It hit her in the chest, forcing her back against the wall. Something invisible held it there, pinning her a foot or so off the ground. She tried to gather power in her hands but they only sparked.

Cadmael
sauntered toward her, stopping a few feet away. “You won’t win this. And I’ve gotten a good view of your abilities. We’re done here.” He motioned to Marcelo, who’d been delicately dodging the effects of the fight.

Marcelo
released the iron bar from her chest and wrapped his big arm around her torso. He probably didn’t realize he was the only thing holding her up.

“You’re weak,” Cadmael said with disgust.
“I’ll wait until you gain your strength before I drain you. I have a ceremony planned.” He looked at Marcelo. “Take her to one of my rooms. Make sure she’s fed and taken care of. No one touches her.”

A moment later
, cold air seized her, her head spun, and the destroyed hallway turned into a plain, anonymous bedroom.

Marcelo eased
her onto the bed. She winced with each movement. Her lungs burned when she breathed. Her shirt was sticky with blood. So much of her body hurt, she couldn’t concentrate on one single injury. She wanted to curl up and die.

“You cannot escape from here,
princesa
,” the vampire said, pulling a blanket over her body. “The walls are magic proof. Save your energy and rest as the Dark King instructed. You will receive food shortly.”

She looked up into his strangely warm eyes.
He was being…nice? It was impossible to keep up with these moody vampires.
Her eyelids grew heavy, and within seconds of hitting the pillow, she fell into a deep sleep.

He was going to thrash her! First, he was going to drink her. Then he was going to fuck her. Then he was going to thrash her. No. First he was going to fuck her, then thrash her, then drink her.

James had spent three whole day
s plotting his revenge. He hadn’t felt so helpless since he’d been turned so long ago. Stuck in a goddamn cave by a twenty-five year old woman with a fucking beginner potion! The fact that he was falling in love with that woman made it all the trickier to plan revenge.

In his mind
, he hunted Sage. He looked forward to the thrill of it. Scenting her. Tracking her. Taking her in his arms once he caught her – and he
would
catch her – although he wasn’t sure if he would hug her or throttle her. But he would find her, and they would have a nice long talk – preferably with her over his knee, or maybe tied to the bed.

When the
potion finally wore off, he was hungry and sore and in no condition to hunt. It took him a full day to find blood and get his strength back. Already Sage was four days ahead of him.

He checked his
voicemail, hoping Sage had come to her senses and asked for forgiveness. He would make her beg. But there was only one message. It was Ruby.

“James, I thought you were going to take the girl to safety. Why do I see her uniting with Cadmael? And what on earth are you doing playing around in a cave when so much is at stake?”
Her voice was calm but stern. “Oh, I made you some fresh banana bread. Pick it up anytime.”

James growled and his phone fell to pieces on the ground.

***

Sage woke, feeling
stiff but somewhat healed. Her shoulder ached when she rolled onto it. She opened her eyes and assessed the rest of her body. Her ribs and back were still sore from being slammed into the stone wall, but it was nothing compared to the searing agony yesterday – or however long ago that was. She sat up to look for a clock. Did time even work the same in the Underworld?

She gasped and jumped to the other side of the bed. A large body consumed most of the mattr
ess. Marcelo. His face was half-hidden by a mass of raven hair.

“Calm,
princesa
,” he said. “I mean you no harm. I’ve brought you food.”

H
e held out a bowl of liquid that smelled like some kind of soup. She eased closer on the bed, but kept a wary eye on him.

The corners of his mouth twitched.
“Not to worry. The Dark King has ordered us not to hurt you.”

She
snatched the bowl from his hands and drained the contents greedily then wiped her mouth on her shirt sleeve when she was done.

Her shirt was crusty with dried blood and she cringed when she pictured what the rest of her
may have looked like. For the first time, she peered down at the bed. The sheets were smeared with her blood.

Marcelo gestured toward at attached bathroom she hadn’t noticed.
“You can clean up in there. The clothing from your backpack is in the dresser. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“It’s like being at the Hilton,” she said wryly.

Marcelo had frightened her when she’d first seen him in the alley. She hadn’t been able to see past his size.

Maybe it had
something to do with the food he’d brought her, but she could swear there were traces of where he’d once had laugh lines. Now it just looked like a permanently etched scowl. He had handsome features, but the way he wore them was terrifying – like he could kiss her passionately one moment then kill her easily the next.

Although they were both
vampires, Marcelo and James couldn’t have been more different. James had a regal air about him. His skin was smooth, pale, and flawless, his features chiseled. Everything about him was refined, from the way he dressed, to the style of his hair, to his patterns of speech.

Marcelo looked wild and ragged in comparison. His skin was dark and weath
ered. There was something rough and animalistic about him. She would have thought he was a werewolf but for the fangs.

Sage tilted her head to the side and asked,
“Why do you serve him, vampire –”

“Please, c
all me Marcelo.”

“You seem strong enough to take him. Why do yo
u let him tell you what to do?”

“It was no lie what the Da
rk King told you. Our race was struggling before he found the Underworld. He provided food and protection. And promises for the future. Vampires don’t procreate as quickly or as easily as the werewolves, so uniting us with a common enemy worked in our favor. We don’t fight each other anymore. And werewolves require leadership. Cadmael provides it and they fall in line. The wars have been bloody over the last few centuries but we grow stronger under his direction.” Marcelo looked down at the floor. “At least we did. Things have changed.”

“You said he
found
the Underworld. How do you mean?”

He adjusted his body to face her. “Have you ever seen the Welsh flag?”

“Yeah, it’s green with a red dragon on it.” James had several miniatures in his house. Not to mention a mug with the symbol. She was surprised he didn’t have a bumper sticker. Maybe she’d get him one for Christmas. That thought almost made her laugh. Even if she made it out of here alive, James would probably be the one to kill her.

“Yes, The Red Dragon.
Y Ddraig Goch
,” Marcelo said. “It has been a symbol of Wales since the fifth century when a young Welsh sorcerer released the dragon from a trap.”

“Don’t tell me the young sorcerer was Cadmael,” she said arching an eyebrow.

Marcelo scowled. “No. The Dark King is old, but not
that
old.” He inhaled a deep breath. “It was Merlin. But that’s not the important part. The Red Dragon aligned with the sorcerers because of Merlin, who’d also given him the power to take human form and walk among mortals. Now called Gethin, he is a symbol to both sorcerers and Wales. That is how Cadmael first came in contact with The Red Dragon.”

“Okay, but what does a dragon h
ave to do with the Underworld?”

“Dragons were created as guardians. Guardians of gold, usually. But sometimes ancient
cities. Secrets. And sometimes gateways.”

“Gateways? Like
doors to other planes?”

“Exactly. Gethin is the guardian of the door to the Underworl
d. But like most dragons, he is easily bored. The lure of power compels them to get involved in political affairs. When you live forever, you have to be creative to amuse yourself. Some cause wars, some stop wars…among other things. But Gethin has an affinity for religion. In fact, he’s been trying to get in with the Pope for centuries.”

Tempted to question Marcelo’s sanity
, she just nodded for him to continue.

“Dragons are also very greedy, which means they can be bought. So Cadm
ael made some kind of deal with Gethin to have a door opened to the Underworld.”

Ancient dragons that could
turn into humans and liked to play Pope? Well, why the hell not? She just happened to be sitting in another dimension, conversing with a vampire while waiting for her own father to suck her dry.

Gat
hering her thoughts, she asked, “So, when Cadmael found the Underworld, it was empty?”

Marcelo rubbed his hand over his unshaven chin. “Not exactly. Demons are imprisoned here.”

“Demons? They’re not in hell?” Was there a plane worse than this?

“Most are in hell. A few remain here, under our supervision. Since we opened the door, it’s our responsibility to keep them here. But Cadmael has grown lazy with his duty. It will catch up to
him soon.” He gave her an eerie look that made a chill travel down her spine.

There
was something he was hiding.

“Why are you being
nice to me?” she asked. What was his angle?

“I do not believe in hurting childr
en.”

She scowled.
“I’m not a child.”

“I am over eight hundred
years old,” he stated with that typical vampire arrogance. “Compared to me you are a mere infant.”

“Well I hate to break it to you, but your King is about to
kill
a child.” She made air quotes around the word child then pointed to herself. “Me.”

“That remains
to be seen.”

She studied his face. There was m
ore to this vampire than he let his King know. And she wondered, briefly, if that would work in her favor. Before she could question him further, a shout in the hallway caught his attention. He gave her a smirk before disappearing from the room.

With a sigh, she scanned the room for something to occupy her. But the Underworld wasn’t the Hilton. There was no TV or pay-per-view. She giggled when she imagined ordering porn to keep her entertained.

Waiting for her fate sucked.