No Rest for the Wicked (35 page)

thing she can’t—or won’t—see.”

“I took Kaderin’s memory of their conversation. She was badly shaken—and you must

understand, few things leave that female shaken.”

Nikolai added, “It might mean nothing, but Nïx also constructed these odd paper shapes

while I was asking about you. There was a dragon, a wolf, a shark, and fire.”

Sebastian swallowed. “We’ve faced all of those. Each one but for the fire.”

“This would explain the uproar around Val Hall. Myst is secretive about coven business,

but I’ve gathered that they are searching for Kaderin.”

“No wonder she doesn’t want them to know where she is.” Sebastian ran an unsteady

hand over his face. “Nïx predicted Kaderin’s death before the next full moon. When is the

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) next full moon?”

Nikolai’s voice was grave. “Tonight.”

Once she got out of the bath and threw on a robe, she found Sebastian sitting on the

couch. He seemed in such deep thought, she almost felt awkward interrupting him.

Kaderin shook it off. The scroll could update at any minute. She longed to experience him

one more time, before she forgot him—

She hissed in a breath. Well, that pang freaking hurt.

“Bastian?”

Though she’d only been away from him for fifteen minutes, he stared at her as if he were

seeing a ghost. Then without a word, he stood and crossed to her. He curled his finger

under her chin and treated her to a kiss that was at once tender and passionate, making her

melt.

When he drew back, she gazed up and found his eyes flickering over her, searching, she

knew, for any hint of how he could bring her more pleasure. All he wanted was her

happiness. She understood now. He would never turn—never change. She had, though.

She was falling for a vampire.

Looping her arms around his neck, she murmured, “I want you to make love to me.”

She’d clearly shocked him. “I want there to be more between us.”

“Why now?” He had to clear his throat to continue. “What makes you say this tonight? Is

it gratitude because of the box?”

She caught his eyes. “No. It’s because you’re not what I feared you’d be. And I finally see

that you never will be. You’re different.”

He exhaled a breath. “What am I, then?”

Tonight, you were a hero. “You’re a good man. You’re good to me.” She leaned up to

whisper in his ear, “Bastian, I want to be good to you, too.”

He shuddered, pulling her close against him, molding her body against his. The merest

brush of his lips against hers built into a slanting feast.

She was lost in the sensation—

Did he just trace me?

Cold metal clenched her wrist. Her eyes widened when she found herself in her bed. She

fought him, but he forced her other wrist up to be chained as well.

“What in the hell are you doing?” she cried.

“I’m making sure you can’t leave.”

“Sebastian, you’re alarming me, and I don’t understand why. I was going to make love to

you—”

“One last toss before you die?” he bit out.

She glanced away and exhaled. “How did you find out about the premonition?”

“Dreamed it. Why didn’t you tell me you were fated to die in this competition before the

full moon? Tonight?”

“Damn you, let me free! Nïx’s prediction could be wrong—”

“Though she never is,” he said.

“She hasn’t been in the past,” Kaderin said. “Besides, whether she is or isn’t is incidental.

If I don’t win that prize, I’ll be dead in a month anyway.”

“What does that mean?”

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“I have to be there tonight.” Her chained arm seemed to ache where Furie had broken it so

long ago. “It’s my destiny to go, and I’ll meet it head on.”

“It’s your destiny to die. And I won’t allow that. You will stay here, and I will win the

competition for you.”

“How, Sebastian? I’m the finalist! I have to be there.”

“I will go to Riora. And ask her to let me compete in your stead.”

“Even if you can take my place, how will you get to the prize before Bowen does? Unless

you’ve figured out a way for vampires to trace directly to map coordinates, you can only

trace to me or to places you’ve already been. Odds are, you won’t have been there.”

“Nikolai has offered to secure transportation, a plane—”

“Look, let’s compromise,” she said hastily, seeing how unyielding he was. “You could

help me. We could work together.”

He picked up the scroll. She could tell it had updated, because his expression grew

menacing. “Work together by going to the pit of the Fyre Serpénte tonight?” He gave a

bitter laugh, then shoved the script at her face. “You will never go to a place known in the

Lore as ‘where immortals go to die’ on the night you’re fated to die!”

She memorized the coordinates before he took it away. “This isn’t your call to make!”

Kaderin had never doubted that her sacrifice could bring her sisters back, and he wanted

to rob her of that. If she could save them and end this guilt... then she longed to die for it.

“You’re ignoring my wishes and my beliefs as though they were insane. It’s galling to

someone like me.”

“Because they are insane! Goddamn it, tell me why you want this so badly!”

“Fine. Let me go, and I will. You asked me what you could do to make me trust you, and

this is your chance. This is the test. Free me, and I’ll tell you everything. No secrets

between us. We’ll work as a team.”

He stabbed his fingers through his thick hair. “No. I can’t let you go. Nïx predicted we’d

face a fire, and she predicted that you would die. You know where the task is. Do you

wish to die? If you go tonight, it’s suicide—”

“You are going to talk to me about suicide? Oh, that’s rich!”

“I had nothing to live for. But now we both do!” He knelt on the bed and clutched her

nape. “I won’t let you die!”

“Damn you!” she cried. “Sometimes living isn’t everything!”

Her words made his lips part. “No. I used to believe that.” He stood unsteadily. “Now I

know I was wrong.” Before he traced away, he rasped, “If you love something, you

protect it ruthlessly. No matter what occurs.”

After he’d gone, she lay for some time, sorting through what had just happened. He’d

chained her down, intending to prevent her from bravely meeting her fate.

She’d meant what she said. If he’d freed her, she would have told him everything. She

would have joined him. But she wouldn’t trust his judgment when he refused to afford her

the same faith.

Too bad whatever plane Sebastian was heading for could never get to those coordinates

faster than the Augusta 109 helicopter she had on call.

And too bad the chains were only protected against vampires. She popped them open with

ease.

37

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Yélsérk, Hungary, the pit of the Fyre Serpénte

Day 30

Prize: The Sworne Blade of Honorius, to win

I need your help,” Sebastian had said to Nikolai after learning that tonight was the full

moon. That was all it had taken to arrange every step of transportation.

“I can go with you,” Nikolai had offered. “Myst is at Val Hall today.” His tone grew low.

“They couldn’t find Kaderin, and they all are... gathering.”

“You need to be there if Myst returns. Besides, it’s just me against the Scot and he’s

weakened. I can handle this.”

Just after Sebastian had chained Kaderin up, he’d traced to Riora’s temple. She was

surprisingly indifferent about Sebastian competing in Kaderin’s stead. In fact, she was

more put out that he would no longer be her knight, and hers alone. But she’d agreed.

When he’d traced back to London , a car had been waiting outside the flat to take him to a

private airport. Then there was a jet to Hungary . It was still dark when Sebastian landed a

mere two and a half hours later...

The truck that would take him to the pit had just arrived, earlier than scheduled, so

Sebastian decided to take five minutes to check on Kaderin. He would reassure her that

Riora had agreed to him competing—and convince her that he could do this.

He traced to London . To find the bed was empty and the chains broken. She was gone...

When he traced directly to her, he appeared at the edge of a chamber of fire.

The cavern that housed it was as large as an auditorium, and in the center was a roiling pit

of lava. Fire wisped into the air, dissipating into black smoke. Rocks crumbled down the

sides into the lava, bubbling up smaller and smaller until they disappeared.

Where in the hell is she?

Stretched above the pit was a metal cable as thin as filament that was embedded into a

sheer rock face. He couldn’t see where it would lead—

Kaderin appeared from the other side of the chamber, wasting no time, hopping up to the

side of the pit, testing the cable with a pointed toe. When she saw him nearing, her eyes

narrowed with fury. “Get the hell away from me! Enough! I need this, Bastian. I have to

have it.”

Palms raised, he said slowly, “Let me get it for you.”

“I’ve won the Hie five times before. I can do this!” She hurried onto the wire—it burned

her shoes.

“Goddamn it, I’ll trace you.”

“To where?” she said over her shoulder. “The rock’s solid. It may be that you have to

walk the cable to spy out another entrance below or scan for it in the ceiling.” She paused

and quirked an eyebrow. “Walking this won’t be a problem.”

He traced to her, determined to take her from this place, but she dodged him, sending him

back to the same spot empty-handed.

“Bloody stop it!” she shrieked, charging farther out on the wire. “I can walk this blind! On

my hands!” In an instant, he traced once more, but again she ducked, eluding him.

A lash of fire whipped up just behind her. Even with her speed, she scarcely escaped it—

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) and him, as he traced once more. No key was this valuable—not worth the life of an

immortal.

Something bubbled up from the lava beneath her.

A true monster, a being of fire shaped like a giant snake. The Fyre Serpénte. The main

part of its body lay beneath the surface of the lava, its tail and head rising above. The lash

of fire actually had been part of its long tail, and it struck again just as Sebastian traced.

Kaderin twisted and lunged forward. Untouched.

He yelled, “Stay fucking still!”

But the fire wanted its due.

When it roared spitting balls of flame, it rocked the entire cavern. Boulders toppled over,

plummeting everywhere. Fighting to reach her, Sebastian dodged and traced, but the

ceiling rained them. One dropped onto his right arm, crushing it almost all the way up to

his shoulder; he bellowed with pain and fury. She was barely staying balanced in the

shaking chamber—

A boulder hit the center of the cable, and it snapped with a deafening twang. She dove

backward, twisting in the air for the swinging line. He couldn’t see from where he was...

had no idea if she caught it.

He traced. Nothing. Body straining with effort. He was trapped, but almost close enough

to reach the side of the pit. He lunged forward, tearing sinew and skin. Another frantic

lunge, with a good, rewarding rip.

He finally reached it, and was able to see down. She had a hold on the cable with both

hands and was deftly climbing up. With a groan of relief, he wound it around his left wrist

for a better grip.

“Hold on, Katja! I’ve got you—”

The serpent slithered its tail up around her leg. She bit back a scream as the fire hissed

against her skin, branding it. The thing was dragging her down.

Trapped as he was, he couldn’t use his legs to pull. Couldn’t put his back into the effort.

Her sweating body writhed in pain. She still clung to the filament, now red with blood

from her ruined palms slipping down.

If he could just lose his arm, he might have a chance...

As he wrenched back with the cable and away from the boulder, he saw her studying the

situation, her gaze darting over his trapped arm, then down at the fire. When she turned

back, her eyes were glinting. She swallowed, gazing up at him.

A calm seemed to wash over her.

His gut tightened with dread. She couldn’t be considering... He tore every muscle in his

body to wrest her from its grip, bellowing with the effort.

“Bastian.” He heard her perfectly over the wails of the serpent, the bubbling, popping lava,

and his own heart thundering.

“No... no!” he roared. “Don’t you even think it, goddamn you—”

“I’m going to let go now,” she murmured. Her eyes were clear, lucid.

“Just give me fucking time! The prediction doesn’t have to be!” He somehow pulled

harder, snatching the cable up with his left arm and then catching it lower down, but the

serpent hissed and seized her higher on her torso. Kaderin gritted her teeth against the

pain.

Can’t beat it like this. In a frenzy, he lunged sideways, fighting to separate his arm from

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) his body.