The fear in the soldier’s wide eyes told me he knew what was coming. He whimpered and began to beg and plead for a quick death. He attempted to profess innocence and said, “I was only following orders.”
That enraged me further. He had a choice. He didn’t have to be a Saint. I reached out with my free arm and pulled him up close to me. “Don’t give me any of that ‘following orders’ crap. Own up to what you’ve done. Go out with a little dignity,” I said.
The soldier took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and turned his head, revealing his neck to me.
“That’s better. Go out like a man.” Quick as a viper, I latched on to the pulsing artery in his neck, ripping it open with my teeth. His blood bathed my tongue, rushed down my throat, and sent a tingling rush of ecstasy through my body.
I barely registered the drain at my wrist as I indulged in the soldier’s rich warm blood. I took him slowly, leisurely, more for the pleasure it gave me than the punishment I’d wanted to give. These last few days meals had been fast and unsatisfying at best. Now that I had the few moments to spare, I wanted to enjoy them.
And his heart was strong, this soldier’s. It pounded out a steady rhythm of life-giving blood, as if it would never run out.
The minutes ticked by and still he had more to give, and I took it all.
“Found them,” I heard Saul’s voice behind me, and it pulled me from my revelry. Instantly, I was reminded of the danger still at hand.
I pulled my wrist free from Ian’s mouth and quickly slurped up the last drops of blood I could from the soldier.
When I stood up, Saul was already working with a key ring to unlock the cage where Brady had sat patiently waiting.
I wiped my face and looked Brady in the eye. “It’s a war zone out there. Be ready for a fight.”
The wolf snorted and pawed at the door of the cage.
Saul worked the lock, and as soon as he yanked it off and opened the door, Brady lunged, knocking the old man to the ground. He placed his large paw down on Saul’s windpipe and bared his teeth menacingly.
“Wait, Brady! He’s helping us. We’re all friends here.”
The wolf turned to me and growled.
“Okay. Maybe ‘friends’ was the wrong word. But he’s on our side. He’s an ally. You want to kill him, you’ll have to kill me too.” I hated having to vouch for Acta Sanctorum members, but it seemed that was my lot in life. Saul, just like Santino before him, had earned my trust, and I’d be damned if I’d let them get killed by the wolves. If anyone was going to do the killing, it would be me—if they turned out to be traitors.
Brady eyed me. He snarled and snorted, as if contemplating what to do, or maybe in wolf language he was trying to say something. I couldn’t really tell.
“We have bigger issues to deal with. Leave the old man to me and go help the pack.”
CHAPTER 24
Brady ran off out the cabin, but not before issuing a few growls and snaps of his jaw at both Saul and me.
“Thank you,” Saul said to me, his voice cracking under the strain.
“Don’t thank me yet. You’re not safe until this whole mess is taken care of.”
“Understood.” He nodded, stood up, and closed the front door.
I turned to Ian. His eyes began to flutter open. It was a good sign. “Don’t try to move, Ian. You’re badly hurt.”
“This day just keeps getting better and better.” He shifted his weight, and with his one arm attempted to push himself to sitting. Too weak, however, he fell back against the couch cushions.
“I told you not to try to get up, you big idiot.”
He groaned in frustration.
“Quit trying to be Mr. Macho Man. Save your strength. You need to heal.”
The corner of his lip quirked up. He stretched his arm and folded it behind his head. “Are you going to be my sexy nurse and take care of me?”
I ignored the comment. “Was anyone else besides Brady with you? Have you heard from Zuri at all?”
Ian shook his head, and his face became serious. “She didn’t report back after her shift. I assumed she went home.”
My jaw tightened. I shook my head.
Dammit, I wish someone had gotten ahold of her.
“She shouldn’t have gone back there. We tried to talk to her but she never answered her phone, so we left her a message telling her not to go home. What if they—”
“Zuri’s a smart girl with many friends. She probably went to a safe house.”
“Well, I hope you’re right.” I looked to Saul. “Do you know anything about Zuri?”
He shrugged. “Sorry, no. Our objective was to take the preserve and locate the box.”
That gave me some relief. Maybe she wasn’t on the hit list.
Ian glanced up, and his eyes locked on Saul as if he had just at that moment realized he was there. “Did you bring me a snack, Alyssa?” He licked his lips.
I rolled my eyes. “You just had a snack, Ian. Besides, Saul’s helping us, so don’t get any funny ideas.”
“Helping… He’s the one who did this to us.” Anger overtook the playfulness that had been in Ian’s voice. “He’s one of those Saints.”
“Look. I know he’s one of the bad guys. It’s complicated, I guess, but he knows about the box and the crystal. We need him… for now.”
Saul visibly paled. His eyes grew large in their sockets. He gulped and slowly edged backward, butting up against the door.
“Don’t get any funny ideas. I’m stronger and faster than you, old man. Be smart and continue to prove whose side you’re on, and things will work out.”
Ian tried to sit up again, groaning as he pushed himself. “I need blood.”
“I know, but we’re on limited supply at the moment. You’re just going to have to deal with it for now.” The phone in my pocket buzzed. I’d almost forgotten it was there. I pulled it out and found a message from Nicholas.
“You okay Lil Warrior?”
Seeing that made me smile. Not only was he okay, but the fact that he had time to type out a message meant the battle must be slowing down and going in our favor.
“I think we can safely hole up here for a little while. I’m letting the others know what’s going on.” I quickly typed out,
“I’m good, Found Ian and Brady. Cabin 3. Need blood.”
“More sitting and waiting.” Ian let out a sigh. “I feel so useless.”
“Deal with it.”
“You could help me deal with it.” He waggled an eyebrow at me.
“Seriously? We’re in the middle of a war, and that’s what you’re thinking about?” I laughed sarcastically. “Well, you can’t be too bad off if you’re still trying to flirt.”
My phone buzzed again. I checked the message.
“Be there as soon as we can.”
“Hey, it’s all I got left.” Ian beamed one of his brilliant smiles at me. “You could consider it stress relief.”
“You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” I let out an exasperated sigh.
A cold prickling sensation crept up the back of my neck. Ian must have felt it too. His smile quickly faded and his eyes jumped toward the door.
“Saul, get back,” I said as I walked to the door. “Have that gun ready to fire too, just in case.”
I hoped it was Drew; I knew it was too soon to be Nicholas. Either way, it was better to be cautious.
Saul did as he was told, and with shaking hands aimed his rifle at the door.
Slowly, I turned the handle and opened it. On the other side stood Santino, and for the second time this evening, his wild mane and battle-scarred face was a welcome sight.
“You going to let me in?” he said wearily. “Or should I just stand here like a target and wait for one of the Saints to come finish me off?
I yanked the door the rest of the way open. “Get in.”
He lumbered inside, favoring his right leg, but otherwise looking uninjured.
“How’s it looking out there?” I asked, hoping for some good news.
“We’ve taken a beating, but we’re not losing.” He glanced over to Saul, standing in the corner. “Glad to see you here, old friend.” Then he turned to me his eyebrow quirking up ever-so-slightly. “You’ve spared him?”
“Seems he’s a lot like you. I’m letting him live, for now.”
Santino’s face brightened. “I’m only going to say this once, and if you tell anyone else I’ll deny it. But—you’re the reason I turned away from the order. You may be young, and rash, and naïve…”
I opened my mouth to protest. Santino held up his hand as if to say,
Let me finish.
“And don’t know when to shut that mouth of yours. But your heart is in the right place. You’ve always been willing to let people have the benefit of doubt. You don’t kill arbitrarily. And if abominations like us can still hold on to some of that goodness, then we’re not all the monsters the Acta Sanctorum makes us out to be.”
“Thanks… I think.” It was a bit of a backhanded compliment, but that was probably the best I could hope for from him.
“What’s the plan?” Santino asked.
“We regroup here when the battle is over. Saul is going to help us with the crystal and the box.”
“Then I’ll stand guard outside,” Santino said. He turned and limped back to the door.
“You sure you’re okay for guard duty?”
“Don’t worry about me,” he said proudly. “Even with my injuries, I’m still the best warrior of our little bunch.”
I didn’t feel like arguing. “At least take the rifle.” I turned to Saul and cocked my head sideways.
He took the hint and tossed the rifle at Santino.
“Try not to get killed,” I said.
Santino caught the rifle, grunted in approval, and walked back outside.
“And you.” I pointed at Saul. “Tell me everything you know about the box, and the crystal.”
“What do I do?” Ian asked.
“Just lay there and look pretty,” I quipped.
He groaned. “Is this my lot in life now? I’m just a pretty ornament?”
“For the moment, yes. You need rest. We’ll let you know when we need you for something important.”
Saul came to sit on the chair by the fireplace. “You probably already know as much as I do about the stone itself. And you already know about the box and what used to reside inside it. What seems to have happened, and this is just a working theory, is that the stone took in both spirits at the same time. When that happened, they merged, in a sense. The crystal, now a soulstone, cannot handle that much power inside for too long.”
“Yes, we already know all of that. What I need to know is how to get Lysander out.”
“I don’t think it will be as simple as that.”
“I understand that.”
“I don’t think you do. That stone is holding a lot of power inside. Too much. It will eventually break down. When that happens, it may release the spirits inside, or it may just drain them both until they no longer exist. We really cannot guess at this point what might happen. The only thing we know for sure is that they—Lysander and Aniketos—cannot remain in there forever. I feel the only safe way to dispose of the crystal is to put it inside the box. If we seal the crystal inside, we can safely seal both spirits forever.”
That was not what I wanted to hear. “There has to be another way. I… we need to get Lysander out safely first.”
Saul’s eyebrows knitted in confusion. He put a finger to his lips as if contemplating what to say.
“We cannot trap them both in the box for eternity!” I found myself almost shouting in desperation.
“But the Pandora’s Box will safely hold both of them. In the legends, the original box held all the evil in the world inside. We’d never have to worry about Aniketos getting out again.”
“Yeah and Lysander too! He isn’t some evil. He’s my mate.” I balled my fists in anger. “We can’t condemn him. We have to try to separate the spirits.”
“Here we go again,” Ian sighed.
I snarled at him. “You stay out of this.”
“Alyssa, he sacrificed himself to save us, to save you. He knew there would be consequences. If all it takes is putting the damn crystal inside the box and shutting it, I say we do it. Case closed. The world is right once again.” Ian rubbed his hands together in the air as if washing them of this whole mess.
Desperation weighed heavily on my shoulders. I felt as if I was the only one who cared enough not to give up. “We have to at least try to save him. That’s all I’m asking for. If it doesn’t work, then I give up. But please, don’t just take the easy road out.”
Saul leaned forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. “As much as you’ve trusted me and gone out on a limb, I think I’m obligated to help. I don’t know what we can do, and I’m not saying that we’ll find a way to make it work, but we’ll try, okay?”
I nodded, unable to speak. My throat had swollen with emotion.
“But if we’re to have any chance of success,” Saul added. “I’m going to need that book your witch stole from my office.”
CHAPTER 25
Time passed in a blur of small events. Nicholas and Drew eventually made their appearance at the cabin, bringing with them a few dying soldiers to help feed Ian and get him on the road to recovery.
“You never cease to surprise me, Little Warrior.” Nicholas gave me a hearty pat on the back.
“You say that like you have some hidden meaning.” I eyed him suspiciously.
“Well… when you disappeared like that, I had a feeling I’d be mopping up your remains.”
“Don’t sound so disappointed,” I chuckled.
“Hey, I’m just glad I won’t have to explain to Sleeping Beauty why his woman wasn’t there to give him his wake-up kiss.”
I perked up hearing his optimism. “So, you think we have a chance then.”
“Hold on there, Sparky.” Nicholas held up his hands. “I never said that. But if we do manage to save Lysander, I’m glad you’ll be there.”
“There is still a big
if
there,” I said.
“We’ll just have to see what we can do. Have some patience.”
“I hate waiting,” I groaned.
“Have faith then.” Nicholas laughed. “Keep an eye on Saul. I’ll take care of Ian. He needs to get up and moving. Get the blood flowing.”
Wolves began to show their snouts as well. They passed the cabin in small groups but made no attempt to enter. I felt a sense of relief each time I saw them wander by. That, and the lack of gunfire in the distance, were clear signs that we had won against the Acta Sanctorum—at least for the moment.