The Devil's Third (34 page)

“Splendid,” he answered. He cocked his head to the side, and his face became tense. With his eyes still fixed on mine, he continued in a low voice, “I’m aware of how inconvenient it is for you to have Aosoth and Roeick in your presence.” He leaned next to my ear and whispered, “But I assure you, the results in the end will be most satisfying to you.”

I jerked my head back in surprise, his face inches from mine. His gaze dropped to my lips and then back to my eyes. The muscles in his features softened. His lips parted, like he wanted to say more, but Nathan pulled me to his side. My thoughts swirled, confused. I had to remind myself he was a malevolent being who always had an agenda. What it boiled down to was this: his kind gestures veiled his self-serving ways. Plain and simple. I recalled riding in the Tahoe with him and the whole puppeteer conversation. I bristled at the memory and released myself from Nathan, throwing him a “it’s okay” look when he frowned.

I stepped in Bael’s space and grabbed a fistful of his maroon T-shirt, pulling his six-two frame forward. He showed no resistance and bent his head so I could whisper in his ear. “Know this. Always. I know who you are. I know hidden behind your generosity is an agenda that only serves
you
. And I don’t owe you anything in return for whatever marvelous thing you do for me. Ever.” He pulled back to look at me, but I jerked him forward again. “I’ll never be your damn puppet.” I released him and returned to Nathan’s side. He was smiling and so was Brayden. They heard it and obviously approved of what I said. Tree, on the other hand, appeared confused.

 “Well, then,” Bael said. “Let us proceed with the task of finding Solomon’s incantations, so you Paige, can satisfied your terms of our agreement and destroy them.”

I made a shooing gesture with my hand. “Lead the way.”

He turned, but then pivoted part way to address us one last time. “Aosoth and Roeick has no idea Paige is going to destroy the incantations, so mind your tongues.” He strolled off, not bothering to see our reactions, and we followed, not knowing what awaited us in the cave.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Paige

Aosoth and Roeick stood outside the mouth of the cave, looking smug. I flexed my free hand, fighting the urge to punch Aosoth in the face. Nathan sensed my anger and squeezed my other hand in an attempt to bring me comfort. It didn’t work. I still wanted to shatter those perfect features with the high cheek bones, full lips, and doe eyes that stood out against the fair skinned human she was possessing. She flicked her platinum locks off her shoulder and sneered when we locked gazes. I straightened my back and gave her the dirtiest glare I could muster. If looks could kill, she’d be toast. Roeick; however, kept a wary eye on Nathan. His cockiness left when he noticed the tension in Nathan’s face, lips smashed into a tight line. Nathan’s upper body tilted forward toward Roeick, as if he were going to charge at him. The vessel Roeick had chosen looked of Spanish descent. Handsome, of course. He raised a trembling hand to his forehead to wipe the dampness off.

Brayden stepped in front of me, blocking my view of Aosoth and Roeick. “I think you need to keep your distance from Paige,” he told them. “Because if you don’t, and you continue on with your bullshit”–he stepped to my side and pointed at me, Nathan, and Tree– “all four of us will throttle you both.”

Bael got between us and Aosoth. “Let’s play nice here, shall we?”

Twilight was upon us, the faint light of the sun quickly diffusing in the darkening sky. A cool breeze kicked up, rustling the leaves on the trees and foliage around us. The hair on my shoulders stirred, tickling my face. Tucking the locks behind my ears, I glanced over my shoulder and saw Anwar standing with his arms hanging by his side. He gave me a slight nod of acknowledgment, then shifted his attention to the gap between Brayden and me, where he could see Bael.

“I think it would be best,” Bael continued, “if Aosoth and Roeick remain behind me while you four and Anwar walk ahead. However, I’ll stay behind Paige.” He looked at me and smirked, at the same time Nathan’s grip tightened around my palm.

“Okay. Whatever. Let’s get on with it.” After I said the last word, a pungent odor of sulfur reached my nostrils, and white light flashed around us. I looked up. Ribbons of red and blue lightning were sparking across the sky, the colors bright against the darkness.

“What’s that nasty smell?” Tree asked, holding his nose, looking at me for the answer.

I shrugged, pinching my own nose. Nathan cupped a hand over his mouth and nostrils while Brayden lifted the collar of his T-shirt and held it beneath his eyes. In the distance, a rhythmic drumming began. The atmosphere was getting creepier by the second. It didn’t help that Bael’s smirk stretched into a grin, revealing a dimple in his left cheek.

“What?” I asked him, annoyed, still squeezing my nostrils.

“The village witch doctor knows I’m here,” he said, his blue eyes dancing with amusement. “They’re doing a ritual, asking the ancient spirits to eject me from their land and to protect the four of you.” He laughed and so did Aosoth.

God, the sound of her laughter grated on my spine. She sounded like an over excited hyena. Her shoulders even bounced erratically.

Nathan removed his hand from his face and placed it back into mine, interlacing our fingers. He breathed in. “The smell is not bad now,” he said.

Still annoyed and refusing to look at Bael and his two puppets, I pulled Nathan forward as I walked toward the cave, bumping Bael aside with my shoulder. As soon as my foot stepped inside, the shifting I felt within me earlier grew. A strange, tingling sensation surrounded my core. I paused, the prickling feeling rapidly invading my body. The cavern was pitch black, but my immortal eyesight could see the limestone pillars on either side and the fluted archways ahead. Just as I was wondering how Tree would be able to see in here, Bael slapped a flashlight in my hand.

“I don’t need this,” I said, giving it back to him.

He waved it away. “No, but your poor choice in friends might.”

Right.

I looked around for Tree and nearly bumped into him when I turned. He had an odd expression on his face.

“Why are you staring at me like I belong in a freak show?” I asked, frowning. But then in that split second, I had déjà vu. The last time he gave me this same look, we were at Caroline’s antique store. I had a vision of a cave, and when I snapped out of it, he and Carrie said I was glowing.

“You’re--” he started to say.

“Glowing,” I finished, looking down at my chest, seeing an orange ring of light expanding the width of a baseball across it. I watched in amazement as it covered the empty space in the middle. But it didn’t end. I stuck my hand out in front of me, and it was radiating the same as my chest, all the way up my arm. I was like a living beacon. The cave came to life from the brilliance expanding from me.

“Oh, shit, Paige,” Brayden said above Aosoth’s gleeful squeal. “You know what this means?”

Bael took the flashlight from me and stuck it in a cargo bag he had slung over his shoulder. He slipped it off and handed it to Roeick to carry. “It means we’re close,” he said, grinning.

“What do you mean?” Aosoth demanded. She jerked a finger at me, her lips twisted in disgust. “What does the light inside
her
, have to do with finding the incantations?”

Nathan leaned near me so his lips were next to my ear. “Are you okay?”

“Um, yeah,” I said, marveling at the radiance.

“She’s had visions of this place,” Bael answered indifferently. “This light is part of her psychic ability. It’s letting us know her clairvoyance is correct.”

Aosoth squealed again and clapped her hands. It took everything I had within me not to reach over and squeeze her scrawny neck.

“Paige,” Anwar said, startling me because he suddenly appeared before me. I almost forgot he was around because, like Roeick, he hadn’t said a word. “Remember what I taught you on the island.”

“What? How to fight?” I said with an edge of sarcasm in my tone, knowing exactly what he meant, but pretending I didn’t. I mean, really. He could have taught me more how to hone in on my psychic abilities but didn’t. I still had no idea what I could and couldn’t do, except for a few things I’d discovered on my own. If he would have taken the time to work on it with me, I’d be more confident in finding Solomon’s spells right now.

“I taught you how to focus,” he simply stated. “To calculate moves of your opponent before they are made.” He placed his huge hands on my shoulders, his brown, soulful eyes peering into mine. “Dat is what you must do here, Ms. Paige. Focus. Step outside yourself. Connect with the past. Feel Solomon’s energy dat was bestowed upon you, like you would with your opponent.”

I was trapped in his gaze, the wheels turning in my mind with thoughts and memories of our time on the island. I recalled all the quips of wisdom he threw at me while I labored over the tasks he had me do. At the time, I didn’t think much about what he told me. I just did it. But now, as I pondered, his direction had a deeper meaning.

The pieces snapped into place, and though he taught me very little on how to connect with the elements or about my extrasensory capabilities, I saw the whole picture now. He wasn’t only teaching me how to defend myself but to become the aggressor as well.

“I get it,” I whispered.

Aosoth let out a heavy, sigh. “Are you almost done? I’m bored and want the incantations before--”

I glanced at her and saw Nathan’s hand clenching her throat. Roeick advanced on Nathan, then retreated a few steps when Nathan shot him a furious look. Nathan’s ears were dark red. Yeah, he was pissed. Brayden and Tree moved toward Roeick, but Bael stepped between them.

“I promise you,” Nathan said in a low, growling tone, “you’re going to wish you never returned to this earth when I’m through with you.”

Wet choking sounds gurgled from her throat. Shock filled her wide eyes, but then a layer of sheer defiance glazed over them.

“You’re not helping matters, Nathan,” Bael said, his voice calm but stern. “Or let me put it in another way. In elementary terms, so you can understand what I’m saying,” he mocked.

Nathan whipped his head around and glared at Bael. “Fuck off.”

“As I was saying,” Bael continued, unperturbed, “your actions are compromising Paige’s precarious situation.”

Nathan released Aosoth and shoved her away from him in disgust. Her arms flailed and her back bowed as she began falling backward. But Roeick caught her before she smacked the ground.

“Bael’s right,” Brayden said. “We need to try and get along so Paige can find the incantations.” His eyes fell on Nathan’s hand slipping in mine and then on his face. “You need to learn to control your anger. Maybe go to anger management classes.”

Tree made a pfft sound. “Ass kisser.” He scowled at Brayden. “Nathan had every right to react the way he did considering all the horrible shit Aosoth did to Paige’s family.”

I closed my eyes, tuning their bickering out. I imagined being in Solomon’s shoes, long ago. I envisioned what it was like to have so much power that it nearly destroyed me. I would need to hide it from the world.

A cave.

But where?

This cavern was one of the largest in the world. We were searching for a needle in a haystack.

Doubt skittered across my thoughts, dispersing them.

Focus, Paige
.

Think.

Let go.

I emptied my mind and concentrated on slow breaths. In the center of my chest, I felt a slight tugging sensation. It reminded me of when I first met Ameerah. I had felt drawn to her. We figured it was because before her human bodied had died, she was psychic. Our similar energies must have had a sense of recognition, which created such a response. It made sense at the time, and now I was beginning to think we were right after all. The power of the ring inside me wanted to reconnect with its sister part–the incantations. At least, I hoped so.

I released Nathan’s hand and walked deeper in the cavern. White light sparked behind me. I glanced over my shoulder. Strobes of light danced outside against the darkness. A peal of thunder cracked against the sky. Beneath the layer of sound, my hearing picked up the cacophony of the harsh drumming in the nearby village.

The chamber we stood in fell silent. No more childish bickering from the others. I say childish because though I understood and agreed with Nathan and Tree, now wasn’t the time to air their grievances with the others and vise versa.

I continued moving forward, not surprised when Nathan and Tree joined me. Brayden was on the other side of Tree, and Anwar walked next to Brayden. I knew without checking Bael ambled close behind, along with the other two. Our shadows were thrown against the rocky walls from the brilliance pouring from me, creating elongated figures bent and curled in ghastly manners.

We walked parallel to the subterranean river and approached a block of stone full of stalactites, hanging from the ceiling like icicles. On the ground were rows and rows of jagged rock jetting up. It gave one a sense of being inside the mouth of a giant beast. I noticed several passages we could take and paused. The pulling in my chest branched out like two splayed fingers. North or east?

“Which way, Paige?” Tree asked, looking about.

“I’m not sure. Hold on,” I told him.

“You don’t know which way?” Aosoth said incredulously, her tone pitched in irritation and spite.

I gritted my teeth and spun. “Okay, then,” I glared at her and pointed east, “you and Roeick go east, and we’ll take the passage to the north.”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight,” Aosoth shot back, sneering.

“Why?” I countered. “You have the ring. It should direct you to the incantations. In fact, why don’t you lead the way?” I stepped aside and made an ushering gesture with my hands, inviting her to take my place.

She let out an indignant snort. “Maybe so, but the ring is doing nothing at the moment, and I prefer to be near Bael.”