The Sweetest Burn

  I wasn’t ashamed of how relieved that made me. More time to train was a good idea. It gave me a better chance at surviving.

  “Ooh, give Moses’s staff to the Judian, splendid idea,” Blinky mocked, breaking through my happiness.

  Adrian shot him a dangerous look. “See that rope wrapped around her hand? It’s David’s slingshot, and while I haven’t been able to kill you these past few years, it can.”

  Father Louis left after muttering something in Latin that made the demon’s mouth curl down. “Superstitious old fool,” he said contemptuously. Then the pale green eyes all over him narrowed as he stared at me. “You must know that the staff will kill you if you attempt to use it.”

  My worst fears spoken aloud. I couldn’t let him know that he’d scored a hit, though. “The slingshot didn’t,” I said, holding out the glowing rope around my hand for emphasis.

  “A mere toy,” the demon scoffed. “Its claim to fame was killing one giant. Moses’s staff brought an entire nation to its knees with plagues so fearsome, their like has never been seen before or since.”

  “One more word to her,” Adrian said through gritted teeth, “and you won’t live long enough to see the staff.”

  Blinky waved a hand, as though suddenly bored with us. We spent a tense few minutes in that silent standoff until footsteps on the staircase had my head swiveling toward the door. Father Louis bustled into the room, slightly flushed, and he dropped several items by Adrian’s feet.

  “I already had most of what you needed here for when we do repairs,” he said, his words breathier from his exertions. “The drill was at the hall next door, which is under construction.”

  Adrian snorted. “You stole it?”

  “Borrowed,” the priest replied promptly. “I’ll return it as soon as we are done.”

  An hour later, Adrian had carved out one of the stone blocks that made up the wall. I almost held my breath as I saw the outline of something in the narrow space between these stones and the next layer of rock. Adrian glanced at me, his expression so inscrutable, his features could have been carved from the walls surrounding us. Then, very slowly, he pulled out an oblong object wrapped in dark, stained cloths.

  I took in a long breath. Father Louis fell to his knees, and for the first time, the demon looked afraid.

  Then Adrian drew the cloth away, revealing what was inside. I stared, cocking my head in confusion. That didn’t look like a staff. I wasn’t an expert on them, but wasn’t a staff essentially a long wooden stick? This was stone, and unless the low lights were playing tricks on me, it looked like a tablet.

  Then low, cruelly satisfied laughter broke through the shocked silence in the crypt.

  “Looks like your illustrious hallowed sensors dialed a wrong number, Davidian,” the demon drawled.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  “THAT CAN’T BE,” I muttered, going over to Adrian and grabbing the tablet. It felt supernaturally limp in my hands, but when I brushed the cloth around it, power overloaded my senses enough to almost knock me over again.

  “What the hell?” I exclaimed in surprise.

  The demon grunted. “Come closer and I’ll show you.”

  I ignored that. Adrian didn’t. He lasered another death stare at Blinky before returning his attention to me.

  “What is it, Ivy?”

  “It’s the cloth.”

  He wouldn’t know because he was wearing industrialized, superthick work gloves, protecting his bare skin from the supernatural forces emanating from the cloth. I grabbed a large handful to be sure, then screamed at the paralyzing pain shooting through me. It brought me to my knees, and through the sound of my own gasps, I heard the demon’s taunting laughter.

  “How delicious. It wasn’t the staff that called you down here. It was merely the cloth that it used to be wrapped in.”

  I wanted to tell him to shut up, but I couldn’t catch my breath. I dropped the cloth, backing away from it as though it were a poisonous snake. My body ached right down to the marrow in my bones, and I hadn’t felt anything that excruciating since I’d used the slingshot for the first time.

  “I—I think he’s right,” I got out, shuddering from the residual spikes of pain. “It’s the cloth. Something hallowed was in it, and whatever it was, it imprinted the cloth with more power than the slingshot ever had.”

  I didn’t want to dwell on what that meant. Not now. All I wanted to do was get away from the thing that had made me feel like razor wire was being shoved through my veins.

  Father Louis rose and went over to where Adrian stood. He held the candlestick up to the tablet, or the decoy, as I now mentally referred to it. After a moment, he began to trace his fingers over the images on it, but right when it looked like he was about to speak, Blinky beat him to it.

  “If the staff’s mere covering sends you cringing to your knees, then the staff itself will definitely kill you.” A short, contemptuous laugh. “What a joke you are, Davidian.”

  His words cut me to the core. That’s what I was worried about, too.

  Adrian stared at the demon, so incensed that a vein in his temple started to noticeably throb. Without warning, he threw the stained, ancient-looking cloth at him.

  The demon howled so loud, I thought my eardrums would rupture. He flung the cloth away and vaulted into the air, those strange skin flaps flaring out and revealing themselves to be three distinct pairs of batlike wings. Large, swelling blisters began to form all over him, even on his many eyes. They grew, bubbling up until he looked even more monstrous. The cloth had hurt me because I couldn’t handle its power, but this was a supernatural version of an extreme allergic reaction as a hallowed object touched pure evil.

  I was sure the demon had it coming, and for more than taunting me with my probable impending failure and death. Still, it was unsettling to see Adrian’s obvious enjoyment as he snatched up the cloth and hurled it onto Blinky again, turning the demon’s blisters into oozing burns. With more ear-piercing screams, the demon threw it off. His three sets of wings flapped madly, but he had nowhere to fly. Every time he approached the limits of the cursed earth, he screamed again, as if everything beyond the invisible cylinder of those supernatural rings was almost as painful to touch as the cloth. Finally, he gave up trying to fly and huddled behind the burial vault in an attempt to hide from another volley.

  “Who’s cringing on their knees now?” Adrian asked pitilessly.

  “That’s enough,” I said, grossed out as every defensive movement the demon made caused his boils to burst open.

  “Not until I say it is,” Adrian retorted, throwing the cloth back onto Blinky and seeming to savor his new screams.

  I didn’t. It was one thing to teach Blinky to watch his mouth and another to reduce him to a festering, oozing pile of wounds. This side of Adrian was disturbing, to say the least. I’d told him to stop and he’d refused, so he wasn’t doing this to defend me anymore. No, this was all about him wanting revenge for more than any insults lobbed at me.

  “Then do it alone,” I said, and walked out.

  * * *

  FATHER LOUIS FOLLOWED me back upstairs. He either wanted to look at the tablet under stronger light, or he, too, didn’t want to witness any more of Blinky’s torment. Once I was back in the chapel, I spotted Jasmine and Costa, but I didn’t see Brutus. Jasmine and Costa were as far away from the secret staircase as they could get while still being inside the chapel, and they each had a Starbucks cup in their hands. When I approached, Jasmine nodded at the extra one on the chair next to her.

  “Brought some for you, Ivy.”

  “Thanks.”

  I sat down and took a long, grateful gulp. It was lukewarm, not hot, but I didn’t care. It was sweet, familiar and safe. I needed that combination so badly right now, if I could’ve, I might have bathed in it.

/>   “Is Adrian still digging for the staff?” Jasmine asked.

  I stared at her, only then remembering that she hadn’t seen any of what had happened. “No. It, ah, wasn’t there, after all.”

  “But you were so sure,” she said in surprise.

  “I was wrong,” was my slightly shaky reply.

  Costa gave me a sharp look. I pretended to be too absorbed in taking another gulp of coffee to respond to it.

  “I’ve figured it out,” Father Louis said, thankfully breaking the loaded moment. “The tablet is covered in runes.”

  “What’re those?” Jasmine asked.

  “An ancient form of alphabet,” I replied. Take that, scoffers who said it was a waste of time to major in history.

  “I don’t know how to translate them, but one of the professors here might,” Father Louis went on as if we hadn’t spoken. He hadn’t taken his eyes off the tablet, either. He seemed enthralled by it. “If this was left where the staff used to be, perhaps the writing on it will tell us where it is now.”

  “This must be the map,” I said in wonder, remembering Zach’s comment the day we started on this trip. He’d said that Adrian had to come because he would lead us to a map “of sorts.” I’d thought he’d meant a drawing with a version of “X marks the spot” for the staff, but he must have meant the tablet instead!

  “Oh, that’s something,” Jasmine said, her smile slipping as she stared at me. “You don’t seem too happy by that, Ivy.”

  I was happy, but I was almost more afraid than ever that if we found the staff, I wouldn’t be strong enough to use it to save the realm walls. Since I wouldn’t worry my sister by telling her the truth about why I was having a hard time finding my inner cheerleader at the moment, I mumbled, “I, ah, I’m just—”

  “Tired,” Adrian filled in, coming up from the underground staircase. “Using her abilities takes a lot out of her.”

  “Yep, I’m tired,” I agreed, giving him a grateful look.

  Adrian’s gaze lingered on me before he turned to Costa. “The tablet must be the map Zach mentioned. I can read a little runic, so I’ll take a stab at translating it, but it’ll take a while. Why don’t you and Jasmine go grab some dinner? There’s a few restaurants close by and most of the campus is on hallowed ground, so you should be safe.”

  From Costa’s skeptical expression, he knew there was a lot more going on. Then his half shrug seemed to say, I’ll play along now, but I’ll get the truth out of you later.

  Out loud, he said, “I could stand to eat something. What about you, Jasmine? Hungry?”

  “Starving,” my sister replied, rising. “Ivy? You coming?”

  I wanted as far away as I could get from the boil-covered demon and his taunting reminders of my impending failure, but what I said was, “No, I’m not hungry. Besides, I should stay in case Adrian figures out what the tablet says.”

  “Oh.” Jasmine looked disappointed, but she also looked clueless about anything else going on, so I was relieved even as guilt pricked me. I’ll tell her soon, I promised myself. Just not tonight. “Well, I’ll bring you back something, in case you change your mind.”

  “Thanks,” I said, smiling even though it felt like my face might crack from the strain. “Maybe get something for Brutus, too. Where is he, anyway?”

  Costa shrugged. “Getting his nightly exercise, and hopefully not eating any stray cats he comes across.”

  “Then definitely get him something,” I said, shuddering.

  With assurances that they would, Jasmine and Costa left. Adrian went over to the altar, turned the same pillar on its axis and then got out of the way as the stone slab slowly lowered until the alter covered the hidden staircase again.

  “Father Louis,” he said, “why don’t you take some pictures of the tablet, then find that professor and see if he can read the runes on it.”

  The old priest beamed. “It’s late, but I am sure he will forgive me for troubling him.” Then he pulled a cell phone from his robes and snapped a few pictures of the tablet.

  “Aren’t you going to try to read it first?” I asked Adrian.

  He shrugged. “I can’t read a word of runic.”

  I stared at him. “You lied.”

  A smile tugged his lips. “Not to you. I never promised not to lie to Costa or Jasmine.”

  “We really need to talk about your definition of the truth,” I said, and at the same time, a part of me realized that I was just as bad when it came to Jasmine. But to protect her, I told that part, and tried to ignore how it whispered bullshit back at me.

  “Now, children, no quarreling,” Father Oliver chided.

  Adrian snorted. “I’m over a hundred and forty years old, and you’re calling me a child?”

  The priest waved a hand. “Then act your age.” With that, he left, almost skipping with glee over his errand.

  Adrian locked the door behind him, leaning against it once he turned around.

  “Now what?” I asked, feeling tired for real now.

  Adrian glanced up at the ceiling. “Now I show you the place I briefly called home.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  I’D WONDERED WHY the ceiling of the chapel was so low in comparison with its high, sloped roof. Now I knew. The upstairs had been converted into a large loft, and as a security measure, almost no one else could see it.

  “Zach glamoured this so that it’s only visible to Judians, Davidians and Archons,” Adrian explained, leading me up the sharply winding staircase. “Everyone else who walks into the chapel sees a ceiling that goes all the way up to the rafters, and where you see the staircase, they see the sacristy.”

  “Nice,” I said, meaning more than the glamour acting as a security system. The loft extended the length of the chapel, and it was furnished with butter-soft leather couches, a TV, several bookshelves, a claw-foot tub and bathroom fixtures, and a bed that looked to be covered in silk. The walls and ceiling were all dark, paneled wood, giving it a warm, cozy atmosphere. Up here, I could almost forget there was a secret crypt beneath the chapel that caged a very dangerous, very mouthy demon, and I wanted to forget that. In fact, I wanted to forget every terrible or destined thing that had been weighing on me for the past several months and just be a plain, normal girl, even if only for an hour or so.

  “Not like what I’d picture you to live in, though,” I added, thinking of the sapphire-colored castle in his luxurious, frightening former realm.

  Adrian’s smile had a self-deprecating slant. “Took a while to get used to, but it also reinforced my decision every time I looked around. The old Adrian would’ve never lived here. The person I chose to become was glad for the peace that this place brought, even if that peace came in small, plain packaging.”

  Then he drew me into his arms. “That’s why I sent the rest of them away and brought you up here,” he murmured. “You need to stop thinking about everything that demon said and find your own peace. So, for the rest of the evening, there’s no destiny you need to fulfill, no brave mask you need to put on and no one you have to try to save. There’s only a hot bath, a bottle of wine and a massage that’ll make your body feel like it floated away.”

  It was exactly what I’d been thinking, and his knowing I needed that made it resonate all the more. All of it sounded so good, a soft moan escaped me. Adrian chuckled, tilting my head back.

  “Save those for the massage. I expect to hear a lot more of them once my hands are all over you.”

  He laughed again at my sharp intake of breath, his light brush of lips more of a tease than a kiss. Then, with a final wink, he walked away.

  I waited until he descended the staircase to start my bath, adding some shampoo to the running tap so there’d be bubbles. Then I took my clothes off and sank into the tub. It was obviously built for a person Adrian’s siz
e, which meant that I could fully stretch out without touching either end of it. Instead, I floated in the hot, bubbly water, closing my eyes and letting out a sigh as I slowly, slowly started to relax.

  “Here.”

  His voice made my eyelids fly open again. A half-full wineglass suspended over me was the first thing I saw, but instead of taking it, my hands flew to cover certain parts of me. Adrian’s low chuckle brought a flush to my cheeks.

  “I’ve seen you naked before, Ivy. Don’t you remember?”

  “That was my top half only!”

  “Besides, those bubbles are very concealing,” he went on, as if I hadn’t spoken. “Go on, drink your wine, and I’ll get started on your massage.”

  “Now?” I burst out.

  Another chuckle slid along my senses with its own caress. “Of course. Nothing is more soothing than a hot water massage, especially with a glass of wine.”

  “Adrian...” I couldn’t begin to articulate all the reasons why this was a bad idea, so I settled on the most obvious. “There’s no way I’ll be able to relax with me being naked and you—you not being blind.”

  His brow arched. “Is that your only objection?”

  With that, he set the wineglass down and went into the bedroom portion of the loft. After rummaging through a drawer for a moment, he came back with a long, black piece of fabric that I told myself was a man’s tie because any other option sent my mind straight to places it shouldn’t go.

  Then, his mouth still curled in a grin that was part amused, part dangerously sensual, he tied the fabric over his eyes, covering them completely.

  “There,” he said, voice low and throaty. “Now I’m blind.”

  I should still tell him to leave. I really, really should. But, somehow, the words stuck in my throat. Maybe what I needed was some wine to get them out. I reached over the side of the tub, grabbed the glass with a soapy hand and drained most of it, all the while unable to tear my eyes away from him.

  Adrian walked over to the tub, his steps never hesitating. Was that because of how well he knew the loft’s layout, or because he could still see? My mouth felt like it went dry, so I finished the wine and pressed the glass into his hand. He took it from me and poured another, not spilling a drop. Were his senses that sharp? Or was the blindfold somehow see-through? This time, my hand shook a little as I accepted it. Another swallow later, and I put it down.