His senses reached out, searching, but in spite of the cries and the overpowering smell of blood, he detected no one inside the castle. How was that possible?
He tensed as the door swung slowly open. Serepta stood in the doorway, as beautiful as he remembered, her hair falling in red waves over her shoulders. A long black gown outlined the curves he remembered so well.
She held a glass of dark-red liquid in her hand.
“Where’s Seleena?”
She smiled faintly. “Worried about my dear mother, are you? I’ve seen the way you look at her. The way she looks at you.”
“Where is she? If you’ve hurt her…”
“You’ll do what?”
“Rip your black heart out of your chest.”
She laughed softly as she closed the distance between them. “That hardly seems likely now, does it?”
He tensed when she walked behind him, flinched when she dragged her nails down his back. Blood trickled down his spine.
Quinn tracked her footsteps as she moved to stand in front of him again. He licked his lips when she lifted the glass and took a drink.
“Thirsty, are you?” she asked with a knowing grin.
He shook his head, a bald-faced lie. “Whose blood is that?”
She looked at the glass, then shrugged. “I didn’t ask his name.”
“What do you want?” It was a foolish question.
“I wanted you to love me,” she said, “but we can’t always have what we want, can we? Then, again, maybe we can.”
Eyes narrowing, he focused his senses on her, felt the shock of raw power that slammed into him. “Your magic!” he exclaimed. “How did you --?”
“You noticed!” She smiled, as if he had just paid her an unexpected compliment. “How I missed it. And now it’s stronger than ever.” She glanced at the dragon tattoo. “And when you’re dead, I will be the most powerful witch in all of Brynn Tor and beyond.”
“Beyond?”
She laughed again. “Nardik was so certain he was the most powerful wizard in the universe. But he was wrong.” She drained the glass in her hand and flung it against the wall, where it burst into a thousand shards of crystal. Humming softly, she ran her fingers over his belly, hissed when he flinched at her touch. “Worried I’ll make you a statue again?” .
“No,” he retorted. “I’m worried I’ll have to sleep with you again.”
“Before I’m done with you, you will beg to come to my bed!”
“No way, witch. You might as well kill me now, because it will never happen.”
Face contorted with rage, she slapped him, hard, twice, and then vanished from his sight.
Quinn sagged against the chains that bound him, the pain in his body forgotten. Damn the witch! If she had Seleena imprisoned somewhere within the castle, he would do whatever Serepta asked of him. He would make love to her night and day, crawl on his belly like a snake, humiliate himself in any way she saw fit, because his life meant nothing to him if he couldn’t share it with the woman he loved.
Chapter 24
Seleena hesitated a moment before opening her front door. She had told Quinn she just needed some air, which had been partly true. But mainly, she had wanted to go home and make sure everything was all right in the village. It had been foolish, perhaps, to go alone, but she needed some space. Time to think. It was all out in the open now - her real reason for refusing to let him make love to her. When she said it out loud, it seemed inadequate, and yet she couldn’t seem to get past it. Sometimes, she dreamed of the two of them - Quinn rising over Serepta, his body sheened with sweat, his hands and lips caressing her daughter, their arms and legs tangled in silken sheets… Dreams, she thought. More like nightmares!
She wandered through her house. All was as she had left it. She stood in the doorway of Quinn’s room, wondering how long he would stay with her, now that he knew her innermost feelings. Her heart sank at the thought of a future without him. Until he came into her life, she hadn’t realized how empty her days were. How lonely she had been. How much she would miss him when he was gone.
Earlier, she had checked her mailbox, but there were no letters. No messages from any of the villagers asking for her help.
She took a last look around, fortified the wards on the house and all points of entry, then murmured the incantation that would take her back to Nardik’s.
Back to Quinn.
#
Seleena knew Quinn was gone the moment she stepped inside the Fortress. Even worse, she could have sworn she detected Serepta’s presence. But that should have been impossible. Nardik’s wards were still in place. Still strong. How had Serepta breeched them? It should have been impossible. Unless…
Returning to the yard, she murmured an incantation that allowed her to see the image of anyone who had recently been there. A gasp rose in her throat when she saw her own image standing beside Quinn. Another incantation showed the real people behind the images. Quinn remained the same, but the other image morphed into that of her daughter. How had Serepta regained her magic? And where was Quinn? She bit down on her lower lip, trying not to panic. She took several deep breaths, forcing herself to think, to concentrate. He could read her thoughts.
Was he able to read hers? Quinn? Quinn, can you hear me?
Red? He had never heard anything more beautiful than the sound of her voice. For the first time, he was truly glad to be a vampire.
“Where are you?”
It doesn’t matter. There’s nothing you can do. Stay inside the Fortress and be safe.
I know you’re hurting.
I’ll be all right.
Maybe I can help with the pain. He heard her chanting softly, caught the faint scent of a candle, of rosemary and sage and rue. Was it his imagination or could he almost feel her hands on his skin? Imagination or not, the pain lessened, became bearable. Disappeared.
Did it work? she asked anxiously.
Yes. Bless you, woman. You’re amazing.
Tell me where you are.
Not a chance. I don’t know how it happened, but she’s got her magic back, and it’s stronger than ever.
The dragon, Quinn. You have to wake the dragon. It’s the only way you can hope to defeat her.
Just wish I knew how.
Trust your instincts.
Yeah…I’ve got to go. She’s coming.
Serepta had changed out of the black dress she had been wearing and into a long white gown trimmed in white fur. Nearly transparent, it hinted boldly at the lush figure beneath. And tempted him not at all.
“White?” he drawled with all the disdain he could muster. “Really?”
She snarled at him and then, with a wave of her hand, opened a long, shallow gash the length of his left arm.
His blood dripped to the floor. A new stain, he thought, wondering how many others were his from times past.
She glared at him, her anger a palpable presence in the room. “I am going to kill you an inch at a time,” she promised, biting off each word. “And I am going to make my mother watch.”
Knowing she was trying to goad him, he said nothing.
She raked her nails down his cheek, then slammed out of the room, leaving the threat hanging in the air.
Quinn blew out a sigh of relief. When he had first met Serepta, she had ever been in control of her emotions. Even when furious, she had projected an outward calm. But she had no such control now. Perhaps he could turn her lack of restraint to his advantage.
And perhaps not.
#
Seleena’s heart went cold. Serepta had Quinn. Hadn’t she known, all along, that it would happen sooner or later? That no matter what they did, Serepta would somehow prevail. Brow furrowed, she doused the candle, then climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. Nardik’s presence was stronger here than anywhere else in the house.
Seleena made her way along the corridor to the room where he practiced his magic, with Freyja at her heels. Memories assaulted Seleena as she stood in the doorw
ay. The room looked exactly as she remembered - large and square, the walls a pristine white, the floor made of gold-veined black marble. A narrow shaft of moonlight shone through the room’s small, round window. A long, oak table held an assortment of magical implements. It had been here that Nardik had shared his knowledge and his magic with her, here that he had seduced her. Here that Serepta had been conceived.
Shaking off thoughts of the past, she found a scrying bowl and filled it with water. It had been Nardik who taught her the ancient art. Egyptian magicians had used ink or blood or other dark liquids. Others used water. Many witches insisted on scrying within a magic circle to prevent outside influences. But that wouldn’t be necessary here.
She gazed into the bowl, her whole being focused on locating Quinn. For a moment, the water remained clear; then, gradually, it darkened and his image appeared. He was in a room, his arms stretched over his head, his wrists shackled to an iron bar. There was dried blood on his back, his cheek, and along his left arm.
Her tears dripped into the cauldron when she saw the burned flesh of his wrists and ankles. It was at that moment, seeing the results of Serepta’s cruelty, that her love for her daughter shriveled and died.
She brushed her tears away, her anger rising with her determination to free the man she loved, for love him she did. She smiled at Freyja, who sat patiently at her feet. “Best get used to him,” she said. “Because when I get him back, I’m never letting him out of my sight again.”
And she would get him back. She knew where he was. She had seen that room before, when they searched the Black Castle. “I’m coming, Quinn,” she murmured as she descended the stairs to the first floor. “Hold on.”
Anxious as she was to rescue Quinn, she wasn’t foolish enough to go alone.
Moving to the desk in the corner of the main room, she found a sheet of paper and an enchanted pen, scribbled a note to Nardik, dropped it into a bowl and set it on fire. A plume of thick yellow smoke rose from the bowl and wafted out the nearest window.
All she had to do now was wait.
Chapter 25
Annis lay curled in Rajj’s arms, happier than she had ever been in her life. She had never imagined that making love could be so pleasurable, so wonderful. So exciting. How was it possible to have fallen in love with him so quickly? Was it love? Or had he cast a spell on her? How was she to know? Whatever it was, she never wanted to leave him…
She sat abruptly as the afterglow of his lovemaking melted in the face of reality. “Nardik will come for me.”
“Is that your father?” Rajj asked, apparently unconcerned.
“No, but he’s engaged to my mother. My sister is Marri, Queen of Brynn Tor.”
He chuckled softly. “I’ve fallen in love with a princess!”
“You love me?”
“How can I help it?”
“This could start a war! I have to go home.”
“Nonsense.” His fingers stroked her cheek. “No one will ever find you here.”
“You don’t understand. Nardik is a powerful wizard.”
“Not as powerful as my father.”
“If you truly love me, you’ll let me go home, at least long enough to let my mother and sister know I’m well.”
His hand skimmed her breast, her thigh. “Perhaps I’ll suggest it to my father in a day or two. But first we must wed so that you will truly be mine. With our marriage consummated, no one can take you from me.”
She blinked at him. “Married? You and me?”
“Of course. Had you not pleased me, had we not bonded together so well…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
“What would have happened to me?”
“You would have been given to another. But do not worry, my lovely one. That will never happen now. You are mine, always and forever. No one will ever harm you or take you from me. No one.”
Chapter 26
Nardik stood on the wall of Brynn Castle, gazing into the distance. Notice of Annis’ disappearance had been sent to every city and village in Brynn Tor. Many of the guards sent to find her had returned. None bearing good news. There had been no demand for ransom. Amerris had taken to her bed. Marri hoped for the best even as she prepared herself to accept the worst.
As worried as he was for Annis, his major concern was for Seleena’s safety. There was no telling what evil Serepta had in mind. Unbidden, came the memory of his daughter as a little girl, taking her first step, saying her first word, conjuring her first spell. How had his lovely, innocent, child turned into such a depraved creature? Would she have turned out differently if he had been the one to raise her? He thrust that thought aside. Seleena had been a devoted mother.
It pleased him that Seleena was staying at the Fortress. Was she remembering their time together? The nights they had surrendered to the passion that had smoldered between them? He should never have let her go. Too late, he had realized that what he had assumed was only a passing fancy for a beautiful woman had been stronger, deeper. But she had left him, and his foolish masculine pride had kept him from going after her.
He frowned as a wisp of yellow smoke drifted into view. He held out his hand and it settled in his palm, the smoke inscribing letters on his hand. Nardik, I need you.
Hurrying to his room, he penned a short note for Amerris. After donning his cloak, he spoke the words that would carry him to the Fortress.
#
Seleena opened the door before he knocked. “Thank you for coming.”
“What is wrong?” He followed her into the living room, removed his cloak, and tossed it on the back of a sofa. “How can I help?”
“Serepta has Quinn.”
“I see. You are certain of this?”
“Of course!”
“What do you want of me?”
“What do you think?” She fisted her hands on her hips. “I know you don’t like him, but that doesn’t matter. We can’t leave him there.” She swallowed the growing lump in her throat. “If you won’t help me, I’ll go alone.”
“No, you will not.”
“She’s torturing him. We have to go, now, before it’s too late. Before she grows weary of her sport. Before she kills him and unleashes the dragon’s power. I’m afraid there will be no stopping her then.”
“There can be no hesitation on our part this time,” he said. “No mercy. I will take her heart and her head and burn what is left. If you cannot condone her destruction, then you should stay here.”
“I am going with you.” Not long ago, she would have been horrified to even contemplate such a thing. But Serepta was their daughter. They had brought her into the world. And although they weren’t responsible for her devotion to the dark arts, it was up to them to put an end to her reign of terror before Serepta took any more innocent lives.
Before she caused Quinn any more pain.
#
He writhed on the floor of his cell in a pool of his own blood, the silver that bound him rendering him helpless to resist as Serepta dragged a razor-sharp blade over his flesh. Had he not been shackled, the cuts, though painful, would have healed instantly. But they did not heal quickly now. The loss of blood weakened him still further.
Worse than the pain was the way she gloated as she tormented him, describing in vivid detail how she planned to kill him, promising it would be more excruciating than anything he could imagine. Promising that her mother would be there to watch every glorious moment.
He prayed fervently that Seleena would stay locked in the Fortress, that Nardik could keep her safe. That, hopefully, between the two of them, they could put an end to Serepta’s evil.
Quinn remained as stoic as he could, refusing to grovel, biting back the desire to give voice to the agony she inflicted.
Relief washed through him when, with a grimace of displeasure, she left the dungeon in a cloud of black smoke.
Curled in on himself, he closed his eyes, seeing respite in sleep. But sleep wouldn’t come.
It took him a moment to real
ize it wasn’t the pain keeping him awake, but the restless dragon on his shoulder.
#
Standing in front of Serepta’s castle, Seleena fought a growing sense of despair as another of Nardik’s spells failed. She gasped when he breathed out an oath. Swearing was something he rarely did and only served to emphasize his anger and frustration. Separately and together, they had tried to breach the wards around Serepta’s castle, but to no avail.
“There has to be a way!” Seleena cried.
“Her magic is stronger than it ever was,” he replied, his brow furrowed. “I do not understand how that is possible.”
“Me, either. If only we knew who restored it.”
He nodded. “I can think of no wizard or witch on Brynn Tor who possesses greater magic than we do. Even with the addition of her vampire powers, we should be able to break any spell she can conjure.”
“Perhaps she didn’t get help from anyone on Brynn Tor.”
Nardik grunted thoughtfully. “Centuries ago, there was a coven of dark witches on Caynn.”
“Where are they now?”
“Still there, perhaps, though no one has heard anything about them in decades.”
“They might be our only hope. Do you know any of them?”
“No.”
“What are we waiting for? We should go there now! There’s no time to waste.”
“It could be dangerous.”
“I don’t care. I’m going, with or without you.”
#
With Nardik’s magic, it took only moments to arrive at the nearest spaceport. He found a pilot who was willing to transport them to Caynn, for the right price. Again using his magic, the required number of credits appeared in the pilot’s account. Half an hour later, the Airship was fired up and ready to go.
Seleena sat rigid in her seat. She had never traveled through outer space before and vowed there and then she would never do so again. She didn’t like not being in control.
She glanced out the window. The photos she had seen of Caynn depicted mountains and valleys and vast swaths of green. But the landscape below looked bleak and inhospitable.