Blue-Blooded Vamp (44 page)

“However,” I continued, “I’ve learned a few things in the last six months. Things about family.” I looked toward Lavinia. “Things about love.” I glanced at Adam. “Things about myself. Things you couldn’t possibly know because you haven’t been around.” My father grimaced but stayed silent. “One of those lessons was that good friends are hard to come by. And when the shit comes down, your team is all you’ve got. So, no, I won’t be killing you tonight. Because I may not need a dad, but I sure as hell need all the friends I can get.”

The corner of Tristan’s lips lifted into an ironic smile. “If we’re going to be friends, we really need to work on your flagrant use of profanity.”

My lips twitched in response. “Fuck you.”

He grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. It was the first time I’d ever hugged my father. I realized I didn’t care if we’d never have a normal father-daughter relationship. It just felt damned good to know he was on my side.

“Enough!” Lavinia’s shrill voice cut through the air like lightning. “Have you made your choice, then?”

I turned, standing shoulder to shoulder with my father. “Take them,” I said. “Take my fangs, my immortality. Take every trait that ties me to your poisonous blood.”

Lavinia chuckled. “Such brave words. One wonders how brave you’ll be in the demon realm when you’re as weak as a human.”

I cocked a brow. “While you’re at it, take this fucking red hair, too.”

The remaining Dominae rose and started toward me. Adam grabbed me for a quick, hard kiss. “I love you,” he whispered. Then he walked away to join the others, leaving me alone in the center of the seven most powerful vampire females ever created.

Persephone refused to take part in the ceremony. Instead, she came to stand next to Nyx. No doubt there’d be repercussions for her once we moved on, but for now I appreciated her solidarity—late as it was.

The five remaining younger Dominae joined hands. Lavinia didn’t look too happy to be touching Tanith. Not a surprise given Tanith had conspired with the Hekate Council to kill Lavinia. However, my grandmother’s desire to officially erase me from her race must have overridden her hatred of the turncoat Domina.

The two ancients came forward then. One held a black apple like the ones I’d seen outside. The other held a pair of silver pliers.

The first burst of cold fear slammed into my gut. I’d assumed it would be like the mage rite to remove my magic. But I should have known better. Vampires enjoyed making others suffer. They’d make this as painful as possible.

The ancient who hadn’t spoken once since our arrival
stepped forward and handed me the apple. “Do I have to eat it all?” I asked.

She smiled like a serial killer after a particularly gruesome murder. “One bite.”

I raised the apple to my lips. The shiny onyx skin glistened in the light. I glanced left toward the solemn faces of Adam and my father. I looked to my right at Lavinia’s eyes, which were wide with anticipation. The instant I took the bite, I’d be mortal. Not mage or vampire, just Sabina.

And that scared me more than the threat of pain.

Whether “just Sabina” would be strong enough to weather the remaining tests, I didn’t know. But there was only one way to find out.

My fangs broke the flesh. The taste of copper and iron filled my mouth. I chewed the mouthful of mealy fruit and swallowed quickly. The bite scraped the inside of my throat like I’d swallowed shards of glass.

Pain unlike any I’d experienced in my life exploded in my gut. Worse than getting shot. Worse than a demon’s spell. Worse than any poison.

The apple slammed to the floor. Two seconds later, my body joined it.

My vision dimmed and blurred. My fists clenched. The blood boiled in my veins. I felt each individual cell in my body explode. Smoke belched from my nose and ears and mouth. Wretched dry heaves forced me to roll onto my stomach. I somehow managed to rise up on my trembling arms and knees despite my weakened state. My throat burned and my stomach cramped as my body tried to expel… something. Gagging, suffocating, writhing.

Oh, please, gods, make it stop
.

I fell into a trembling, sweaty heap on the floor. My mouth flew open and I vomited a pool of bright red blood.

Shouts erupted but sounded far away. Someone stood over me. Rough hands flipped me over onto my back. Too weak to resist, my hands were pulled to the side and pinned by someone’s knees.

“Open wide now,” the head ancient said. She knelt over me, the pliers flickering in the light like an Inquisitor’s tool of torture.

I ran my tongue over the sharp tips of my fangs for the last time. Funny, after burning from the inside and vomiting gallons of evil, having my fangs ripped out with pliers wasn’t so bad.

The worst part was the blood that pooled in my mouth. The dirty penny flavor made me want to vomit all over again. Instead, I rolled to the side and spit several times. The effort cost me because I couldn’t move another inch.

Someone nearby said, “It is done. Open the gate.”

“No,” Lavinia cried.

“Enough! She passed the test. Step aside, Domina Kane.” A pause and then, “Collect her and be on your way.”

A few moments later, gentle hands grasped my arms and helped me up. My head lolled to the side. The comforting scent of sandalwood surrounded me. Thank the gods, too, as I couldn’t stomach the smell of blood for one more second.

A loud whooshing sound filled the chamber. I blinked my eyes open and saw a swirling black vortex behind the thrones on the dais.

“Nyx! Come on!” Tristan yelled. I was jostled and lifted from the ground. “Take her,” Tristan said to Adam. He ran off to collect Nyx.

A sucking sensation pulled at my body. I moaned. “Easy, now,” Adam whispered. “Almost there.”

Trusting the mancy would get us through, I relaxed into
his hold. The air changed from the wintry cold of the Bloodlands to a dry, searing heat scented with brimstone.

“Well it’s about damned time,” a familiar voice groused. “Holy shit! What the fuck happened to her?”

I’d never in my life been so happy to hear Giguhl bitch at us.

T
his way,” a deep male voice said.

“Are you sure about this, G?” Adam’s voice rumbled in his chest. My head was pressed against the broad expanse. He was obviously running judging by the severe jostling I was receiving. But I couldn’t work up enough energy to complain about the roughness of the ride.

“He’s right,” Valva’s high-pitched voice replied. “It’ll help her.”

“Either way, we need to hurry,” Tristan said, farther away. “By the time Nyx and I jumped through the gate, the Dominae were freaking out.”

“Why?” Giguhl said.

“Because Cain had entered their lands. They were very excited to have the father of their race visit. So I’m pretty sure they won’t be delaying him like the mages did.”

My eyes popped open at this. I moaned and tried to sit up. Adam shushed me and bent over to whisper, “Relax. We’re making a pit stop to restore your strength.”

“Is she awake?” Giguhl demanded.

I raised my head and looked over at the demon.
“Hey, G.” My voice cracked. My throat felt like I’d gargled nails.

“Bael’s balls, I leave you alone for a couple of hours and look what happens. Nice hair, by the way.” His tone dripped with sarcasm.

I tried to raise a hand to touch my hair, but it fell useless by my side. “What’s it look like?”

“Don’t listen to him,” Adam said. “The blond will just take a little getting used to.”

I gasped. “What?” If he was telling the truth, then one detail from my vision at the scrying pool had just come true.

“And, no offense, but it’s kind of dull and lifeless, too. If you survive, you should seriously consider a hot-oil treatment,” Valva offered.

Leave it to the Vanity demon to focus on what’s really important. While I absorbed the fact that my hair was lacking in both color and healthy shine, the gang was jogging through something out of a nightmare. The demon realm looked very much like the paintings I’d seen of the mortal hell. Lots of fire and brimstone. Souls being tortured in increasingly bizarre and painful ways.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Gizal,” Giguhl said. “We’re near the Pit of Despair.”

Well that certainly explained the prevalence of hot pokers.

“Ah, here we are,” Giguhl said. “Set her down on that rock, will ya?”

Adam gently lowered me to a boulder. I forced a smile at him, even though the simple movement had left me nauseous. He touched his hand to my cheek before turning to Giguhl.

“Okay, Horus, go get some water. There’s a clean stream on the other side of those rocks.”

“Is it safe?” Adam asked. He nodded to Horus, who ran off.

Giguhl nodded. “You and Valva spread out and look for a flower with black leaves and purple petals.”

“What are you going to do?” Adam asked.

“I’m going to make sure none of my relatives bother our girl.”

Adam and the others ran off. Giguhl came to sit next to me on the rock. He put a heavy arm around my shoulders. “So,” he said conversationally, “you’re mortal now.”

I nodded. “I guess so.”

“Ah, don’t look so glum. You’ve still got us. You still know how to use a gun. And I bet Zenobia could even teach you some of the mortal magic she knows.”

As long as I’d known him, Giguhl had never been a glass half full kind of demon. Granted, his form of pessimism was usually hilarious, but I wouldn’t exactly describe him as an optimist. It was one of the things we had in common. But I appreciated his words nonetheless. “Thanks, G.”

He rocked into me. “No problem. I’m just glad you’re still here.”

“So what’s the plan?”

“There’s a flower that grows here. It’s got healing powers that rival just about any medicine on earth. You’re gonna eat some of it, rehydrate, and then go face your destiny.”

A shocked laugh escaped me. “You make it sound so easy.”

He shrugged. “Hey, what’s up with Nyx?”

I glanced over his shoulder to where Nyx and Tristan stood. They were close together, whispering about something. “She just found out that her mom was one of the Dominae.

He gasped. “Shut up! Which one?”

“Persephone.”

“Dude, that’s awesome news.”

I shot him a look. “Does she look like she agrees?”

He looked at the vampire, who was sobbing. “No, but it’s good news for you.”

“How?”

“Red, if she’s Persephone’s daughter, you’re off the hook. She can lead the vampires.”

I stilled. “Holy shit, you’re right.”

Giguhl patted my shoulder. “See? Everything’s going to work out just fine.” His tone was jovial, but I detected a fine thread of tension that made me wonder which of us he was trying to convince.

Just then, Adam and Valva ran back over. In the Vanity’s hand was a clump of purple flowers. “Found them,” she called triumphantly.

Giguhl took them from her. “Okay, just eat some of these petals.”

I took them from him and sniffed. The noxious odor made me jerk my hand away. “It smells like ass.”

“Yep.”

“What is this exactly?”

“They’re called Demon Tears. They’re created when demons spill their—” He cut off quickly. “Never mind that. Eat up!”

I grimaced, imagining several scenarios, each less appetizing than the last. “Are you sure this will help?”

“Red, would I steer you wrong?”

I cocked a brow.

“Please. Give me some credit.”

“He’s right,” Valva said. “They’re very healing.”

I traded a worried glance with Adam. He shrugged. “I trust him.”

I brought a small petal to my mouth for a nibble. A flavor not unlike crotch sweat exploded in my mouth. “Ack! It’s disgusting.”

“Quit being such a baby.” The Mischief demon shoved two more petals between my lips and held my nose closed until I swallowed them. When he released me, my eyes were stinging but I managed to swat him.

“You’re a shitty nurse,” I bitched, grabbing the canteen Horus offered. The water tasted fresh and sweet after the disgusting Demon Tears. I gulped down the entire container.

“How do you feel?” Adam asked.

I paused and took inventory. I was still weak, but my mouth had stopped throbbing where the devil’s dentist had removed my fangs. I probed the wounds with my tongue and cringed. It was like applying my tongue to a battery. A brief flare of vanity made me wonder if regular teeth would grow in their place, but I pushed that thought aside. I quickly took stock of the rest of my body and realized that despite the obscene taste of the flowers, my stomach had settled. “A little better,” I admitted reluctantly.

“Ha! Told you.”

Raised voices cut through Giguhl’s moment of victory. We all looked over and saw Nyx and Tristan were full-on arguing now. “What’s their problem?” Adam asked.

“Hey!” Valva called to the couple. They cut off mid-yell and looked over. “Adam wants to know why you’re fighting.”

Adam rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Valva.”

“It’s nothing,” Nyx said quickly.

Tristan shot her an annoyed glance. “Like hell.”

The vampire looked like she wanted to strangle him. “Don’t you dare,” she said through clenched teeth.