Sacrifice (26 page)

              “It was empty and I couldn’t get the door open and I have no idea why.”

              “Good,” I said as I ignited my bolt and transported my disciples out of Lord &Taylor.

              We all went back to our respective homes. I needed some air to clear my mind. I stepped out onto the terrace and squinted against the bright sun as it warmed my face. I sat at the patio table, leaned my head back, and shut my eyes. After a few minutes, Sun Paw stepped out onto the large patio.

              “Miss Cordelia, Mr. Victor is here to see you.”

              I rolled my eyes. I needed some time to myself. I didn’t want to see another disciple until the gala tonight, but I couldn’t shake the desire to see him.

              “Thank you Sun Paw, please ask him to come out here.” Sun Paw nodded and left.

              I closed my eyes and Victor’s face appeared. His mesmerizing, steel gray eyes and that devilish smile that always made me blush, instantaneously. The butterflies in my belly woke up and started to flutter, with the thought of him. I heard the click-clack of his shoes against the tile in my sitting room. I opened my eyes and my heart thumped against my chest, violently. Automatically, I had to calm my rapid breathing.

              “How are you?” Victor asked. He pulled up a patio chair and sat across from me. Clouds were in his usually clear gray eyes and his breathing seemed labored. Something wasn’t right.

              “Good. And you?”

              “I have a few things to tell you,” He said and cleared his throat a couple times.

              “Oh?” I had no idea what he wanted to tell me, but if his expression – furrowed brows, overcast irises, and a frown – was an indicator, then I didn’t want to know.

“Before you do, I want to ask you something? The day the elders were smothered, did you teleport Evangelia to the mine, or did she travel there on her own?”

“What?” Victor looked at me with a puzzled expression. I knew that my question was out of left field, but I figured I’d get a better reading of his thoughts and an honest answer if he weren’t prepared. “Why?”

“No reason. I just always wondered.”

“We teleported together. Lia was unable to teleport on her own, at the time, but you already know that.” Victor said, cocking his head to one side, and I realized that Beth was wrong.

“You’re right, I’m must have forgotten.” I nodded. We stared at each other for a long time. His thoughts we all over the place and he was worried, but it had nothing to do with Bethany’s suspicions. I decided to drop the notion of Evangelia plotting revenge against the empire.

“Look, Delia I did something really bad and I… uh… must tell you or it’s going to kill me.”

“I’m listening,” I said, bracing myself because when Victor did bad things, it wasn’t like the usual small crimes that most demigods committed, like a little magic outdoors. Victor’s bad deeds usually involved corpses.

“I tricked you into giving me my powers back.” His eyes froze and my heart did too, and then it cracked in a million pieces.

“What?” I sat straight up in my chair and held his gaze. Suddenly, Victor looked much smaller.             

“I’m sorry.”

“No. Tell me what you mean,” I demanded through clenched teeth.

“I took some bad advice. I knew it was wrong at the time.” He took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. “On the night you and Evan went to the opera, I set myself up to be attacked by the werewolves.”

I shook my head. I needed the information to sink in, but for some unexplainable reason, it made no sense to me. His thoughts were a jumble of prayers to every Olympian for forgiveness from them, but more so from me. He couldn’t go on anymore without telling me the truth.

“I knew the risks involved – I could die and the empire would be weakened. I knew that you would send Evander and a team to find me,” Victor said as he ran his hand through his hair. “I knew you would have no choice but to save my life and fortify my powers if I was near death.” He understood that he deserved punishment, whether by the hand of the gods and / or by me.

“I also sacrificed my sister. It was inevitable that they would fall in love.” His hands were trembling, but he kept his eyes trained on me.

“I wanted you so badly that I was willing to hurt you just to have you. I’m a selfish, cheating, son of a vicious god, and you deserve… better.” He felt that Evan had won my heart, fairly. I grabbed at my chest, instinctively, and he grabbed at his. We were both trying to stop the pain, which was the result of his thoughts of ending his pursuit of me. I continued to read his mind.

“You should be with who
you
want to spend an eternity with. It shouldn’t be forced on you,” he said and stood up. “I’m so sorry for all the pain I’ve caused you.”

“Why didn’t you trust me? I had told you that I was going to restore your strengths soon. You didn’t have faith in me so you went behind my back and then you made a fool of me.” I said through quivering lips.

“I’m so sorry.” Victor stared into my eyes.

“I know you are.” I looked down at my hands.

“I don’t know what else to say.”

“You’ve said enough.” I said, somberly, and held his gaze. “I’ve been trying so hard to trust you, but you make it so damn hard.”

“I know.”

“Does Evangelia know what you did?” I couldn’t imagine how she felt if she knew.

“Yes, and she isn’t speaking to me.”

“That’s understandable.” I nodded.

“Is there any way that I can make it up to you?”

“No. Nothing. You
are
selfish Victor, and I know that it’s the one part of you that will never change.” Victor sighed, deeply and nodded. “But you have changed in some ways. I can’t imagine how hard it was for you to tell me. I can’t believe that you did. ”

“I had to. I’ll do anything, whatever it takes to make it up to you if you give me the chance.”

I took a moment to think about all that Victor had done. He could be the vilest person at times and the most valiant. With him it was always complicated. 

“I’ll consider it.”

Victor grabbed my hand and fell to his knees.

Thirty
-
Cordelia

Opening Night

Every Ischero had been invited to the opening. New York’s high society would never miss the opportunity to meet wealthy newcomers, especially silver barons of the west. We didn’t know what to expect, therefore we prepared for anything. We also didn’t know who else would be attending. We expected the usual roster of elite families – the Vanderbilt’s, the Rockefellers, and the Astor’s. There was even talk of the Mayor of New York City making an appearance.

I chose an ice blue gown embroidered with crystal beads and appliqued with cutout layers that resembled angel wings. I chose to wear my hair down and secured it with a diamond barrette. Luckily for Evangelia, and not so lucky for me, she had been wearing the stunning white gown when she transformed into flames, so she teleported out of the dressing room with it on.

The Rolls Royce limousine arrived and Evan stepped out of it in a tuxedo suit that seemed molded to his broad build. His hair was slicked back behind his ears and he looked like a gift from the gods. During the short ride to Park Avenue, I couldn’t get my mind off Athena’s message – someone’s work would be revealed tonight. I had an idea of who she spoke of, but since we’d already discovered the Apolluon shadows, which were now able to hunt indoors, the evolved Apolluon vampires who lived civilly – if that was even possible, and the numerous Lykanos packs.

I stared out the car window and hoped that I would find my parent’s hearts, bodies, or both soon. I hated the fact that we’d be wasting time at a hotel gala instead of searching for them. Although it was a full moon tonight, and every streetlight at every corner was lit, something about this evening seemed grimmer than most other nights. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I didn’t sense any Apolluon or any other onerous entity, yet something was nagging at me to look closer.

“I think I’d rather be wearing a dress,” Evan said.

“What?” I turned to look at him.

“I’m kidding, just kidding. I’ve been trying to get your attention. I’ve been rambling on and on, the whole way, and I don’t think you’ve heard a word I’ve said. Are you alright? You seem preoccupied.” Evan squeezed my satin-gloved hand.

“I guess I’m a little nervous about tonight.” I smiled, timidly.

“Are you thinking of what Athena said?”

“Yes. I knew not to expect the transition of teleporting to this time and city to go smoothly – without any threats or attacks from the Apolluon or any other entity. I guess I never expected them to be so evolved.”

“I’m just glad that we’re aware of them all, shadows included. Beth told me what happened at Lord & Taylor’s – the sighting,” Evan said.

“What exactly did she say?” I hadn’t planned to tell Evan, Victor, or Nikolas about the catfight.

“Oh just that they appeared in Li– uh… Evangelia’s dressing room.” Evan said and looked away for a moment. I tried to act like I didn’t notice the slip-up.

“She didn’t tell you why?”

“No. She said that she had no idea why they showed up, only that they were indoors. Like in the mine, before we left Nickel City. I still wonder how they knew to come into the mines. Bethany has a ridiculous theory, but it’s not important.”

“Of course it is. We lost too many members with their last attack,” I said.

“I don’t even want to repeat it. If it were about Victor alone, but Evangelia? No…” Evan trailed off and paused for a few seconds.

“Are you going to tell me her theory or not?”

“No. It’s just too ridiculous. Any more dreams of bleeding roses?” Evan asked as he moved a stray hair away from my face.

Why was he changing the subject? Was it because Bethany’s theory had something to do with Evangelia? I wanted to know what the theory was, although after what happened in that dressing room today. I wondered if the theory would have any merit. It was obvious that Bethany hated Evangelia. I decided to leave the whole theory business alone. I’d sooner get the information straight from the horse’s mouth.

“I’ve had the dream a couple more times, but now I’m seeing blue flames.” I leaned closer to him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

“Like the ones that can only be found in the Underworld?”

“Exactly.”

“I’ve seen them too,” he said

“You have? Where? When? Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked as my temperature rose.

“In my dreams – the ones that stopped shortly after … Victor’s attack.”

“And right about the same time Evangelia arrived. It was her you know,” I said.

“What do you mean?” Evan asked, avoiding my gaze. He turned to look out the window.

I knew that he knew exactly what I meant but he preferred to act like he didn’t. He annoyed me tonight by evading my questions.

“It was Evangelia in your dreams. The description fit her perfectly. I could understand how you thought it had been me, but it was her that you made love to.” I said watching his expression closely.

“Well I haven’t had that dream in a while,” he said, as he kept his eyes trained out the window.

“But you said the flames were blue, right?”

“Yes, but let’s finish this conversation later,” Evan suggested.

We had arrived and watched the guests being ushered into the grand hotel. The place looked more like a palace than a hotel and it lit up the entire street.

Night Wind opened the car door on Evan’s side and we both got out. We walked down the red carpet toward the Plaza Hotel’s entrance.

The moment my eyes fell on one of them it was as if the air in my lungs had been sucked out. Evan held my arm in the tightest grip. He didn’t do it out of fear. He wanted to get my attention. I read the thought in his mind. They were here tonight. I don’t know why I was surprised, but I was. We were amongst old friends. Although they were better dressed, they had the familiar stench and it nearly clogged my senses.

The first one who approached me was dressed impeccably in a tuxedo and took my fur stole, immediately. I wasn’t sure if the recognition really wasn’t there, or was it just pretending it didn’t acknowledge my divinity. Its eyes were the color of iridescent gold – the color of the calm. Nevertheless, I knew that the change would be immediate and crimson would replace the gold once the thirst needed to be quenched and their lunar beacon summoned their inner beast.

The second one came forward and had the build of a lumberjack, or coal miner – rippling muscles, beneath the tuxedo. The same gold pupils stared through me as if it could see my heart pumping within my chest. Each tuxedoed waiter had the same gold eyes to match the champagne they passed around. As Evan I made our way to the rear of the brightly lit lobby, which had enough crystal chandeliers hanging from its coffered ceiling to properly light a palace, we made the realization over and over again with each waiter that zigzagged across the lobby’s shimmering marble floor.

Throughout the growing crowd of Apolluon guests, I nodded and greeted my members. Every Ischero member who wasn’t a child was present here tonight, as I had instructed, and in what I was afraid may turn out to be a trap, although it was too early to tell right now. I sent them all a message, telepathically. My message was clear. I told them all not to be alarmed. We weren’t outnumbered and were stronger than all of them.

A female server dressed in a black maid’s uniform approached Evan and me. She smiled revealing bright white teeth. We both grabbed a champagne flute from her tray and didn’t fail to notice the putrid smell of canine.

“Lykanos waiters? I never thought I’d ever see the day that these beasts could enter civilized society, yet here they are in the flesh.” Evan mouthed to Nikolas who stood across the room with Bethany and Victor by his side.

Nikolas held up his champagne glass, winked in agreement, and mouthed back. “Maybe soon to be fur.” Bethany and Victor, as well as all the other members, smiled stiffly.