By the time I’d finished painting it was 9 am. Today we would leave for New York and who knew what would follow. I repositioned the drop-sheet and cleaned up.
Lincoln woke shortly after. ‘I can smell paint,’ he said as he stretched. I tried to look away from the exposed band of skin between his T-shirt and sweat pants and felt the blush when he caught me peeking.
‘Are you okay?’ he asked cautiously.
‘Coffee,’ I said, passing him a cup. ‘Griffin wants us to meet him at Hades in half an hour.’
He groaned, taking a grateful sip, then glanced at the now-covered wall. ‘Do I get to see?’
‘Once all this is over, okay?’
He opened his mouth to argue, but must have seen the plea in my eyes, and simply nodded.
Have I mentioned, I love you?
I put my empty mug down and sat beside him casually. ‘So, Phoenix visited me during the night.’
CHAPTER NINE
‘Absence from those we love is self from self – a deadly banishment.’
William Shakespeare
Griffin hadn’t changed from the night before. He was already sitting at what had become our usual table in Hades, Dapper beside him, a book between them as they spoke in hushed tones.
Onyx was behind the bar. Shock of all shocks; he was making coffees. When he saw Lincoln and me walk in, he didn’t say anything, just passed me a cup over the bar-top. It was way too passive a gesture for Onyx.
‘Griffin told you,’ I said, taking the drink, embarrassed that everyone knew what Dad had done.
Onyx shrugged, flicking his dark hair back from his eyes.
My, my – he’s speechless.
I gave him a deadpan look. ‘You feeling sorry for me doesn’t work for me.’
‘Oh, thank Christ,’ he exclaimed with relief. ‘I thought I was going to have to pretend all day.’
‘You’re an ass, you know that, right?’
He bowed. ‘I do, thank you.’ He eyed my drink. ‘Enjoy that, there’s more rum in it than coffee,’ he said with a wink before sauntering off to sit beside Dapper.
I turned to Lincoln, a look of puzzlement on his face as he watched Onyx. ‘Do you think there’s something going on between Dapper and Onyx?’ he asked me.
I looked at them again. They did seem very comfortable around each other. Dapper had never said out loud that he was gay and to look at him he didn’t fit any stereotype – well, apart from his eye for interior design and diamanté-studded accessories. And, now that I thought about it, I’d never seen Onyx take up any of the offers made to him by the girls who hung around Hades.
‘Definitely,’ I said, realising I was happy for them.
Lincoln looked at them again and nodded. Enough said.
Griffin waved us over.
‘Time to save the world,’ I said to Lincoln, putting my ‘rum’ coffee back on the bar.
Lincoln made a show of looking at his watch. ‘Already?’
‘Ha, ha,’ I said, as we walked over to join them. But I noticed his smile faded quickly. He was putting on a good show, but Lincoln had not been happy since hearing that Phoenix had found a way into my dream. The only reason he wasn’t completely freaking out was because I’d managed to pull myself out of it.
‘Anyone else coming?’ I asked when we reached the table.
‘Just us this morning,’ Griffin said. ‘I thought we could do with a little privacy. Once we enter the Academy we may not get another chance to talk privately.’
This was Griffin’s way of saying we’d be watched like hawks once we arrived in New York.
Lincoln studied the book Dapper and Griffin had been looking at. It was old – the paper thick and worn at the edges, the spine peeling away.
‘This is it?’ he asked.
Dapper nodded. ‘It took most of the night to translate.’ Unlike many of the books, this one had not been translated into English. It had only made it to old Aramaic. ‘Could’ve used that girl’s help,’ he added, meaning Steph. But ‘that girl’ had had other plans last night and not even her utter joy at discovering Dapper’s treasure trove of knowledge would have persuaded her to postpone her time with Salvatore.
‘Anyway, the book does reference a potion named Qeres. It’s not easy to decipher but there is a list of twelve ingredients,’ Griffin said.
‘What are they?’ Lincoln asked.
‘Some we still need to get translations for, but nothing too drastic. Frankincense, myrrh, cedar oil, the blue lotus, mostly flowers and herbs native to Egypt, which would make sense, given the time this was documented.’
‘Easy,’ I said with a shrug. ‘We can probably get most of it online, if not at a health food shop.’
Dapper took off his glasses and stared at me. ‘Do you really think we could just pop down to the local store and collect the ingredients for a mortalising potion? Please tell me that comment was a misinterpreted joke.’
I sank back in my chair. Nothing like being put in your place. Dapper was normally rude, and gruff, but that was …
He sighed, looking at the ceiling for a moment. ‘I’m sorry,’ he said eventually. ‘I’m sorry. I have no right to speak to you like that. You of all people.’ He bowed his head in shame and I wondered why he’d said ‘you’ in that way.
‘Oh, stop your fussing,’ Onyx threw in. ‘She likes it when we’re mean to her, she said as much on her way in.’
I rolled my eyes, but at least he’d broken the strange tension.
‘Here,’ Onyx said, passing Dapper a mug and looking at me, trying to cover what looked suspiciously like concern. ‘He’s just pissed off because if you lot want to get your hands on these ingredients, then he’s going to have to go home.’
‘Home?’ Lincoln asked, taking the word from my mouth.
Dapper grimaced. ‘The ingredients must come from the earth and from their rightful place. Most will be found in Egypt, along the Nile to be exact.’
I shook my head. ‘Dapper, we can’t ask you to go traipsing around the world looking for flowers and herbs. We don’t even know if there’s any truth to this tale and you said yourself, we don’t have the thirteenth ingredient anyway.’
Dapper stared at me for a long time and I couldn’t help but feel he wanted to say something. But it was Griffin who spoke up.
‘Until something better presents itself, this is the closest thing we have to a plan.’
Dapper sighed. ‘I never thought I’d go back there, but this potion could end up making the difference. Travel in Egypt requires connections and a guide. I can provide both.’
I wondered how many years it had been since Dapper was last in Egypt.
‘You’re a good girl to give me the choice. But we both know it won’t mean a happy world for anyone if we don’t stop Lilith.’
I shook my head and looked at my lap. I still struggled to believe it, that my relationship with Phoenix had ultimately led to this. It was a cruel twist of fate and now everyone was paying the price. Finally, I lifted my head and looked to Dapper.
‘Thank you,’ I said, because what else could I say?
Dapper smiled weakly. ‘Griffin, with your permission, I’d suggest I take the girl with me. She’ll not be permitted with your lot and I could use her.’ He coughed, trying to hide his genuine concern. ‘God knows she won’t agree to stay behind.’
Griffin drained his coffee. ‘If Stephanie is willing, I have no objection. We’re already going to have enough trouble trying to get James in with Evelyn.’
They both looked at me.
‘On one condition,’ I said, determined to at least make sure Steph had this. ‘Graduation is tomorrow. You wait until after that to leave. She’s the valedictorian, for Christ’s sake. And since I won’t be here, I expect you,’ I looked at Onyx sternly, ‘will both be there throwing confetti.’
Lincoln gripped my hand under the table. Yeah, it sucked I wasn’t going to be there.
Dapper nodded. ‘We can use the time to translate the rest of
this text and make arrangements. We’ll be at her graduation.’
‘Speak for yourself. I’d rather take a loaded weapon to my head,’ Onyx said.
‘Actually, I believe I can speak for you, since I’m imagining you plan on coming along on our little trip as well.’
Onyx rolled his eyes and gulped down the rest of his drink. Yep. Definitely more than friends if Dapper can make him turn up to a high school graduation.
‘See what you’ve reduced me to?’ Onyx glared at me. ‘My only comfort is knowing you’ll be stuck with your treat of a mother for the foreseeable future.’
I glared back at him.
‘Oh,’ he said, throwing a hand to his chest. ‘Is that your evil stare? I’m quivering.’
I looked at Linc, incredulous. The traitor was hiding a smile.
‘What’s so funny?’ I asked.
He shrugged. ‘Now all you have to do is separate Steph from Salvatore long enough to convince her not to stow away on our plane.’
‘Oh, crap.’
‘Actually, that might not be the case,’ Griffin said, capturing our attention again. Something told me there was another reason Griffin had decided we should have today’s powwow in private.
CHAPTER TEN
‘Wild, dark times are rumbling toward us …’
Heinrich Heine
‘I don’t need a babysitter!’ Steph said. Again.
She collapsed onto Onyx’s sofa bed. We’d commandeered the small flat for our conversation that was probably not so private given the volume level.
‘I know you don’t,’ I said. Again.
Now I knew why Griffin had thought it would be better if I had this conversation with Steph in private. I was going to be sure to repay the favour at the first opportunity.
‘It’s bad enough that you’ve stuck me on the farming expedition with Dapper and Onyx, but now you’re going to take my boyfriend out of the action he has every right to be a part of so he can hold my hand! He’ll never forgive me, Vi.’ Her attack mode was starting to crumble as her eyes became teary. ‘You can’t do this to us. We’re only good if he doesn’t have to worry about me all the time.’
I sighed. ‘We want to keep you safe. Is that so wrong? Please, Steph, we’re family. I’m not telling you what to do and neither is Griffin. But sometimes being in a family means putting your safety first, even if you think Salvatore might think of you differently. Because that’s what families do – survive for each other.’
Steph quickly wiped away the tears that had slipped down her cheeks. ‘And what about you? Are you going to survive? Don’t think I don’t know what you did on that volcano.’
Wow, I did not see that one coming.
‘Spence?’ I mumbled.
She nodded. ‘Don’t blame him. He was all messed up afterwards and you were too busy dealing with your new arrival.’
I felt terrible. I hadn’t been there for Spence or Steph since coming back from Greece, Evelyn’s return had been dictating everything.
‘You’re right,’ I confessed. ‘It was stupid. Phoenix has power over me and I don’t know what’s going to happen. The only thing I know for sure is that we have to stop them. But I can promise you this, I’ll fight with every last breath in my body to make it back to you, to my family.’
Steph broke into full-on sobs, using her sleeve to wipe at her tears.
‘I hate being the weak link,’ she blubbed.
The funny thing was, I thought she was one of the strongest people I knew. ‘Me too.’
She jumped up and snatched a tissue from the bathroom, returning as she blew her nose. ‘This is all going to go to shit, isn’t it?’
‘Probably.’
‘At least I can’t die a virgin.’
Just like that, tears turned to shared giggles.
‘Happy?’ I asked, hoping she’d spare me the details.
‘Very,’ she replied. That she didn’t give me a play-by-play was enough to tell me she really was in love. She settled back on the sofa beside me. ‘What are you going to do about Phoenix?’
A knot in my stomach tightened. It was almost impossible to make my mind up about him. He’d done so much wrong, inflicted so much evil. He’d hurt people I loved, stolen from me, left me bleeding – hell, he left me hanging in a volcano – but, I’d seen something in his eyes on that volcano. And, as much as I’d been trying to forget it, I’d seen it again in those final moments of my dream. Something that reminded me of the way he was before all of this had happened.
But I couldn’t excuse his actions. Ultimately, nothing had stopped him from bringing pure evil into this world.
‘Phoenix has had his chance to change. He never will.’ It was difficult to admit to Steph what I realised then I’d known for some time.
‘You really think you can kill him?’
I shrugged, thinking again of the dream. ‘He’s stronger than I am, but my abilities are growing all the time.’
‘I didn’t mean in strength, Vi. I mean can you kill him? Can you put aside the way you still feel for him?’
I blinked. ‘What do you … What are you talking about?’ Unable to stay still, I jumped to my feet and started to pace.
‘You know exactly what I’m talking about. The two of you were together, however briefly. I mean, Vi, he’s the only guy you’ve ever–’
I cut her off. ‘I really don’t need to go down memory lane.’
She nodded. ‘But it’s true. You might not have loved him the way you do someone else, but you cared enough to consider the possibility of being in a relationship with him. I was there, Vi. It wasn’t just him who felt something. And now what? The two of you are just going to fight to the death?’
I gnawed my lower lip. She was right, there had been something between us. But a whole lot had happened since then.
‘Whatever was once there is long gone.’
‘So you can, then? Kill him, I mean.’
I checked my watch and headed for the door. We were running out of time to get organised. I pulled on my jumper and looked back at Steph. ‘Absolutely.’
‘Well, thank freaking Christ for that! And about time, too,’ Onyx said, standing outside the door I’d just opened.
My eyes narrowed. ‘Were you listening?’
‘Yes. Better than an episode of Gossip Girl. Sex, betrayal, scheming, murder, and, my personal favourite … denial. I applaud you!’ He clapped.
I moved in closer to him. ‘Remind me again why we let you live?’
‘You claim it’s your humanity. I question whether it’s that you secretly hope my powers will come back to me so you will finally have a worthy adversary.’
I’m so not in the mood for this.
I took one more step so I was almost standing on his toes. ‘You will never get any powers back, but if you did, just remember I’d be there to take them from you all over again.’
Onyx looked at me, a supreme confidence flickering in his eyes. ‘When I get them back, which I will, I look forward to seeing anyone try to take them from me again.’
‘When you two are finished!’ Dapper called out from the end of the hallway. ‘Honestly, you’re like children going at each other for shits and giggles. And you’re the worst of all, girly,’ he said, jabbing a finger at me. ‘You know he’s harmless now. Leave him to his snarky remarks, they’re all he damn well has.’
At that, both Onyx and I glared at Dapper.
‘I am anything but harmless. You people gravely underestimate my potential.’
‘Then perhaps we should throw you back out on the street we found you on?’ I sniped.
Onyx whipped a hand through his hair. ‘I look forward to the next time you need to come to me for information.’
Steph snaked her arm through mine and tried to pull me to her side. ‘We’re leaving. And Dapper is right, the two of you need to remember we’re all on the same side.’
‘Funny, but when I look at him it’s just so easy to forget.’
Onyx smiled
slyly.
‘What?’ I snapped.
‘Nothing. I’m just trying to decide who it is for?’
‘Who what is for?’ I asked, losing all patience.
‘Vi, let’s go,’ Steph said, trying to pull me away. I didn’t budge.
Onyx’s smile broadened. ‘All the pent-up sexual frustration, of course.’
My mouth fell open and before I knew what I was doing, I’d launched myself at Onyx, taking us both to the ground.
‘Violet!’ Steph screamed.
Dapper’s feet thudded down the hall, but all I could see was red. Onyx had said the one thing he knew would get to me and I could still see him grinning beneath me.
I pulled back my hand to hit him, but before I could follow through, someone yanked me off him and locked their arms around me.
I wriggled to get loose from the supernatural grip.
‘Eden, trust me, I know what it’s like to want to beat Onyx. But we can hear you from downstairs and Lincoln just walked in. Do you really want him to get involved in this? The man has been known to have a fairly possessive streak,’ Spence said, holding me as I struggled.
My whole body went into a kind of delayed shock and I sagged in Spence’s arms, suddenly feeling Lincoln’s presence.
How come I haven’t felt it ‘til now?
In fact, I hadn’t been able to feel anything except for my rage towards Onyx.
Onyx crawled onto his feet. He brushed himself off and looked at me with surprisingly calm eyes, the honest eyes that I’d started to associate with him recently – those of an ally.
‘You can take that as a small reminder of what it’s like to have an enemy who can pluck on your emotions.’ He tilted his head as if assessing me. ‘I suggest you work on that, rainbow.’
I finally shrugged free of Spence’s hold; he’d obviously given up trying to restrain me. ‘That was all on purpose?’
The corners of Onyx’s mouth lifted. ‘Can’t say I didn’t enjoy myself.’ With that, he spun on his heel and headed towards Dapper’s apartment.