Chapter 17

For a house full of immortals, it remained surprisingly quiet for another hour, which suited me just fine because I needed time to think. I regretted brushing Devon off, but only until I remembered he had betrayed me once. He would probably do it again if the opportunity presented itself. I didn't know what motivated me to trust the Shadows in the first place all those years ago, but I vowed to search my memories and find out. In the meantime, I would keep away from them.

I stirred two teaspoons of sugar into my tea and took a sip, burning my tongue in the process. Assuming I could tap into my past life and make sense of all my memories, what then? Could I even stomach using blood in my rituals without fainting or throwing up every two minutes? Devon had said I should use my voice. Even if I figured out in what way, would I be able to find the right words?

Sighing, I took another sip and turned to the window. The sun stood high on the horizon now; its light cast a glowing hue on the green grass and blooming flowers. Birds chirped in the distance, calling to their mates. My connection with Thrain should've kicked in this morning when I left the house to run after a faceless apparition. Either Thrain was a sound sleeper, or he hadn't spent the night here. For a moment, jealousy gripped my heart and darkened my already bad mood. I had enough on my mind already without the guy adding to it by making me all obsessive where he had been.

I didn't hear him come in until he stood behind me and placed a kiss on the back of my head. "Good morning. Slept well?" His hand brushed my hair.

I turned to face him. My heart skipped a beat as I peered into his spectacular eyes where the sun seemed to break into hundreds of different shades of green. My fingers moved of their own accord, tracing his jawline and running down his throat to the undone button of his shirt. I peered at the tan skin peeking from beneath and the black outline of his tattoo.

"Do you want to see it?" Thrain asked, breathless. I nodded and he started unfastening one button at a time, his gaze still settled on me. Heat rushed to my cheeks, but I couldn't take my eyes off his sculpted chest. "What do you think?"

About his muscles or the tattoo? I nodded appreciatively and let my finger trail down the contours of a green dragon wrapped around an eagle, it's beak open as though to bite off the dragon 's head. "It's a symbol of something, isn't it?"

"It stands for the endless battle of two forces, none of which is entirely good or entirely bad."

"Is that what you think of your origin?"

"Not entirely. The battle's supposed to represent my own nature. Like Cass, I don't exist to serve one plane only." Taking a deep breath, he smiled. "If you really want to know what I think of my origin, I'll tell you. It's the most beautiful place in the entire world, above and beyond. But I also think it's cruel to have known it and then be cast out, even if only for a while. I have a purpose to fulfill on Earth and in Hell before I can return to my origin, but the knowledge doesn't make being cast out any easier to bear."

"I thought your origin was Hell?" I asked, confused.

Thrain laughed softly, his eyes burning with excitement. "No, you got that part wrong. I might be a demon, but that doesn't mean I was born in Hell. Angels and demons are created in the City of Tiebetran, which is a dimension far away from Hell. Maybe one day when I'm allowed to get back, I will show you where I'm really from."

I swept my hands through his hair. It felt like spun silk between my fingers. I could sense sadness in him.

"I'm sorry. I hope you'll be able to return soon." I realized my palm was pressed against the eagle's head now. With regret, I peeled off my fingers and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"Don't be. Everything in life suits a purpose." He cleared his throat but didn't button up his shirt. I'd rather he did because his half naked body was triggering all sorts of naughty thoughts.

"Where were you last night?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

"Work." His fingers moved beneath my chin, forcing me to face him. "There's no else, Sofia. I wouldn't leave you if I didn't have to." I nodded, relieved, so he continued. "I've found out a few things I'd like to talk to you about, but we need to wait for the others. If I'm right, you're in great danger."

Didn't I hear that one before? I smirked and opened my mouth to tell him nothing scared me when the door burst open and Amber walked in. Her gaze moved from Thrain to me then back to Thrain, and she frowned. I thought Thrain would at least have the decency to cover up, but his nakedness didn't seem to bother him as he sat down on a chair and pulled me on his lap. His hands moved around my waist, lingering on my body as though they had always belonged there.

"Aidan says they were here. He can smell them. Did you allow her to meet with our enemies?" She opened the backdoor and left it open, sniffing the air. A breeze carrying the scent of flowers and damp earth carried over.

"Meet who?" Thrain asked, brows furrowed. I could see his confusion on his face and felt bad for not telling him straight away what happened at night. I didn't want him to think I kept secrets from him.

Truth was, I had been so preoccupied with my own abilities that I hadn't even bothered to find out what the others could do. Of course, if a safe perimeter had been cast around the house, chances were high the owner might have a way or two to find out.

"Shadows," Amber said. Any hope of her not busting me pulverized into dust. I took a deep breath, ready to explain, but she beat me to it. "I think they lured her out, and trust me, they're kinda good at it. She saw them and ran away, which is the only reason why she's sitting here with us this instant, rather than locked up in a labyrinth mountain. The breathtaking view wasn't so bad, but I wasn't so keen on a life-long sentence in a freezing room and lots of weird talk from some freaky kid that wouldn't look out of place in The Exorcist."

"You know Deidre?" I bit my lip, realizing I had just spilled out the one secret I wanted to keep to myself—at least for the time being.

She nodded, her gaze staring at me so intently I feared she might just be able to peer into my soul. "I do. In fact, I owe her the pleasure of near death, almost being lost in the otherworld forever and, of course, raising Rebecca who, if you don't remember, is the one who killed my brother. Now, what did Deidre want? Another mortal pet with a paranormal ability to add to her trophy wall?"

She wasn't particularly keen on the Shadows, was she? Why wasn't I surprised? "I only saw Devon. He offered to protect me and teach me how to use my powers."

I felt Thrain stiffen. Amber snorted. "Heard that one before. Whatever they offer, reading the fine print is always worth it 'cause their deals usually suck. Look who's decided to join us." She turned her head to the door a moment before it opened again and in walked Cass followed by Aidan.

"You know that Devon guy's slowly starting to piss me off," Cass said to Thrain. "I should've got rid of him a long time ago." He nodded and I wondered whether she meant it literally as in kill him or something. My eyes widened. She just shrugged and slumped into a chair opposite from me. I thought she'd care to elaborate but she just kept staring at Thrain who stared back at her. Apart from a frown or two, their faces remained expressionless, but that was enough to tell me they had some mind thing going on. Maybe coming from the same place, Heaven and Hell, made them able to communicate with each other.

"How did you know they were here?" I asked Aidan.

"They can't touch gold. I have infused it with magic and set up a safe perimeter around the house and the property."

I nodded because the latter part I had figured out myself. Nothing new there. He still had to answer my question. "Yes, but how did you know they were here?"

"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The vampires and Shadows have been entangled in a war for such a long time, he can smell them. Literally," Amber explained.

Aidan shook his head. "It's not just that. The shield works like an energy field. They know about the shield but decided to touch it anyway. I think Devon wanted us to know he was here. Maybe they're after her—" he pointed at me "—but they might not be the bad guys in this particular instance."

"Would you team up with them?" I asked.

"When Hell freezes over." Cass jumped up, knocking the chair over in the process, and took off through the backdoor.

"Cass, wait!" I watched Thrain go after her, probably to calm her.

"She was friends with them once," Aidan whispered.

Amber nodded. "Needless to say, being friends with them is like letting the wolf in sheep's clothing near the flock."

"So sorry about Cass's temper. She can be a bit intense," Aidan said.

I nodded. "Figured that much. If I were to turn into a reaper every few hours, I'd probably take it much worse than she does."

"It's not just the reaper thing," Amber said softly. "She can't live without her mate. Literally. If he dies, bad things will happen to her."

I felt compelled to ask what those things were, but social etiquette told me to shut up and let it be. It wasn't my business. If Cass wanted to tell me, she would've done so already. "The more reason to get this over and done with." I was eager to reveal my big secret, ready to give my powers a try, but not because I wanted to. The air was thickening and too many people were already on my tail. Time to keep my word and then think of a way to get out of this forever, preferably with Thrain by my side.

"Can you really communicate with the dead?" I asked Amber.

Her brows shot up. "How do you know?"

"I remember you from the show. You were introduced as a necromancer."

"Yeah, that's what I am. Sort of." She moistened her lips, hesitating. "Let's just say, I'm still learning. And it's a long learning process." Aidan threw her an amused look like they had some sort of private joke going on.

"What is it like? I mean talking to the dead."

"Ask her when she's actually given it a try," Aidan said, grabbing her in a hug. From the way she slapped his arm, then perched a kiss on his lips, I could tell they felt comfortable around one another, as though they had dated for ages. And yet Cass had told me they only met a few weeks ago. A pang of jealousy hit me at how loved up they seemed. I wished I'd experience that sort of intimacy one day, that feeling of love and total devotion to someone. Sighing, I turned away to give them a bit of privacy. A moment later, Aidan cleared his throat and resumed the conversation. "I always figured a mortal would have more questions. Amber certainly did when she was—"

"When I wasn't a bloodsucker, albeit one that's on a diet thanks to a lovely spell," she finished for him, tapping a finger on her thigh. "I wonder what'd happen if the ritual were ever reversed."

"You can't reverse a ritual," Aidan said. She narrowed her gaze, ready to argue with him again. I feared I might not get another chance so I decided to return the topic of conversation back to me.

"Actually, I have tons of questions. I just didn't want to sound rude."

"Spill," Amber said, turning away from Aidan and crossing her arms over her chest.

"You said the vampires and Shadows have been enemies for centuries. I know how strong they are, but I haven't seen much from you yet. What can you do apart from teleporting to places?" I bit my lip, avoiding their gazes, unsure whether I had crossed the line. For someone, who tried to avoid sounding rude, the way I had just put my question sounded anything but respectful. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like you don't have any other abilities," I heard myself say, making it worse.

"It's okay." Aidan walked over and patted my arm lightly, his gaze searching Amber's as though to ensure she wasn't going to have a fit. "We have superhuman strength, speed and hearing. And when we feed on someone else's blood, we absorb a life's worth of memories. None of their secrets will remain hidden from us. Not even future ones. We're basically connected with them, meaning we can influence their thoughts."

I nodded, impressed. Then a thought hit me. "So, if you were to drink my blood all my secrets would be revealed to you, and you could turn me into a brainless zombie who follows your every command?"

"All your secrets, knowledge, memories. Everything. We couldn't turn you into a zombie, but you'd have a hard time defying our wishes." He didn't get my hint. Or maybe he did. If he tasted my blood, he could sort through my memories, which in turn meant he could look through my past life and tell me how to use my powers.

"I no longer drink blood, Sofia," Aidan said, sensing my thoughts. "Please don't ask any of us because a tiny drop from the source could turn us into raging maniacs."

I shook my head. "I wouldn't. But is that why the Shadows fear you so much?"

Amber blinked. "It is, isn't it? I always wondered. You know what really sucks? Being a vampire and having to figure everything out as I go along."

"Might be time to open up some sort of support club," Aidan said. His smile told me he was joking but his eyes remained dead serious. Come to think of it, that wasn't such a bad idea. Maybe they could do the same thing for voodoo priestesses.

"I want to use my powers," I whispered the same moment the door burst open and Thrain walked in with Cass trailing behind. She raised her eyebrows at me so I repeated the statement, this time a little louder even though I had no doubt she could understand me just fine.

"When?" Thrain asked.

"Today. Now."

He regarded me for a long second, his eyes staring me down, questioning the sanity of the idea. "You don't know how to use them."

I nodded. "That's true, but I doubt anyone could ever teach me. Voodoo is an ability, a calling." Don't ask me where I knew that part from. Wisdom just seemed to pour out of me, as though something had happened that kept triggering my memories. I smiled, self-satisfied, for a moment feeling like the important one in this room, not the usual odd one out because I wasn't immortal or as special as the others. I had an ability they didn't possess.

Thrain opened his mouth to speak when Cass nudged him in the ribs, her gaze throwing daggers. "She's the expert, mate. She knows what she's doing. What do you need, Sofia? We can get hold of anything you want."

I swallowed the sudden lump in my throat and tried hard to avoid Thrain's disapproving look. He was worried and I couldn't blame him. My mind searched through my vague memories for indicators of what I might need for my ritual. "Herbs—dried lavender and myrrh to banish bad spirits."

"Amber might be able to help out with that part, if she's not running away first," Aidan said.

"Or worse—fainting." Amber snuggled into his arms. "Sorry, can't help you. The last ghost I raised tried to claw my eyes out."

Cass rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself. You didn't raise her. In fact, you didn't even realize she was a ghost until I told you."

"Whatever," Amber mumbled.

I shot Thrain an amused look. He didn't retaliate. Well, if he didn't want to play along, then he'd have to stay out of my affairs because there was no turning back now. "I'll need blood."

"You mean a drop?" Cass asked.

I hesitated. "More like a bucket."

"Shouldn't be too hard to get in a house full of vampires," Thrain muttered. "Might as well hit the blood bank now before they close, huh, Aidan?"

"I need fresh blood," I whispered. All eyes turned on me. "What?" I shrugged. "Never seen the real deal?"

"We have, but have you?" Aidan asked.

"Let me think what else I might need." I dropped down on the couch and turned away, ignoring his question. What could I say? That I had seen lots of blood in my visions and that even the memories of its smell made me sick to my stomach? If I told them, they wouldn't take me seriously. My confidence in my abilities was already non-existent. "Candles and white chalk, a drum and a bell. I think that's it. If I remember anything else, I'll let you know. Now, if you'll excuse me I'd like to retreat to my room while you get everything." I stood and walked to the door with the others staring at me. Reaching the doorway, I called over my shoulder, "Oh, and a blade. And something personal that belonged to Dallas, preferably something soaked in blood."

I didn't wait for their answer, just ran upstairs and locked myself inside the room, my hands shaking as I pressed my back against the closed door, letting my emotions take hold of me. What was I doing? I wasn't this confident voodoo priestess that could hold a ritual to return the soul of the deceased into a body. I needed more time. My hands rummaged inside the drawers to find some cigarettes. When I didn't find one, I slammed the drawers shut and dropped to the floor, pressing my back against the wall. It took me several minutes to calm down and convince myself I didn't need cigarettes. I went to the bathroom and dived my hands into the cold jet of water to cool my skin. Looking in the mirror, I noticed the dark circles framing my eyes. I needed rest, but I couldn't have it yet because I had a purpose to fulfill.

I wanted this. I might not be ready, but I had no time to waste. The excitement at the prospect of finding out what I really was grabbed hold of me, pushing my fears to the back of my mind, my fingers already itching to give it a try.