Atlantis Awakening (26 page)

Erin held her sister's cold, cold hand and sang. She sang of the past ten years' loss and pain and loneliness. She sang a battle song to rouse the fury of the Nereid's Heart and defeat the enemy.

She sang of love—her love for her sister and the consuming love she finally admitted she felt for Ven. The ruby warmed against her body until she felt as though she held a living flame. It added its voice to hers and to Deirdre's—an ancient counterpoint to their living song. The immense power rose through her until she felt she could expand to fill the entire cavern with her body and her song.

The reality of Ven fighting all of Caligula's minions, even with Jack and Justice, finally penetrated her rubysong-induced haze. She had to do something, and she had to do it now.

She turned to her sister. “I seem to have acquired a talent for exploding vampires, but I am afraid to use it with you here. I don't know if I have the control to direct it at specific individuals.”

Deirdre clutched her hand. “If I must face permanent death to save you, I'm ready to do it. The things he put me through…” She shuddered. “I cannot face our father ever again, Erin.”

The look on Erin's face must have given it away. “Daddy, too?” Deirdre asked, her face crumpling. “No, not Daddy, too.”

“I'm sorry, Deirdre. He thought you were dead, too. We thought they'd killed all of you. He couldn't…he couldn't face life without you.”

A sudden bright flash of light exploded in the air of the cavern, and a female form appeared in the center of it. “I do so love family reunions.” The voice was like nothing Erin had ever heard; the sound of an ancient, formless evil that rolled wetly in the dark.

Erin's shield collapsed, and she and Deirdre both stopped singing, their vocal cords frozen in their throats. As she clutched her neck, Erin saw the Weres drop to the floor, cowering and whining, and the vamps fall flat on their faces, hissing. She caught sight of Jack, lying still and bloody on the ground, and Justice leaning against one wall, hands on his knees, gasping. She couldn't see Ven.

The rubysong prism around Caligula vanished, and he made an odd, grunting noise, then dropped his hands from his ears and bowed deeply to the newcomer. He levitated down to the stone floor of the cavern and fell to his knees. “My lady, you are come. You grace us with your presence.”

The vampire—for she must be that, with the white skin of the grave and glowing red eyes—spiraled down toward them, her silken white dress floating delicately around her. She had hip-length black hair and was so beautiful that it nearly made Erin's eyes hurt to look at her. Deirdre dropped to her knees and then lowered her face to the ground, moaning. “It's the vampire Goddess of Death, Erin. It's Anubisa.”

“Ah, the witch turned vampire knows her betters,” Anubisa said, smiling. Her tiny fangs were barely longer than the rest of her teeth. That and her beauty combined to give her a deceptively harmless appearance.

Then she turned her eyes toward Erin and any façade of harmlessness vanished. Before Erin could lower her gaze, Anubisa captured her, sweeping her into thrall. Her mind could only scream helplessly as her body was paralyzed.

The vampire Goddess swept down and toward her and plucked the ruby from Erin's arms, then held it up toward the light of one of the torches. “What a pretty thing. It must hold some power, or you wouldn't have wanted it so badly, and even now, with the two of you silenced, it hums with suppressed power.”

She shrugged and tossed it casually to the ground, where it landed on the folds of Deirdre's gown. “A bauble to play with later.”

She turned to Caligula and pointed one long finger at him. “Where is he?”

“Where is who, my lady?” His voice wasn't nearly as smug as it had been, and Erin took a fierce joy at his cowardice in the presence of his Goddess.

“Where is my Vengeance? I smell the blood kin to my pet, Conlan,” she said, twirling around to scan the room. “I have a certain promise to fulfill, and I fully intend to enjoy years of service from him. Willingly or not.”

Erin stared around but couldn't see Ven anywhere. Good. Maybe he'd escaped.

Anubisa clearly thought otherwise. “I smell you lurking around, Atlantean. Are you such a coward that you will let these women die on your behalf?”

Ven stepped out from behind an outcropping of rock about fifteen feet above the ground. “Oh, I'm here, you unholy bitch.” He raised his sword. “I was trying to get into position to give you a
pointed
reply.”

“You warriors and your toys,” Anubisa purred, gliding over to Erin and Deirdre. “Do you need a demonstration?”

She bent to Deirdre and grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head up.

“No!” Ven shouted, and he leapt down to the ground. “I will go with you. Let the women go.”

Anubisa paused, glancing slyly up at Erin, who was still frozen in place and unable to access her magic. “It's this one you care for, isn't it? Not the undead plaything of my Caligula. No matter.”

She swept out an arm and a wave of energy crashed across the room, smashing Ven across the cavern and into a stone wall. Then she struck hard with her fangs and drained Deirdre while Erin watched, utterly helpless, screaming a silent promise of revenge.

Anubisa delicately wiped her mouth with a fold of Deirdre's torn dress, then dropped her head on the ground. The hollow thunking sound when her sister's head struck the stone seared Erin down to her soul. “I enjoy these little demonstrations, gem singer,” Anubisa said, touching Erin's face with an icy finger. “So you think to fight with your Gift when you do not know even a fraction of its power? The one who first wielded that ruby had enough power to destroy even me.”

She stepped back and her hand lashed out to slap Erin in the face, rocking her head to the side. “You have nothing. You
are
nothing. Your sister will soon be dead, and I will now take your lover from you.”

She turned her back on Erin and started to laugh. “I may kill you, but for now it's so deliciously fun to watch you realize that you have lost everything, little witch.”

Ven had pulled himself upright, and he headed back toward them, limping slightly. Erin could no longer see Justice and hoped he was somehow getting in position to slice Anubisa's head off her shoulders, so she could spit on the vampire's decomposing remains. Rage burned through her, trying in vain to break through the bonds Anubisa had trapped her with. She mentally called out to the Presence that had shared her body with her and then vanished.

All right, Nereid. You took my body over easily enough when you wanted something. Where are you now? I could use a little divine intervention.

“How much does the witch mean to you, Lord Vengeance? Will you willingly serve me in any capacity I demand, if I let her live?”

“Yes,” he said, his voice ringing strongly throughout the cavern. “You let her go free and swear an oath that this monster will never again go near her.”

Noooooo
, Erin screamed in her mind.

“Done,” Anubisa said.

“No,” Caligula cried out. “My lady, you took my pet from me. The least you can do, in your benevolence, is leave me with her sister.”

Anubisa tilted her head, as if in thought, then leaned down to retrieve the Nereid's Heart. “Mustn't forget my new jewel,” she said to Erin. Then she turned back toward Caligula. “Oh, you have a point, I suppose. Very well, you may have her.”

Ven roared out his defiance, hurling himself forward toward Caligula, murderously slashing and stabbing the shifters and vamps who dared to try to block him. “You will not have her!”

Anubisa held her dagger to Erin's throat. “Ven!” she thundered in her ancient voice. “Stop now, or she dies this moment.”

Ven stumbled to a stop, his face twisted with despair. He stared directly into Erin's eyes, and she faintly heard the ringing of the ruby through Anubisa's thrall. Then she somehow heard Ven's voice in her mind.

I love you, Erin. I will love you for all eternity. No matter what you must endure, remember that and wait for me.

Anubisa's mocking voice sliced through the room. “You have no leverage, Atlantean. I have your beloved's life in my hands.”

Ven raised his sword and everyone near him fell back, but he turned the point until it pressed into his own heart. “As I have my own life in mine. If you truly wish for my voluntary service, release her now and swear the oath for her safety. Or I will run this sword through my heart and you will be cheated of your goal.”

Anubisa laughed, but the sound was tentative. “You would not do this, knowing that your gem singer would die a thousand deaths at my hand if you did.”

He shrugged, and only Erin knew what the movement cost him. She felt his pain sear her own heart. “If I do not, you will give her to Caligula. It will make no difference, ultimately.”

The Goddess hissed, but she dropped the hand holding the dagger from Erin's neck. Several long moments passed, and then she nodded. “Very well. What is she to me, anyway? Caligula, you are bound never again to approach this woman.”

Caligula began to howl, and she kicked him in the face, rocking the vampire's head back. “Never, ever defy me, or you will wish you walked the face of the sun for a respite from my punishment,” she snarled.

Ven dropped his sword, and it clattered to the ground. His daggers and two guns followed. “Never use the damn guns,” he said, forcing a smile as he watched Erin the whole time. “Don't know why I bother, even with the silver bullets.”

She knew he was sending her a message about getting the guns after he'd gone with Anubisa, but she was too heartsick to care. When he left the cavern with the vampire, everyone she'd ever loved would be gone.

Joining them in death no longer held any fear for her.

Anubisa flashed over to Ven's side and stared up at him with greedy lust. “Do you voluntarily accept my service, Lord Vengeance, blood kin to Conlan?”

Justice's sarcastic voice interrupted before Ven could respond. “Of course he doesn't, you evil bitch. You're holding his girlfriend as collateral. He has no choice.”

Anubisa whirled around as Justice lightly leapt down from the same rocky outcropping from which Ven had prepared to attack. She took a step closer to him and tilted her head, then inhaled deeply. “You smell like—”

“I smell like the blood kin of Conlan and Vengeance,” Justice said, flashing a grim smile. “I'm their brother, and I offer myself in his stead.”

Ven stared at Justice after he made his ridiculous claim. “Don't do this, you idiot! I expect you to save Erin for me.”

Justice laughed. “You think I'm lying, don't you? Precious pampered royal princes, never imagining that dear Daddy may have done the nasty with someone who wasn't their mother. Someone who wasn't even their
species
.”

Anubisa studied Justice, awareness dawning in her eyes. “The mating I forced on Conlan's father bore fruit? Oh, that is entirely too delicious!”

“Yeah, well, this delicious fruit is going to start killing everyone in this room, thanks to the
geas
laid on my ass, if you don't get me out of here,” Justice said bitterly. “You wanted voluntary? Well, trust me, after centuries of having to take orders from my brothers, with their overblown sense of entitlement that came with being the royal heirs, I'm more than ready to try out the other side.”

Ven shook his head, trying not to believe what every one of his senses told him must be the truth. “Why? Why didn't you talk to Alaric about some way to lift the
geas
?”

“Don't you think I tried? There was no way to achieve it without telling him the truth of my birth, and that would lead to me killing him. Or at least dying in the attempt.”

Justice sheathed his sword and crossed to Anubisa. “Me for him. Willing service.” He flashed a dark smile at her and, so quickly Ven didn't see him move, bent his head and kissed her. It was no gentle kiss, from what he could see. It was more of a punishing, claiming kind of kiss, brutal and possessive, and it lasted a long time.

When Justice finally raised his head, Anubisa's eyes had faded from glowing red to black and she looked dazed. She stared up at Justice, her lips swollen from his kiss, and then finally spoke.

“No man has willingly kissed me for more than five thousand years,” she said, so softly Ven almost didn't catch the words. “I accept your offer, Lord Justice, blood kin to Conlan and to Vengeance.”

“No!” Ven bent to retrieve his sword and leapt toward them, but she shot up toward the ceiling, with Justice firmly in her grasp. As they rose, Justice kissed her again and managed to knock the ruby out of her arms. She clutched at his shoulders and didn't even seem to notice. Justice lifted his head and stared down at Ven, and his lips formed a single word.

“Brother.”

Then he bent his head to the vampire goddess again, and the two of them vanished.

Ven caught the ruby before it could shatter on the stone floor, and he ran toward Erin. Finally released from Anubisa's thrall, Erin sank to her knees over the body of her sister, who appeared to have suffered the true death. She was sobbing so hard her entire body shook with the force of it, and as he watched her she screamed and shot an energy bolt at Caligula that smashed him into a stone pillar.

When Ven reached her, Erin raised her head and stared through him, her face drenched with her tears, and the ancient power of the gems again in her eyes. “Now we kill them all,” she said, rising.

He held the ruby out to her and agreed. “Now we kill them all.”

As she began to sing, vampires began to explode in waves. The shifters were unaffected by her song, so Ven waded into them with a killing fury, slicing out with his silver daggers, whirling around to destroy them, two and three at a time, shouting out a fierce battle cry. “For Atlantis!” he cried. “For Lord Justice! For my brother!”

And all around him, vampires exploded and shifters died, until he was covered with blood and gore and surrounded by dead and dying bodies. Still he raged and stabbed and roared out his anguish, until the sound of the silence permeated his berserker fury.

He whirled around in a full circle and realized he was standing in the center of the cavern, surrounded by few who still lived.

Erin stood tall, shining so brightly with silver-blue light that he had to squint to see her. Deirdre still lay at her feet, and Caligula himself knelt in front of her.

Ven ran across the room with some thought of protecting her from the master vamp, but she stopped him with one upraised hand. “This is mine to do,” the dual voice that was Erin and yet not Erin proclaimed.

He slowed to a stop and drew a dagger, recognizing her need for revenge, but not wanting her to suffer another death on her soul.

“I sentence you to the true death, Caligula of Rome. For the thousands of innocents you have murdered. For your heinous atrocities. For the evil pleasure you took in destroying lives.”

She raised her hands, and basketball-sized spheres of pure light formed on each one, as Caligula cowered before her.

“Your sister is dead,” Caligula sneered, a final act of defiance. “You can live with the knowledge that I raped her a thousand times, in a thousand different ways, after I turned her to the undead.”

“You can die with the knowledge that Deirdre yet lives,” Erin replied. Then she slashed her arms down, and the spheres of power rocketed across the space between them, smashing into Caligula's chest, at the same time that Ven let his dagger fly, straight and true, into the vampire's black heart.

Caligula shrieked the shriek of the damned, which he surely was, and as Ven watched, he incinerated from the inside out, blue flames shooting out from his mouth and eyes and nose before he finally exploded.

Ven put an arm around Erin's waist and yanked her back and away from the disintegrating vampire, but she threw up a shield and none of the acidic slime touched either them or the body of her sister.

“Is she really alive?” Ven asked.

Erin suddenly collapsed, all of her strength and any remaining vestige of the Goddess vanishing. He caught her and the ruby before she hit the ground.

“She is not truly dead, but so close it hardly matters,” Erin said, weeping. “I want to stay with her until the end, Ven.”

A weary voice interrupted before Ven could reply. “That may not be necessary.”

Ven jerked his head up to see Daniel slowly approaching them. “I can help her, Erin. From what I hear, you need to get that ruby back to Atlantis.”

Ven raised his sword. “As if I'd trust you ever again, you traitorous—”

Erin touched his leg with her hand. “He's telling the truth, Ven. The ruby would warn me of any dark purpose.”

He hesitated, unwilling to trust Daniel again but urgently aware of the need for haste in returning to Atlantis. Finally he nodded. “Fine. But we'll be back to check on her. If she's—”

“I know, warrior,” Daniel said, dropping to the ground to raise Deirdre's head into his lap. “I know. Now go.”

Erin pressed one final kiss to her sister's forehead, then stood, clutching the Nereid's Heart. “Now, Ven. Something tells me we have to go now.”

An icy wind swept through the cavern at her words, and Ven smiled. “Picked a fine time to show up, Alaric. Didn't want to get your hands dirty?”

The priest shimmered into form and raised one eyebrow. His face was pale and drawn, and he looked as though he'd aged centuries in the space of a few days. “I do what I can, Lord Vengeance. May I interest you in a portal to Atlantis?”

“Best idea you've had in a long time,” Ven said. “But first we have a tiger to heal.”

He took Alaric over to where Jack lay, seriously wounded but still breathing, in spite of the numerous claw and teeth marks streaming blood from his body. Alaric knelt down and held his hands over Jack's body, and the shifter's eyes suddenly snapped open as the healing blue-green light shimmered over his body, leaving whole skin where wounds had been.

Jack sat up, holding his head. “Why do I feel like I missed something?”

Ven held out a hand to help him to his feet. “You missed a lot. Daniel will fill you in. Find out what he did with Quinn.”

Jack bared his teeth. “He did something to Quinn?”

“It's a long story, and we have to go.”

Ven returned to Erin and lifted her and her ruby into his arms, then shot one last look at Daniel. Alaric called his magic and the portal appeared, and they stepped into the glowing oval that would take them home.

“Home, Erin,” he murmured to her as her eyes drifted shut. “Let's go home.”