Blood Flows Deep in the Empire (26 page)

Nylicia’s voice came to Ismini then, whispers she had ignored because she hadn’t wanted to hear them. Dyletri hadn’t really loved Dimithinia, and according to Nylicia, Dimithinia hadn’t truly loved him.

“This is fucking perfect.” Lisrn freaking
giggled
. “If Dyletri is mated to her and we let her be sacrificed . . . fuck. What are the odds that Mavrak is mated to this one, too?”

“Mavrak?” Evesse asked, at the same time Ismini said, “Why do you need to take both of us? Why not just kill me instead?”

Lisrn spoke first. “That’s Zeniel’s first form. Big monster, that one. Physically, he always looked better than us, but internally? Indiscriminate punisher, that’s what he was. Not even the children were safe.”

Enteax stepped closer to Ismini. “You’re being sacrificed to the Universe, girl. And I’m pretty sure that Salicyar is going to end up dying with you.”

Ismini’s thoughts raced with disbelief and fear.

Not because she was going to die. Oh no. Because she was praying that Fate wasn’t so cruel. That Dyletri wasn’t mated to her.

Please, no. Please, no. Please.

But she knew in the end that Fate could indeed be that cruel.

Chapter 22

“Iss, can you hear me? Ismini . . . for fuck’s sake, open your eyes, girl.”

Ismini heard a groan, and it took her two seconds to realize that it had come from her. She rolled onto her side and ended up with her face pressed into stone. Gritty, painful stone. “Fuck.”

“Yeah. Wrong way, smartness.”

Eve helped Ismini turn over, making sure she was on her back. Ismini blinked, her lids feeling heavier than the stone she was lying on.

“You’re getting paler. Even though it’s dark in here, I can tell.”

Eve came into focus, her worried face right above Ismini. “Ah, shit,” Ismini cursed, everything coming back in a rush.

“Yup.” Evesse held her hand out, slowly helping Ismini into a sitting position. “I was starting to think you were in a coma or something.”

Ismini clutched her stomach, looking around and trying to ignore how everything was dipping and spinning. They were in some sort of cave. One dimly illuminated by a yellow glow that seemed to have no actual source. “Where the fuck—”

“There’s no way out. I already checked. And if you get too close to the walls, that dark energy, or whatever the fuck it is, attacks.”

She turned to Evesse. “They threw us in here?”

“Apparently. I was knocked out, too. Woke up way before you did, though.”

And just like that, Ismini’s world dissolved into panic. “You . . . you shouldn’t be here. They’re only supposed to sacrifice me.”

Evesse’s jaw twitched. “No one is doing anything to you. I’m not going to allow it.”

“And how do you plan on stopping them? They’re obviously more powerful than we are.”

“Only because of that dark energy shit. We just gotta find an opening. Wait ’til they aren’t using it. Everyone slips up eventually, and we didn’t get these powers for nothing.”

That was Evesse. Always ready to fight. Ismini would have loved to believe it would be so easy, but with every second that passed, she was getting weaker. And it wasn’t because of whatever Enteax and Lisrn had used to subdue them. The
R’mmanev
was spreading within her, attacking her cells en masse.

Another wave of lightheadedness hit her, and Ismini almost doubled over.

“Jesus. That mating shit is no joke, huh?”

She nodded at Eve, unable to say anything as her throat convulsed.

“This is bullshit. But I’m sure they’ll search for us. They’ll find us.”

“I have to be sacrificed, Eve. Even if they do find us, I . . . I need you to accept that if I don’t die, the Fates will hurt a lot of innocent people.” Ismini gazed up at her best friend. “We need to worry about you getting out of here. That’s it.”

“Bullshit. That is the most fucked-up thing I’ve ever heard. You’ve never done anything to anyone. You’re one of the most amazing people I know. So you have to die because it’s destined—”

“And because now it’s promised, and no one has a choice over it—”

“Again,
bullshit.
And I . . .”

Eve trailed off. A familiar and stubborn expression crossed her face.

Ismini grabbed on to her arm and forced Eve to look at her. “You what?”

Eve sighed. “Why did I have that dream if I have no future?”

There was no doubt in Ismini’s mind that she was referring to the dream where Nylicia had shown Eve Zeniel and the portal. The portal Evesse had obviously walked through. “Because you do have a future. I’m the only one that is meant to die.”

“I don’t want you to fucking die!”

The words bounced off the cave walls around them, echoing back at them over and over. Ismini fought back tears as she stared into Eve’s furious, watery eyes. “Eve, please . . .”

Air blasted them. Both of them turned, eyes landing on the beige-skinned freak with the red hair. He stood before them, a smile on his fuck-ugly face.

“Hello, there.”

Eve tried to fling herself at him, but Ismini held her back. Something about the way he was staring at them made it very clear to Ismini what was on his mind.

Lisrn sneered at Ismini, his eyes raking over her. The way they did so almost made her start throwing up again. “You . . . I can’t touch. You’ll fucking die on me right here.” He turned that hungry stare on Evesse. “But you . . .”

Ismini pulled Eve against her and forced both of them back even though her friend was fighting to get at him.

“I want to see you try,” Eve growled, managing to break Ismini’s hold.

“Eve, damn it. No!”

Something about Ismini’s voice got through to Evesse. She froze, eyes darting between Ismini and Lisrn. “You’re not touching me. Or her. Period. Do you fucking understand? Come near one of us and I’ll feed you your cock.”

Evesse’s warning only seemed to excite Lisrn. He hummed, running his tongue across his teeth. “I’m going to enjoy taming you. When I’m done with you, there will be no fight left in you. Hell, you might even beg me for more.”

“Never,” Ismini and Evesse said as one.

Lisrn took a step toward them, his sword hissing out of its sheath. His left hand was wrapped around a semiautomatic.

His advance scared Ismini, but his weapons actually gave her hope. If he felt he needed both against them, that meant he knew they could cause him harm.

She stepped in front of Evesse, adrenaline spiking and pushing past her weakness. “Forget feeding you your dick. You touch my friend and I’ll make you watch me cut it up piece by piece.”

“Now you’re just making me want
you
more.”

Eve growled behind Ismini. “Oh my God, I’m gonna shove my foot through his teeth.”

She stepped around her weaker friend, and Lisrn smiled wider, his expression morphing into something that resembled lust. “And I’m going to shove my—”

Another gust of wind shot through the cavern, this one pushing both girls a step back.

“Lisrn, what the fuck are you doing?”

He threw his head back and groaned. “Stop being such a pussy. There’s no fucking reason I can’t have the black-haired one.”

Enteax stormed around Lisrn, his onyx eyes narrowed and matching teeth bared. “Don’t go there. Just don’t. You don’t need to rape her—”

“Why the hell do you care?”

Enteax got in Lisrn’s face, his own transforming with rage. “We’re doing what we have to do for power. How does raping her fit into that?”

Lisrn sneered. “You said it—power. Not to mention she’s hot. I see no reason why I can’t have her. I will ask one more time, why the—”

“We have orders to leave them untouched,” Enteax said through his teeth.

Eve and Ismini glanced at each other.

“Unless
you
say something, how would anyone know?”

A voice echoed through the cavern. “I will. And, frankly, I’m starting to get infuriated that you would even think of defying my orders.”

Ismini’s head whipped around to find the woman who had spoken. Evesse searched, as well, but it was the way the two freaks in front of her froze that had Ismini’s attention. They tensed, almost as if waiting for an attack.

“You have your orders. The one that belongs to Fertility must die. Kill the other one, too. It’ll hurt Tranquility. But under no circumstances are you to rape either of them. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Mistress,” Enteax said, glaring at Lisrn.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Enteax. Your friend is the one with an authority issue.”

The fear on Lisrn’s face told Ismini all she needed to know. Whoever this female was, she was powerful. She was obviously in charge of the two dumb-fucks keeping them hostage.

“Mistress, you did make it clear. I just don’t understand—”

“I will never condone you raping a female, Lisrn. If you have an issue with that, perhaps I should tie you down and let the females do what they threatened.”

“Yeah, you should,” Eve said.

Ismini grabbed her arm and gave her a warning look. “Eve . . .”

The woman they called “Mistress” spoke up again. “I’m still waiting, Lisrn. Do you or do you not understand?”

Lisrn sheathed his sword and put down his gun. His expression was furious, but he stared at the ground, almost as if afraid that his mistress would see his face. “I do.”

“Good. Now get them to the vortex. It’s almost time. Oh, and if you disobey my orders, Lisrn, don’t think I won’t know. I know
everything.
”

“I fucking told you,” Enteax hissed, slipping a small, odd gun out of the holster he was wearing.

“Let her go. You don’t need her.”

“Ismini, shut up!” Eve cried, trying to shield her friend with her body.

Lisrn stood back, watching Enteax approach them with a scary glint in his beige eyes.

“Both of you are coming. Those are the orders.”

Ismini heard Evesse cry out and saw her try to fling herself at Enteax. He aimed the gun at Eve, and with a hiss, more of that dark energy shot out. Evesse arched, a cry ripped out of her.

Ismini shot forward, intent on catching her. She didn’t make it a foot before Enteax turned the gun on her.

Chapter 23

11 hours and 45 minutes later.

-Boynton Canyon. Sedona, AZ. (USA)

They woke in the back of a minivan, held to the walls by the same energy that had slammed them and sickened them in that alley. They’d been kept bound with that shit since then, and the longer they stayed in contact with it, the more it seeped in through the pores of their skin. It was like being in a toxic fog.

The damn minivan rattled as it made its way down the highway. Ismini’s sacrifice was to occur inside an energy vortex in Sedona. It was a place full of so much pure energy that, according to Thing One and Thing Two in the front seat, they could only teleport within ten miles of it. After that, it was good, old-fashioned travel.

Evesse shook her head. “Fucking energy vortexes! I can’t freaking believe this.”

Ismini leaned her head back, fighting her exhaustion. “It makes sense when you think of it. Those areas are said to have a huge concentration of energy. Native Americans would use them as prayer sites because of that.”