Embrace, Entice, Emblaze (129 page)

“Yes, but coincidence is my specialty. You didn’t really think it was only by chance that the dress you swooned over while in the presence of darkness would not come to show you its favor?”

“I…” I sat up.

He raised his eyebrows, watching how easily I was now able to

move in this twisted reality.

“What does that mean?” I asked, starting to panic. “Why would

darkness favor me?”

He chuckled. “Fear not.” He sat up too. “Remarkably comfort-

able,” he said, marveling at the bed.

I glared at him and he flicked a hand to one side, bored with

giving explanations.

“You are so easy to influence, Violet. Really, it makes working with you so entertaining. Especially when I have the pleasure of 307

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wondering just where that will of yours might take you next. How
was
Phoenix by the way?”

“You think I should go with him?” I whispered, afraid of

the answer.

This seemed to bring more joy to Nox than anything.

“The better question is— if you thought it
was
what I wanted you to do, would you do the opposite simply to prove a point?”

“Get out!” I hated the way he twisted everything, made me feel

guilty when I hadn’t done anything wrong. Nonetheless, his words struck a chord. I didn’t want the favor of darkness, nor did I want to walk right into its traps.

“Certainly.” He stood in a fluid, graceful movement, though as

he did, one of the many small buttons on the front of his jacket popped off. Instinctively, I caught it before it hit me in the face.

Nox watched, perplexed by this new imperfection in his outfit, but recovered quickly. “Before I go, I wonder…if you could have something you desire greatly, something that has been denied you…

if that were available— would you consider opening the gates of Tartarus yourself ?”

“No.”

He smiled knowingly and left, the sand melting back into

the walls and the indent from his weight on Steph’s bed disap-

pearing completely.

I opened my hand. Just like the grains of sand, the button had

stayed behind.

I
can
keep
things.

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Nausea stopped any further thought. I rolled over and closed

my eyes, but then had to keep going, rolling off the bed. I made it to the bathroom just in time. The combination of fatigue and realm crossings was not kind to my stomach, and I felt like there was nothing left of me after the third time I had thrown my head over the toilet.

Eventually, I crawled back to bed, wondering if I should tell

someone about these otherworldly visits. But then I remembered

the way Lincoln had spoken to me, his orders to stay put, and

my stomach lurched again, so I settled my head onto the pillow, kicking my shoes off, and decided, spitefully, to tell someone.

Later.

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chapter
twenty- seven

“What does not kill me, makes me stronger.”

FrIeDrICH NIeTZsCHe

I sat at the less crowded, front end of the boat. I was grateful for its size, even if it was just another display of excess by Josephine— it made it easy for me to escape from everyone. Well, everyone but Steph, of course. She hadn’t bought my story about just being

exhausted, though it was true. Mostly.

Kaitlin and Samuel had seen us off at the marina and, after their initial shock at discovering that Josephine had sent Lincoln and me to an incubus, explained what they knew.

“Irin must have fed on your emotion and energy, which is

very dangerous in the hands of an inexperienced incubus,”

Kaitlin cautioned.

At least I knew that Irin was defi nitely
not
an amateur.

“Direct contact with them is really dangerous, Violet!” Samuel

snapped. “You two should have told us.”

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I gulped and refrained from sharing the fact that he’d barely

touched me. Lincoln had made sure of that.

Had
he
known? Was that why he stepped in last night?

Lincoln had looked fatigued this morning. Now, sitting

on the boat, I tried to look over my shoulder discreetly, as if taking in the views from the bow. He was talking to Max while

leaning against the side railing, as if resting. But when I looked more carefully, I could see he had a white- knuckled grip on the railing and his brow glistened with sweat. He was working hard

just to stand. When Josephine beckoned Max over to her and

he had walked away, Lincoln’s relaxed face contorted, briefly

exposing his agony, and his body folded over before he could

stop it.

Irin had said Lincoln was the best source of emotion. I didn’t

know why, but he’d fed off him severely.

My shoulders sagged and I groaned. I wanted to be mad at

Lincoln for all the things he hadn’t done last night, for the things he’d said last night
and
this morning, but seeing him this way, all I could do was worry for him.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t realize I was staring until he caught my eye and straightened. I could tell he was about to come over.

I looked away and quickly jumped into conversation with Steph,

who’d insisted on staying glued to my hip today. I didn’t look back again and he didn’t come over.

It
hurts
too
much
to
be
close.

And it did. Literally. The pain encompassed my entire body.

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Maybe I was losing my mind, but I was sure that the sharp spasms I was feeling intensified whenever I was near him.

The boat was an old- style wooden vessel, highly polished so

that it gleamed under the morning sunlight. With its three crisp white sails, it was perfect and made me want to point it toward the horizon and let it take me wherever it so desired.

I laid back and closed my eyes.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

I lolled my head to the side and squinted to see Steph. “What

do you mean?”

She pushed her sunglasses up onto her head. “Is this the brightest place you have ever been or what?” she asked, looking directly into the sun. She didn’t wait for my response. “I know you didn’t come back to our room until this morning. Max told Salvatore that you got back with Lincoln just after midnight. I get the whole Keeper thing, which is just wrong, by the way.” She threw a severe look in Josephine’s direction. “You should’ve told me, you know, but either way, you were still missing for a long time. What gives?”

I closed my eyes again and felt the warmth from the sun.

“Nothing gives. I was upset after having to see the Keeper and

didn’t realize he had taken so much of my energy. I went up to the rooftop to clear my mind, but I fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already morning and I came back to our room. I see you weren’t

alone anyway,” I added, raising an eyebrow. I’d noticed the extra pillows and blankets.

“He was on the floor,” Steph said with false dignity.

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I smiled. “Yes. But was he always there?”

Steph elbowed me but then I felt her slump beside me.

“Actually, yes. He was paranoid all night that you’d walk in at any moment and accuse him of stealing your best friend’s honor.” That made me laugh out loud. Steph too.

“Where is your Italian stallion, anyway?” I asked between snorts.

“Josephine sent him to collect Academy arrivals. A plane is due in about now.”

“I don’t trust her. There are too many things going on we don’t know about.” I cast a worried glance in her direction and then

toward Lincoln.

As we neared the volcanic island of Nea Kameni, the boat

dropped its sails and everyone moved to get a better view of what at first just looked like a large mound. When you think of a volcano, you expect something dramatic with a gigantic peak, but this…

this was desolate— ashen, black, and rocky, the only signs of life coming from the fine carpet of red moss, bleeding from the barren earth. I shivered at the sight, knowing what secrets lay beneath, and fought the urge to scream at everyone to leave this place.

When I walked past Lincoln, I stopped, pulling out a bottle of

Coke from my bag to which I’d already added a few extra spoonfuls of sugar at the hotel. Finding the ginseng had been more challenging, but an accommodating kitchen hand had gone on a mission and

returned with something that smelled about the same. The syrupy coffee in the morning had worked wonders, and I’d already had one of my concoctions since then, so was feeling better again.

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“Here,” I said, holding it out to him.

“No thanks,” he said, looking at me strangely. Lincoln didn’t

usually drink fizzy drinks.

I pushed it toward him again. “It helps.”

He took the bottle and studied the bottom, where a clump of

sugar hadn’t dissolved. “What’s in it?”

“Sugar and ginseng.” He gave me another odd look from beneath

a furrowed brow. “It works.”

“Who told you that?” he asked, his eyes fixed curiously on me.

I froze, trying not to give away my surprise at the question.

“Kaitlin,” I said after barely a pause.

He considered the bottle for a moment before taking it.

“Thanks,” he said.

I nodded and moved on, avoiding his eyes. I hated lying to him.

As we got off the boat, I saw him sipping the drink. He wasn’t

enjoying it, but he took another gulp.

“Can you ever forgive me?” Morgan asked, surprising me

from behind. I’d been concentrating on Lincoln and righting

myself on land. That and trying to comprehend the fact we were

now not only on top of an active volcano, but also…the fiery

gates to Hell.

How
did
they
end
up
in
paradise?

I turned and cocked an eyebrow. “For the part where you dressed me up to pimp me out? Or the part where you knew what you were

sending me into and didn’t tell me?”

She actually took a moment to consider the question. “The

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second part.” She smiled guiltily. “You have to admit, you looked hot. So I won’t apologize for that but I
am
sorry I didn’t tell you.” I pulled on my once- black, now sort- of- gray cap. “It’s okay. I figured you were under some kind of Josephine gag order or whatever. Just promise me she doesn’t have anything else like that in store for me.”

“Not that I know of…” Morgan let the sentence linger.

Up ahead, Josephine was walking with two of her Grigori

flanking her and Lincoln not far behind. I’d half expected her to say something to me this morning, but thus far, she hadn’t even looked in my direction.

“What’s their deal anyway?” I asked Morgan, gesturing toward

the other ninjas. They hadn’t acknowledged any of us, nor left

Josephine’s side.

“That’s Hiro and Mia. They’ve been at the Academy for four

years now. Josephine’s had them working with her for the past two.

They’re the head Ghosters and take their position very seriously.

Don’t be offended if they never speak to you. Unless Josephine

orders them to, they’ll see it as a distraction.”

I watched them walking behind her. Josephine wouldn’t even

need to see or hear them to know they were there, always reliable.

The way they moved, positioning their bodies between her and any object or person of question, was indisputably accurate and silent but deadly.

“So no after- work drinks, then,” I joked.

“No after work, period.” Morgan
wasn’t
joking.

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I guess there are people like that in all professions, the first- in, last- out types. I couldn’t help but think of Dad. I dug into my pocket and pulled out my cell. I’d been trying not to think about home, but I had to know: Had Dad already cut me off ?

I turned my phone on, and when it finally came to life, I was

frustrated to see that there was no reception.

One
more
reason
to
get
off
this
rock
.