First And Last (17 page)

* * * *

Twenty minutes had passed and my nerves still hadn’t settled. We waited in the Council’s Hall, and everyone I loved was huddled around me, focused and standing strong. None of them doubted me here. I could only pray it wasn’t misplaced. What if I failed?

A little shuffle at the doorway caught my attention. I glanced toward it as Ember stepped into the Council’s Hall. “I came as fast as I could.”

“Thank you for coming,” Zia said. “We’ll be leaving shortly, but we have some questions.”

Ember stopped in front of me, her smile warm. “All set to go?”

“No,” I responded.

She gave a knowing nod. “We never are.” Then, she glanced to Zia. “What is it you need of me?”

“Please go over the ritual with Nexi again,” Zia replied. “We need to be sure she’s completely prepared.”

Ember looked back to me, serious. “The biggest concern will be how to keep the demons away from you. You need time to draw the rune. I can promise they will attack instantly.”

“That is of no concern,” Kyden interjected. “We’ll guard her.”

Ember seemed appeased by that and continued. “You’ll have to act quickly then. Your friends will not stand long against them.”

“I’ll be quick.” I hoped that would be the case when I got down to it. “But do I have to use anything to draw the rune?”

“Use anything?” She appeared baffled.

I shrugged a little. “The Demons use black ash and blood. Is there anything, umm, from White Magic that I need to use?”

Understanding dawned on her face and she shook her head. “The ability to draw runes lives within you. Just draw the rune in the air as you’ve done before. There’ll be a bright flash and when the pentacle glows before you, you’ve relinquished its powers.”

“What must she do once the rune is drawn?” Kyden asked.

Ember’s look wasn’t encouraging. “To awaken the rune you have to recite these words,
Primoris quod permaneo
.”

Dammit! I should’ve practiced this. My Latin sucked, but I gave it a try. “Prina qu permo.”

“Primoris. Quod. Permaneo,”
Ember said slowly.

After ten more tries, I began to catch on. Latin was in no way an easy language. Frustrating, but at least it provided everyone with a little amusement in these dark times. Then, a thought came to me. “What exactly does, First and Last, mean?”

“It’s a metaphor for God. He was the first, and with what you’re trying to accomplish he’ll be the last. You represent him by banishing ones who disbelieve in his ways.”

“Whoa,” I was too awed to come up with anything more eloquent.

“The rune will guide you. That’s not of any concern. When you’re drawn in, you’ll hear a voice, you know who this will be?”

I nodded grimly. “The devil himself.”

“He’ll try and tempt you. You have to fight him hard. Trust me when I tell you, it’s not any easy task.”

Which brought a question to my mind. “What did he tempt you with?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t get that far. He was able to overtake me the second I landed in his realm.”

Not a very settling thought. “All right, so I have to keep him out of my head, ignore what he is telling me and then what?”

“You’ll have to recite these words,
Quondam patefacio, iam propinquus
.”

“Great, more Latin.” My gaze fell to Kyden. “How am I going to remember this?”

“It will come to you when you need it.” His tone was full of confidence. “I’m sure of that.”

He was sure but I sure as hell wasn’t.

Forgetting my doubt, I repeated the line aloud at least twenty times before I got it right. That was a bit of my downfall. My memory is short term. Give me a book, I’ll read it, and the words are stuck for a little while. Ask me an hour later what I read and I’d come up blank.

Considering I was about to be put into a deadly situation, let’s hope that my short term memory lasted and didn’t leave me blank in my moment of need.

Finally, after the words seemed engrained in my mind, I asked Kyden, “What does
Quondam patefacio, iam propinquus
mean?” I was quite proud of myself that it came fluently.

“Once open, now closed.”

Words always sounded so much more important in Latin. It just seemed all so simple—too simple. Looking into Ember’s gaze, I could see doubt raged fiercely within her. That just affirmed that denying the Devil was in no way an easy feat.

Again though, my thoughts just kept coming back to what would happen once I got there. “What will he tempt me with?” I asked Ember.

“I cannot say. For everyone it is different, but he will use something that will be hard for you to deny.”

Maybe this wasn’t going to be so hard after all. There wasn’t anything I wanted. What could he offer me that would be strong enough to go against my morals? I couldn’t think of a single thing.

“What will happen once she has completed this?” Kyden asked.

Fierce trust ran through me. Never had he felt so sure about anything. Normally, something of this caliber would send Kyden into ‘
you are mine, I will defend you’
mode, but tonight I felt nothing from him other than confidence and a deep belief that we would come out of this all right.

What had changed? Why was his belief in me so deep now? I examined him while trying to figure it out. Long ago, he never would’ve let me enter into something like this, now he pushed for it. Sure, he was going to be with me, which I knew was his biggest concern. It wasn’t that I was fighting; it was that I was fighting without him. Still though, this was just so out of character for him.

He glanced to me and smiled softly as he read my thoughts.
“Our bonding has given me insight.”

That surprised me.
“What kind of insight?”

“I don’t doubt for a moment that you’ll be safe. It’s almost as if I know you were born to do this. To be here at this very moment.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you’re right, it is my nature to conceal you from danger. To stop you from acting foolishly, but everything about this tells me not to. That I’ve been given your ability to shield so that I may protect you through this battle against the Demon Lords. There has to be a reason for that. There is something bigger happening here. It’s strong within you. Everything that’s happened has been to lead us to this moment, and as I told you once, I do not believe in coincidences.”

I pondered that for a moment. Was I a believer in fate? Did I believe that life had a plan and events happened with a purpose to lead you to a place where you are destined to change something—to stop it?

No, I hadn’t been. But I wasn’t the same person I was when I stepped foot into the Otherworld. I began to think back through every event that had happened. If Lazarus hadn’t taken Tryianna’s life, I never would have left the Otherworld. I wouldn’t have been raised by humans, which ultimately would have had a lasting effect on my beliefs.

Swiftly, every piece fell into place like clockwork.

If Lazarus hadn’t killed my family and captured Kyden I never would’ve been compelled to see his demise. If Lazarus wasn’t dead, I never would’ve met Astoria who led me to Magnus. If Magnus and I never been mated, I would never have become the Leader of the Underworld, never would have met my guards, who led to me to discover I could draw runes.

My God, Kyden was onto something. Fate might be a bitch, but she was a bitch with a plan.

Suddenly, Haven poked my shoulder. “Would you two stop that, I want to hear what you’re saying.”

I laughed glancing to her, that was a very long conversation between Kyden and I, and no one heard it. I could only imagine what my face looked like. “Sorry.”

“And you should be,” she retorted.

Quinney entered back into the hall and called out, “It’s time, the Demon Lords have gathered.”

Kyden took my hand firmly, and even if the fierceness within his hold didn’t tell me he was confident in this, the emotions running through me would have. “We’ve got this.” He smiled.

I gave a firm nod. “Easy peasy.”

He laughed softly, before he took me in a knee-wobbling kiss. I guess to remind me what I needed to come back to. I didn’t mind the reminder. After he released me, he took my hand and we followed the others out into the Foyer. Misa and Tyde waited, both wearing an expression of battle. They were ready.

“Before you go,” Ryker said from down the hall. “I need you out here a moment.”

I looked at Kyden, wondered just what Ryker was up to. Kyden shrugged, clearly, he had no idea and the curiosity showed on his face. He kept my hand in his as we followed Ryker down the hall toward the door that led outside.

The moment I cleared the door, I gasped, surprised at what—who—stood before me.

“What is this?” Kyden asked.

Ryker’s smile was sly. “You don’t think we would let you have all the fun without us, do you?”

Obviously, he wasn’t the only one who felt that way since the grounds of the Otherworld were filled with Supes. Not just any Supes—my Supes. Everyone who had touched my life since I’d first called the Otherworld home.

The Mistress vampires, Thalia and Ellery stood off to the left with Hayes included, and their entire entourage. A hundred, or more, vampires stood behind them. Hadley, the vampire from the FBI who assisted me with Astoria was here, and so were some of her comrades, who also included Detective Broden and Detective Foley. Briar stood right out in the center and many other White Witches I had met.

I couldn’t forget about Brax and Zade. Of course, the other Council members would be here to support me. They stood off to the right surrounded by every witch, guardian, werewolf and vampire who made up the Council’s guard. The number of Supes here was staggering. Even Ember had followed us out and stopped next to me. Clearly, she was going to partake in this alongside us.

Everyone was here. Everyone wanted to help me.

I was so touched, tears began to well up and my throat tightened as I gasped a sob. Then, my gaze stopped on one particular face I hadn’t expected to see tonight.

Valor.

Beside him was Dante, his son, and Thor, the Texas Alpha, along with at least ten more Alphas standing strong behind him. Of course, Valor’s daughter Isla was nowhere to be found, and I’d bet it wasn’t her decision not to be here. Wolves were as protective as Guardians—enough said.

Valor smiled sweetly and approached me, took my hand in his. “You’re in a bit of a tight spot, aren’t you?”

I laughed through the tears. “I’d say.” Then, I hugged him with all the love I felt.

When I released him, Rynn filled my line of vision. She was Kyden’s best bud, Briggs’ mate, and a young wolf I helped a while back to adjust to her new life as a werewolf.

She stepped forward and hugged me. “I’m here to pay my debt to you. You helped me once, it’s only right I do the same.”

Over her shoulder, Briggs nodded firmly, and even gave me his mischievous grin.

Tears where so heavy in my eyes I could barely see. They’d all come? All the lives I’d touched had actually meant something and they’d come to help me. My heart swelled with so much emotion, breathing became difficult.

A few tears fell down my cheeks. Kyden caught them as he pulled me toward him and wrapped his arms around me.
“You see, Álainn. They all believe in you, all here to see you succeed. All the lives you’ve affected and now they’re here to save yours.”

As much as this touched me, and it did so deeply, I couldn’t allow everyone to be put in danger. Enough of us were already in heaps of it. After two deep swallows to gather myself, I said, “I’m so grateful that you all came, but I’m sorry, I cannot let you do this.”

Shouts of disagreement burst out around me. I hushed them by raising my hand. “It’s not safe for any of you and I won’t risk it.”

“We can handle ourselves.” Thalia shouted out, appalled

“These are demons. Demons, Thalia. How are you going to fight against them?”

A slow, shrewd smile spread across Thaila’s sweet face. “It’s not the demons we’ll be worrying about. I’m sure their only focus will be you.”

I was confused. What the frig was she talking about?

Valor must have seen my confusion and clarified. “Those of the Underworld who have pledged allegiance to the Demon Lords will be there, Nexi. We can assist you. It’s our duty and our right to give you aid here.”

Understanding dawned. The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. Not only would the Demon Lords be there, but all the beings from the Underworld would be too. They would attempt to stop this—to stop me.