IM03 - Pandora's Box (23 page)

“Who’s the sacrifice?” Brady asked.

“I am,” Nicholas said without hesitation.

Brady gave an approving nod.

“We only need a sacrifice if the thing tries to get away,” I added. I may not have been on the best of terms with Nicholas, but to hear him say it, in such a calm manner, tugged at my heart. I didn’t want to see Nicholas die. I hoped there might be some other way. From what the wolves had told us, the sacrifice had been a last minute decision when the spirit tried to escape. I prayed that whatever witch we got would be able to work her magic fast and spare him.

“Yeah, well, history is bound to repeat itself,” Nicholas said curtly. “We’ll need to draw the thing away from the wolves who are not helping us. We don’t want to risk their lives.” He looked up and turned toward the table where Connor had been laid out.  “Your Alpha’s unconscious. Who acts as his second?”

“Aiden,” Brady said without hesitation.

“Where is he?”

Brady looked around the room, and then let out a sigh. “I think he went back out after Lysander.”

“Not good. Find him and have someone tell everyone to get out of here. Anyone not involved needs to get as far away as they can. We’ll regroup by the bonfire.”

“No one will leave now that our leader has been injured.” Brady said matter-of-factly. “We will all stand and fight together.”

“Then send their human relatives away. Anyone who cannot fight must leave now. The rest of the pack will need to be ready and on their guard.”

“I’ll find Fallon and send her away with the others,” I said shooting up to my feet.

“You should go, too.” Nicholas’s tone surprised me. Rather than ordering me as he would normally try to do, he actually sounded concerned for my safety and almost hopeful that I might listen.

“I’m staying. I’m just as much a part of this as you are.”

“You saw what that thing is capable of. Is that what you want to have happen to you?”

“No, but if we fail, who’s to say it won’t happen anyway? I’m staying, end of discussion.”

“I should have known better than to suggest otherwise, little warrior.” I caught the smile in his voice, though it didn’t show on his face. No matter what he thought of me personally, I had his respect.

“I’ll send Fallon on her way.” I bolted toward the back door, heading for our cabin.

“Hurry,” Nicholas called behind me.

Not surprisingly, Fallon was asleep when I got to the cabin, completely unaware of the insanity that had happened in the few hours since I’d last talked to her.

“Wake up, girly, we have to get you out of here,” I yelled as I burst into the room.

“What the hell?” She shot straight up in bed, bleary eyed and wobbly from waking so suddenly.

“Our friendly ghost is here, and so was Edmond. We need to get you to safety.”

That got her attention. She was on her feet in a flash. “Thought I said not to get into trouble while I was sleeping.” She splashed some water on her face from the nearby sink.

“Not my fault this time. Let’s go.” I turned back toward the door. A gray wolf was waiting just outside. “Aiden?” I asked.

He whimpered and stood up on his hind legs.

“I told Brady I was coming to get her. You need to get back to the bonfire. That’s where we’re all assembling.”

 As soon as he saw Fallon appear at the door, he started wagging his tail.

“Hey you,” she said with a smile stretched ear to ear.

She reached out to pet him, and he brushed up against her in an almost cat-like fashion that nearly knocked her over.

“Are there any other people in the cabins?” I asked.

He made a quick snorting sound, took a few steps toward the main building, and then whimpered again.

“I’ll take that as a no. Okay, let’s hurry up.”

Aiden trotted ahead of us, smelling the air all around as if looking for any signs of danger. His ears were like radar dishes, constantly moving and twitching as we ran, probably scanning for any warning sounds.

When we reached the lobby, we found it empty. “Guess they got everyone out. Quick work,” I said. “They’re all probably at the bonfire. We need to get there too.”

Aiden brushed up against Fallon again and barked.

“No, we’re not going to leave her here with us.”

“I can drive,” she said.

“Aiden, where are your keys?” I asked.

He trotted to the reception desk. Behind it was a row of mailboxes and a lock box to the left. Aiden stood up on his back two paws and scraped the box.

“Got it.” I ran over to the reception desk and began rummaging through the drawers. In the bottom drawer there was a large looped key ring. “One of these has to be it,” I said and started trying them out on the lockbox.

Sure enough, after three tries I unlocked it and opened it to reveal a box filled with spare car keys.

“Good place to keep them when you don’t have pockets,” Fallon said as she reached down to pat Aiden’s head.

Each hook on the box had a set of keys and was labeled with initials. I found the one marked with Aiden’s, pulled it off, and tossed it to Fallon.

“Just take the highway and look for signs leading you back to Boston,” I said, walking over to her. “You have your cellphone, right?”

She nodded.

“I’ll call you when it’s all clear to come back.”

Tears welled in the corners of Fallon’s eyes. “Promise me you’ll be okay,” she said. “I’m not losing my best friend again.”

Her tears made my heart ache. I couldn’t make that promise to her. Our situation was so uncertain, but I knew if I told her the truth, she’d never leave. “Fallon, we have everything we need to trap this guy. We have the wolves. We… we can do this.”

Aiden whimpered again and walked between us, his large frame forced us to both take a step back.

He turned and looked at Fallon, then sat back on his hind legs.

“I know, I know.” She sniffed and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I’m going.”

He hopped up and licked her face.

She laughed. “Thanks, dog breath.”

Aiden growled but it didn’t sound aggressive.

“Then give me a real kiss when I come back,” she said.

“Drive safe,” I told her.

“Stay alive,” she responded. “That goes for the rest of you, too.”

“We’ll do our best.” I said, trying not to lie, but avoiding giving her the whole truth.  I didn’t have the heart to tell her Nicholas was dead set on sacrificing himself whether or not it was necessary to trap the spirit. She didn’t need to worry about that.

I waved as she turned and walked out of the door.

The bonfire was still blazing when Aiden and I arrived. The wolves, except for Brady, were all in their animal form, making it very easy to spot the other vampires and the witch who had arrived to help us.

She was busy circling the area, mumbling something, a spell perhaps, and laying out large rock crystals.

“Fallon’s out safely,” I said.

Nicholas stared intently at the bonfire. I wondered if he was contemplating the choice he’d made to sacrifice himself.

“You ready for this?” I asked cautiously.

He took a deep, slow breath. “To avenge my mate, yes.”

I silently prayed that we might be able to avoid the whole sacrifice thing. I’d never seen him like this. He didn’t look up, but I caught the glint of tears in his eyes. I looked away. I could never stand to see a man cry. To see Nicholas, Mr. Tough Guy, crying would make me break down too. I just couldn’t do it.

Now was not the time for tears. I promised myself that the next day, when all was said and done, I would let myself cry until I had no tears left. But for now, I had to put on a brave face.

“Tell me what we need to do,” I said, turning my attention to Brady.

He seemed to be giving Nicholas a bit of privacy himself, casting his gaze everywhere else around the area. “My people will be able to see the thing coming. I’m acting as translator, so you’ll know where it is and what it’s doing. When it arrives, Ariana”—he indicated the woman, still setting down crystals—“will, hopefully, be able to hold it off. You and the other vampires are going to protect her in whatever way you can.”

I’d do whatever I could to help, but I had no clue how. Fighting something solid was one thing, but trying to attack a spirit would be like punching air. It had no body to harm. “How exactly are we supposed to fight this thing off?”

“It wants its blood back,” Nicholas said in a voice choked with tears. “Offer it what it wants to keep it distracted. It took on a corporeal form when it attacked Edmond. If it has a physical form, it may be able to be injured. Fight back as best you can if that happens.”

“Okay,” I said a bit shakily. Even if I could fight back, that thing ripped apart Rozaline in a matter of seconds, and she was so much stronger than I was.

Brady nodded. “The wolves and I will circle the perimeter and act as sentries. Nicholas, you and Lysander will be our ring leaders and perform the sacrifice once the spirit is held. If everything goes well, we should be rid of it for good.”

“What happens to the spirit of the one sacrificed?” I asked. The history lessons we’d been given didn’t really specify if it would be released or trapped in the box too.

“No one knows,” Nicholas said solemnly.

“It is not a sacrifice we take lightly,” Brady said, clapping a hand on Nicholas’s shoulder. “You will be honored for what you are about to do.”

“I don’t do this for honor; however, I’m glad to know it is appreciated,” Nicholas said.

Ariana walked over to us, having completed her rounds around the bonfire. She was tall and exotic looking woman. Long raven-black hair hung all the way to her butt. She had a dark, olive complexion and unusually pale green eyes that looked almost amber in the firelights.

“The circle is cast. Set your wolves around, just inside,” she said without any hint of the east coast accent that everyone else seemed to have.

Brady nodded and walked away.

“You have the box?” she asked me.

“It’s coming,” Nicholas answered and he handed her the scroll.

Her eyes grew wide as she spread it open in front of her. “The writing here, what language is it?”

“We assumed some ancient Greek. None of us know what it says. But the writing on it matches the box.”

“That’s going to be a problem. Without knowing the exact incantation, I can’t promise I’ll be able to recreate the same effect.”

“You’re our only hope,” I said. “We need magic to activate the box, or make it pull the spirit inside, whatever it does.”

Her lips pursed and she looked to the sky.

I hoped it meant she was thinking up options, but I couldn’t be sure. I felt nothing in the way of emotions from her, which was oddly disconcerting. I’d always been able to read the emotions of humans.

“I can try some of the spells I know. But I can’t promise anything. Brady tells me the box is a trap—that once inside and closed, the spirit won’t be able to escape. Is that right?”

I nodded.

“Let me see what I have in my grimoire.” Ariana pulled a large dagger and a book from a messenger bag slung across her body. She handed me the dagger, a simple double-edged blade with a wooden handle. “I’ll do what I can. You just keep me alive, okay?” She sat down on the ground, crossed her legs, and started thumbing through the pages in her notebook.

I nodded and turned to Nicholas, handing him the dagger, which I assumed was for the sacrifice. “Are we ready? When will Lysander get here?”

Nicholas looked around the circle. Wolves surrounded us, observing everything both inside and outside the perimeter.

Brady returned. “Ready to give the signal?”

“I’ll need the blood of the one who will be sacrificed,” Ariana said curtly.

“Is that really necessary?” I asked.

“For a basic summoning spell, yes.” She regarded me coldly. I guess she didn’t like me questioning her expertise. “Brady mentioned to me that this thing is after its blood. If Nicholas has his blood, then it can be used to help summon him.”

Nicholas stepped forward. He sliced open his hand with the dagger and held it out to Ariana.

“Drip around the area,” Ariana said.

Nicholas walked the circle, squeezing his hand and dripping blood onto the grass around us.

“What now?” I asked.

Ariana closed her eyes, held her hands out, and began chanting

“We wait for it to come to us,” Nicholas said as he returned.

I hated waiting!

Seconds passed by slowly. I listened for any sound, any indication that the spirit was on its way to us.

Finally, after what felt like an agonizing eternity, one of the wolves howled, starting the chain. One after another, each wolf began to bay. I looked up and spotted Lysander in the distance, running toward us.

The wind began rustling the trees all around us.