Into The Void (Vampire Hunter Book 4) (10 page)

“Why would you agree to meet him?” I demanded.

Lucas held up his hand. “Just hear me out. We’re lucky that Magnus found
me
first. Believe me, he could have
asked around and stumbled on someone else who knows your name, where you live,
where you go to school. This is the best case scenario for a fucked up
situation.”

“I guess,” I said reluctantly.

“Wouldn’t you rather go meet Magnus with me there to protect you? Instead
of just having him turn up – or kidnap you – and you’d have to fend for
yourself?” Lucas asked.

“Well, yeah,” I admitted, “but what if he wants to hurt me? Can you
really protect me from him?”

“I’m not worried about that,” Lucas said. “Tobias put the order out that
no one was to harm you, remember?”

“Why would Magnus listen to anything Tobias says? He’s a demon!” I
argued.

“I don’t think it’s about respecting Tobias’ orders,” Lucas replied. “If
someone hurts you, Tobias will put a bounty on their head. Magnus doesn’t want
to draw attention to himself.”

“Besides,” Lucas continued, “we’ve already established that no one knows
how
to kill you.”

“He could still try and torture me,” I said morosely.

“I’m not a complete idiot.” Lucas grinned. “I’ve come prepared for
whatever Magnus tries to throw at us.”

“Meaning?”

“I’ve got the demon vacuum, for starters.” Lucas motioned towards the
backseat. “There’s some other stuff back there that I’ll put in my coat when we
go inside.
Things that will stun him if he tries anything
funny.
Then I’ll send him to Hell. That’s another reason I don’t think
he’ll try to hurt you. He knows I’m a hunter and he doesn’t want to go back to
Hell.”

“I’m surprised he’s not afraid I might
kill
him,” I commented.

“He’s desperate,” Lucas said. “And he’s banking on you not having the
power yet.”

“Did Magnus say why he wants to meet me?” I asked.

“No. It was a very brief conversation. I told him that I could arrange it,
but since the protective order had been called, I had to go along as your
bodyguard.”

“Okay,” I said reluctantly. “Where are we meeting him?”

“We’re almost there.” Lucas turned down a residential street.

“He has a house?” I asked in surprise.

“His human
host
does.”

I shuddered. “So some poor person is stuck inside there with Magnus
controlling his body?”

“I don’t like it either,” Lucas admitted. “Try not to think about it.”

I didn’t answer, but I didn’t have to. Lucas stopped the car in front of
a modest two story house. We were here.

Lucas and I trudged towards the front door. There was a long walkway through
a beautifully manicured garden. When we got to the door, Lucas rang the bell.

A man pulled the door open and, without speaking, motioned for us to come
inside. I stepped into the entranceway of the house. Magnus shut the door
behind us and walked into a room on the left. Lucas and I followed.

“This is my study,” Magnus said. I was surprised to hear he had a British
accent.
Or rather, his host body does.

“Please, have a seat.” The room was filled with bookcases that were
brimming with books. On one side of the wall was a cart – a mobile bar, really
– that had at least four bottles of liquor on it.

Lucas and I sat down on the brown leather couch. Magnus walked over to
the bar and poured an amber liquid into a glass. He swished it around a few
times before taking a sip. “Care for a drink?” he asked Lucas and me. “It’s
premium scotch.” We both shook our heads no.

The person Magnus had chosen to possess was tall and slender, but I had
the feeling he was more powerful than he looked. He was older – maybe early 30s
– and had dark brown hair.

Magnus sat down on the leather chair across from the couch and crossed
his legs. He looked totally relaxed, at ease.

“Where are my manners? I’m Magnus.” He turned to Lucas and politely
reached out his hand for Lucas to shake. “You must be Lucas.”

Magnus turned to me. “My apologies, I don’t know your name. Leon was very
tight lipped about the identity of the living dead girl.”

I looked at Lucas, who nodded slightly. “Aurora,” I answered. I stared
him straight in the eyes, hoping I sounded and appeared confident.

“Nice to meet you, Aurora.”

“And you,” I said.

“So let’s start by establishing the parameters of this discussion.”
Magnus leaned back in the chair, grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the table
and lit one, sucking the nicotine deep down into his lungs. He exhaled slowly.
“This is my favorite vice – well, one of them.”

Lucas and I sat in stony silence, waiting for Magnus to continue. He
didn’t seem eager to get to the point. He was arrogant, cocky.

“Neither of you will hurt me, and I, in turn, will not harm either of
you. It’s simple, and if you break this one rule there will be consequences to
pay.” Magnus smiled, as if he had just told us a funny story instead of
threatening our lives.

I could see Lucas clenching and unclenching his fist out of the corner of
my eye. I knew he was pissed.
Don’t lose
it!
I tried to send him a silent message. I wasn’t sure who would win in a
fight – Magnus or Lucas – but I really didn’t want to find out.

“We have no intention of harming you today,” Lucas said. “Of course, if
our paths cross again, that may no longer hold true.” Lucas smiled back at
Magnus, purposely revealing that his vampire teeth were showing.

“Why did you need to meet with Aurora today?” Lucas asked.

“I escaped from Hell, and I will not go back there unless I’m once again
king. As you know, Leon overtook the power from me after Aurora was killed,”
Magnus said. “He didn’t, however, bank on her coming back.”

Magnus turned his attention to me. “Frankly, I couldn’t care less about a
war on earth. It’s about time the humans had their eyes opened to what’s really
out there. But, what I
do
care about
is making certain Tobias doesn’t open the gates of Hell and unleash everything
that’s living down there. And that’s where you come in.”

“I’ve got nothing to do with Hell,” I stated. “And I’m not sure how you
think I’m going to stop Tobias.”

“You
can’t
stop Tobias,” Magnus
replied. “But you can help me drag him into Hell, where he belongs.”

“He’s counting on you to win this war,” Magnus continued. “I want you to
lead him to the gates of Hell, pretend you’re helping to open them, but really,
I’ll be there to pull him into Hell.”

“You give me too much credit,” I said. “Tobias isn’t going to listen to me.”

“Oh, my dear, but he will.” Magnus took another long drag off of his cigarette.

“Why do you think Aurora will have that kind of power over him?” Lucas
asked.

“You two really don’t get it, do you?” Magnus laughed.

Lucas and I looked at each other in confusion.

“You’re famous,” Magnus said. “Everyone knows who you are, even if they
don’t know your name. The stories that are being spun about your powers are
probably exaggerated, but it’s what people
believe
that matters. And Tobias believes that if he has you on his side he’s
untouchable. If you lead him to the gates, he’ll never know you’re planning to
double cross him.”

“How is getting Tobias into Hell going to help you reclaim leadership?”
Lucas asked suspiciously. “What aren’t you telling us?”

“Ah, yes, there is one other
tiny
thing
I need you to do for me.” Magnus finished his drink and got up to pour another
one.

I looked at Lucas while Magnus had his back turned to us.
What should I do?
I mouthed the words.

I’ll handle it,
he mouthed
back.

Magnus was speaking again. “They say you have the power to actually
kill
a demon, no?” He looked at me for
confirmation.

“Yes, I do,” I said in what I hoped was a convincing voice.

“Perfect. I need you to kill Leon.”

“Why would she do that for you?” Lucas asked. “What’s in this for Aurora?
So far, everything you’ve said is for your agenda, not hers.”

“Well, you get the added plus of Tobias being out of your hair – in Hell.
That’s at least one major player in the war that will be eliminated,” Magnus replied.

“Aurora can handle Tobias,” Lucas said confidently.

He’s either a damn good actor or a
lot more optimistic than me.

“Perhaps she can. Perhaps she can’t.” Magnus sneered. “I’ve tried to
present this to you as nicely as possible, to make you think there’s actually a
choice
in the matter. But, I hate to
break it to you, there is not. Aurora will kill Leon and help me bring Tobias
to Hell.”

“Oh yeah?” I said, anger creeping into my voice. “Who’s to say I won’t
kill
you
instead?”

“I’ve thought of that.” Magnus leaned forward. His expression was
menacing. “That would be the biggest mistake of your life. I may not be king at
the moment, but I’ve still got plenty of supporters. If I die, they will kill
everyone you care about. And it won’t be painless. It won’t be quick. You will
lose
everything
if you kill me.”

“We need time to think about this,” Lucas said.

Magnus rolled his eyes. “We’re still going to pretend there’s a choice to
make? Alright, have it your way. Oh, and I forgot to mention, if you do double
cross me in any way, I’ll make sure
both
of
you spend all of eternity rotting in Hell.”

Magnus stood up, signaling that the meeting was over. I eagerly scrambled
to my feet. I was ready to get out of that creepy study and far away from
Magnus.

He escorted us to the door. “Again, it was so nice to meet you both this
evening. Thanks for stopping by,” Magnus said politely, as though he were
saying farewell after a dinner party.

“I’ll be in touch,” Lucas growled, his voice brimming with anger.

Back in the car, Lucas started the engine and slammed on the gas so hard
that the tires screeched as we pulled away.

“That was awful,” I said. “Even worse than I could have imagined.”

“I didn’t want to scare you ahead of time, but I knew Magnus had a
reputation for being a badass. He’s just trying to intimidate us.”

“Magnus is right, though. I don’t have a choice. I can’t put everyone I
know in danger, which means I have to be Magnus’ puppet and do whatever he
says!” I exclaimed. “I could never forgive myself if my family was harmed. Or
Henry. Or Emmett. Or
you
.” My voice
was shaky.

“We have a little bit of time to figure this out,” Lucas tried to reassure
me. “Right now, Magnus thinks he has all of the power. He doesn’t realize that
you don’t even know how to kill a demon yet.”

I stared out the window, watching the houses go by in a blur.

“Hey.” Lucas reached over and caressed my hair. “Don’t look so down.
We’re not going to let anyone die, not if I can help it. Remember, I’ve been
around since the time of the dinosaurs,” he joked. “I’ve learned a thing or two
during my years. I feel confident we can figure this out.”

“Have you ever dealt with the King of Hell before?” I asked, turning to
look at Lucas.

“No,” he admitted. “That’s a new one to me. But, seriously, try not to
worry. Even if you drag
your
heals committing to
Magnus’ ultimatum, just remember: he’s up against a wall, too. If you refuse,
it’s not like there’s anyone else who can help him. He just wants to bully you
and make you think there’s no other way. But, believe me, there’s
always
another way.”

“Thanks,” I said softly. Lucas’ words made me feel better, but I still
had an impending sense of dread.

We pulled up outside my house. Lucas turned to me. “You know I’ll protect
you, and that means protecting your family, Henry and Emmett as well.”

“And Nicholas,” I added.

“And Nicholas,” he confirmed. “Although I don’t think
Nic
needs much protection. You’ve seen him in action.” Lucas smiled and shook his
head. “I’ll probably talk to him about this situation first, then we can
regroup with Emmett. And Henry, if you want,” he added as an afterthought.

I held up my new phone. “Call me tomorrow?”

“Of course.” Lucas leaned over and hugged me goodbye before I got out of
the car. “I won’t let anything happen to you,” he whispered. I nodded and
buried my face in his chest.

I went inside and headed straight for my bedroom. Luckily none of my
family was hanging out by the front door where they could waylay me. When I
looked out the curtain, Lucas’ car was still there. He rolled the window down
and gave a slight wave before driving off.

I know you’ll do everything to keep
me safe. But what if it’s still not enough?

The beginning of the end had started. The war was coming. And I had a
sinking feeling we had no power to stop it.