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“This allows the gods to return?”
 

“Not exactly. That ring was given to you by Serephina’s spirit, so unless I’m mistaken, that is
Serephina’s Ring
or better known as
The Ring of Contact
.”

“Which is?”

“It isn’t a key as much as it is a doorway. It allows its wearer to communicate with the gods. Some historians suggest the ring transports its wearer to the Otherworld: the higher plain where the gods reside. A few eccentrics even believe it can summon the gods back to their dimension.”

“Let’s hope the eccentrics are wrong,” Rayna said.

“And you’re telling us this out of the goodness of your heart?” I asked, sarcasm hanging on every word.

“You said Riley and the Circle have already shown interest. It won’t be long before everyone else knows, too. Don’t be so naïve as to expect this to remain a secret.
 
Even with my influence over the Underworld, I can’t keep you safe from this, unless of course…you wish to no longer possess the ring?”

And there it was. The silver lining in the cloud of misery he painted for us.

“If you think I’m going to give it to you,” I said, “you’re about to be very disappointed.”

“I’m simply offering my services to protect it. I may not be able to control the way the Underworld responds when they discover
you
have it, but I can guarantee its safety in my possession. I can’t extend that same protection to a hunter and a demon who kills her own kind. That would be…unhealthy for my family.”

“That’s great, but that doesn’t change the fact I’m still not giving it to you.”

“I understand.” Vincent smiled, and I imagined it showed every ounce of sincerity he wanted us to see. “Would you at least do me the courtesy of allowing me to see it?”
 

“The ring doesn’t leave my finger.”

“I didn’t ask you to take it off. I only want to look at it. Surely it’s the least you can do after I so willingly shared this information.”

I sighed and placed my hand on the desk in front of him.

“Breathtaking,” he said, taking my hand into his. His hand was cool, and the skin abnormally soft, like a silk grip that wrapped around my fingers. His smile grew and his grip tightened as he pulled himself closer to the ring.

“I think that’s enough.” I tried to pull my hand back, but Vincent’s grip closed around my wrist. “Vincent, I said that’s enough.”

“Relax, hunter. I’m admiring a true work of art. That’s not something that happens every day. It’s an honor to be in the presence of something so ancient. An item crafted from the hands of the gods.”

“And that item currently occupies my finger.”

“That it does…” Vincent’s expression changed and a disturbing smile took over. “You know, technically speaking, this ring belongs to me.”

I laughed. “How exactly did you come to that conclusion?”

“We made a deal. In exchange for your friend’s safe return, you were to go and gather the scroll for me.”

“And we held up our end of the deal; you were given the scroll.”

“But you took the essence that scroll contained, a power that was rightfully mine.”

“The only power that came from the scroll was the Mark, and that was meant for a hunter, not a vampire.”
 

Vincent made a motion that resembled a shrug. “Perhaps, but a power, nonetheless, and one I asked you to retrieve for me. So it seems you have an outstanding debt to the Taryk family.”

“You’re turning the tables on us? Like I didn’t see that coming.”

“I would be willing to clear you of this debt, however. Simply let me protect the ring. You must understand it’s in the best interest of my family that the ring does not end up in the wrong hands.”

“You can’t be serious,” Rayna said.

“The men are talking here, love. Why don’t you leave the business to us, be a dear, and fetch me a pint of blood?”

“Excuse me?”

“Now, now, my sweet. Don’t make this bigger than it is. I need a few moments to discuss this with your friend.”

“For someone who’s five hundred years old, you’re an immature dick,” Rayna said.

Vincent’s finely plucked eyebrows raised and anger filled his eyes. Black veins moved under his skin and I tried to pull my hand back, but his grip was too tight. He snapped his gaze to me and his anger vanished. Black veins disappeared beneath pale flesh.

“Look,
Vince
, as far as you and I are concerned, we’re even. As for your family, I don’t owe them anything. Now let go of my hand.”

“Then it seems we have ourselves in a bit of a predicament, doesn’t it?”

“Not at all. In fact, I’d say we’re about done here.” I channeled my element and drew fire to the surface. The blue flame ignited in my palm and Vincent jerked back, yellow eyes opening wide.

“Mr. Williams, that’s downright underhanded. You’re not playing by the rules.”

“We’re playing by
my
rules,” I said, pulling my hand to my side and letting the power fade. It had come and gone with such ease; it nearly caught me off guard.

“Are we now? And what might those rules be?”

“One: don’t ever try a stunt like that again. I don’t like or trust you, and I have no qualms about killing you.
 
Two: we’re even. You asked for the scroll, and I gave it to you. You never said anything about power. You’re a vampire who talks in riddles. You of all people should know when you make a deal: Be. More. Specific.” I stared down at him, but he looked unaffected. Thin lips curled upward and amusement pulled at his eyes.
 

“Excellent speech, Mr. Williams. Very commanding and masculine, but you overlooked one detail.” Vincent’s face turned dark and serious. “You’re in
my
house, and while here, you play by
my
rules.”

“This meeting is over.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Rayna said.

“Is that a problem?” I stared at Vincent, pushing my magic over him and daring him to challenge me.

He clamped his pale hands together and brought them up to his lips. His golden eyes stared at me with indecision before he shrugged. “Of course not. You are free to go.”

“Good,” I said.

“But one more thing, if I may?”

I turned back to face him.

In a blur of speed, he appeared in front of me. His gaze was fierce and he stared up at me with a primal anger. His white skin turned translucent, black veins pushing against the flesh. Long fangs hung from his gums and all the muscles moved beneath his skin. His eyes filled with darkness and the stench of coppery death came off of his breath.

“Do not ever talk down to me again. I, too, have no
qualms about killing you
.” His words were sharp and acute, and I made the mistake of meeting his black gaze.

His power was like a freight train, smashing through my shields and into my mind. I collapsed to the floor and in seconds his body was on top of me.

“Next time, speak to me with respect, or I’ll rip your throat out and dance in your blood.”

I tried to move, but he was inside my mind. I was his puppet. He could kill me right now, or enslave me, all because I had locked eyes with him and didn’t have my shields up.

Rayna grabbed Vincent’s shoulder and in unparalleled speed, he gripped her arm and threw her across the floor.

"My kindness has its limits, even for you, my sweet. You've rejected me for the last time, and I will not allow you, or your pet, to interfere with my affairs.” His voice wasn’t smooth or seductive anymore. It was a deep, demonic growl.

Rayna crawled back to my side, and Vincent’s eyes followed her. I lay on the ground beneath his grip, waiting for his power to crush me. But it didn’t. Vincent rose to his feet, the milky white of his flesh rushing to the surface. Black veins faded, the yellow returned to his eyes, and the long fangs slid back into his mouth.

He looked down at me and then at Rayna. His voice was still dark and unfriendly, but the demonic tone was gone. “Get out.” Vincent’s power collapsed and Rayna helped pull me to my feet. We both rushed out the door and down the hallway. Neither of us dared to look back.

Chapter 13

We put as much distance between Vincent and us as possible. I’d never felt a vampire’s power like that before, and once again, I feared I had underestimated what he was capable of.

“I’ve never seen him like that,” Rayna said. “Never felt that kind of…power. You know, you really need to start thinking before you talk or you’re going to get us both killed.”

“Me? What’s his obsession with
you
?”

“I…” Rayna sounded like she was ready to argue, but she stopped herself. “I don't know.”

Once we were a few blocks away from the warehouse, we slowed our pace. It was daytime and the sun was high in the sky. We were safe for now, but I still couldn’t help looking over my shoulder.

“Do you buy what he said about the ring?” Rayna asked.

“I don’t know what to believe. Seeing how he reacted, though, I’d say it can’t be far from the truth. The Circle wants it, Riley wants it, and now Vincent wants it. I’m sure it won’t be long before everyone else is after it too. We need to figure out how it works.”

“You want to use it?”

“This could be the one thing that gives us the upper hand. If we can contact Serephina, she can tell us how to stop Riley.”

“Maybe, but what are we going to do in the meantime? We’ve got the elders, an angry hunter with godlike powers, and one very pissed off vampire after it. Did I mention we don’t have a clue where to start? Maybe we should call Marcus.”

“Marcus is dealing with his own issues right now. In the meantime, we do our research to figure out how it works before anyone comes knocking on our door.” I looked down at the ring.

Rayna stopped and grabbed my shirt, pulling me back. “Looks like our time’s up.
They
just knocked.”

Four men in hunter’s uniforms stepped out of the alley and walked towards us. I recognized Jameson, who led the group, but I didn’t know the other three.

You’ve got to be kidding me
.

“Nice to see you again, Mr. Williams,” Jameson said.

“I wish I could say the same.”

“So you know why we’re here?”

“The elders sent you for this.” I held up my hand, the silver band and red gem gleaming in the sunlight.

“Smart boy. Now keep those smarts and hand it over, and we can avoid a whole mess of problems that way.”

“I wasn’t going to hand it directly to the elders, so what makes you think I’m going to give it to you?”

“The elders are giving you the opportunity to handle this peacefully. Certainly, you don’t think you and your demon slut have a chance of surviving a fight with us?”

“We’ve survived a lot worse than anything you can dish out.”

Jameson threw his magic forward, and a ball of yellow flame flew towards us.

I reacted with my own magic and it moved with ease. A wall of water shot up from the pavement and when the flame hit, nothing but steam broke through.
 

“It’s not going to be that easy,” I said.

“The hard way it is then.”

Jameson signaled the others and they ran towards us.

Rayna’s magic exploded over the street. The earth shook violently and two of them fell sideways to the ground, but as the quake faded, one stumbled through. He pulled out a blade and jumped into the air, bringing it down on Rayna. Rayna blocked his arm and used his momentum to throw him to the ground. The hunter hit the pavement and his element sprang to life. Air magic spiraled around us, picking Rayna up and flinging her across the street.

Rayna skidded across the pavement and crawled to her feet. Road rash covered both her arms, but she didn’t let it faze her. She unlatched her whip and snapped it against the ground, sparks flying around her as the metal claws hit the concrete.

The other two hunters jumped to their feet and moved in. One made it a few steps before Rayna cracked her whip, breaking it across his neck. He grunted as blood spewed from the wound and anger took over his eyes.

The other man came at me with a blade in each hand. I stepped back and dodged the first strike, pulling my daggers out. The hunter brought his magic to life, channeling it through his blade. Red flames engulfed the knife, sparks of yellow rippling through it.

I mimicked him, bringing water to the surface and pushing the magic into my daggers. I imagined the silver to be cold, frozen in a storm of ice water. The blades grew shiny, the silver coating faded, and a dark blue glow emanated around them. A white layer of frost grew thick on the blades as the water magic turned to ice.

Adrenaline rushed through me as flakes of frost formed on the blades. Controlling the direction of my elements was one thing, being able to manipulate the physical state was another.

Flames flew in front of my eyes as he launched towards me. I reacted with a hunter’s reflexes and sparks of fire and ice exploded around us. His blade came down again and I blocked it, pushing him back. The hunter kicked my stomach, and with his supernatural strength, power exploded.