Cain pointed to my shoulder. “If you’d have let me explain before, I would have told you that stake in your back isn’t applewood.” He leaned forward and whispered like we were conspirators instead of enemies. “It’s brass.”
Gravity tripled, the force sucking every ounce of blood from my face. It weighed down my muscles with a sensation that felt a lot like defeat. With the brass embedded in my back, I couldn’t use any sort of magic.
Cain came forward and took the phone from my limp grasp. “So sorry, Sabina’s busy right now.” A pause. “What’s that? Well”—Cain laughed—“I look forward to seeing you attempt that. Good-bye now.” He punched the END button and slipped the phone into his pocket.
The movement made the light dance off a polished brass cuff on his wrist. Looked like Mr. Immortal was worried about getting hit with another one of Zen’s vexing spells. Unfortunately, the ones that remained were with Adam.
The air tightened and static rushed up my arms. Someone was gathering a massive amount of magical energy nearby. I looked around and finally spied Adam on the stage across the square. The fireworks highlighted the determination on his handsome face.
He was smart to position himself so far away. The range wasn’t too great to prevent him from delivering potent spells, but it was far enough away that the vampires and werewolves among Cain’s goons wouldn’t be able to do anything but duck and cover when the spells came.
Cain had noticed Adam, too. “Get ready. Her lover”—he spat the word out like a curse—“is about to make a romantic but futile gesture.”
Cain’s tone was unconcerned. So carefree I knew right then he had some more tricks up his sleeve. Namely, the three mages who stepped forward from the circle. I could feel their powers rising like a deep throbbing bass. Adam was an excellent fighter and a strong mage. But Cain had an irrational hatred for the mancy that would ensure his death was a priority in this exercise.
Not a f**king option. Time to cut a deal.
“Stop!” I yelled. “I’ll go with you.”
Cain laughed. “Yes, I know. You don’t have a choice.”
“No,” I said, my tone desperate. “I’ll go with you if you leave him alone.”
Cain sighed. “Sabina, your weakness where the mage is concerned is pitiful. You’re in no position to make demands.”
The brass might have dampened my magic, but my vampire blood had already done quick work on the worst of my pain. “Oh, really?” I spun and clocked one of Cain’s vampires in the face. While he reeled from the impact, I swiped his gun from his hand. I rounded on Cain. He looked mildly shocked but not exactly alarmed.
“The gun will do you no good, Lamashtu,” he said, using the pet name he used for Lilith. For some reason, in his f**ked up head, he got confused between the Great Mother and me.
Holding his gaze, I slowly lifted the gun to my temple. “Call them off or I pull the trigger,”
Cain’s eyes narrowed at the cold steel in my voice.
Behind him, I saw Adam freeze on the stage. From his higher vantage point, he could see what was happening. His mouth opened wide as he yelled. That strong, powerful body was already in motion as he made to jump from the stage.
Cain watched me for a few tense heartbeats, as if trying to decide if I loved Adam enough to die for him. “You’re bluffing.”
Adam rematerialized on the far side of the obelisk, clearly planning on attacking, audience or no. Do or die time.
“Want to f**king bet?”
I cocked the hammer.
He paused and tilted his head. His eyes on me, he said to his goons, “It’s time to change the location of our little soiree. Three of you stay behind and kill her lover.”
“Yes, sir,” said three of the goons, and broke off to go after Adam. The rest of Cain’s men pressed in around Cain and me.
Overhead, the fireworks display was reaching its climax. I looked up at the kaleidoscope of color and heat. As I watched, the colors morphed and distorted, indicating that Cain’s mages had opened the doorway that allowed mages to travel interspatially.
“Sabina!” Adam’s tortured cry reached me.
“Say good-bye to your love, Sabina,” Cain breathed into my ear. He pulled me close to his body, but I didn’t fight him. My only goal was to get him as far away from Adam as possible. I knew once Cain and I disappeared, Adam wouldn’t hang out to engage with the goons. He’d flash out and go find Giguhl so they could rescue me.
I looked up and met Adam’s eyes over the heads of the crowd separating us. Run! I mouthed.
A split second later, the vortex sucked my body into the void.
Chapter 16
I’d thought the aboveground Cities of the Dead in New Orleans were impressive, but the catacombs of Rome made those look like elaborate stage sets.
“Welcome to the Catacombs of Saint Domitilla,” Cain said conversationally. Like he was leading a f**king tour group instead of a dark races death squad.
We had gained access to the underground tunnels through a sunken fourth-century basilica—another factoid Cain had shared. One of his people held a large flashlight since it was night and they didn’t want to risk illuminating the lights installed for catacomb tours. Its beam flashed off high stone walls, tall columns, an altar, and artifacts along the walls of the church. Cain led us to an arched doorway that led down into the underground tunnels. The opening gaped like a mouth, ready to swallow us into the bowels of the underworld.
Even before we entered the catacombs proper, I could feel the tug of death magic on my diaphragm. Whispers echoed from the dark portal, inviting me to listen to their stories. The back of my neck prickled and a fine sheen of sweat coated my chest, despite the clammy air.
Unlike the crypt Tristan led me to a couple nights earlier, with its intricate designs made from skeletons, these catacombs were virtually bone-free. Despite the lack of remains, the death energy hit me with the force of a sledgehammer.
I swayed into the vampire that held my right arm. “Give me a minute,” I gritted out through clenched teeth.
I concentrated on breathing slowly through my nose to slow my galloping pulse. The pressure of the energy came at me from all sides, and my Chthonic powers struggled to absorb the force in my solar plexus. The effect was something like going hundreds of feet below the sea very quickly. It took my body time to adjust to equalize the opposing forces. Because of the brass spike in my back, I couldn’t use the magic, but it wouldn’t hurt to stockpile some of the energy in case an opportunity presented itself.