Chapter 30

Chapter

Thirty

Ana

" P hil!" My heart soars as Axe leads Phil into the cabin. The sun's just about to rise, and Flame and I only just returned ourselves. It's been hours since I caught Phil watching us from the lake.

I step toward him

His eyes fill with alarm, and Crusher plants himself in the room between us.

Looking around the large obstacle that is Crusher, I make eye contact with Phil. "Are you okay?"

He nods. "Swam all night." He tips his head to the side as if clearing water from his ears.

"Is the demon…"

His eyes narrow. "No change."

"Speaking of the demon…" Ember steps into the room, Zuben and Blade behind her. "I need to visit The Council of Magic Keepers."

"Really? Why?" I sometimes forget that, before Ember became a vampire, she was a witch, even though she had no idea of her heritage and is still learning how to wield magic.

"We have learned all we can from books," Zuben says. "And the council will only speak with Ember in person."

"Sounds like you guys had a productive night too?" Flame winks at me, then drapes his arm over my shoulder, bringing back sense memories of the night we spent together in the woods. I feel so much closer to Flame now, and it helps me resist pushing past Crusher and into Phil's arms.

"Why don't we all sit," I say. "And you can let us all know what you've learned."

"Great idea." Ryker strides into the room, dressed in leather, including a well-worn jacket that looks out of another time. I'm not sure if I've ever seen Ryker, a former pirate, not dressed in leather. Taking Ember's hand, he pulls her along with him, and they sit in the center of one of the sofas, his arm draped around her.

Axel sits on her other side, and the cushions dip under his weight, tipping her against him. Growling low, under his breath, he turns and presses his nose against her hair, as if inhaling her scent.

Flame leads me to the sofa opposite theirs, and he and Blade sink in on either side of me. Zuben sits with a clear view of both sofas, and Phil and Crusher remain standing—Phil off in the corner, and Crusher opposite Zuben.

Arms folded over his chest, Crusher scans the room, as if someone appointed him captain or referee. Not that there's a game afoot, or any kind of battle—other than my internal battle of trying to stay away from Phil.

Phil looks so sad, so lost, and it seems like a million years since I've been in his arms. But I need to focus right now, so we can solve this problem.

"What's going on?" I ask Ember. "What do you need from the Council of Magic Keepers?"

Ryker fondles the side of her neck.

"Zuben and Blade," she replies, "have read every book on demons known to vampirekind, but we still have questions."

Setting my hand on Blade's leg, I turn toward him. "Questions about how to kill the demon? Or how to get it out of Phil's head?"

Blade sets his hand on top of mine. "We have some ideas, but nothing solid, and since Phil's life is at stake, and yours?—"

"The fate of the entire world is at stake," Zuben interjects. "Before we take any action, we need to be certain—as certain as possible. We need to ensure that no stone is left unturned."

Turning every stone seems excessive, but I keep my opinion to myself. Blade loves reading and research, but from what Ember has told me, Zuben's on a whole other level.

"The magic keepers have more books?" I ask Ember.

She shifts forward. "The legends say it was magic keepers who first allowed demons to enter this realm, but they also sent them back where they belong."

"Most of them," Phil interjects, and then his face tenses, as if he's in pain or fighting against something.

My heart nearly breaks in two, and it takes every ounce of willpower inside me to keep from leaping across the room to offer him comfort.

"Whatever you need to do." I look between everyone. "This is too important to leave to chance."

Blade slides his hand along my jaw, drawing my gaze toward his. "Ember, Zuben and I are also going to seek an audience with the Council of Magic Keepers."

My heart catches, but I nod. I'll hate to be separated from Blade for even a night, but this meeting does seem wise. If questions come up, or if theories need to be vetted, it's best if everyone who's done extensive research is present.

"You should come too," Ember says, and I turn toward her, wondering who she's talking to.

"Who? Me?" I press my back against the sofa cushions. "Really?"

She nods.

I straighten. "Then we should all go."

Ember shakes her head. "Phil can't go."

"Why?" I look toward my big, red-headed love, and he averts his gaze, shifting as he stands in the corner. Have they already discussed this without me? Did Axe fill him in when he talked him out of spending the day in that cave?

"If the witches get their hands on Phil," Ryker says, "they'll never let him go."

"They'll fucking kill him," Axe adds. "Or worse." He growls deep in his chest, and this time his growl is menacing. Ember strokes his cheek, and he visibly calms.

What could be worse than them killing Phil?

My stomach ties into a knot. Of course there's worse. Based on the things Rasputin did to me, not to mention what he threatened to do, I know full well there are things worse than death.

"Is there any good news?" I ask, suddenly feeling desperate to hear some.

"The dagger—" Zuben nods toward Blade. "You tell her."

"The dagger," Blade says. "The one Rasputin stabbed Phil with?—"

"I was the one who found a picture of it in the books." Flame squeezes my shoulder, and I smile at him, loving the obvious pride in his eyes.

I turn back to Blade. "What about the dagger? Do we even know where it is?"

"I do," Zuben says, and then his eyes flick toward Phil, who turns the other direction.

"We think it could be the weapon we need to kill the demon," Blade says. "The weapon described in the texts is a sword, not a dagger, but it has the same markings and design."

"That does sound like good news." And if Zuben has this dagger, why hasn't someone killed the demon already?

"Thing is…" Blade rubs his head "…we have no clue how to get the demon out of Phil so we can kill it."

"And since Phil is a vampire…" My thoughts keep racing. "Can the demon be killed with a weapon that can't kill its host?" Or worse, can the demon be killed without killing Phil too? I keep that last question to myself.

"There are a lot of unknowns." Blade squeezes my leg. "That's why we need to consult the magic keepers."

"Okay," I say slowly. "When are you leaving?"

"Sundown," Ember says. "Or we could…" She looks into my eyes with obvious questions in hers, and I realize what she's suggesting.

I hate the idea in so many ways, but it does make sense. Time is of the essence. "If Blade feeds from you, you can leave during daylight hours."

"Bingo." Ryker makes a gun shape with his fingers, clicking his tongue as he points it toward me.

Ember shifts forward in her seat. "Ana, I think you should come with us. You can feed from me too."

I consider her offer. Ember is not only a witch, she's a very special one—the vampires' illuminant—and any vampire who feeds from Ember can walk in the light for at least the following twenty-four hours. Feed from her often enough, and a vampire becomes lambent, able to walk in the light all the time. Ember's powers are a massive secret in the vampire world. Outside her mates, very few know.

When the whole mess at DEFTA erupted, and Octavia's secret underground prison was located, I didn't even tell my father about Ember's powers. She fears, understandably, that someone in the vampire world might try to use her.

"Ember will be safe here," Crusher says boldly. "I'll make sure Phil doesn't go anywhere near her."

"Me too," adds Flame.

"I won't fucking hurt her." Phil growls, and we all turn toward him. "I can barely hear the demon anymore. I think I've got the fucker tamed."

"Really?" My heart swells with happiness. I cross the room slowly, my urge to be in his arms overpowering, like I'm fighting the powers of a current that wants to sweep me toward him.

"Careful." Crusher steps between us.

"I'm fine." Phil says. "Stand the fuck down, big man."

Crusher turns toward Phil. "You're the one who told me not to let her near you."

Phil shrugs. "I'm better now. Can't believe Rasputin couldn't fight that thing off."

"Phil!" Pushing past Crusher, I dive into his arms.

The moment my body is pressed against his, I feel like I'm home, like I was lost for a thousand years and finally found my way back to where I belong. Phil's heart is thumping loudly, faster than usual, and his arms tighten fiercely around me. A little too tightly. Clearly, he's been missing me too.

"I'm right here," Crusher says from behind me. "If you hurt her?—"

Phil whisks me into a nearby bedroom, slamming shut the door and lifting me high against it. Our eyes are level, but his remain closed as he leans his weight against mine, pressing my body so firmly into the door my back hurts. All of me hurts.

My mind flashes to that day when Phil ground his erection against me through our clothes. He might have given me my first ever orgasm that day, but the memory fills me with fear. Phil was different back then, and he hated me.

From the hall, the others shout, pounding against the door, and the vibrations shake me, as Phil continues to pin me against it.

He opens his eyes, and my entire body freezes in fear. Because it's not Phil I see in the eyes boring into mine.

I struggle against the door, but he's holding me so tightly I can barely move.

I open my lips, hoping to alert the others, but he roughly puts his hand over my mouth, pinching my skin.

"You are mine now," he growls against my ear. "You are the one who was marked for me, and I will use this monster's oversized tool to fuck you so hard and for so long you'll beg me for mercy."

Phil's voice is distorted, and his pupils are like pin pricks. His normally golden eyes are closer to red and flickering with fire. And even more terrifying than the color, I can't see Phil in there, anywhere.

"This bloodsucker's cock is huge, but I will use this too." He holds up his fist in front of my eyes, flexing the massive digits and mock thrusting in the air. "And you've already seen some of my silver toys." His eyes narrow. "I have others. Huge ones."

"And since bloodsuckers can heal, even if I punch holes inside you, you'll still be able to carry my offspring."

He grinds Phil's erection against me, and I fight to keep my legs together, but it's no use. The power of his body forces them apart and his hard thickness rubs with so much pressure I'm certain my sex will be bruised.

Phil—the demon—gathers my skirt. And then he releases my mouth so he can use both hands for that task. The force of his bodyweight is still holding me aloft.

"Phil." I say his name, but he doesn't seem to hear me. "This isn't you. This isn't what you want. You can fight against this."

He stills, panting, and I see the real Phil flash in his eyes. But it's such a short time I wonder if it wasn't just my hope-filled imagination.

A window smashes. Axe and Ember climb through the window and over a boulder that's landed on the pine-planked floor. Sunlight streams into the room. The heat is powerful. All the hairs on my body respond, starting to singe, even though none of the rays directly reach me.

"Get off her," Axe yells.

And then the room fills with light. Not sunlight. A much brighter, whiter light. So white it's almost blue. My eyes snap shut against it. So do Phil's.

He groans, and then the sounds from him turn to a horrific howl. He's clearly in pain, and I can't help but worry about him, even as I feel my skin burn from the sunlight.

"Release her!" Ember's voice echoes through the room—a voice louder and stronger, more commanding than I ever imagined could erupt from the petite vampire.

Phil backs off me. The floor unexpectedly rises to meet my feet, and my teeth slam together at the shock. Crouching, I use my arm to shield my eyes from the blinding light so I can see what's going on.

Phil is in the corner, far away from the sun's burning rays. But he's burning, anyway. His body is encircled by silver ropes.

I gasp, feeling his pain as if it were my own. I turn toward Ember. She's the one controlling the ropes.

"Ana. Go into the other room," she says calmly, but there's no question that this is an order. I don't typically let others order me around, but quickly comply.

And the second I open the door, Crusher pulls me into his arms, and slams it shut again.