Chapter 39

Chapter

Thirty-Nine

Crusher

K eeping a few paces behind the other three, I stride through the streets of Paris and up the stone steps to the place we'll be staying. Ember and her mates went ahead with Phil.

Ana gives Blade a code, he enters it into a keypad and opens the door, and the four of us step inside.

"Holy shit, man. This place is awesome!" Flame races around the grand entryway of the mansion-like townhouse. It's owned by the Vampiric Council, or someone Ana knows. I have no clue about the details, but whoever owns this place is rich. Flame was not kidding. There's enough marble, gold, and overt opulence to rival the palace.

None of it's my taste, but I can't help but smile as I watch Flame take in all the pieces of art, all the architectural details, all the fine materials.

"Hi!" Ember calls down to us from a balcony above, and then she descends the grand stone staircase, Zuben following behind.

Ana rushes up the stairs to meet her halfway. "Is Phil okay? Is everyone okay?"

Ember places her hand on Ana's shoulder. "Phil is just fine. Not happy, but fine. I've got him contained in one of the bedrooms. Ryker and Axe are guarding the door, even though that's highly unnecessary ." She raises her voice for the last phrase and Ryker appears at the balustrade, looking down toward us.

"We know how powerful your magic is, little dove." Ryker grins at her. "Lord knows you've cast a potent spell over me—" he winks "—but you're still learning magic wielding, and there's a fucking demon in that room." He points behind him.

I plant myself at the bottom of the staircase. "What do you mean she's still learning?" I glare at Ember. We're putting our trust in this baby vampire, this witch, and she's a rank amateur?

Ember walks down another few steps until she's just two above me, evening up our eye levels. "Crusher, you and I need to talk."

My eyes narrow. "Talk? Why?" Vigilance tingles through every part of me. Or is the sensation part of her magic?

"You said you wanted to cross through the portal." The small vampire looks straight at me, her eyes revealing no hint of deception. "I'd like to discuss that."

"Good idea." Ana steps down to the stair Ember's on. "Let's talk it through. Me? I don't think he should come."

Ember turns toward her. "I'd like to have a word with Crusher alone, if that's okay."

Ana shrugs. "I suppose…"

Flame stops examining some modern looking statue on the landing above us and turns. "Crusher," he says. "While you and Ember talk, Blade, Ana and I will check out the bedrooms."

Ana's cheeks flush, and she shifts on the stairs as if rubbing her thighs together, under her long gown. With just the word bedroom, she's ready. My cock aches with envy.

"I'm not leaving Ana alone." I fold my arms over my chest.

"She won't be alone," Blade says.

"My magic will hold Phil." Ember tries to reassure me with her eyes.

"I'll be fine." Ana strokes my arm, and a powerful boost of love and energy surges through me. She hasn't touched me like this, since she found out about Timur.

And I don't want to argue with her. Beginner or not, it was Ember's magic that stopped Phil when he attacked Ana, and she kept him contained on the plane, so we didn't require two jets. I trust Ember right now. As much as I ever trust anyone.

"What do you want to talk about?" I ask her.

"Let's chat on the roof," she answers. "The view is amazing."

I glance toward Ana, but she's staring into Flame's eyes, and Blade has joined them. Looking at their expressions, their postures, it's not difficult to guess what the three of them will be up to soon.

Ember brushes Ana's arm as we pass them. "Perhaps you three should check out the spa and pool in the basement? Or use a bedroom down there? If you stay a few stories apart, there's less chance a certain someone—" she tips her head toward the top of the stairs "—will catch wind of…"

"Good idea," Ana answers.

"There's a pool ?" Blade's eyes widen like a little boy's.

"Zuben," Ember says. "Can you show these three around?"

"Certainly, cherished one." Zuben nods from where he's remained in the foyer this entire time. Then he gestures for Ana, Flame and Blade to follow him.

Zuben and Ember are acting like hosts, even though Ana arranged our accommodations. But Ember and her mates did arrive here first—along with Phil.

"Shall we?" Turning toward Ember, I gesture up the stairs. "You mentioned the roof?"

She smiles, and the two of us go up a level, and then head down the hall.

Ryker follows behind us, but Ember stops and turns toward him. "I need to talk to Crusher in private."

Ryker frowns, and then Axe arrives at his side, audibly growling.

"Guys," Ember shakes her head, and her long curly hair swings behind her. "I'll be fine. Isn't it obvious? This big guy only has eyes for Ana."

Her two mates nod, and regret floods inside me. My love for Ana is obvious, even to these vampires I've barely met, and yet she doesn't love me back.

I steel my resolve. Even if I can't regain Ana's trust, I need to protect her. And I need to cross that portal with her. It's time this witch gets on board with that program.

I follow Ana up another staircase, wooden this time but still grand, and it leads to another floor of rooms, at least four large bedrooms. In the corner of one is a winding wrought iron staircase that's barely wide enough to accommodate my shoulders.

At its top, an ornately decorated metal door opens to reveal the nighttime lights of Paris. I draw in a sharp breath. It's not my first time in this city, but past trips have always been on business, to complete some kind of mission, and I've never really seen the city from a vantage point like this. Never long enough to enjoy it anyway.

The Eiffel Tower's lights are flashing, making a spectacle of themselves, and many other tourist spots are flooded with lights that make them easy to spot. Even the Seine is sparkling, reflecting all the surrounding lights.

Ember leans against the stone railing. "Isn't it amazing!"

"Is it your first time in Paris?" I ask her, acting as if this view is no big deal for me.

Grinning, she nods. "Until recently, I'd never been outside of Pennsylvania. Barely outside of my house to be honest, and never at night." She beams as she takes in the view. "The four of us have talked about traveling, but Axe isn't keen, and I suppose now that I'm a vampire, we have lots of time ahead to do it." Her eyes fill with wonder. "I don't know how much Ana's told you, but I haven't been a vampire very long."

"No one needed to tell me."

"Oh, right." Ember nods.

If she's still learning magic, it's clear that being a vampire is still new to her too. Her status as a baby is beyond obvious.

"What did you want to discuss?" I ask somewhat brusquely. As gorgeous as it is up here, I'd rather be closer to Ana, making sure that she's safe.

"Before we start," Ember says. "I need to cast a spell of privacy around us."

I frown. "Why?" I hate magic. Probably because I don't understand it, but still… She's a witch. She could do anything to me.

"If you're serious about crossing the portal, there are things you need to know, things the others can't hear." Her volume drops on that last phrase, going so low I wonder if she mouthed the words. But I feel no sense of avarice or deception from this woman. And Ana trusts her.

"Okay."

Nerves scramble inside me as she creates light out of nowhere, an electric ball so bright it rivals the lights of the surrounding city. Then, lifting her arms, she drapes the light over us, but it disappears into the ether.

"Guess it didn't work?" She is a beginner.

"Oh, it worked." She smiles. "No one can hear what we're saying now. Not even vampires. Not even if someone were standing two feet away."

I lean back against the railing. I couldn't care less if her magic is working. My intention to cross through the portal isn't a secret. And nothing she can say will talk me out of it.

"So." Standing not far from me, she leans one arm on the railing. "If you're still serious about crossing, I think it's a good idea."

I blink, startled that I won't have to argue.

"But there are some things you should know."

"Secret things?" I narrow my eyes. "I don't keep anything from my brothers. Or from Ana."

She tips her head to the side. "There are things Phil can't know—or rather, the demon can't know—but there are some things I don't want to tell Ana, either."

I frown. "I'm not keeping anything from her."

She lifts her chin. "Don't decide that, until you hear what I've got to say."

Turning toward her, I plant my feet solidly and cross my arms over my chest. "Let's hear it, then."

She draws a long breath. "I barely know where to start."

"How about the beginning?" She's the one who wanted this fucking chat, and now she expects me to direct it?

"I guess the bottom line is—" she glances out toward the city view, then back toward me "—crossing through this portal, with or without a demon, will be unbelievably dangerous. And I need you to go with Ana, to make sure she has at least a chance to get back."

I nod. I face danger all the time. And of course I'll make sure Ana gets back.

"You understand the importance of getting that demon into its rightful realm, correct?"

I shrug. "Blade's pretty worked up about it."

"He's right to be." Fear fills Ember's eyes and she shakes her head. "Zuben showed me some images of what might happen on earth if that demon gains power. But based on what my council told me, those images barely scratch the surface." She swallows, hard. "Evil exists in our world, we all know that, but our world is predominantly good. Only the most deviant amongst us enjoys hurting others."

I nod. That tracks, even in my line of business, where I see more than my fair share of what she calls deviants.

"But if the demon gains power," Ember continues, "that balance will flip. Evil will spread like an infectious disease, advancing rapidly over the earth. Tumors of malice will metastasize in everyone's minds. Torture, murder, rape. They'll become as common as eating and sleeping. No one will be able to fight the pull toward the dark."

She's exaggerating. She's got to be. But her earnest expression tells me she believes this.

I've seen how Phil's behaved and saw how easily the demon controlled those DEFTA vampires up on that rooftop. Not to mention the silver cock cage that Rasputin planned to drive into Ana. Even without believing evil could spread on a global scale, I do know the demon can make others act against their wills.

"Sounds bad," I say, because she seems to be waiting for a response.

"That's why we need to get Phil out of this realm, and as soon as possible." Ember's voice is shaking. "The demon is taking him over, and the survival of the entire world is at stake."

She believes what she's saying. And if she's right…

My unease and distrust are usurped by determination to complete this mission. Not only must I protect Ana, I need to save the world.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Go with them," she says. "And bring Ana back."

"That's all?" She's asking me to do something I already planned.

She glances down, then up again. "The Council of Magic Keepers thinks Ana will fail."

My gut contracts. "Fail? Why?"

"First, she doesn't have the right weapon. Contrary to what I said to the others, the council did not agree with my theory about the translations mixing up dagger with sword. They think the dagger you have was forged by the same weapon maker as the sword she needs, but they don't think it will kill the demon."

"So, we find this sword before we go. Is it in Paris?"

She shakes her head. "It's not in this realm."

I frown. "We need to find it over there ?"

With a shaky hand, she brushes some hair behind her ear. "I don't know what you'll face on the other side, not exactly, but I do know it won't be pleasant. You won't want to stay long. And searching for a weapon? That would be worse than a needle in a haystack. More like a speck of stardust in the milky way."

She's exaggerating again. And she has no idea how determined I am. We'll find this sword. We'll kill this demon.

"Anything else?"

She nods. "Once you've crossed, the demon will gain even more power over Phil."

"What do you mean more power?"

"Let's say that right now, Phil is roughly eighty percent himself and twenty percent the demon?"

"I'd say ninety/ten."

"Okay." She shakes her head. "But whatever that ratio is now , it will be reversed over there. The demon will still want Ana, and he'll still want to cross back to our world once he has her. And you won't be able to trust anything he says."

My throat goes dry, but I regain my composure. "I can protect Ana. Plus, I know Phil. Whatever happens, I'll know if I can trust him."

She shakes her head, but then sighs, as if she doesn't see the point in fighting me on this. Good. Neither of us can prove we're right. And I like that Ember's being reasonable about it. She knows when a debate can't be won.

"So, for arguments sake," I say slowly, "let's say we find the sword, does it really need to be Ana who wields it?" That part of this yarn seems ridiculous. I've already been planning to stab Phil for Ana. Doing that would kill her.

"It has to be Ana," Ember's eyes fill with sorrow. "Only the marked one, wielding the marked weapon can slay this demon."

"Fine." I still don't believe that.

She shifts her position. She's frightened. "But that's not everything."

"Tell me then."

"Let's say we go along with your list of hypotheticals." She shakes her head like that part is already impossible. "Let's say you three survive the crossing. And let's say, by some miracle, Ana stumbles onto the sword that she needs, or that the dagger does work…"

She looks down, then back up at me again. "Let's say all those highly unlikely things do happen. And then, let's say she manages to get close enough to Phil to stab his liver." She pauses and looks directly into my eyes. "Even if Ana does slay this demon, Phil will die too."

My entire body freezes, but I quickly thaw the fear. "Phil is a vampire. The wound's gonna hurt. He might go down, but he can survive liver damage." He has before.

"I'm not talking about the liver damage." Ember draws a long breath. "I'm talking about the stake he took through his heart."

My own heart stops beating. Everyone, including Phil, believes the stake only nicked his heart, but I was there. I know. As much as I've been trying to talk myself out of it, Phil was dead.

"Once the demon stops keeping Phil alive," Ember continues. "Once the demon no longer needs Phil's body…"

I stiffen, trying to control the tremor rising inside me.

"Phil saw what happened to Rasputin," she says softly. "The moment the demon chose Phil's body over Rasputin's, his form reverted to what it would have been naturally. Rasputin—his body—was a hundred and fifty years old. Without the demon's help, he was instantly dead and turned into dust."

"But Phil is a vampire."

"A vampire who was staked through the heart."

Turning, I lean on the balustrade and look out at the lights of Paris, trying to process everything Ember has said. If I hold any of this back from Ana, she'll never forgive me, but that's basically where things stand between us anyway.

And I'm starting to agree with Ember. Ana can't know this.

"Promise me you won't tell her," Ember says, as if reading my mind. "She needs to get Phil over there. And I need you to make sure she gets back."

I nod, stiffly.

"But I also need you to understand that it's very possible that none of the three of you will ever return."

I turn back toward her.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could offer you more assurances, but we really have no idea what you'll face over there. I know the mechanics of how to open and close the portal, but not much beyond that."

"You're still learning magic." I remember Ryker's words from earlier. "Call someone. We need a more experienced witch."

She shakes her head. "No living magic keeper has experience with portals. I made the same argument to the council, and they assured me that I have all the tools I need."

My hands grip the balustrade so tightly I worry the sandstone will crumble.

Ember touches my arm. "Please, Crusher. Phil is doomed. No matter what, you can't save him. But it's essential you get him over there and get Ana back. She won't return willingly without him."

That's for fucking sure.

Pushing back from the balustrade, I stand straight and turn to face the witch.

"Let's do this. When do we go?"