A Passage of Threats Read online

  “Can I put it on you?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  His hands reached around the back of my neck as I lifted my hair in a careless handheld bun. His fingers brushed my skin as they clasped the silver chain in place, sending shivers down my spine. His fingers followed the chain to the front, moving slowly past my collarbones to touch the turquoise stone.

  My breathing staggered as a familiar warmth spread through my body. His silvery eyes kept me still. He frowned, a muscle jumping in his lower jaw as he lowered his head.

  I gazed up at him towering in front of me.

  “It looks beautiful,” he said. “But it’s nothing without you. It’s just a stone.”

  I smiled as my hand reached his face, touching his cheek. His body heat seeped through me, and he leaned into my touch, closing his eyes to enjoy the moment. When he opened them, I felt the full force of his incubus nature unwinding, enveloping me in smooth threads of desire and something else, something far more profound and not so easy for me to understand.

  My head felt light as he took a small step forward and completely closed the distance between us. I inhaled deeply in response, unable to utter a word.

  “You’ll have to forgive me, Vita,” he whispered, “but I can’t take it anymore.”

  His incubus nature continued amplifying its effect on me. I felt myself on the verge of unraveling into millions of particles. My tongue moved slowly over my lower lip, and I swallowed back the last of my reserve regarding intimacy with him.

  “Forgive what, Bijarki, when I can barely hold my own whenever I’m close to you?”

  His gaze softened as his mouth possessed mine, taking me away from the palpable and throwing me into a whirlpool of delightful chills and addictive heatwaves. His hands moved up as he held my face and deepened the kiss, his tongue working mine with masterful precision.

  I knew, right then and there, that he would be my future and my very undoing—and there was no other way I would’ve wanted it. I wrapped my arms around his neck and lifted myself on my toes, leaning into him.

  I was tender against him, and his strong muscles felt as though they’d been carved in marble. My pulse thudded through my veins, sending waves of hot and cold at the same time, confusing my senses and throwing me even closer to the edge. His fingers traveled slowly down my neckline and shoulders and settled on the small of my back.

  His kiss turned hungry. His teeth grazed my lower lip as he slowly lifted me off the ground. I felt weightless as he turned us around, shutting the bedroom door with his foot and setting me on the bed in front of him without parting his lips from mine. His breathing was erratic as his mouth moved down my chin, licking and nipping his way down to my shoulder.

  It was so right, so perfect. I completely removed myself from reality and prayed to all the gods for Bijarki to be able to feel everything that he was making me feel in this moment and beyond. He stopped for a second to look at me, desire glimmering in his eyes as his fingers brushed one of the straps off my shoulder.

  “You are the single most incredible part of my life, Vita, and it’s come to a point where I cannot imagine living without you anymore.” His husky voice sent tremors directly into my soul.

  I touched his lips, losing myself in his gaze and taking the final leap of faith toward him.

  “I’m hopelessly in love with you,” I whispered.

  His eyes opened wide, and a dizzying array of emotions flickered in his irises, of which I was somehow able to recognize the predominant one like a flare in the middle of a pitch-black night.

  “Good,” he smiled, “because I fell for you the moment I first laid eyes on you, little fae, and it is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating.”

  He kissed me, this time unleashing the passion that had been brewing between us for days. I allowed myself to fall back on the bed, and Bijarki followed. My core heated up and expanded like a young sun. His body covered mine, and his hands roamed all over, taking in every line and curve they encountered until they reached the hem of my gown.

  I responded to his kiss, my fingers digging into his firm shoulders as he lifted the fabric up to my thighs. His touch on my bare skin pushed me so close to the edge, I could feel the earth disappearing from beneath us. He groaned and pulled himself up, looking down at me, his bedroom eyes making my heart flutter in my chest.

  He lifted the dress further, and I raised my arms above my head as he removed it completely and threw it on the floor. He didn’t move for a while, looking at me and taking all of me in as if admiring a painting. His adoration ignited an uncontrollable blaze in my core, making it impossible for me to control my ragged breathing.

  We were utterly in love, gazing at each other under the moonlight.

  “I never thought I’d be fortunate enough to have you here with me,” he breathed.

  I sat up, ready to take this to the next level and hopefully reach the stars with my incubus. He watched quietly as I unbuttoned his shirt. His knuckles moved up and down my arms. I removed the fabric from his broad torso and set him free. His skin perfectly stretched over toned muscles, each delightfully mine to play with.

  Bijarki then took me in his arms and pressed me deeper into the bed. I whimpered under his grip. His fingers dug into my flesh, as the tension built to impossible levels. His skin on mine was pure bliss, as we kissed and discovered each other inch by inch, late into the night.

  “I’m yours,” I managed to say as his mouth claimed my neck, slowly moving down and tasting everything he could before reaching my navel.

  I ran my fingers through his hair as he took me higher. We lost ourselves as our bodies and souls demanded that we become one complete being. His hands took mine and stretched my arms upward. I pushed my chest forward. He exhaled sharply and ravaged me with a deep, mind-shattering kiss.

  Everything else disappeared. The world dematerialized, atom by atom, as our physical forms fused and our spiritual beings intertwined. I felt him deep in my heart, like a flame burning hotter with each minute. The universe spiraled into nothingness as his voice guided me further away from the edge of reason.

  I gasped out his name, and he held me tight as we exploded and dissolved into cosmic stardust. His love rippled through me, and I felt tears streaming down my face, this time tears of sheer joy, a rapture I never thought I’d ever experience, a slice of divinity that I didn’t know existed.

  “And I am yours,” he whispered in my ear.

  I looked him in the eyes and kissed him for the millionth time—or more. I’d lost track.

  “Good,” I breathed, my lips on his.

  “Don’t let go,” he said as he took me higher, his touch setting wildfires through me that only his mouth was capable of putting out.

  He whispered my name over and over, until I felt him surrender and break down, shuddering in my arms as our love blossomed and brought us closer together, beyond the physical realm. His incubus nature amplified everything, making each second seem like an eternity, and we both wanted as many eternities as we could possibly get.

  I didn’t let go. I couldn’t bear to leave him. My skin belonged on his. My heart was locked in his. He held me close for a while, our bodies naked and glistening with pure elation, our souls victims of euphoria.

  We weren’t ready to come down. We didn’t want to. Reality could wait. I was in no rush.

  Aida

  I’d dozed off for a couple of hours, but opened my eyes when I felt Vita leave and sneak out. That old mattress was not able to keep a secret.

  I was staring out the window, enjoying the night sky in its full splendor when a cold wave hit me.

  My body froze, my muscles stiff as the world began to spin uncontrollably. Ice cluttered my veins as the image before me dissolved into darkness, and I slipped into a vision.

  I stood in Azazel’s chamber. I recognized the setting, the polished black marble, the sumptuous furniture, and the disturbing green fires hanging overhead. He was sitting in a tall chair, his elbows on the ar
mrests as his serpent tail twitched.

  The gold snake pendant moved incessantly, its ruby eyes spelling nothing but disaster.

  My heart jumped in my throat. What if he could see me? I watched him for a while until I decided to try something. I had to make sure this was a regular vision and not another living nightmare.

  “Hey, you,” I muttered, waiting for a reaction.

  He didn’t even look my way.

  “You’re a slimy slithering bastard. Did you know that?”

  Still, nothing. Relief washed over me as I confirmed this to be a plain vision. If anyone would have told me a month earlier that I’d worry over the palpability of a vision as a part of my daily routine, I would have slapped them silly. And yet, I was pleased to have the certainty that he couldn’t see, hear, or even feel me. I had a lot to tell him.

  “You are an embarrassment to your entire species,” I said, gritting my teeth. “You’re an embarrassment to the entire planet. Nope, the galaxy. Nope. Let’s go with the whole universe. You are sick. You are twisted. You’re a frustrated garden variety snake who somehow got his filthy little tail wrapped around way too much mojo and decided he was better than everyone else. I root for the day you finally drop to the floor, lifeless. And I don’t say this lightly. I’ve never wished death upon anyone but you. You! You should really just drop dead.”

  I took a few steps forward, emboldened by my own anger.

  “Just. Die,” I added. “Die. Right now. Drop dead. Come on, you can do it. Just stop breathing. Die!”

  The doors opened behind me, startling me. I squealed and jumped back a couple of feet, as two Destroyers slithered in, carrying a massive passage stone. Green fires threw reflections off its obsidian surface. They struggled with it until they managed to put it down without tipping it over.

  “Careful,” Azazel barked. “Many succubi died for this to be here.”

  He grinned as he said that and stood up, bringing himself closer to it.

  As his fingers touched it, sliding down slowly, I broke into a cold sweat. I knew where that stone had come from.

  “Get Patrik and four others and bring them to me. I have an errand for them,” he hissed.

  Everything went dark before I could hear anything else. I cursed under my breath as I slipped away into another vision. My Oracle abilities were still just as surprising as they were infuriating.

  I was back in the dungeons, right in front of Kyana’s cage. I looked around nervously, certain that I would see Patrik soon enough. These visions had started to follow a predictable pattern, based on what I wanted to see and on the urgency of each event occurring in the present.

  This is a completely unexpected session, so it must be important.

  Kyana sat up at the sound of metallic noises echoing from the corridor. I saw Patrik come in, a gloomy expression on his face. Their eyes met for a moment, before Kyana scoffed and looked away.

  “I can’t even bear to look at you,” she muttered.

  He stopped in front of her, his fingers wrapped around the black iron bars. I could hear sniffing and moaning nearby, as some of the captive creatures cried out in the dark.

  “Azazel has summoned me,” Patrik replied.

  “And?” she shot him a vicious glance.

  “And there’s a chance I may not return. We’re not sure what’s waiting at our destination. I came to say goodbye, just in case.”

  She took a deep breath and fiddled with a lock of her matted, platinum hair. Her golden yellow eyes flickered black for a second, and she looked away.

  “Best of luck to you. Snake.”

  “Kyana,” Patrik brought his face closer to her cage. “Everything I have ever done, it was for you. You, and you alone. Hate me all you want, but I sold my soul to the devil so you could live.”

  She didn’t reply, but I could see her frowning as her lower lip trembled.

  “If I could, I would let you out this very instant. I would take you far away where no one could ever hurt you, Kyana. But I cannot. My body, my will, they’re not mine just yet. Every time my fingers reach for the lock, the pain becomes unbearable. I am trying, though. I am working on making myself stronger. And one day, I will be strong enough to set you free.”

  She gave him a sideways glance, blinking several times.

  “Is this your farewell?” she asked, faking indifference even though the vein pulsing in her temple told me she was anything but indifferent.

  “It could very well be,” Patrik replied. “And if it is, if this is the last time I see you, Kyana, I want you to know that I love you. I have never stopped loving you. And when I die, I will die loving you.”

  His hand reached out to her between the bars, his knuckles gently brushing against her cheek. She stilled as he caressed her face for a few seconds. He cautiously withdrew his hand and slithered out of the dungeon.

  Kyana watched him disappear in the darkness of the corridor leading upstairs. When silence returned, she shuddered and burst into tears again. My heart felt like breaking once more at the sight of a creature tormented by love, grief, and captivity. I could only imagine how she felt, and I had absolutely no intention of experiencing any of these emotions in the near future.

  A sense of urgency came over me as I wondered if Patrik was on his way to meet Azazel.

  My third vision anticipated that very question. I found myself standing in Azazel’s chamber again. This time, he was in the company of five Destroyers, including Patrik, who’d just come through the giant double doors.

  Azazel clapped his hands, rubbing his palms with excitement. His grin turned my stomach upside down.

  “Everyone ready?” he asked.

  The Destroyers nodded, including Patrik, who glared at the passage stone.

  “What are we waiting for?” he replied.

  “Your tour guide.”

  Azazel’s reply chilled me to the bone, as the Oracle’s warnings suddenly came back, playing in a loop in my head. The passage stone could lead to the mansion if someone knew where our stone was beneath it. My heart went on a frantic rampage in my chest, as the obsidian surface began to ripple on its own.

  No.

  They all watched it quietly, waiting for someone to come out from the other side.

  Oh, no.

  A figure walked through the liquid black stone, and my knees nearly gave out as I recognized the Destroyers’ tour guide. The traitor. Shock and horror slammed into me.

  “Come on. It’s time,” Sverik said, standing before Azazel with a grim look on his face.

  “Excellent,” Azazel replied, then slapped Patrik on the back. “Go on! Go fetch me some Oracles!”

  Patrik nodded slowly and placed his hand on Sverik’s shoulder. The other Destroyers followed suit. They disappeared inside the passage stone, and I reached a hand out to stop them. But I was just a living ghost visiting the present. I could do nothing.

  Sverik was the traitor, and, from what I could tell, he was willing. No green flickers, no forced behavior. It was all him.

  No.

  As the stone resumed its cool black surface, my breathing intensified. Heat shot through my temples.

  “I have to warn them,” I gasped. “I have to wake up. I have to warn them.”

  I shook my head, trying to will myself back to consciousness, but nothing happened. I jumped around and shook my arms, then pinched myself repeatedly, but still, nothing. I was still there, standing next to Azazel in front of the passage stone, while Sverik and the Destroyers were most likely slithering into the mansion.

  Panic took over as I paced around the chamber, cursing under my breath and slapping myself in a desperate attempt to wake up. When that didn’t work, I tried pinching again.

  “Damn it,” I gasped. “Come on, wake up! Wake up! Wake up, Aida! Wake the hell up!”

  “It’s annoying when the visions don’t listen to you, isn’t it?”

  Azazel’s voice echoed toward me, stunning me.

  I stopped breathing, my eyes close t
o jumping out completely. I stared at him. He shifted his gaze from the passage stone to me, his eyes flaring that wretched green I’d grown too familiar with.

  He was looking right at me.

  Not through me. Not past me. Right. At. Me.

  A second passed, then another, and another. I didn’t flinch.

  “Why are you in such a rush to leave me, little Oracle?”

  Vita

  We were inseparable, our bodies molded perfectly to one another, hidden beneath the sheets. Neither of us wanted to fall asleep. We prolonged our bliss for as long as possible. His sweet whispers echoed in my heart. His declaration of love and his heart echoed in my soul. Why would I ever want this to stop?

  Bijarki was the first to drift away after putting a pair of shorts on, his breathing soft and even on my face. I figured I wasn’t too far behind, so I quickly slipped back into my nightgown and hid under the cover, cuddling in his arms as he groaned, kissed my temple, and sank deeper into his dream state.

  I watched him sleep, taking in his every feature, memorizing every line and sharp edge. I relaxed in the warmth of his body, thinking that maybe, just maybe, we’d be okay. That no one would tear us apart. That we’d live through this till the very end, and we’d ride off into the sunset victoriously one day, just the two of us.

  But I couldn’t shake that nasty feeling. That lingering chill that something was not right.

  My gaze darted around the room, from the open window that allowed the nighttime chill to cool us, to the candle flickering on the dresser. This wasn’t the bedroom from which I’d be taken. It was a different room, and yet, my stomach still tightened.

  A thud downstairs made me freeze.

  Silence followed for what seemed like forever compressed in a handful of seconds.

  The wooden door exploded inward, splinters flying every which way.

  Destroyers spilled into the room.

  I screamed.

  Bijarki jumped upright as the vision I’d predicted began to unfold way too quickly. They hadn’t come through the window, but the horror was the same.