Davina (Davy Harwood #3)(12)

Images flew at me, of Jiyama as a child. The first time she found a dead body, but it wasn’t dead. It was Lucan. She poked it and kicked at his foot. He rolled over and her heart stopped. Then she yelled for her father and his men picked up the weird man’s body and took him home with them. There was another image when she was older, twelve maybe. She sat at a bonfire and was trying to stitch something together. Lucan sat beside and showed her how to do it. He was gentle, patient, and kind.

He wasn’t the Lucan that I knew.

Then she grew older. Lucan was always with them. He taught her many things about the other world, how to read in other languages except for one. English. He showed her books, and as she read them every night, they were from the human world. He told her nothing of the other vampire species. And then he was gone.

My last image was when she stood and watched him go. He gave her a gentle smile and kissed her cheek. Jiyama wrapped both her arms around him and lifted high on her tiptoes. She pressed against him and told him in their language that she loved him. He swept back her hair and promised he’d come back. Then he kissed her on the mouth.

As I hurled around inside of her, I couldn’t believe this was the Lucan I knew. If he’d been like that with me, I might’ve fallen in love, too.

Okay—reality check. I shuddered. That would’ve never happened.

“He is not the monster you feel he is.”

I jerked my eyes back to her. Our hands were still clasped together. The Immortal was back inside of me and purring like a cat that had gotten the cream, and Jiyama’s eyes had a white rim around them now. They’d been so dark before.

“You don’t know how I know him.” My eyes were darting all over. Did she know? Could she read my mind now? I didn’t like this one bit.

Her mouth tightened. “You have an incredible power inside of you. Our magic comes from the earth. Yours come from the life itself. It is a new power, no one is aware it exists.”

“Except for all the thread-holders before me.”

She tilted her head to the side and chewed on a lip. “What are you concerned for?”

“You want a quick answer or the real one?”

“You fear Lucan.”

“He’s not good, Jiyama.”

She stepped back. When our hands let go, the connection was gone. It was instant, and I reeled inside from it. The Immortal blared again, angry once more. She wanted the connection back.

“He’s good to me and my family.”

I grew silent. She didn’t want to hear about the real Lucan and from what I saw inside of her, what I felt—she was in love with him. It was powerful and it gripped her so tightly. Then the door burst open and Lucan strode inside.

“What are you doing in here, Jiyama?”

She turned and gave him a faint smile. “You shouldn’t have kept her from us.”

He drew up short and watched her warily.

“You want to know what he’s doing?”

“Davy—”

“He’s trying to kill me.”

Jiyama turned to me with intent eyes.

“He wants to take that power out of me, and if he succeeds, I’m dead. He doesn’t care. If he’s this good and great person, the one that you love so much, would he do that?”

“A man should be ruthless to protect his loved ones.”

I snorted. “Are you blind? Or just dumb? Your family saved his life. You have power in you that he wants. Of course, he’s not going to show you the real Lucan. He’s ruthless, but he’s also a psychopath. Every day his witches come in here and torture me. Every day.” I swung my gaze around. “And where’s Kates? Does she know about her? Why do I always smell her blood on you?”

“Enough!” Lucan growled as he launched himself at me. He ripped open the cage and was inside the next instant. His hands wrapped around my throat as he flew us against the back end. When the cage tipped over and his hands loosened a fraction, I shot my hand against his chest.

“Stop.”

Then everything halted.

My heart skipped a beat, and I blinked. Nothing moved. No one breathed, no one twitched. Nothing. I’d frozen time again and I turned toward Jiyama. Her eyes were wide, fearful, but her hands remained at her side.

She wasn’t scared. I wedged myself out of Lucan’s hold and edged closer to her. There was a look in her eyes, deep in them. Confidence. A shiver broke over me and something whispered in the back of my mind that I hadn’t uncovered the tip of the power inside of her. But from what I had seen and felt, it sent chills down my back.

“Uh . . .” Lucan’s finger cracked the air. He was fighting against the time freeze.

I didn’t have much more of it so I whirled around and was in the hallway. Everyone stood in place. I had done that. It hadn’t been contained to only my room. Then, with my heart pounding, a loud rushing sound in my ears, I stopped and tried to concentrate.

I needed to find the rest. Even Kates. The Immortal rattled inside of me. A small burst of air came from me. It formed a tiny cloud and as it started down the hallway, it bounced back to me. Slowly, with my heart pounding and my limbs shaking, I started to follow.

It took me down another hallway, through door after door, until a last one opened. A dark stairway led downstairs and I went down, weak in the knees. These were the moments when I needed Roane to hold my hand. He would know where to go, how to do it, and I would never feel my fear.