A Clash of Storms (A Shade of Vampire #50)(13)

Damion had visited us the night before, informing us that Azazel would come see us first thing in the morning to inquire about any visions we’d had. I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell him anything, and neither were Phoenix and Vita. The only things coming out of our mouths would be lies, and he couldn’t prove otherwise anyway.

Azazel had been right about one thing, though. Sooner or later, the liquid in our spheres was going to push us into visions. In fact, I could feel its effect on my senses, as my limbs softened and my breathing slowed.

“Guys, I’m starting to slip.” I gasped as I realized that I was drifting into a vision.

Phoenix and Vita had fallen asleep in the early hours of the morning, but instantly opened their eyes at the sound of my muffled voice. They both moved closer and watched me as I went under.

“I’ll be back in a jiff,” I mumbled as the darkness enveloped me.

I found myself somewhere inside Azazel’s castle, judging by the black marble flooring and walls. It was a residential room, fully furnished with ebony tables and dressers, golden satin curtains and bedding, and decorated with massive gold-framed paintings and intricately molded brass candelabras. My first instinct was to look out the tall windows, and when I did I noticed the gaping distance to the ground—I was somewhere on the top floor, or at least very close to the top, from what I could tell from this angle.

I turned around and saw Nova, the little Daughter, emerging from the en-suite bathroom. She looked so fragile and weak in her black velvet dress, it broke my heart. Her skin was pale, and dark circles had settled around her violet eyes. Her reddish pink hair had been fashioned into a tight bun, and the little ruby pendant still hung around her neck.

She looked down at it, then rubbed her face and scoffed before she took it off and tossed it on the floor. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed by the side of the bed, whimpering as she swallowed back tears.

“Oh, darling, if you take that off, you’ll be even weaker.” Azazel’s voice poured in from the doorway, freezing the blood in my veins.

I instinctively took a step back, wondering if he was still using that cheat spell to detect my presence during visions. He didn’t have a reason to do that anymore, though, as I was already here. He didn’t acknowledge me, just picked at an imaginary piece of lint from his shoulder. He’d switched to a black velvet shirt this morning, with a thick golden, bejeweled belt complementing the snake pendant that continued moving in its eight-loop.

Nova looked up at him and frowned, pulling herself up on the side of the bed.

“I hate you,” she muttered. “What have you done to me?”

“What, I’m not ‘Daddy’ anymore?” Azazel replied with a fake gasp, clearly mocking her.

“You were never my daddy. I know the truth now!” she spat. “You’re just using me!”

“Of course I’m just using you. Don’t be ridiculous.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes, as if he couldn’t muster enough patience to deal with her.

“What did you do to me?!” she cried out, leaning against the bed, unable to stand on her own.

Azazel slithered across the room and scooped her up in his arms, then immediately planted her on the bed. He then picked the ruby pendant off the floor and put it around her neck. She groaned and moved to take it off again, but Azazel’s hand gently settled over hers, and he sat next to her.

“If you take it off, you’ll feel a lot worse, darling.”

“What did you do to me?” she asked again, her voice weak, her breathing ragged. Her eyelids dropped slowly.

“It’s just a little counter-effect. The pendant draws your energy, and it now comes with an added failsafe spell to make sure you’re not too quick to take it off,” he replied, a little too sweetly for the content of his statement, making me squirm. “A little proprietary magic to keep you in line.”

Anger made me simmer on the inside—the sneer on his face was an open invitation for me to grab the nearest blunt object and ram it down his throat. I took a deep breath instead, reminding myself that I had no power over this situation.

Nova couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. Azazel wore a theatrical pout as he wiped one off her cheek, then stood and moved toward the door.

“I’m only trying to look out for you,” he said. “Obviously I’m using your power, because why not? But believe me when I say that I’m the closest thing to family you’ll ever have. Whatever the little fae told you is a lie, Nova, and your sisters can’t even be bothered to get to you, anyway.”

“You’re the one who’s lying!” she shot back, fury glistening in her eyes. “I see my sisters in my dreams every night. They’re always trying to reach out to me, but they can’t! Vita said it’s because you forced me to hatch too soon. You’re a bad, bad person!”

Azazel scoffed and opened the door.

“Whatever you say, dear.” He grinned. “It doesn’t change the fact that you’re mine, whether you like it or not.” He slammed the door behind him.

Nova caved in and hid her face in one of the embroidered pillows. My stomach churned at the sight of Azazel’s despicable behavior, but I found some comfort in the thought that Jovi was on his way to get Nova. For that, however, he needed a precise location.

I ran to the door and passed through it like the ghost I was, to check the hallway and figure out which room she was in. I shuffled around until I knew exactly where Jovi would find her in the east wing, memorizing as many details as possible to pass on to him later.