A Clash of Storms (A Shade of Vampire #50)(16)

I couldn’t wait to get out of here, to feel the ground beneath my feet and the wind in my hair and Field’s lips on mine. I could only imagine what he was going through in this moment, given my current condition. I wanted to reach out to him, but I knew he was out flying, surrounded by hostiles while waiting to give the signal. I was afraid I’d distract him, and I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to him because of me.

“Telluris Jovi!” I called out next, my heart skipping a bit at the sound of his voice.

“Hey, Sis!” I heard him gasping.

“Are you okay?” I stilled, holding my breath.

“Yeah, just lying on my belly on top of a faux flying horse ridden by an equally faux Destroyer, playing the damsel… I mean, the gentleman in distress,” he shot back sarcastically.

He was on his way to Luceria. That brilliant brother of mine was either going to save the day or get himself killed.

“Of course you are,” I muttered. “Listen, Bro, I have Nova’s location. East wing, seventh floor. It’s a master bedroom, the fifth on the left-hand side from the main hallway, toward the end of the corridor. The door’s different from the others, with gold embellishments around the handle, and there’s a potted miniature purple tree right next to it. Patrik and Thadeus will wait for you on the fifth floor, and then take you to Nova. I hope!”

“Whoa, whoa, Sis! Thadeus?”

“Yeah, long story short, Patrik helped him back to his Druid form.”

“Ah, good stuff!” he exclaimed. “Thanks, Sis! I’ll see you soon!”

“Be careful, Jovi!”

I put extra weight on those three words. I wanted to see my brother soon, in one piece. We had an evil maniac to bring down together.

I breathed in and relaxed my body in the clear liquid of my spherical prison, then glanced over at Vita and Phoenix, who had their arms crossed over their chests as they floated in their bubbles.

“Show’s about to start,” I murmured.

Indeed, it was all about to go down, and I prayed to all possible deities that it would go down with a loud and unforgettable bang, hard enough to wipe Azazel off the face of Calliope.





Jovi





I hunched over the shape-shifter horse’s back, the other shifter riding behind me in Destroyer form, guiding the creature toward Luceria. My wrists and ankles had been superficially bound together with loose rope to complete my “captive” look, while the pretend-Destroyer carried my satchel on its back. It had been given a sword and a shield to match the rest of the outfit.

The taste of Anjani’s goodbye kiss still lingered on my lips, and it was the one thing that gave me the strength I needed to pull this off as close to flawlessly as possible. Well, that and seeing my sister again, but Anjani had this long-lasting effect on me that was always difficult to ignore.

We flew over dark jungles and emerald-green hills, while Azazel’s castle grew taller with each mile. The sky was riddled with swarms of green fireflies that swirled around us, watching curiously. We ignored them and kept our trajectory clear toward the east wing. Thousands of incubi soldiers and Destroyers spread out on the ground surrounding the castle, their drums echoing and sending chills down my spine. Azazel was getting ready for war, only he didn’t know where we’d hit from first.

“Whatever you do, don’t look straight at them. The less you engage them, the better,” I said to the shifters. “And hurry up—this is getting uncomfortable...”

The pretend-Destroyer nodded with a hiss, then tightened its serpent tail around the flying horse, making the creature neigh with discomfort and frantically flap its wide, white wings.

“Yeah, I think you got it!” I noted sarcastically.

Several Destroyers approached us, riding their pale winged companions. They hissed as they got closer, eyeing me curiously. It wasn’t exactly difficult for me to act like I hated them. I wore my best sullen prisoner look as I watched them circle us mid-flight.

“What’s that you got there?” one of them asked.

“Another prisoner for the dungeon?” another chimed in, grinning.

My shifter-Destroyer shook its head, grunting as it bared its long fangs, its long, forked tongue flitting in the air.

“This one’s a special delivery for Azazel,” it said, mimicking the voice of a Destroyer.

I couldn’t help but feel my heart swell with pride, like a papa bear watching his cubs catch fish up stream for the first time. Or like a daddy tiger witnessing his offspring’s first hunt. Primal and beautiful in its theatrical performance.

“Need help with him?” The first one cocked his head to one side.

My “captor” avoided eye contact, as I’d instructed him, beckoning the horse to fly faster and farther away from the horde.

“No, just a measly chunk of meat. I can handle him,” my shifter hissed, and waved them goodbye.

The horde didn’t insist. They shrugged and continued their elliptical flight around Luceria, while we headed for the east wing.

“You know, where I’m from,” I said after a minute, the strong wind in my face making it hard to talk and breathe, “they give awards for best acting performances.”

Neither shifter responded to that—they were focused on the large window on the fifth floor that waited just a dozen or so feet away. This was going to be a literal crash landing, so I loosened my restraints, tossing the rope away.