Born in Blood (The Sentinels #1)(60)

His words caught Callie off guard. “You’re going back to see Myst?” she demanded, recalling the fragile beauty of the scribe.

Was it possible that the stoic Sentinel had been smitten?

She wouldn’t begrudge him an opportunity for a bit of happiness. He’d sacrificed far too much for her. But she couldn’t deny a sense of disappointment for Serra.

The beautiful psychic would be devastated if Fane chose another.

“No.” He tapped her nose—a silent warning to keep it out of his personal business. “I know a monk who has studied the Sumerians.”

Ah. She grinned in relief. “He isn’t Sumerian, is he?” she demanded. Monks were rumored to live as long as any high-blood.

Another tap. “It’s not polite to ask”

She stepped back, her smile fading. “Be careful, Fane. You’re not as invincible as you think.”

“Yes, I am” He held her gaze. “I’ll come for you first thing in the morning.”

“But—”

“Don’t push me.”

He took off, moving with a fluid grace as he led the medics up the bluff and away from the humans who gaped at him like he was a wild animal who might very well ravage them if he slipped his leash.

They weren’t wrong.

Zak was seated at his desk in his private library when the scent of blood had him lifting his head to watch as Anya stepped into the room.

For once she’d put aside her designer clothing and was covered from neck to toe in a black satin robe with her hair pulled into a tight braid that fell down her back. Zak was similarly attired, although his robe was made of a silver silk that would be disposed of once they were done.

Blood and death were a messy business.

“You have prepared the spell?”

She shrugged. “The blood has opened a pathway to our destination.”

He rose to his feet, unconcerned by the knowledge she’d had to sacrifice a young child to create the magic necessary to create a gateway.

It was, after all, the reason he’d first been attracted to Anya.

There were any number of witches and mystics among the Russian court, some of them even real. But Anya was special. Long before high-bloods had become known by the norms, she’d trained with a clandestine coven that had taught her magic that was long since banned. Including the ability to travel that was similar to a Sentinel, although she was drawn to objects with magical power instead of using well-established portals from monastery to monastery.

Which was how she first stumbled across the ancient ziggurat covered in hieroglyphics that was nearly buried in the deserts of Iran.

“Good,” he said, grim satisfaction edging his voice. “Then let’s go before my destiny can be once again snatched away.”

“Snatched away?” Her eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“A traitor.”

“A traitor?”

He arched a brow. “Did I stutter?”

“No, but—” Anya frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“Really? I should think it was obvious. Someone has betrayed me.” A chill swirled through the air. “Someone very close to me.”

“You can’t possibly suspect me? It would be ridiculous.”

“Don’t pretend moral outrage, Anya,” he warned in cold tones. “It doesn’t suit you.”

The witch clenched her bloodstained hands. “I have as much invested as you, Zak. Why would I devote my life to you only to become a traitor?”

He was far from impressed by her fierce response. Only an idiot would trust a woman who would willingly sell her soul to the highest bidder.

“And what do you have invested?” he drawled.

She sucked in an outraged breath. “I saved your life.”

“Maybe.”

“What do you mean? I pulled you from the flames.” Temper abruptly snapped in her emerald eyes. “It was my magic that kept your heart beating while your body healed.”

His own expression remained glacial. “You also promised a dozen times we were about to get your hands on the coin, only to discover that it had once again slipped from our grasp.”

She muttered a foul curse. “It was your bokors that failed, not my magic.”

His fingers stroked over the coin hidden in the pocket of his robe. Over the years he’d meticulously reviewed his failures to acquire the coin. He’d wasted enormous resources and risked exposure each time he raised the dead. The fact that they’d missed carrying out their mission by mere hours, sometimes minutes, had been enough to stir his suspicions.

“Hmm.”

Anya narrowed her gaze. “What?”

“The more simple explanation was that someone was warning the owners of the coin that I was on their trail.”

She appeared genuinely outraged by his words. “If you suspected I was a traitor then why did you allow me to stay with you?”

He shrugged. “I’ve always believed in the theory that it’s best to keep your enemies close.”

“This is insanity,” she hissed. “If it was me, then why wouldn’t I have warned Calso?”

“Perhaps you’re actually innocent. Or perhaps this is a cleverly constructed trap.” He shrugged. “Until I know which it is, I can assure you I will be on constant guard.” He offered a cold smile. “Now, are we traveling to the temple or not?”