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Lanterns lit the dim chamber. Nina didn’t know where she was but she made out a wooden dresser, a long mirror, and Kara pacing from her bed to someone. This must be her bedroom.
“Here. This is from your king.”
A man wearing a dark cloak, whose face she couldn’t see, handed Kara a red velvet pouch. His voice was almost a whisper so Nina wasn’t sure if she’d heard correctly.
Your king? Victus? Why would he send a soldier to do his bidding? Kara was like a sister to him. Victus trusted her with Nadira, and he would have spoken to her in person.
The man approached the wall, and Nina poised to run back.
Kara said, “I’m going with you.”
The man stopped and pivoted. “You can’t. He has released your sister from her duty and gave you diamonds and emeralds to set you up for the rest of your life. He has washed his hands of you.”
“But when Victus finds out I’m the one who handed Nadira to Asmodeus, he’ll have my head.”
Nina’s heart pounded and she covered her mouth with her hands to suppress a scream. What in the skies was she hearing? Shit! She shouldn’t be here and didn’t want to know this.
Go. Leave. Get out now!
Her legs wouldn’t obey. Nina had to know more. She ducked when Kara snapped her head toward her direction and narrowed her eyes, then looked away.
Kara hadn’t seen her, right? She couldn’t see through the walls or through tiny cracks on the ground, right?
“Don’t worry. No one will know, traitor.” His voice sounded mocking. “Besides, Victus, Markane, Abacus, and the rest of the vampire court will all be dead, along with some angel warriors Asmodeus wants to get rid of. Then he’s coming here to personally set this underground world on fire.”
Nina bit the inside of her palm. She didn’t trust Markane or Abacus, but Victus … she’d be dead if it weren’t for him. Besides his demand for a cure for vabies and his cold demeanor, he’d been nothing but protective.
“What is Asmodeus going to do with Evangeline?” Kara asked.
“Why?” He scoffed. “You don’t give a shit about her. And if you didn’t know, her real name is Joleen. A long story you need not know. Rafael, also known as Zander, Luke, Phillip, and so many names, can handle her, but that will depend on what Asmodeus figures out to do with him. Can you believe Rafael has been murdering his own kind just so he can be a king of his own territory? Little did he know that Asmodeus’s ego is bigger than this continent. I wouldn’t be surprised if Asmodeus double-crosses Rafael.”
“What of Nadira?” Kara asked. She sounded worried.
“Asmodeus will mold her as his weapon. Not only does she have Seraphim blood from Joleen, but also—”
“I know. I know. Vampire, demon, and magus.” Kara paced again from the mirror to the dresser. “I almost killed her. She accidently drank the water that contained the vabies virus Asmodeus gave to me. Asmodeus wanted me to spread the disease slowly. But I didn’t know Nadira had Eva’s blood. That would make her remarkable. No wonder Asmodeus wanted her. I just handed him the greatest weapon.”
“Joleen. Not Eva,” he corrected.
Kara grabbed a large cloth bag from under the bed and placed it on top of the blanket. “I-I-I have to get out of here, but first I have to take care of someone.” She went to the dresser and stuffed some clothes inside the bag. “No one can know what I’ve done. If Victus—”
Nina had heard all she needed to hear and ran back to her lab. It was too late to warn Victus and his court, but she could warn the people living underground. But would they listen to her? They might laugh and think she was crazy.
Perhaps Nina should run away too. Pack her bags and follow the tunnel. No matter the risk, she had to escape. One way or another, Asmodeus would come for the underground city after he killed Victus.
As her heart slammed against her rib cage, Nina took out a leather medical bag that once belonged to her father from a cabinet. She set it on a table next to large jars of eyeballs and vampire canines. She opened drawers to stuff in a few of the hematite cuffs and keys, some syringes, a pair of scissors, herbs, and bottles with a special concoction.
Hurry. Hurry. Hurry. Her mind raced, urging her to get out. She had to make sure she took everything she needed for she would never come back. If the underworld burnt down, she would lose everything.
Forget the clothes. Forget … no she couldn’t forget her father’s medical journal. Just as she moved through the curtains to the other room, Kara walked in. Her gaze pinned on Nina’s bag.
Nina’s heart thundered and her bag suddenly weighed more than she could handle. Kara rarely visited her. So why was she here? Could she tell Nina spied on her?
Kara had said she was going to leave so perhaps she needed a few things to take with her on the road. Perhaps she wanted some medical tools or herbs? Or she planned to kill Nina before she left.
“Going somewhere?” Kara’s pitch dipped, sounding mocking.
Think. Think of something to say.
