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Maybe it was time to take a dose of my own bitter medicine. I allowed the tears to fall. Fat, hot drops rolled down my cheeks. Sobs made my throat ache and my stomach cramp. I gripped the amulet until the metal cut into the skin. But that pain paled in comparison to the deep ache of Maisie’s loss. The void she left behind haunted me like a phantom limb.
“Maisie,” I whispered brokenly. “Gods, I’m so sorry.”
My left shoulder warmed. It wasn’t the warning sting I’d felt right before Asclepius arrived, but almost like a comforting hand’s weight. Maybe it was just some trick of my mind born from a longing for connection. As much as I liked to believe my sister was communicating with me from the grave, I knew better than to indulge in the fantasy.
Maisie was dead. Period. And mixed with the pain of loss was an all-consuming guilt. Because no matter what anyone said, I felt responsible for what had happened to my sister. If only I’d seen the signs earlier. If only I’d intervened faster. If only I’d killed Cain before he’d killed her.
The irrational side of me whispered that it didn’t matter that killing Cain would have doomed us all. Given Cain’s murderous track record, I wasn’t so sure any of us would survive, anyway. It was only a matter of time before he killed again. And now that he knew how to hurt me, he’d go after each person I loved until I gave him what he wanted.
To make things worse, I’d just found out that in order to get to Cain, I’d first have to get through my father. Gods, how f**ked up was that? The very idea of meeting the man who was responsible for my birth and the subsequent punishments I’d faced for carrying his blood in my veins made me nauseous. I had no interest in knowing that bastard. But if I wanted to save everyone, I’d eventually have to deal with dear old dad so I could finally ask the questions that needed to be asked.
Chapter 8
I was dreaming again.
I hadn’t had much sleep in the last three nights, so the fact that I was able to rest long enough to enter the REM state should have been a positive thing. But my subconscious had ulterior motives.
Maisie stood in the Sacred Grove at the mage estate in Sleepy Hollow. She wore the ceremonial chiton that identified her as the Hekatian Oracle, and she stood in front of the old stone altar in the center of the clearing. For some reason, a peacock in full display was strutting around in the background. I ignored the bird and focused on my sister.
“Maisie?” I whispered. She looked so… alive. So vibrant and healthy. So unlike the gaunt specter who haunted my waking hours in the months before she was murdered.
When I arrived, my sister smiled widely and raised her arms to greet me. I ran to her, wanting to believe her death had been the nightmare and this dream was reality. Soon, her arms were around me and I breathed in her copper and sandalwood scent. Felt her warmth and heard her pulse.
“I thought you were dead.” The words squeezed out of my tight throat in an agonized whisper.
She ignored that and pulled back to look me in the eye. “There’s no time for that. I’ve had a vision.”
My stomach tightened. From the sound of her voice, this prophecy wasn’t going to be positive. Not that they ever were anymore. “Tell me.”
She stepped back and took a deep breath. I crossed my arms to brace myself for the news. “The Great Goddess Hekate has blessed me with a vision. I have painted the symbols and am ready to deliver my interpretation.”
In her role as Oracle, Maisie had prophetic dreams and then took those images and painted them to interpret the message the gods were sending her.
I nodded to encourage her to continue, but the scene shifted. Suddenly, hundreds of other beings filled the space. In fact, the area looked almost exactly as it had the night of the botched peace treaty signing in New York.
Over to the side, a black dog entered the clearing. I instantly recognized the animal as Asclepius. He didn’t approach me, though, just hung off to the side, watching the proceedings.
On a raised dais behind Maisie, High Councilman Orpheus, Despina Tanith Severinus, and Queen Maeve watched over the proceedings like judges. Behind me, mages, vampires, faeries, werewolves, and a smattering of demons waited to hear my sister’s verdict. I frowned. Why did I suddenly feel like I was on trial?
Maisie didn’t seem bothered by the sudden appearance of so many observers. She raised her arms and called out in a loud, clear voice, “I will be murdered.”
Gasps filled the clearing. I frowned, confused. Time tangled in on itself.
“I know the identity of my killer,” Maisie continued in a dire voice. She paused dramatically. In real life, Maisie had been murdered by Cain. But I suddenly had a very bad feeling that his name was not the one on her lips. “Sabina Kane!”
“No!” I yelled. “It was Cain!”
But my denials were lost among the outraged shouts of the dark race leaders and the angry boos and growls from the crowd. Suddenly, the mass of beings swarmed me. Rough hands pulled my clothes, my hair. Sharp nails scratched my face. Someone punched me in the gut. There were too many of them, so all I could do was cover my head with my arms and scream impotent pleas for mercy.
Over the cacophony, Maisie’s voice rang out loud and clear. “How could you do it, sister? How could you kill me?”
“It wasn’t me!” I screamed.
My attackers knocked me to the ground. I blinked through the blood running in my eyes and saw a feminine figure standing over me. At first, I thought it was Maisie come to do me in. But Maisie didn’t have midnight-black hair. Plus, the instant the female appeared, all of my attackers backed away and bowed like they were in the presence of royalty—or a goddess.
“Lilith?” I whispered.
The Great Mother’s lush red lips spread into a seductive smile. “Finally, you’re mine.”
She pulled back her lips, revealing black metal fangs.
Time slowed. Lilith launched at me, her fangs aimed at my jugular. In a flash, my entire life passed through my mind’s eye. All the beings I’d killed. Everyone I’d hurt and betrayed. Every mistake I’d ever made, every lie.
I wanted to close my eyes but couldn’t. A scream ripped from my chest an instant before the fangs broke my—
I woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. My heart galloped in my chest. Cold sweat glued my clothes to trembling limbs.
Beside me, Adam turned over restlessly. I wiped my brow and glanced toward the window. Dim light shone through the black curtains. Judging from the weakening pressure on my solar plexus, it was close to dusk.
