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The first burst of cold fear slammed into my gut. I’d assumed it would be like the mage rite to remove my magic. But I should have known better. Vampires enjoyed making others suffer. They’d make this as painful as possible.
The ancient who hadn’t spoken once since our arrival stepped forward and handed me the apple. “Do I have to eat it all?” I asked.
She smiled like a serial killer after a particularly gruesome murder. “One bite.”
I raised the apple to my lips. The shiny onyx skin glistened in the light. I glanced left toward the solemn faces of Adam and my father. I looked to my right at Lavinia’s eyes, which were wide with anticipation. The instant I took the bite, I’d be mortal. Not mage or vampire, just Sabina.
And that scared me more than the threat of pain.
Whether “just Sabina” would be strong enough to weather the remaining tests, I didn’t know. But there was only one way to find out.
My fangs broke the flesh. The taste of copper and iron filled my mouth. I chewed the mouthful of mealy fruit and swallowed quickly. The bite scraped the inside of my throat like I’d swallowed shards of glass.
Pain unlike any I’d experienced in my life exploded in my gut. Worse than getting shot. Worse than a demon’s spell. Worse than any poison.
The apple slammed to the floor. Two seconds later, my body joined it.
My vision dimmed and blurred. My fists clenched. The blood boiled in my veins. I felt each individual cell in my body explode. Smoke belched from my nose and ears and mouth. Wretched dry heaves forced me to roll onto my stomach. I somehow managed to rise up on my trembling arms and knees despite my weakened state. My throat burned and my stomach cramped as my body tried to expel… something. Gagging, suffocating, writhing.
Oh, please, gods, make it stop.
I fell into a trembling, sweaty heap on the floor. My mouth flew open and I vomited a pool of bright red blood.
Shouts erupted but sounded far away. Someone stood over me. Rough hands flipped me over onto my back. Too weak to resist, my hands were pulled to the side and pinned by someone’s knees.
“Open wide now,” the head ancient said. She knelt over me, the pliers flickering in the light like an Inquisitor’s tool of torture.
I ran my tongue over the sharp tips of my fangs for the last time. Funny, after burning from the inside and vomiting gallons of evil, having my fangs ripped out with pliers wasn’t so bad.
The worst part was the blood that pooled in my mouth. The dirty penny flavor made me want to vomit all over again. Instead, I rolled to the side and spit several times. The effort cost me because I couldn’t move another inch.
Someone nearby said, “It is done. Open the gate.”
“No,” Lavinia cried.
“Enough! She passed the test. Step aside, Domina Kane.” A pause and then, “Collect her and be on your way.”
A few moments later, gentle hands grasped my arms and helped me up. My head lolled to the side. The comforting scent of sandalwood surrounded me. Thank the gods, too, as I couldn’t stomach the smell of blood for one more second.
A loud whooshing sound filled the chamber. I blinked my eyes open and saw a swirling black vortex behind the thrones on the dais.
“Nyx! Come on!” Tristan yelled. I was jostled and lifted from the ground. “Take her,” Tristan said to Adam. He ran off to collect Nyx.
A sucking sensation pulled at my body. I moaned. “Easy, now,” Adam whispered. “Almost there.”
Trusting the mancy would get us through, I relaxed into his hold. The air changed from the wintry cold of the Bloodlands to a dry, searing heat scented with brimstone.
“Well it’s about damned time,” a familiar voice groused. “Holy shit! What the f**k happened to her?”
I’d never in my life been so happy to hear Giguhl bitch at us.
Chapter 36
This way,” a deep male voice said.
“Are you sure about this, G?” Adam’s voice rumbled in his chest. My head was pressed against the broad expanse. He was obviously running judging by the severe jostling I was receiving. But I couldn’t work up enough energy to complain about the roughness of the ride.
“He’s right,” Valva’s high-pitched voice replied. “It’ll help her.”
“Either way, we need to hurry,” Tristan said, farther away. “By the time Nyx and I jumped through the gate, the Dominae were freaking out.”
“Why?” Giguhl said.
“Because Cain had entered their lands. They were very excited to have the father of their race visit. So I’m pretty sure they won’t be delaying him like the mages did.”
My eyes popped open at this. I moaned and tried to sit up. Adam shushed me and bent over to whisper, “Relax. We’re making a pit stop to restore your strength.”
“Is she awake?” Giguhl demanded.
I raised my head and looked over at the demon. “Hey, G.” My voice cracked. My throat felt like I’d gargled nails.
“Bael’s balls, I leave you alone for a couple of hours and look what happens. Nice hair, by the way.” His tone dripped with sarcasm.
I tried to raise a hand to touch my hair, but it fell useless by my side. “What’s it look like?”
“Don’t listen to him,” Adam said. “The blond will just take a little getting used to.”
I gasped. “What?” If he was telling the truth, then one detail from my vision at the scrying pool had just come true.
“And, no offense, but it’s kind of dull and lifeless, too. If you survive, you should seriously consider a hot-oil treatment,” Valva offered.
Leave it to the Vanity demon to focus on what’s really important. While I absorbed the fact that my hair was lacking in both color and healthy shine, the gang was jogging through something out of a nightmare. The demon realm looked very much like the paintings I’d seen of the mortal hell. Lots of fire and brimstone. Souls being tortured in increasingly bizarre and painful ways.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Gizal,” Giguhl said. “We’re near the Pit of Despair.”
Well that certainly explained the prevalence of hot pokers.
“Ah, here we are,” Giguhl said. “Set her down on that rock, will ya?”
Adam gently lowered me to a boulder. I forced a smile at him, even though the simple movement had left me nauseous. He touched his hand to my cheek before turning to Giguhl.
“Okay, Horus, go get some water. There’s a clean stream on the other side of those rocks.”
