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"What is it, James?" Nostro demanded.
"With all due respect, master, they have branded her. Why would they do that if she ordered the attack?" James asked.
"Listen to him," I urged. "I had nothing to do with this. I came on my own terms, on my own mission to learn what you knew of my sister's disappearance."
"But that does not explain why they left you alive and killed half a dozen of my kin." His voice, a thunderclap of accusation, stabbed at the air.
"I'm just as clueless as you are. Lower shadow demons do not carry out attacks unless provoked or ordered. I did not order this. And if you didn't provoke this..." I waved my hand over the carnage.
"Someone else ordered it then," Nostro concluded.
I refrained from speaking. Who could have sent this? I averted my eyes because I had no answers for him, and I didn't trust him enough to divulge too much information. They didn'tneed to be aware of the fact that I was a bridge to three Shadow World demon kings. If he knew that I had attained that title, he'd most likely end my life without hesitation.
Nostro's icy gaze turned to a raging inferno as his eyes glowed like embers. With a rumbling voice he pronounced, "Your guilt is written in your eyes. Your heart thumps with fear and shame as I can hear it resonate through the silence. You are guilty!"
He pulled me fiercely towards him, his cold hands gripping my arms like iron shackles. Before I could react, his fangs punctured my skin and my veins filled with a fiery pain.
I knew instantly what he wanted. He wanted my thoughts, my secrets, and my memory. I felt my consciousness slowly slipping away as his power took control of me. With sheer force of will, I blocked his intentions to know me and instead fed him an inescapable vision of a thousand vampires burning in the depths of hell, seeking retribution for his wickedness and the impoliteness of taking from me and not asking first.
I instantly remembered the strength inside me. I had no reason to let the vampire keep gnawing on me, no matter what he believed I had done.
I felt a surge of energy coursing through me and concentrated on sending it out in a wave of pain towards Nostro. His fangs flew out of my neck with a pop and he stumbled backwards, clutching his mouth in agony.
I landed hard on the ground, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. I had managed to assert myself, to use my powers in a way that protected myself.
The smell of iron filled the air, the coppery aftertaste of my blood lingering in my mouth.
The master vampire glared at me, his eyes full of anger and resentment, but I didn't let it shake me. I stood up, ready to face whatever came next.
I could feel the tension in the air, and I knew he was struggling to control himself. To keep from lashing out at me again. At this point, I knew he understood that I wasn't going to allow myself to be his blood bag anymore because of his suspicious about me—which were dead wrong. But I didn't have to prove anything to him.
He sneered with icy contempt, his eyes narrowing to slits. "You should thank your lucky stars I'm not draining the lifeblood right out of you this second. Now get out of here before I decide to do something you'll regret." His voice was low and menacing.
I stood in the foyer, near the doorway. "Why didn't you just kill me?"
"Because you're the only one who can find your sister."
I blinked in confusion. “What?” I asked. "Why do you care if I find my sister?" I searched his face for an answer.
"I don't. But she's the only one who can locate the artifact. Even if she dies retrieving it, it needs to be recovered. If she manages to locate it, and you manage to locate her alive, expect me to come knocking."
Bile rose up my throat and I finally understood why Aunt Naima didn't trust the vampire Nostro. He was cunning and would sit back, watching as things unfolded in his favor.
"Leave me and my sister alone, Nostro. I didn't send sub-demons to your mansion, but if you try to hurt us in any way, I'll send something much worse."
Chapter 14
Sadie
Ihad done it again. After days of preparation, I had finally managed to transport myself back into void where Altair, Morpheus, and Dom were held captive. Last time my magic had not been strong enough and the strain had caused me to lose concentration, sending me back to Earth before I could begin to construct the reversal to get them out or even tell them what was going on in Shadow World and on earth. But this time I was determined to fill them in before another location shift happened.
I closed my eyes, concentrated hard, and the world around me melted away—until I found myself standing in a dark and dismal cave. The air was damp and stale, and the occasional drip of moisture echoed through the darkness. I made a feeble attempt to ignite a spark of flame from my fingertips, just enough to light the area around me. The soft glow revealed walls of wet, jagged rock that disappeared into murky shadows that seemed to stretch out to eternity. Every step forward brought a wave of panic as I desperately hoped I wasn't too late. Maybe I'd been teleported to the wrong location.
"Altair! Dom! Morpheus!" I bellowed, my voice echoing throughout the darkness. My scream pierced the air with adesperation that shook the walls of the cave. I shouted their names until my throat was raw and my words were nothing but a blur of sound.
Every shadow seemed like a soulless creature skittering to attack, every glimmer of light a trick of the eye. The silence was so absolute it was deafening. My muscles tensed, anticipating the attack to come. Everything was so quiet, I felt like there was no way my demons could be here.
"Sadie. We're here," Morpheus said, although he seemed far away.
