Page 144 of Gift from the Stone

“Impossible. You would’ve had to travel the realms… My own personal quarters…” the vampire states, shaking his head and finally dropping his arm.

“Nothing is impossible. Difficult at times, of course, but not impossible. And with you working for me, I will achieve even more,” the Summum-Master gloats.

“I work for no one,” the vampire hisses.

“Wrong you are, Keeper. See, I have a way of freeing you from the confines of this forest, even the barriers of this realm one day, but in order for you to receive that gift, you must do as I need of you.”

“Which is what?”

“You’re the only one of your kind to be able to manipulate the essence of blood, bind it so deeply, it’s unbreakable. You will do that for me, however I see fit,” the Summum-Master commands.

“You’re a fool. The rituals are not as simple as just reading—”

“Yes, yes, I know, vampire. You need an enchanted dagger embedded with a reservoir gem. Do not question my intelligence or understanding. You may be the only one capable of binding such a rune, but you’re not the first to mingle the abilities of multiple realms to procure something greater.”

“I do this for you, and you’ll free me?” the vampire asks skeptically.

“I will be the only one who can do that for you,” the Summum-Master swears. “Do we have ourselves a deal, Keeper?”

The vampire, Keeper, I’m not sure if that’s his name or a title, stares hard at the Summum-Master, weighing his options. I want to scream no, tell him don’t believe him, but even if he could hear me, it’d be pointless. This took place centuries ago. We’re long past this moment.

“Deal,” the vampire grits out, stretching his hand out for the Summum-Master to grasp.

“Splendid. One more thing…”

With a quick flick of his wrist, a thin cord is wrapped around the vampire’s neck. A blood-curdling scream tears from his throat when his knees sink to the ground. His back bows as he savagely attempts to claw the cord from where it’s dissolving into his skin.

“Wh—What have you done?” the vampire croaks.

“I know you think me a fool, Keeper, but you’ll soon learn otherwise. If you are capable of inflicting the rune, you’re the only one who can remove it. This is my assurance that you will not betray me. I’ve never known a vampire to survive a beheading.”

With that sound threat, my body begins to fade away from the two men slowly, despite my command to stay. But the sight never listens to me. It does as it pleases.

“Fuck,” I shriek, bolting up from the spot I’m lying in.

Clutching my hand to my chest, catching my breath, it takes me a second to get my bearings because when I entered the vision, I was in Caspian’s arms. Now I’m on a couch.

My Nexus immediately swarms me from all sides, all speaking my name at once, and I have to hold my hand up to tell them to chill out.

“Just give me a second to catch up. Maybe a healing vial,” I say lightly.

As soon as the words leave my lips, there’s one pressed to them, and I tilt my head back, drinking it down as Caspian’s fierce gaze watches me the entire time.

“Thank you,” I say sweetly, but it doesn’t break through the tough exterior he’s wearing.

“You’ve been out for far too long now, Primary. You even screamed and we couldn’t get you to wake up. We didn’t know what the fuck was going on. Neither Tillman nor Aria could penetrate your mind. There’s enough chaos going on right now,” he tells me gravelly. I can’t tell if he’s worried or pissed. Knowing him, both.

“I’m sorry. That one was…something. Is everyone okay?”

“Are you okay, princess?” Corentin asks. I know it’s not all he wants to know, but he won’t push for the answers of what I saw. Luckily for him, I know I can tell them everything.

“I’m fine. I promise. Is Layton okay? What happened?” I turn my attention to Tillman.

“That can wait, Will,” he answers.

“No, it can’t. Really, I’m okay. The healing vial is already working. Someone explain. The last thing I recall is Aria gripping Layton’s head, the shifters screaming… Then what?”

No one answers me right away, no matter which of the guys I look at, and I feel my frustration starting to bubble to the surface. So I shift my gaze around the room, shocked to find Oakly and Gaster have joined us.

---