Page 59 of Hallowed Games

“When I said vampires are powerful, Elowen, I didn’t mean I could single-handedly take down the entire Luminari army.”

I bit my lip. “Okay, fair enough. But is this really what you want to dedicate your life to? Is the Order your life’s purpose? Because I’m not the only one with a little boy waiting for me. Last night, I met a woman’s ghost right after she died. She was just like me, trying to get home to a kid who needed her.”

He pulled out the chair from my desk, sitting close to me. He took a deep breath, looking at me from under those long, dark eyelashes. “I just need you to try to trust me as much as you can for now.”

A tiny fleck of hope sparked in my chest.

I took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll trust you, then.”

His dark eyebrows pressed together. “Then believe me when I say there’s no easy way out of here. Passing the trials is the best thing you can do, and only one of you will live.”

I arched an eyebrow. “So I don’t suppose there are any tunnels that I could use to get out?”

“There are ancient catacombs, but they’re not an escape. The foundations of the walls would block your way, and even I couldn’t break through those.” For a moment, his gaze dipped to my lips. “If I could get you out of here, I would.”

I desperately wished I had Maelor’s uncanny ability to tell when someone was lying. “What do you know about the Trial of the Abyss?”

He brushed a strand of hair out of my eyes. “One trial at a time, Elowen. I’ll tell you about that later. But first, you have the Trial of the Temptation to get through.” He lifted the bottle. “I need you to drink this, and then I’m going to tie you up.”

I blinked. “You’re going to what?”

The candlelight sculpted his cheekbones with shadows. “The potion will make you overcome with temptations, and I need you tied up to make sure you don’t do anything you’d regret.”

My cheeks heated. “Are you worried I’m going to try to seduce you?”

A smile flitted over his lips, but it was gone in an instant. “Yes. And the moment I get turned on, I completely forget myself. I’ll turn into a beast of pure instinct. I’ll kill or fuck or take what I want. If I lose control of myself, I’ll do anything for pleasure. No one wants that.” As he said this, a shadow swept through the air in front of him, and his magic brushed past me. It was a dark caress that sent goosebumps over my skin.

I could so clearly imagine what he’d look like without those black robes on because I’d felt his powerful body when his arms had wrapped around me on the horse, when I’d reached behind me. Under the fabric, he was all muscle. If he really lost control of himself and ripped off those clothes, if he grabbed me in my nightgown…

My breath quickened.

“No one wants that,” I repeated. I wondered if he could see the blush creeping over my cheeks. “How do you do that? With the shadows?”

“I wasn’t doing that on purpose, but sometimes, if I lose focus, the shadows have a will of their own.” The corner of his mouth twitched. “It’s just vampire magic. And that means it’s another thing you can’t tell anyone about.” He uncorked the bottle and handed it to me. “After I bind your wrists, your job will be to answer questions. Just simple math questions. The whole purpose of what we’re going to do is about focus.”

“I’m terrible at math.”

“I promise to make it easy. The difficult thing will be mastering your own desires.”

“And what’s your secret for doing that?”

“You appeal to the power of the Archon. Just repeat after me. Deus Invictus, Archon Magne. Drown out your own thoughts with holy words. The Archon will help you focus on what’s right.”

“Deus Invictus, Archon Magne,” I repeated.

I took the bottle from him, breathing in a heavy herbal scent. I looked at Maelor over the rim of the bottle. “What if I drink this and I’m overcome with visions of killing people with my touch? What if that’s my true heart’s desire?”

He shrugged, giving me a mischievous smile. “I’m not here to judge you. But there’s only one way to find out. Drink.”

I took a sip, and it tasted of anise and bitter herbs, sweetened with honey. It stung my throat, making me cough a little. I licked it off my lips.

Maelor pulled it from me, and the warmth of the drink spilled down my throat.

My eyelids fluttered closed for a moment, then opened again just in time to see wisps of shadow snaking through the air, which slid around my arms in a tingling touch. His magic thrummed over my skin, tightening around my wrists. The shadows pulled my arms together behind my back, and the magic sent vibrations along my biceps. Tendrils of magic slid up to my shoulders, stroking me. But my wrists? His magic bound those tightly, and it felt silky against my skin, buzzing slightly with a strange power.

I lay down on my side. “All tied up.”

As I breathed in the alluring scent of him so close to me in my room, my heart raced. Every stroke of his shadows sent a warm shiver of pleasure through me. Was that the elixir working already or something else? Was it my addiction to dark magic?

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