Page 17 of Gift from the Source
I take a minute to explain to everyone how the rooms ahead of me look through my sight and although the coloring is off, I can map everything out just fine.
“Unlike how the cube just came out of the floor, though, the next relic is sitting out in the open.” I finish, pointing in the direction of the next obstacle.
“And you know for sure the steps you need to take so you don’t set it off?” Corentin asks, coming to my other side.
“I know. Four steps forward, then one step to the right. I’m going to assume the room will reveal as I drop my blood just like it did.”
“Be careful, princess,” he whispers, laying a kiss to my temple.
“Always.”
Exhaling sharply, we cross the room, and as everyone else stops walking at the next shimmering veil, I don’t hesitate continuing on.
Four steps in, one to the right.
Just like the first time, the room shakes violently as my blood gathers on the tile, but the magic or whatever that is swirling around me, is very, very different than I experienced a moment ago.
For a fleeting second, red tints my vision with the urge to rip someone to shreds, then it just stops.
I lay my hand against my racing heart. “What the hell?”
“That fucker,” Keeper growls, stomping past me and glaring down at the bracelet-like relic.
“What happened? What’s wrong?” Draken asks, his gaze bouncing between Keeper and me, but Keeper ignores the question as his eyes bleed crimson.
“That’s the Charm of Compulsion,” Oakly whispers.
“The what?” Draken asks.
“Most vampires do not possess the compulsion as I do. I am the only one who was blessed with it naturally. This relic has been in our family forgenerations, allowing us to harness that ability. It’s unsettled, angry. It’s been rigged to set off a command as though it’s being worn.”
My eyes widen as what he says makes perfect sense. “Shit. Is that why I wanted to kill someone for a second there?”
“What?” my men shout, but my eyes stay on Keeper as he growls, looking down at the relic before shaking his head out.
Air gets stuck in my lungs when he snatches the relic up and it begins to glow. His smooth accent echoes around me and the bracelet grows brighter with each word that passes his lips.
What feels like an eternity passes before his words fade out and his eyes shift back to normal. The seriousness in his expression pierces me in my place when he looks at me.
“I’m afraid so, Adored. I’d like to believe you, Draken, and I would’ve been able to fight it off, but as for everyone else…it’s incredibly powerful, and if your mental guard is not ready for it, there’s no stopping it.”
I swear the second he finishes his sentence, the tension in the room intensifies as everyone commands their magic to their minds. Their blocks were already locked tight, but with that looming possibility of a relic controlling us against our will, tight isn’t enough.
“You’ll look after this for me for now?” Keeper asks Oakly as she and Gaster step up toward him and the relic.
“Of course.” She nods.
There’s no hesitation in her or Gaster as they secure the Essemist Keep relic in his pocket dimension. It takes Keeper a few beats to settle himself down completely, but once the charm is completely out of sight, he breathes through the lingering rage.
“Last one,” I murmur, squeezing his arm as he passes by me to join the others.
Squaring my shoulders, I observe the last room that separates us from the two men waiting just on the other side. Unlike the first two rooms, this third one has objects scattered around it, but I can’t tell what they are outside of darkened blobs. I have no clue if these things are about to jump out at my ass as I cross the threshold, or they’re just stationary items stored in here.
I dare a glance up but can’t make out anything about the two figures. I know it’s Xander and Dec, waiting for this last bit of separation to crumble. Dec’s last words to us in our dream plays on repeat in my mind.
If you find her blood, you find us.
Well, my tracking dragged our asses here, so it has to be them, and they have to be guarding my blood. There’s no other explanation, nor will I accept anything else.
