Page 19 of Barely Breathing (Merely Mortal #3)
Chapter
Nineteen
“The answer is no,” Costin says, grabbing my arm like he’s going to lead me from the room.
“Do you always let him speak for you?” Elizabeth jibes. “I guess the rumors of your strength are just that… rumors .”
“You heard him,” I say. “No.”
“If you knew my brother, I don’t think you’d be so eager to be under his…” She gives me a once over, and it feels a little sexual in nature. It makes me uncomfortable. “…thumb if you knew how he really treats women.”
“He treats me fine.” Okay, so it’s debatable, but a united front feels like the right call.
Her eyes move deliberately over me, and she laughs. “Yeah, so I see.”
I self-consciously touch the blood under my ear.
“We’re leaving. Try not to destroy anything before you go.” Costin makes a move for the door.
Elizabeth’s form blurs and shifts, her body dissolving into that of a bat. She darts with supernatural speed. One second, she’s by the fireplace. The next, she’s blocking the doorway to prevent us from leaving. Her wings beat as she hovers before us, and she lets loose a high-pitched screech.
Costin shoves me behind him toward the corner. “Stay back.”
He launches himself at his sister, his own form shifting mid-leap into a larger, darker bat. They collide in the air, wings striking, bodies tumbling in violent circles as they tear at each other. The sounds they make are deafening—leather wings beating against stone walls, inhuman shrieks echoing over the room.
I watch them closely, sidestepping to stay out of the way when they somersault too close. I bump into the couch, but I don’t care. I can’t look away.
I scream as Elizabeth’s bat form darts toward me before turning at the last second, leading Costin on an aerial chase around the room. I know she wants to hurt me, but the amulet’s magic stops her. Costin pushes her toward the ground, smashing her into an end table so that the legs splitter into thick pieces. They fly so fast they’re barely more than dark trails, crashing into the walls and ceiling with bone-crushing force.
They shift back into human form in mid-air. Elizabeth’s heel catches Costin’s jaw with a spinning kick that sends him crashing through his desk. She follows through with impossible speed, grabbing a broken table leg and driving it toward his chest. He catches it inches from his heart, using her momentum to flip her over his head so that she lands upside down against the wall above his desk.
“Stop this, Elizabeth,” Costin growls, rage filling his tone with gravel. “Enough!”
Elizabeth falls to the floor, hands first, catching her weight before twisting to her feet to stand as if it’s no great achievement. Decorations from the wall clatter around her. Rage pours out of her. “Enough? Remember when you arranged my marriage, brother? That is what I used to beg of Marcus. Enough. Enough. Enough! But it never was.”
“I didn’t know—” he tries to answer.
She picks up the metal shield and hurls it at him like a frisbee. When he deflects it, she’s already moving, her supernatural speed blurring her figure as she continues her attack.
Costin blocks several strikes, but her last hit catches him in the ribs with a sickening crack. They grapple out of the open office door. I run to follow them, keeping them in my sight. They smash through a stone column, toppling it. Dust whirls from the ceiling.
“Liar!” She shifts into bat form, darting behind him before materializing to drive her knee into his spine. “I told you exactly what kind of monster he was. I wrote to you, telling you what he was doing to me.”
Costin spins, transforming as he leaps into flight. His larger bat form catches her in its claws, dragging her up toward the ceiling. Elizabeth shifts back to human mid-flight, using the momentum to flip them both. They crash through another column, more stone crumbling around them.
I want to yell at them to stop, but this is a feud I have no authority over.
“He killed me,” Elizabeth snarls, grabbing a chair and smashing it across Costin’s back. “And you let him.”
“And you killed me.” Costin’s voice carries genuine pain as he transforms again, swooping low across the room.
Elizabeth follows. Her smaller bat form is more agile as she chases him through the debris. They play a lethal game of cat and mouse, shifting between forms to attack and dodge. The ceiling cracks from their impacts. Blood rains down from both of them, staining the floor beneath their aerial battle.
What if Elizabeth kills him?
That very idea petrifies me.
I can’t lose him.
I press myself against the wall as they tear past me back into the office. The hallway looks like a war zone—columns cracked, suits of armor scattered, decorations and blood everywhere. My head still throbs from the recovered memory, making it hard to think past my fear. I poke my head around the doorframe to watch without going back inside.
Elizabeth has materialized directly in front of Costin, and he shifts back to his human form. Her hand finds his throat, pinning him against the wall. A broken chair leg presses against his chest like a wooden stake, ready to end him.
“Elizabeth, don’t,” I beg. I rush into the room, looking for a weapon. I grab the heavy shield and use all my strength to strike her in the side and knock her away. It bounces off her, barely making a dent.
She snarls and leans harder into her brother. “I want to do to your pet what Marcus did to me. And I want you to watch.”
I jump at her, intent on wrapping my arms around her neck to distract her enough to give Costin time to free himself. She swings her free arm, launching me across the room. It’s only by the amulet’s power that I don’t break my bones against the stone wall. I drop to the floor, panting and sore.
“But I can’t go against our mighty master, can I? It doesn’t matter that I’m your sire and the eldest by vampire right. Only one of us was given actual power,” she continues, still poised with her stake as if I’m not a concern. She tightens her grip, and her knuckles turn white as she drives the wood forward. “The council would never let a woman rule. Especially not a murdered wife who dared to kill her vampire husband.”
Costin doesn’t look at me. He could shift to escape, but something in his eyes tells me he won’t. There’s too much guilt there, too much history.
I need to do something, but my body is still weak. The amulet pulses, but I am no defense against vampiric strength even with it.
Elizabeth’s head snaps toward me, her eyes blazing crimson. “Don’t worry, dear. Once I finish with my brother, you’ll get your turn. Unless...” Her smile turns cruel. “You’d like to make that trade with Thane now? Costin for you.”
I can’t answer. Why isn’t Costin finishing her? Surely he can put up more of a fight.
“Or would you prefer to save Paul?” Elizabeth laughs.
I can’t answer. The choice is impossible. Costin or Paul? It’s like asking to choose between love and an ideal. Or would it be love and guilt? My feelings for Paul are confused. I had been so sure of them at one point and of the mortal, normal life he represents. But that old mantra circles around in my head. Knowing me might cost him everything—his parents, his daughter, his life.
Diana’s face flashes in my mind, and I remember her trusting smile when she showed me her stuffed dog, Mr. Plop. How can I sentence a child to grow up without her father? She’s everything I never had a chance to be—innocent, perfect. I fantasized about being her mother, a real mother, not like the two I have.
“Do you see how she hesitates?” Elizabeth mocks her brother, laughing. “That is how deep her love flows for you. She can’t even choose saving you.”
It’s not true. I open my mouth to say the words but can’t force them out. I can’t do that to Paul and Diana.
The thought of losing Costin makes my chest ache in ways I can’t explain. The amulet pulses against my skin as if Draakmar senses my turmoil and wants to help. The dragon has no answers, only that underlying fury ready to surge.
The truth is, I doubt Elizabeth will keep her word either way. She’s toying with us. This is all a game to her.
Both vampires suddenly tilt their heads in unison, listening to something I can’t hear. A smile curves Elizabeth’s lips, but it’s different than before. The change in her expression is subtle, almost intimate like she’s sharing a private joke with someone far away.
“Well, that’s my cue.” She presses the stake harder against Costin’s chest, drawing blood before stepping back. She drops the makeshift weapon on the floor. “This has been fun. We should play again sometime.”
“Elizabeth,” Costin warns. He lets her pull away and doesn’t try to stop her.
“Alpha Thane sends his regards.” The way she says his name carries weight like she’s savoring the taste of it. “Now there is a man who knows how to protect what’s his.”
Costin’s eyes narrow, and I detect the moment he recognizes something in his sister’s tone. There’s a familiarity there that seems to surprise even him.
“You and,” his voice drops into disgust,” a wolf ? No, Elizabeth, that’s too low, even for you. Thane is?—”
“He’s what?” Elizabeth’s bitter laugh cuts him off. “At least he understands what it’s like to be looked down upon by other supernaturals, to be underestimated and ignored, to have everything taken away because of what you are.”
Costin’s lip curls in disgust. “The treaties exist for a reason. The last time wolves and vampires tried to align, they nearly exposed us all to the mortal world. Or have you forgotten the Blood Riots? There’s a reason we keep to our territories.”
“Oh yes, brother. The precious treaties.” Elizabeth’s voice drips acid. “Tell me, how many of those territory lines did you draw yourself? How many packs did you force into these urban wastelands while you claimed the prime hunting grounds? At least Thane doesn’t pretend to be civilized while he takes what he wants.”
“This can’t just be about power,” Costin denies. “As my sister, you have?—”
“Nothing that is my due. The council, the vampires, the magics... They all believe they’re so superior with their rules and hierarchies.” Her eyes flash as she paces, each movement precise and deadly. “They have all these arbitrary rules about what magic can mix with which, about what creatures should remain separate. The treaties were written by old aristocratic males playing at civilization, brother. You may be content to play lord of your underground kingdom while bowing and scraping and licking the boots of those fossils who declare themselves your betters. Then there are the magics, like the Devines, who perch in their gilded sanctuaries, declaring themselves too pure to mix with lesser beings. But Thane sees through their pretense. These boundaries they’ve drawn, these rules they’ve made are nothing but chains forged by cowards afraid of true power.”
The way she says it makes my skin crawl.
“That’s about to change,” she promises. “I will not bow to lesser men who think they are more.”
I watch them like a play, not knowing how I can make the situation better. Costin doesn’t try to fight her anymore. Even when she comes towards him, he doesn’t lift his arms in defense. She runs her finger through the blood on his chest before lifting it to her lips.
“Thane knows what it means to be treated as lesser. The wolves may be as ancient as our bloodlines, but they’re seen as animals, dogs, barely civilized. Just like women are seen as decorative toys to be traded and married off with no other value.” Her gaze fixes on me. “Ask your vampire about that. Ask him how many times he’s moved those he considers to be lesser around like pieces on a chess board to cement his power.”
“Elizabeth—” Costin warns, but she cuts him off.
“You have until tomorrow night, little dragon tamer.” She goes toward the door, her movements confident. “Come to us willingly, or we’ll start cutting Paul into manageable pieces. Diana, too.” Her smile is cruel. “I wonder if the child’s screams sound different than her father’s. Thane’s quite curious to find out.”
“If you touch that child—” Costin starts forward.
“Oh, now you care about children. Please!” she snorts.
“Elizabeth, I’m warning you,” he orders.
“Or you’ll what? Kill me? We both know you lack the balls. You need me alive to validate your eternity.” She glances between us. “I wonder if your pet will be as understanding when she learns the truth about what kind of man you are.” Her attention fixes on me. “Ask him about what he did to me.”
With that, she transforms into bat form and disappears down the hall, leaving us with the wreckage of their fight and the weight of her threats. The sound of her wings fades, replaced by my own ragged breath.
“Are you hurt?” I see guilt etched on Costin’s features.
I shake my head in denial. “What did she mean?”
He doesn’t answer.
“Costin, talk to me. This doesn’t work if we keep secrets.” How many times do I have to remind him of that fact? “You arranged her marriage, and the man killed her. What else?”
“It was a different time,” he says as if I wouldn’t understand. He lifts his finger to his chest, lightly rubbing the blood on his shirt as if he wishes to erase it.
“The medieval period. I know.” This isn’t news. I know he’s ancient. I take small steps toward him.
“Marriages were about political alliances. We were at war. A noble match was made to cement allies. I was her guardian, and it was my duty to find her a husband and make sure that she was taken care of.”
I think of how my uncle, Mortimer, tried to force me to marry Chester for the sake of political alliances. I think of my parents’ arranged marriage. I could argue that times are not so different.
“And he turned out to be a vampire?” I prompt.
I see his guilt. It’s almost palpable. When the siblings were fighting, there was a moment when it almost looked like he wanted her to kill him.
“I didn’t know what he was. When I met him, Marcus seemed like any other nobleman. Elizabeth was young. I thought my sister was being dramatic and fanciful, as was her nature. I knew she was not pleased with the marriage. Marcus’ castle was isolated and far away from the amusements of the royal court. She did not want to live in the mountains. When she made claims of Marcus eating people and draining their blood in his dungeon torture chambers, I didn’t believe her. She begged me to let her come home. She spoke of unholy acts, and even the priests did not give credence to the ramblings of a silly girl. We thought all she needed was a stronger hand and time to learn her place. I did not know until later that my sister became pregnant. Vampires cannot conceive children. At least not naturally. Dhampirs are rare and require spells. Marcus killed her after he made her watch as he impaled her lover.”
As horrific as this is, I can see there’s more to the story that he’s not saying. I see the shame in him. I see how it’s eating away at him, piece by piece, the centuries of guilt compounding upon itself.
“How young?” I asked softly, pausing on my way to him.
A ripple works over him, and he presses his lips tightly together. “She had just turned fourteen when they married. And she was nineteen when she died.”
I read once that girls as young as twelve often married. Life expectancies were different back then. But, still, as a modern woman, I can’t help but feel repulsed by the idea.
“And she turned you?” I clarify, remembering what Elizabeth had said during their argument.
“Sired,” he corrects. “Yes, she is my sire.”
“But you’re male, so you were given the power,” I conclude. As much as I hate Elizabeth and think she’s an evil bitch, I can get where that would make her angry .
“I will not deny that it had something to do with it, at least in the beginning. But my sister does not have the temperament to lead others. She is selfish and cruel and will stop at nothing to grab power for herself.” His eyes meet mine, and I see the sadness. “But she is my sister, my blood both human and vampiric, and I cannot end her.”
I resume walking towards him, but something in his expression tells me to stay back, that he would not welcome my comfort at that moment.
“I should make sure that the werewolves are expelled from the foyer and Astrid has made it to safety.” When he speaks, his tone is cold and in control. It is the old Costin, the one I cannot read, the perfect master vampire. “Stay here. I will have somebody bring you to the dining hall. I do not know what human food they have in the kitchen, but you must eat something and get back your strength. It has been a long morning.”
With that, he leaves in a blur of movement.
I stand amongst the destroyed office and stare after him, trying to process everything I have learned—my recovered memories of the shipyard, the sins of his past, the grievances of his sister. Exhaustion fills me, but I know I cannot give in to it. There is a battle ahead, and I’m going to be forced to fight it whether I want to or not. Too much is at stake.