Page 22 of Barely Breathing (Merely Mortal #3)

Chapter

Twenty-Two

“Stay with me.”

Costin’s voice echoes in my mind, mingling with Draakmar’s insistent white noise. I try to put them both aside, but it’s difficult.

I didn’t want to leave him, but when I got Astrid’s text telling me I needed to come home, I had to. I used to think that, as a vampire, Costin had one weakness—the sun. I now know he has at least two more. Elizabeth and I are the others. I worry about him in this battle to come. I can’t ask him to harm his sister, but she’s a rabid animal that needs to be put down.

Dawn creeps over the city, and my mind keeps drifting back to Costin’s bedroom, where I left him in that half-dead state that vampires experience. Astrid and I had interrupted his sleep the day before, and he stayed awake through the following night. The blood I gave him during our lovemaking, combined with the new sunrise, had finally pulled him under. Part of me aches to still be there, safe in that moment, hiding in his underground sanctuary. But Paul and Diana don’t have the luxury of time.

The penthouse feels empty when I slip inside. There is a melancholy that comes over every movement. I wash up and grab clothes from my room, trying not to think about how this might be the last time I see it, the last time I brush my hair, wash my face, and look in the mirror.

When I emerge dressed, Astrid is waiting for me. She stands outside my door, leaning against the hallway wall. Her expression is carefully neutral, but I see worry in the set of her shoulders. She nods for me to follow, and we walk, not speaking, toward the living room.

“You’re sure about this?” Peter asks before I actually see him sitting in a chair.

He’s slouched over like a kid trying to hide from monsters, knees drawn into his chest. I expect Astrid to lecture him about putting shoes on her furniture, but they share a look instead. It’s clearly an unlikely alliance born of desperation.

“Tell her what we discussed,” Astrid says.

Peter releases his legs and places his feet on the floor. He angles his body toward us without standing. “I can show you the tunnels that will take you close to where they’re holding Paul, but Diana...”

He glances at Astrid.

“Go on,” Astrid says. “We have a deal. You are protected.”

“They’re keeping the girl somewhere else,” Peter continues. “The death magic shouldn’t mix with forgotten magic until the ritual. They want to keep it separate so that they’re stronger.”

The amulet pulses steadily against my chest, like a second heartbeat, counting down the hours until moonrise. Draakmar’s presence feels different after last night—less agitated and more focused. It is as if the dragon knows what I’m about to do and approves of me taking action.

“I couldn’t find where they are holding her,” Peter says. “I’m sorry, Tamara. I tried.”

I nod. I’m disappointed, but at least it’s something.

“If you want to go, it should be during the day. We’re stronger during the full moon,” he says.

“Then we should leave now,” I answer.

He stands, and we follow Peter to the elevator. Astrid waves her hand over the button panel, and it swings open. I’ve never seen it do that before. She reaches inside and flips a seemingly random sequence of switches. The elevator begins to move, and she waves her hand to close the panel .

At my stare, she says, “Private entrance to the supernatural city. You never know when you’re going to need to disappear.”

We ride the elevator down, past the lobby, into a sub-sub-basement I never knew existed. When the doors open, it looks like we’re stepping into an old maintenance tunnel.

Astrid’s heels click behind us as we descend a concrete walkway. The sound echoes off stone walls, making me think of prison corridors.

“The pack doesn’t know I’m helping you,” Peter explains as he leads us past a series of iron doors. I can’t see inside, but my idea of a prison might not be far off. “If they find out...”

His hands shake slightly as he pulls out an ancient-looking key. It has a werewolf head on the head. He turns it in his hands.

“They won’t.” Astrid’s words carry absolute certainty. She touches Peter’s shoulder, and I see him relax slightly. Sometimes, I forget how long she’s known him, how she’s watched him grow up alongside Anthony. “Not from us.”

“What are all these doors?” I ask, glancing back.

“Holding cells,” Astrid answers. “Don’t worry, they’re empty. Mostly. You don’t need to worry about them.”

“But we have a tunnel to the wolves?” The idea does not bring me comfort .

“We have a magical portal that will open to various locations depending on the key used. Peter has the wolf key.” Astrid motions Peter to go on. She reaches along a ledge next to the ceiling and pulls out a flashlight to give to me.

Peter slides his key into what looks like an electrical panel, but when he turns it, the whole wall shifts. The grinding of concrete rubbing against concrete makes me wince. Dust fills the air. Behind the false wall, darkness opens wide like a hungry mouth ready to swallow us whole. No part of me wants to go in there.

“The marks will guide you,” Peter explains, pointing to symbols that glow faintly along the walls. “Follow the wolf tracks to find Paul. But be careful—some of these tunnels are older than the city. There are things down here that even werewolves avoid. You don’t want to get lost.”

I click on my flashlight. The beam catches dust carried by currents of stale air. The passage ahead feels ominous, heavy with threats of ancient magic.

I hesitate to step inside. I see something flicker in Peter’s expression as he looks at me—that old boyhood crush. He knows about Costin and Paul, but there still seems to be a lingering hope that maybe someday…

There will never be a someday for us. I think logically he knows that .

“Maybe I should go with you,” Peter says, his voice trembling.

“No.” Astrid’s tone allows no argument. “If they catch you helping her, Thane will kill you. Anthony would never forgive me.” She touches his arm. “You’ve done enough showing us the way. A car will be here shortly to take you to the country estate. You will be safe there until this is over.”

“Just... be careful, Tam. These tunnels change people. And Paul...” He hesitates. “They haven’t been kind to him.”

The way he says it makes my stomach clench. “You’ve seen him?”

“Thane made the pack watch his demonstrations. He wanted to ensure us that Paul was really touched by death magic.” His voice carries genuine fear. “Thane likes to remind us of what he’s capable of.”

I place my hand on his trembling shoulder. He’s terrified.

“Thank you for helping us, Peter,” I say with a small squeeze. “Astrid’s right. You should go to the estate until this is over.”

He nods, then turns away quickly.

“I’ll make sure he’s safe. Be careful,” Astrid looks at my amulet. “Don’t take that off.”

“You’ll find Diana?” I ask. “You’ll tell Costin I’m sorry I didn’t wait for him?”

“I’m doing everything I can,” Astrid says.

I pretend not to see the shine in Peter’s eyes as Astrid leads him back the way we came.

I step inside the tunnels. They remind me of the labyrinth, and I tell myself that if I survived the supernatural challenges of those trials, then I can survive a walk through werewolf territory. I hold my fist around the amulet.

I can’t be killed. I can’t be killed. I can’t be killed…

I follow the faint green glow of wolf paws. The tunnels grow older and less even as I continue alone. Centuries of supernatural traffic have worn down the stone path. The air feels thick with magic and smells of decay. Water drips somewhere in the darkness, each drop sounding in lonely echoes. My flashlight beam catches on claw marks scored deep into the walls. I don’t want to know what caused them.

I can’t be killed. I can’t be killed.

The wolf tracks lead me deeper, past abandoned chambers that smell of old slaughterhouses. I don’t want to think about what unimaginable torments they have seen. Finally, I reach a section that feels like it’s been maintained a little better than the tunnels. Iron doors line the passage, each marked with various spells against supernatural strength. The locks are simple enough, meant to keep creatures in, not humans out.

I peek into the small windows. The first appears empty but has a horrible smell. The next has a troll having an invisible tea party with himself and a rock. His eyes meet mine, and he turns his back as if I’m interrupting. I find Paul in the third cell.

The space is barely larger than a closet, with walls of rough stone that weep moisture. The drip-drip sound from within would be torturous after a few minutes of listening to it. A single lamp burns with enchanted fire, casting a sickly yellow light that makes the stains on the floor look black. The thick chains holding him are silver, designed for werewolves.

“Paul?” My whisper feels too loud in this place of pain.

He slowly lifts his head, and my heart breaks. His face is a map of bruises, and one eye is nearly swollen shut. They’ve stripped him to the waist, and I can see where claws have left deep scratches across his chest. But his eye—the one that can open—still holds that same gentle strength I remember.

“Tamara?” His voice is rough as if he hasn’t used it in days. “Is it really you?”

I slip inside. “I’m here.” I rush to him and kneel on the floor where he sits. My fingers find the chains, and the silver irritates my skin where Draakmar’s magic touches it.

“They kept saying you forgot me.” He stares at me like he thinks I might disappear on him. “They showed me things. Made me think I was imagining our time together.”

“I’m so sorry, Paul.” I tug at the chains, trying to free him. I ignore the pain it causes my hands. “This is all my fault. If I hadn’t brought this supernatural chaos into your lives?—”

“Diana?” He cuts me off, struggling to sit straighter. “Have you seen her? Is she safe? They won’t tell me anything. They just keep saying the forgotten magic needs to stay pure. I don’t understand what they’re talking about. They keep saying ritual.”

Of course, his daughter comes first. It’s one of the things that made me fall for him—that absolute devotion to Diana. “I’m going to find her. I promise. But first, I need to get you out of here.”

“They’re going to hurt her, aren’t they?” The fear in his voice makes me work faster at the chains. It gives him renewed strength as he tries to struggle free. I manage to pull a pin from his manacle to free his hand. “Whatever this ritual is, they’re going to use my baby girl, aren’t they?”

“No.” I cup his face, making him look at me. “We won’t let that happen.”

“We?”

I freeze, guilt choking me. Here he is, beaten and chained, and I’m wearing another man’s bite marks. “Paul, I should tell you... ”

“It’s true what they said?” Something flickers in his expression. “You’re with a vampire now?”

I feel his words like a slap. He’s been through so much, and here I am, hurting him more.

“Hey.” Despite everything, his voice is gentle. “It’s okay. You don’t have to answer. I see it in your eyes.” His unchained hand touches my face, and his thumb brushes away tears I didn’t know I was shedding. “We had something real, Tamara. Something pure. But all of this is too much. This is your world, not mine. I just want my daughter safe.”

The understanding in his voice breaks something in me. It was his goodness of heart that attracted me to him. Before I can stop myself, I press my lips to his in a brief, gentle, goodbye kiss that tastes of might-have-beens and regret. When I pull back, his eyes hold no judgment, only acceptance and worry for Diana.

“I loved you in our moment,” I whisper. “What we had was real. Know that. I never meant any harm to come to you.”

“I know.” He manages to smile despite his split lip. “But you need someone who can survive in this world. I just need my daughter back.”

“How delightful!” Mabel’s voice slices through the darkness like a blade. “I do so enjoy a good romantic tragedy.”

I spin to face her, lifting my arms to block Paul from them, but guards are already crowding the tiny cell. She stands in the doorway, magic crackling around her fingers, looking like she’s been watching us the whole time.

“Did you really think we’d make it that easy?” She steps closer, and I see genuine pleasure in her eyes. “That we wouldn’t be watching? Oh, you foolish girl. Did you think we didn’t know that lovesick puppy Peter was lurking around eavesdropping for sweet morsels to feed you? Sherlock Holmes, he is not. It took you long enough. We’ve been waiting for you. Though I had my doubts you’d show. I thought we were going to have to send you a gilded invitation with a map.”

Magic crackles from her fingers, but instead of aiming at me, she turns it on Paul. He screams, body convulsing as blue energy courses over him. The sound tears through me like physical pain.

“Stop!” I lunge at her, but guards grab my arms. Even with the amulet’s protection, there’s nothing I can do as Paul writhes in agony. “Please! You’re killing him!”

“Oh, we won’t do that quite yet.” Mabel’s smile is cruel. “Death magic only works if he’s alive for the ritual. But we can do so many things that won’t quite kill him.” She intensifies the spell, and Paul’s scream cuts off into choking sounds.

I struggle against the guards, but there are too many. Without the amulet, they’d have crushed me already. Even with it, they manage to force me to my knees.

“Elizabeth will be so pleased you accepted her invitation.” Mabel finally releases Paul, who slumps unconscious with his one wrist still in his chains. A guard moves to refasten the manacle I had managed to get free. “She was certain you’d come for him. She said, ‘Tamara’s greatest weakness is that she cares about these pathetic humans.’ I guess she was right. Damn. I owe twenty dollars. I hate losing bets.” She steps closer, examining me like I’m a bug under glass. “How is dear Constantine? Still playing the noble protector?”

“When he finds out?—”

“What? That his pet human walked right into our trap?” She laughs. “By the time he figures out what’s happening, it will be too late. The ritual will be complete, the power will be ours, and you’ll get to watch it all happen.” Her magic wraps around my throat. The power of it takes me by surprise. She shouldn’t be this strong. “That amulet might make it so I’m unable to kill you, but as I already said, there are so many things we can do that won’t entirely kill you.

Black spots dance in my vision as the pressure increases. The last thing I see is Paul’s limp form and Mabel’s triumphant smile as consciousness fades.