Page 23 of Barely Breathing (Merely Mortal #3)

Chapter

Twenty-Three

Awareness returns before I’m able to move or open my eyes like I’m suspended in dark water. None of this is right. I should be more protected than this. With my connection to Draakmar, the amulet’s magic has been getting stronger, not weaker.

My head throbs and it feels like they let my skull strike the ground when I passed out. Mabel’s magic shouldn’t have affected me like this. I might not know everything about the magical world, but I know Mabel isn’t this powerful. She shouldn’t be a threat, especially when I wear the amulet.

Unless… Have they somehow been siphoning power before the ritual?

The idea scares me.

When I’m finally able to open my eyes, the first thing I register is the moonlight. I blink to focus my vision and see an impossibly large orb magnified through a glass dome. Its light bathes everything in silver, making the circular ritual chamber feel both beautiful and terrible. Marble columns stretch up three stories to support the massive dome, their surfaces carved with classical scenes that seem to move in the shifting light.

Silver, not blood red.

The moonlight is wrong.

It has to be a good sign. If there is no blood moon, they can’t perform their ritual. The idiots got the night wrong.

My hope is pointless and short-lived. A shadow brushes against the moon’s edge, subtle at first. The shift is so faint that I try to convince myself I imagine it.

For the longest time, all I can do is blink and stare. It feels as if the moon looks back at me through the century-old glass, a watchful eye in the velvet-dark sky. A weight presses down on my chest. The air thickens, and it’s hard to breathe. It’s charged with something unseen and ancient. The end is coming. I can feel it. The eclipse has begun.

That is when I realize Draakmar is quiet. He’s stopped whispering to me.

I finally manage to turn my head, only to realize we’re in an abandoned bank’s main hall. Moonlight spills across what was once a temple to mortal wealth and power, now transformed into a cathedral for monsters. The metal framework holding the dome’s glass in place creates shadowy fingers that stretch down the marble walls. Old teller windows have been sealed with spelled iron, and through the open bank vault door, I see tunnels leading into darkness.

I should have said goodbye to Costin.

He would never have let me leave.

My failure surrounds me. Part of me believed that with Draakmar, I’d find a way through any challenge. And here I am, a failure. I never would have thought my ego would be my downfall.

The moon’s glow softens as if some unseen hand is drawing a veil over it. Not dark, not yet, just dimming.

I need to fight through the residual magic clouding my head and think of my next move.

Mabel’s mocking words echo in my mind, “Did you think we didn’t know that lovesick puppy Peter was lurking around eavesdropping for sweet morsels to feed you?”

They’d played us all. They used Peter to give me exactly the information they wanted, knowing his ties to our family and Astrid would protect him. Even the timing was perfect, waiting until Costin would be trapped by daylight.

I was so sure I could rescue Paul, so confident in Draakmar’s power. I thought I was protecting Costin from having to confront his sister by coming here without him.

But they’d manipulated everything, probably even letting Peter discover which tunnels to use. My desperation made me an easy mark. Now, I’ve not only failed to save Paul, but I’ve also delivered the last piece they needed for their ritual.

Fuck!

I force my limbs into action as I push myself to sitting. Chains clank, and I find a manacle locked around my ankle. I wiggle my foot as I try to push it off.

I feel a draft coming from the tunnels and shiver. My throat aches where Mabel’s magic choked me, but the amulet pulses steadily against my chest, its warmth the only comfort in this cold place. As the haze of Mabel’s attack fades, I feel Draakmar’s presence returning.

The stone floor has been polished to a mirror shine, reflecting the moonlight and making the marble seem to glow from within. They’ve positioned me at one point of an enormous triangle painted on the floor in red. At the triangle’s center stands the altar from Thane’s sanctuary, its carved words, “ Sanguis et Lūnāria ,” glowing with building power. The stains on its surface look fresh.

“Tamara?” Paul’s voice breaks through my disorientation, and I squint to find him in the shadows. They’ve chained him at another point of the triangle. His arms stretch wide like some twisted crucifixion. Fresh cuts cover his chest, and blood trickles down to form grotesque patterns. His expression is frantic with worry as he looks away from me.

I push to standing and follow his gaze. My heart shatters. Diana stands at the triangle’s third point, wearing a white dress resembling a sacrifice from an ancient myth. Her dark curls have been braided with silver ribbons, and symbols are drawn on her bare arms in blood. She’s not crying, but her eyes are huge with a terror she seems unable to voice. She stands perfectly still, unnaturally so, and a soft red glow surrounds her like a force field. There is no indication she can see us.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Paul calls to her, straining against his chains until they cut into his wrists. Blood drips onto the stone. “Daddy’s here. Everything’s going to be okay.”

“Oh, do calm down. She can’t hear you.” Elizabeth emerges from between two pillars like a nightmare given form. Her leather-clad figure seems to absorb the moonlight. “The forgotten magic needs to stay pure. No corrupting influences.”

Elizabeth runs a finger down Diana’s cheek, activating the red force field, and I see the child shiver despite her magical paralysis.

“Don’t touch her!” Paul yells, struggling harder.

“Leave her alone!” I scream. I try to lunge toward them, but the enchanted chain around my ankle holds me in place. The metal prickles where it touches my skin, despite the amulet’s protection.

“Such innocent power. Do you know she still believes in magic? In good triumphing over evil? Even now, after all of this.” Elizabeth’s laugh echoes off stone walls. “How perfectly pure.”

I hear movement from the bank vault door, and I turn to see werewolves and vampires gathering in the shadows between pillars like spectators to a gladiator match. Their eyes gleam in the darkness, which is the only way I can tell some of them apart—gold for wolves, crimson for vampires.

The three Freemonts come to stand near the altar, magic crackling between them as they prepare something in a silver bowl. Smoke rises from their concoction. The pungent smell of herbs makes me gag. Chester smiles at me. His smug look is so superior that I want to punch him in the face. I can’t believe Uncle Mortimer wanted me to marry him. Francis has his eyes closed as he lifts his hands to the moon, all focus on his task. Mabel’s expression mirrors her son as she looks around to make sure all eyes are on them .

As the Freemonts begin chanting, the spectators join in. I hold my thigh and pull my leg as hard as I can. The metal bites into my skin. I look around for a weapon, but nothing is within reach. I jerk my leg harder, trying to dislodge the chain from the floor.

The shadows deepen as if the chants are calling them in. I look up. What was once a faint smudge at the moon’s edge now stretches across its surface, devouring the silver light piece by piece. It creeps, slow and insidious, like ink bleeding through parchment.

My heart beats faster in fear.

I had assumed this would happen at Thane’s industrial palace. I doubt Costin and Astrid know about this place. We’re on our own.

The chanting gains strength, the voices rising. Draakmar doesn’t like it. I feel the dragon thrashing. I wonder if I could call him to me. The last time he came out of his deep hole, he’d tried to end the world. Surely that would be better than being under control of these monsters and their cult following.

The temperature dips, another chill whispering across my skin.

“The moon reaches its apex in thirty minutes, my vampire queen.” Thane’s voice carries across the chamber as he approaches Elizabeth. The chanting becomes quieter as if in reverence for the couple. His massive form looks huge to her slender one, and the way he looks at her makes my skin crawl. It’s a combination of possession and genuine devotion. “Everything you wished for, my love. The power will be ours.”

He’s found someone as broken and angry as himself. A match made in hell.

Elizabeth’s smile doesn’t reach her eyes as she strokes his face. “Yes, my wolf king. Everything we dreamed.”

Draakmar grows louder in protest. He hears the lie in her voice, and I see the calculation behind her gaze. She’s playing Thane just like she plays everyone.

I know Costin cares for her, but his sister is a real evil bitch.

The amulet hums against me with an intensity I’ve never felt before. Since waking Draakmar, his reactions have grown stronger and more purposeful. The stone doesn’t just protect me anymore. The dragon has been warning me, guiding me. I lean forward so it doesn’t touch my skin as his presence becomes more insistent.

The dragon focuses my attention back on poor Diana as if he feels different with the child, less angry and more protective. I don’t know what he’s trying to tell me. The warning stays frustratingly out of reach. When I don’t understand, I feel his growing rage, matching my own helplessness .

I look up to keep time by the changing color of the moon. There is only one thing I know for certain. We are running out of time.

Thane lifts his arms to the side, and the chanting becomes louder. The Freemonts begin circling the altar, arms lifted toward the moon. Their magic flares stronger than ever as blue fire dances around their bodies like snakes. Francis lifts the silver bowl above his head as if to help the herbal smoke rise. Chester’s smug grin has become manic as if he’s been possessed.

I keep pulling at my chain, falling to the floor for leverage. I don’t care if I rip off the skin. I have to stop them.

“Begin,” Elizabeth commands. She comes forward, arms lifted to the sides as she steps to the altar. The Freemonts stop to help lift her onto it. Chester bends over so she can step on his back as Francis and Mabel each take an arm. The move looks rehearsed for dramatic effect. Thane doesn’t wait for help as he leaps up next to her, massive arms pulled toward the moon. The carved “ Sanguis et Lūnāria ” pulses beneath them.

My breath fogs in the dropping temperature. Thane howls and shifts into wolf form. Werewolves around the chamber follow his lead, their bones cracking as they transform. The ugly noises echo like gunshots off the marble walls .

“No!” Paul pulls so hard against his chains that the blood flows freely down his arms now. “Diana, baby, close your eyes!”

Diana doesn’t move, doesn’t even blink. The red barrier around her flares brighter as Francis begins pouring the bowl’s contents in a circle around the self-anointed royalty swaying on the altar. Whatever’s in it sizzles when it hits the floor, eating the marble.

Elizabeth’s head snaps toward the vault door. “Right on schedule.” Her smile turns cruel. “Shall we greet our guest, my wolf king?”

I turn, not hearing anything.

Thane growls, the sound more animal than human. He points an order. Half his pack moves toward the tunnels while the rest maintain their positions. The chanting never stops.

My breath catches. I don’t need to hear him to feel his presence.

“Costin,” I whisper. He’s found us.

Elizabeth’s excited smile tells me she expected this.

“Costin,” I yell. “Watch out. They’re coming!”

Fighting erupts in the darkness, the sounds of combat coming through the tunnels—snarls and screams, magic crackling, bodies hitting stone.

Then silence.

The chanting stops. I hold my breath .

Costin appears in the vault doorway, and my heart skitters around in my chest. He’s magnificent in his fury, clothes torn and bloody, eyes blazing crimson. Behind him, I glimpse the blur of vampires engaging the wolves in battle.

“Sister.” His voice carries deadly calm. “This ends now.”

Elizabeth laughs, the sound wild. “Oh no, brother. This is just beginning.”

“Costin,” I manage, pointing across the triangle. His eyes flit to mine. “Diana.”

I’ve already outlived my timeline. I should be dead by now. But Diana, she’s just a child. She deserves a chance.

A figure darts from the shadows, ramming into Costin to engage him in a fight. The vampire attacker is joined by a werewolf, and the two double-team the master vampire. It’s enough to keep him from going to Diana. I strain to get free, but my body is weakening, and the metal clamp on my ankle burns against my bloody skin.

The eclipse’s reddening shadow crawls further across the moon’s face, and the temperature in the chamber plummets further as life is being sucked from the air. The cultish chanting resumes and lifts, the voices taking on an otherworldly resonance that vibrates on the marble columns. Blue fire pulls from their hands, dancing toward the altar where Elizabeth and Thane stand.

Costin cracks the werewolf’s neck and flies with the vampire toward the ceiling. I hear them crash in the darkness.

Paul continues to fight his chains, but he’s losing strength. Blood drips down his arms in rivulets that seem to move with purpose, slithering across the floor toward the altar. The red light around Diana pulsates, and I see her small form trembling within it. Power builds in the air like static before a storm, making my skin tingle and my hair stand on end.

“You’re too late to stop it,” Elizabeth taunts as Costin drops to the ground. Ash from the dead vampire attacker drifts down over him like snow.

“The three magics are combining.” Thane cries, bouncing in fanatical excitement.

“Witness the new era!” Elizabeth yells. The chanting stops as the crowd cheers and howls.

I see it happening. Paul’s blood glows with a deep crimson light when it reaches the altar, while silvery threads of Diana’s pure magic weave gently through the air like moonbeams given form. The amulet sparks as Draakmar’s power is torn into the mix. Golden energy erupts from the stone, twisting and spiraling with the other magics. I feel the dragon’s fury at being used this way.

Draakmar thrashes in anger. I feel him moving from where he tries to sleep deep within the earth. He’s going to surface and bring destructive lava with him.

“The moon is ready!” Francis announces, his voice carrying the same edge of madness consuming the others. The moon’s face is almost covered, casting red light through the dome.

Costin’s vampires surge from the tunnels, clashing with the cult around the chamber’s edges, but neither side can breach the triangle of power forming between Paul, Diana, and me. The combined magics create a barrier that sizzles and sparks.

“Now!” Elizabeth commands. The Freemonts straighten their arms, channeling more energy into the ritual. The floor shakes with the force of it.

Pain rips through me as Draakmar’s power is pulled harder. Paul screams as the death magic violently tears from his body, blood pooling out of his skin. Diana remains silent in her barrier, but tears stream down her face as her forgotten magic is stripped away.

“Tamara, stay strong!” Costin’s screams sound far away. I see him trying to reach Diana, but the magic keeps thrusting him violently back.

That’s when I hear it. Draakmar’s voice is stronger now as he surfaces. The dragon’s consciousness surges through me with crystal clarity. He’s not fighting the ritual. He’s watching Diana, trying to protect her. In her innocence, in her ability to forget and still believe in magic, he sees something the rest of us missed. A vessel pure enough to carry his power without being corrupted by it.

The moon goes dark as the eclipse reaches totality. Elizabeth throws back her head and laughs. “The power is?—”

Her words cut off as Thane howls in agony. I turn to see Elizabeth has plunged her hand into his chest to squeeze his heart. The power he’s absorbed flows up her arm.

“Did you really think I’d share?” she snarls. “All magic is mine!”

She slashes her hand across Thane’s neck, cutting him with her nails.

Chaos erupts. Thane’s pack surges forward as their Alpha’s blood sprays across the altar over Elizabeth. They can’t reach their leader.

The Freemonts’ chanting falters as the ritual spins out of control. They stumble away from Elizabeth in fear. The three magics whirl faster out of us, a tornado of power with Elizabeth at its heart.

I feel my life draining.

“No!” Costin shouts, but he can’t reach us through the maelstrom.

The combined magics are a force of nature now, wild and uncontrolled. Paul’s chains snap as death magic pulses through him. He begins crawling across the floor to his daughter. Diana’s barrier flickers and fails. And in that moment of pure chaos, I finally understand what must be done.

I reach for the amulet’s chain.

My life for hers.

“Tamara, don’t!” Costin’s voice carries over the bedlam. He knows what removing it will mean.

The power vortex intensifies. Elizabeth absorbs the last of Thane’s magic, and his massive body drops from the altar. His pack’s howls of rage shake the chamber as they begin attacking the vampires in the crowd. This gives Costin’s army a chance, and they gain ground. The Freemonts scramble backward in panic, looking for escape as their carefully laid plans spiral out of control. I see Elizabeth siphoning their power.

The amulet burns against my palm, but Draakmar’s presence is steady now, confident.

Me for her. Everything was coming to this moment. My life for Diana’s.

The dragon shows me what he knows. Diana’s pure magic, untainted by darkness or power, is the perfect vessel. She will be his keeper, letting him rest while he keeps her safe. Unlike me, she won’t try to use his power to fill that chasm of need to fit in with my supernatural family. She’ll simply believe in it .

“Bow to me!” Elizabeth’s voice screeches with manic glee. Her body contorts. “Bow to your queen!”

Paul manages to reach Diana despite his wounds, his body dragging along the floor. “Sweetheart, close your eyes!”

I’m being torn apart as Elizabeth pulls Draakmar’s magic. Without the amulet’s protection, I won’t survive this. But Diana might.

“Brother!” Elizabeth taunts Costin as she floats above the altar. “Bear witness as I take everything!”

The marble floor cracks beneath her, fissures spreading like spider webs across the polished surface. They stretch up the walls to the glass dome. It groans and cracks in warning. The air becomes thin, making it hard to breathe. Wolves and vampires alike fall to their knees as she steals their strength.

Through the frenzy, I see Costin fighting to reach me. His eyes lock with mine, and I know he’s trying to stop me. The anguish on his face nearly breaks me.

The eclipse reaches its peak. The moon hangs like a dark wound in the sky, hemorrhaging a bloody light over us. Elizabeth’s form blurs, magic coursing so forcefully she’s barely corporeal. The power of the three magics whips her hair around her face.

“I’m sorry,” I mouth to Costin, not knowing if he sees it. I can’t bring myself to say goodbye .

At this moment, all my choices narrow to one path. I could keep the amulet, keep its protection, keep Costin. But that isn’t really a choice, not if I want to look myself in the mirror. Some prices are worth paying, even if they cost everything.

The chain around my bloody ankle cracks. I run toward Diana. My hands shake as I lift the amulet over my head.

Draakmar’s presence wraps around me one last time—not in farewell, but in gratitude. We did what was needed. Now it’s time to let go.

I trip on my wounded ankle, and as I fall, I throw the amulet toward Diana. The moment it leaves my hand, the chamber erupts in blinding light.