Page 14

Chapter 13

Prince

E t in domum suam in solem had been built on our dreams. That much I remembered.

There were hints of me in every piece that I looked at, from the gold speckled décor to the dents and blemishes in delicately carved woodwork. Hints of a life that I couldn't remember, hints of those I knew somewhere deep in my chest, those I loved . The rooms felt colder now than what my mind told me they were like before. Aaliyah wasn't dancing down the stairs, light on her feet with a book in one hand and a chocolate in the other. There were tells of my brothers, too. Faded glimmers of Adrian creating chaos in the kitchen, the aroma of something delectable that I could no longer name. The creak of the floor as Eirik stalked the halls, his brutish frame making it impossible for him to sneak. The scent of a freshly tailored suit or two.

My memories were just as broken, just as lost, but it was those that had kept me functional after my rise from the crypt that I had been so desperate to see when I got here. It was supposed to be a reunion, all tears and snot and a doggy pile of a hug that I'd have even dragged Osiris into.

Now, it was empty, dull , and painfully blatant in its meaning. If we failed, then either we risked losing Aaliyah. Her smile, her joy, the way she hummed under her breath as she walked. The woman I loved more than all others, who, if she were standing here, would wonder why we weren't already at Archon's.

Or we risked losing our brothers. The family that had taken root in my soul, their bonds strong enough that I could still feel them in my chest. Something even death couldn't fully break. The men who'd no doubt lay down their lives to make sure we got Aaliyah home safe.

That made the answer to what we had to do simple. There was no way in hell, come Hades or high water, I was going to let either happen.

"I'm going to clean up," Osiris said, brushing a streak of drying blood off his face, stalking away without another word.

"You play with thin strings, ones far more fragile than you can see," Mags mumbled, pulling me from my thoughts as they kneeled next to Kali's still smoldering body.

They seemed bitter, their face screwed into a pout. Their age showed in the wrinkles in their skin and the lost look in their eyes. I'd expected to see something warm, considering their kinship to the pile of coals, but all Mags did was dip their hand in the blood, bringing it to their lips before licking it off. It smelled like an ancient forest, muddled with the thick scent of rotten wood and mulch. Hidden by the greenery and washed away by the subtle scent of rain. Deceptive . Mags did it again, this time dipping both hands in, smearing it around.

"Mags, now isn't the time for your riddles," I said, shaking my head as I turned away. I wasn't in any kind of mental state to deal with them right now, especially not after what they'd said to Osiris.

But Mags had never been one to shy away from uncomfortable physical contact, as they grabbed my face with one of their putrid hands, flipping me until I was forced to look them in the eye. I grunted, already biting out a scathing retort, when they spoke. "They won't stop. Never stop. Never stop. Death still clings to you, Prince. "

Mags didn't say anything else as they let me go, dropping back to the floor with a splash as they continued to play in the blood, fingers moving in a pattern I wasn't sure meant anything, like it was some kind of morbid mud puddle.

They'd spun enough words to make me sick, and fear wasn't an emotion I liked all that well. Especially when I knew they were right. I could feel it, the stutter of my own heart, the way my blood didn't seem to know how to flow correctly. Everything about me felt off.

"Thanks for the support, Mags. I do love our chats," I grumbled, flipping away, wiping what blood I could from my face.

Worry of my own death could wait. The sun was rising, maybe ten minutes from cresting at most, taunting me as the shutters closed over the large floor-to-ceiling windows in the kitchen. I'd make it to Archon's faster with a spell, so as much as I ached to get this show on the road, I had some time to kill. I washed my face— twice— before I made my way up the stairs. I kept my hand on the cool gray walls, stumbling over the stone accents that lined it, only stopping when my hand hit a divot.

An unfamiliar door in a familiar spot. I ran my fingertips along the wood, searching for a crack that was no longer there, hand falling to the doorknob to my room. Aaliyah's room. I'd seen it in more than a few memories, and the smell of it, like rich lavender and the deep breath of mountain air … It overwhelmed me.

I'd caught bits of her scent around, bits of Aaliyah that I hadn't been privy to, this person who had stolen my heart directly from my chest. It was like proof she was real, that I wasn't crazy.

I stumbled forward, landing on the bed, crawling into the sheets that were drowned in that scent. I could see her now, buried in them, her unruly white hair tangled as she woke, groggily smiling at me.

Good morning, Prince.

"I will save you, Aaliyah," I whispered, digging deeper into the sheets. I felt the burn at the back of my throat before I could get another word out, suddenly choking. Tears branded at my eyes, and I curled into a ball, wishing she were here. Wishing that everything hadn't gone to shit. "I wasn't able to before, and I will always regret that. So, please, stay safe for me until I can find you."

I stayed there, wound in those blankets, buried so deep I would have sworn I could hear her heartbeat and subtle breaths. When I pulled back, it was just me in an empty room I'd dreamed of what seemed like a million times. I stood, fixing the blankets so they'd be ready for when we got home.

I'd give her the life she deserved. We all would.

I walked out, but rather than turning down the stairs, I moved the other way. To the large mosaic door I'd crashed through when I'd first gotten here. The game room barely stopped me as I moved to my little masterpiece, the sound of swirling whisky pushing me to open the door that had Thoth so beautifully carved into it. My hands lingered on the unfinished woodwork, on the delicate details that I wouldn't have bet were mine if my mind didn't search them out. The room it opened to was cozy, warmly heated from the fresh fire, comforting organic wooden colors and textures accenting the packed space. I singled in on the man who stood in it.

Osiris was gaunt, somehow looking worse than he had covered in blood, his eyes far away as he put down his glass, then poured another from the decanter above the fireplace.

His suit was torn, his fresh tie abandoned on the floor. The skin of his wrist was exposed, healing from what looked like his fingernails clawing at it and streaking black lines that seemed to etch into his veins.

I came to his side, using the time to stare into the fire with him. I grabbed the decanter and took a swig, smirking when he glowered at me. It was a reaction, though, one I hadn't realized I'd been looking for. "You look like shit."

He huffed, shaking his head as he downed his next glass. It wouldn't do much. Alcohol didn't affect us the same, I recalled, but he took comfort in it, regardless. He looked me up and down, narrowing his eyes on what was likely the remains of the bloodied handprint on my face.

"And you sound like Adrian," he whispered.

Now that made me laugh, my head tipping back. Adrian, he'd still been so new when I'd died, and I could practically feel him on my heels as we ran down the halls, away from Fallon after a prank gone wrong. What we'd done, I couldn't say, but he'd been a partner in crime, a younger brother who reminded me of my human years. "No, Adrian sounds like me, you ass ."

He'd taken to me like bees on honey, though the memories around him were the fuzziest. God, the things we used to do to poor, poor Fally. I'd have to sit down with him and have him recount some once I got him out.

Osiris didn't reply for a moment. His eyes were on the fire, the dead numbness in them only growing as he poured another glass and took another drink. "What was it like, being dead?"

Part of me itched to dig in to that look and ask why the veins in his hand had turned an ashen black. It seemed like something I would have done before.

But I wasn't that same Nero. I wasn't Nero, not anymore. I was Prince, and that meant something. I wanted to be the brother he lost, but balancing that with the man I was now seemed so daunting.

"I don't remember much. To be honest, most of my memories are of Aaliyah." There had been moments with them, ones that had shadowed their faces and left me scrambling to learn them all over again. They were the ones that had hit the hardest after I'd finally realized who Osiris was. With Aaliyah, though, I'd remembered a lot, from torture sessions to game nights. To soft singing and endless conversations. The way we'd dance around her cell until the early morning hours, and I'd spend all my time thinking of ways I might get her out. She'd talk about what she wanted, a life outside those glass walls, and I'd dream I could follow her, live that life with her. The imprint she had on me was infinite. "It was … haunting, and the most powerless I've ever felt, having to watch her go through that and not being able to help."

I tapered off, looking away as Osiris's hands flexed, the veins drawing my attention again, sharp like a blade to the ribs. He brought his glass up to his lips, taking a small sip of his drink.

"I couldn't imagine." He didn't turn away, nodding his head for me to continue.

I didn't think I was the "talking it out" sort. Never would have guessed that I'd be the one to spill my guts. But keeping it all inside seemed to just make it hurt worse, and this man who felt so much like a stranger seemed like the only one who would understand.

"Knowing that the same man that had Turned me was the one pulling the strings … nothing has ever hurt worse, and I died. " I choked that part out.

I'd died, faced the sun with a shit-eating grin and knew how badly it hurt. Had thought nothing would ever compare. Then I saw her, heard the first of her bones break.

Then another. Followed by her screams. The same ones she'd held in for my sake, behind gritted teeth that were stained with her blood because she didn't want me to worry.

"We'll get her back, Nero," Osiris cut in, a stable voice to the chaos as my mind wandered, and those screams gained volume. "Her and the others."

His hand flexed around his glass. The fire glowed, showing the faint lines of determination on his face and the numb in his eyes. Kali's blood may have been gone, and he may have changed suits, but he looked just as feral now as he had when he'd destroyed her.

"Damn right we will," I grunted, shaking my head. I turned, setting my hand on the back of an obnoxiously red couch, one that I lingered on. There was something familiar about it that had me smiling.

It was like a small reminder that this was my home. My life. Now I just had to get everyone back and maybe remember what made me Vivas.

"Oh, I haven't forgiven you for killing me yet, you know. Pretty sure you owe me a stiff drink and several uninterrupted piano hours," I joked before swiping his half-full glass away from him. He raised a brow but didn't reach to take it back as I downed the rest. "That's the interest. Be ready to pay up in full when we're back home."

His lips tilted up, his eyes clearing for a moment before he smiled, huffing what could be considered a laugh.

"I wouldn't dream of denying you that, Nero." It was small, but that hint of Osiris still lingering behind those eyes was enough to keep me moving. "Together, then?"

I grinned before I reached out, something my soul told me I'd done a million times, and Osiris did the same, grabbing my forearm as I pulled him into a hug. He shuddered against me for a moment before accepting the contact. "Always, brother."

A throat cleared. I looked over, finding Mags covered head to toe in blood, grinning like a feral beast. Ah, please just let that be Kali's.

"We are ready. The depths await amidst your palace of fool's gold. Best not keep fate waiting."

* * *

Magic had an innate warmth to it, a comforting hold that dragged lazily over the skin, like the touch of a gentle lover. There was a kindness to be found in something so vast and powerful.

When it wasn't pointed toward you , that was.

Mags's teleportation spell spit me out, like some phlegm that had been caught in their throat, and I dropped directly to the ground. I grunted, slamming into stone and sliding down my fair share of cobblestone steps, swearing up and down as I searched for the asshat of a Chronomancer so I could give them a piece of my mind.

Only to realize they weren't fucking here. Which meant, to my great amusement, they'd gone with Osiris. God, I was sad I was going to miss that party.

I stood up, cracking my back with a groan, shaking off the dirt and grime that had stuck to me from the steps, scrunching my nose at the scent of rotten plant life barely veiled by the crispness of winter. If there was anything I missed about being dead, it had to be the fact that I didn't hurt. Now, my muscles screamed, my head close after, like something had knocked loose when I'd landed. I reached up and swiped away a stray dash of blood that slid out of my nose.

A tingling sensation shot down my spine as I looked at the dreary streets behind me. The streetlights were still on, almost mocking me, and the first hints of the orange glow of the sun started in the sky.

Plenty of time to cause a little mayhem.

"Don't worry, guys, Nero's here to save the day. Back from the dead, completely healthy!" I said, out loud when it really should have stayed inside, hopping up the steps two at a time. I clapped my palm against my ear as the pressure moved there, chasing its own tail in the midst of my skull. What a mood kill. I'd been so ready for this fight, so geared up to break in and save the day.

Just for Mags to go spoil it all and remind me I was dying.

"Damn it. Why did you have to go and ruin my vibe, huh?" I said out loud again. Words just seemed to slip out now that I had a body to voice them.

I took the last step, hands in my jean pockets, nearly crashing into the door before I clicked my tongue. I set my palm down on it, pressing into the metal, weighing my odds as I considered knocking. "Not this time, you bastard."

It felt like standard iron, heavy and resilient. I cracked a smile, pulling my hand back before I slammed it forward, knocking the heavy thing clean off its hinges, and sent it flying into Archon's home.

The tumble was followed by the shattering of glass, a slew of cries coming from the now mangled hall, one man seemingly crushed beneath the weight in a way that made me cringe as I peeked inside, stepping through with a shiver as the house seemed to recognize that I'd already been here. "That looks like it's going to leave a mark."

He was bent at an odd angle, his arm underneath him, contorted in a way that could, under no circumstances, be labeled as correct. His face was a bloody red, head tipped back as he screamed.

The other guards, seeming to snap out of their haze, rushed at me with the coordination of a drugged-up lion, panic stealing their steps. The first, a man with a hearty, earthen scent and muscles that looked like he could take gold in the Olympic hammer throw, swung high with a spear, and my body moved.

I grabbed his arm, wrenching his wrist as he tried to bring it down on my head. The weak point caved, and his hand opened, the spear hitting the ground. All within the space of a second.

I threw him to the side, grinning as he crashed into what looked like a very fancy sculpture of a man overlooking the hall. It seemed to be the only thing in the drab, dusty place that hadn't been hit by the door.

Oops .

Adrenaline lived in my veins, the thrill of a fight a drug I never could have replicated.

Another trickle of blood slid down from my nose, my vision blotting as I cracked my neck again. My hands went numb, my tongue, too, as I fought back the approaching Rend . I'd never managed to before, but maybe Mags's sock potion would keep it at bay long enough to get through this.

Or I'd give these boys a lovely show before I died.

The others were more wary than the first that had come running, less rushed as I brushed my hair back, the ominous threat of a wayward memory hot on my heels, pushing me forward.

The guards created a wall between me and the open hall, spears pointed my way. If I wasn't on such a time crunch, I might have taken the time to play a bit.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. Please, there's enough of me to go around," I said, as I reached down and picked up the spear the other man had dropped, twirling it a few times to test the balance. On instinct, I lowered my grip closer to the wooden end, to accommodate its off-weighted center of gravity from a slightly too heavy head.

My nose flared as I took in the scent of battle. "Oh, I missed this."

I hadn't even known I did, but now that I was here, face to face with a slew of enemies … I knew there was only one place I'd rather be. In Aaliyah's arms, whispering her name, breathing in all that lavender sweetness.

And to get there?

I needed to get through them .

They dashed, all at once, looking to take me by surprise, and it was almost comically easy to dispatch them. One by one, bodies fell around me. A spear to the eye, a broken arm leading to a cracked neck.

The Rend came hard and fast, slamming into the back of my skull as I grunted, eyes rolling back. I barely managed to jam the spearhead into the wall, ducking below it as another guard swung at me. I collapsed to my knees as wood splintered around me from where his weapon struck mine, and a memory tore through my brain.

The crack of bone and the scream Aaliyah hid behind her lips as she looked me in the eye. I'd taken to hovering over her, blocking out Castillion's face as he leaned over, leering. He was lucky I wasn't alive.

The guard jolted forward, planning to strike again. I was dazed, barely able to keep myself from separating completely. I felt the tug at my soul, like hands reaching inside my chest to pull me out.

So, I made a perfectly logical call and punched him directly in the dick.

He flew back several feet, his eyes rolling, and even I cringed as he reached to cover the family jewels before he crashed to the ground. A moaning mess that quickly descended into tears.

Another pulse of pressure, another memory sneaking up on me. My hands shook, my skin going clammy as my body revolted against itself. The shard of a memory that crept past was more familiar, more open as Osiris's face switched with the next guard that ran at me, snarling.

Towering marble pillars filled an expansive ballroom. A black piano that called to me along the far wall, and my brother at my side as we played a song that my fingers twitched along to. The room went silent, masked faces watching on in awe and contempt. Their jealousy was as alive as the beat of my heart.

Blood flew, some of it mine as his sword sliced through the flesh of my arm, most of it his as his body dropped in between memories I couldn't stop, Rends I held back with the grit of my teeth. Until I was left panting in a sea of fallen men.

Osiris offered me a hand, gloved in black, his eyes cold as he looked at the bodies in the streets around us. The ones who'd thought it'd be a good idea to fight. I'd been more than happy to entertain them while he meandered.

I turned, just as three more crept into the hall. They stopped short, paling, faces a mask of horror as I picked up a sword that had clattered to the ground. It was weighted nicely, the blade a little dull, but even with that I knew this was my true calling. The spears had done their job, but a sword?

It felt right in a way nothing else I'd held had.

A daunting smile on a dark, faceless man, the hints of a fight I couldn't remember. The laugh of a best friend, of a brother in all but blood. We sparred on the sandy beach of his home, his sword shattering on mine.

The blade sang as I sliced it through the air and stalked forward, tripping over my feet. One stepped up, bigger than the rest, his body seeming to be made of stone and scales, fire slipping past his nose as he narrowed eyes with red-slitted pupils.

"What? Scared?" I said, raising the blade in what I imagined made me look like a bit of a psychopath. "Come on, I won't bite that hard. Do it, make my fucking day."

I flashed fangs, my vision dusting red as the veins along my face popped. Another rush of hot fire down my nose. I wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

Watching him lose all the blood in his face was comical as his sword crashed to the ground.

" Vampire. "

Like the monster that haunted his childhood dreams. He waited all of a few seconds before he ran back down the hall. Leaving a trail of dust and piss in his wake.

I hummed, slashing the sword again, planting it tip first into the ground as I leaned over it to look at the remaining two. My useless fucking legs were little better than overcooked noodles, as wetness clouded my ears. No doubt more blood there now, too. I'd need another shower. Hopefully, this next time I could enjoy one without bodily injury.

I snorted at the thought of Mags taking on these beasts with their lovely frying pan.

"His loss," I said, shrugging my shoulder, pointing between the two of them before landing on the one on the left. "You."

I was on him in the next second, hand around the collar of his horrendous armor. I lifted him from the ground, grunting when he tried to land a hit … then laughing when he did, a dull ache in my cheek, ending in the blood I spit up. That got his attention. "Where are my brothers?"

His eyes flared, lips curling back to show little baby fangs. His ears shifted, stretching long as gills sprouted on the side of his neck. "I'm not telling you shit?—"

I snapped his neck and let him drop with the rest.

The last man standing wasn't what I would have even called a man. A boy in soldier's clothing, more like. He'd dropped, as well, staring at me from where he sat like I was the devil himself. To him, I might as well have been.

A Vampire. A monster that stalked the night, even to other monsters. I reached down, hauling him up the same way I had his buddy.

"Let's try this again," I said, cracking my neck from side to side. The pressure pulsed, and I grunted as I stumbled, tasting a hint of salt at the memory of a ship on an open ocean. "I don't think your friend heard me, and I'm kind of on a time crunch here. So, where are my brothers?"

A simple question, a simple answer. That was all I needed. I really wasn't that unreasonable.

"Wh-who?" he asked through trembling lips and tear-soaked cheeks.

A child, nothing more than a whelp. Seeing him made me almost irrationally angry. This was a boy , and Archon seemed more than happy to throw him to the wolves. He shouldn't be fighting like this yet. Learning to fight, sure.

Who didn't want to earn their first battle scar?

But this wasn't a game. He could die here. If I were anyone else, he likely would have.

"Can't miss them. Tall, dark, wicked with fangs? One may be a little more wolfy than fangs? Seriously, can't miss him," I said, chuckling at the thought of Eirik.

The boy narrowed his eyes as he opened and closed his mouth several times, before eventually saying, "The Vivas brothers? But you're not Osiris."

"Wow, very astute of you. You're right, I'm not Osiris. He does wish he was me, though. Who wouldn't want this face?" I flashed a grin, shaking my head. Pain shot through my ear, and I grunted as I slapped my spare hand against it to stop the ringing. "You got me off topic. Where are they?"

The boy shook his head, tilting to the side, but he didn't have the same quarrel as the one before him.

"Eirik is with Brazen. He's the only one we were told to watch. The others Archon dealt with personally." He pointed down the hallway, one that likely held several more guards from the sound of it. The name he said made the ringing worse, a deep-seated rage I couldn't quite comprehend ripping down my spine like the snarl that built in my chest. The boy paled. "D-Down there, to the right, then past an ornate door."

"Appreciate it," I said with a grunt, letting the boy slip to the ground as I hauled the sword up again. I could get Eirik, then he could use his bond to lead me to the others. "Do yourself a favor and play dead, then get the fuck out of here, yeah? It's no fun fighting a kid."

I stalked off down the hallway, my body a mix of priming for another fight and wanting to find a nice hole to die in. I licked my bloodied lips, grimacing at the bitter tang, pushing back the pressure as I slammed my palm against my ear one more fucking time. It gave me enough focus to walk, which was all I needed.

One more step, one more second. I had people to save, people I couldn't afford to let down. No Rend was going to stop me, not here.

"I love you, Prince," Aaliyah whispered, her hand in the air like she might reach out to touch me. "Forever."

I flitted down the hall.

The next stint of guards was barely child's play, and I sliced through them one after another. Yet no matter how many I killed, there always seemed to be another to take their place.

"Better hurry, Prince. You've got damsels to save." I grunted, the blood flying off the sword and hitting the ground with a splash as I swung it hard.

Precious seconds passed as more funneled in, the guards stockier, a hardier breed than those that came before them. They lined up, spears pointed in my direction, shields held up in a way that made my brain itch.

Pressure . It expanded behind my eyes, blurring my vision as I swayed on my feet. The walls tried to collapse in, a cold sweat starting as I steadied myself against one. The Rend was no longer in the mood to let me control it.

I cracked my neck again, tossing the sword in the air, catching it with the tip of the blade facing them, before I threw it. The steel edge bit into a guard, his body falling to the floor. I wasn't sure how much time had passed since I'd shown up, but I could only guess true sunrise was right around the corner. Which meant this had to go quick.

"All right then," I whispered, the veins on my face swelling as my eyes went red again, my vision swallowed by it as I raised my hands in a fighting pose. These guards weren't planning on making my life easy.

Too bad for them, I didn't know how to lose.

I smiled like a madman, a feral dog about to feast. "Let's play ."