Page 51

I could smell the bleach and other cleaning supplies as I was carried into the lab. Whatever they’d used to poison my system was lessening. Consciousness was returning and, with it, fear of what I’d willingly walked into.

My arms and legs were tightly secured to a table, one that was metal and cold against my spine. Needles continually pricked my skin, drawing blood for whatever tests they intended to run.

“I know you’re awake,” said the thin, cold voice of a woman. “How far along are you?”

“Not far enough for you to take my child and it survive outside of my womb,” I replied with murderous intent in my tone.

She exhaled a deep, worried breath. “They provided us with an incubator along with other required machinery we may need. It seems Illeron wants your death as payment for his delivering you to us.”

“Want in one hand, get shit in the other,” I muttered as I flexed my hand. Closing my eyes, I sent my senses stretching throughout the area for any silver nearby. Nadda. I guess they’d ensured there was no silver to wield in this place. “You do realize that you’re all going to die screaming. Right?”

A nervous bubble of laughter left her lips. “Your power’s nullified here. Search for silver. You’ll find none. Fire needs a flicker, but you’ll notice there’s no tinder here, either. No way to ignite a flame.”

“Is that how you murdered my father?”

“Geoffrey? I didn’t know he was your father. He perished a few months ago, unfortunately. He was a magnificent specimen.”

Tears pricked my eyes as flames erupted within me. Her shocked gasp echoed within the chamber.

“You shouldn’t be able to cast magic,” she whispered. “We’ve tested it on both Silversmith and Phoenix. Neither could wield their magic within the compound! This isn’t possible.”

A dark, humorless laugh escaped my lips. “Your first mistake was assuming I was one or the other. I’m both,” the straps holding me down burned away, allowing me to sit upright.

The woman, a thirty-something blonde, darted toward a red button on the wall. I whispered a single word, and a shriek ripped from the woman as she dropped to her knees in agony, holding her skull.

I studied the way her flesh bubbled as she burned from within. Strolling toward her, I used my foot to kick her backward, watching as she slumped back, howling as her blood boiled.

“Now who’s the fucking specimen?” I asked before scanning the room.

Charts lined the top of the counter, grabbing my attention. Moving toward it, I paused as I found one on my father. Opening it, I plucked a picture, which had been clipped to the inside of the folder.

He looked pissed in the image, sapphire eyes sparkled with ire. I’d inherited my eye color from my father. He looked ageless, as if he hadn’t aged a single day since he’d walked away from us on that mountain. Curly red hair looked misshapen, as if they’d shaved parts of his head for their research.

Geoffrey had endured months of agonizing research done on him. He’d had his legs and arms removed, then been forced to regenerate them. They’d starved him, beaten him, used him to rape other women, seeking to impregnate them with more of his offspring. All because of me.

They’d killed my father to learn more about me but failed. I wasn’t of either breed but the perfect combination of both mixed into a deadly amalgamation.

The sound of footsteps approaching the room forced me to unclip the only picture I had of my father and pocket it. Pushing his folder aside, I found similar ones for Weston and Smith. The brothers we’d been waiting for had been here in this hellish place. Leaning back against the wall, I smirked at the sight of the bitch who’d tortured my father. I’d been wrong. She hadn’t died screaming. Instead, she’d drowned in her own boiling blood.

Men entered the room, coming to a standstill at the grisly sight of the remains. Before they could move, I slammed my magic into their system, ripping through their tissue to set fire to the organs.

Their screams flooded the chamber, but I had no intention of remaining to watch them burn. At the entrance, I glanced back at the men, holding my hand to the wall. I felt it burning through the drywall they’d padded the concrete walls with.

These padded walls held the screams of those they had tortured. Now, it will hold their screams. All of them were in the worst pain imaginable. I’d ensured they felt everything they’d done to my family and more.

Walking down the narrow concrete corridor, I began humming Sleep Token ‘ The Night Does Not Belong to God . ’ Men walked around the corner, falling to their knees as my magic leaked from my pores, seeking victims as grief and anger for what was done here clashed with what was right.

Issuing the flames to leap from my fingertips, I grazed the walls with them. Flames shot forward, entering room after room, erupting even bigger when combining with the stored chemicals. Each chamber burned as men and women sought to escape the space. Invisible barriers held them inside their fiery tombs, sealing their fate.

This was the path forward I had chosen in the dining room. One that didn’t result in anyone I loved perishing. If I wanted the job done, then I’d have to do it myself. I’d learned enough about the Trojan horse. Becoming one had been a simple thing.

No one ever expected the weapon to come through the front door. Especially when they’d been the ones to bring me inside.

Every warrior that sought to confront me dropped to the ground the moment they made a move to do so. At least until I entered the main chamber, where Illeron and a man with silver hair and ice-cold blue eyes sat together.

“Bloody hell, Donte. You promised she’d be fully nullified!” Illeron rose to his feet, his complexion turning white as he faced me.

“Remington Silversmith, I presume?” Donte asked, as he glared, sliding his eyes down over my frame. “I’m your grandfather.”

“I have no grandfather.”

Flames danced around my feet, awaiting my order to burn them. My heartbeat thundered against my chest, shock registering in my mind as I stared into the icy-blue, emotionless depths of Donte Silversmith. My mother’s father who’d vanished without a trace after the fire had been set to our house.

Armed men stormed through the many doorways around the room. Lifting my fingers, I snapped them together. Howls erupted throughout the tunnel as a cruel smile lifted the corners of my lips. A sliver of confidence built inside of me. My strength was reinforced as I felt my power growing, flooding my veins.

“You’re mistaken, darling. I am your mother’s father.”

A cold, emotionless chuckle left my lips. “Walk, Donte. You too, Illeron. There are people outside who are dying to speak to you both.”

Both men slowly shook their heads, forcing me to send the flames closer to where they stood, fear trickling from their pores. Their fear fed me power, adding to the fire burning through my system.

“I won’t ask you again. You can stay here and burn, or you can move toward the exit. Choose.” Flames burst from every exit other than the one I corralled them toward. The one I sensed Rhys and his brothers, along with my family, were nearing.

The flames dancing around their feet forced them to move to the one corridor that led outside. A sense of peace encompassed me as I followed them out of the fiery tomb. A tomb that the knights who’d been hunting me were currently being burned alive in.

I was a mother, even though Bullet wasn’t born yet. I was his or her mother. I’d kill anyone who thought to take my child from me. I’d burn them to blackened bones to protect my child. It mattered little if it tainted my soul in poisonous darkness.

I knew the moment the Van Helsing realized who’d been hidden in the hillside on the edge of town. Gasps of shock, then murderous slurs and snarls, echoed throughout the night.

Appearing through the tunnel, I assessed the rescue party. Rhys’ eyes narrowed, then slowly roved over me from head to toe. He searched for any physical sign of injury. I did the same, noting his suit was torn and destroyed as if he’d been busy fighting another enemy elsewhere.

“Remington!” Winchester called out to me.

I could hear the fear and worry in her tone, but I couldn’t look away from the azure eyes I’d once seen my future in. Now, I wasn’t sure if we had tomorrow, let alone a future together. I wanted one, but I also didn’t trust him not to break my heart again. I wouldn’t survive if he did so, and, more than likely, we both knew it, too.

“Donte Silversmith!” Mikel snarled, drawing all eyes toward him.

Hushed whispers rushed through the gathering, both of horror and confusion as Donte Silversmith, the same psychopath who’d raped and murdered Verity Van Helsing strolled out, as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

“You’re dead,” Arryn snapped, drawing a blade from the sheath on his back.

“You failed to kill me, boy. You merely covered me in dirt.”

Rhys drew his blades, which caused Donte to step back. “Run and you’ll burn, grandfather.” My voice was filled with layers of regret and hate sharpening it to a lethal point.

Donte’s existence had my siblings do a double-take. Relief from them not having known he’d survived the centuries flooded my veins.

“You won’t escape death this time, Donte,” Rhys growled, stepping in front of the pair. “Are you unharmed, Brother?”

“They both tried to kill me, brother,” he lied. “That Silversmith whore carrying your child lured me to Donte, same as her mother did to ours.”

“Is that so?” Rhys returned without removing his focus from Donte.

Donte smiled cruelly at Rhys, his icy-blue gaze cold enough to freeze a bonfire. As I watched, Rhys skillfully kept the older Silversmith in front of him, refusing to allow either of the men to sidestep around him.

“I should’ve put you down when I murdered your mother, boy,” Donte sneered, tensing as he viewed the man Rhys Van Helsing had become.

“You only picked on women back then. It appears you’ve not changed, Donte. This time, it will be the death of you. This time, you’ve fucked with the women in my life for the last time.”

“I warned you he’d come for me,” Illeron stated, as if he thought Rhys was oblivious to his intention to overthrow him. “Van Helsings never forget a slight against one of their own.”

“No. We don’t,” Nyota agreed as she slipped forward, the hilts of her blades crisscrossing over her shoulders. “Even when it’s family who’s done the slighting to us, Illeron.”

The color drained from Illeron’s face as he looked between Rhys and Nyota, both of whom were blocking any chance of escape. My throat tightened knowing what was coming. One of the two was about to end Illeron’s life.

“I’ve done nothing to warrant death at your hands, brother,” he pleaded pathetically.

I laughed coldly. “You do realize I preserved the recorders in the lab. Right?”

Illeron’s head shook with denial, his eyes turned toward me. Before I realized his intent, he lunged for me. Rhys was quicker, but with Donte summoning silver, it became chaos. From every angle, silver shot toward the gathering as Rhys’ blades scissored, removing Illeron’s head from his shoulders and preventing Nyota from carrying his death.

The hum of silver slicing through the cool evening air forced my fire to rip through it, seeking each particle of silver. A thunderous boom exploded as Rhys turned, staring at Donte, who had frozen in place. Bringing his blade up over his head, he spun, slicing through Donte’s chest and throat.

Particles of Donte slowly detached, like paper caught by fire. They drifted on embers in the space where he’d stood. A gasp exploded from the Silversmiths, their veins igniting with a silver glow.

The Van Helsing did the same, as if the curses placed were being stirred in each of us. A fiery silhouette slammed to the ground beside me, forcing me to turn and prepare to defend myself.

“At ease, my beautiful little bird,” Geoffrey whispered. “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined you’d become. Be at peace, Remington, remover of curses.”

“Father,” I whispered through the emotion narrowing in my throat. “I thought I lost you.”

His palm lifted, curling over my cheek with familiarity, welcoming warmth. “My fire was extinguished so that yours would burn brighter. To unleash your flame, another had to burn out. I’m the only one who could make the sacrifice for you, little bird.”

“That’s not fair,” I stated as red, glowing tears trailed down my cheeks in the reflection in his eyes.

“This world can only hold one of our kind. If another appears, wildfires begin to burn. This world isn’t ours, nor can we flourish to our fullest capabilities here. I’m proud of the woman you’ve become, Remington. Do not grieve for me. I fulfilled my promise to Verity Silversmith. I vowed to ensure her line would survive at all costs. Inside of you, her granddaughter will be born of both breeds, ensuring peace. You’ve done what I created you to do perfectly. Now, keep the peace between the houses as I did before you. Humans are not part of this war, nor can you allow them to suffer for the sins of the immortals. You are now their protector and peacekeeper of the immortal houses.”

Geoffrey placed a chaste kiss on my forehead, then turned toward Rhys. “I gave my vow to your mother, Van Helsing. I give you this vow now. Should you harm my daughter, I’ll return to destroy the very fabric of this world. She’ll survive the flames, as will your daughter. You and those around you? Will burn with those you govern over. Remington is not her mother. Roslyn was a poison that burned everything she touched. Remington’s a salve meant to soothes the damages her mother caused. Mistreat her, and I’ll ensure you feel every loss before you succumb to the flames yourself.”

“I understand you, Phoenix King.” Rhys’ words caused my eyes to widen, turning to find Geoffrey smiling at me. “She’s a part of my soul. I cannot hurt her without hurting myself. I ensured it to be so when I claimed her.”

“Live and love, daughter. Know that I may not be with you, but I will always be a part of you.” Geoffrey vanished before I could say goodbye, causing tears to burn in my eyes.

“I love you, Father,” I whispered into the wind, hearing his reply carried back upon it.

“You are my heart, Remington. Live well and always remember who you are and where you’ve come from.”