Micha instinctively stepped to block Skye from the vampire who was strolling toward them with obvious pleasure at their shocked expressions. He wasn’t sure what astonished him more. The fact that the vampire had followed them to the cavern. Or that he’d seemingly appeared from thin air.
“Ambassador?” Lynx appeared equally stunned, his brows drawing together as he stared at the vampire wearing a long black robe. “Sinjon’s servant?”
Azra hissed, continuing to move forward. “I’m no one’s servant.”
Micha struggled to wrap his brain around the realization that the ambassador had arranged his kidnapping.
“It was you,” he hissed.
Azra shrugged. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
“You arranged the keycard to get Lynx into Valen’s lair and told him where to find my room,” Micha clarified.
The male stopped a few feet from Lynx, a smug smile curving his lips. “Guilty.”
“No. That’s not true,” Lynx burst out, his eyes wide as he stubbornly refused to believe that he’d been used and manipulated by a vampire. “It was Igor.”
Azra folded his hands together, looking like a prophet confronting his naughty disciple. Micha, however, sensed a wariness beneath the male’s calm demeanor.
It was almost as if Azra was afraid of the fairy...
No. Micha shook his head. It wasn’t Lynx he feared, it was the energy pulsing from the crystal clutched in the fairy’s hand.
“Igor was a lump of muscle who proved to be a convenient tool, but he didn’t have the brains to tie his shoes without a vampire giving him directions,” Azra taunted.
“A lie,” Lynx snapped. “He was the one who sought me out and revealed my destiny.”
Azra laughed at the claim. “You gullible fool. You made it all so easy.”
Micha narrowed his gaze. Ah. Now he understood. Azra couldn’t take the crystal by force. He needed the fairy alive to handle the thing. Was his plan to gain control of Lynx’s mind and force him to his will? Was that why he was deliberately provoking him? That seemed the most obvious explanation.
“Was Kane involved?” Micha abruptly demanded, stepping forward.
He could try to overpower Azra. He was stronger than the male, despite being a thousand years younger. But he had to get closer. Oh, and pray that the male didn’t have any nasty weapons hidden beneath his robe.
“He was, but he had no idea he was being used,” Azra conceded, grudgingly glancing in Micha’s direction. “As usual, Kane was oblivious to everything but his obsessive fear of losing power. He’d approached Sinjon a dozen times over the past two centuries, complaining that he should be offered a Gyre in the new world. I suspected that it would only be a matter of time before he found an excuse to challenge Valen for his territory, and so I laid my plans. Then Valen conveniently mated a mage with the sort of magic that was destined to strike fear in the Cabal, and I knew it was the perfect opportunity.”
“What plans?” Micha demanded.
Azra pursed his lips, perhaps considering his options. The vampire didn’t have many, Micha reassured himself. No doubt he could smash his way into Lynx’s mind and force him to obey his will, but he still had Micha to deal with, along with a powerful mage.
“First I began with Igor.” Azra forced himself to answer the question, pretending they had all the time in the world.
Micha took another step forward. “Why him?”
“I needed someone close to Kane to prod the impulsive idiot into making his challenge to Valen, plus I knew only a demon could approach the fairy.” He sent a sneering glance toward Lynx. “He would never have trusted a vampire.”
“Damn right I would never trust a leech,” Lynx spit out in fury.
“How did you convince Igor to betray his master?” Micha hastily regained the vampire’s attention. Azra appeared calm, but there was a layer of ice spreading across the marble floor near his feet.
His control was razor thin.
Azra sent him an impatient glance. “It was simple. I promised to kill Kane and free his mate.”
Micha arched his brows. “Why was his mate imprisoned?”
“If you and your fellow Cabal members hadn’t been so self-obsessed, you would have known that Kane never earned the loyalty of his people, he forced it,” Azra taunted. “He filled his very large dungeons with hostages and kept them for as long as their loved ones were useful. After that...” Azra snapped his fingers. “They simply disappeared.”
Micha felt a small stab of guilt. It was true that he’d turned a blind eye to Kane. And a lot of other things. As long as it didn’t directly affect him, he was happy to remain hidden in his caverns and allow the world to drift along without his interference.
It had taken his beautiful Skye to lure him out of his self-imposed exile.
Oh, and the threat of the earth being drowned in flames.
“What does any of this have to do with Lynx?” he demanded, refusing to waste time debating Kane’s vicious leadership skills.
Azra risked a quick glance toward the fairy, his jaw tightening as the crystal continued to pulse with a crimson glow. His desperate hunger to complete whatever had brought him to this place tainted the air with a sour stench.
Micha released a pulse of power, creating a crack in a nearby column. Just a reminder that he possessed the ability to destroy the cavern and bury them all beneath a mountain of rock.
“You want the truth?” Azra tilted his chin to a defensive angle. “Fine. I’ve never had any power. No matter how hard I trained or studied, I could never match my brothers. I’ve been weak my entire existence.”
The confession resonated with a blunt candor, making Micha frown in confusion. “You’re Sinjon’s most trusted companion.”
Azra released a bitter laugh. “Companion? That’s a joke. I’m a pampered pet who is kept on a very short leash. And if it wasn’t for my ability to share my mind with Sinjon, I’d be begging for crumbs.”
Micha couldn’t argue. Azra was weak. And without his ability to act as a spy for Sinjon he would no doubt be a servant who was barely above a demon in vampire society.
Micha shrugged. “We have all endured resurrections that left us at the bottom of our society.”
“Yes, and with no guarantee the next resurrection will be any better. For all I know I might be stuck in the gutters for an eternity,” Azra snapped, as if Micha had to be reminded that vampires had no idea when or in what form they would be returned to the world. The only thing they knew for certain was that they entered an afterlife and that they would eventually be whisked back into a vessel that had been chosen from among the humans. It could be weeks or endless centuries later. There didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the process. “Thankfully, I had a vision,” Azra continued, his bitterness replaced with a grim resolve.
“A seer?” Skye demanded from behind Micha.
“Better. Sinjon isn’t the only powerful creature who can enter my mind.”
“Lynx?” Micha guessed.
Azra made a choked sound of disgust. “A fairy? I’m not that desperate.”
“The original one,” Micha clarified.
The ice spread across the marble, revealing Azra’s shock that they knew about the origin of the crystal and what had happened in this cavern. Then, with a deliberate motion, the male ran his palms down the smooth material of his robe, as if forcibly calming his nerves.
“Very good,” he murmured, although it didn’t sound as if he thought it was good. Just the opposite. “No, Lynx was an important part of my vision, but he wasn’t the one who offered me a new destiny.”
“Then who?”
“Zanna.”
It was the obvious answer. There had to be a reason they were standing in the cavern that had been lost and forgotten for thousands of years, right? It wasn’t like they’d gathered there because they got a thrill out of battling lethal foliage or walking over floors made of lava, although that did sound like something humans would pay to do.
Still, he couldn’t keep himself from demanding confirmation. “The dragon?”
“Dragon Queen,” Azra chided.
Micha glanced around the empty cavern. “She’s in hibernation.”
“For now.” A creepy anticipation rippled over Azra’s face. “Soon, however, she will once again be free to walk the earth.”
A dark dread spread through Micha as he glanced toward the fairy, who was glaring at them in confusion. They’d feared that the dragon was somehow involved in Skye’s vision. But a vague suspicion wasn’t the same as having a demented vampire threaten to waken the Queen of Dragons to destroy the world.
That same dread clenched his heart as he glanced toward Lynx, at last understanding exactly why he’d been kidnapped and why the fairy had been manipulated into believing he would find the vampire-killing sword in this cavern.
“You believe the crystal will wake her up?”
Lynx made a strangled sound, holding his hand over his head to allow the crimson glow to spill around him.
“What are you talking about?” he snapped. “The crystal is a compass to the Tempest and my—”
“Hush,” Azra interrupted the fairy’s angry words, and Lynx’s lips snapped together, as if an invisible force had glued them shut. Then the vampire returned his attention to Micha. “Where were we?”
“Zanna,” Micha said, needing to know exactly how he intended to awaken the beast.
“Ah, yes.” A strange, almost dreamy expression settled on the male’s face. “She came to me, revealing what had happened in this temple.”
“The treaty?”
“Exactly. A treaty she never desired and had no intention of honoring.”
Micha didn’t waste time wondering how a dragon had managed to touch Azra’s mind. The creatures possessed enormous powers that had been forgotten over the centuries.
Instead, he shuffled through the images that had been revealed in the memory spell.
“If she didn’t want the treaty, then why did she seal it with her blood,” Micha demanded.
“An unfortunate necessity. The dragons were weary of war with the vampires and pressured her into negotiating for peace.” Azra cast a glance toward the pedestal in the center of the cavern. “But she was wise enough to maintain a link to her captor.”
“Captor?” It took Micha a second to realize he was talking about the male who’d witnessed the signing of the document. “You mean the original Lynx?”
“Yes.”
Micha ignored the muffled curses from the Lynx-wannabe. “What is he?” he asked. “A demon?”
“She refused to tell me,” Azra admitted. “All I know was that it was the only creature capable of compelling both the vampires and dragons into signing the treaty. And that he forced her into hibernation.”
Despite the urgency of the situation, Micha found himself overwhelmed with curiosity. The rare manuscripts he’d collected over the centuries had hinted at mysterious powers that could step in and alter the course of history. But he’d never been able to find a text that revealed details about the strange creatures.
The thought that he’d seen one—if only in a memory spell—was dangerously distracting. His scholarly obsession demanded answers.
“So Lynx was more than just a witness to the signing of the treaty,” he pressed. “He was some sort of enforcer?”
“His magic created the crystal that holds the blood of Zanna and the vampire,” he grudgingly admitted. “And until the crystal is placed on the podium and the treaty destroyed, the dragons are stuck in hibernation. That’s why she marked him.”
Micha recalled the female dragon running her fingers over Lynx’s neck. “What was the mark?”
“A binding spell. Eventually the male would have been compelled to bend to her will.”
Micha hadn’t spent much time studying dragons. There were thousands of scholars that devoted their lives to probing the history of the oversized lizards. Many of whom concentrated on how best to defeat them when they did waken. He hadn’t felt the need to add to the plethora of information filling the libraries.
But what he did know was that dragon magic was some of the most powerful in the world. And it only made sense that the queen’s magic would be off the charts. So how had any creature managed to battle against the compulsion?
“So where is the original Lynx? Why use the fairy to bring the crystal here?”
“The creature realized what Zanna had done. After leaving this place he went to a remote location and sacrificed his life to protect the crystal.”
“Your temple,” Skye said, moving to stand at his side. “That was the magic I sensed.”
Micha glanced toward the beautiful mage. “That explains why the curse was so lethal. It wasn’t normal magic.”
Azra shrugged. “Zanna believed she was doomed to remain trapped in hibernation. Perhaps forever, since no one could touch the crystal. Not until a century ago. Suddenly she could sense his power moving through the world.”
Micha arched a brow. “How?”
“Either he possessed the vampire skill of resurrection—”
“Impossible,” Micha snapped.
It wasn’t that he cared if other species possessed the ability to rise from the dead. But his vast research had never hinted at any other species utilizing that particular form of immortality.
“Or he passed his magic through his bloodline,” Azra continued in hard tones. Obviously he didn’t appreciate Micha’s interruption.
Skye made a sound of surprise. “A child?”
“Yes.”
Micha tucked away the knowledge that the strange creatures seemed capable of producing offspring. When all this was over he intended to spend some serious time gathering every scrap of information that had been written about the Dragon Treaty and who had been involved in the creation of the document.
Well, first he intended to devote several centuries to making Skye Claremont the happiest woman on the planet. After that he could spend some time learning about the secretive demons that were walking among them. And if they might be a threat.
“The dragons have been hibernating for at least thirteen thousand years. What took her so long to sense it?”
“Zanna claimed that the power doesn’t always manifest. In fact, it’s very rare.”
Ah. Micha nodded. That explained how they managed to remain so secretive. If there were less than a handful of the creatures in the world, then it would be easy to remain hidden.
“But a hundred years ago it woke her from her slumber,” Azra continued.
“A century is a blink of the eye for most immortals, but if Zanna was so eager to leave her prison, why wait to break free?” Micha demanded.
“She was waiting for the best candidate to bend to her will,” Azra said smoothly, glancing toward Lynx. “When she found him, she reached out to me.”
“Okay. That explains what the fairy is doing here. But why you?” Micha was genuinely curious. It was vital to know if the dragon had reached out to any other demons or vampires. “Why did the dragon queen trust you as her...”
“Colleague,” Azra asserted as Micha struggled against the urge to call him a servant. Or more likely a slave. Any vampire who trusted a dragon was a fool. “Because of my very unique skills, of course. Zanna was able to touch my mind, but more importantly, I could join with hers. I could see exactly what she needed and how to waken her from her hibernation. We melded together to forge a partnership that promised to be beneficial for both of us.” Folding his hands in front of his waist, Azra deliberately resumed his appearance of the calm, unflappable servant that they’d known for so long. It was a façade that Micha now realized had always been a lie. This male had obviously been a seething mass of resentment for centuries. “Plus, no one would ever suspect me of plotting with the enemy.” His lips twisted into a sneer. “I’m just Ambassador Azra, right? A male with no thoughts or ambitions of my own. Invisible.”
Micha battled back his surge of disgust at how easily the male had fooled the Cabal. Not to mention Sinjon, who was going to be furious when he discovered how Azra had abused his position of power.
“How did you locate the fairy?”
Azra shrugged. “Zanna could offer me the general location, although it took a few months to make certain that it was the fairy who she was sensing. And even then I continued to monitor him.” The male cast a disdainful glance toward Lynx. “I couldn’t believe such a pathetic creature could be related to a male who had the power to command dragons.”
Micha flicked a glance over the fairy, who was visibly struggling to open his sealed lips. “Why create this elaborate hoax? Couldn’t you just tell him the truth?”
“No one was allowed to know the truth, no one but me,” Azra snapped. He paused, regaining control of his temper. “Besides, after studying the fairy, I determined he would be easy enough to manipulate. Like most demons he was desperate for glory. And there was the added benefit of his hatred for vampires. I could use both to my advantage.”
“By pretending you knew the location of the Tempest?”
“I sent Igor to befriend him first. Then, when I was certain he’d earned his trust, I had Igor offer him the diary.”
“Ah yes, the diary. Where did you find it?”
Azra sent him a smug smile. “I didn’t.”
“It’s a fake?” Micha demanded before he could halt the startled words. Then he clicked his tongue, silently conceding the male had been very clever. “Of course it is. How better to get the fairy to believe he was some mystical hero?”
“Exactly. It was a work of art. Truly. I even added a sketch that looked like the fairy to add to the illusion.”
“Impressive,” Micha conceded.
Azra tried and failed not to ooze conceited satisfaction. “The demons had already created a dozen myths about a legendary sword that could destroy vampires. And conveniently they believed it was the one that was hidden in your territory, despite the fact it had killed hundreds of them. I simply changed a few of the details so the fairy would believe that the myths were true but that the actual sword had been hidden in this temple, and he needed the crystal to find it.”
“Is there an actual Tempest?” Micha asked.
Azra blinked, as if he’d never considered the question. “I have no idea.”
Neither did Micha. Myths and legends quite often were founded on a kernel of truth, but not always. It could have been a story invented by vampires to lure the more ambitious demons to certain death.
Micha concentrated on more important matters. “You arranged for me to be kidnapped.”
“That was entirely your fault,” Azra chastised.
“My fault?”
“I tried on several occasions to open the passage to the crystal before allowing the fairy to attempt the treacherous journey. Your security system was formidable. And costly. I sacrificed dozens of my finest warriors trying to discover a way into the temple. It eventually became obvious I needed you to offer him a way through.” Azra pursed his lips, as if still counting the cost of trying to get his hands on the crystal. “Thankfully, Kane’s petition to Sinjon brought you to New York City. It made everything so simple. I could get my hands on you and eventually the crystal. As a bonus I made sure that Kane was the obvious suspect.”
Micha refused to dwell on how easy he’d made it for the bastard. And how eager they’d all been to suspect the Cabal leader of Russia of treachery. Now wasn’t the time.
“And the medallion?” he asked, talking as he inched forward.
“The what?” Azra looked confused before he remembered why he’d given Lynx the pendant. “Oh. A simple tracking device. I needed to know where the fairy was and when he was finally headed toward this temple. He wouldn’t know to come here until he had his hands on the crystal, so it was an early warning system for me.” He looked pleased at his clever scheme while Micha silently acknowledged that Lynx hadn’t been wrong. Obviously the crystal had been some sort of compass. “Once I was certain it was time to release Zanna, I cleaned up a few loose ends in New York and headed to Panama.”
Micha briefly wondered if Valen knew about Azra’s betrayal. It seemed doubtful. The male had been annoyingly cunning.
“How did you get down here?” Micha asked, judging the distance between him and Azra. Not close enough to attack. But close.
“Zanna revealed a secret tunnel.”
“Of course she did.” Micha rolled his eyes, recalling the lethal maze they’d had to battle through while this male had strolled through a hidden entrance. “And now that you’re here, what’s supposed to happen? I mean, I know the crystal was created here, but why go to so much trouble to bring it back?”
“The crystal is a—” He cut off his words, as if dredging for the word that Zanna had used to lure him to the dark side. “Lock.”
“A lock for what?”
“It keeps the vampires and dragons from breaking the treaty.”
Micha abruptly understood. “It’s the physical manifestation of the blood pledge that keeps the dragons in their hibernation.”
“Exactly,” Azra said. “Once it’s returned to the place it was created, the treaty is at an end.”
They’d suspected that the crystal was connected to releasing the dragons, but it was always good to have confirmation. He’d jumped to way too many conclusions. And paid the price.
“So that’s what the dragons get out of your unholy partnership. What about you? What’s in this for you?”
“Zanna has promised me a position of power.”
Predictable. “And you trusted her?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Everything she has told me has been the truth.”
“I’m sure it has been,” Micha taunted. “She obviously needs you to bring the crystal to this cavern and shatter the magic holding her captive. Once you’ve freed her, you’ll be dispensable. Any childish dreams of becoming leader of the Cabal—”
“There won’t be a Cabal. She has promised to destroy you,” Azra casually interrupted. “Truly destroy you.”
“Who?”
“All of you. Every single vampire. Dead.”
Micha flinched as the truth smashed into him with shocking force. He’d already accepted Azra’s treachery. The male had not only lied and deceived his brothers, but he’d colluded with a dragon to break the treaty that allowed vampires to walk freely, he’d sacrificed countless demons in his demented quest, and no doubt intended to kill Micha and Skye as soon as he’d completed his evil scheme.
But to wipe vampires off the earth for all eternity? That was demented. Or whatever was beyond demented.
Unhinged. Certifiable. Batshit crazy.
All of the above.
“Genocide?” he finally managed to rasp.
Azra twisted his lips into a cruel smile. “Vampires are true believers in might makes right, aren’t they, brother?”
“You’re no brother of mine.”
“It doesn’t matter. Soon you’ll be dead along with all the others who underestimated me.”
“Including you, you idiot,” Micha hissed. “Skye has seen a vision of your glorious future. Do you want to know what your precious dragon is going to actually do to you?”
“No.”
“Tough, you’re going to hear it anyway,” Micha growled, moving until he was close enough to attack the traitor. “She’s going to bathe the world in fire,” he warned. “She’s going to destroy everything and everyone. Including you.”
“Shut up.” Azra whirled toward the silent Lynx, who was staring toward the pedestal with wild eyes. As if he was seeing something even more terrifying than a crazed vampire bent on destroying the world. “Take the crystal to the pedestal,” he commanded. “Now.”
Lynx grimaced. Then, with an awkward shuffle, he walked forward like a puppet being jerked by unseen strings. The crystal was still held over his head as the crimson glow pulsed brighter and brighter. Micha lunged toward the fairy, his fangs extending. The pleasure of destroying Azra had to be put on hold. At least for the moment. He couldn’t allow the crystal to reach the pedestal.
He was just inches from the male when he felt a pulse of energy push against him. It wasn’t coming from the fairy. Or even Azra, who was too occupied with his compulsion to steer Lynx to the center of the cavern to notice Micha’s attack.
It had to be the crystal, he belatedly realized, bracing himself for a blast of pain. It was obviously protecting itself. Or perhaps it was protecting Lynx. Either way, Micha sensed it was going to lash out.
Reaching the glow, Micha clenched his fangs, determined to put an end to the threat no matter the cost. But it wasn’t pain that sent him flying backward to land in an awkward heap on the marble floor.
The crimson glow was not only an impenetrable shield, but the moment he’d gotten too close, it’d lashed out with enough power to send him flying like he was a twig, not a vampire who weighed a ton.
Micha surged to his feet. Dammit, he had to stop him. But how? He couldn’t get close enough to wound him. And he doubted even a physical weapon would get through the glow.
Perhaps he could kill Azra and break the compulsion, but that was going to take time. Time he didn’t have. Plus, there was no guarantee that the fairy wouldn’t return the crystal to the pedestal even if the compulsion was gone. Lynx had convinced himself he was destined to become a demon savior for too long to easily give up the dream. He was desperate enough to try anything at this point.
What Micha needed was...
Actually, he had exactly what he needed.
Turning his head, he glanced toward Skye, who was concentrating on the fairy with a fierce expression.
“Skye, we have to stop him from reaching the pedestal.”