A Cursed Embrace(33)
Danny’s finger continued to travel along the page. He stopped suddenly and shot his finger back to where he started, his eyes widening as they darted back and forth. “No. But it does say the rise of these demons follows a significant change in the supernatural world.”
“Like what?” Koda asked.
Danny slowly met my stare. “Such as a vampire becoming whole once more.”
Taran threw her hands in the air. “For shit’s sake, Celia. Why the hell did you have to go and return Count Hotness’s soul?”
I stood, growling. “If I had any clue that biting Misha would bring about the rise of freaking unstoppable demons, trust me, I would’ve have gotten defanged.”
Every head shot in my direction. Aric rose, his anger permeating through our family room like a tidal wave. He spit his words out like flaming arrows. “You returned that asshole’s soul?”
“How the hell did you do that?” Liam asked, his amber eyes round with apparent shock.
“Forget how,” Koda growled. “Why the hell did you do it?”
I wanted to scream. “Oh my God. It was a total accident. He pulled a piece of railing impaling me. It hurt, and I reacted by biting him. Apparently I’m some kind of . . .”
“Dantem animam,” Emme clarified. “A-a-according to the vampires, it’s a rare ability to stimulate the return of a vampire’s soul.”
“We know what it is,” Aric muttered. His fists clenched at his sides. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrugged, not comprehending why Aric appeared so betrayed. “In balancing life and death at once, Misha becomes more powerful, and therefore a threat to other masters. We agreed not to say anything so he wouldn’t become a target.”
“But Dan knew.”
Catholic guilt had a way of pointing a chastising finger at the most inopportune moments. “Yes, Aric. He and Bren both knew.”
Shayna tugged Aric’s sleeve. “We didn’t really know you guys yet when it happened. Danny and Bren were the only ones we could turn to to make sure nothing dangerous had happened to Celia in the process. It wasn’t anything personal, Aric.”
Aric’s features tamed as he took in the hurt settling across my face. He lifted my hands and kissed them. “I’m sorry. I’m not angry at you. That leech is one we watch closely. I like knowing everything he’s into . . . and anything that can make him more powerful.”
“Especially if he’s the one bringing forth the demons’ rise,” Koda rumbled. Koda didn’t waste any time to turn the tides on Misha. I didn’t like getting ganged up on. And I didn’t like Misha being the go-to bad guy. “Misha is not involved in the shift of the demon realm. He’s not, Aric,” I insisted. “You saw him today. That thing that possessed him left him drained and vulnerable. No way would he risk his soul by associating with hell’s minions.”
Aric gathered me to him. “I know. As much as I’d like to find the source, I know it’s not him.” I tensed against him. “What’s wrong, Celia?”
“What if I did it, though? What if I somehow caused this mess to occur?”
“You couldn’t have, sweetness. Your heart’s too pure to cause something so vile.”
I wasn’t so certain.
Gemini rubbed his goatee. He hadn’t liked Taran’s “Count Hotness” reference, but his response had nothing to do with Misha. “Celia, you didn’t cause the demons to rise. Things have been brewing in the dark realm for quite some time. And from what Dan said, it preceded such an event. Correct, Dan?”
Danny nodded hard enough to make his curls bounce. “Oh yeah, absolutely.”
Aric slipped his arm around my shoulders. “The supernatural world we inhabit is also changing rapidly. We have more lones now than ever, and Genevieve’s coven has reported a rise in dark witches. My guess is that it started with the shift in the demon kingdom.”
I fell against him. Knowing I wasn’t the cause of an apocalypse made me feel better. I’d screwed up more times than I could count. But kick-starting Judgment Day and revving it into high gear trumped the list of major “F” ups.
Liam ambled slowly to Aric’s side, his features set deep with regret as they took me in. “We should contact the Elders,” he said quietly.
Aric nodded. “I’ll call Martin.” He walked outside to stand on the porch, the weight of protecting the earth tangible against his shoulders.
Bren slung an arm around me. “Listen, Ceel. I don’t like this shit going down. And I really hate you girls getting involved. But if I can help, you let me know, okay?”