Page 76 of Peacemaker

Chapter Twenty-Five

Mystery Solved

Jin insisted we add what ingredients we had while we waited for Amias to appear. He’d bring the chunk of heart. He’d also pull the last ingredient from me—the pure blood.

The pitiful remnant of Angus’s horn was the first item to go into the vessel. He watched silently as Jin placed it into the pot, then walked away to gather himself before we began again.

“How are you feeling?” I asked Rhys.

He smiled. “Better, love.”

He didn’t look better, though. His movements were slow and weak, his eyes bloodshot, and he looked like every breath he drew was an effort.

He handed a small vial to Jin and my stomach flip-flopped as I imagined him alone in his room, milking his virginal, powerful cock to get his part of the potion.

“I wish I could have helped you with that,” I said.

Anticipation was in his slow smile. “Soon. Very soon.”

I could hardly wait.

“Once we connect,” I asked him, “could your power, your beast, or whatever it is, could it help us defeat the rifters?”

The others stilled to listen, as curious as I was.

Rhys shivered, as though his unseen power slid through him. “Absolutely. Absolutely, Trinity.” And that was all he was willing to say.

There were still two hours of daylight left, and that meant two hours to eat, rest, and recover. Two hours of peace, we hoped. We needed a little while to relax.

Ten minutes later, Alejandro arrived with Jamie Stone in tow. “I’ve come to help fight. If the rifters arrive tonight, I want to lend a hand.”

“You’re human,” I said regretfully. “And you’re not a hunter. You can’t fight the rifters.”

He only smiled. “I’m going to fight.”

I looked to Rhys for help, but he shrugged. “He knows what he’s doing, Trinity.”

We sat at the huge kitchen table eating dinner, all of us becoming jumpier as the day waned and the heaviness of night loomed.

“I know how the Wall of Elders cracked,” Alejandro said suddenly. “And I want to give you the information before the vampire master finds out. He’s going to be angry.”

I put a hand to my chest and stared at him. “Amias?”

He nodded. “The rifters are the biggest enemy the vampires have ever had or will ever have again. The one responsible for freeing them will…” He shrugged. “Incur his wrath, to put it mildly. He may feel bound to eat the one who started this mess.”

We all leaned closer to Al, shocked, afraid. Disbelieving.

“Tell us,” Rhys said. “What have you done, Alejandro?”

Someone knocked on the kitchen door and I jumped up, but Jin rushed into the room and made a beeline for the door. “Oh, my,” he said. “This is unexpected.”

He pulled the door open and then folded his long body at the waist, groveling as he waved Himself and Nadine into the room.

There was a flurry of movement and grating noise as we shoved our chairs back and stood, watching the ancient, powerful man walk slowly and carefully toward us. Nadine was at his slightly bent back, as regal and frightening as ever, but I thought the lines on Himself’s weathered, wrinkled black skin were a little more pronounced, his eyes a little more sunken.

I hurried to pull a chair out for him.

“Thank you, Caretaker.” With excruciating slowness, his old bones creaking and his knees popping, he wrapped both hands around his walking stick and lowered himself into his seat.