The Mayfair Moon (The Darkwoods Trilogy 1)

I didn’t care. So what if those pictures of him and Isaac’s father seemed friendly. They were obviously not on the same side now. The past is the past.

At least, that’s what I kept trying to tell myself.

Viktor succeeded only in making me curious, raising my worry somewhat, I admit. But that was all. Nothing he could do or say would turn me against Trajan, and certainly not Isaac. It insulted me he thought I was so easy to manipulate.

The isolation of the room was my only comfort. Hours went by; the sound of bodies moving quietly past the door, voices that seemed to whisper, until eventually, I heard nothing at all. I could feel that it was the dead of night. It seemed I was the only one awake, accompanied by the constant smell of mildew and salt; the unsteady exhale of my breath. I lay in the bed staring into the fading flame of the fireplace. It danced sideways as if constantly licked by a draft in the wall. A draft, I thought and raised my head from the pillow suddenly. I went to investigate. The giant wooden shelf to the left of the fireplace covered something. I tried to move it, but it was too heavy for me even if I was in top condition. The draft came from behind it, where I noticed then that there was once a window now barricaded by boards. Frustrated, I moved over and stood in front of the fire; smoke rose from the wood in a steady coil. My mind in overdrive still, trying to find a way out of this place, I began to wonder where the smoke was going. Two ceramic pots sat on the floor holding frail, dead flowers. I pulled the dried stems from the pots and lay them on the floor beside me. Pouring the water over the flame, I snuffed it out. I got down on my knees and leaned over the sizzling smoke, twisting my body at an angle so I could see upward inside the chimney. Nothing but blackness. I peered further, hoping I was just missing something, that maybe it was so dark outside that I couldn’t see the opening, but I knew in my heart that there wasn’t one. At least, not the kind of opening that I could crawl my way out of.

“He wouldn’t put you somewhere,” said a familiar, frightening voice, “where you could find a way out.”

Startled, I hit my head on the fireplace. Soot and dirt fell off the stone and dusted me. My hands were black from holding onto the inside wall.

Sibyl closed the bedroom door behind her and stood in front of it.

“What do you want?” I snapped. I wasn’t afraid of her; I was, but I couldn’t let her know it. I pretended to be more interested in wiping the soot from my hands onto my gown, but really, I wanted to scream for help. I felt Sibyl was more of a danger to me than Viktor was.

Sibyl slithered across the room. Immediately, I glanced at the door. It was unlocked. I could try to run for it.

“I came to talk, that’s all.”

“Yeah, I kind of doubt that,” I said with a snarl. “And what if I don’t want to talk?”

“Oh, I think you will.”

My legs hurt, but I remained standing. I needed to be strong, to show her I wasn’t as weak as I truly was.

I got the feeling no one but I knew she was in the room with me.

Sibyl grinned faintly and walked toward the chest, grazing her fingertips across the lid. “Viktor didn’t tell you why Trajan won’t kill him, I presume.”

She had my attention suddenly.

“No,” I said, “he didn’t, but I don’t care.”

“Of course you care; what if I told you the reason,” she said. “Would you do something for me in return?”

The atmosphere shifted. She wasn’t here to hurt me, but I got the distinct feeling if I didn’t give her what she wanted, she’d have no second thoughts about it. Dilemma. Sibyl’s offer or Viktor’s?

“What do you want?”

Sibyl opened the chest and pulled the journal out, smoothing its cover under her hand. She pressed her lips to it softly and then set it back inside, leaving the lid open.

She turned to face me.

“I simply want you to tell my son what I’m about to tell you.”

Relay a message? It couldn’t be as simple as that. Everything about this felt wrong and dangerous.

I stepped toward her a few steps.

“That’s it?” I said. “Tell Isaac? Why?”

“That doesn’t matter,” she smirked. “What matters is that he knows. You wouldn’t want to keep things from him, would you? You would tell Isaac because he has a right to know.”

Hesitation froze me. There was some kind of catch. There had to be.

“Wait,” I said, “how am I supposed to tell him anything in here? And when Viktor is done with me, things will be different. I’ll be different....” I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to think about that.

“I’ll get you out of here.”

No, this was too good to be true. I stepped away from her again. I waited for the catch, the fine print, but so far there wasn’t any.

“A Blood Bond,” Sibyl began, “is a tricky thing.” She laughed suddenly, whirling her index finger above her. “Tricky is an inadequate word, really. It’s more a complex, deal-with-the-Devil sort of thing.”

She sat on the side of the bed, crossing her legs and pressing her palms against the mattress.

I didn’t budge.

“Young werewolves,” she went on, “think they know about the Blood Bond, how it really works. Only the Elder’s know because it’s the Law. A Blood Bond is forbidden by anyone who is not an Elder and anyone who breaks that law must be killed by the Alpha of his pack.” She sighed. “When a Blood Bond is made, the human is tied to that first drop of blood for eternity or death, whichever comes first and death usually does.”

“I thought it made humans immortal.”

Sibyl’s grin grew wider.

“It does,” she said, “but if the blood that made that bond ever dies, so then does the body it bonded to.”

I tried to put it together in my mind, what she was getting at, but I couldn’t.

“Aramei is very precious to Trajan,” she said, “and Trajan protects Viktor. It should be obvious why.”

“Protects him?” I couldn’t grasp this at all. I refused to believe something so wicked. Trajan wouldn’t protect Viktor, not now. But if Trajan was so powerful, then why would Viktor still be alive after all this time? Maybe the things Viktor had tried to tell me were true.

Then something clicked in my subconscious.

My hand went up to my chest and I shook my head, trying to find any reason to substitute the revelation infecting my thoughts.

Sibyl smiled. I wasn’t looking at her, but I could feel that wicked smile move over me.

“You figured it out,” she said. “Yes, it was Viktor’s blood that Aramei drank first, not Trajan’s. When Viktor dies, so does Aramei.”

I stood there in mute. Sibyl moved from the bed and approached me. I felt the stiff heat from her body so close to mine.

“Trajan’s blood does keep Aramei alive,” she whispered, walking around me in a circle, “but Viktor’s blood is what gave her life.”

Shock beset me.

“Such a sad, pathetic little situation really,” she added; her words laced with sarcasm and amusement.

“You want me to tell Isaac,” I said, “because it will pit Isaac against his father.”

Sibyl nodded.

“My sons should know the truth about the parent they choose to give their loyalty to, the one they choose to admire.”

I swung my head to the side so I could face her. “Then why didn’t you just tell Isaac this yourself?”

“I told you why.”

“Because it’s the Law?”

“Part of the reason,” she said, “yes.”

“But you’re telling me. You’re breaking the Law now.”

“I don’t care about that anymore,” she said. “The other reason I don’t do it myself is because Isaac despises me. Can’t blame him, I admit.”

“You’re right about that.”

A smirk barely broke in her face.

“You’re jealous,” I said, “aren’t you?” I wasn’t actually trying to mock her, but it seemed to come out that way.

Sibyl snarled, grinding her teeth behind her closed lips.

“Viktor is a fool,” she barked. “He’s only ever wanted what Trajan had. The respect of his men, the fear the very mention of Trajan’s name inflicts upon others. The love of women.” Sibyl smiled then, as if reminiscing. “It’s even how I came to be here, trapped in Viktor’s snare.”

“Seems to me you like being in his snare.”

“I do,” she admitted proudly. “And that’s why I have to get rid of you.”

“That’s what I thought,” I said. “Jealous. Well, trust me, I don’t want to be here and I’ll never be willing. I just want to go home and back to Isaac where I belong.”

Sibyl smiled a soft, dangerous smile.

A loud crash! caught us both off-guard. I turned around swiftly, facing the door. At the same time, the door swung open and Viktor came rushing inside, pushing Sibyl violently into the massive wooden shelf. I thought at first he was there to keep her away from me, but the growling and shouting in the hall told me right away that something else was going on.

Viktor grabbed me by the arm.

He made it as far as the exit when I saw something move fast behind me. I dropped quickly to my knees, missing the swipe of Sibyl’s deadly fingernails coming right for me.

She hit Viktor instead.

I think I swallowed my throat. The look on his face, I thought demons were about to burst out of his eyes at any moment.

“She’ll never replace me!”

Her eyes were the abysmal black I had seen so many times before. I crawled on my hands and knees out of the way, only hoping both would be distracted enough by each other so that I could take advantage of the open door.

Sibyl’s body went flying across the room. Viktor’s hair didn’t even stir.

“Tell him! Tell Isaac!” Sibyl screamed at me through blood-glistening fanged teeth.

There was no time to hear her further; Viktor had me in his arms carrying me out the door.

“Father,” Ashe said running up, “he got in. He killed William! William’s dead!”

I knew right away where I was once out of the room. The Vargas house was in a vicious frenzy. Werewolves in their mediate form ran through the hallways, most in the same direction. Viktor gripped me so aggressively he was hurting me. I slapped and bit him, but I was like a mosquito against the likes of him.

I heard Isaac’s voice from afar. I couldn’t make out what he was saying, but I knew it was him. Relief and worry rushed through my veins at the same time. He was here for me, but I knew he couldn’t defeat Viktor.

Just then, I went from being crushed by Viktor’s hold to laying face-first on the stairs. I caught my breath and my balance before looking up. Isaac was at the bottom of the stairs; blood covered his face and hands. I thought I would roll right down them when Viktor moved past me, knocking me into the stair railing, but I held on tight and only skidded one step.

When Isaac and Viktor clashed, it shook the house like thunder. Fully transformed within seconds, I watched in horror until I couldn’t watch anymore. I pulled myself up holding fast to the rail and then practically flew down the steps. I had to help Isaac. It was crazy and stupid, but I had to do something.