Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 727(@200wpm)___ 581(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Barnabas leaned up against the wall, one elegant shoe crossed over the other. He looked Skyler up and down, a sneer of pure contempt on his face. “Why is it you little girls always think you can take on men of great power? What do the two of you think you’re going to do?”
Skyler made a show of looking around her. “The two of us? Don’t flatter yourself, Barnabas. Vasilisa has no time to speak with you. She has much more important work to do than play games with you.” Skyler kept her voice low and compelling, even as she called him by his true name. She had a smile on her face, her features gentle and kind. “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to keep up with you.”
I hope you realize I can’t possibly take on this mage. He’s unbelievably powerful. Skyler held on to her smile, but inside she was shaking. Few could defeat him.
You do not have to defeat him, beloved, only stall him, Dimitri assured her.
Skyler took a deep breath and let it out. You have no idea what you’re asking.
Barnabas straightened. “You think it’s a game?” As he straightened, he flicked his fingers toward the ceiling. “If you know my true identity, you should know better than to challenge me.”
Spiders of all sizes with dripping fangs crawled out of the cracks and began to make the descent down the walls, multiplying until the room was choking with them. Their eyes were fixed on Skyler as they skittered toward her.
I know I’m supposed to look all cool here, but you do know Barnabas is the real deal. He’s a high mage and he could crush me in two seconds. Outwardly, Skyler looked bored, lifted one hand and waved rather weakly at the spiders. To her shock they stopped abruptly and reversed direction, swiveling around to face Barnabas.
Did you think I would allow my daughter to face this madman alone? Razvan stood in front of her, unseen. There isn’t a spell he knows that I didn’t learn. I spent several lifetimes with Xavier, Xaviero, Xayvion and even Barnabas. They would forget I was in the room. Just stall. Vasilisa needs time to close the portal and seal the demons and mages in it. Once that is done, I’ll take over here openly.
Skyler fought to keep the shock off her face. She didn’t realize Razvan was part of their plan to strike at Lilith and her army. She doubted if anyone could match Barnabas—other than Razvan.
* * *
• • •
Vasilisa stepped off the stairs onto the snow-covered ground, drawing her crystal sword from inside her long coat. The most important thing was to seal the portal so it couldn’t be used again. If the demons were caught on this side, they would not be able to return to the underworld until they found another portal. She raised the sword over her head so that it came alive, a blue flame burning hot, so clean and bright the demons cried out, turning away even with the shields over their eyes.
The crystalline sword seemed as bright as the sun, illuminating the entire backyard as if it were day instead of night. An icy gust of wind rushed through the yard, throwing snow into the air and swirling it around so that the light shot through it, highlighting the beauty of the snowflakes and ice.
There was a child’s play set a good distance from the fissure, which lay like a sore with several large mounds of snow heaped up around it in an effort to conceal the zigzag open wound in the earth. A playhouse was in the middle of construction. Beside it was a small greenhouse, finished, but no plants had been planted in the soil beds.
The backyard was huge and open to the forest. There was no fence to divide the Belov land from the trees and brush that crept toward the wide-open spaces surrounding the property. The bushes had found their way back, snaking around the pathways so that the backyard appeared to be part of the forest. That meant there were plenty of large rocks, bushes and even trees for any enemy to hide behind.
Vasilisa drew a vial with clear liquid in it from a loop in her coat. Holding the crystalline sword out from her, she turned in a slow circle, ignoring the demons that locked in on her once again. They were the elite and scared her. She knew how difficult they were to kill. Taking her eyes off them was tantamount to suicide, but she didn’t dare stop what she was doing. She had to trust in her lifemate and the other ancients to handle the demons while she consecrated the ground and took it away from them. She needed to close the portal and seal it so it couldn’t be used again.