Eternal Rider - Larissa Ione [130]
“I don’t want to live like that. In a bed, with some strange demon channeling energy into me? That’s not life, and you know it.” She pressed the tip of the knife into her skin, and a trickle of blood dripped down her rib cage. “Do it.”
Ares was an expert at this. Had this been anyone else, he could shove the blade home and the victim would be dead before he knew what hit him.
But Cara would know. She would suffer. And he’d have to watch, knowing he’d caused it. Knowing he could do nothing about it.
Rearing up, he released the dagger. “Not yet. I can’t. I can’t do it. I need… a minute.”
“Ares!”
In a near panic, he scrambled off the bed, opened the door, and fled out into the hall. Didn’t matter that he was naked—he had no hang-ups, and his staff had seen him nude often enough. He heard thumping around in the bedroom, heard the telltale sounds of clothes ruffling. Cara was going to come after him. Dammit. He strode into the great room, cursing the return of the senses that tuned him in to global strife, and turned to the fireplace. It wasn’t lit, was cold and empty, like his chest cavity.
The empty feeling was nothing new, given that it had been that way his entire life. Hell, even when he’d had a family, had believed he was human, there had been something missing. And then Cara came into his life, and the cavern inside him had filled up. So he supposed it made sense that the sensation of emptiness was now so much more pronounced. Before, it had been normal. But now he knew what being warm felt like, and he was no longer used to the cold.
“Ares.” Cara’s voice was soft behind him. As she moved closer, all those battle vibrations melted away, and instead of feeling as if he wasn’t whole without them… he felt at peace. The realization struck him like a blow. When he was with her, he didn’t lose abilities… he gained peace.
How was he going to survive without her?
He didn’t move as she padded up to him and plastered her body against his back, wrapping her arms around his waist. She’d brought him a towel, which she draped over his hips, and he would have smiled at her thoughtfulness if he wasn’t on the verge of breaking down.
Her cheek rested on his shoulder blade, and her hot breath fanned over his skin.
This was so right. So terribly right. And it was all going to be gone soon.
“My lord?”
“What, Vulgrim?” His voice was harsher than he intended, but he had only minutes left with Cara, and he didn’t want one second taken from him.
“An Aegi is here to see you. He says he may have a cure for Cara.”
Afraid to hope, but his heart doing a backflip all the same, Ares wrapped the towel around his waist. With more calm than he felt, he turned, tucking Cara behind him. Vulgrim moved aside to reveal a man flanked by two of his guards.
“This is highly unusual,” Ares said. “Who are you… wait… I saw you outside the Yorkshire headquarters.”
The man nodded. “My name is David. Kynan and Arik were busy, so they sent me.”
“Sent you? Why?” His eyes narrowed. “How did you get here?”
“Reaver.” David opened his fist, and the Ramreels on either side of him reached for their weapons. He gulped, and very slowly held out his palm. “We found this in our archives. It was in a box marked with the agimortus symbol. We think that the agimortus can be transferred to this device and contained.”
Ares scowled, but at the same time, his heart leaped. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“We hadn’t either. We don’t know much about it. We were hoping you would know what to do with it. In any case, it’s better off in your hands than ours.”
Ares nodded to Vulgrim, who took the object from David and brought it over. He placed it in Ares’s hand. It was round, metallic, about the size of a golf ball. He didn’t recognize the etchings on it