City Of The Damned (Darkly Devoted Series, Book 5)

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

When Grismal removed his hand, I saw a golden object shimmer before me. As I stood staring, dumbfounded into silence, he went ahead and dropped the rock before me on a stone ledge. Just like that. The power of the gods contained inside a crystal no bigger than an engagement ring sat there for me to touch, to claim.

The ledge might have been a part of a window in the past but now it had crumbled into disrepair. Bits of stone and moss created a haphazard hole where one could barely see any semblance of a man-made shape.

The winds of the dessert wastelands beyond found me through the hole in the walls. One wrong step and I could tumble to my death. Yet, I did not move from where I stood. The Blood Star captivated me. I couldn't look away from it. And I did not, not until his voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Go ahead, take it," Grismal growled. "You don't need to hide it. You desire power above all else."I tore my eyes away and pretended to be preoccupied with the puddles of water around us. They rested between the creases of the rocks upon which we stood. I noticed that the shadows were darker still on the watery surface, barely rippling in the strong winds. Was it really just muddy water, or was it the ever-present Black Waters that flowed through Mearnox? No, it couldn't be. The time for such tricks had long since passed.

Grismal leaned over so that he was at eye level. Still, I refused to look at him. When he spoke to me next, it was in a tender whisper. Was he capable of being wistful? Could a being that never felt love feel longing? He certainly imitated the emotion well.

"I've never met my brother, but I've watched him from afar. I know that is the one quality the two of you have in common — your desire for power. You're not the helpless victim in all his doings. You always knew exactly what the price was for everything he gave you. You are many things, Melody Balan, but you're not stupid, nor are you ignorant."

Yes, I never was the unwilling victim. From the moment I stepped into Tercel and said my wedding vows, I knew whose hand it was that I was taking in marriage. It wasn't a vampire but the king of all vampires.

I knew, always knew, and I would do it again no matter what it cost the world we lived in.

Even so, I didn't touch the gem Grismal baited me with. Sighing, Grismal stood up straight and left the gem where it lay still, simmering innocently on the precarious ledge. One more billow of the wind and it could topple over into the woody abyss below us.

"Inside that gem lies your fire. Touch it and be made whole again. Perhaps it could even return your friend's soul back to her."

That last part drew my eyes back to the gem. Could it really return Allison's consciousness to her? Did it have such a power?

"Yes, touch it, and you will finally understand." Grismal smiled like a hungry panther. "You always wanted to understand what it meant to be a god."

My fingers drifted closer to the gem but stopped short of touching its glistening surface. Only Blake could destroy this gem. Not me.

What would happen if I touched it?

Would it grant my wishes, or would it destroy me?

"I only wish for you to know what it is you seek to destroy. It isn't a trap."

I didn't move.

"Touch it, leave it, your choice does not matter. But without your fire, you are helpless; without your friends, you are but a husk of a woman."

Grismal cleared his throat and backed up as though he was finally tired of the games.

"Take the rock or lead your beloved up here to find it himself. Either way, the outcome will not change."

With those words, Grismal left. I sat there like an idiot. There was nowhere to go. Grismal was right. He had known all along what I had planned to do. I didn't understand what I was going up against.

Finally, I stood up and slammed my hand down on top of the Blood Star. Whether it would kill or destroy me, I no longer cared. I refused to sit here waiting to die, waiting to be rescued, waiting for someone else to determine my fate.

I cupped the gem in my hands and made a wish. Let Allison have her consciousness back. Purify her of the tainted waters. Let her cross the bridge to the afterlife.

The explosion of power under my fingertips was like nothing I had ever experienced. It was at that moment that I understood why Grismal had dragged me down here and tempted me with the ghosts of my past. He wanted me to give in to the powers this gem held.

Holding it in my hands, I saw another possible outcome to the fate of the world. We didn't have to destroy Mearnox or vanquish all the souls to clear the waters of its vampiric poison. We could help the souls find their path to peace. I could help save them.

No, I drove the thoughts from my mind.

"Vivienne?" A voice asked from behind me. I spun around to see Allison holding her hands to her face. There were tears in her jade-green eyes. "Is that really you?"