Darkness Avenged (Guardians of Eternity) Page 0,31
bubbled through their veins.
At last, giving a low curse, Solaris turned to stab Nefri with a frustrated glare. “Are you prepared to confess what is going on?”
Nefri gave a slow shake of her head, feeling a stab of betrayal. What had the Commission done?
This . . . spirit . . . or whatever the hell it was, had been locked behind the Veil for endless centuries and never once had the Oracles warned her that it could be a danger to her people, let alone turn them into savage zombies.
And now she was learning that Gaius’s bite might actually be infecting humans....
Holy hell.
“I don’t know. Truly,” she told her companion, her expression troubled. “I’ve never heard of a vampire’s bite causing this reaction in a human.”
“But you knew something was wrong?” the Harpy pressed.
“Yes, but I had no idea Gaius was causing such damage,” she carefully hedged before turning the conversation away from what brought her to Louisiana. “I felt the lingering consequences of the infection as we were traveling through the swamp. Is it fading?”
Solaris’s lips thinned, but she allowed herself to be diverted. “Yes. Once the human was locked away the hostility began to lessen. Hopefully it will be completely gone by tomorrow.”
The words didn’t ease the tight knot of dread in the pit of her stomach, but it did give her hope that if they moved with enough speed they could contain the worst of the plague.
“What do you intend to do with him?” she asked, nodding toward the cell.
“Study him for now,” Solaris said with a shrug. “He’ll be dead in a day or two.”
Nefri was caught off guard by the blunt announcement. “Dead? He’s not ill. At least not physically.”
“No, but he refuses to eat and he continues to damage himself no matter how often we sedate him. He won’t survive for long.”
Lord, what a mess.
Nefri pressed a hand to her temple, suddenly aware of her heavy weariness. Dawn was approaching at a rapid rate and she needed to rest and feed to regain her strength.
“I must speak with the Anasso,” she said, more to herself than the Harpies who eyed her with open suspicion. “He has to be warned.”
“First, will you tell me what is happening?”
“The only thing I can tell you is that I will do my best to track down Gaius and put an end to his contamination,” she promised.
Solaris arched a brow. “And if I decide I wish to keep an insurance policy until I can be certain the vampires clean up their mess?”
Nefri met the stormy gaze without flinching. She was an ancient clan chief who had faced down the most powerful demons. She didn’t allow herself to be intimidated.
Not by anyone.
“Then I would have to confess that it wasn’t Styx who sent me to capture Gaius.”
Solaris froze. “Then who?”
“The Commission.”
Santiago should have been happy as a freaking lark.
After being escorted into the Harpy nest, he’d found himself ensconced in a luxurious set of rooms. The large living room had an Oriental flavor with black and gold furnishings and jade figurines set on low lacquer tables. The connecting bedroom shared the Oriental theme, the king-size bed canopied in gold silk and the poofy chaise lounges covered in black satin.
Even the lavatory was matching in the dramatic color scheme, although he had no idea why women insisted on such elegance in a mere bathroom. Give him a shower and a bar of soap and he was satisfied.
Not that he didn’t spend several painful minutes imagining Nefri soaking in the marble tub that was deep enough to drown in and surrounded by a dozen different oils, soaps, and shampoos.
Oh, the things he could do to that female in that tub . . . her raven hair floating on the water and her lips parted in astonished pleasure as he knelt between her thighs.
It was the scent of female Harpy that pulled him out of his fantasies and back into the living room to discover Charis had returned, a smile of invitation on her beautiful face and her lean body still naked.
“Hello, gorgeous,” she purred, leaning against the edge of a sofa so her pale wings could contrast with the dark material and the arch in her back could emphasize her full breasts.
Never let it be said a Harpy didn’t know how to flaunt her assets.
“Have you come to release me?” he demanded.
She pouted, giving a toss of her dark curls. “Don’t you like our little nest?”
Santiago swallowed his impatience. The female looked