Page 80 of Nexus
“Only if you wish for it to be. I can leave it in place when I leave, or dispel it.”
“I’ll think about it,” I said, unsure whether it would be a good thing or a bad thing to have in place. “Before you ask us your questions, there’s something I need to know.”
“What’s that?” he enquired, shifting his gaze to me.
“Is Ruen a complete and utter psychopath?”
He blinked at my blunt question, then nodded. “Yes, he is.”
“I knew it!” I hissed in satisfaction at being right. “Are you controlling him with a spell?”
He nodded. “It was the only way to ensure he wouldn’t slaughter his way through the population of Nexus.”
“Why did you turn him into your minion if he’s so unstable?”
He picked up his coffee, took a sip and nodded in approval before replying. “Three centuries ago, I heard a vampire was raging through a small country in Europe,” he said to begin his tale. “He decimated two villages in a matter of several nights. He was drawing too much attention to our kind, so I went in search of him.” By our kind, he meant supernatural beings in general, rather than vampires.
“Why did he kill so many people if he only needs to drink a small amount of blood?” Aurora asked.
“He’d only recently been turned when his master was killed by a mob of humans,” Drake explained. “He went mad from his loss and was beyond reason when I cornered him in a house. He’d just finished mauling a family to death when I arrived. He was naked and covered in their blood, as if he’d rolled in it like a dog rolling in a rotting carcass.”
My upper lip lifted at that image. “I can totally see him doing that,” I murmured, then gestured for him to go on.
“I cast a spell that allowed Ruen’s mind to become free from torment for a short time,” he went on. “I asked him if this was how he wished to live. He was horrified when he saw what he’d done and begged me to end his misery. I promised I would ensure he wouldn’t lose his mind again, as long as he agreed to become my servant. He agreed to my terms and we sealed the deal with blood and magic.”
“You have absolute control over him, don’t you?” I asked. “That’s how you could release him from his restrictions not to kill others when we were in the underworld.”
“From what you told me, Ruen was able to retain his sanity during your mission,” he reminded me, disliking my judgmental tone. “Is that not better than being a rabid beast, killing for the sheer pleasure of it?”
“He did seem happy for once,” I admitted. “But only when he was slaughtering our foes.”
“As has been the case for the past three hundred years,” he said in satisfaction that I’d confirmed his story myself. “Have I answered your questions adequately?” His tone was courteous, but I sensed his impatience. He hadn’t come here to answer questions, but to ask them.
“You told me what I wanted to know,” I replied as Aurora quaked beside me. She was about to be grilled by the dragon and neither of us were looking forward to it.
Chapter Fifty-Eight
LORD GILDEN PINNED Aurora with his golden stare. “I want to know exactly who and what you are,” he demanded. He didn’t use magic to compel her, but she shrank away from him anyway.
I put a protective hand on her arm and she clutched it like it was a lifeline. “Why don’t you tell us your story in your own time?” I suggested, glaring at the shifter in annoyance. He heaved a small sigh, then sat back against the couch in capitulation, cradling his mug of coffee in one hand.
“As you’ve probably guessed, I wasn’t born a bird,” Aurora began. “I come from the ninth realm of the underworld. Due to my mixed heritage, I have talents that are highly coveted.”
Drake opened his mouth to ask a question and I surreptitiously elbowed him in the side. He grunted at the impact and closed his mouth. Aurora was already nervous about telling us her tale. She didn’t need any interruptions to ruin her concentration.
“A powerful being learned about my talents and captured me,” she went on, shivering at the memory. “When I refused to allow him to use me for his own gain, he had a magic user curse me. She turned me into a bird and he imprisoned me in a cage. He beat and starved me until I had no choice but to comply with his wishes.”
“If I ever meet this douchebag, I’ll kill him for you,” I offered, furious that she’d been so badly mistreated.
“Do you promise?” she asked, huge green eyes glittering with tears.
“Yeah,” I replied and I meant it. “How long did he hold you captive?”
“I lost track of time,” she said. “Several centuries, I think. I was only able to escape after he threw my cage across the room in one of his rages. The hinges broke and I waited for him to storm off before I fled. I sensed a gate to another realm and flew to it before I could be discovered. Guards tried to stop me, but they were too slow. I passed through the gate and kept going until I couldn’t fly anymore. I broke my wing when the dogs chased after me. I thought they were going to eat me, but you came along and saved my life.” She gave me a tearful smile of gratitude.
“You made it all the way to the first realm,” I said in amazement. “You must be really scared of this guy.”
“He’s a monster,” she said with a shudder.
