Chapter 30 — One more thing before I go

Azazel:

It isn’t until the next evening that Zoe and I meet with Mathias and Creighton. After coming back from the hell dimension, Zoe and I took a shower and fell into a deep sleep. We were both too emotionally exhausted to even turn off the lights.

Hand in hand, we both marched quietly to the Cal State library. I don't waste time greeting anyone at that point. “Did either of you find any information on the amulet?” I ask as I lead Zoe inside the room.

Creighton nods and gestures towards his table. “Yes, in fact, we did, and it's good news.” Zoe and I give each other hopeful looks as we approach the table. Just then, Amara and Kell show up. Zoe's face lights up with delight.

“Amara!” Zoe cries out with relief. Both women embrace, excited to see each other. “Zoe, I'm so glad to see you. I was so scared of leaving you inside that horrible place.” Amara cries out with regret.

Zoe shakes her head. “It's okay, Amara. I was just glad that you were with me as long as you were. I thought I was going to go crazy until you showed up.” Both women continue to talk, unaware of their male audience.

Eventually, Kell clears his throat and nudges Amara’s shoulder. “Sorry to interrupt your little reunion, but we need to get to business, beauty queen?” Amara blushes. “Oh, sorry. Zoe, this is my boyfriend and mate, Kell. Kell, this is Azazel’s mate, Zoe.” Kell waves impatiently while Amara continues. “Okay, so we’ve been doing the research on the amulet you told us about and on the Siphon spell and have found a few interesting things. Come look at what we found.”

Zoe and I stand next to the paper-littered table as Amara takes center on the other side and starts flipping through a few books. “I’m a Breija, and one of my supernatural powers is that I can read every language in existence. I can even read languages that haven't been used for thousands of years. Anyway, after you mentioned the amulet, Kell and I went back through Mathias's files on Marael and Sahara. One of the files showed the gruesome murders of Sahara's coven. It also showed that Sahara was much older than she is now. Killing a coven and converting them into Aswangs takes a great deal of magic. It also takes a lot of magic to make yourself look young again.” She flips through a few pages of a book and turns it to face us. I recognize the demonic language, but I can’t recall how what it means. Amara points at an ancient picture of a large onyx jewel surrounded by blood, red vines. “This is in æternum vive. Roughly translated, it means immortal life. This amulet absorbs power from others and gives the bearer power, which would probably give them the ability to stay young. It's also used to keep those who are killed by it as slaves to the bearer. That's why she's able to control those monsters.”

I read through the pages, trying to decipher them, but draw a blank. “So, what does this mean for us?” I ask, gazing into Creighton and Amara's eyes. Creighton pulls another book and places it next to the one Amara's showing us. “According to this, the amulet can absorb all power and store it too. If we can find the amulet, we can use it to safely remove the Siphon spell from Zoe. Can't you see? Marael and Sahara have had the solution to the siphon all along. They must have made a bargain. Sahara probably wanted immortality, and Marael needed power. Sahara had both of you within her grasp and must have used you as a way to blackmail Marael into giving her an amulet. Perhaps she threatened to kill both of you before Marael could regain her power. Plus, Marael needed an ally and a way to keep a low profile until she was at full power. It was a win-win situation for both of them.”

My mind whirls with the possibilities. “So, all we have to do is find where Marael put the amulet, and we can use it to reverse the spell?” Creighton and Amara nod and look at Mathias, who steps forward. “There's obviously more to it. One of the books says you’d need to reverse the spell to reroute the power back into the amulet, but it's the best hope we have. Right now, the Council is searching for both women. We've set up surveillance on the building as well. Fortunately, the spell in the building has been lifted, and all of the tenants are safe. Even the ley lines are gone, which means that both ladies are no longer in the hell dimension. Unfortunately, that means that they're going to be harder to find.”

Zoe and I gaze at each other with concern. “So, how do we reverse the spell?” I ask in frustration. Amara shrugs. “The best information we could find was to purify the amulet of its corruption.” Zoe’s mouth tightens into a grimace. “And how do you do that?” Marael gazes at Creighton, hoping he can answer, but Creighton looks to be at a loss. “We don’t have a solid answer yet. However, some theories state that pure fire or blessed water can purify magical instruments.” I puff out a disconcerted breath. Why is nothing ever easy? “So, we can set it on fire?” Creighton shakes his head. “No, it can’t be just regular fire. It was to be strong, pure fire. Perhaps angel fire.”

My mouth tightens in response. “Brilliant! You do realize that angel fire is only found in heaven, right?” Creighton’s mouth flattens with chagrin. “I know, mate, we’re working on a more plausible answer. For now, that’s all we know.”

Turning back to Mathias, I ask the question that has been running through my mind since we came back. “Do you think that Sahara is still alive then?” Mathias nods. “We believe that she is. We intercepted a few calls between her and her club manager. According to what we heard, she took a leave of absence because she was ill. We posted several men near her home, but there has been no sign of her. I imagine that she won't go home now that she and Marael had a falling out. It would be too easy to kill her.”

Zoe's face falls at the news. I can tell that it bothers her to know that Sahara is still out there. “It's alright, luv. We'll find the amulet.” Zoe wraps her arm around my forearm with a soft nod. “I know. I guess I was just hoping that it would be easy. Which is stupid now that I think about it.”

I shake my head. “It's not stupid to hope.” Mathias nods. “Don't give up that hope, Zoe. Eventually, one of them will slip up, and we'll find them.” Zoe and I both nod in agreement.

My mate is inordinately quiet on the way home. Gazing over at her, I see her face turned towards the window. Her brow is set in a tight line, and her lips are clenched tightly. My lady is barely hanging on by a thread. Making a decision, I turn my vehicle onto a familiar street. It takes me a few minutes to get to my destination.

Zoe's eyes scan the area. “Where are we?” She asks quietly. I gesture to the top of the edifice, where the lights of my penthouse windows gleam in the quiet darkness. “This is my real home. I've owned this place for several decades. I was only in the other home as a cover until Marael was found.” Zoe's eyes laser in on mine when she gets a good look at the sign and the crowd near the entrance of the building.

Without another word, I step out of the vehicle and lead Zoe into the club's door. “Wait, Garden of Eden, is your club?” She asks in an astonished voice. “Yes, I own it. Why?” I ask. Zoe shakes her head. “Bree and I've been dying to come here, but the lines were so long that we could never get in.” My brow knits as I consider the fact that she's been so close. Who knows how many times I passed that line and never noticed her. I'm such a git.

“Well, now you can come here whenever you want to. You're my mate, which means what is mine, is yours.” Zoe's face flushes with pleasure as she leans her head on my shoulder. “Are we going in there now?” She asks, looking down at her plain t-shirt and black jeans. I shake my head. “No, luv. We're going to my flat. We'll go to the club some other time.”

She nods in contentment and follows me to the private door near the alley. There's an elevator that leads down to my carport, which is filled with many of my collections and leads up to my apartments and rooftop escape. I press the button to the apartment. All I want at this moment is to take my mate to bed.

Zoe leans on the elevator wall and closes her eyes with a sigh. Her long mahogany hair falls in loose curls around her shoulders, and her beautiful ocean colored eyes are shadowed by weariness. Standing before her, I run my fingers down her silken cheek and wrap a few strands of her hair around my fingers. Zoe gazes up at me from beneath her long lashes, a seductive smile adorning her lips. Moving closer, I place another kiss on her plump lips and inhale her sweet scent. She melts into my arms instantly. I tilt my head, tasting the luscious honey of her tongue and bite the bottom of her lip. Swirling my tongue inside the warm cavern of her mouth, I do it over and over again until she’s writhing in pleasure. My hand slides down her neck to engulf her firm breasts in my hands.

Once we step out of the elevator, I open my front door revealing the serene quiet of my flat. Zoe gazes around the room with curiosity. But I don’t release her from my seductive touch. Instead, I lift her into my arms and carry her to my bed. She clings to me tightly, deepening the kiss and sucking my tongue into her mouth. My lips feel bruised but in a sweet way. We both pull at our clothing, slipping off and ripping at what we can't. Sighs of pleasure follow as we both land on the bed, our naked limbs tangled. Her hands run down my naked chest, cataloging the firm ridges of my chest and stomach. She arches her back with a cry when I kiss down her neck and suckle at the firm buds of her nipples. A hiss escapes my lips when she scores her sharp nails down my back. I'm sure I'll have some marks by the time we're finished, which makes things even more heated.

A soft moan escapes my lips at the feel of her sweet heat enveloping my rigid shaft. Her legs wrap around my waist, digging deep to slam me harder inside her molten walls. Sweat gathers between our bodies as we strain for our release, and Zoe's eyes close with ecstasy. A cry escapes her lips with every slam of her hips against mine while I pump harder into her heat, feeling the stirrings of my climax rushing through my sex. Our lips meet one final time before the world comes apart around us. Zoe cries out, holding tightly to my body, her core clenching around my arousal until the world erupts into flashes of ecstasy.

We cling tightly to each other, enjoying the after-effects of our lovemaking. Falling onto my back, I pull her into the shelter of my body, sliding her next to me. Her firm body feels brilliant against mine. It’s a definite that we belong together, and I will never let anyone tear us apart. I contentedly listen to her relaxed breathing and place a kiss on her forehead. “Sleep, my love. Sleep and dream good things.” I whisper into the softness of her hair.

She sighs in contentment, places a soft kiss on my neck and whispers. “I love you.” My body shudders with emotion. Hearing those words are a balm to my soul because now I don't feel the emptiness that has been a constant companion anymore. I feel complete now. And it's all because of my mate.