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“Holy shit. Boss just used a new world phrase. I think Hell has frozen over. Do you have a fever, or a tumor?” Eliana asked, reaching over the counter to touch his forehead.
Severin shifted away from her fingers. “If only I could get either of those.”
“You avoided answering, Boss. What did you give us that you took back?” Castle asked.
He let out a sigh. “Like I was saying. In the mountains, I had nothing but time to read and go through tons of ancient tombs. Some were Egyptian funerary literature, such as the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, and the Book of the Dead. I transcribed images from carvings on chamber walls and from scrolls, which served as magical guides. I absorbed every word, text, image, even if they might’ve appeared a little out there. The monastery that held the most... informative scrolls was where I found the Book of the Dead. The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead is actually a collection of magical spells, prayers, and hymns written on papyrus scrolls. It is meant to guide a deceased person safely through the underworld and into the afterlife. Did you know it was originally called the Book of Coming Forth by Day?” Severin poured himself a drink, then gestured to the others and asked if they wanted one.
“Yes, please,” Eliana said, holding out her hand.
“Okay, so the book helped you do what to us?” Enzo asked, taking an empty tumbler off the shelf, and waited for Severin to fill it.
“The book gave me all kinds of information. It served as a practical manual rather than a single fixed holy book. There were different sections. One section was called Purpose and Journey, which they called The Underworld ‘Duat’. The spells helped the soul navigate a dangerous maze of demons, monsters, fire-breathing serpents, and magical gates. Then there was a section called Practical Magic. It provided secret names of gods, passwords, and protective words to prevent the spirit from getting lost or destroyed. Then you have the ominous Transformation section. In that part, certain spells let the soul transform into various forms, such as a bird or a lotus flower, to avoid threats. I read and re-read the Final Judgment Weighing of the Heart section several times. The most famous part was titled Spell 125. It depicts the soul standing before Osiris and the forty-two judges. The next section is called The Test. The person’s heart would be weighed on a scale against the feather of truth, Ma’at. And then, you have The Outcome. If the heart is heavy with sin, a monster devours it. Which means they are doomed to eternal oblivion. If it was light and pure, the soul entered paradise.” Severin could see they didn’t understand all that he’d said.
“So you soaked up all that—stuff and became some superpower of?” Castle took a healthy sip of the amber liquid, followed by another.
“Well, I am pretty fucking super, but not like a Marvel hero.” Severin refilled Castle’s drink, figuring the male needed more.
“As a born vampire, we have abilities that make us different from made ones. I ensured you all had powers greater than those of other made vampires. While I couldn’t gift you my exact strength from the jump, I gifted each of you knowledge and magic it would take hundreds of years for others to learn, if they were smart enough.”
“And you took back all that knowledge from Uriel?” Enzo asked without inflection.
Severin noticed the flatness and tried to tell whether the other male was angry or afraid. “I did, and the magic abilities that didn’t come with the vampire’s embrace or the knowledge he’d gained through time. Most, if not all, vampires who are made receive information from their maker and through experience. What I gifted all of you...has been lost to most, if not all. Do I think Scepter and others have great abilities?” He shrugged and turned to look out the window, staring down at the bustling city below.
“Your brother is a force to be reckoned with, but I don’t believe he’s on par with you,” Castle said.
“You’re correct. I’ll never underestimate my twin, and neither should any of you. Savage is far older than all of us. He might’ve shared power and ability with my brother and the others in his crew.” He turned his gaze toward the tag he’d placed on Uriel. The male sat on a stool at a bar a few blocks down the street. In his right hand, he held a bottle of beer, while a man to his left sipped dark liquor from a glass. Severin easily read both men’s auras. Uriel and a shifter drank like old buddies. While he didn’t forbid any of his Clan from making nice with other species, he preferred they inform him when they were close enough to share drinks.
Thana wanted to kill Mai Jao for her attempt on Severin’s life. Oh, she’d known the female wanted to do much more than take him out. Hell, the scent of her pheromones nearly gagged Thana into revealing herself, but she wasn’t a young vamp. Of course, that didn’t mean she didn’t want to rip the bitch’s face off and make it so that no male ever looked at her with desire ever again.
She stayed as dust particles long after the others dispersed, knowing Severin would return. Thana stayed, letting herself consider her next steps.
When she thought of Severin’s metaphor about shit, she couldn’t help but chuckle. “The male is full of surprises.”
Her skin tingled with excitement at the thought of other things he might know that could shock her differently. Good, Goddess, she had a sick streak.
Once she was sure the others wouldn’t return, she materialized into human form and let her senses open fully. Her fingers tingled as she walked along the crates down the warehouse until she reached the end. The further she went, the cooler the air got. Her nose twitched, threatening a sneeze. She paused and took a closer look at the eight-by-ten container. Water staining made the label unreadable. Thana wasn’t fooled like others. Whatever was or is inside, they did a sloppy job hiding it.
She knocked on the metal side, placed her ear against the cold surface, and listened. Because metal is highly elastic and dense, it transmits sound vibrations much faster and more efficiently than air. She knew that pressing her ear directly against the container let her hear the raw, resonant vibrations through the metal walls, creating a much more intense and prolonged sound than listening through the air. Why had she been drawn to it?
She shook her head and knocked again. A dull, flat, muffled sound reached her ear. “ Not empty,” she murmured.
Fist clenched, she knocked three times, waiting to see if anyone inside would respond. Several seconds passed, and then she heard a thud followed by another.
Thana worried that whoever was inside would run out of air. She called out to Savage through their link.
“I found a container that I am sure holds at least one person. I don’t know whether it’s a female or a male, nor whether they’re friend or foe. I’m worried they won’t last long if I don’t get them out and...I’m in Gambino territory,” she admitted.
“Are you fucking insane, Thana? Get out of there. I’ll send a team—” Savage argued.
“I’m not leaving them, Boss. You know I can handle myself.” Thana walked around the container, looking for the opening. Whoever transported them had concealed the opening.
On the far side, she ran her hand up and down the center, feeling a slight difference in the metal. Closing her eyes, she placed her palm on the cold, grey surface and let energy flow from her into it. The heated area turned black beneath her fingers, fanning out until a large circle became charred. Once she had a big enough area seared, she pulled her hand away and balled up her fist. “This might hurt a little,” she whispered.
Thana drew back her arm and slammed her right fist into the burnt metal, then her left. The metal gave way on her second hit with a sickening crunch.
Gasps echoed through the interior. Not one, or two, but several. She conjured a flashlight and pointed it inside. Several people were pressed against the far wall. Some stood, some knelt, and others were lying. She didn’t know if they were alive or dead. Her heart thudded hard against her ribs.
“Hello, I’m here to help.” Shit, she wasn’t good at the whole savior thing.
