Taken by the Blood God (Devil Springs #4)

Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

Minerva

I closed my eyes and pressed my palms over them, hoping the dizziness would fade quickly.

Traveling via portals always screwed up my equilibrium.

My stomach churned, and I fought the urge to throw up. Goddess, I hated portal jumping. I drew in a deep breath and blew it out slowly, focusing my eyes on a point off in the distance.

As I took another breath, a warm hand circled my lower back. I didn’t have the energy to smack it away. And I was strangely reluctant to do it anyway.

After I showered this morning, I’d come into my bedroom to find a plate of cinnamon and sugar toast and a mug of tea waiting for me on my dresser. Both were made exactly to my preferences.

I didn’t know what to do with that facet of Talant, so I deliberately put it out of my mind as I finished dressing, braiding my hair, and throwing a few clothes into a backpack. I texted Ally before I left the room, but she hadn’t replied. No doubt she was still cuddled up in bed with her mate.

I also tried not to think about the look on Talant’s face when he said he didn’t have a bag. It was the first time his expression had been completely unguarded around me.

And it got to me, dammit.

I knew better than to trust a god, but my heart had softened toward him. Which meant I had to give him a bag to use. The entire time I was in the shower, I found myself wondering if I should get him some more clothing. Daniel had brought some things for him in a trash bag, and I’d brought home two pairs of shorts, three shirts, a package of underwear, some socks, and a pair of shoes for him a couple of days after he came to stay with me. It wasn’t much.

He was a god. He could probably conjure up clothes made of solid gold if he wanted to, but he hadn’t.

He also hadn’t come right out and said that his power was weakened, but I knew that it must be if dreamwalking with his brother had knocked him out for nearly twenty-four hours.

I would order him some more clothes when we returned and maybe another pair of shoes. Not that he’d wear a shirt or shoes most of the time, but at least he would have them if he needed them.

I know, I know, I was an idiot.

I shouldn’t be feeling sorry for him. He wasn’t a poor, lost soul. He was a blood god—a being created through magic, blood, and violence. But all I could see when I looked at him was a man. A man I wanted with an intensity that frightened me—despite my resolve to resist him.

The vertigo faded, and I lowered my hands, looking around us. We were on the outskirts of a small town. Based on the architecture and the vehicles, I thought perhaps England, but I wasn’t sure.

“Better?” Talant asked, his voice quiet.

I glanced over my shoulder at him and nodded. I gestured to the town in front of us. “Do you have any idea where we are?”

“Not really.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Things have changed a great deal since I last walked this land.”

I studied him, realizing he meant that literally. He’d been to England before. Perhaps had even lived here for a time.

My brain got stuck on the idea, but I had to push it away. The first order of business was to figure out where we were. I could think about brain melting stuff later.

I took my phone out of my bag and opened the maps app. I waited as it tried to load. After a few moments, the words no service flashed across the screen.

I tucked the phone into my pocket instead of my bag. Even though it didn’t work now, I wanted to keep it close. Wherever we were, it was either so far from the closest cell tower that I didn’t have signal, or we were no longer in the United States.

A breeze whipped up, bringing the scent of the sea and a touch of coolness. We were also close to the ocean. It made sense. Salt water was used to purify in many rituals and spells. The amount of dark magic the warlocks had to use to siphon Davian’s powers would create one hell of a miasma over the location of his prison. Being so close to the ocean would help cleanse the atmosphere, which meant that it would be easier to hide what they were doing from any nearby covens.

Talant swayed next to me. I reached out, grabbing his arm to help keep him upright.

“You okay?” I asked.

He nodded, but I noticed his face was paler than it had been before. Opening the portal had drained his magic again.

I guided him over to a bench and gave him a shove to convince him to sit down. His legs gave way beneath him, and he glared up at me once his butt hit the seat.

“That wasn’t necessary,” he grumbled.

“Would you have sat down if I suggested it?”

His only answer was a scowl.

I looked around, trying to figure out where to start. We needed a place to stay, access to food and water, and hopefully electricity and running water. If we couldn’t find an inn or house to stay in we might have to find an abandoned house or even sleep in the woods. Not something I relished.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I’m thinking that any hotels or inns will be closer to the ocean. It would be an attraction in this town. That’s probably where we need to head to first.”

Talant shook his head. “No, we need to find Da—” He stopped speaking when he realized he was about to blurt out his brother’s true name on a public street. “We need to find my brother first. Then, we need to go back home as soon as possible.”

It was my turn to scowl. “There is no way you’re in any shape to mount a rescue today. And let’s not forget the entire coven of warlocks that have warded his prison. Considering what a prize he is, I doubt very much they’ve left it unguarded.”

As Talant’s head drooped forward and he rested his elbows on his knees, his words penetrated. He’d called my house his home . Did he consider it his home? I had no idea how I felt about that. Was it a slip of the tongue?

I shook my head. I didn’t have time to obsess over this right now. My focus needed to be on finding Davian before it was too late.

Talant released a heavy sigh. “Fuck.”

Bringing my focus back to our mission, I said, “I’ll find us a hotel, and we can rest tonight, and we’ll find your brother’s prison. Once we know how many wards there are, how many warlocks, and what other nasty little surprises they might have for us, we’ll plan and break your brother out.”

I didn’t bring up the fact that he hadn’t given me the slightest clue of how to access my supposed Conduit powers. That was a discussion for when he was fully functional.

Should I have brought it up before now? Probably. But Talant was so secretive about his brother that I doubted he would have told me until I was already here.

Talant straightened, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He took several deep breaths, and his face took on a faint golden glow.

A trickle of magic slipped by me, radiating from his body. It was small, but sleek and sharp—a razor’s edge of power.

I waited in silence, not wanting to distract him. As tired as he seemed, he would need all his concentration to control such a pinpointed working of magic.

“It’s done,” he said, sighing heavily and opening his eyes.

“What’s done?”

“We have a place to stay.”

I frowned down at him. He was paler than before, and there was a sheen of sweat on his face.

“Where?”

He pointed down the street in front of us. “Follow this road for half a mile. The inn is on the left.”

I wanted to ask him how he’d done it, but he looked like he was moments away from passing out.

“All right. I can’t carry your heavy ass, and I can’t leave you here,” I said. “I’m going to give you a boost using a spell. Then, we’re going to walk there.”

I waved a hand over his face, whispering an incantation. As my spell washed over him, I saw the color return to his face. He sighed.

“Better?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Well, you’d better get your ass up so we can get moving. It’ll only last a half hour or so.”

He got to his feet, shouldered his bag, and tried to reach for mine. I slung the backpack over my own shoulder, sidestepping him.

“You can carry my bag when you don’t need a spell to keep you on your feet.”

I didn’t wait for him to respond, just turned on my heel and headed down the street. I knew he would follow.