Dark Lies: Chapter 46

Savannah

The hollow shrieks of the crazy-looking vampires sent shivers down my spine as I scanned the contents of the room. Ceramic vases, lamps, and marble busts. Dozens of boxes, all collected and forgotten.

“Where the hell is it?” I whispered to Damian as I began to rummage.

He dumped out the contents of a vase. “There are so many signatures here, and I’ve never seen it, so it’s hard for me to tell. Somewhere close. Keep looking.”

I glanced over at Jaxson as he slammed one of the fanged harlots into the wall and rammed his claws into her chest.

Quick, quick, quick.

I scanned the room, searching for any kind of clue, as Damian ripped the lid off a wooden crate.

On the shelf, there was another large crate with a label that read, Temporarily Off Display.

My breathing stopped. The finger would have been a warning once, and Alejandro had probably displayed it prominently.

Could that be it?

As Jaxson’s growl shook the hall behind us, I brought down the crate and dug my claws under the lid. I tugged, and the wooden panel lifted, pulling nails up with it. Inside were a dozen glass boxes padded with straw.

I lifted one out and peered inside. It held a single thorn. A fading label read, From the Crown of Thorns.

“Holy shit!” I gasped, looking through the crate. A big, square box had a mummified head with a label that read, Possibly the Head of St. John the Baptist.

These were relics, which meant…

Bullseye.

Damian joined me as I dug deeper and handed him boxes. “It’s in there, you’re close,” he said.

Finally, I pulled out a small, black, leather box labelled, Finger of Dragan the Thief. Inside was a mummified index finger resting on a wad of gauze. “We got it!”

Damian and I darted outside just as Jaxson staked one of the vampires. By the looks of it, he’d made quick work of the other one. The woman’s skin withered until she was nothing more than a pile of ash.

He was covered with blood and lacerations, but he didn’t pause for a second. “Probably half of Mexico knows Alejandro is dead by now. We’ve got to go.”

My muscles throbbed from the exertion as we charged down the hall. Thank God my Todorovas were like wearing my magic boots, just not as fast.

We raced back through the cave. Damian slashed one of the bat creatures from the air with his burning sword, while Jaxson repelled another.

I could see the stairs ahead, and my adrenaline spiked. We were almost there…

Fuck, why didn’t I grab the head of John the Baptist?

Probably fake, my wolf chuckled.

We ground to a halt in front of the exit, my heart hammering.

The sound of alarms throbbed from outside as Damian pushed the door open.

I wiped my sweaty palms across my thighs. “Okay, now what?”

Damian grimaced as he looked between us. “How do you feel about stealing a car?”