"I will be brave," he'd told them using the silent tongue. "I will try. I do not want to become like the Luminata, so closed within myself that I cease to see the value of others."
Elena intended to get in touch with Jessamy, give the other woman a heads-up that Laric might need a little of her gentle kindness and guidance. But today, her attention was on the woman who'd survived interminable horror.
"Gian didn't come near me while I was pregnant," her grandmother told her. "He was repulsed by the fact I carried Jean-Baptiste's child. But two weeks after our baby was born, before we had settled our argument over her name--Jean-Baptiste wanted to call her Marguerite, while I preferred Taliyah--my husband disappeared."
Majda pulled away, her face marked by tears but her eyes clear. "I searched for him, we all did, never thinking the angels would go so far as to hurt a vampire aligned to the Archangel Favashi--until Gian came to my parents' home and made me an offer: that he would take care of me like a princess if I would be his mistress. I just had to leave my daughter behind."
Hands fisting, she gritted out the next words. "He made it a point to say that my husband was no longer a problem. That was when I knew Gian had taken him. At the time, I believed Jean-Baptiste dead. And I knew my baby was another problem Gian would either eventually eliminate . . . or he'd abuse that babe. Simply because she was my husband's child."
Majda's gaze was no longer broken; it held only fury. "Gian, he taunted us that he would have you. He called you my daughter."
"The asshole isn't taunting anyone now."
A hard nod from her grandmother, this soft woman who nonetheless had a core of steel. "No, but back then, he held all the power."
"So you ran." Elena couldn't imagine her fear and pain.
"I wasn't yet fully recovered from the birth, but my parents urged me to go, gave me every last cent they had, did all they could to conceal my departure to give me time to get away." Her body shook. "Gian told me later that he'd beaten them both when they wouldn't tell him where I'd gone, left them so severely injured that they would've died if not for neighbors who nursed them back to health. He said it was a sign of his devotion."
Elena's grandmother looked like she wanted to spit. "I learned how to look after my beautiful Marguerite without my own mother nearby and my heart's love presumed dead, managed to make a life for me and my baby in Paris, thought we were safe as she grew into a toddler who spoke so sweetly to me . . . then I saw an angel watching me one day."
A chill of remembered fear drew the blood away from her face. "I thought I was being foolish, but still, in the depths of the night, I carried Marguerite out of our apartment and I hid in a place where I could watch that apartment. I told Marguerite it was a game."
She smiled. "My baby was so good, played with her toys and never complained even when I realized I'd forgotten to pack her favorite snack. Even when I told her we couldn't go back to our apartment because a bad angel was watching it. Instead, I took my child into a church where I knew the nun was kind."
She rubbed a fist over her heart. "I kissed my azeeztee good-bye, and then I ran, my intent to lead the hunters as far from Marguerite as possible. They caught up to me in Turkey."
Squeezing her eyes shut, Majda breathed in and out in a fast rhythm. "I escaped once from Lumia. That was when Gian chained me up underground. It was a horror to see Jean-Baptiste, see how Gian had been taking his jealous rage out on my husband, but seeing that he was alive, it also kept me strong."
"Why is Jean-Baptiste still alive?"
"At first, it was so Gian could brutalize him for his own gratification. Later, it was because Gian wanted us to suffer--I by watching my husband being hurt, Jean-Baptiste by having to watch Gian . . ."
Anger scalded Elena's veins at the words her grandmother didn't say, the atrocities she didn't enumerate. "You don't have to tell me. I can guess."
"When I thought I'd break," her grandmother said instead, "I'd speak to my husband, and no matter how emaciated he became, or how much pain he was in, he'd tell me to think of our daughter growing in freedom, in the light. We knew Gian hadn't found her--he would've never been able to keep that to himself. "
A soft hand cupping Elena's cheek. "Now we will think of you. Daughter of our daughter."
"My mother loved to dance," Elena found herself saying just as Jean-Baptiste stepped out of the Tower doors, his hair shining golden. "When I was little, sometimes we'd dance in the rain and play in water pools." It caused her pain to talk about Marguerite, but it was worth it to see the hungry joy in Majda's eyes.
She continued to speak after they got into the SUV.
Her grandparents soaked up her stories, laughed and cried, asked her more and more questions about her mother. Elena answered everything, found herself smiling more than once as she talked about events she'd almost forgotten--like the time she'd found her mother and Beth giggling together as Beth "helped" her bake a cake. "Except most of the mix was on Beth's face," she said with a laugh.
"I would like to meet our other granddaughter," Jean-Baptiste said. "I think we are ready."
"That's where we're going." Ten minutes later, she nodded to the right. "This is her house." It was a home into which Beth had moved without telling Elena until it was done.
"It has big enough doors for you," her sister had said when she finally sent Elena a message asking her to come over. "Harrison picked our other house, and he wouldn't let me renovate. So I moved."
Elena's heart had all but exploded--she'd never expected such stubborn determination from her baby sister. Neither had Harrison. But the vampire had caved and the entire family now lived in the dual-level Lenox Hill home Beth had chosen.
Elena had offered to give Beth any money she needed to clear what she'd assumed was a large mortgage, given the location of the house. She'd already set up a regular transfer to Beth's account so that her sister didn't have to rely financially on her husband. The only reason she hadn't given Beth a big chunk at once was because she knew that while Bethie was a great mom, she wasn't too good with money.
But her sister had shaken her head. "Daddy paid," she'd said, her turquoise eyes dark as they looked into Elena's. "He's not so bad, Ellie. He loves you, too. I told him why I wanted to move and he didn't argue, just wrote the check."
That Elena and Jeffrey had a complicated relationship was an understatement.
"Beth is strong," Elena told her grandparents. "Stronger than I knew for a long time, but she's also the baby of our family." Not Jeffrey's new family, but their original unit of six.
"I understand, Elena," Majda said. "We will treat her with care."
Elena had told her sister they were coming and Beth was waiting for them in the doorway, a wide smile on her face and her body clad in a lovely floral print dress with a big skirt. "Is this them?" she asked excitedly before running over to hug first Majda then Jean-Baptiste with warm exuberance. "I'm so happy to meet you!"
Both grandparents smiled in unabashed delight.
Beth had that effect on people.
"Hello, Bethie." Elena hugged her sister when she came over, kissed her temple.
And heard an excited cry behind Beth. Releasing her sister, she turned just in time to scoop up a gorgeous toddler dressed in a neat blue pinafore and with a ribbon in her air. "Hello, Giggles."
Her niece giggled and kissed her on the mouth. "Aniellie!"
"Yes, Auntie Ellie." Elena rubbed noses with her niece before turning to her stunned grandparents. "Grandmother, Grandfather," she said because this was about family, "I'd like you to meet Marguerite Aribelle, your great-granddaughter." She kissed her niece's soft cheek. "Maggie."
Maggie stared from Elena to Majda as her great-grandparents' eyes shined wet at the knowledge that their family line was another generation strong.
"Aniellie?" Maggie said at last, a frown on her little face as she looked at Majda.
"No, this is Great-grandma Majda," Elena said. "You want to give her a kiss?"
Maggie's smile was shy, but she held out her arms. Majda took her great-granddaughter with gentle care, her entire body trembling. "Hello, azeeztee." It was a whisper.
Patting at her wet cheeks, Maggie said, "Gamma have boo-boo?"
Majda shook her head. "I'm happy." She leaned in, accepted Maggie's sweet kiss. "Would you like to meet your great-grandfather?"
Her mother's daughter, Maggie fell head over heels for her handsome great-grandfather, all but batting her lashes as he took her into his arms. He, in turn, was clearly besotted.
Looking at Elena with eyes that held a piercing joy, Majda said, "We will be staying here. Near our family."
Beth, leaning against Elena, clapped her hands as Elena smiled . . . but her heart, it wasn't in this city she loved or with the people who meant so much to her. It was with an archangel with wings of white gold who was in the heart of nightmare.
Bloodlust
The Cadre had been forced to make landfall not once but multiple times when the lightning storm returned three hours after their departure from Lumia, appearing in erratic bursts as if it was formed by the sheer proximity of so many archangels. Avoiding it had put them behind schedule, but they'd finally arrived in China.
As for their specific destination, they headed straight to the area Jason had pinpointed as having fallen to bloodlust. Jason's information, however, was now a week out of date--and things had deteriorated. Smoke rose from burning homes several miles forward of where Jason had marked the then current line of blood red.
The Cadre flew on, past the burning buildings and deeper.
Below them, the movements were jagged. People running, others moving almost like crabs as they scuttled over the landscape and tried to hide from angelic shadows. The same pattern continued for miles, right up to the mountains that acted as a natural barrier.
Turning in silence, they flew back over the bloodlust-drenched lands. Elijah dropped first, to take care of what appeared to be a large village. Favashi took the next kiss of vampires. Then Raphael. He knew the others would continue on to do the same. After he cleaned up the insane vampires in his area, executing them as quickly and as cleanly as possible, he rose up and flew past the areas the other archangels were handling, found another section to clear.
Relatively speaking, it didn't take them long to get things under control: a single day. They were a Cadre of archangels after all. The villagers would put out the fires now that they no longer had to fear a vampiric attack.
"We need to go to Lijuan's stronghold," Raphael said when they landed as a group in a clean section ten minutes from the final nest of blood-maddened vampires. "I have the location." He assumed the others did, too--though they might not have been able to get inside. Most archangels didn't have Jason and Naasir on their side.
No one argued with him and they lifted off. All of them should've rested after the amount of time they'd already spent in the air, but this situation had the potential to be catastrophic. And they were archangels for a reason.
They flew.
And arrived at the stronghold in stygian darkness long past midnight. No lights, no sounds, no hint of habitation, the stronghold offered the chilliest welcome. Throwing power into the sky, Alexander lit up the world for a vital minute so they could confirm that the jewel in Lijuan's crown was indeed deserted.
Landing, they explored the hallways to ensure there could be no misunderstanding.
Those hallways were not only empty of all life, but bare of any signs that anyone had ever lived here. No paintings, none of the large vases Naasir's mate had mentioned seeing here, nothing but dusty emptiness. The starkness couldn't take away from the beauty of the stronghold itself, but there was a hollowness here now, a sense of loss.
Meeting back in the courtyard at dawn, they waited for everyone to arrive before Titus said, "Lijuan wouldn't strip her stronghold if she planned to return."
"It is clear that she's gone," Astaad said. "She wouldn't have permitted our interference elsewise."
Not even Charisemnon raised an objection to that summation.
Neha spoke next. "We are agreed that Favashi will take over, with Caliane's assistance until such time as Favashi has developed enough power to rule alone. Are there any new objections?"
"Then," Michaela said when no one spoke, "Favashi is now Archangel of China, and Alexander regains control of all of Persia."
"That is the will of the Cadre," they stated as one.
Their work complete, they took off into the air one by one. Favashi would return with her people as fast as possible. Since the Cadre had already cleaned up the bloodlust, she'd have a territory that was ragged at the edges, but not one in the process of destroying itself. With Caliane watching, Raphael was confident Favashi could take and maintain control.
As part of that, she'd not only bring in her own people, she'd retain those of Lijuan's people who would work with her. Those who didn't want to serve her would be permitted to scatter after being given any payments they were due. Raphael didn't think Favashi would find any signs of Xi or the tight squadron that reported to him. Wherever it was that Lijuan had made her place of Sleep, that was where they'd find Xi.
*
Hours of flight later, he wasn't the least surprised to hit the water border of his territory and see wings of midnight and dawn on the horizon. The weight of the world fell away as he closed the distance to his consort. She flew right into his arms and he took them into the sea, protecting them with a bubble of power. He was tired after the sustained time in the air, but the instant he touched Elena, life burst inside him in a scatter of wildfire.
Her kiss held the same fire. "Did you miss me, hbeebti?" he asked quietly when they came up for air, his forehead pressed to her own.
"'Missing' isn't a strong enough word." Silver eyes held his own. "Is she dead?"
"No," Raphael said. "The death of someone as powerful as Lijuan would mark the world, as when an archangel rises to power." He shook his head. "No, I am very much afraid she Sleeps to grow to full strength." Lijuan had made mistakes, sought to act the goddess too quickly. It appeared she had learned from her mistakes at long last.
Elena hissed out a breath. "So the next time she rises . . ."
"Yes, Elena-mine. The next time Lijuan rises, she will be a monster to end all monsters."
Author's Note
I visited Morocco knowing I'd be returning to it in spirit when it was time to explore this part of Elena's past, but I never expected to find my inspiration for Lumia right there, perched on a hilltop with astonishing views in every direction and wildflowers dotting the landscape.
Once a grand city, Volubilis now lies in ruins, but it is magnificent nonetheless. Lumia sits in a different location within Morocco and ended up being designed far differently from Volubilis, but Volubilis was the spark from which it grew. If you'd like to see the pictures I took there, please visit the Travel Diary section of my website (you can find it under the "About Nalini" link): www.nalinisingh.com.
While there, I invite you to join my newsletter, which goes out monthly and includes exclusives like free Guild Hunter short stories and deleted scenes. The Welcome newsletter includes several stories sent out in previous newsletters, so you can catch up on any you've missed.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the generous people online who so often come to the rescue of writers needing answers to last-minute research questions. I'd particularly like to thank Sonja, Lexxie, Sarah, and Maya, who helped me out on Twitter with my questions about the French language.
Any errors are mine. These people are awesome. And so are all of you!
Turn the page for an excerpt from the
Wild Embrace Anthology
part of Nalini Singh's incredible Psy-Changeling series!
Author's Note: This scene takes place on the deep-sea station Alaris.
Next mail drop, Tazia ensured she was fixing a hydraulic lift on the lowest floor of the station, where no one would come looking
for her and where she didn't have to hear the excited cries and see the beaming smiles of her colleagues as they received care packages or unexpected gifts, or letters that made them shed tears of joy.
"Great," she muttered when the relay tube turned out to have a hole in it.
"A problem?"
Her back stiffening where she crouched in front of the exposed inner machinery of the lift, she glanced up at Stefan. "Can't you wear a bell or something?"
"No."
Of course he didn't have a sense of humor. Psy never did. She still couldn't get her mind around the fact that two powerful cardinal Psy, including a gifted foreseer, had recently defected into a changeling pack. How could that possibly work? Changelings were as primal as Psy were cerebral. Like Stefan with his remote gaze and cool words.
"The tube is busted," she told him. "I missed the last equipment request, so we'll have to wait till next month."
"Is it urgent?"
She considered it, aware Stefan was a teleport-capable telekinetic. He could bring in emergency equipment in the space of mere minutes if not seconds, his mind reaching across vast distances in a way she could barely comprehend, but the unspoken rule was that the rest of the station personnel didn't ask him for anything that wasn't critical. Everyone knew that if Alaris sprang a fatal pressure leak, they'd need every last ounce of Stefan's abilities to get them to the surface.
"The other lift is still functional," she said, hooking her spanner into her tool belt and tapping in the code that meant the computer would bypass this lift until she recorded it as being back online. "We can survive a month."
He nodded, his dark brown hair military short. Since he wasn't part of the Psy race's armed forces, she thought it was because he had curls; Psy hated anything that was out of control. When he continued to loom over her, she rubbed her hands on her thighs and stood up. That didn't exactly even things out since he was so much taller, but it made her feel better.
He reached out and gripped a lock of hair that had escaped her ponytail. "Grease."