Thank you, she answered, but I could see regret and sorrow behind her eyes.
Don’t thank me. I’m only doing what has to be done. It’s the right thing to do—and the only thing to do. Jolie opened her mouth as if she were going to say something more, but I immediately shook my head. Don’t say anything, I warned her, our voices are still our own.
Understood, she finished in thought before nodding at me.
“We can do this the easy way or we can do it the hard way.” Luce’s voice startled me as he suddenly materialized directly in front of us, as if the air had just spat him out. His back was to us, his long white hair looking like a rope as it cascaded down his back. He stood between us and Sinjin and faced the vampire. I craned my head to see if any of our tribe had accompanied Luce, and was surprised to find they hadn’t. I had to wonder if that meant the rest of my tribe was still at Kinloch Kirk, fighting Jolie’s people.
“If you think I will willingly allow you to leave here with either the queen or the princess, then I am afraid you are sadly mistaken,” Sinjin threatened him in a tone that forbade any argument.
“I am only interested in the queen,” Luce answered. Glancing back at us, he spared me (aka Jolie) a brief look before his eyes fell on the baby. “And her offspring.” He returned his attention to Jolie, all the while thinking she was I. “Come, Bryn,” he said, and I felt myself beaming on the inside because we’d obviously fooled him.
Of course, Jolie didn’t get up—but that was mainly because she couldn’t. Luce glared at her for another few seconds, all the while believing she was me. “Very well, you have clearly shown where your loyalties lie.”
When he took another step toward us, Sinjin leapt forward, his fangs clearly displayed and extremely threatening, to say the least. Luce simply turned around to face Sinjin. Then he held his palm out toward the vampire, keeping his lips tight. Even though I couldn’t see anything stemming off or out of Luce’s hand, Sinjin suddenly flew through the air, as if he’d just been rammed by an invisible Mack truck. His back hit the wall of the cave with a huge thud, and he immediately righted himself to avoid falling flat on his face. A heartbeat later, Sinjin disappeared into the air, no doubt ready to materialize right on top of Luce. But Luce immediately turned toward us and reached out for me, thinking I was Jolie. Once he touched me, I felt the intensity of his power filling me but I couldn’t say I cared. He’d fallen for my trick just like I’d hoped he would.
And for that, I was happy.
***
Luce had made the choice that I knew he would. He’d chosen my sister and he’d left me. I’d always had an inkling that Luce believed Jolie was superior to me in every possible way, although he’d never dared to admit as much. But now, seeing the truth in his thoughts confused me as much as it upset me. Part of me realized that the time for blindly believing in Luce was long past, but it was also incredibly difficult to shake the ties that bound me to him. I was both hurt that he’d chosen my sister at the same time that I was furious.
Of one thing I could take encouragement from was that Jolie and my niece were safe. My plan had worked and that reality made me beam inside. I had no idea what punishment awaited me once Luce realized his mistake, but I also didn’t care. I’d protected the two people in the world who were the closest to me, and whom, I could honestly say, I loved above all others. As far as I was concerned, nothing else mattered.
“I thought I could trust you, Bryn,” Luce said as he headed for the front door to one of the empty dormitories on our base camp. This training facility, which happened to be our largest, was located in Montana, hidden amongst a dense forest with no roads to recommend it. And apparently I would now find myself prisoner in the empty dorm. Who knew for how long?
Although we affectionately referred to the empty barracks as guesthouses, they really weren’t any different from the long-term housing provided to our tribe members. Yep, it was just another white, nondescript building like all the others I’d come to know so well over the years. Funny how it now seemed so alien to me. After living at Kinloch Kirk amidst beautiful architecture and elegant furnishings, the minimalist jail I now found myself in paled in comparison.
“I thought I could trust you, but the joke was obviously on me,” Luce continued.
“I guess in the end, blood really is thicker than water,” I answered with no amount of apology. I could only look at Luce so long before I felt nauseous. Instead, I stared at the white walls of my newest abode, and the dark brown carpeting and light brown linoleum of the kitchen and entryway. All the furniture was a lackluster, off-white. Included were two sofas, a coffee table, and a kitchen table with two matching chairs. I could only yearn for my little room at Kinloch Kirk. Not only was it comfortable and sunny, there was something pleasant about knowing that Sinjin could always be found in the room right next to mine.
An image of the debonair vampire suddenly flashed into my mind. I could almost see his boyishly bold grin that made his crystal blue eyes seem to laugh. And the way his black hair sometimes appeared blue, depending on the light. I also remembered the clean scent of his skin, and the luscious feeling of his plump lips when he dared to steal a kiss or two. Not that he ever really had to steal anything from me—I was always a willing donor. Lost in my fond memories, my shoulders sagged as I suddenly worried that I’d never see him again. I wasn’t sure how it could have happened, owing to our tempestuous relationship, but somehow, I’d grown inordinately attached to the frustrating man over the past several months.
“I always imagined you were stronger than this! And better than this,” Luce said after a lengthy pause. He still refused to look at me. His expression hadn’t changed from the moment we appeared in the dorm room and I allowed my disguise to melt away until all that was left was Bryn, the real me. His expression had been blank and remained so now. “I did not ever foresee you mutineering and betraying me.”
Gulping down the acid that climbed up my throat, I didn’t know what to say or think. Even though I loved my sister, and now felt completely okay to admit it, mostly to myself, I did not consider myself to be one of her people; although I couldn’t say that I still felt like one of my own either … not anymore. Now, I didn’t know where I stood. “You were a fool to think that I could have ever betrayed my sister, my own flesh and blood.”
“Your sister is not your family!” Luce roared at me, his face scrunched into an angry mask. He physically looked like a very old man with a long white beard and even longer white hair. I knew he was old, but I was never really sure how ancient he actually was.
Legend claimed he was one of the original Elementals who came into existence during the massacre at Gratz, Austria, centuries ago. According to the story, some regular humans came across a band of witches and vampires in the woods. After acting as their prey, some of the humans ingested the witches’ and vampires’ blood, resulting in Elementals and Daywalkers. Luce was purportedly among that original group of humans, but I always reserved some doubt where that story was concerned, although I wasn’t sure why.
“Then I suppose you’re going to tell me you’re my family?” I spat out with a frown, clearly conveying that I didn’t feel the same way.
“We were your family,” Luce replied before piercing me with a narrow gaze. “But family does not backstab one another. Family defends one another. Family doesn’t do what you did.”
“You never were my family,” I argued, surprised at the magnitude of my own brashness. “If you were, you never would have left me for so long, surrounded by my enemies without any word, or assistance, nothing.”
“You were deliberately placed in the queen’s lodgings as a decoy. You knew that then; and you know that still,” he rallied without a pause.
“There’s more to it than that,” I seethed. “When you saw Jolie and me in the cave, you realized you couldn’t take us both. So you went after her and abandoned me to my fate,” I finished angrily. “So much for your familial ties.”
“You w
ould do well not to remind me about family ties,” he said with a scowl. “And as to why I opted to bring your sister, or whom I thought was your sister, rather than you back with me, I should think the answer would be quite obvious.”
“Because you believe Jolie is stronger than I am,” I said. “You believe she is more powerful.”
“There is nothing for me to believe,” he responded matter-of-factly. His bushy white eyebrows reached for the ceiling. “Your sister is and always has been the stronger of you both. You, my dear, are unfortunately the weaker link.” Swallowing hard, I didn’t say anything. Instead, I allowed Luce to continue tearing me down because that was exactly what I needed. I needed to hear what he truly thought of me. I needed to allow him to break me, piece by piece so I would never, ever trust him again. I needed to see Luce for the lowly bastard he was to ensure that I no longer had any confusion regarding my loyalties.
“Nice to know what you think of me,” I answered, my tone of voice even.
“When you were both infants, Jolie was the one I always wanted,” Luce continued. “It was my own rotten luck that we ended up with you instead.”
Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to grant them any release. I had always thought of Luce as a father figure, since he was the only male role model I’d ever known. My parents had both died before I was old enough to remember them, and the only family I’d had was Luce and the members of my tribe. But now I didn’t think of him as anything other than an angry and embittered old man who was so set on revenge against my sister’s people that he couldn’t even think straight. “So what now?” I demanded.
“I have not yet decided what to do with you,” Luce answered before taking the three steps that separated him from the door. He put his hand on the knob and gazed down at it in what appeared to be thoughtful repose. He paused for another few seconds before turning again to face me. “As of now, I consider you a threat to your own people.”
“You aren’t my people!” I spat back, a raging fire in my tone. “And you never were.”
Nodding, he didn’t seem upset. Instead, he was almost detached, like he was just observing me without any emotional attachment to me whatsoever. And that was probably the truth. “The damage runs deep,” he said indifferently. “You have been brainwashed to believe your sister’s lies, brainwashed to believe that we are your enemies.” Then he shook his head. “I imagined you were much stronger, Bryn, that you would not have fallen for such an obvious ploy.”
“I haven’t been brainwashed to believe anything,” I railed. “The only thing I learned from my sister is what it means to love someone. And you certainly never taught me that.”
He nodded, obviously finding no argument in my sentiment. “You should know better than to indulge such things. Emotions are dangerous. They should be …”
“Rooted out and destroyed,” I finished by rote.
“At least, you haven’t forgotten some of your training,” he said in an acidic tone. “Unfortunately, you couldn’t follow it.” He rotated the doorknob, but before he stepped outside, I had one last thing to tell him.
“I regret nothing,” I managed to announce in a level, cool tone. Although he didn’t turn back to face me, he did pause at the threshold. “Whatever happens from here, I don’t care,” I continued. “Because in the last six months, I learned how to live. I learned what true love feels like, and how wonderful it is to care about another person. And I have no regrets for that, not for one second.”
“Perhaps you will take comfort in your words in due time,” Luce answered. He closed the door behind him before I could ascertain what his cryptic comment meant.
FIVE
Word of my apparent disloyalty and betrayal spread throughout the tribe in a matter of days. Because I was not allowed visitors (except Luce), I had to learn about my perceived fall from grace from the kitchen girl, Betta, who brought me my three meals a day. Although Betta was, by nature, a shy and timid girl, she seemed eager to open up to me once I asked her enough questions. I suspected that as one of our handful of human workers, who didn’t possess any magical abilities, she’d probably spent most of her twenty-some-odd years being overlooked. I found it ironic, but amusing all the same, that prior to my stay at Kinloch Kirk, I never would have given Betta, or her situation, a second glance. Funny how circumstances can change you …
But back to the subject at hand—as far as the tribe was concerned (well, according to Betta’s keen eavesdropping skills, anyway), I had been brainwashed to believe my sister’s lies, and consequently, I could no longer be trusted. Not only that, but I was also rumored to have gone far beyond the point of rehabilitation. Yep, apparently where I was concerned, there was no coming back and I was now considered a liability.
I’d basically plummeted from being a glorified warrior to an enemy of my own people. And, as such, I’d become a prisoner where I’d once ruled the roost. But what struck me as strangest about my fall from grace, was how I couldn’t find it within myself to care. The truth of the matter was that it didn’t bother me that I was the talk of the compound, or that I was considered the Anti-Christ by pretty much everyone. What once might have devastated me, now didn’t really even seem to register with me. The more I analyzed why I felt the way I did, the more I arrived at the conclusion that I no longer cared about my reputation because I no longer considered myself to be one of my tribe.
It was a thought that was freeing somehow, almost a source of relief in itself …
At the sound of a strident knock on the door, I glanced up from where I was sitting at the kitchen table. I’d been attempting to eat my turkey sandwich, which Betta had just delivered. But my lunch, if that’s what you wanted to call it, looked about as appetizing as stucco and tasted surprisingly similar.
The knock on the door sounded again, but before I could stand up to open it, or say, “Go F yourself,” the door swung open and Gus Williams showed himself in.
Gus was an Elemental and one of our more esteemed soldiers. Even though he didn’t rank as highly as I did (or had), he was a well-respected tribe member all the same. Tall and solidly built, he had square shoulders that tapered down to a slim waist. A thick jaw, narrow eyes and a wide nose didn’t exactly make him a handsome guy, not that I’d ever concerned myself with his looks before, or anyone else’s here, for that matter.
And even if you had, what man here or anywhere else could ever compete with Sinjin? I asked myself as my shoulders drooped immediately in response. I couldn’t help but wonder what the devilishly handsome cad was up to and if he … thought of me. What’s wrong with you? I yelled at myself. Sinjin is your past.
I had to force thoughts of Sinjin out of my mind because they made me strangely homesick for Kinloch Kirk—a place I’d never even called home. “Gus, what a pleasant surprise,” I grumbled before glancing down at my still uneaten sandwich. “I was just sitting down to enjoy what I suspect is tree—but whether redwood or oak, I’m not exactly sure.” Then I faced him with a counterfeit smile. “I don’t suppose you’ve come bearing Chinese takeout?”
Gus didn’t smile, but regarded me coldly, as if he were looking at an organism which had just sprouted legs and crawled out of the sea. I cocked a brow and frowned. “Or not.”
“I was sent here,” he finally managed to say as he closed the door behind him. I noticed with concerned interest, but not quite alarm, that he also locked it.
I pushed the woodwich away from me and studied Gus carefully before exhaling a pent-up breath as I tried to guess just why he’d been sent here. Aside from Betta and Luce, Gus was the only other visitor I’d ever had. And Gus’s visit was even more bizarre because he and I never had said more than a handful of words to one another.
“Do you care to explain?” I asked. I tried to appear at ease, but inside, my heart was pounding and my hands felt clammy. I was nervous. I could feel the anxiety in my body—the way every one of my nerves practically announced its presence. But I wasn’t sure why. Gus, in general, wasn’t t
he type of person who could have gotten under my skin. ’Course that was then and this was now …
“Yes,” he answered, taking a few steps closer to me and leaning against the drab, brown kitchen counter. He didn’t say anything else as he studied me. His expression suggested he enjoyed knowing information to which I wasn’t privy.
“Okay,” I started, eyeing him impatiently as every nerve throughout my being twitched apprehensively. “Now would normally be the time when you start explaining,” I finished in a facetious tone, which only served to irritate him. I could tell by the frown that deeply furrowed his brow.
“You might want to drop the attitude, Bryn,” he fired back at me, crossing his arms against his chest. “You aren’t exactly in any position to have one.”
I narrowed my eyes and stood up, not enjoying the feel of him looking down at me. If he wanted to play hard ball, that was fine with me. I folded my arms over my chest and gave him the same glare he was giving me. “Why are you here, Gus?”
“I’m here to inform you that you’ve been demoted,” he announced. The change in his tone of voice, which took on a lilt, suggested that he enjoyed being the bearer of bad news.
“Demoted?” I laughed, like it wasn’t a big deal. And, really, it wasn’t. I figured it would just be a matter of time until I was stripped of all my former titles and accolades. It was par for the course. “And what have I been demoted to?” I asked, sounding bored. I flipped the top of my sandwich off and poked at the grey turkey, half wondering if I might find a stray leaf or two. “Or, wait, let me guess.” Then I drummed my fingers against my chin and pretended to be deep in thought. “Maybe janitorial staff? Or dog walker? Maybe shoe shiner to his royal holiness?” Of course, I was referring to Luce. Based on the sudden tick in Gus’s jaw, he knew it too. If Gus were anything, it was “professional ass-kisser” where Luce was concerned. As soon as I remembered that bit of information, Gus’s unannounced visit started to make more sense. “So was this visit of yours part of your compensation package for being Luce’s lap dog? You get to tell me about my demotion?” I asked, no longer able to keep my temper in check.