Awakening, The

  "You're going to be the end of me."

  "Probably," she smiled. She knew she was pressing her luck big time trying to get him to talk about things. If he cared for her as he claimed, then trust was one of the ways he'd show her.

  "Tell me about them. The other founders. What were they like?"

  "You don't need to hear about that." His jaw stiffened.

  "Tell me."

  "Gabrielle. You ask things you do not want to hear the answers to."

  "Regulus," she breathed. "I can argue with you forever if I have to."

  "Why do you want to know?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

  "Because if you say you feel these things for me, you should be able to tell me. That's what a relationship is."

  He closed his eyes, groaning.

  "You know I'm right." What good was caring for someone if they didn't return the feeling? "I would answer any question you asked me truthfully."

  "Do you care for me, Gabrielle?" he asked, calling her bluff. Good thing it wasn't one.

  "Yes."

  His breathing hitched and he rolled back to face her, a hand caressing her cheek. "Why?"

  "I don't know. That's what I'm trying to figure out."

  He seemed to accept her answer and pressed his lips to her forehead. "It's not a pretty story. It doesn't have a happy ending."

  "I know, but I'd still like to hear it."

  Regulus hesitated for a moment before he began. "The founders…they were all evil in their own way. All save for Arturius."

  "I have a hard time believing that," Gabby sighed, remembering how the Roman had abducted her.

  "You've met him," Regulus said. "That's not who he always was."

  "Who was he before? Did you know him?"

  "I only knew him in passing before that night. The night Katrin brought us together. Arturius was good. I was the one who convinced him to turn. I showed him the truth of what the Empire was and he agreed to Katrin's offer. If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't have become the monster he was."

  "So, you didn't hate him?"

  "No."

  "He hated you."

  "Rightfully so."

  "Do you regret it?" she asked carefully, her eyes searching his. "Turning?"

  He traced her lips with his fingers and whispered, "Arturius' fate is the only thing I regret."

  Gabby couldn't help casting her eyes downward, taking in the lines of his bare chest. Out of two thousand years of what could only be described as carnage, that was the only thing he regretted?

  "I can't change who I am," he said, picking up on her thoughts. "Everything I ever did, everyone I manipulated, tortured, killed…it was to stop the Coven awakening the Children of Lir."

  "Not all of it," she said sharply.

  He knew she had him. "No. But can you fight your true nature, Gabrielle?"

  She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

  "What does your heart tell you?" he murmured, running his hand over her breast.

  "You have a gift, Regulus," she said wryly.

  "For what?" His lips curved into a smile.

  "Words."

  "Is that all?"

  "Cocky bastard." She shook her head.

  "Don't dwell on the past, Gabrielle. It will do neither of us any good. We can only focus on the path before us."

  "Killing Aed."

  "Killing Aed," he echoed. "And only then can we think about what's next."

  If there was any future past this, Gabby wondered if Regulus would be in hers. It was a thought too farfetched to even contemplate.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Aya stood in the shower of the small hotel room Tristan had gotten for them, washing the dried blood from her skin. The wound in her stomach had healed a while ago now, but she could still feel the pain, a phantom splinter of wood slicing through her skin.

  Aed. A Tuatha Prince.

  She thought back over the history her parents had taught her as a child. The Tuatha had appeared four thousand years ago and had wasted no time in claiming what was not theirs. The human population had no chance against the fae and at first they had fought back despite the odds. Soon, they realized that they would lose and submission was the best course of action to save their children and themselves from certain death and slavery. They still got the slavery part.

  The Celestines had stepped in when they could take the suffering of the earth and its people no more. The Tuatha had scarred what was sacred to them and it was enough to compel the peaceful race to war. There had been a lot of atrocities committed on either side, but one of the worst was Aoife's betrayal. So much hope had been placed upon the alliance and she was the last chance for an end to the fighting. If the two races didn't stop, it would result in extinction for all…and that had happened anyway. If things had gone differently, then the world today would be a very different place.

  Stepping from the shower, Aya glanced at herself in the mirror. She looked as she always did, there was no mark on her from their encounter with Aed, but a lot of things had changed underneath the surface. Throwing her ruined clothes into a plastic bag, she changed into her only set of clean ones and went back out into the room, a waft of steam following her.

  "Feel better?" Tristan asked, looking up from the newspaper he'd gotten at the front desk.

  "Much. A hot shower does wonders for aching stomach muscles." And not so much for rambling thoughts, she declined to add.

  "You're still hurt?" he asked in alarm, sitting up straight.

  "No, nothing like that. Sometimes the memory lingers awhile."

  "I know you're tough and all, but maybe you should get some sleep."

  "I'm not tired." She could go a few days without if she needed, longer than any ordinary vampire. "I doubt I could sleep anyway."

  Aya sat on the bed next to Tristan, stretching her legs out across the mattress. Staring out the window into the darkness beyond, her thoughts went straight to her family. Their memory had lived on in her mind, but that had nothing on seeing them again…even as apparitions. It seemed like the universe was playing a cruel trick on her. She could look, but not touch.

  "What did you see?" Tristan asked. "You've been quieter than usual."

  She sighed, glancing at him before closing her eyes. "I saw them. I saw my family."

  "What?" he exclaimed.

  "They were an afterimage. Lingering energy, but they were there and they knew I was, too."

  "Did you speak to them?"

  "I don't know how real it was, but it seemed as if they heard me."

  Tristan shifted so he sat next to her. "You got a chance to see them again. A chance to say goodbye. Properly."

  "I always seem to get more than I deserve."

  "Arrow, we all do things we're not proud of. Sometimes we don't get a choice. I know you're good."

  "What about the horrible things I did because I wanted to?"

  "We're all human."

  "That's where you're wrong," she said. "I was never human."

  "Perhaps not," he said, narrowing his eyes. "But Arturius was human once and it was his blood that made you. Who's to say that didn't change you in other ways? How do you know?"

  Aya sighed, taking his hand. "You're ever the chivalrous and loyal knight, aren't you?"

  "You shouldn't be so hard on yourself. You've done a lot of selfless things in the name of the Celestines."

  "It's been nothing but selfish revenge."

  "It may have started out that way, but what about all those witches you've helped? It was meant to be your callin', yes? I've seen it, Arrow. I've seen you do these things with my own eyes."

  Looking back out the window, Aya said, "We have more pressing matters to attend to than arguing about the things I may or may not deserve."

  "Do you have any ideas?" Tristan asked thinly, and she didn't have to look at him to know he was annoyed that she'd changed the subject so bluntly.

  "We can't do anything on our own. My power can't stop him, so we need to find another
way."

  "You mean to find the witch Gabby?"

  "Yes. She is one of the most powerful witches I've ever come across. Together we were able to banish Katrin. Perhaps together we might have a chance at finding a way to bind Aed."

  "Or kill him for good."

  "Or that."

  "Do you have a way of contacting her?"

  Aya shifted uncomfortably. Gabby had been in London and in contact with Zac. It had been less than a week since he'd left her to find the Three. Did she dare seek him out so soon?

  "Arrow?" Tristan prodded.

  "She was in London."

  "So, we go back. Then what?"

  Instead of asking the obvious, she asked, "Do you think the Three would've remained in London?"

  "They all came from there in their human lives. I doubt they would've gone far. I heard Nye mention that they would've gone home."

  "Then we go back to London and look for them."

  "But, Zac left you behind..." Tristan began, realizing that she meant to seek out Zac, not the Three.

  "I know. I gather he hoped he would come back when he found whatever it is he's looking for, but our predicament with Aed is a little more pressing, no?" When she finally came face to face with Zac again, she hoped it wouldn't be awkward. She wanted to give him his space and not put any pressure on, but…there was always a but. His arms was the only place she wanted to be, but he wasn't ready for it yet.

  Zac couldn't think of anything worse than sitting around the apartment in Camden waiting for the Three to arrive, so he slipped out, bound for the pub, or whatever watering hole he could find open at this time of night. It was well past midnight and most were already shut or had put out their last calls. He didn't much like the idea of hanging around people anyway, so he walked instead.

  They had to work out their next move as soon as possible. His thoughts went to Gabby and he actually missed the witch. Since they'd first met, they'd never gotten along that well. In fact, he'd gone out of his way to annoy the hell out of her. When he thought that Aya had died her true death, she'd been there to help and something between them had changed. A mutual respect had sprung up out of nowhere. They had both changed so much in the past year it was incredible.

  As he wandered the streets and lanes of the city, the more his thoughts kept circling around to Gabby. Once they had the Three back together, he would seek out the witch. He didn't want to think about it, but it would be highly likely that they'd need Aya and Tristan. He'd walked out on her a week ago and what was a week in the grand scheme of things? A piss in the ocean. They might have to put their feelings aside in order to fight a common enemy. Could he do it? Did he have to?

  Rounding the corner into a small lane, he wondered what had happened to Coraline and Maximis. He assumed that's whom Gabby might be with. The last he'd heard from them was the single word text message that said Awake. What was it with witches and single word text messages?

  Listening to the city around him, he slowed, a weird tingle spreading across his skin. It was like the sensation he got when he knew someone was watching...only this time it felt different.

  Zac stopped, casting his hearing out into the night. Something was definitely there, but he couldn't tell what. Glancing over his shoulder, the lane was empty. Before he could turn back, he was shoved hard against the brick wall beside him, his head cracking against the masonry.

  "Who are you?" a male voice snarled.

  Shaking his head, Zac looked up at his assailant and his eyes widened. Unnatural eyes stared back at him and they were red. Even in the darkness he could make them out and usually weird stuff like this meant trouble. There was only one person this man could be.

  The hybrid didn't look that bad for having been stuck in a magical tomb for three thousand years. He wore a stylish looking suit, well cut, sans-tie. He had short cropped blonde hair and sickly pale skin completed the picture...and bat shit crazy red eyes. Zac was on his own and there was no prizes for guessing the winner if this came to blows.

  "Who am I?" Zac asked, his back flat against the wall, eying the man. "Who are you?"

  "I am a prince of the Tuatha De Danann and the lack of respect you human vampire scum show me is insulting to my heritage."

  "And your name is?"

  "I'm offended you don't already know."

  "You've been locked in a box for a couple of thousand years. Obviously nobody gave a shit. That's probably why I don't know your name."

  The hybrid's jaw stiffened as he tried to reign in his anger. "I am Aed and who are you? I will not ask so politely again. If I have to draw it from your blood, I will."

  Draw it from his blood? Zac wasn't quite sure what that meant, but the first time he'd tasted Aya's blood, it had given him dreams of her past. Maybe this Aed could read his blood the same way. He couldn't chance that. Who knew where the fucker had been or what he'd give away?

  "Zac Degaud. Puny vampire weakling. You have a nice way of introducing yourself to people." He pointed to his head. "Very nice."

  Aed just stared at him and Zac thought he understood how insane people worked, but this was something else.

  "Did she make you a vampire?"

  "Who are you talking about?"

  "The Celestine with the dark hair. I assume she did, because you stink like her."

  Zac pushed off the wall, his anger boiling. "Be careful what you say to me."

  "Oh, on the contrary, you should be careful what you say to me."

  "She didn't make me," he snapped. "A defector from your precious Coven did."

  Aed's eyes darkened. "They are not precious to me. Isolde did this to me against my will. Do you think I want to be like this? The Celestines will pay for their crimes. The Celestines and their witches. They're using us all, don't you see?"

  The only Celestine left was Aya. That meant... "Whatever war you think you're fighting, it's long over."

  "The war for revenge is never over."

  "Give up, Aed. You and her are the only ones left of your kinds. You're not pure anymore and neither is she. Your war is over."

  "It is not over," the hybrid roared, pushing Zac back into the wall again. "They attacked my people. They were so worried about their precious earth they started their war on us. Instead of letting us conquer the humans, they destroyed us all. If it weren't for the Celestines, I wouldn't be this…thing."

  This shit was getting crazier by the minute. "And if you get your revenge, what then?"

  Aed cocked his head to the side, confusion flashing across his face.

  "How do you kill the un-killable?"

  With a snarl that sounded almost like some kind of animal, Aed's eyes began to change. Not into the black of an ordinary vampire, but they looked like they were filling with crimson blood. Red, glowing eyes like some kind of demon from hell. Zac was in the shit now.

  Aed was tearing at the collar of his shirt and there was nothing he could do. As the hybrid's fangs tore into the flesh of his neck, Zac grunted in pain. He tried to shove him off, but it was like he was swatting at thin air. He'd never felt so weak in his entire life.

  Aed stumbled back with a gasp, blood running from his mouth. Zac reached up to his neck, feeling the wound, edging along the wall, putting distance between them. The sting began to subside as he began to heal, but his heart still thudded a billion miles an hour.

  "What's this?" Aed asked, his eyes looking glassy.

  Zac didn't answer. The guy was mental and angry. He wasn't dealing with that.

  With a strangled cry, the hybrid fell to the ground, clawing at his throat and Zac just stood there in shock, watching Aed writhe like his blood was boiling. What the hell?

  "You have her blood," he coughed, blood splattering on the cobblestones. "You would poison me?"

  Zac shook his head, as he watched the hybrid vomit up everything that he'd just drunk. It must be his Celestine blood. Well, at least the hybrid wouldn't be chowing down on him anytime soon. He had that going for him.

  "You l
ove her…" Aed said in disbelief. "You love her?"

  Zac didn't know what the hell Aed had learnt from his blood since he'd just thrown most of it up, but he hoped that was it. He hoped the hybrid learnt nothing at all, but that part was out of his control.

  "Yes, I love her," he replied, standing over him. "What's it to you?"

  The hybrid roared in anguish, stumbling his feet. "How dare she get to love when they took everything away from me." He lunged forward again, but stumbled to the side, his shoulder slamming into the wall.

  If Zac was getting out of here in one piece, it had to be now and it had to be fast. He took a few steps backward, but Aed grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, throwing him halfway down the lane. Rolling to a stop, he sprung to his feet, but the hybrid was already on him. A shoulder slammed into his gut and he was on his back. Fisting his hand into the hybrid's hair, he slammed Aed's head into the wall with all his strength, the sickening crunch of bone echoing through the close air of the lane.

  He grunted in surprise as the life began to bleed from his red eyes until he fell limply onto the cobblestones. Zac scrambled backward, putting as much distance between them as he could. Shit, was he the luckiest son of a bitch ever, or what?

  Aed was dead for now, but who knew for how long? The more Zac thought about it, the more he thought it was the fact that Aed still couldn't understand what he had been turned into. That'd been the only thing that'd saved him. If the hybrid had of been in control, he would've been deader than dead.

  While the going was still good, Zac disappeared into the night, leaving Aed to wake up on his own. After leaving a winding path behind him to throw off the hybrid from his scent, Zac wasn't expecting the welcome wagon to be out in force back at the apartment and he was definitely not expecting Maddox to be hovering outside.

  When the assassin laid eyes on him he jumped like he hadn't expected Zac to find him out there. "What the hell happened to you?"

  "I didn't think you'd show," Zac said, leaning against the wall.

  "Thought I'd miss out on something juicy," he replied, narrowing his eyes at the blood stain on Zac's shirt. "Looks like I was right."

  "I ran into the hybrid on my evening walk."