Entwined

by A. J. Rosen

  Then I saw Adrian. His dark-blond hair was messier than usual. His emerald eyes were in pain. I longed to be in his arms, to feel his soft kiss on my lips. I longed for my body to feel the fire that I had felt when he had kissed me, his exploring hands ravishing wherever he could touch.

  Then his face was gone and darkness returned.

  Now Vlad’s worried face appeared before me, a deep frown settled between his brows. He, too, looked like he was suffering. And all I wanted was to comfort him—to make his pain go away.

  I did not want to die. Even if it meant that I would spend the rest of my life continuously being hunted down for being the ancestor of Hades.

  Everything went black once more until I heard a woman’s voice. I couldn’t grasp the meaning of what she was saying, but I strained to hear anyway.

  “You came!”

  “Of course. How could I miss the rare chance to see my little sister?”

  Then the voices wafted away.

  “There are different types of love,” the first voice said.

  Blackness and deathly quiet.

  Then the first voice came again: “She’s going to kill me.”

  Finally, a voice I realized was my own spoke, “This was all your fault!”

  A concerned face appeared in my vision. The last face I expected to see, but it soothed me just to behold her. Queen Rhea. I could feel her hand on mine as she whispered for me to please wake up.

  I knew I was dreaming then. And just as I realized this, I regained consciousness.

  Kris was the first person I saw the moment I was able to lift my heavy lids. She was beside my hospital bed, her hand in mine, looking down at me with sadness in her eyes. I saw her eyes widen, not believing what she was seeing: me looking back at her.

  “You’re awake!” She jumped to her feet, hands covering her mouth as happy tears streamed down her heart-shaped face. “I’ve prayed to every god imaginable to bring you back. Someone must’ve heard me.” She hugged me and I winced in pain, but I was grateful to be awake, to be with her, to rejoin the land of the living.

  “What happened?” I pushed myself up into a sitting position with Kris’s help. “I mean, I know. I think—” I paused for a second. My head was throbbing, and I felt a little disoriented. The pain felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my skull.

  “Ave, are you okay? Should I get the nurses now?” Kris sounded frantic.

  “I’m okay, I’m okay,” I said, trying to calm her down. “I think it was Damian. Was it?”

  “Yes. I still can’t believe it. But you’re safe. He’s in prison, he can’t hurt you again.”

  Though I wasn’t sure about the safe part, I was glad he had at least been arrested. “He sure takes rejection badly,” I joked.

  “I know everything, Ave. I’ve been told that you are a Stavros and that he’s a member of the Faction.”

  My eyes widened in shock.

  “They ordered him to kill you after their attempt in jail failed. Hudson and Drake are investigating how the Faction knew your real identity. They believe Damian has an accomplice and could be used as a source to catch all the Faction members. If Vlad wasn’t there, I don’t know what would’ve happened.”

  “Wait, Vlad was there?”

  “He was leaving the Court on his way back to the trial he’s been working on all month when he saw Damian dragging you to his car. He called Commander Hudson.”

  “I must thank him.” I made a mental note then turned my attention to her and noticed light glittering off of a gold band with one square diamond encircling Kris’s ring finger. “Oh my Zeus! Don’t tell me that’s what I think that is!”

  My best friend blushed. Holding one hand up, with tears glimmering in her eyes, she said, “Domenico proposed.” She continued, “We’re not going to get married right now, or next year, or even in the next two years. I don’t know when. But we’re engaged!”

  “I’m so happy for you!” I shook my head in disbelief that I had missed all of this. “Engaged at eighteen, at your first Gathering!” She giggled at that and I gave her a gentle hug, mindful of my wound. “I want details! Tell me how he proposed.”

  “The second he thought of asking, I knew.” Kris giggled. “And then he knew my answer. But I said it anyway: ‘Domenico, I love you. It’s a definite yes.’ And voilà! Ring on my finger.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Before I could ask any more questions, we heard a knock at the door and watched as Hudson stepped inside. I rested my head back on the pillow as he was followed by Hawke and Lincoln.

  “I see that you haven’t lost your way with words, Lady Stavros.” Hudson using my new name in front of Kris brought goose bumps; it felt more real now that they were openly acknowledging it. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be comfortable being called lady after growing up as a Regular.

  “Thank you for your concern, it’s greatly appreciated.” I nodded at Hawke and Lincoln, who stood behind him. “What are you two doing here? Don’t tell me you’ve been worried too.”

  Hudson answered for them. “They have. I figured the only way to shut up their incessant questions about your well-being was to bring them here so they could see you with their own eyes.”

  I thought I was just a case to them. A job. But their expressions proved me wrong. There were tears in Lincoln’s eyes, and Hawke hardened his jaw to keep his mouth from trembling.

  “Since you two want to see me, why don’t you come take a closer look?” They both moved to the side of my bed. Once they were close enough, I flung my arms around them and pulled them into a three-way hug. I knew that they didn’t love me the way parents did a child, but I also knew that they did care for me in their own ways. And for now, that was enough.

  Hudson clenched his jaw, eyeing me and crossing his arms. I knew something was troubling him. Sure enough, once the tender moment was over, he came forward. There was urgency in his voice when he spoke. “Once you’re feeling well enough, the queen has requested you attend an audience with her.”

  “May I ask why?” I said, surprised and also a little concerned.

  Lincoln gasped. “You just received a royal invitation! You don’t question it.”

  “Isn’t it better if I know what she wants? To prepare?” I asked.

  “It’s classified.”

  Lincoln whispered under her breath. “You’re supposed to say, ‘I accept.’”

  “Fine. I accept. Thank you. Why does all this royal business have to be so complicated, anyway?”

  Then I suddenly remembered seeing the queen by my side in my dream—or what I’d thought was a dream. She seemed to care for me in that moment. Then I recalled that look she’d given me at the Awakening Ceremony on the first day. She had probably known then that I was the last Stavros. I wondered if she had known my parents? I had so many questions for her.

  Soon, Hudson, Lincoln, and Hawke left, their work taking them away and leaving me alone with Kris once more. When Kris finally had to leave as well, I was forced to stare at the ceiling, wishing my recovery would speed up. Kris had promised me that she would bring me my book tomorrow so that I wouldn’t be so bored here at the Court Hospital now that I had regained consciousness.

  It was close to midnight when I heard noises on the other side of the door. Was it the Faction? Had they found out that I was still alive and Damian had been arrested? Had they sent someone else to finish the job? I double-checked my surroundings, trying to find anything I could use as a weapon to defend myself. My eyes fell on the fruit basket someone had sent to me. No, I refused to throw fruit at them. I looked for an alternative and decided that the trash bin would have to do.

  I gingerly crawled out of bed and grabbed the bin with both hands as I waited for the assassin to come in. When the door swung opened, I threw the trash bin, unfortunately causing Lady Jane Ambrosia, who was holding a lit-up birthday ca
ke, to stumble backward. If Domenico hadn’t been behind her, I doubt there would still be a cake.

  “Sorry.” I moved back toward the bed then sat on it.

  “Well, that didn’t go as planned.” Jane shrugged it off, then beamed, she and the rest of the slightly stunned crew behind her starting to sing “Happy Birthday” to me.

  When the song was finished, Jane said, “We’re still waiting for more people. They’re bringing up the gifts. They’ll be here in a bit.” Everyone continued to sing—but this time in Greek—to stall while we waited.

  I peeked at the clock; it was two minutes until midnight. As if on cue, right when the Greek version of the song finished and the minute hand of the clock passed twelve, the door swung open. Vlad and Adrian walked in carrying gifts, which they placed on the nightstand before coming over to my bedside. Vlad went to my right and Adrian to my left. They each held one of my hands and wished me a happy birthday. And that was when it happened. It was like the sound of a pin dropping. No, it was more like a door being opened. Now that I’d heard it in my head, I knew why it was called the click.

  I looked up at Adrian and Vlad. They both looked like they’d heard it too.

  What is this?

  Montgomery, is this happening?

  Birthday cake and candles forgotten.

  The two guys stared at me and I didn’t know where to put my eyes because I hadn’t expected this to happen. I didn’t want this to happen. But the gods, once again, ignored my wishes. Maybe they’d known my plan to burn down Zeus’s precious tree. Perhaps this was their way of punishing me for even thinking about doing something so drastic. My eyes found my best friend, who was looking between the three of us, confusion all over her face. “Could one of you please explain what the hell is going on?”

  Then, before I could answer, both Vlad and Adrian said, “Avery and I just had a click.”

  Now everyone’s eyes were on me.

  Jane blew out the candles on my cake and set it down on the nightstand beside my gifts before ushering everyone out of the room, leaving me alone with Vlad and Adrian. Jane closed the door behind her, giving me a sheepish look as she did so.

  Not knowing how to proceed, I fix my gaze straight ahead, not looking at either of the guys standing on either side of my bed. “Okay, look, having you two in my head is really weird.”

  What? Why don’t I hear her thoughts in mind? Isn’t this supposed to be a two-way bond?

  “Who just thought that?” I asked.

  Adrian looked at Vlad, then turned to me and raised his hand. “I did.”

  Are you able to read my thoughts, Vlad?

  Vlad answered with a curt nod.

  “Okay.” I scratched my head. “Vlad can hear my thoughts?”

  I tried to send another message to confirm. Well, this is awkward.

  Vlad nodded his confirmation. “You think that this is awkward.”

  “Yes.” I looked at Adrian, who was watching me expectantly. “Okay, you know the whole drill about me wanting to break free, so I’m gonna explain to Vlad.”

  The second the thought was in my head, Vlad said, “Okay. I got it. You both were planning to burn the tree.”

  Both of our jaws dropped on the hospital floor. “Geez, Zeus, so that’s how it works?! This is a—”

  “—total breach of privacy.” Vlad finished my sentence.

  “Okay, you.” I pointed at Vlad. “No more reading my mind or being cocky about it.”

  Then to both of them—ignoring the fact that Vlad got it before I even opened my mouth—I finally said, “I didn’t even want one soul mate to begin with, and now the gods have given me two. Let’s just make a pack. I won’t kiss you.” I looked at Adrian, who quickly groaned. “And I won’t kiss you either.” I looked at Vlad, who shrugged as if it was not a big deal. Adrian’s groan ceased once he heard my last sentence. “Good. Now I really need a good sleep. My whole body is sore.”

  “Um, Montgomery.” Something was off. He was different, perhaps slightly nervous. “I’m sorry I was late.”

  It took me a minute to get what he was referring to. “Oh.”

  “Yeah. Althea told me that Caitlin had gotten worse all of a sudden and that I needed to get to the hospital ASAP.” Adrian’s face was in utter torment.

  “It’s okay, Adrian.” It seemed to be pointless arguing about the past as it wouldn’t change anything. Furthermore, I couldn’t blame him for caring about his little sister. “Is she okay?”

  “No. I mean, yes, Caitlin is all right. Althea lied, Montgomery. She was one of them.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

  “I found out Althea has been spying on us this whole time. She found out about our plan. She knew you would be at the tree during the Panhellenic closing ceremonies,” Adrian explained.

  I knew I had heard something that day at the suite when Adrian and I first came up with the idea to burn down the tree. She must have followed him then. I felt so stupid; I should have been more careful.

  “She told me that things at the hospital had gotten worse. But Caitlin had been released. When I confronted Althea, she told me I was spending too much time with you and she knew that telling me something had happened to Caitlin was the only way to get me away from you.” He shook his head. “Obviously that raised alarm bells. Why would she care about us hanging out? She never gave a shit who I hung out with.” Adrian paused. “When I discovered what had happened to you, I put two and two together and it made more sense.”

  “She was the only one, other than you, who knew where I would be,” I added.

  “Exactly. So, I reported her to the Court Guards. Hawke and Lincoln had already suspected her when they saw her leaving your suite one day. She’s being held at Court Guard Headquarters under heavy surveillance and in line for questioning. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, Avery.”

  “Holy Zeus.” I had no other words. Damian, Althea, and the woman from jail had all managed to infiltrate the “heavily guarded” Court walls. I wondered how many more Faction members were still hiding in the Court, waiting for a chance to strike?

  “It’s okay, Montgomery. You’re safe now.”

  Was I safe? Would this be the last time I had to go through this?

  Carlo’s voice mail suddenly replayed inside my head again:

  Avery, you have to run. The Court isn’t safe. You are in grave danger there. The Faction will find you and you won’t stand a chance against them. There are things that you don’t know—that I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t found your file in my father’s safe. Come to Seattle and I’ll show you. I’ll explain everything. But now you have to ru—

  It now made perfect sense. As long as I was here, I wasn’t safe. At the same time, wouldn’t I be in greater danger outside the Court walls? I couldn’t tell who was a friend and who was an enemy.

  “I know.”

  Maybe he had heard what had crossed my mind or he could feel it in his heart—whatever it was, Vlad suddenly held my hand and whispered so low that only I could hear, “I know it’s hard. But if you don’t trust anyone, not your friends, not your family, then what’s the point?”

  They both bid me good-bye and left. Right before Vlad closed the door, I called him. He stuck his head back in. “Thank you for saving my life.”

  Of course, Avy.

  I remained in the Court Hospital for three more days with both Lincoln and Hawke lingering. It was awful. I had missed the Christmas celebrations, and the hospital had been eerily quiet with everyone celebrating in the garden where the famous Oak of Dodona had already been decorated. With my current predicament, I couldn’t go anywhere. There were even two Court Guards standing outside my door at all times.

  When the doctor finally cleared me, my joy at finally being released was ruined immediately when the whole team—including Commander Drake and Officer Warwick—came
to pick me up and take me to the palace to meet with the queen. I had forgotten her request. Being pushed through the hospital halls in the wheelchair with Court Guards securing the area made me feel uncomfortable, so I kept my head ducked throughout the journey. No matter how much I asserted that I was perfectly capable of walking, they insisted on driving me to the palace. The drive itself didn’t take a long time, but the security check certainly did. They were very thorough; they even checked Commander Drake and the other Court Guards. After two hours, we were allowed to proceed. Two Palace Guards walked beside us as they took us to the Throne Hall.

  Queen Rhea Christoulakis had been waiting for me. Everyone in my entourage bowed the second we were in her presence, but before I could even attempt to bow in my wheelchair, she stopped me. She was as perfect as the first time I had laid eyes on her. Her blond hair was styled in a chignon with a few loose strands curling along the side of her jaw and landing softly on her shoulders. The blue dress that she was wearing complemented the blue Christoulakis eyes that regarded me carefully.

  “Lady Stavros.” The queen greeted me with a smile. I still wasn’t used to my new name, and having her address me as lady was particularly overwhelming. For a second I almost thought she was speaking to someone else. But I was the only Stavros alive, so that wouldn’t be possible.

  “Your Majesty.” I tried to keep my voice steady and pleasant.

  She launched right into why she had brought me here so urgently. “As you now know, you’re the last remaining Stavros, which is why these Special Court Guards have been guarding you throughout your life.” Everything she stated was information I already knew, but I kept my mouth shut as I listened to her further. “The Stavroses died for a meaningless cause.” The queen closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, they were filled with sadness as she continued, “I still blame myself for my lack of ability to protect everyone.”

  She looked remorseful, but I honestly couldn’t blame her for what had happened to my bloodline. The killings had taken place over many generations, starting with the Great Massacre. Besides, the Hellenicus lived all over the world. I understood how hard it must be to keep track of each and every one of us over multiple generations.