“Shut up.” I growled. The last place I wanted to be was within earshot of Rose Hilah, but her food was the only restaurant in town, other than the bar run by the Lycans. I could cook, but it paled in comparison to what the brownies could whip up with their eyes closed. “I’ll be there,” I said, storming toward the front.
He was right. We were both lost causes…or should’ve been. As far as we could tell, we were the only ones of our kind left alive on Earth.
There were only a few supernaturals who could mix genetic code for sure and create offspring —Lamassu and Kitsune were the only ones I knew of, but that didn’t mean there weren’t more that could…I’d just never heard of it happening.
One could always hope. Right?
Not that I’d get the chance to find out with Gretchen. Rose would kill me or banish me before that happened.
I rushed out the front door and turned, colliding with Mikjáll—the Blackmoor’s long-lost son, who’d come to Earth shortly after his mother escaped. A grunt came from both of us. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
“How’s your Kitsune?”
His nostrils flared and his eyes widened. “Riza is not mine. We are not mated, nor does she wish to be.”
I threw up my hands, heat flushing my neck. “My mistake. I’ve seen you with her, and I just assumed. She’s always with you.”
“She feels safe with me, but I have no desire for her as a mate. I lost the woman I loved. Xerxes murdered her, and my destiny will be to kill the Lamassu bastard.”
“How’s her sister doing?” I asked, purposefully changing the subject to cool the quickly rising temperature of the air surrounding us.
“She is healthy. The pregnancy is going smoothly, but she weeps for the child still in Xerxes’ grasp.”
“We still don’t have word of where Xerxes moved the baby?”
The dragon prince shook his head. “Calliope would move heaven and earth to get that baby if she knew. She feels personally responsible for not getting her out when she got Sochi.”
“It’s not Calliope’s fault.”
“Try telling that to her.”
A half-smile tugged at my lips. “I can imagine the black eyes and the long claws now. Did you attempt it?”
He nodded. “It was a short-lived conversation.”
“I’ll bet.” I gestured toward the street behind him. “Want a drink? I was just about to go drown myself in a bottle of good scotch.”
The Drakonae cocked his head to the side, but didn’t ask the question I knew rested on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he nodded and fell into step beside me. We traveled the few blocks from the center of town to my front door in a matter of minutes.
We went inside, and I flipped on the lights. Walking directly to the bar top, I grabbed two glasses and joined him where he’d taken a seat at my kitchen table.
“A little bare.” His tone bordered on incredulous. “Haven’t you lived in Sanctuary since it was founded?”
“I don’t need much. The table and chairs were a gift.”
Beyond the dining room, I had a worn leather couch in the living room with a stereo system on a rickety table next to it. Other than the bed and dresser in my bedroom upstairs, there was no other furniture in the home.
“What is the electronic thing in there by your couch?”
“A stereo. Hang on.” I poured us both another finger of scotch before crossing the room. I flipped on the stereo, pushed the button, and waited for the CD tray to open. I placed an Aerosmith CD in the tray and nudged it closed. “Humans may be weak and their lifespans short, but their appetite for creating art is immense.”
The haunting notes and colors and lyrics of Dream On spilled from the stereo and vibrated through my house. Mikjáll followed me into the living room, carrying the bottle of scotch.
Sitting on the couch, we drank half the bottle, listening to the music play, one lilting, and memorable song after another. I particularly enjoyed this band and the heartfelt emotion it evoked in my hardened soul. The lyrics spoke of pain and loss and longing that connected with life even now—a hundred years after the band had their first release. Music like this didn’t exist in Veil. Instrumental and ballads were all I remembered growing up, nothing electric based.
Hell, we didn’t have electricity, either, but in a world filled with magick, there were alternatives.
“I like this.” Mikjáll filled his glass again and downed another mouthful of the smooth alcohol. “The beer served at the bar in town is fine, but this—this is what I’ve needed for a while.”
“Are there any of my people left in Veil?” The question just popped out. I’d wanted to ask him since he’d arrived in town, but the opportunity had never presented. Now we were alone. No one to overhear. No one to interrupt.
I needed to know. He’d lived there for centuries. If anyone knew whether mine or Jared’s families were still alive, it would be him.
“You mean Gryphons?”
I nodded, raising my glass so he would fill it again.
“I know the twin cities of Rekar and Resar were burned to the ground and remain in ruins. All knowledge of the Gryphons and Phoenix dissolved with the flames that swallowed their homes.”
Pain seized my chest, a vice intent on strangling my hope. It’d been foolish to hope any of my people had survived. Jared knew at least some of his kind would’ve survived. Phoenix could regenerate from ash. “The Phoenix couldn’t stop the fires?”
“No, and the Incanti Drakonae boasted for many years about how they’d burned the Phoenix and Gryphons from their homes, though they are always on guard for an attack from those that would rise from the ashes.”
“They didn’t rise again immediately?”
“There were no sightings during my lifetime. No one has risen against the Incanti. Not a single being in Veil. The Incanti have spies everywhere and rule with an iron fist. There are no trials. No fair rule. You live and die by their word alone.” He poured me another drink and raised his glass. “To the fallen. I’m sorry for your loss.”
“And for yours, Drakonae, and may the Lamassu bastard burn in Dragonfire for eternity after we make a pincushion out of his heart with the swords Eira and Killían carry.”
“I look forward to it.”
Chapter 6
GRETCHEN
I slipped from my room the next morning, trying desperately to avoid being seen by any of the Sisters or the men who had stayed the night. Midmorning breakfast had already been served, but I wasn’t hungry. The only thing that mattered to me was making it through one more night without choosing someone. Without being forced to choose someone. Not that they would physically force me. They wouldn’t, but my life would become increasingly unbearable until I chose to follow through on my own.
“Morning, Gretchen,” said May, her voice bright and shiny like sunlight reflecting on a dew drop. The child was barely eight years old, if that. I couldn’t remember exactly. She was so happy, so content. Not burdened yet with the destiny that struggled to choke me, but since she’d learned to speak, she’d always been at peace. She was wise beyond her years, and Arlea knew her niece was truly the most gifted in the castle—just too young to serve as the official Oracle.
“Morning, May,” I said, keeping my tone level and cheery. The last thing I needed was her running to her mother and tattling anything about me. The Oracle of the House of Lamidae was May’s aunt. Even May herself had experienced visions of a so-called Protector, and they’d come true. Eira had joined Sanctuary with Killían, and we were only two Protectors away from fulfilling the prophecy. From freeing ourselves completely.
Thankfully, May didn’t press me for more interaction. She kept going down the hallway in one direction, and I continued in the other. My only goal was to get upstairs to the second level and into the library.
The library was safe. It was rare for anyone to go in on the weekend. The Blackmoor’s closed it to the town when the club was active. The books were contraband,
illegal to own. Not that any of the humans would remember seeing it if they did wander through. The vampires made sure they remembered nothing about Sanctuary, except their desire to return for more sex.
Even if someone did come in, no one would see me. It was easy to stay hidden until they left. The room was huge and filled with at least a dozen rows of bookshelves, not to mention a half-dozen reading nooks.
I’d stay there all day if need be. Alek and I didn’t usually meet until after lunch, but I wanted nothing to do with anyone else today. Not the Sisters, not the Blackmoor’s, nobody but Alek.
Very few of the Sisters were up and moving around after the joinings last night. Mostly I saw children, a few of the pregnant Sisters, and a couple of the more elderly who no longer participated in the sacred weekend coupling. If you asked me, the supernaturally overwhelming urge to procreate really sucked—a colloquialism I’d picked up from an old novel, but it sounded appropriate in this instance.
I skirted the edge of the rooms, slinking through the kitchen and pausing only long enough to grab an apple from the basket on the counter. No one stopped me. No one asked me why I wasn’t curled up in my room with a man trying to get pregnant.
The whole process would start again this evening. Once again, I would be faced with having to hide my feelings and reasons for not wanting to participate. I was the Sister everyone talked about and was disappointed in, but it didn’t matter to me how much they gossiped. I knew my future lay with Alek. I’d seen it, and I would never forget it. No matter how hard my body screamed for a baby, I wanted Alek’s love and devotion more.
The castle was quiet. My soft footsteps echoed down the marble-floored halls. The stone walls carried sound the full length of the castle walks. If anyone was listening, they would hear me, but no one came. No one appeared to stop me from reaching my destination.
I pushed open the heavy glass French door and slipped through into the library. My senses were flooded with the musty scent of books, and it took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the soft lamplight. The couch where he typically sat, waiting for my arrival, was empty. I was early though, very early.
Strolling toward the couch where the copy of Antony and Cleopatra lay undisturbed, I sat down and leaned back into the cushions, inhaling his lingering scent. Spice. Musk. Male. My body quaked from the inside out. Nothing was more important to me than finding a way to be with Alek. I touched the book he’d held yesterday, closed my eyes, and slowed my breathing. The vision came—pulling me deeper into the trance I sought.
The air was foggy at first. Then clear. Alek and I were sprawled across a bed—perhaps his. I’d never seen his home. The sheets were twined around us, and I could feel the heat of his body on my skin like I was right there next to him instead of watching like a spirit yanked from its corporeal form. He kissed my neck. My lips. My cheeks. Soft and tender. Every touch was purposeful and loving. I was his. He was mine. We belonged to each other. We were happy. Joy permeated every moment of the vision.
I pulled my hand away from the book, drew in a deep breath, and then opened my eyes. The vision of us together had come to me almost seven years ago, a few days before I would’ve participated in my first joining.
From that moment forward, I’d done everything to avoid that fate. Even when I’d been attracted to the male visitors—desired them—strangers in my bed weren’t my destiny. No matter how loudly my body ached for a baby, I would not succumb to something less than what destiny herself had taken the time to show me over and over and over.
I grabbed one of the couch throw pillows and hugged it to my chest, taking another deep breath of Alek’s comforting scent. The human males that visited the castle didn’t have a distinct trace like many of the supernatural ones. I could always tell who was around, whether they were Lycan or Vampire or Drakonae. Even Jared, Alek’s friend, had a very unique and pleasant fragrance. The female supernaturals had unique smells, too. The pixies that frequented the club part of castle smelled like the vanilla sugar scrub I used every day in the bath.
“Gretchen?” Diana’s crisp voice filtered into the dimly-lit library like a stream of sunlight.
“Yes, ma’am.” I opened my eyes quickly and stood from the small couch before turning toward the beautiful blond woman Alek and Jared both referred to as their queen—snøen mor. I’d asked him once what the words meant. He told me it was a title of honor bestowed on her for feeding the hungry children of her kingdom. That it meant Snow Mother.
Diana’s belly was rounded, and her alabaster skin glowed pink, unusual since she typically leaned toward a more bluish hue. Unlike her mates, Miles and Eli, who were fire-breather Drakonae and heated up a room just by entering, Diana was an ice-breather. And had quite the opposite effect on the air around her—cooling the humid Texas air in an instant and often making it snow in the middle of a sunny day, much to the delight of the children in the town.
“You look well, Lady Blackmoor,” I said, using the title her husbands had requested all the Sisters use to address their mate.
“It’s been so warm lately. These babies are like carrying glowing hearthstones inside me.” Her comment about the babies distracted me from my dreams. Alek would be here soon. The clock on the wall to my right read just past noon—I’d slept for several hours.
“Have you had anyone try to see them?” I asked, running my sweaty palms along the skirt of my white linen dress. If I could keep her talking about the babies, perhaps I could avoid the conversation concerning why I was napping in her library.
“Please feel free if you like, but don’t tell me what you see. Several of the Sisters have seen them as you say, but I only ask that you keep it a secret. I want to be surprised.” Her bright, hope-filled tone carried into her wide smile.
I approached slowly, reaching a hand toward her stomach. Trying to get a vision from a single baby was difficult, but Diana was pregnant with triplets. My fingers touched her round belly, and I jumped in surprise. Spots were warm and spots were cold.
“Your skin... Even through your dress.” I couldn’t hide the astonishment in my voice.
Amusement sparkled in her ice-blue eyes. “I’m quite sure at least one of them is an ice-breather like me.”
A second later a vision filled my mind.
Joy and pain mixed with anger. Some emotions belonged to Diana, and some belonged to the babies. Visions of death and new life mixed with love and romance. Two male Drakonae, eyes blazing with flame, stood out in front of a crowd of hundreds of warriors of all different races. Another, a female with silver-white hair, stood apart from the two leaders. Another man stood behind the female— a large figure hidden in shadow. He wasn’t a Drakonae. Something else.
I couldn’t see his face, but the female wasn’t afraid, not like the others around her. The landscape was covered in ice, so different from the landscape surrounding Sanctuary. Even the sky had been a different shade of blue—otherworldly.
“Did you see them?”
I nodded and met her gaze. My mouth opened to speak, but the firm look in her eyes made it snap shut again.
“It is better not to know our future, Gretchen. Life would be too difficult if you were always striving for a vision or fighting against it. The gift you Sisters bear is a heavy one indeed. I prefer the freedom of not knowing.”
“It can show us future. What to look for. What to look forward to,” I said, brightening my tone while sorrow threatened to pull me beneath its dark shadow. Her words rang horribly true. My vision of Alek and me together had consumed me since it’d first come years ago. Every move, every decision since that point had been to try and make the vision a reality. I knew my choices thus far had not changed our future, because the vision kept returning, but I lived in constant fear that one day I would ruin that perfect scene I’d carried in my heart for so long. The fear that I would never feel loved or whole as I did in Alek’s arms in that one moment.
“But your visions are not the whole tapestry. They show small threads a
nd knots in the fabric of time. What the Lamassu cursed your people with so many years ago was not a gift of visions for you, but a means to an end for them.”
Cursed? “How can you say that? We are the hope for every supernatural being not of Earth.” That was what we’d been taught since we were children. What Rose reminded us of every time she spoke to the Sisters. “We are the key to re-opening the portal to Veil. We are your salvation.”
“Perhaps.” Diana laid her palm to my cheek. “I have lived so many more years than you, child. Things are not usually what they seem on the surface.”
“You just don’t know Rose. She’s protected us for thousands of years. She saved my ancestors from Xerxes and continues that crusade to this day. We seek the Protectors who will fulfill the prophecy.” I spouted off the stuff the Oracle and Rose were always repeating. It was what everything centered on.
“I do agree that Xerxes is an imminent threat, and I am new in Sanctuary,” she continued, her voice calm and even. “Perhaps I just don’t fully grasp the mission of your Sentinel yet.”
I nodded, accepting her explanation. She hadn’t been in Sanctuary long. She hadn’t been on the Earth long, either. It could easily explain her hesitation to believe…to trust in the goal we all worked toward.
“Jared asked me to tell you that Alek won’t be coming by today,” she said, dropping her hand from my cheek.
“Oh, thank you.” I managed to keep my voice flat, emotionless, void of the disappointment flooding my body. I wanted to scream and cry and go hide in the farthest corner of the library. Why was Alek avoiding me? “That was kind of him. I think I’ll still stay and read a while, though.”
“Of course.” She turned and walked for the French doors at the far end of the large room, pausing just before turning the corner and looking back over her shoulder. “Be careful, child.”
Sanctuary, Texas Complete Series Box Set Page 98