Awakening, The

by Nicole R. Taylor

  She nodded and began putting her things into her bag. Her hands shook a little as she folded her clothes and she didn't know why.

  "As much as I would like to linger in this pace," he hesitated before continuing, "we have more pressing matters to attend to."

  He'd been happy here. The notion slammed into her and she realized her power was latching onto his emotions. He felt strongly about this place and it was potent enough that she could sense it.

  There was nothing she could add to that, so they said their goodbyes to Mrs Cavanagh and were back in the car again for the next stage of their hunt for the hybrid.

  They drove in silence all the way to the ferry terminal just north of central Dublin. They sat in silence all the way across the Irish sea as the ferry dipped and rose with the currents all the way to Liverpool. They stood in silence as their passports were checked and as they queued in the long line of cars and trucks waiting to be let off onto land.

  It was becoming a ritual, the way they went from place to place, not having time to wonder about where they were. City became countryside again and again as they travelled in pursuit of Aed. They needed to catch up, they needed to finish him, but she found herself wishing they never did. What if she wasn't strong enough? What if something happened to Regulus? What if...

  As the car wove through the countryside everything became greener and sharper, the air heavy with moisture. Gabby had thought Ireland was green, but it had nothing on this place. The Lake District was brimming with life. Even with her earth sense, reigned in as it was, she could still feel it tingling around the edges. She longed to get out and wander in the woods and let it fly, but that was an indulgence she couldn't afford. Whatever awaited them here, she had to be ready for it.

  Regulus pulled the car off to the side of the road and killed the engine. They'd stopped just outside the village, the edges of buildings peeking through the trees ahead. She glanced at him, worry beginning to prickle her skin. She could feel something amongst the life of the forest and it didn't feel right. His eyes met hers and she knew he felt it too.

  "Something's not right," he whispered, his voice sounding odd after not hearing it since that morning.

  "I can feel it," she replied, everything she'd been fighting against the past day, melting away.

  "Stay here," he said, and went to get out the car.

  Grabbing his hand, she shivered despite herself. "I'm coming with you."

  He stared at her hand over his for a moment and nodded. "Stay close."

  Standing together on the side of the deserted road, it was oddly quiet. Gabby glanced the way they'd come and back towards the village. Aed had been here, she was sure of it. What had he done?

  Regulus took her hand, his eyes darkening, lips pulling at his teeth.

  "Regulus?" she murmured.

  "I can smell blood," he said.

  She'd never seen him looking anything but human and her heart skipped a beat at the sight of his body reacting to whatever it was he was picking up on.

  "I won't hurt you," he said as his eyes began to settle back into their usual brown. "I'd never touch you like that. Not without your permission."

  Not without her permission. The thought alarmed her a little. "We have to keep moving," she said. "I can handle myself if you get too frisky."

  A grin pulled at his lips and he tightened his grip on her hand. "I know you can, dear one."

  He guided her up the street, through the quaint little village, past shops selling gingerbread and local handicrafts, past houses built right on the edge of the road. He led her to the ancient looking pub and stopped outside the door. They hadn't seen one single soul. The feeling of dread was heavier here and whatever had happened, it had been inside the pub.

  "You don't have to come in," Regulus said. "The scent of blood is overpowering."

  "I need to," she replied. "We're fighting this together. Where you walk, so do I."

  A sad smile tugged at his lips. "You surprise me more than you should, dear one."

  "Let's go," she said, nodding toward the door. "No time like the present."

  The first thing she saw when she stepped into the pub was blood and bodies. Whoever had been in here when Aed had shown his face was a goner. Half a dozen people lay haphazardly about the room, all in different degrees of mutilation. An arm missing there, a head gone, exposed bones…and blood, lots of blood. It stained the carpet and the walls, the stench overpowering.

  She thought that that would be enough to give her the creeps, but her eyes fixed onto movement behind the bar. A man stood there, a cloth in his hand. He was wiping down the bar in swirling motions, one continuous circle in the same spot, eyes blank…dead.

  "What the hell?" She watched as he went over the same spot again and again and wondered how long he'd been like that. Cleaning the blood of his patrons, staring blankly. Was he compelled?

  "Can you sense that?" Regulus said, peering at the man through narrowed eyes.

  "Sense what?" she asked, confused.

  "Exactly." The Roman dropped her hand and poked at the bartender, but got no response. "I was afraid of this."

  "Afraid of what?" What hadn't he told her now?

  "This man is dead, Gabrielle. He has no heartbeat, but he still goes on. What do you think happened here?"

  Her breath caught in her throat. Aya still had her power and so did Aed. "Necromancy," she whispered in horror.

  "The Tuatha lead vast armies. Friend against friend."

  "They had armies of the dead?" Regulus' words echoed in her mind. The devourers of worlds…

  He grasped the man's face and twisted, the snap as the human's neck broke echoing through the silent pub. The Roman let the body slump to the floor behind the bar where she couldn't see. "Don't look, dear one." He grabbed a bottle opener that had been lying amongst the blood and knelt down out of her line of sight. The sickening sound of shattering bone and squelching brains assaulted her ears and she squeezed her eyes shut.

  Then there was the sound of running water and the familiar presence that signaled Regulus was at her side. "Come outside," he murmured in her ear. "There is nothing more we can do in this place."

  Opening the door, she stepped out into the cool air, the stench of blood fading away. It still lingered around the edges, but the heavy feeling of death began to ease. Grasmere would have a haunted pub to add to it's tourist attractions now. The energy in that place was off the charts and it would be there for a very long time.

  "Why was he here?" she asked, her back to the pub.

  "He obviously took it upon himself to seek out the Celestines at the source."

  "Aya..."

  "I gather she was here recently. It was her home after all."

  "This was Aya's home?" she asked, looking down the empty street.

  "Not this village. This place was built many years afterwards. In the forest."

  "Of course you'd know where she lived. You kidnapped her."

  "Yes." He said it so blunt, she felt like slapping him.

  "Can we go there?" she asked, wondering if Aya was still here someplace.

  "No, I cannot. It exists on a plane next to ours. The only way in is with witch’s magic. You are welcome to go, but I don't see the point."

  Knowing what had happened there, Gabby shook her head. It didn't seem right going to a place where the last of Aya's family and kind were slaughtered. Especially since she stood next to one of the vampires who was responsible.

  "I was ordered to do it," Regulus said. He'd been watching the changing expression on her face and it wasn't hard to guess what she was thinking about.

  "Why does my opinion even matter?"

  "Because it does."

  "Ugh." She threw her hands in the air and strode towards the car. "You're so infuriating."

  "How so?" Another game of words.

  "You're such a know-it-all and never elaborate. You thought that Aed might still have his power and never told me about it. I can't help you if you're not fort
hcoming."

  "There was a nice Bed and Breakfast back down by the lake," he said, looking at his watch. "We will travel back to London in the morning."

  "That's all you're giving me?"

  "You must be tired, Gabrielle. Sleeping in the car mustn't be very comfortable for you."

  "Just when I think there might be more to you, you turn around and be the asshole I know you are. Why do you have to do that? You're so exhausting, I hate myself for trying anything other than thinking the worst of you." She spun on her heel and stormed back to the car, not even sure why it pissed her off so much. The day she could go home and forget about Regulus and this stupid saga, the happier she'd be.

  CHAPTER NINE

  "I'm amazed you know so much about the Three," Zac said as he walked with Nye down a dark and seedy looking alleyway.

  "Step one of being a spy is to know everyone's business, right down to the last detail. No one could fart without me knowing about it."

  "Seriously?"

  "Maybe not those kinds of bodily functions, but near enough."

  The further they walked into the secret, seedy underbelly of Shoreditch in East London, the more Zac's senses prickled. "Where are we going, anyway?"

  "Friday night is fight night," the spy replied, pointing to a building at the end of the lane.

  "It's Tuesday."

  "Then every night is fight night."

  Zac looked over the building that Nye had pointed to and there was nothing special about it. An abandoned brick and mortar number in the middle of the city that everyone but the undesirables forgot. There was a heavy-set man by the door who looked like he was a vampire bouncer of some sort. There to separate the rabble from the echelon.

  "He's a vampire," Nye said, nodding toward the door.

  "How do you know that?" The whole place radiated a smell that suggested something had been left to rot.

  "I've seen him before. I've come here a lot over the years looking for Maddox. If he was on a downer, he'd either be out mauling some poor woman or beating the crap outta some vampires."

  "Beating the crap out of vampires?" Zac gave him a look.

  "It's an underground boxing ring. Vampires only."

  "Is this like a Fight Club thing?"

  "The first rule is, there are no rules."

  "I thought the first rule was not talking about it."

  "If you didn't talk about it, then how would anyone know to come?" Nye asked with a grin. "C'mon."

  They walked up to the bouncer who straightened when he caught their scent.

  "No pussies allowed, boys," he said as they approached.

  Zac rolled his eyes. "We're looking for Maddox." The guy stunk like blood, but then again, the whole place did.

  "Who's lookin' to know?" the man rumbled, sizing up the two vampires.

  "The Six," Nye said, narrowing his eyes.

  The bouncer eyed them once more before opening the door and nodding his head.

  As they walked inside, Zac gave his friend a look.

  Nye shrugged. "Golden ticket with this lot."

  The entire place fell silent the moment they walked in. A cage was in the middle, empty for the moment, and a bar was set up on one side. Other than that, the only thing that stood out was the thirty or so vampires that were staring at them. Zac narrowed his eyes in annoyance and just as suddenly, they all turned around and began talking again.

  "They're afraid of you, mate," Nye said, elbowing him. "You can smell the fear."

  Zac guessed they were. He hadn't really been well adjusted when he first came to London a few weeks ago. Murdering vampires in their homes and in the middle of the city was a great start to that and now that word was slowing creeping around that Regulus was dust…who'd want to mess with him? Nye had his own reputation, being head honcho of the Six and as a pair that could only mean trouble. Too bad they'd given up on thuggery for the foreseeable future.

  Zac grabbed the arm of the nearest vampire, a man who looked like he'd been turned in his early twenties. "We're looking for Maddox."

  "Maddox?" he asked, swallowing hard.

  "You deaf as well as dumb?" Nye prodded.

  "Out back," he stammered, pointing to a door on the opposite side of the room.

  Dropping the vampire's arm, Zac strode across the room, the crowd parting like he had a disease. This was getting tiresome already and they'd just walked in.

  "Once, I would've lapped that shit up. Their fear. Now, it's just fucking annoying," he said to Nye.

  "That's called personal growth."

  Zac eyed him.

  "That's the point, right? Your misses locked you up and tortured your humanity back to teach you to be a better person."

  "When you say it like that it sounds messed up."

  "It is messed up, but vampires don't do shit any other way. It's the thrill of the spectacle."

  "Maddox is going to give us a spectacle," Zac said, his hand on the doorknob. "You ready for that?"

  Nye shrugged. "He's gunna make you jump through a big fucking hoop, mate. Don't look at me."

  Without answering, Zac pushed the door open and came face to face with Maddox.

  "Look what the cat dragged in," he drawled.

  The assassin stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by empty liquor bottles and mismatched furniture, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He'd obviously been one of the fighters and was gearing up for more.

  "You stink like stale piss," Nye said, screwing up his nose.

  "Well fuck you too."

  "How many you won?"

  "You're not here to talk about the weather, Nye. What do you want?"

  "We want you," Zac said, trying to ignore the stench of stale sweat and blood. Hadn't anyone ever heard of air freshener?

  "Sorry, I don't swing that way," the assassin said with a smirk.

  "We want you to fight," he said more firmly.

  "With you? Not likely. I suppose you think you can take Regulus' place," Maddox said, cracking his knuckles. "Bring the Six back together…oh, forgive me. Aren't we the Three now? As far as I'm concerned, you two aren't invited."

  "Not likely," Zac sighed. "I wouldn't touch that with a forty foot pole."

  "Man, you're fucking stupid," the assassin said. "You killed a fucking founder. If you're too stupid to take it, then someone else will."

  "And I suppose that someone is you?"

  "And why shouldn't it be?"

  "We have bigger things to worry about than a few dogs fighting over scraps," Zac replied. "The Coven woke a hybrid, Maddox."

  "Happy joy. Good luck with that." He turned his back.

  "He's not just any hybrid," Nye said. "He can't be killed, he's bloody insane and nobody knows what the fuck he wants. That's the most dangerous combination of them all. Who do you think he'd go for first?"

  "The seat of power." Maddox frowned, looking back at them.

  "We need to get rid of him," Zac said. "No one will be safe as long as he's around. Human, vampire or otherwise."

  "And I suppose you need my help. I can't see any other reason why you're here."

  "Yes. We need as much strength as we can get and the Three have it."

  "The Three?" the assassin scoffed. "Rix and Pyke are going along with this?"

  "Yep," Nye said, leaning against the wall. "You're the only stubborn fucker out of the bunch."

  "That's because I've got nothing to lose and no memories to give a fuck about."

  "Yeah, yeah," Nye waved his hand, "you're the ultimate vampire. Tell someone who cares."

  Zac leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're either in or out. There's no grey area."

  They watched Maddox as he mulled it over, pacing back and forth, his bare feet shuffling across the concrete floor.

  "I'll cut you a deal," he said, looking Zac in the eye. "Fight me...and depending on how much you amuse me, I'll consider it."

  "Fight you?" Zac scoffed. "Are you fucking serious?"

  "I haven't
forgotten the car crash. You know, the one you deliberately caused to free that Coven witch?"

  "So what?"

  "I have four hundred years on your arse, but I know enough that age doesn't matter in the slightest with you. I want to fight, just so I can see what you've got when you're not being a sneaky bastard."

  "Fine," Zac said with a sigh. If it was one thing that he knew how to do it was fighting. All those times he'd disappeared on his brother, Sam, and enlisted in several wars, he'd fight his fellow soldiers. It was the only way to win respect and fear in those days and things didn't change that much from decade to decade. Especially with vampires who were born earlier than him. Violence was the only way to get through to some of them. If it was a fight Maddox wanted, it was a fight he was going to get.

  "No shirt, no shoes. No belts, watches or anything else that can be used as a weapon," the assassin said.

  Without a word, Zac shucked off his coat and kicked off his boots, dumping them in the corner. His shirt followed and Nye let out a wolf whistle.

  "Do you ever get tired of being a cocky bastard?" Maddox asked.

  "Nope. It's second nature," the spy retorted.

  "I'm ready," Zac said, cracking his knuckles. "Let's do this if we're doing it."

  Maddox frowned at him. "You don't want to tape your hands?"

  "Don't be such a pussy, Maddox. If there's no blood, then it's not a fight. We're vampires," he said, pushing the assassin toward the door, "that shit will heal in thirty seconds. Are you afraid of a little pain or something?"

  "I'm not afraid of anything," he hissed.

  Maddox was different from the others. He had no sad story, he had no family that he cared for. He just wanted to practice his craft. Killing people before they knew he was even there and vampirism had only made him better at it.

  "Then get in that cage and show me what you've got."

  As soon as they walked out, the room fell silent again, only this time it was a different kind of silence. Then the murmuring started when they saw the two vampires heading for the cage. Then it became full throttle yelling as bets were placed and space was filled around the chain link fence of the ring. They could smell the blood before it was even spilled and were betting on a spectacle.