Awakening, The

by Nicole R. Taylor

  Zac filtered them out and focused on the task at hand. It wouldn't matter who won in the end, maybe only his pride would suffer a little if Maddox beat him to a pulp, but they'd both get what they wanted. He had no doubt that the assassin would meet them at the apartment. This was just a formality.

  Nye locked them inside the cage and the vampires stared at each other, neither of them moving, waiting to see who would attack first. The crowd rattled the cage, eager for some action, but there was no rushing this.

  Predictably, it was Maddox who moved first. He was fast, but not fast enough. Zac dodged to the side as the assassin's fist flew toward him. Grabbing his forearm, he pulled the vampire's body into his and flipped him over his shoulder. The cage rattled violently as Maddox hit.

  Turning, Zac grinned. "You can do better than that."

  The assassin picked himself up and advanced again, this time taking slow. He feigned left and Zac realized at the last second and went to dodge backwards, but by that time, a fist was already connecting with his right side, the pressure almost cracking his ribs. While he was stunned, Maddox grasped his arm and shoved a shoulder hard onto his chest. He was flung through the air, rolling to a stop at the other side of the cage. The assassin was fast enough that he was already there waiting and he kicked Zac in the gut as hard as he could.

  Groaning, Zac clawed at the assassin's leg, pulling him down and they wrestled, trying to land punches on each other. Eventually, Maddox got the upper hand, pulling Zac off the floor. He had him but the scruff of the neck, fingers digging so hard into his flesh, blood began to drip along his collarbone. Maddox's knee connected with his ribs and there was an audible crack and the air was pushed out of his lungs. Before the assassin could crack another, Zac wrapped his arms around the vampire's stomach and pushed him back into the cage with all of his strength.

  Maddox grunted in pain and fell onto his back and Zac was over him, a hand around his neck, and punched him square in the face. Another crack signaled that he'd just broken the assassin's nose and blood began to stream down his face, adding to the already overpowering stench of blood. Both their eyes began to change and the crowd roared around them.

  Zac curled his fingers into the front of Maddox's hair and the assassin clawed at his arm, tearing it to shreds, trying to make him let go. No matter how much it hurt, Zac didn't slacken his grip and pulled the vampire half off the floor before smashing his head into the concrete.

  Maddox's eyes began to glaze over, but he still fought. With a roar, he bucked Zac off him, rolling on top and this time, the assassin's fist connected with his jaw. Bone shattered and white hot pain shot through his face, stars prickling through his vision.

  "You fucking like that?" Maddox exclaimed, his fist connecting again.

  Zac raised his hands and grabbed the assassin's arm mid-punch and squeezed with everything he had. Bone snapped with a sickening crunch and Maddox fell back, shock plastered on his face. His right arm hung at an awkward angle and his already pale complexion, turned absolutely white. He wasn't healing fast enough to keep going, that much was obvious.

  "You can tap out at any time, you know," Zac said, scrambling to his feet.

  "Never," Maddox hissed and lunged upwards with his left hand, fingers outstretched.

  Zac dodged to the side, as flesh grazed against his side. Last thing he wanted was a puncture wound in his gut. Those took forever to heal and that was a pain in his ass he'd rather not deal with. Swinging around, he grabbed the assassin's head between his hands, pushing him down to the ground, a knee firmly in the small of his back. One simple move and Maddox would have big problems. One being a broken spine, the other a shattered skull or a broken neck, or if he was lucky, all of the above.

  The assassin roared in annoyance, his entire body tense with pent up anger. He knew he was done and he tapped the concrete floor with his good hand. Zac pressed his knee harder into his back, a warning not to try anything. A tap out was a tap out. This fight was over.

  Letting him go, Zac stood, ignoring the crowd who'd become more rowdy once there was a clear victor. Maddox rolled onto his back with a groan, holding his limp arm to his stomach. He looked majorly pissed off, but he'd lost fair and square.

  Zac held out his hand as the assassin glared up at him and wiped his bloody nose with a scowl. "We don't have to be friends, Maddox. We just have to get along."

  With a shake of his head, Maddox grasped Zac's forearm. "I'll help you with your hybrid problem and that's all."

  Zac hauled the vampire to his feet, his bones cracking as they healed. "Deal."

  CHAPTER TEN

  Pushing open the door, Gabby looked over the room and saw that there was only one bed. Again.

  The little bed and breakfast just outside of Grasmere was very quaint and English and all of that, but it was ruined with everything that had happened since she'd stepped off the plane back in London. It was romantic in a way, but she supposed the only consolation was that Regulus was paying for everything. Him being here was the dampener, or so she kept telling herself. The Roman chuckled behind her, obviously reading her thoughts again.

  "Oh, shut up," she hissed, dumping her bag beside the bed.

  "Are you hungry?"

  "Starving."

  "Stay here," he said curtly and went to leave.

  "Why?" she asked stubbornly. "I'm capable of looking after myself."

  "I'm fully aware that you're a grown woman, Gabrielle...and a witch…"

  He was looking at her like she was something to eat, so she interrupted with, "Why do you keep me locked away, then? I'm not going to run away you know."

  "Aed is gone, but it doesn't mean he knows we're following him. He might come back and I can't let you face him alone."

  Shit, his sincerity was unnerving. Her only answer was to sit on the edge of the bed.

  "Any preference?"

  "Well," she said, waving her hands around the room. "Since we're in England and I've never been before, how about something a little more English and a little less hybrid?"

  Regulus' lips pulled into an amused grin. "I do like that mouth of yours."

  Before she could retort, he was gone in that annoying disappearing vampire way of his. Looking at her cell, she considered calling Zac and seeing how they were going. She hadn't heard back from him since she'd texted him yesterday. Aed had been in Grasmere looking for the Celestines and she wondered if he'd found it because Aya really had been here recently. At the thought of the hybrid, the good one, she smiled. Aya would have a plan and paired with Zac, they'd know what to do. She had to take Regulus to meet them. That would go down a treat. She knew the Roman wouldn't go along with it and once Aya laid eyes on him, she'd try to kill him on the spot. Zac…well, she wasn't sure what Zac would do anymore.

  The door opened and Regulus came in, holding a plate of steaming food. "English enough?" he declared, waving a hand.

  With a sigh, she sat at the little table in front of the window that looked over the cottage garden. He set the plate down in front of her like she was at a Michelin star restaurant, sat in the chair opposite and proceeded to stare at her as she poked at the food he'd obviously gotten at the pub next door. Fish and chips with a side of mushy peas. Deciding ignoring him was the best option, she started to eat, her stomach finally beginning to settle after the afternoon's carnage. She'd confront him about Zac and Aya tomorrow. Today, that'd go into the too hard basket because the Roman was riled up and nobody could deal with that.

  His eyes never left her and it was impossible to concentrate on anything else. Did he think she was that delicate? She'd seen dead bodies before, maybe not as mutilated as they had been in the past few days, but she'd seen it before.

  Finally, when Regulus didn't stop staring, she asked, "Don't you need to eat or feed or whatever you call it?"

  "I'm not hungry."

  "Do you have to stare at me?"

  "I don't have to, but I will."

  Rolling her eyes, she turned back to her fish
and chips, poking at the mushy peas. "You've got a strange way of doing things, even for a vampire."

  "As opposed to what?"

  "Zac."

  "Zachary?" Regulus scoffed. "He so desperately wants to be human again. I'm content to be exactly what I am. That's the difference."

  Clamping her mouth shut, she finished off the last few bites of her dinner and pushed the plate aside. "Don't you have anything else you can amuse yourself with?"

  "Like what?" He smirked and she instantly knew he was goading her.

  "I'm sure there's some hussy down at the pub you can play with and if she doesn't want you, you can go play with yourself."

  "You're feisty tonight, dear one."

  Gabby grunted, looking out the window at the dark garden. She needed space to breathe and just wished he would go someplace else and leave her alone. His closeness was doing stupid things to her.

  "Do you think of your family often?" he asked and she looked up in surprise.

  "Uh, yeah, considering you've threatened their lives." She stood, not wanting to entertain whatever stupid thought was going through the founder's head. A hot shower and sleep were the only things she wanted, not some demented deep and meaningful conversation.

  Even before she could take a step towards her bag, Regulus was blocking her way. He slid his hands onto her waist and she realized he was having another go. Took him long enough.

  "Let go of me," she hissed, put off by the fact that a small part of her liked the fact that he was attracted to her.

  "Spend one night with me and I'll let them go. One night is all I'm asking." His hands caressed her waist, pulling her against him. "I've never bowed down to anyone Gabrielle, but I'm bowing down to you. I'm yours."

  He was bowing down to her?

  "I'll let your family live in peace, if you let me love you for one night."

  She tore herself away, a twisted look of anger on her face. "That's blackmail."

  His eyes darkened and he wound and arm around her, pulling her roughly towards him, his mouth on hers. He kissed her deeply, the breadth of his passion overwhelming. Tearing away he said, "See it how you will, Gabrielle, but my intentions are true."

  She gasped, her whole body aching. "What the hell do you want from me?"

  "Deep down, everyone wants to be loved. Even heartless bastards like me."

  What the fuck? A shudder ran through her and she blinked hard trying to clear her head. He couldn't compel her, so what was this? Another game, or did he really mean what he was saying right now?

  "I won't force you," he whispered, placing his palm over the vein in her neck. "Only if you want me."

  "I don't want to play your games anymore," she managed to get out.

  "This is not a game, dear one. Not to me."

  Her head, scrambled as it was by the Roman's grasp, was screaming at her to push him away. He was not just a vampire, he was an original, a founder. The things he'd done were unforgivable.

  Since arriving in London, Regulus had tried to shield her from the carnage every step of the way. Their relationship, if you could call it that, had begun with threats and manipulation, but something had shifted since she'd brought him back. For the life of her, she didn't have a clue what.

  She thought about her heart and tried to make sense of what it was telling her. Since the day he invited her to that cafe in New Orleans to demand her assistance, every fiber of her being was telling her not to trust, but she'd still thought about him. Obviously, there was more to Regulus than met the eye.

  His thumb brushed the curve of her jaw as she hesitated. How could something so wrong feel so right? Why try and fight it when it was inevitable?

  Pressing her body against his, she caught his mouth with her own and kissed him. It was all the answer he was looking for. He deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue against hers, hands underneath her top. Letting her arms snake around his neck, he picked her up, coaxing her legs around his waist. As he dropped her on the bed, she gasped as he began kissing a trail along her neck, pressing his weight into her. Shit, he was good at this...which made it so much worse.

  It was bad enough that she'd helped Regulus fake his own death, but to fall for him as well? Zac…Aya. The hybrid would never forgive her and there was no way in hell that she'd allow the Roman to go on living once the truth was revealed.

  Gabby realized she needed Regulus. More than a means to kill Aed and from the way he touched her now, she knew he needed her just as much. Whatever stupid thing she was feeling, he felt it, too. And only thinking about herself, she let him take what he wanted.

  The last place Gabby thought she'd ever find herself was in the arms of the founding vampire, the asshole extraordinaire, Regulus. Her head rested against his very naked chest and surprisingly, it didn't feel awkward at all. She'd do it again and again. Tightening her grip around him, she snorted at the irony.

  "What?" he asked, moving underneath her.

  "Nothing." Closing her eyes she tried to forget all the complications and looming danger she was in just by being here. She could enjoy this for a few more hours at least. Her whole body still tingled in a good way. She'd had boyfriends before, but sex with a vampire was something else.

  "Gabrielle, you are my sun."

  Her eyes snapped open at his words. A vampire was a slave to the night. Not Regulus, he was immune to the whims of the sun, but to say that to her? She knew what it meant. Vampires who couldn't walk in the day, longed for the touch of the sun's rays on their skin. This was more to him. More than a one night bargain.

  His eyes met hers and she knew he meant what he said. When she didn't move, he pulled her closer, his body flush with hers.

  "Regulus," she murmured against his neck as he breathed in deeply. Is this what Zac felt for Aya? If it was, then she understood all the crazy things he'd done for her. She was a hairs breadth away from doing them herself.

  "A vampire and a witch," she whispered.

  "It doesn't matter to me." He brushed his lips against her shoulder. "Who you are matters. Nothing else."

  Lying here with him felt good, but it didn't mean it was right. She'd already crossed the line, but she could still end this. It wasn't too late.

  "How can I prove it to you?" he asked, sensing her doubt.

  How could he prove himself to her? He had to do the one thing they needed to, but the one thing he didn't want to admit. That and so much more. "We need to find Zac and Aya."

  Regulus' eyes darkened.

  "You know we need their help."

  "No."

  "We're stronger together," she said, not backing down.

  Regulus let out a long, sharp breath, his fingers tightening on her waist. "You're going to break me, Gabrielle."

  "You tricked me into your bed and now you want to prove it's more. Truth isn't easy."

  "I didn't trick you and I didn't hear you complain," he murmured, lips against hers. "You sounded like you were thoroughly enjoying yourself."

  "Regulus."

  He was trying to distract her but it wasn't going to work. Even when he cupped her face with his hard hand and tried to kiss her again, she turned away. What a fool she was for trying to fight it. Her stupid human heart was falling for Regulus and she was powerless to stop it.

  "You know I can make your head explode."

  "How could I forget. You're particularly good at that little trick."

  "Then stop being an ass."

  "We will talk about it another time," he said, placing a finger over her lips. "Not now. Don't ruin this, Gabrielle. A night in the grand scheme of things doesn't matter. Please."

  He was pleading with her? Gabby never realized the power she'd had over him all along. "Fine."

  They lay together for a few minutes and she realized how cold his body really was. When she shivered, her skin prickling with goose bumps, he sighed and rolled away.

  "Where are you going?" she asked, reaching for his hand.

  "Not far," he said.

  "I thou
ght you wanted to stay?"

  "Yes, but you'll catch cold. My blood is ice, dear one. We can't have you falling ill."

  With a smile, she tugged on his hand. "Let me show you something."

  Regulus took her in his arms again and she placed the flat of her palm against his hard chest. Calling on her power she let it trickle slowly into the Roman, feeling his blood begin to heat. Just enough so he would be warm and not have to go anywhere.

  "Well," he said with a sigh, tightening his grasp. "Thank you."

  "Oh, so you do have some manners."

  "A few."

  Gabby took in his features, wondering about the Roman's life. Two thousand years was a long time and she knew next to nothing about where he came from, his family…everything was a mystery. The only thing she was certain of was his intentions toward her.

  "What's your full name?" she asked, taking in his dark eyes.

  "Marcellus Caelius," he whispered almost resentfully. "Regulus is my family name."

  "Why doesn't anyone call you Marcellus?"

  "I was named for my father," he said sharply, rolling onto his back.

  "You weren't on good terms?"

  He sighed, eyes firmly on the ceiling.

  "I'll take that as a no."

  "What's with the questioning? There are things you'll never know about me. Things I've forgotten over the years…things that I don't want to utter."

  "I don't know who you are," she replied, running her hand across his stomach. "You know me. Why can't I know a little more about you?"

  He regarded her for a moment before saying, "What do you want to know? I can't promise that I will answer."

  Gabby thought for a minute and could only come up with the most dangerous questions of all. "You and Aya..." she began, but he looked at her with such ferocity, her mouth snapped shut.

  "She's told you the story."

  "Regulus."

  "We've a lot of history, Gabrielle. We've all done horrible things to one another. Things that are unforgivable. We've all reasons to hate one another."

  "Perhaps you need to learn how to forgive."