Awakening, The

by Nicole R. Taylor

  "I have faith in him."

  "Everyone has their own decisions to make now, as to what happens next."

  "And there's no rushing them, either," Zac said. He understood now more than ever the need for making choices with a clear head.

  "What happened to Maddox and Pyke?"

  After they'd dispersed from the pyre in the manor grounds, the Two, as he supposed they were now called, just disappeared. Both of their promises to help with Aed's demise had been fulfilled and they were free to go in whatever direction they chose.

  "I don't know," Zac replied. "Hopefully they find whatever it is they're looking for."

  "Took them long enough."

  "At least they have the chance," he said morosely. "That's all anyone can hope for."

  Aya smiled up at him and ran a hand through his hair. "You realize we're free too, right?"

  "As free as we'll ever be."

  "I still have a promise to keep," she said. "To the witches."

  "Of course. I would never ask you to abandon them."

  "Would you go with me if I needed to?" Her voice was full of doubt.

  "I'll consider it on a case by base basis," he said with amusement.

  Aya slapped him on the arm. "Stop it."

  "Of course I'll come with you. I'm never letting you out of my sight again. You're well and truly stuck with me now."

  "How unfortunate," she said with a laugh.

  "I love you forever and always, Aeriaya."

  "I love it when you use my true name, but only in private, okay?"

  "Does it turn you on?"

  "It takes me places I've never been," she said and Zac laughed at the memory of their conversation on the very same roof top a few nights ago.

  "Where do you want to go first?" Aya asked, cocking her head to the side and his eyebrows rose. They could go anywhere, but there was only one place he wanted to go.

  "Let's go to LA."

  "Let's," Aya echoed, pressing her lips to his.

  Zac kissed her back, pulling her as close as he could, while Oxford bustled beneath them and the stars shone beneath their wintery blanket overhead and he knew he'd made it. The old Zac Degaud was finally gone and the new one was ready to start living. It was time to go home.

  Gabby sat at the small table in her hotel room in the middle of Oxford as Nye helped himself to the minibar.

  "I hope you're paying for that," she grumbled as he lined up all the little bottles of alcohol.

  "You're loaded now, lovely. Why am I paying?" he said with a chuckle.

  She'd slept for three days straight and had woken to the spy reading the newspaper in the corner. Seemed he'd stuck around to keep an eye on things after he'd dropped her off. To say she was relieved was an understatement considering the last few months.

  Now that things were settled, she had the time to properly mourn Regulus and sort through his estate. He'd left her his wealth and what with all the Tuatha hunting, she hadn't had a chance to process it at all. She had to go back to London and she had to convince Nye to come with her. If there was anyone she or Regulus would chose to take over, it would be him.

  "Have you given any thought to my proposal?" she asked, knowing he'd get what she was asking.

  The spy looked up at her and winked. "I know your game, lovely."

  "Don't you want to play?"

  Nye laughed and unscrewed the top off a bottle of vodka. "You're getting wickeder by the day."

  "You know you're the only candidate."

  "King of the Thugs? Me? A lowly spy who got conned by a street urchin?"

  The last reference went straight over her head. "You know you want to, Nye. You've wanted recognition your whole life."

  "Witches are just bloody trouble if you ask me."

  "Times…oh, about a billion." She laughed, kicking him under the table.

  He leaned forward, his eyes on hers. "And you'd support my claim?"

  "Yes and I believe if he were here, Regulus would, too."

  "Well," he said, downing the vodka, "when you put it like that, then I'll come to jolly old London town with you and I'll think about it on the way."

  "Nye."

  "Oh, all right. You twisted my arm."

  "I did no such thing."

  With a lopsided grin, he opened the next bottle and handed it to her. "Cheers, lovely. Long live the King of the Thugs." He clinked a little bottle of scotch against hers and they downed the liquor. It burnt a trail right down into her stomach, making her cough.

  "Lightweight," the spy teased.

  Before she could retort, there was a knock at the door. Nye got up and looked through the peephole and his face split into a grin. Flinging the door open, he cast his arms out and chortled, "Zac, my old buddy, my old pal. And the ever lovely Aya with the sharp tongue. Come on in."

  "Hey," Zac said, shoving him aside. Aya was close behind and smiled when she laid eyes on the witch.

  "How are you feeling?" the Celestine asked, sitting at the table. Her gaze fell onto the little bottles of alcohol and her eyebrow rose.

  "I'm much better since Nye's paying," she explained with a laugh.

  "Oh, a toast," Aya said, unscrewing the cap off a little bottle of whisky.

  "Hey," Nye exclaimed as she downed the liquor.

  "Have you spoken to Sam yet?" Gabby asked Zac, shaking her head at the vampires.

  "Who's Sam?" the spy asked.

  "He's my brother," Zac explained.

  "You have a brother? Like a human one?" Nye cried.

  "A human one that was turned shortly after I was."

  "Why didn't you tell me?"

  "He was also turned by Victoria and you could imagine what would've happened to him if it became common knowledge that he also has Celestine blood."

  "You need to tell him about that, by the way," Aya chipped in.

  "Are you going to LA?" Gabby asked, her eyes brightening.

  "Yes," Zac said with a grin. "On the next flight we can manage."

  "Well, you know I have to meet this fellow," Nye said sullenly.

  "You're always welcome to visit," Zac said, thumping his friend on the shoulder. "Once you get your kingdom in order."

  "I'll be there to rain on your parade, don't you worry, mate."

  Zac threw his arms around Nye and thumped him on the back and to everyone's surprise, when they parted, the spy pulled Aya in for a hug, too. Before Gabby could make a smart comment about that, Zac had her in his arms.

  "You'll be okay?" he whispered into her ear.

  "I'll be fine."

  "Nye'll look out for you, you know. And I'm only a phone call away."

  "Zac, you don't have to worry about me anymore," she said, pulling back. "Things can only go up from here, right?"

  "Sure."

  "I'll miss you."

  "I'll miss you more than you'll ever know."

  "Oh, I think I already know," she said, choking up with tears. "Why does this feel like goodbye?"

  "It's not goodbye," Zac said. "It's see you later."

  "Damn you, Degaud," she said, wiping away her tears.

  "You're crying over me?" he asked feigning surprise. "Glinda the Good Witch?"

  Gabby slapped him on the arm. "I told you, I prefer Tabitha from Bewitched."

  Aya stepped forward and embraced her. "We'll see each other soon," she said. "After all, you are my sister."

  "You're all part of my family now," Gabby said and when Nye rolled his eyes, she laughed. "That means you too, Nye."

  "Great," he said with amusement. "It's like I always say…"

  "Witches are bloody trouble," they all chorused and fell into fits of laughter.

  Aya walked hand in hand with Zac down the main street of Oxford, weaving through Christmas themed market stalls, the scent of mulled wine and roasted chestnuts in the air. Her heart swelled with pride and happiness that their long struggle was finally over.

  "Are you ready to go?" Zac asked, stopping to buy her a mug of wine. "We can get a flight
in the morning."

  "I just have one thing I need to do," Aya said, taking the cup from the attendant.

  "Get drunk?" Zac asked with a laugh.

  "No," she said with a groan. "I need to see Tristan."

  Zac didn't say anything, he just watched her sip at the warm liquid.

  "I need to make sure he's going to be okay. He spent hundreds of years looking for me and now everything is wrapped up into a neat little package, I need to make sure he's okay."

  "I know," he replied. "Let's walk over to Isobel's."

  As they walked, Aya couldn't help but wonder what Tristan would do now. He'd spent so much time with her in the beginning and when they parted he'd tried to forge a life for himself, but his need to find her again had overwhelmed everything. It had resulted in him joining Regulus, the enemy, in hopes of finding her. She hoped that he would finally find some kind of peace on his own. Whatever he needed, she would help. If Aya had her way, she'd never lose contact with the knight again. This whole experience had taught her that life was fleeting, even for the immortal.

  When they reached the apartment they found Alex and Isobel coming down the stairs.

  "Hey," Isobel said brightly.

  "Hey, yourself," Aya replied, throwing a grin Alex's way. She looked much better, her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were flushed.

  "Tristan's upstairs still," Alex said. "We're going out for a little while."

  "I'll come with for a little bit, if you don't mind," Zac said.

  "Sure," Isobel declared. Aya knew that she'd forgiven him for using her as bait, especially after everything that had happened at the manor. She'd be the best protected human in history for the rest of her life, and that was just in reference to her brother.

  Zac kissed her on the cheek and they disappeared outside as she continued up to the apartment. When she opened the door, Tristan looked up and smiled.

  "Arrow," he said, standing. "I thought you'd be gone by now."

  "How can I leave without saying goodbye to my oldest and dearest friend?"

  "You're too good for me," he said with a laugh.

  "I think you mean, you're too good for me."

  "Never," he said with a laugh.

  Aya sat at the table and leafed through a newspaper that had been left out.

  "Are you going back to America with Zac?" Tristan asked, sitting opposite.

  "Of course. He and I are one now. What I want to know is what you're going to do?"

  "I'm going to stay and help Nye," he said. "He needs it and I have experience."

  "You're too good for it, Tristan."

  "Arrow, it's a chance to make this place a little less…thuggish. Regulus ran things a certain way, with fear and violence, but maybe I can help change that. I need to find my own place in this world, now that things are well. You have Zac and the witches, but I need something else."

  "If you say so."

  "I know so."

  "Good," she declared. "As long as you're happy."

  "I'm not sure about happy, but I'm workin' on it." He stood and pulled her in for a hug.

  "Oh," she said as he let her go. "Before I forget, I have one of these now." She pulled out the cell phone that Zac had bought her that afternoon. She still didn't understand how it worked, but she could no longer deny that the thing was useful.

  "You have a phone?" Tristan asked in surprise.

  "Yeah, don't get cocky about it," she laughed. "Zac's teaching me, but I know I'm going to have trouble with this auto-correct thing."

  Tristan took the cell phone from her and punched in his number. A moment later his began to ring. "Now I have your number and you have mine."

  It was so normal, exchanging numbers like the friends they were, it made her smile brightly. "You'll really be okay?"

  "I'll be perfectly fine," the knight replied. "I've got plenty to keep me busy and you know Nye is a handful."

  "That he is. But if you ever need me..."

  "I have your number."

  "You better use it, even if you don't need me."

  "You can count on it, Lady Arrow."

  Alex wandered down the street with Isobel at his side. Zac leaned against the outside of the building and nodded for them to keep going.

  "Don't let me intrude," the vampire said. "I'm waiting for Aya."

  Alex shot him a grateful smile. "Thanks."

  "Don't forget to call if you need anything."

  "You're on speed dial." He raised a hand in farewell and Zac disappeared into the night. They rounded the corner into the lane way that had seen so much trouble in the past week, taking the shortcut into the main part of town. They were going to the Christmas market for some sense of normalcy and he wanted to buy Izzy a present.

  "Remember the time when a crazy fairy kidnapped me from this very spot?" Isobel asked with a laugh.

  Alex groaned. "Don't remind me, Izzy."

  "I'm sorry you had to…you know."

  "Turn into a founding vampire?"

  "Yeah, that."

  "Don't be sorry. No regrets." Alex had been thinking about it for a few days now and it was time to tell his sister about his plans. He had to move forward and most importantly, Isobel had to go on living the life she wanted. He wouldn't allow her to drop everything for him. Her life was more important to him than his own, he'd already made that crystal clear. "I want you to have my house and my things."

  "No, I can't," Isobel cried. "What about you?"

  "That life has ended and now I have to start a new one."

  "But-"

  "You'll stay here and finish your Masters," Alex interrupted. "Don't feel obligated to drop everything because of me. I want all of your dreams to come true and getting your Masters is your dream, Izzy. It always has been."

  "What about your dreams, Alex?"

  "My dreams have changed and I'm okay with it. I really am."

  Isobel let out a shaky sigh, like she was holding back tears.

  "Izzy," he said, holding her shoulders so she'd look at him. "This won't be the last time you see me. I didn't die or anything, I was reborn into something else. I intend to stick around for a very long time. I hope that one day I will see you get married and have children. I hope I get to see them grow up and have their own. Times that by like a billion and you have my life's purpose. I will protect this family with my immortality and strength until the day the world comes to an end. I swear it on my life."

  Isobel couldn't hold her tears in anymore and they began to spill down her cheeks. "I love you, Alex. Always."

  He pulled his big sister into his arms and held her tight. "For eternity."

  EPILOGUE

  Zac shielded his eyes against the warm LA sun and scanned the lawn in front of him. It seemed to be semester break in this part of the world and only a few students hung around the campus of UCLA, maybe because they were from here, or didn't have much to go back to. After so long in the dead of winter in the UK, the temperature change seemed like a time warp.

  His gaze fell onto a familiar sight and he felt a smile pulling at his lips. Leaning against a tree trunk he watched his little brother, Sam and the ever adorable Liz, across the lawn and wondered how long it would take for his presence to be noticed. They were sitting in the grass, Liz surrounded with books, while Sam tried to distract her with a long piece of grass in his fingers. He ticked her cheek with it every so often, making her laugh and swat him away. They looked happy, carefree. Just as he hoped.

  When Sam finally looked up, he knew his brother had sensed someone was watching them. He frowned as he looked around, his eyes finally settling on the dark form of his big brother. He shot to his feet, Liz scolding him when the books scattered.

  Zac grinned lopsidedly and began to walk across the lawn toward them. As Sam came to meet him, he threw his arms around his little brother and thumped him on the back.

  "Zac." He sounded relieved.

  "Little brother."

  Sam drew back and looked him over. "I didn't know if I'd ever
see you again. At least not this decade. How are you?"

  Zac knew exactly what he meant and grinned. "Better than ever."

  "Aya?"

  He gestured behind him, where the Celestine sat on a bench watching their reunion, sticking out like a sore thumb in her dark clothes and combat boots. She raised a hand in greeting and Sam shook his head.

  "You guys finally worked it out?" he asked.

  "Not without some melodrama." He threw an arm around Sam's shoulder and they walked towards Liz, laughing.

  "There's always melodrama with you. Where have you been?"

  "Brother," Zac said, shaking his head. "Have I got a story to tell you."

  "You've got a story? Wait until you hear about what Liz and I have been doing."

  Liz was in his arms a moment later. "Never do that again," she cried.

  "Do what?" he asked, stifling a grin.

  She slapped him on the arm. "Disappear and never call."

  "I knew you had a thing for me."

  "Zac," she shrieked.

  "You're making me jealous," Aya said, appearing at Zac's side.

  "I've only got eyes for you," he said, pulling the hybrid close and sunk down onto the grass. Aya was at his side and his brother and sister before him and after all this time, he realized it was the thing he'd been searching for all along. His family had always been here waiting for him, he just had to have the courage to find them.

  Zac was twenty-three when he died.

  But he was one hundred and seventy before he started living.

  APPENDIX

  The Untold History of the Witch Hunter Saga

  The following information was not divulged in the four books of the Witch Hunter Saga, and it may be of some interest to those wondering who the unknown players are in their world and some of the stories we didn't get to hear.

  The Celestines and the Five Founding Witches

  The Five Founding Witches were gifted their powers from the last five Celestine adults. The last children were Aeriaya and her brother, Aydrenn (finally named in The Awakening).

  Aya's parents gifted the ether (her mother to Ismena) and the earth (her father).

  The remaining Celestines gifted air, fire and water onto three other humans before passing to the other side.