by Anna Santos
“Kidnapping Aria was necessary,” he said sternly.
I wasn’t in the mood to talk anymore.
“It served your purposes and mine.”
“It didn’t serve my purposes at all! You terrorized her. Your plan was stupid. And you had other intentions behind your actions. She was held captive. Her angel was trapped under some dark spell, and someone stabbed a needle in her neck. How would her death serve my purposes?” I was yelling by then. “What was in that needle? William said it had a drug in it. What was it, and does it have an antidote? What did you and the guy who was hurting her want?”
“There were no drugs in that needle. The drugs—which we gave her before then—were harmless. They were used to calm her down. The second needle served another purpose. My associate and I were concerned by her power. However, I wouldn’t allow her to kill the girl. We had no intentions of harming the human.”
“Her? It was a woman?”
“I thought you already knew that. Aria saw her; you fought her.”
“Aria has been…sleeping.” I didn’t want to go into further details.
“You’ve been here all day. Aren’t her parents better?”
“Don’t change the subject. We were talking about the reason why you kidnapped Aria.”
“I’ve told you already. I wanted to make her fall in love with you after you saved her.”
“You had no idea that I was going to find her and save her!”
“I was going to tell you where she was. I didn’t think that Cedric and you would join forces and find her before my partner took what she wanted.”
“I’m sorry for ruining your plans, then,” I said sarcastically.
“Well, I can fix this problem. I will require your help.”
“You’re crazy if you think that I’m going to help you.”
“Hear me out.”
My fangs came out. “What did you want from Aria? Answer me!”
“Calm down or the humans will hear us.”
“Then tell me what you wanted.”
“We wanted her angelic essence,” he blurted out.
“Angelic essence...” I arched an eyebrow, unfamiliar with the term.
“Yes, something they have in their spine, it’s the key to their power. My associate wanted a sample to test it.”
“What for?” Cedric had said that they wanted her angel. Of course, I’d believe even Cedric over a specter. He was probably playing mind games with me and wanted to gain my trust for some other dark purpose.
“What do I know? I’m a mere warlock and a creature who plays with magic. I know nothing about science.”
“Science?” I was even more intrigued. “Weren’t you trying to steal her angel?”
“I guess,” he said, shrugging. “It wouldn’t harm her.”
“It would!”
“No, she would become normal. Maybe a bit…well…different. When we take everything out, they don’t die. They simply become different.”
“I think you’re stalling me. Whatever you wanted to do to Aria had something to do with her angel and how powerful she is. Don’t sugarcoat things. The fact is that you tried to hurt her, and you’re behind the making and distribution of Clarity. You’re killing hundreds of vampires. You’re being chased by the other kings and packs of wolves. If you came here looking for an ally, you won’t find one.”
“Hold it right there. I’m not behind the deaths of the vampires. I didn’t create Clarity. I was taking that drug off the market. And for your information, Clarity wasn’t designed to kill vampires in the first place. That’s a nasty side effect. Clarity was created to cure vampires, hence the name. Yet as you know, it doesn’t work—yet. So when they found out about the side effects, they used it as a weapon. Since I’m not that into charity and have no desire to cure dark creatures of the night, it makes no sense that I would ask someone to create it.”
My mind processed the new data he was giving me. He could be lying. But a drug that could cure vampires was something new and unexpected.
The creature was smiling. I was probably looking pale and surprised.
“Who do you think benefits the most from curing vampires? Who do you know that wants to erase vampires from the face of the Earth?”
I had nothing to say to him.
“After a cure is found, there’s no reason for the existence of vampires, is there? The truces would be over. They wouldn’t allow anyone to feed from humans even if they weren’t aiming to kill them. Vampires would be chased and cured, immortality wouldn’t be an option and, then, who knows, they might even try to cure werewolves or witches.”
“You’re telling me that the angels are behind the creation of Clarity? That they’re the ones distributing it?”
“I’m not telling you anything. I’m giving you clues, and it’s up to you to connect the dots.” He walked back and put his hand atop a chair. His hand was white, almost translucent. It reminded me of the flesh of vampires when they don’t feed for a long time.
“Besides, you saw her, didn’t you?” he asked.
I frowned at him.
“My associate.”
“So it was a gargoyle. But why would Cedric kidnap his own mate?” I asked, finding his reasoning absurd. He had to give me more than that to believe that Cedric would do something like that.
“Who said anything about Cedric? I didn’t. There are other angels, other fractions that aren’t pleased by the truce with the vampires. Angels are not all on the same side. There are some who are unhappy and want a change.”
The plot was twisting. Cedric was the target, not Aria. She was his mate; therefore, she was a way to get to him. She was also a powerful weapon apparently, as far as I understood. Cedric had become stronger since he’d become an angel. Losing Aria would mean that he would die or lose his powers.
“They wanted to kill her,” he added. “But I struck a deal with them. They would let the girl live. They would just take her essence, and I would give her as a gift to you. It was a win-win.”
“So Aria was kidnapped because she’s Cedric’s mate.”
“Not just because of that. They targeted her because she’s one of the most powerful angels on Earth. They wanted to study her essence to understand how they could replicate her powers. They wanted to map her celestial DNA and comprehend if she was the key to crafting the formula to cure vampires.”
My eyes widened. That made perfect sense; I couldn’t argue with that. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I’m warning you. They weren’t successful. They’ll try again. Cedric is strong. Since he got his wings, they are no match for him. The two of them would pulverize any attempt of rebellion to dust. Therefore, she must be put down or neutralized. I believe you don’t want her to die, do you?”
I shook my head. “I won’t let anyone harm her. You better tell them,” I said, balling my hands into fists. I was getting upset at the thought that they were still plotting to hurt Aria.
“They don’t need to harm her. That’s why I’m here. You’re the solution to our problems, Philippe.”
“How?”
He made a weird noise with his mouth. It was sort of a laugh but more guttural and creepy. “There’s a way for her to become human again. She needs to fall in love with you. You need to seduce her. Make her yours. Steal her from Cedric. She was yours in the first place. Once the time comes, and she doesn’t love Cedric, he’ll die and she’ll become her pathetic old human self again.” He was enjoying the sound of his own voice and the evil behind his words.
I said nothing.
Sighing, he added, “I’ve done everything to make you understand that we’re on the same side. I proved myself to be your friend. You can have your mate back and live happily ever after. All you have to do is take her from Cedric’s arms and make her yours. If you don’t do that, she’ll die. They will find a way to kill her. Do you want that?”
“No,” I said.
“You should thank me, don’t you think?”
>
I ground my teeth. “Everything you do has an evil intention behind it. You came to warn me because you need me. You don’t want her to go after you for what you’ve done.”
“No one knows what I’ve done.” He laughed.
“Are you sure?” I asked, amused by his cockiness.
“Are you talking about the attack on the graveyard? That’s a win for me. You see, I was trying to find more allies against the angels. After that attack on the sacred ground, and the killing of innocent magical creatures that had nothing to do with Aria’s kidnapping, I’ll find a lot more friends. Did you think I would stick around, waiting for him to find me? Or that my men would say something I didn’t want them to say?”
I stepped back with wide eyes. “You planned all this.” He was perverse and smart. That was a bad combination. I, of all people, should have known that.
“I’ve told you. It’s a win-win.”
“You’re twisted!”
“You aren’t much better yourself. Now, to prove that we can be friends instead of enemies, I’ll let Mara and Margaret live. I’ll release them, and they won’t be killed in the graveyard. What do you think? Would you like that?”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“I’ve lived for so long because I’ve been smart. You’re quite the intelligent man, too. I like that about you. We can do great things together.”
“Have you harmed them?” I asked in a stern voice. I didn’t want them to get hurt. Mara had left this all behind to stay safe. Margaret, I couldn’t care less about, but Mara was my friend and she‘d been trying to help.
“They’re fine. I’ll release them as a sign of my goodwill. So you can know that you can trust me.”
“Why are you trying to gain my trust?”
“The vampires of Paris need a smart leader. I like the way you think, and I’m sure—once you get your mate back—you’ll come to your senses and join me in my quest to eradicate the gargoyles from this world.”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then I’ll kill you, but not before I take my time hurting your mate before your eyes.”
I was going to swing a punch at him, enraged by his words and his manner, but before I could touch him, he’d vanished in a mist of blackness. I growled, upset; I’d wanted to catch the bastard. Then I reminded myself that I had a more pressing matter to attend to.
Cedric was going to attack the graveyard once it was dark, and a war would start if someone didn’t do anything to stop it. I rushed out of there, reaching Aria’s room. There, I found Camille and Jo outside the room, sitting on chairs in the hallway, having a friendly conversation.
“Is Cedric still talking to Aria?” I asked, out of breath, as restless as if I’d been chased by the scariest creature imaginable.
“Yes, they’re still inside,” Camille said, smiling. “Are you okay? You look pale.”
“I need to talk to him. It’s urgent.”
“You better not interrupt them,” Camille warned. “I’ve already heard something crashing inside, and Aria doesn’t sound pleased.”
Josephine only nodded, agreeing with the cute blonde angel.
“Are they arguing?” I asked, worried about Aria.
“Aria’s doing all the arguing,” Jo said. “I think she’s mad at him. I can’t blame her.”
“You shouldn’t say that,” Camille said, probably defending her prince. “Cedric…didn’t want to deceive her.”
“I know. He had the best intentions. But there must be trust in a relationship for things to work. Doesn’t your mate tell you everything?”
“Yes, of course he does,” Camille said. “We don’t keep secrets.”
“I’m lost,” I whispered, trying to follow the ladies’ conversation but not really in the mood to wait for them to finish their chitchat.
“I think you should go home and rest,” Josephine said.
I shook my head. “I need to talk to Cedric. It’s urgent.”
I heard a door opening and then slamming. Looking back, I saw Cedric leaving in a hurry, like the devil was chasing him. I heard Aria crying inside. I got stuck between my wish to go see what was wrong with her and my duty to tell Cedric that he had to stop the attack on the graveyard.
“Cedric,” I called to him, following him down the corridor.
“What the hell do you want?” He glowered at me.
“We need to talk,” I said, my face stern.
“We don’t. Leave me alone.” He vanished.
That was mature of him. I clenched my jaw and when I looked around, Camille and Josephine were already in Aria’s room. I approached the doorway and lurked inside, unsure if I was welcome there. Still, I wanted to know what was wrong with her.
“Why are you crying, sweetie?” Camille asked, dabbing at her eyes with a paper tissue.
“He lied to me. All this time, he lied,” she sobbed.
“You must understand his reasons,” she whispered soothingly.
Aria’s body trembled as more tears ran down her cheeks. My heart clenched in my chest. I wanted to be near her and comfort her. I wanted to know why she was crying and what Cedric had done to her.
“Worse than that, he wouldn’t hear me out,” she said. “He told me that he’s going to attack the graveyard because he’s seeking the person behind my kidnapping. He didn’t even let me talk. I asked him not to do that. I don’t want him to kill people because of me.” Her pain was shattering my soul.
“You must understand that he can’t show weakness,” said Josephine. “They tried to hurt you. He can’t do nothing. He needs to take measures so that something like that doesn’t happen again.”
Of course, Aria wouldn’t fully understand. She had been born in a different world. She didn’t know that sometimes we needed to harm others to have peace.
“I don’t want anyone to get hurt,” she mumbled through her tears. “And…he doesn’t listen to me.”
“Calm down.” Jo shifted her soft hair away from her pretty face. “Look at me. You need to calm yourself down. You’re sick. You need to rest, and you don’t need to worry about the attack. I’ll talk to Cedric again. Just think about everything he said to you. Try to understand his reasons.”
“Okay,” she said, calming down with Jo’s words. Jo could work miracles. She was always kind and sweet to others.
“Meanwhile, we’re here to keep you company. You need to eat, so you can leave the hospital.”
“I’m not hungry.” Her voice was weak. She took an audible breath. “Where’s Philippe?”
I felt a jolt of hope igniting my heart. I hadn’t been expecting her to search for me. I looked at her, full of hope.
Jo and Camille both glanced at the door.
Aria’s gaze found mine soon enough. She parted her lips, and I felt she wanted to say something, to call me to join her, but something was stopping her. Her eyes were shining like little stars, and she had the most adorable pouting mouth ever. Her hands clenched the sheet, and I walked towards her. I sat down on the chair beside her bed.
She relaxed, laying back on the bed. “I’m sleepy again.” She positioned her head on her pillow, softly turning her face to look at me and letting her arm hang out of the sheet.
“I have to go to the castle. Charlotte’s mom is waiting for me to give her the key to the ballroom,” Camille said. “I’m already late. The queen won’t be pleased.”
“Why does she need the key?” Jo asked.
“Her daughter’s birthday is tomorrow night. Cedric let them use the ballroom.”
“That’s nice of him,” Jo said, smiling and continuing to caress Aria’s hair. “Do you hear that, honey? You must get better soon, so you can attend the party.”
Aria spared her a look and opened her hand closest to me. She wanted me to give her my hand. I was stupid not to have understood it immediately.
“You should go, Camille. I’ll be fine,” Aria mumbled, looking at my hand holding on to hers.
“Can I go?” Jo asked, pre
tending to be interested.
“Of course,” Camille said. “I’d appreciate the help. The queen is demanding and…well, stuck up, I think is the proper term. I don’t have the patience to deal with her. It would be great to have someone to keep me company. And we would be indoors. Nothing would happen to you. Besides, I’m a shield…” Camille got up, still babbling. She sure liked to talk. My mind had muted her ramblings the moment Aria’s hand held on tightly to mine.
They left. I don’t even know if they said goodbye or not. I was staring at Aria, stroking her hand and noticing how her eyelids were closing as she was falling asleep.
I sat there, conflicted. I had to talk to Cedric and stop the imprudent attack. I had to tell him about what the crazy necromancer was planning to do. I also needed to know why Aria and Cedric had been arguing. What had he done to make her so heartbroken? What had he lied about? Jo seemed to know what was going on.
Still, Aria was weak, and I was afraid of leaving her alone.
I leaned closer and caressed her forehead and strands of red hair. “You can’t die, honey. You’ve barely lived. You need to be strong, and I promise you that I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
Aria’s eyes opened as tears trailed down the sides of her face. “And who will prevent me from hurting others?”
I raised her hand to my lips. “Once Cedric clears his head, I’ll talk to him about canceling the attack. I have vital information to share.”
“Do you think he’ll listen to you?”
“I hope he does.”
Chapter TWENTY-FIVE
CEDRIC
I’d tried to stay calm and explain everything to Aria. I’d tried to make her understand why I hadn’t fully disclosed all the aspects of my curse. I wasn’t angry with her. I wasn’t picking a fight because she was choosing to love Philippe over me. I just wanted to tell her the truth, so she would stop fighting her angel and comprehend that I could release her from our bond if that was what she wanted. Nonetheless, she felt betrayed and didn’t like that I’d lied to her. I hadn’t meant to lie. I hadn’t wanted her to deny me the possibility of making her fall in love with me. If she knew that I could set her free, she would have probably chosen that the same day she’d opened her eyes as my mate. I was afraid that she would want to go back to her first mate. Afterwards, things had been good between us. We’d started to bond, to fall in love. Philippe was the only one to blame for Aria’s indecision and near-death experience. He was the one who came between our love and made Aria doubt her feelings for me. I should have killed him. I should have, but then, Aria would have been angry with me and things would be worse.