35
Aurora
I’ve got an hour until I have to start my day at the institute, so after more lovemaking and a shower, Saxon and I head back to his apartment where the whole gang is assembled—and not only the vampires, Vivienne, and Rikkon. Karl and Cheryl are here too. Just because Saxon and I won a personal battle, that doesn’t mean the war is over.
“Evening,” Saxon says as we walk into the living room, holding hands.
He sounds chipper; either he hasn’t picked up on the tension in the room, or he’s ignoring it. The ongoing conversation ceases abruptly, and everyone turns to gawk at us. I don’t get embarrassed easily, but being blasted by all those knowing stares and smirks makes my face burst into flames.
“What are you all staring at?” I snap.
“There’s something different about you,” Vivienne says.
“Yeah, post-coital bliss,” Manu laughs.
She earns a glare from me. “Why are you so entertained? Have you forgotten already the mess you caused last night that almost cost Saxon’s life?”
The amusement vanishes at once from her face. “I didn’t cause anything. I was set up.”
Saxon lifts his hands in a gesture of peace. “Okay, okay. Let’s not start arguing. I’m in too good of a mood. Don’t ruin it.”
“Does that mean you guys are together now? For real?” Vivienne perks up on her seat, sporting a wide grin.
Saxon turns to me, smiling from ear to ear. “Yeah, we’re together now.”
“Well, sorry to put a damper on your good spirits, but we have a major problem on our hands. Jacques won’t stop until he has turned Salem into a blood-drenched battlefield.” Ronan’s stare is hard and troubled, which only serves to increase my anxiety.
“Salem is not that big of a city, why can’t the witches use a location spell to find him?” Cheryl suggests.
Even though Cheryl’s idea wasn’t aimed as criticism, I feel ashamed just the same. I’ve been so embroiled in my own issues that I fell out of the loop of the coven’s business.
“I’m not sure if my mother has tried yet,” I say.
“The High Witch has, unsuccessfully,” Ronan replies.
“That means he’s using a powerful concealment spell,” I mutter to myself.
“What did he do? Hire a rogue mage?” Karl asks.
Suspicions creeps into my head. “Maybe, but there’s also a chance he’s receiving help from someone within the Council of Witches.”
A low growl comes from Saxon, which earns him everyone’s attention.
Manu cocks her head. “Why is Saxon looking like he’s about to turn into the Tasmanian Devil?”
“Because we have a suspect. Elena Montenegro,” I say.
“That name sounds familiar.” Ronan frowns, rubbing his chiseled chin.
“She’s a respected elder in the council, but we know she’s up to no good.” I refrain from telling them about the blood vow. I can’t deal with everyone knowing about my stupidity. Plus, it doesn’t change anything for them.
“The asshole warlocks believe she’s made a deal with a demon,” Saxon chimes in. “She also knows that first-generation Bluebloods are going crazy.”
I watch the blood drain from Lucca’s face. “What?”
“Uh? Come again?” Vaughn pinches his eyebrows together.
Saxon sucks his bottom lip in, looking incredibly guilty now. “You didn’t know?” he asks Lucca.
“I did. But how could you or Elena possibly know that?” Lucca grumbles. “My uncle only told me recently. He’s keeping a tight lid on the issue.”
“He didn’t tell me!” Manu crosses her arms, pouting, then turns to Karl. “Did you know?”
“Yep. I’ve known for a while.”
With a mischievous grin on her lips, Cheryl chimes in, “Me too.”
Fury sparks in Manu’s eyes, and I bet if there weren’t so many of us here, she might have tried to wipe the grin off Cheryl’s face by force. Karl shoots his sister a reproachful look, which she ignores.
Rikkon is standing as still as a statue, but his eyes are vacant. My eyes immediately seek Vivienne’s. She doesn’t seem surprised by the revelation. Lucca must have told her. Now that she has recovered her memories, she might shed some light on the mysterious Nightingale relic Elena possesses.
“She has the Taluah Mirror,” I say.
Vivienne widens her eyes as her spine goes taut. “She has one of them?”
“There are more?”
“Yes. Each court in Ellnesari had one. It allowed them to spy on the human realm without them having to leave their kingdoms.”
“Kind of like a big brother thing?” Karl says.
“Precisely. A Nightingale must have brought the mirror here, but how did it end up in Elena’s possession?”
“I don’t know.” I cross my arms. “Only that’s not good for us, especially if she’s indeed in cahoots with a demon.”
Lucca passes a hand over his face, standing from his chair. “If she’s a threat, we need to take care of her too.”
“The warlocks of Ivern have a plan,” I say.
“An absurd one. You’re not going to follow through with it, Rora.” Saxon tries to stare me down.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. I want to marry Calvin as much as I want to jump out of a plane without a parachute.”
“I’m so confused,” Vaughn pipes up. “Tell us again why you have to marry someone else if you’re mated to Saxon.”
“She’s not marrying anyone,” Saxon snarls.
A ringtone interrupts the tense conversation and I’m grateful for it. It turns out it’s Cheryl’s phone.
“Hello?” she answers.
Sadly, I don’t have super hearing, but a moment later, she frowns. More bad news coming our way, I bet.
“Who was it?” Ronan snaps, growing visibly tense.
I expect the feisty redhead to snarl back, but her expression is more somber than angry. “That was Jagger. He says we need to head to Ember Emporium right now if we want to avoid a disaster.”
“That’s all? He didn’t give any details?” Karl asks.
“No.”
“That sounds like a trap,” Saxon mutters. “Manu probably should stay here.”
“I’m not going to stay behind. I’m not a baby.”
“No, but until we hand Jacques over to the dragons, you’re still a target. It’s best if we don’t provoke the beasts with a short fuse,” Lucca argues.
I turn to Saxon. “You should stay behind too. You haven’t completely healed yet.”
The look of complete astonishment he gives me is almost comical, but I know it means he will fight me on it.
“You know I can’t stay behind. Besides, I’m feeling much better.”
Rikkon, who had been quiet the whole time, hisses loudly, and then shoves the heels of his palms against his eyes. “Fuck!”
“Ah, shit. Are you having another vision?” Saxon asks.
He doesn’t answer as he rests his head in his hands. Vivienne jumps to his side and begins to rub his back. “Talk to me, Rik.”
“Aargh! This hurts so much.”
“Did you see anything useful? Are the dragons planning an ambush?” Lucca asks eagerly, earning an annoyed glance from his girlfriend.
“Give him a minute,” she snaps.
“I see a great shadow covering the entire town … no, not shadow, more like a sentient black smoke. It has … red eyes.”
My blood turns ice cold in my veins. I haven’t seen anything quite like it, but that sounds like something from demonic origins. I can’t simply sit around and wait for Elena to show her hand. And since there most definitely won’t be any wedding happening, Ryker’s plan is pretty much garbage at this point. There’s only one thing left for me to do.
“You should head to Ember Emporium and see what the dragons want,” I sigh.
“What about Rikkon’s vision? Are we going to simply ignore it?” Vivienne asks.
“No. That sounds like something triggered by dark magic, which means it falls in my domain.”
“Bullshit, Rora. I know what you’re thinking. You’re not going to face off against that old hag alone,” Saxon retorts.
“I’m not going after Elena. There’s someone else I need to see, and I have to do it alone.”
“Who?” Cheryl asks.
“My mother.”
My heart is heavy as I drive to my old childhood home. I texted Miranda, asking if Mom was home. I could call her directly, but I’d like to have the element of surprise. But it’s not only the prospect of seeing my mother that’s making my chest tight with worry. Saxon went with his friends to Ember Emporium. The last time he faced a dragon, he almost died. And from what Cheryl told us, it didn’t sound like they were invited to a party.
I’m so torn. I wish I could have gone with Saxon, but I can’t postpone what I have to do. We might be running out of time. This conversation with my mother can’t wait until the morning, especially with Rikkon’s vision hanging over our heads. No one in town is equipped to deal with a demon besides the damn warlocks, and even so, just two of them might not be enough. I have to stop Elena at all costs before she unleashes what Rikkon saw in his vision. Even if there’s no solid proof that she’s behind that dark cloud, my gut is telling me she’s the villain.
When I park in front of my mother’s house, I’m taken over by jitters. My stomach is clenched tight and my heart has decided to run a marathon in my chest. I’m not only going to tell Mom about Elena, I’m going to come clean about everything, including my bond to Saxon. It’s damn stupid that I’m feeling so nervous. I’m a grown woman, for fuck’s sake.
I get out of the car before I lose my nerve, and march toward the front door with squared shoulders. In hindsight, I’ve always known that it would come to this. I was in denial land thinking that I could break my bond with Saxon. We were never meant to be a one-night stand, mating bond or not. I’ve never connected more deeply with anyone in my entire life, but my prejudice against vampires didn’t let me see what was right in front of me.
I still have the house key, but I opt for ringing the bell. A moment later, Niko opens the door sporting a Cheshire smile, and a glint of mischief in her dark eyes. I can’t possibly begin to imagine what she thinks she knows, unless Miranda opened her big mouth about Saxon.
“Oh, you’re in trouble.” She smirks before letting me through.
“When am I not in trouble these days?” I mumble under my breath.
“Is that Aurora?” my mother asks from the den.
“Yep. The prodigal daughter returns!” Niko laughs.
Miranda joins us in the entry foyer, and without missing a beat, hits Niko upside the head. “Stop being so gleeful, brat.”
“Ouch!” She rubs the sore spot, glowering at Miranda.
Niko has always taken advantage of being the youngest, and Miranda and I indulged her. We took turns pampering or protecting her from our mother’s tongue-lashings or punishments. Sometimes we even took the blame for something she did.
She’s the one who takes the most from our Japanese heritage, which is why she looks twelve instead of her actual age of fifteen, and also explains the reason we babied her so much. We couldn’t look at her adorable face and the puppy look she’s perfected without caving. That’s quickly changing these days.
Our mother stops in the hallway, glaring at me so hard I almost believe she’s hexing me somehow. There goes my chance to find out from Miranda what my mother knows. My guess is Calvin already went to the council to complain about me. Oh well. It saves me the trouble of telling the story from the beginning.
“I’d better go see what she wants,” I say.
Wordlessly, Mom turns on her heels, and heads to her office. It’s a move typical of Isadora Leal, so I follow, like she expects me to. The first thing one sees right as they enter her office is the oil portrait of my grandfather, Shiryu Takashi, one of the greatest mages of Japan. He came to Salem in an exchange program of sorts, where he met my grandmother, Sarina Meester. At the time, she was training to be the High Witch, and was kind of promised to another guy. But the stories say it was love at first sight, and since my grandfather was a badass mage, the council perceived him as a better match. So, my grandparents married for love, my parents married for love, and I’m expected to marry someone I hate. Only thinking about it renews my anger and motivation to come clean once and for all.
Already behind her desk, my mother links her fingers together, leaning her elbows on her desk. “I assume you’re here to explain how you’ve managed to make a mess of things.”
“You’ll have to be more specific than that. I’m not sure which screwup you’re referring to. There have been many.”
“Don’t even try to be a smartass with me.”
“I’m not trying to be anything. I legit want to know what you’re talking about. I assume it has to do with Calvin.”
“Of course it has to do with Calvin. He has officially petitioned the council to end your engagement, and to remove you from the line of succession on the grounds you’re associated with a Blueblood. Is that true, Aurora? Are you screwing around with a vampire?”
“I’m not screwing around with a vampire. I’m mated to one.”
There. I said it. I can’t believe how easy it was to utter those words out loud. But my confession seems to hang in the air, like a heavy cloud of doom. The blood drains from my mother’s face, and she seems frozen in a perpetual expression of apoplexy. Her jaw eventually slackens, but it seems she’s at loss for words. I stunned her into silence. That’s a first.
“You what?” She presses her open palms against the desk.
“Saxon and I are mates. It’s a done deal; it can’t be broken.”
“Bullshit, it can’t be broken. I won’t allow my daughter to shack up with a bloodsucker.”
“No, but you can serve his king no problem. Do you even hear yourself?”
“Do you think my rebuttal of your ‘bonding’ is linked to prejudice?”
“You can’t deny the magical community secretly loathes vampires. I never quite figured out why. Is it because they’re immortals? Stronger?”
She laughs without humor, shaking her head. “All of the above, but that’s not the reason I’m against your ridiculous union with that Blueblood. You can’t be a High Witch and be married to a vampire. The council will never allow it.”
“Why not?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Power. The High Witch has always been the council’s voice in King Raphael’s court, but her loyalty is first and foremost to the council, not the king. If you’re married to a vampire, your loyalty to us will be compromised.”
I’ve always suspected that, but I never put much thought into it because I never imagined I would fall in love with a vampire.
I lift my chin in defiance. “If you’re telling me I have to choose between being the High Witch and Saxon, I’m choosing him.”
Anger sweeps over my mother’s features. Even her eyeballs seem to twitch. “If you do that, if you walk away from your duties, then you’re no longer my daughter. I’ll strip you of your place in the council, and your training will cease immediately. You’ll be shunned, forced to live as a rogue for the rest of your life. Is that what you truly want?”
Fury makes my skin tingle and my face hot. My eyes prickle, but the tears forming aren’t of sadness, they’re angry tears. I’ve always known that would be the outcome of my decision, but I had secretly hoped my mother would understand me for once. Wishful thinking.
“If that’s the price to pay for being true to myself, then yes. A thousand times yes.”
“You don’t know what you’re doing.”
“No, I know exactly what I’m doing. Oh, and by the way, I had two reasons to come see you. To tell you that I’m done being your puppet, and also to warn you that Elena Montenegro has betrayed us all.”
“What nonsense are you talking about now? Elena Montenegro is a p
illar of the community.”
“She’s an evil, power-hungry witch who is most likely worshipping a demon. It was her idea to pair me up with Calvin, and you want to know why? Because the Belmonts possess the first grimoire and she covets that with a blind obsession.”
Her eyebrows arch, and the blood seems to drain from her face. “How do you know they have the first grimoire?”
“She told me on the evening she asked me to steal it for her.”
Mom’s lips become nothing but a thin, flat line as she keeps her intense stare glued to my face. I brace for her to call me a liar. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. I am, after all, a disgrace in her eyes.
“Do you have proof of that?” she asks tightly.
The shield I thought I had in place shatters like baked clay, and I feel the full impact of her question. My word should have been enough, damn it!
“No.”
I could have told her that the warlocks of Ivern are on to Elena, but maybe there’s a reason they haven’t approached my mother with their suspicions. And she doesn’t deserve my trust.
“Without proof, I can’t do anything.”
“Bullshit. You can investigate her yourself.”
“On the weight of your words?” She raises an eyebrow. “I don’t think so.”
I’m so frustrated, I could cry. But I won’t. Not in front of her. “I wouldn’t lie about something so serious. You know me better than that.”
“That’s the problem, Aurora. I don’t know you. The daughter I raised would never, ever, get involved with a vampire.”
“You’re right. You don’t know me at all. If you did, you’d realize that I’m not a puppet who blindly follows rules. I’m not someone who puts duty above family and love. You can save yourself the trouble of shunning me out of the coven, of your life. I’m walking out of my own free will.”
Squaring my shoulders, I head for the door.
Wild Thing: A Vampire Paranormal Romance (Blueblood Vampires Book 2) Page 23