Awakened (A Fairy Tales Novel)

by Melanie Walker

  “The fact that you know that... is terrifying.”

  She laughed because it was absolutely terrifying and the sooner he learned that the safer they would be. "So if Arianna is Little Mermaid and Al is obviously Aladdin, I can guess that Belle is Beauty and the Beast considering her being a Werewolf. Winter..." He looked at Bri light-heartedly. "Snow White?"

  She nodded. "Very good. How about Ashess? Give it a guess because there are hundreds of fairytales out there." Knowing Ash as well as Bri did she didn’t think that he would guess it.

  "Cinderella." He stated as a fact not in question.

  "How did you know?" She asked surprised. Cinderella was the most famous of the Disney fortune and also the most loving and forgiving of the human version. Those who knew Ash thought nine times out of ten she was a bitch. To even fathom the idea that she would have been a servant was absolutely shocking.

  "She told me a little about her past once. A while back when you and I were..." He let the sentence drop. "I needed her help for a friend of mine and we talked a little and after learning who you were and the bits and pieces of the girls and what I knew about Ash, it made sense though I never asked her about it."

  "Well to get back to the subject at hand Fangs, they all have been victims of Fil and his games. You will be no different."

  "You are going to have to trust me Bri. I know that we may not be on the friendliest of terms right now but I would never hurt you or let anyone or anything attempt to. Just like you there is more to me than meets the eye and if you can trust that I know what I'm doing then I may be able to save your royal ass."

  She nodded, as close to an agreement as he was going to get. He jerked his head in a single motion and with that they had made a silent agreement. "I won’t stand back and watch while you fight Fangs. I know how to fight and I have uncanny strength. Just because you haven’t seen that side of me doesn’t mean I am weak. If you can accept the fact that I am in this as deep as you want to go then we have a deal."

  Fangs stared her down for what was only a few seconds but felt like hours when he finally smiled. "Deal." He said and the look in his eyes spoke volumes and had promise of things Bri refused to think about.

  "We work together to get this over with. We gain your freedom and you can get a restful sleep."

  She nodded but said nothing. She wanted this drive of truth and emotion over with and silently bashed her father’s good name for forcing them to drive rather than fly. Had they flown they could have rented a car in Boise Idaho and driven the 100 miles to Ontario.

  "We drove because flying would have needed a larger cover up, fake names and identities, and then a rental car that would be extremely easy to track. This way we can fly under the radar."

  She looked at Fangs hiding her shock and wondering how in the hell he was able to read her mind.

  "Because you’re not blocking me now." He said quietly and Bri could hear the animosity though it was shadowed by his smugness at reading her loud and clear.

  Bri immediately wanted to throw up her guards and covered her scars with her hand knowing even as she felt the magic in her fingertips, that ice cold tingly feeling starting at the tips. She dropped the urge to hide and lowered her hand never having felt more exposed and the feeling worsened by Fangs presence. Even if she had received his forgiveness, had she been honest from the very beginning, Bri would have tried to hide the scars. She hated the scars and how she received them was a secret she would take to the grave no matter how it could hurt another. Some secrets were never meant to be told and that’s exactly what her secrets are.

  "Look," Fangs said after the moment of silence that she was giving and refusing to break. "Don’t waste your powers in an attempt to hide those from me. Without your shield up I can hear your thoughts and it's a small price to pay if you'll be stronger when the strength is needed." He looked at her then and the tension was palpable as his thumb stroked softly over one of the raised scars before taking his gaze back to the road. He cleared his throat. "They don’t bother me."

  "Well... they bother me." She said almost silently but realizing to late that he would have heard the truth had she said it or not. The truth being that she hated him seeing her in such a vulnerable state.

  *

  Chapter Nine

  By the time they made it to the hotel Fangs was on edge and Briar knew it had nothing to do with the long drive and everything to do with finding a vein so he could hang a fang. She had no desire to go and watch the feeding process of the man she loved while she fought the urge to kill the woman he chose. she knew what his bite would do, that the chemicals in his saliva would send the woman into an erotic fit of need, knew because she had watched it happen a thousand times before. The fact being this would be the first time she would see Fangs do it, knowing he had no tie to her any longer.

  Yay fun.

  They would be meeting with Delkon at sunset so she tried to tell herself that Fangs needed to feed, the stronger a Fangs the safer a Fangs. They had a little over an hour before sunrise and the closest feeding joint was at the local Denny's across the street from the hotel. Briar wouldn’t eat at Denny's no matter how hungry she was, the fact he would eat at Denny's, from a person who would eat at Denny's said that Fangs wasn’t a picky eater.

  “Look I’ll be in and out in about fifteen minutes.” Fangs said classically avoiding eye contact with Briar. “Maybe grab a bite to eat.”

  Briar laughed. “I’ll get some coffee or something, maybe saltines but I am not about to eat at Denny’s.”

  Fangs snorted. “Of course not what was I thinking.” He said and stalked toward the door. “Are you coming?” He asked over his shoulders not breaking his stride.

  He stopped at the door when he realized she wasn’t following him. Turning around he spoke in a calm but even tone. “Don’t choose this moment to pick a fight Bri.”

  Shocked she took a step forward. “I’m not, I just need to make a call and check in with Ash and the girls so they know we made it and see if they found anything on their end.”

  Fangs stalked forward and took her arm in his hand, his grip was strong but not painful not that it mattered to Bri. She hated being man handled, hated that after everything they had been through together, that he would think that now it was okay to demand and force her to do things his way. He had to know she would put up a fight.

  “Text them and let them know we made it. Had they found anything they would have called you. I need fifteen minutes Bri and then you can make all the damn phone calls you want.”

  Tugging her toward the door Bri dug her heels in and yanked her arm from his grip thinking she didn’t stand a shot in hell at breaking free of him and was shocked to see that she had an abundance of power she hadn’t tapped into for years. Fangs was not about to be taken down by a female, demon or not and moved faster than Bri’s eyes could follow. He wrapped an arm around her waist, his fingers digging into her hips.

  “If you don’t let me go Fangs-“ She threatened when his laugh cut her off.

  “You’ll what? Yell? Scream? I know, you will call daddy.” He began walking again and the son of a bitch didn’t even seem to mind that he was dragging a seven hundred year old demon, he even made it look like they were a couple. “Daddy is on my side remember Princess.”

  When all her options were weighed Briar did what she knew would get him to stop. She stopped fighting and relaxed her entire body until she was nothing but a hundred and twenty pounds of dead weight. Sure it was nothing to a Vampire to lift a woman of her weight but it would definitely cause a scene.

  He let her drop to the filthy truck-stop pavement and stood towering over her. “I am losing moonlight here Bri so decide how we do this because I will knock you out and stuff you in the back of my cruiser. You are not to leave my side and so help me I am not about to let you.”

  Briar wanted just a little respect, something Fangs was hell bent against giving her. But looking at herself as she sat on the cold oily gravel she had to a
dmit that this was a fight she would not win. She was making a fool of herself because Fangs wanted to make sure she was safe. And as badly as she wanted this to be about his grabbing her arm she knew it was simple jealousy. Briar didn’t want to see Fangs feeding off of a woman.

  Picking her battles she crawled off of the ground and started for the door not looking back to Fangs who followed at her heels and said nothing as she went to take a seat at the counter.

  Fangs caught the eye of a young waitress who by all accounts was attractive and wasted no time walking up and enchanting her into a stupor.

  It was less than ten seconds when the waitress took her break and stepped to a closed section of the restaurant with Fangs. He didn’t go far and Bri knew from where he was he would be able to hear her heartbeat and verify that she didn’t leave or that she was in any danger.

  At least he kept his promise to her that she wouldn’t be forced to watch it, though the way she was feeling now she couldn’t imagine that watching would be any worse. Knowing that the one you wanted was with another and they were doing things only you could dream of, well it made one…bat shit crazy.

  Briar sipped her stale coffee and emptied another four packets of sugar into the black tar and requested the server get her a few more creamers. Something seriously needed to fix this coffee and perhaps the overdose of sweetener and cream would do the trick. The coffee was a distraction one she welcomed to keep the raunchy images out of her head. All the old feelings for Fangs were surfacing. She could remember the feel of his touch, the lick of his tongue, the thrust of his hips when he entered her. She could remember the sounds he retched from her, the sinful depraved things he whispered against her flesh while he drove her crazy with want. She could remember with absolute painful clarity all the things that had once been hers, knowing he would freely give them to another without a moment’s hesitation.

  But most of all she wanted him at her vein, living off of her in the most primal of ways and because of the coward she was he was busy feeding off a woman who would might appreciate his mouth on her but would never remember when the deed was done.

  As her mind wandered dangerously down the path of dreams about Fangs she didn’t notice the man who took a seat right next to her, only when the overwhelming surge of power he brought with him made her shudder did she look at the man.

  Oh…

  *

  Fil was not about to let her get her greedy little hands on that fucking knife. Come hell or high water he would make certain that she was dead at his feet, contract and the Blessed knife be damned. He took a seat behind the great oak desk and reclined in the leather chair that his receptionist Becky told him would relieve the pressure in his spine. It wasn’t Becky’s fault that she didn’t know nothing would relieve the pressure in his spine unless he let the evil out to play.

  He never let the evil out.

  As a an Incubus demon he managed to kill without the help of his silent partner, that, and he was saving the evil inside for the day he had Briar at his feet before him. The bitch had finally managed to make him sweat, he could appreciate her insistence and how adamant she was about killing him. He was after all a demon and demons appreciated a good fight.

  But the knife was created by her father the Arch demon Gods’ sake, it was created to kill him. He created the damn things for his bastard daughter to ensure her freedom from Fil.

  He needed to summon her, feed from her and learn what she knew, how close she was. She had no idea that when he fed from her he could read her, that little secret he kept for himself. When they had been married all those years ago he had fed from her to ensure her loyalty. He knew the instant he fed from her after she took a swan dive off the castle walls that her father saved her, matured her demon abilities and was from that point on taking her side.

  How dare Ezek. Fil had been one of his most loyal demons, always showing him the respect he deserved and in return he assisted Briar in planning his death. Fil would watch them both die only after he kicked them while they were down.

  A knock on his office door broke him from his plotting as Tiny came in the room.

  “Hey Fil.” She said and took a seat across from him, slowly crossing her legs letting her silk skirt ride high up on her thigh. Tiny was a pixie and pixie’s were some of the most dangerous creatures on the planet. Mainly because their beauty stunned their victims and Tiny was no exception.

  Her long blonde hair felt over her shoulders, the ends curling in creating a beacon to her ample chest where the skin of a pixie was softest. Her green eyes were the color of shamrocks and her lips painted in the deepest of reds, blood red and she knew it was Fil’s favorite color.

  It took every fiber in his being to keep to a professional level. He was hiring the Pixie for a job, and not the blow job kind. “Tiny. Good to see you again so soon. I assumed it would have taken longer to get approval from your commander.”

  “Well Fil, don’t assume it makes an ass out of you and me.” She knew the joke was lame and that was why Fil smiled. She was proving a point. No matter what she said or did, it came from the lips of a seductress.

  “Your right.” Fil said straitening his black tie and smoothing a hand over the expensive silk. “So I venture a guess that you have an answer for me?” He asked. Fil wasn’t one for small talk. In the human world, as he was at the moment, he had a shitload of work to do. As a demon he had even more so getting to the point was always the object of his game.

  Tiny handed a manila folder to Fil and sat back to watch as he read the stipulations. She bit back her smile and watched the fury churn inside of the demon. “This is a joke and an insult Tiny.” He said calmly, his voice a complete fabrication to the emotions steaming from his giant frame.

  Tiny said nothing as her eyes traveled over Fil. He was classically handsome but that wasn’t a shocker. He had incubus blood in him and all it took was a drop to make the demons so handsome that the opposite sex would turn to putty at their touch. “That’s the deal take it or leave it.” She said smoothly, letting her fingers twirl in the ends of her hair, her fingertips dragging gently over the smooth mound of her breasts.

  Fil fought the need to fuck Tiny knowing it was all he could do. In the creation of fucking his life up royally, Ezek also made sure Fil couldn’t so much as touch Briar, let alone any other female. The Weaver was a fool to send his best asset in hopes she would succeed in seducing him. Fil was much smarter than that. “It’s a pile of shit this offer.” He said dropping the file on his desk and leaning back in the ergonomic chair.

  Tiny smiled, her shamrock eyes sparkling. “Well think it over Fil. You have shit in one hand and a murderous ex wife hunting you and the weapons in the other. Weigh it out and call us when you come up with a tangible solution.” Tiny stood to leave but stopped when a growl came from Fil.

  “Sit.” He said through clenched teeth. “I have a few stipulations of my own.” He reached for the quail pen and letter opener. He slit the tip of his finger with the letter opener and let the blood pool in the small ceramic glass on his desk. By signing in his blood the contract would be in effect and nothing could stop it. Demon contracts were as proof positive with a guarantee that the fates were jealous. There was no breaking a contract of this magnitude.

  “It states clearly that Briar is to not be injured, burnt, maimed, or killed in this contract and that is unacceptable to me. The bitch is after me and a weapon forged to kill me, I dare say I am more than justified in slaughtering her.” Fil dipped the quail pen in the blood and began making checkmarks along each stipulation in the contract that he wanted revised. Basically the whole damn thing.

  “Weaver will not allow that no matter what you bargain with. He rules with more pride than you have in your entire being. He will not allow her harmed.”

  “But he will allow me to be killed? After all the business I have sent his way?” Fil asked dubiously.

  “He makes no money off the business you send us. He has only accepted the cases you offered
as a favor between demons. This however…” Tiny stood and gathered her things because the conversation was over. Done. Fenito. “He will not yield.” She said dropping the sweet and sexy act and letting Fil see the real muscle she carried. Pixies were a terrifying breed and she knew he wouldn’t press further.

  “And if I had the one thing that Weaver wanted? Would he yield then?”

  Tiny stopped at the threshold but didn’t turn back. This was the one thing, she knew, that Weaver would in fact yield on. “What do you mean?” She asked her voice low and soft almost allowing the fear free.

  “If I gave him the rights to Briar? I will give him the rights to her soul, the only soul in the world that even Ezek cannot auction. I will turn her over to Weaver and it can become his responsibility to keep her safe from me. That is the new deal and I will not accept negotiations. If he accepts then I will not come after her until she has both the contract and the knife. After that...” He didn’t finish and let the sentence hang but Tiny didn’t need help figuring him out.