"It will be fine, azizam," he said and she managed a tight smile. She didn't know if he was referring to her missing brother or his failure to claim her.
***
Karim looked out the window, watching the trees fly by while Celeste navigated in the darkness. Celeste relaxed more as they cleared the trees and eased onto a blacktopped road that seemed to spring up out of nowhere. Path lights set in the ground on either side of the narrow road illuminated their route and he could make out a guard shack and a large stone fence fitted with searchlights, in the distance.
They rolled past the guard shack, the wrought iron gate open even before they approached the small hut on the edge of the property. They sailed past a helicopter pad and what felt like three miles of immaculate lawns before reaching the circular driveway at the front of the house. House was an understatement; it was a neo-gothic chateau that looked as if it belonged in a fairy tale. There were balconies on the second and third floors that wrapped around the perimeter of the building and at least six chimneys that he could see. All it needed was a princess locked in one of those turret towers, gazing longingly at the horizon.
He caught Celeste's hand and looked at her for a moment. She was wearing a threadbare t-shirt and dark denim jeans that had seen better days and a pair of beat up old Chuck Taylor Converse sneakers. He supposed she was the princess, even though she looked more tomboy than damsel in distress. She ran a nervous hand over her ponytail and chewed her bottom lip, a nervous habit he'd noticed.
"Understated,” he said and she smiled.
"It's Castle De Noe, built in the 17th century in Perche. Arbor loved it so much when we lived in France that Jonas had it moved here, brick by brick. I know it's a monster, but it's been home for four hundred years." He nodded and followed her up the stone steps to the ornately carved double wooden doors.
"Are you sure they didn't just lose Remy in the house somewhere?" he asked and she laughed. It was the first chuckle he'd gotten out of her in a few hours. The sound lifted his mood a little, making it easier to face her family and whatever was happening now.
Before she could touch the handle to let herself in, the heavy wooden door was opened by a man who looked as if he could have been anywhere between sixty and ninety years old. He was tall, standing with a straight back, his white hair neat and brushed away from a slightly wrinkled face that could only be described as aristocratic. He wore a black morning suit, complete with a gold double-breasted vest and black and gold polka dotted necktie. When he saw Celeste, his colorless eyes lit up and he looked younger.
"Madam, you're here. Thank the gods," he said and she smiled, releasing Karim's hand long enough to embrace the older man. Karim stared at him and realized that he wasn't a man, he was fae. He looked human, except for the slightly pointed ears and fangs, which weren't demonic, vampiric or even divine like Celeste's. Yet, he was definitely fae, which kind Karim had no idea, some sort of faery he assumed, but fae nonetheless. And very devoted to Celeste.
"Good to see you too, Frederick," she said. "This is Karim, Karim -Frederick. Frederick is a Hugtandalf. He takes care of us all."
Karim's brow rose. A Hugtandalf was a Danish elf, they didn't age and they held a great deal of magic, but no one had ever known how they harnessed or manifested that power. They were a secretive bunch and rarely moved beyond their small villages in the countryside of Denmark.
"Where is everyone?" Celeste crossed the threshold into the two-story foyer, Karim on her heels.
"They are in the sitting room, madam. And they have that...creature with them." He made a face, his eyes darting left and right as if he were afraid someone might sneak up behind him. "That demoness," he whispered and she nodded.
Karim followed her, his fingers linked with hers through the foyer. He stared up at the massive chandelier that glittered against the gold leaf ceiling, complete with sculpted cherubs in the molding. The floors were imported marble; the staircase had beautifully handcrafted ivory banisters, which matched the cream colored marble of the steps. The walls were painted in warm hues of gold, cream and brown. He could smell the magic in this place, it reeked of it. No wonder Celeste had been trusted with the Kents, this place was like a military strong hold. She had spent her last few years in a virtual fortress.
Frederick led them into the sitting room, bowing as he left as quickly and as quietly as he'd come. The golden room was cool, lit by soft amber light. There were soft beige rugs on the marble floors and a bright red chenille sofa and love seat. There were red Queen Anne chairs facing the dormant fireplace and an antique chess set that was rarely used anymore. Photos and art work filled the room along with the scent of fresh summer flowers that had been brought in from the garden. Celeste gave Karim a gentle tug forward, and he followed her, his eyes scanning the faces in the room.
When she entered, each of her family members were in quiet conversation with one another and paid no attention to the new arrivals. Jonas sat with his arm around Arbor, who looked tired and worried, but no worse for wear. She was Arbor Kent after all. Other than tired eyes, she was just as radiant as ever. Jonas looked haggard; the grey at his temples had spread, peppering his dark hair with stands of silver. Lisette and Gaston sat opposite their parents in matching armchairs. Gaston had a cool detached look about him, but then he always looked that way. They only thing to hint at his worry was the fact that for once, he wasn't in a suit. Instead, Gaston wore blue jeans and a polo shirt. She hadn't even known her older brother owned a pair of jeans. And sneakers, he was wearing a pair of Air Jordan sneakers. Did he even know who Michael Jordan was? Hell, did he even watch basketball, she wondered.
Lisette was sitting with a glass of red wine in her hand, her eyes on the person sitting in the shadows of the room away from the rest of the family. Celeste followed her line of vision and saw her then, Lilith. She was dressed in a full white skirt and bright green halter, her hair brushed away from her pale face in sweeping waves, and Celeste thought something about her appearance was off. She wasn't sure what it was, but there was a definite oddity to her already bizarre appearance. Karim's fingers tightened on her hand and without looking at him, she knew he'd spotted her as well. She had her eyes down, as if she were afraid to meet Lisette's eyes, not that she could blame her. Lisette had a withering stare that made blood run cold.
"Oh thank the gods, Celeste." Arbor was on her feet and coming towards them, her face spreading into a radiant smile. She looked better already, Celeste thought releasing Karim's hand so she could embrace her mother. Jonas stood and ran a hand over his hair, his smile tight and tired. They each hugged her, Gaston lifting her off her feet in a bear hug, before greeting Karim. Lisette stood back staring at them, her eyes narrowing before a sly smirk tilted the corners of full pink lips. Karim recaptured her hand, his eyes on Celeste who let the remaining tension in her body drift away. It was as if his touch had soothed her. Lisette saw it, Lisette saw everything.
She gave Celeste a nearly imperceptible nod of approval. Before tilting her head toward the demon. She was standing now, just behind the sofa, her white eyes boring into Celeste as if she were trying to memorize her face.
"You've met Lilith I take it? She’s become Arbor's shadow over the past couple of weeks." Lisette reclaimed her seat, watching Lilith come forward, her tiny white hand outstretched in greeting and her lips parted in a predatory smile.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Caelestis. We didn't get a chance at the Collective. I've heard so much about you. Arbor speaks of you so often I feel as if I know you already,” she spoke in a husky rushed voice. It wasn't what Celeste expected from her. She expected something light, flirty and if she were honest a little ditzy, not so deep and sultry. Celeste didn't take her hand; instead she just stared at her, her face blank. Lilith lowered her hand, her smile faltering a little.
"Karim." She nodded toward him and he returned the gesture, his face a stony mask of indifference.
"Tea, madam." Frederick was at Celeste's side ho
lding a tray laden with Arbor's silver tea service. Lilith and Karim jumped, but no one else seemed to notice that the butler had appeared out of thin air. He gave Celeste a wink before placing the tray on the coffee table. Looking for something to do, Lilith moved with him, pouring tea for Arbor and Jonas.
"So," Celeste and Karim claimed the leather love seat opposite the fireplace as their own. "What is happening with Remy?" She refused the cup of tea Lilith held out for her, her eyes on Arbor who sipped from her cup and made a face.
"Sorry, I forgot the honey," Lilith said meekly, holding a small bowl and a honey dipper over Arbor's cup. She finished and gathered her own cup of tea before perching on the arm of the sofa. She reminded Celeste of a parrot resting on Arbor's shoulder, ready to swoop down and serve whatever need Arbor might have.
"We can't find him," Gaston sighed. "No one has seen or heard from him for weeks now."
"Did you check his apartment?" Celeste asked.
"Of course we did. I even asked the concierge to call me if he made an appearance, but nothing. And of course we can't get Nicky on the phone. So he's missing too." Arbor held her tea-cup up to her lips, then brought it back to her lap. Celeste watched Lilith's eyes follow the delicate china cup with interest and she found it unsettling.
"Nicky isn't missing," Celeste said distractedly. "He's on tour. Remember I told you he would be in Japan for a few weeks."
"You were also supposed to go with him. Why didn't you?" Arbor asked her eyes moving from Celeste to Karim then back again. She knew the answer to that question, Celeste could feel it, she could just about make out her murky thoughts. Arbor's mind was not as closed as everyone else's.
"We had a disagreement. And now he won't return my calls," Celeste mumbled.
"About him." Arbor nodded towards Karim.
They both nodded.
Arbor thought about that, her mind running through several scenarios that Celeste had a hard time tracking. Arbor had an erratic way of thinking; her train of thought seemed to run through six or seven things, none of which connected to the other. Listening to her thoughts was like trying to capture chunks of air with a butterfly net, Celeste thought. She stared at Karim and sighed, her mind seeming to wind down to focus on the most prominent thoughts. Remy was missing and needed to be found, and Nicky was family. And Celeste was the key to them all.
"Can you still track him? Nicky I mean? Since you've fed from him?" Jonas was saying, but another voice had invaded Celeste's mind. It was clear, strong and focused, so loud it was almost as if she'd thought it herself. It was repeating over and over, a relentless mantra of one sentence, the noise slicing through her brain making her eyes blur. The sudden invasion ignited the pain in her neck, sending waves of shooting pain from the back of her head to her brow.
Drink the tea, and it'll be fine. Drink the tea and it will all be fine. Drink the tea, drink the tea, drink the tea. She could hear the words and wasn't sure if they were being said out loud or just echoing in her head. Suddenly, there were more voices, more thoughts. Some of them were clear, as if several conversations were going on right in this room; others were as if they were speaking under water, but they were all ear-piercing. Someone was touching her, she was aware of that, but not who the hand belonged to. She could see someone coming close then she was looking up at them. Had she fallen on the floor? She wondered as the world axis was tilted. She could taste blood, thick sweet and somewhat metallic filling her mouth.
There was movement in the room, faces blurring until they were nothing more than faded images of her family. She turned, not hearing but feeling that Karim was stirring beside her. She turned to face him and was blinded by pain. She couldn't hear anything other than the voice, worried and strained ringing in her head, the pain in her neck burning, twisting into the base of her spine. She blinked trying to reclaim her vision, but everything was coated in a haze of red. Karim was standing over her, his eyes wide and his mouth moving, but there was no sound, only that voice that was so loud, so close that it could have been her own but wasn't.
The tea, the tea, drink the tea, it'll all be fine drink the tea, the tea the tea. Then everything was dark.
***
Celeste had tensed next to him, her eyes glassy, and she was mumbling. He looked at Arbor who had just placed her empty tea cup on the tray when Celeste's nose began to bleed and her body convulsed.
"CeCe?" Lisette was on her feet, the closet to her sister, she closed the space between them in one step. Karim grasped Celeste's head, trying to get her to focus, but she stared blankly at him, her brow furrowed.
"What's happening?" Arbor was nearly hysterical and Jonas was moving across the room. Karim couldn't answer; all he could do was look at her, his heart hammering in his chest. He thought he'd been scared with Celeste driving like a maniac but that paled in comparison to the white hot terror that gripped him now.
"Celeste, azizam, look at me. Calie, focus. Calie." She didn't respond, her body going limp in his arms. He was trying to hold her but she wilted off of the love seat and onto the rug, her eyes darting rapidly from side to side though she wasn't seeing anything.
"What's happening?" Arbor was asking. "What's wrong with her?" Karim shrugged, his eyes never straying from Celeste, whose eyes had taken on a washed out watery look. She groaned as if she were in pain, clutching his arms as she tried to say something. He was speaking but he didn't think she could hear him. He stroked her hair, and tried to calm her as much as he was trying to calm himself. His body had broken out in a cold sweat and his own breathing was labored as he tried to tamper down his rising panic.
"Love, look at me. You're going to be okay," he was saying when a second series of convulsions began. This time her body thrashed violently, her legs kicking the coffee table over and sending the tea service scattering across the room. Karim vaguely remembered someone yelling and he could feel Arbor drop to her knees beside him, her hands on Celeste's chest. There was a flurry of movement and sound, but all he could focus on was Celeste who lay helplessly on the floor.
"The tea!TheTea!The Tea!The Tea!!!Tea tea tea teateateateatea!!!" Celeste screamed in a voice that wasn't hers. It was hoarse, guttural, almost demonic, sending a chill through the room and pausing Lisette and Arbor in their advance. Tears slid from her eyes, and she reached out, blindly searching. Karim grasped her fingers, bringing them to his lips. She arched her back, her body bowing as she struggled to breath.
"Celeste." She was making choking noises, as if she couldn't get air into her lungs. Karim's eyes filled with tears, his heart racing as he realized that she wasn't moving, and there was no rise and fall of her chest. He leaned closer, listening for breath but there was nothing.
"Celeste?" He gave her a gentle shake, but she remained still, limp her heart beat slowing.
"She's not breathing," he said, pressing on her chest. "She's not breathing!” There was more movement, more people in the room suddenly crowding the space and she was being taken from him and lifted into thin arms clad in a dark morning suit. He watched in stunned silence as Frederick held Celeste against his chest with one arm, her limbs dangling limply. She looked like a full sized rag doll, swaying in his thin arms. Frederick held her face, opening her mouth with slim elegant fingers, his mouth hovering above hers. It looked as if he were going to kiss her and Karim felt irrational rage burn through him. Arbor placed a hand on his arm and he settled.
Frederick didn't kiss her, instead he exhaled, breathing a mist, pale and glowing, into Celeste's waiting mouth. Everyone in the room stilled, waiting for something, anything, to happen. She suddenly inhaled, a great gulping gasp, followed by a series of coughs. Frederick whispered something in a language Karim did not understand, and her breathing leveled, her body still. He looked at Arbor who still held his biceps in a death grip, and she relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief, easing the tension in the room. Frederick lifted Celeste's taxed and wearied body into his arms, cradling her like a child against his chest.
"She will b
e fine, she must rest. She will also need to feed quite a bit. I will take her up to her bedroom, madam," Frederick spoke to Arbor, who'd gone pale. She nodded and he left the room, Celeste's lethargic but breathing body, in his arms. They remained still for a while, just collecting themselves after the chaos
"What was that?" Lisette breathed, clutching her throat.
"Has she ever done that before?" Arbor asked Karim and he shook his head numbly.
"No, she has the occasional nightmare and a few dreams, but nothing like that. Never that," he said. Lilith moved, slowly righting the overturned coffee table. Her movements were tentative as if she were trying not to be seen, her blood red eyes matching the vivid color of her hair. Karim turned to look at her, his fangs extended and his eyes glowing a deep hunter green.
"You!” he bit, trying to contain his growing fury. "What did you do?" Arbor tried in vain to hold him back, but his rage had taken control. Gaston and Jonas blocked his path, their hands held up in an effort to slow his charge, but Karim was much stronger than even the two of them. He easily pushed them aside, aware enough not to harm them, knowing he could cut through them if he wanted, he was one of the Seven, an original vampire prince. There were very few creatures alive or dead that could tamp his anger.
Lilith stumbled backward, her irises bleeding from red to white, her lips trembling from sheer terror. She side stepped a chair, her hands searching blindly for some sort of protection. She had learned from their last meeting that her magic had no effect on Karim; without someone intervening, there was no stopping him.
He grasped her upper arms, lifting her into the air, turning over tables and chairs, making her lose a shoe before slamming her body against the wall hard enough to dislodge art and photographs. Several crashed to the ground, glass shattering and spreading across the marble floor like chunks of ice. He was cursing her in his native tongue, the words foreign to her but she knew a curse when she heard one, no matter the language.
Mark of the Fallen: A Fallen Novel Page 21