Upon Waking (Youngling Series)

by Ashley Mason

  “Tessa.” Harper caught her arm in a death grab and swung her behind him, Penny following the same trajectory shortly after. Tessa stumbled but caught herself, glancing up at him in confusion. He was crouched in front of the girls, his teeth bared and a loud snarl tearing from his throat. Nira still stood about twenty feet away, her hands clasped behind her back and a small smile on her face. She did not look like a girl that had just been kidnapped against her will and tied up in the middle of nowhere to have only God-knew-what done to her. She looked almost smug…triumphant.

  The fire seemed almost to grow in leaps and bounds behind her, stretching her shadow out the edge of the clearing. Harper carefully guided Tessa and Penny around to keep out of its shade, sticking to the light from the fire. Nira remained facing the two of them, her dark hair flying in front of her to create a black halo around her face. Neither Harper nor Nira said a word, continuing just to stare and circle one another. Penny whimpered quietly, clutching tightly to Tessa's shoulder. She leaned forward, her mouth pushing up against Tessa's ear.

  “That’s the girl that tied me to the chair. Does Harper know her?” Tessa looked at her sharply then back at Nira, her eyes narrowing. So she wasn’t who she’d said she was. Then who the hell was she?

  “Tessa!” Everyone turned to watch Elijah stride into the clearing, still wearing the clothes from earlier in her apartment. Only this time there was what looked like a thick coil of leather looped through the belt. He’d pulled his hair back and tied it up with a scrap of leather, small pointed ears peeking out of the snowy white strands. He stopped an equal amount of distance from both Harper and Nira, staring at the dark haired girl like he knew her…like he knew her very well.

  “Glad to see you got my message, brother,” Harper muttered, sparing only a quick glance at his younger brother. Elijah said nothing, merely smiled at the small group of people to his right then focusing all of his attention on Nira who stared right back at him, grinning now.

  “Yes, I am also very happy to see you have arrived, brother.” Nira dipped her head and body in a mock curtsey and when she rose a gasp tore from both Tessa and Penny. Although Tessa had started to suspect the truth it was still a shock to see it.

  Gone were the dark curls and olive skin. Now, abundant waves of hair the color of freshly spilt blood fell to the girl’s petite waist, her eyes the same shade of luminous teal as Elijah’s. Her flesh shone like honey in the firelight and she had even grown a few inches in a matter of seconds. The only thing that remained of Nira was her necklace; the now polished silver of the triskelion shining at the dip in her throat, flashing in the light as if to mock Tessa for not having figured it out sooner.

  When Tessa finally looked up from the necklace she discovered Nira/Rowena was staring at her, chuckling softly to herself.

  “Don’t beat yourself up too badly, youngling. While my twin may have our mother’s looks, I possess the power she passed down. You couldn’t have recognized me unless I had wanted you to. Although, I must admit to being surprised that you didn’t figure out just a tiny bit sooner. I practically spoon fed you the truth earlier at the coffee shop. That bit about the triskelion and the shifters. I guess, perhaps, you are just not quite as smart as I had thought you might be. Not quite living up to your predecessor.”

  “Why are you doing this, Rowena? Tessa has done nothing to you.” Harper still stood in front of the girls and Elijah had yet to move from his spot. Tessa could see his fingers hovering over the leather at his waist though.

  “And you! You are the biggest idiot of all, big brother. All these centuries have passed and still…you have yet to guess at the truth.” She reached up and twirled a strand of hair around her hand, letting the curl slide through her fingers. Harper's shoulders went rigid, his posture straightening slowly as his fists curled at his sides.

  “Rowena, don’t,” Elijah warned, his voice suddenly raw with pain. His twin glanced at him then quickly back before taking a decisive step forward then another and another until she stood close enough to run her fingers down Harper's cheek. “Rowena-“

  “I killed her, Loki…my dear…dear Loki,’ she whispered, her nails slicing open the skin of his rough cheek as they slid further down. “Your darling Isobel…I had such a grand time feeding from her on that damnable ship. Besides…what else was I supposed to eat?” The silence that filled the air after her confession was thick with emotion, hatred and longing; but longing for what Tessa didn’t know. Rowena continued to stroke and slice at Harper's cheek, the skin quickly becoming raw and bloody; his body barely having enough time to heal itself between cuts. She couldn’t tell if it was her imagination but it seemed as though the color was slowly leeching from Harper's flesh, turning a pale and icy blue beneath the fae’s fingertips. From where she stood, Tessa couldn’t see all Harper's face but from the look on Elijah’s she knew it was only a matter of time before he either lost a brother, a twin, or both.

  It was a shorter wait than she had thought; seconds later, Harper snarled loud enough to drown out the sound of the blazing fire, leaping for his sister who was suddenly on the other side of the clearing, sitting high up on a tree branch. Tessa turned to Penny and told her to run, pushing her towards the edge of the clearing. Penny took off at a jog and disappeared around the nearest tree; Tessa could hear how fast her heart beat, oxygen tearing from her lungs as though she had just run a marathon instead of the short distance she had gone. She watched for a moment to make sure she was well hidden then took off for Elijah. Harper kept chasing after Rowena who continued to disappear and reappear across the meadow, just escaping his clutches. He leapt after her, covering the distance with a single leap, roaring in anger every time he reached her, only to have her disappear once more with a laugh. Harper's fingers dug into the bark of the trees, stripping it down to the bare wood, leaving deep gouges as he went.

  “Elijah, we have to do something. They’re going to kill each other!” He nodded in agreement, grabbing her upper arms in his gloved hands.

  “First, tell me that you’re all right.” His voice was hoarse and filled with worry, his eyes catching and holding hers for a long moment.

  “Of course,” she whispered, finally blinking and glancing down at his throat, watching the pulse there flutter quickly beneath his sweat damp skin. “ I’m fine. She hasn’t talked to me, let alone touched me.” He embraced her for a long moment, kissed the top of her head then released her. Tessa reached down and ran a finger over the leather coil at his waist. “What is it?”

  “A nice, heavy length of iron. Human story tellers don’t get much right but this they did. Cold iron and fae don’t get along well. If I can get it around her I should be able to subdue her and take care of this whole thing.”

  “So we need a plan.” At the word ‘we’ Elijah looked at her again and shook his head.

  “No, I need a plan. You need to leave.” Tessa crossed her arms over her stomach and put on her stubborn face. “Tessa-“

  “I am not leaving. Elijah, I can help-“ Elijah cut off her words by covering her mouth with his own, his fingertips digging into her upper arms so tightly that she knew it would leave marks. Until her body healed them in seconds at least. She thought briefly about fighting him, tearing into his lips and taking a deep drink of what she knew would be as different from drinking human blood as it would be to switch from orange to cranberry juice. But she took a moment to feel him, really feel him, and she knew this was different from any other time he had kissed her. His mouth was desperate and hard against her; Elijah was…afraid.

  After what seemed an eternity, Elijah pulled his mouth from Tessa's and their eyes met and she knew she was right. He was absolutely terrified…but of what? Losing her or one of his siblings?

  “All right, Elijah…I’ll stay back. Just…be careful, damn it.” The look of gratitude on his face was instantaneous and touched her cheek one last time before taking off after his sister.

  Elijah waited until his brother and sister were on the
other side of the clearing then leapt up into the nearest tree, swiftly climbing the thick branches till he judged himself to be nearly in the middle. He slid the length of leather wrapped iron from his belt and carefully unwrapped it, shoving the discarded material into one of the higher branches. He also grabbed a leather handled iron dagger from his boots, grasping it tightly in his right hand. It was only slightly longer than his hand from wrist to fingertip, the handle wrapped tightly in the thick leather once, twice, three times. The blade itself was thin and well-wrought, a waning crescent moon sketched into the dark iron. He handled it easily enough, the dagger in his right hand, chain in his left.

  It didn’t take long for Rowena to make her way once again around the circular clearing. Elijah knew from experience that this was one of her favorite games, a twisted version of keep-away. She knew that in his grief and rage, Harper wouldn’t give up until the sun rose and he began to tire, the dawn sapping his strength and endurance, making it impossible for him to catch her. She had played this game often enough as a child, before they had made for America. She had loved to steal their most precious of possessions then taunt them with it to goad the boys into chasing her. She had stopped the moment they had reached the shore so far from home. As if she had either tired of it and grown up or had, in her mind, played the ultimate game of keep away and had won, satisfying her until now.

  The moment she appeared on a branch below Elijah’s hiding spot he dropped silently, the iron sizzling as it made contact with Rowena’s skin. Rowena had been so distracted, trying to keep ahead of Harper that she hadn’t even noticed her older brother above her. She let out an ear piercing screech and lost her grip, dropping from the tree like so much dead weight. Elijah fell with her and rolled as he hit the ground, letting go of the iron chain as he did so. Rowena continued to scream, the sound echoing out into the night sky. Elijah stood up and brushed off his pants, joining Harper to stand before their sister.

  She glared up at them, finally managing to bite back her cries of pain but unable to keep her body from arching and writhing beneath the cold iron chain that lay atop her. She would be unable to remove it herself, knowing that it would merely burn into her palms if she tried to lift it herself. The only thing that allowed Elijah to wield it had been the thick leather gloves that covered his hands.

  “Tell me why, Rowena,” Harper growled, kneeling before her, careful to stay clear of her legs that had no length of chain around them. “What did Isobel ever do to you?”

  Rowena cackled loudly, her laughter laced with pain. “Did you know she was also pregnant? I took not only her life but the life of her unborn spawn too!” She spit in his face, the liquid tinged red with blood.

  “She’s lying, Harper. She’s only trying to bait you into killing her. Don’t give her that satisfaction.”

  “Don’t listen to him! I'm merely looking to finally come clean, to enlighten you about the demise of your beloved. You’ve always wanted to know, haven’t you?” Rowena grimaced and she struggled to prop herself up on one elbow, finally giving up and collapsing to the ground once more. “Don’t you want to know why she refused to change? To become like you, like us?”

  Harper's chest heaved as he struggled with his emotions, trying hard not to wrench Rowena’s head from her small shoulders. It would be so easy; just one good twist and a yank and off it would come. But he couldn’t do that, not to his sister, not to Elijah’s twin. “She wasn’t willing to risk her soul, I already know that, Rowena. Just…shut your mouth.”

  “Her soul? What soul? Adulterer’s are sinners, are they not?” Harper didn’t miss the flicker of her eyes to Elijah’s or the fear that filled Elijah’s face. His brother took a step forward and pointed the dagger at Rowena’s throat. There was a fine tremor in his hand, the blade shaking like a solitary leaf in a strong wind.

  “Don’t do it, Rowena…don’t-“

  “She was sleeping with Elijah the whole time, Loki and you didn’t even know it!” The clearing fell silent but for the sound of the fire that had finally started to die down. Rowena’s final sentence echoed through the trees a last time and then it was still. The three siblings stood, crouched, or laid where they were, each of their bodies rigid with awkwardness of the situation.

  Tessa heard the dying echo loud and clear but she found it hard to believe the words. She peeked out from her hiding place then slowly entered the clearing to stand close to the trio. She said nothing for what could she say in such a situation? She watched as Elijah tentatively reached out a hand to Harper's shoulder.

  “Brother-“ Harper shook the offending hand off and stood, his head bowed in defeat. Long seconds of deafening silence slowly ticked by; Harper staring at the ground, Elijah staring at Harper, and Rowena glaring at both of them as she lay incapacitated on the ground. With the speed of a striking snake, Harper's fist lashed out and connected with Elijah’s throat, the sickening crunch of a crushed windpipe echoing. Elijah flew backwards, crumpling at the base of a tree. Blood gurgled up his throat to dribble from his mouth, his hands wrapping around his throat as he struggled to breathe.

  Harper didn’t even spare a glance for him as he turned and made his way to Tessa. When finally he looked up his dark eyes held nothing but a blank, faraway gaze. He held out his hand and Tessa quickly glanced at Elijah, who was already starting to heal, his throat reforming beneath his touch. She straightened her shoulders and took the hand she was offered, the two of them saying nothing as they turned and left the clearing.

  Nothing at all was said on the drive home or when Harper dropped Penny off at the apartment. Tessa stayed in the car and he took off once more, heading for the now closed club. He let the two of them in through the back door and they made their way down the spiral stairs to his bedchamber below. It was just as she remembered except that she was now the only woman in there and the bed had been made.

  Still silent, Harper stripped off his clothes and boots and crawled into the large bed, slipping beneath the fresh cotton sheets. He rolled so his back was to her, his shoulders hunched up around his chin. Tessa stood and stared at him for a moment before making her decision. She quickly undressed, leaving her bra and underwear in place. He might be okay with the whole nudity thing but she wasn’t quite there as of it. Besides, she had a feeling this was going to be more of a comfort moment rather than anything else. And she was perfectly fine with that. There was plenty of time for more, if that was what Harper wanted.

  Tessa slid in behind Harper and gently laid her arm over his, their fingers lacing together. Things Tessa had never imagined possible had happened to her in the past couple of months and she still wasn’t quite sure where her new life was headed. But there was one thing she was now sure of.

  She would spend as much of her life as possible with this man before her. Because despite his ability to drive her insane and keep secrets, there was still something solidly human about him. And, Tessa knew that the human part of him loved her and she loved him back.

  That’s all that really mattered.

  Epilogue

  Harper had spent nearly a week abed until his hunger finally drove him to get up and get dressed. He still wasn’t on speaking terms to either Elijah or Rowena, whom Elijah had allowed to live. She was his twin after all and despite her having spilt his greatest secret, he hadn’t been able to find it in himself to plunge that cold iron into her heart. Harper avoided them at all cost, splitting his time between DK Hollow and Tessa's apartment. He refused to speak to her about Isobel, saying that he needed time to work through everything he had learned that night and what it meant for him.

  Tessa and Penny went about their business, Penny going to work every day and Tessa feeding regularly and watching after Harper. The only time he ever seemed to smile now was late at night as they would lay on her bed, talking softly about the things their future might hold. But she knew that he would be okay, given time. As for the situation between her and Elijah, as far as she was concerned there was nothing there anymore. She h
ad never really known him at all; what kind of person did what he had done with his own brother’s betrothed? So, until the brothers started talking again, Tessa had remained determined to not speak to Elijah, as well. And she, of course, avoided Rowena like the plague.

  So they all went on with their lives, divided as they were.

  It was nearly a month before their world came crashing down around them again. Harper and Tessa both received a text message from Elijah at the same time, saying that they needed to meet up immediately followed by the number 911; an emergency. Tessa reluctantly agreed to a time and place, Harper agreeing to join thought the last thing he wanted to do was see Elijah.

  They met the following day at the same coffee shop that Tessa had met Nira/Rowena at and was surprised when Elijah showed up with his twin in tow. Tessa stood up, nearly spilling her coffee as she jutted a finger in Rowena’s direction

  “What the hell, Elijah? Why would-“

  “Just settle down, youngling,” Rowena purred, sauntering up and pushing Tessa's hand down. “I only came along cause I'm the one that found it.” Reaching into her purse, she produced a crumpled up piece of paper with a large photocopied picture of Tessa on front of it. She recognized it as having been taken at her father’s birthday party the year before. Tessa's younger brother stood next to her, big matching grins on their faces as they posed for the camera.

  “That’s me…what the hell is it?” Tessa snatched the paper out of Rowena’s hand, scanning the words quickly before handing it off to Harper. “A made up missing person’s flier, really? Are you really so desperate, Rowena?”

  “This is dated three months ago, Tessa.” Harper pointed to the small print on the flier, to the exact date of the night she had been turned. “Rowena wasn’t here, remember? How would she know the date?”

  “Elijah could have-“

  “I didn’t tell her anything,” Elijah said softly, offering her a sincere half smile. “Believe me; I was as surprised as you. What are we going to do about this? I thought…” Elijah looked around the café then sat down and leaned in. “I thought that your parents were notified of your death. Didn’t they have a funeral and everything?”