Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2)

by May Freighter

  Two hands grasped her shoulders, and she was met with Andrew’s sour expression.

  “Alexander told me you might be here,” he explained. “Do you want to go in together?”

  “What about your meeting?” she asked, unable to believe he was there with her.

  He picked up the key card off the floor. “Alexander will take care of the investors.”

  “How kind of him…”

  Andrew took her hand in his larger one. She couldn’t stop staring at it as he swiped the card through the locking mechanism and the door clicked open. The sound was enough to instil dread in her. Regardless of what they were about to find, reality remained the same—two more people were dead.

  He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and pushed the door open to reveal a clean hallway. Nothing was out of the ordinary, and Helena’s knees nearly buckled under her.

  “I don’t hear anyone,” he said, entering.

  Helena stared at the spot where Alexander and Ben dumped the bodies. No blood. There was a strong smell of bleach in the air, but nothing she couldn’t cope with. Laura alone couldn’t have scrubbed the place on such short notice.

  “Have you tried calling her?” Andrew inquired, checking the unopened stack of mail on the floor.

  “I did. She didn’t take my call, so I left a voicemail. Do you want me to try again?”

  Andrew shook his head. “Although I can’t believe it, her parents were hunters. We can’t let them find us here or they’ll take their revenge.”

  “But, Laura—”

  The look in his eyes stopped her words from coming out. There was so much pain and sorrow reflected in them, she thought that at any given moment he would break down in front of her. She pressed her lips together and took his hand, leading him out of the apartment. One glance at her phone told her the time. There was no need to stay there anymore. She had her answer—Laura had collected the bodies.

  “Where are we going?” he asked.

  “To see your parents. It’s eight. They should be home by now.”

  Andrew stopped in his tracks, and she was unable to progress further.

  She gave him the best reassuring smile she could conjure. “I’ll be there with you, Andrew. That’s what friends are for, right?”

  “You do realise that I see you as something more than a friend,” he countered.

  Andrew clutched her hand tighter and pulled her into an embrace. His steel-like arms pressed her to his chest. The soft material of his white shirt brushed her face, and she fought to free herself.

  “Helena, please, let me stay like this for a bit.” His heartbroken words made her give in to his request.

  This was different to the time he held her in the apartment before he was turned. His body heat was gone, and she couldn’t find the racing heartbeat under her cheek anymore. For some reason, Andrew didn’t make her heart pound the same way Lucious did. Regardless if the need for closeness with Lucious was due to the soul-bond they shared, this simply felt empty.

  “Andrew, please let go. We should head off.”

  When she glanced up, chilled lips collided with hers. Andrew’s tongue entered her mouth, and she was too shocked to move.

  19

  Seeking Danger

  Stunned from the tender kiss, Helena found her mind to be a complete blank until he withdrew.

  “Did you feel anything?” he asked, hope reflecting in his forest-green eyes.

  A pang of guilt stung her chest as she lowered her gaze. There was no spark, no fireworks flying, and no excitement coursing through her.

  “I get it, Helena,” he said, causing her to look up. “I am sorry I did that. I thought we could try to get back the time we’ve lost.”

  “Andrew, we can’t turn the clock back. Too many things have happened. Right now, I’m not sure if I want a relationship.”

  He took her hand and headed to the lift. The silence was comforting as they descended and soon arrived in the car park. Andrew opened the door of his black Lexus for her, and she struggled to keep her mouth from hanging open at the cream leather interior.

  How much money did Alexander give him? She must have voiced her thought because once he got in the driver’s seat, he smirked.

  “Alexander didn’t give me anything. Oddly enough, he teaches business better than my dad and, after my first three deals in New York went well, I got myself an RC F.” He lovingly stroked the steering wheel. “It was the only car that looked exceedingly happy to see me.”

  “You mean the giant grill on the front?”

  “Yeah, it looks like it’s desperately trying to suppress a grin,” he said, reversing out of the parking space.

  Ten minutes into the drive, Helena realised they weren’t heading for Alexander’s place. She turned to Andrew. “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  Helena rolled her eyes. She was beginning to dislike surprises. Since this was Andrew, there was no need to press him further. He would never hurt her, and he wasn’t after her soul.

  Instead of staring out the window, she turned on the radio. The radio host talked about some protest that took place in Dublin earlier that day. She didn’t care for the details. Changing the stations, she found one that played some music she identified as alternative rock.

  “Oh, I love that song,” Andrew said before she could change to another station. He started singing in an oddly mellifluous voice. “…if I only could, make a deal with God and get him to swap our places. Be running up that road, be running up that hill, be running up that building…”

  Helena listened to him and got used to the lyrics. By the end of the first chorus, she managed to grasp it and joined in on the second one.

  Once the song finished, Andrew shot her a beatific smile that warmed her heart. In that brief moment, he was the old Andrew—the same guy who made fun of her baggy attire and unladylike behaviour on a daily basis. She even missed the annoying nickname he and Laura used; maybe only a little.

  Andrew’s smile fell, and he focused on the road. “For a second there, I though you turned into an actual girl, Thorn.”

  She swatted his shoulder and let out a soft giggle. He knew her too well, and she was glad for it. “You know, if I was to take away your fancy suits and the expensive car, you’d be just a guy with a bad sense of humour.”

  He snorted. “I would be a good-looking guy with a bad sense of humour.”

  They both burst out laughing.

  Once their mirth died, Andrew increased the volume on the stereo, so they were shouting the lyrics to the next songs the rest of the way to their mysterious destination.

  Helena arched a brow at their secondary school’s front entrance. Her head snapped back and forth between it and Andrew’s pleased smirk.

  “We’re going back to school, Thorn. How about it?” Andrew undid his seatbelt.

  “What if we get caught?”

  Andrew shook his head and climbed out of the car. “Try living a little, Helena. When was the last time you’ve let loose and did something other than worry?”

  She considered his words and couldn’t refute the blatant truth. The day that came to mind was when they were moving into their apartment together. With the demon, the vampires, hunters, saints, and angels, she had forgotten what the word ‘fun’ meant.

  “Alright, but we’re not staying for long,” she mumbled, getting out of the car.

  Warm and humid air clung to her as she studied the maroon brick walls of the two-storey school. It seemed almost black in the shroud of the night. If it wasn’t for the street lamps dotted around the place, nothing but the white window frames would be visible.

  Her stomach gave a nervous jolt and, as if noticing her apprehension, Andrew took hold of her hand.

  They slowly crept to the metal gates that prevented outsiders from entering the school grounds at night. With a devilish smile, Andrew grasped her by the waist and hoisted her with ease.

  Panicked, she clung to the metal railing. She
swung her legs over and hopped down. When she checked on Andrew’s progress, she found him already landing next to her and gasped. It was strange seeing him use his vampire speed and strength. During their drive, he seemed so normal. She almost forgot he was a creature of the night.

  “Are you alright?” Andrew asked.

  Helena nodded. It was the high time she accepted he was no longer human.

  “Good, let’s go.” He walked to the security guard’s office.

  She opened her mouth to call him back and froze. They could end up in a Garda station for trespassing. Adding that to the list of things she was going through, she may as well become a hunter next year, since she had already killed two vampires.

  Helena ran after him to stop him, but she was too late.

  Alert registered on the guard’s wrinkled face. He stood from his seat and narrowed his eyes. “You’re not supposed to be in here, kids.”

  She arrived at Andrew’s side, and he approached the guard. Andrew’s eyes lit with a green glow, and the guard’s attention was drawn to it. Multiple times she had witnessed vampires controlling others and, this time, ants crawled beneath her skin.

  Andrew spoke in a calm, levelled tone. “Let us in.”

  The guard’s head bobbed as he grabbed the set of keys next to his half-empty bottle of beer.

  She pressed her lips together, hating the sight of Andrew doing this, but she knew that any distraction could lead to a worse outcome.

  The security guard unlocked the front door and let them pass.

  “Thank you. Now go back to your post and enjoy your beer,” Andrew added, and the man did as he was told without as much as a blink of an eye.

  Once they were inside of the dark hallway, she grasped Andrew’s arm, tugging on it. “What the hell was that? Is that how you see people now, as puppets to be manipulated?”

  The glow in his eyes dissipated, and they were both engulfed by the void. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking or what expression he wore. That nagging fear made her hand fall away.

  “Are you scared of me, Helena?”

  She looked at her feet, barely finding their outlines. “I don’t know.”

  He sighed. “Let’s get going.”

  Helena followed him. In the darkest corners of the familiar halls, he would gently take hold of her hand and guide her. Five minutes later, they arrived at the library—the core of their old school. Memories of the awful uniform she was forced to wear came back as well as the days she spent sitting by the window, reading a new book.

  Andrew flicked on the light switch. The fluorescent bulbs blinked before they came on and cast out the night.

  To her surprise, the library remained the same. The smell of worn books hung in the air along with the dust. She made a beeline for her favourite desk and sat in the plastic chair. Running her hands over the tabletop, the pads of her fingers brushed the pen indents made by other students who sat there before and after her. It was as if life itself was embedded in the surface of the table, displaying the time that passed and the people who existed.

  “I knew this would make you feel better,” he said softly. “When I first saw you, after my return from America, your eyes were almost hollow. I couldn’t stand to see the girl I like having such a haunted expression.”

  Her heart swelled and her emotions overflowed in the form of tears. “Thank you.”

  He sat in the seat two rows away with his chin on his palm.

  Helena swiped at the waterworks. He used to sit there during their free classes and would sometimes make the person in the middle pass notes to her. The bitter-sweet memories of her normal life were enough to make her miss the past more. No demons, no vampires, and no magic.

  “I used to watch you read your book from here for forty minutes. I sound like a creep, I know, but to me, you were more interesting than Jane Austen’s romances.”

  “So, you’re saying Jane Austen doesn’t measure up to me?”

  Andrew let out a chuckle. “Is that a sense of humour I detect? Have you been replaced by an alien while I was away?”

  Helena pinched her cheek and pulled at the skin, making a weird face. “Feels real enough to me.”

  In a blink of an eye, he squatted next to her chair. His gem-like eyes gazed at her as he cupped her cheek. His long fingers caressed her smooth skin. “You’re right, it does.”

  Helena swallowed hard. Uncertain as to what she should do, she pushed his hand away, spotting her bracelets. The amber stones had almost reached their limit.

  “We should go back.” She stood, knocking his hand away.

  Andrew’s expression betrayed his disappointment, but he smiled nonetheless. “I’ll take you back to Alexander’s.”

  She was about to agree when her stomach chose to announce how empty it had become. She eyed the offending area, and a blush inched up her cheeks.

  “Hungry?” Andrew asked, attempting to stifle a smile.

  Thinking it would be more embarrassing to hide under the desk next to her, she said, “Very.”

  “Let’s get some dinner first,” he said and sauntered towards the door.

  Helena, once again, fought the urge to call out to him and tell him it was best to return sooner. At her stomach’s unpleasant growl, the thoughts of Alexander’s refrigerated bananas and a possible demon possession over a proper meal weren’t enough to make her hasten their trip back.

  Helena bit into her pizza slice like a starving lion. She couldn’t remember when food had tasted so good. It almost reduced her to tears. Simple things in life really do matter. Realising her unladylike behaviour, she stole a peek at Andrew from under her lashes and noticed him staring.

  She swallowed the lump of food in her mouth and took the glass of cola to help wash it down. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

  Andrew sat back in his seat and quirked a brow. It took a full three seconds for her brain to put the pieces together, and she muttered an apology.

  “There’s no need to be sorry. We can eat solids. Alexander said the acidic concentration in our stomach can dissolve bone, but we prefer not to since it’s a painful process.”

  His words made her think of Lucious who so happily ate her mother’s cooking and didn’t complain once about his discomfort. She frowned. Why didn’t he say he wasn’t hungry?

  “Are you thinking about him again?”

  Helena was stunned he knew exactly what was going through her head for about the dozenth time that day. “How?”

  “I don’t have to know you well to read your face. Every one of your thoughts pops up like a neon sign. Plus, when I see you frowning or worried, it’s usually got to do with him.”

  “I don’t always frown when I think about Lucious!” she complained, drawing curious glances from the nearby patrons.

  “Alright. Give me a time you were remembering him with a smile on your face.”

  She bit into her pizza slice, giving herself more time to assemble her answer. There hadn’t been a time when she wasn’t concerned about Lucious. While hanging out with Andrew brought out her cheerful nature, being with Lucious summoned forth strange possessiveness she didn’t know she had.

  She sighed and looked at him in defeat. “You’ve made your point.”

  “I’m not sure you understood it the way I wanted you to.” He sipped his coffee.

  “How about we change the subject to something else?” She lowered her voice after scanning the occupied tables around her. Everyone was busy nattering about their workday. “How did you overcome your thirst so fast? It took Lucious two years to do it. How did you manage it?”

  “Honestly?”

  She mumbled a ‘yes’ and kept on devouring her food.

  “I don’t know. Alexander says I have an abnormally strong will, whatever that means. He’s still looking into it for me. I’ll tell you more once I find anything out.” He finished his drink and pushed the cup away. “My turn. You’ve spent the night with Lucious, I can’t change that. But, do you love him?”

>   The food she was eating took the wrong turn. She coughed, swatting at her chest until the piece of pizza resumed the correct path. Grating pain formed in her throat. She downed her drink, avoiding eye contact with her dinner partner.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  Helena forced a smile and pushed the rest of her pizza away. She wasn’t about to risk choking a second time.

  “Good, now you can answer my question.”

  She scowled at him. “Do I have to?”

  Andrew leant in, resting his elbows on the table. “I wasn’t joking when I said I’ll be by your side from now on. Be it as a friend or more that’s your choice. But, I would like to know where I stand. Wouldn’t you?”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry.” She reclined, creating more distance between them.

  She was trapped and vulnerable to his piercing eyes that seemed to read her every twitch. Was he always like this? I guess, he really did change. Andrew was no longer just her best friend. He was a man. The black shirt he wore hugged his toned arms and chest that seemed wider than she remembered. His collarbone peeked out from the gap where he left the top two buttons undone. She couldn’t deny it, he was handsome. His lips were full, eyes the colour of freshly cut emeralds and the emotion reflected in them was unmistakably love.

  Could she hurt him by telling him the answer she knew he feared? Helena wished the seat she sat on had an eject button so she could escape this situation or, at least, leave it until later. With the unpredictable direction her life was taking, she had to stop running and face things head-on.

  She balled her hands in her lap and looked Andrew in the eye. “I can’t explain it. The bond we share, the feelings, everything.” She shook her head. “No. I’m running away.” Her nails dug into her palms, informing her this situation was real. “I love him,” she whispered, knowing it was enough for him to hear.