Andrew’s hand landed on her shoulder. She stole a peek at his pained face that morphed into a blank. “Don’t look so distressed, Thorn. You’ll get wrinkles.”
“Andrew…”
“I’m here for you, and I want you to know that. I don’t want to be the one who brings you tears and if that means I have to back off, I will. But, that doesn’t mean I can’t swoop in and take you away when he starts being anything less than a man of your dreams.”
Helena finished the rest of her meal in silence. Her hunger from before was gone, but she forced the food down, anyway.
As they left the pizzeria, his phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and answered. “Hey, Alexander, did the meeting go well?” Without looking, Andrew took her hand. It must have been a subconscious action because he seemed too engrossed in the conversation he was having. So, she didn’t bother protesting and followed him to the car that was waiting for them around the corner.
“What do you mean a saint is waiting for her?”
Helena tugged on his sleeve, and he paused. “Is Nadine with Alexander?”
Andrew moved the phone away from his mouth. “He said she’s dangerous. Is that true?”
“She’s never harmed me.”
“That doesn’t mean she won’t!”
Helena jerked her aching hand out of his crushing hold and cradled it with the other. “We have to get back.”
Andrew told Alexander that he’ll pass the information on and shoved the phone into the pocket of his trousers. “Are you seriously asking me to bring you to where the danger is?”
She crossed her arms, ignoring the pain in her hand. There was no way she was going to let anyone control where she went and who she met. The fact every vampire had done exactly that to date drove her up the wall. With her annoyance rising, she narrowed her eyes. “We need to get back, Andrew. She might know how I can kill the demon.”
“I thought it was sorted. You have the weapon. So, the next time he shows up, I’ll help you kill the bastard.”
“It’s not that simple. Angels and demons are not physically present in our realm,” she explained. Although, she still couldn’t figure out how Lazarus showed up when he changed her soul-string’s colour. Since he hadn’t appeared like that every time had to mean it was a rare occurrence.
Andrew ran his hand over his face and let out a curse. “Are you sure she won’t do anything?”
“Yes,” she lied and held her ground. She knew if she made any wrong movements or broke their eye contact, he would drag her somewhere safe, keeping her there until the danger passed.
“Alright. Let’s get going.”
When the steel doors of the lift slid open to reveal Alexander’s apartment, Helena’s breath hitched. Over a dozen people were walking around the room with strange devices in their hands and large headphones covering their ears. She raised a questioning brow to an equally confused Andrew.
Alexander emerged from the mass of people in black suits. On his approach, Helena asked, “Are you filming a crime drama here?”
He checked his watch and studied Andrew, obviously disregarding her previous question. “Stay here and watch them sweep the place for bugs. I don’t trust those hunters. I’ll take her with me to see the saint.”
“I’m coming, too,” Andrew protested.
“I don’t believe that’ll be necessary,” Alexander replied.
As always, everyone was ignoring what she wanted and did as they pleased. With a disgruntled mumble, she brushed past them and headed for her room.
“Where are you going?” both of them asked at the same time, and she could swear they sounded almost identical.
She lifted her hand into the air, jingling the stones around her wrist. “To cleanse my bracelets while you two decide on who’s going to babysit me.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Alexander said.
Helena shot him a withering look and entered her room. She rummaged through her duffel bag, retrieving the plastic sandwich bag into which she had dumped the blessed salts. Once the bracelets were off, she dropped them inside. Dark tendrils streamed out of the amber stones. They sought her fingers and vanished. She struggled to keep hold of the bag, not wanting to have Lazarus’ energy clinging to her like a disease.
The beautiful sunset colour returned to the stones, and she slipped the bracelets back on.
Outside of her room, Alexander had his back resting on the opposite wall. “What took you so long?”
Helena bit back a snide remark and prayed for patience with this infuriating man. “Take me to Nadine, Alexander.”
He pushed away from the wall. “I’m contemplating whether or not to bring the hunters with us. They may be a good distraction for the saint to prevent her from turning my staff into badly burned toast.”
“No. Maya’s healing, and Ben needs to look after her. I don’t think Nadine came here to attack anyone unless you aggravate her. Let me talk to her first,” Helena said, her confidence returning.
Alexander’s dark brows drifted together into an almost pained expression. “As much as I despise it, it is my job to keep you alive. Isn’t it logical to have measures in place to prevent a disaster?”
“I know you don’t care about what I think but could you, this once, trust me on this?”
They stood there like two gladiators in a Colosseum, assessing each other before the fight in search of any weak spots.
Alexander’s lips pressed into a tight line. She could see it was hard for him to do, but he gave a nod and started walking.
Taking this as her first minor victory, she ran after him, fighting a smile. It won’t be easy, yet, one day, she would get him to trust her. If Andrew managed to earn his trust, she could, too—eventually. Not exactly the lifetime goal she ever thought she would have when she first came in contact with him. But, since Andrew respected him and, Lucious was his good friend, it would be foolish of her to keep fighting that vampire. He had helped her out a lot and rubbed it in like salt into a raw wound.
They took the lift to the second floor where Alexander led the way through a series of curving corridors to an office-like area. The sign on the door read, ‘Boardroom’ and he pushed the door open for her.
“Ladies first,” he said.
Helena couldn’t tell if he was mocking her or not. She spied Nadine, sitting alone at a giant round table that dwarfed her delicate frame.
Nadine lifted her gaze from her journal and stashed it into her bag. She shot Helena a tired smile. “You’re here.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry it took so long.” Helena edged around the table. She settled into a leather seat next to Nadine and studied Alexander as he watched the saint with a predator-like gaze.
“Leave, vampire. This matter is between Helena and I,” Nadine said with venom in her voice.
“I cannot be certain you will not roast her when I turn my back, so I will have to decline your kind offer.”
Helena shook her head. This was going nowhere. She recognised Alexander’s worry, but she knew Nadine wasn’t here to hurt her. Torn between what she should say, she was saved by Alexander’s phone going off.
His eyes settled on the smooth screen, and he shot Helena a brief glance of…concern?
She was about go over to him when he raised a hand. “Have it your way, saint. I have to take this call, but if you harm a single hair on her head, I’ll make a meal out of you.”
Alexander left the boardroom, and the door clicked shut behind him.
Nadine faced her. “Are those creatures always this assertive?”
“You don’t know the half of it!” Helena complained and fell back into her chair. “I can honestly say he alone can drive me mad in less than a minute.”
“I did warn you not to go with the vampire. You should have trusted me to protect you.”
Helena stifled a chuckle. “I thought I was keeping you safe at the time.”
A musical laughter escaped from the saint’s pink lips. “That is
quite a conundrum. Both of us were trying to save one another, yet neither knew of the other’s intentions.”
Helena imagined what her world would have been like if she didn’t return with Lucious. Perhaps, Michael would remain by her side, and the nightmares would have ended long ago. Maybe the women in Andreaz’s harem would be alive and well, too. Her expression fell, and Helena stared at her lap. A sudden urge to contact Laura and make sure she was alright took over as her phone seemingly gained a few pounds in her pocket.
“Did I say something to upset you?”
Helena refocused her attention on the girl. “No, it’s not that. I was wondering what my life would be like if I did go with you back then.”
“Don’t dwell on the past and concentrate on the matters at hand, Helena. I learned to…forget the painful events and move on. Otherwise, we can’t push forward and lose ourselves to the darkness in our hearts.” The pained tone Nadine spoke with made Helena’s heart ache. Whatever this girl had been through had to have been awful enough to separate her from the rest of the world.
“Why did you come here?” Helena asked in an attempt to wipe away the hardened expression on Nadine’s face.
The saint bowed her head. Her dark fringe fell over her eyes like a veil. “I wanted to thank you for informing me of Reaver’s attempt to capture me. I won’t say this to the vampire you came here with, but I am sorry for eliminating two of his men. I had to show my power to prevent them from dragging me elsewhere.”
Helena’s brows jumped. “You killed two of Alexander’s men by yourself?”
“Of course. I would have done the same thing to the vampire I met at your apartment, but you stopped me.”
An image of Lucious’ dead body did not sit well with Helena. She shifted in her suddenly uncomfortable leather seat. “Do you know how we can stop the demon?”
“You have found an Arcanae Mortum?”
“It wasn’t easy, believe me,” Helena admitted with a nervous laugh.
“I see...”
“Do you know of a way to get to him?” She nibbled on her lower lip, waiting for Nadine to answer the question that had been brewing in her mind since they got their hands on the weapon. With Lazarus gone, she could return her life to normal. No more nightmares that left her waking in a cold sweat or worrying about the bracelets she needed to purify.
“You must pass through a Demon Gate and enter the Demon Realm if you wish to do so,” Nadine explained, her expression growing grim. “It is not a simple task. Death often finds those who attempt the journey into the realm of darkness.”
Helena dismissed the warning, storing it at the back of her mind for later. Her life was in danger regardless if she was attempting to kill a demon or waiting for him to take her soul by force. With those being her only two choices, she would rather try killing him and fail than wait for the monster to plot his next scheme.
“Do you know where the gates are?”
Nadine eyed her with pity. “Yes, I can sense them as they can sense my presence. To pry one open, we would need a lot of power. If you can find a Circle of witches, I can use them as conduits to amplify my powers.”
“And here I thought one witch was enough trouble, now I am forced to seek out more of them,” Alexander complained from the doorway.
“The sooner we can take care of the demon, the faster you’ll be rid of me,” Helena said, annoyed that she didn’t notice him coming back into the room.
Alexander chuckled. “I have a nagging feeling you will find other ways to bring danger to yourself and Lucious, young lady.”
20
Date Prerequisite
Lucious held the blood bag in his hand and watched the liquid scaling the clear tube which protruded from the top. He took an appreciative whiff. So far, his desire to drink did not dissipate. Anna’s worry had to be for nought.
“Do not dawdle, Lucious. Drink,” Anna ordered.
He swallowed with reservation and sucked the blood up the tube. His eyes closed as the liquid spread over his tongue and mouth. A rush of acid climbed his throat, and he threw up the contents of his stomach onto the floor.
“Not good.” Anna knelt at his side. She rubbed circles on his back till he stopped heaving and collapsed backwards into his seat.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and cursed. “This is not right, sire. I cannot possibly be unable to drink human blood. I was perfectly fine drinking from Helena and the thirst urges me to do so.”
“But she is not human. We have come to conclude that. The fact she has an angel guarding her is a piece of the puzzle I cannot solve.”
“He is no longer with her. She said he left her after the demon’s attempt to take her soul by force,” Lucious replied, willing the sick feeling in his stomach to subside.
Anna brushed the damp strands away from his forehead. “A human with an angel or a witch without one. The world has become a foreign place since I walked the streets freely.”
She withdrew her hand and went over to the windowsill where she grabbed a rag covered in paint and tossed it into the puddle of blood on the floor. The wrinkled material soaked up the liquid beneath, and Lucious fought to keep his attention on anything but the item at his feet.
“It is you I am most concerned about, my son. The vampire community is not forgiving of those who drink from our own. Those who attempted such dark deeds were executed before they gained enough power to overthrow the Council.” She relaxed her back against the wall, crossing her arms. “While I am bound to Eliza’s will, I cannot guarantee your safety. I suggest you take your human and flee to where the Council’s grasp won’t reach you.”
“And do what? Hunt my kind?” he demanded, rising. He was finally strong enough to remain vertical. His shoulders trembled with the sizzling rage coursing within. Not only did he have to sacrifice his freedom to the chains of this obscure situation, he had to drag Helena into it as well. But, without her there, he would be unable to maintain his control for long.
Anna softly said, “Son, take some time off to cool your head. Consider the troubles at hand. Vampire blood may sate you for longer, and I have no qualms about being your donor while we seek out a cure, but I want you to think about your future.”
Lucious’ gaze lowered to the dirty rag on the ground. He knew his eyes shone as red as the blood soaking into the material, and he could do nothing about it. No amount of self-control seemed to be enough to take away the nagging urge to see Helena.
He fleeted to the storage room and slammed the door shut. It would appear Helena is not the only one trapped in a nightmare. He punched the nearest wall.
How long he sat there immobile, between the boxes, he didn’t know. The rage dispersed once he managed to make a hole in Eliza’s wall. What remained was a sense of hopelessness he was not used to. He prided himself on being strong, wilful, and methodical—all that flew out the window the instant human blood in his mouth tasted like the filthy linoleum beneath his boots.
And Helena, by God did he wish to see her enthralling hazel eyes once more. The depths of his soul cried out at the separation between them. Without her nearby, fear of something happening to her fragmented his resolve.
He sighed and took out his phone. Once he found Alexander’s number in his short contacts list, he pressed the ‘call’ button.
The call connected, and Alexander asked, “Is everything alright? How is Anna?”
“She is well for the time being. Eliza has her on a tight leash, and Vincent appears to be curious about Eliza’s reasons for drawing my sire out into the open.”
“Eliza always has a plan in motion. Whatever it is, I simply hope not to be around when the fireworks go off.”
“Alexander”—Lucious pressed the phone closer to his ear—“is she doing well? What happened yesterday?”
Alexander snorted, and Lucious could almost imagine his friend rolling his eyes. “She’s fine, talking to the saint right now. I can barely make out their voices, but it seems to be going bet
ter than I anticipated. As for what happened…” He blew out a breath. “We had a disagreement. It is not something you need to worry about.”
“Are you still testing her?”
“I don’t see a single charming thing about her. You have a strange taste in women.”
Lucious chuckled. “That I do.”
“When is it you are returning to us? I’m sure your childe will want to see you.”
Lucious’ smile fell, and he gripped the device until the plastic and the glass voiced their complaint with an uncomfortable crack. “My childe is with her?”
“One way or another, it was bound to happen. You cannot keep those two apart anymore.”
I could bloody well try, a pesky voice at the back of his mind grated. Lucious ground his teeth together and loosened the grip on his phone. He would speak to her about his childe soon enough. After all, she belonged to him.
“When are you coming back?” Alexander asked.
“I don’t know. There are some complications. I will discuss them with you later.” He ended the call and slid the device with the cracked screen into his pocket. With everything that was going on, he just wanted a shower. It had been days since he stood under the hot spray of water. And, hopefully, it would give him some time to clear his head of the fears and doubts that were eating away at his sanity.
He climbed to his feet and opened the door to find Zafira standing there with a grin stretching her cherry-red lips.
“Have you finished reporting to Alexander?” she asked in a sultry voice and drew close enough for him to pick up the refreshing scent of her fruity shampoo.
His desire for a hot shower was replaced with the need to take a cold one where he could get a grasp on his senses. No shampoo could stop his heightened sense of smell. The blood beneath her golden skin was drawing the monster in him out to play.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded, none too pleased by the interruption.
Zafira’s smile faded and her dark eyes scanned his face. Her eyes narrowed. “I am here on Eliza’s request. She wants me to read her fortune. On the other hand, I did not expect such a cold welcome from you.”
Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2) Page 27