“Why so certain?”
“Your Council possess certain files. We have our own. It’s so vague, there’s no way anyone can start it.”
I felt Liam’s heartbeat. We’re the ones to cause the Awakening—there’s just something missing.
“You have files?” she echoed. They could be the missing piece they needed.
Ethan scrubbed his jaw. “Doesn’t matter. This desire to talk with you stemmed from my concerns. You’re withholding our sources of food and if this continues, the truce will end. If you won’t give us what we need, we’ll take it ourselves.”
The seriousness of the situation dawned on her.
“You’d kill?”
“If it comes to that. Many will resort to attacking your kind out of anger. This truce has lasted for centuries, and for the Council to end it over trivial matters…”
He suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her back into the shadows. She grimaced as his hold tightened; he was certainly stronger than he looked.
“Vampires passing across the street. They’re regulars, won’t dare to disturb me.”
Madison glanced at him. His green eyes glimmered in the moonlight as he looked into the distance.
“You know I’m being hunted?”
“I’m not imprudent, Madison. There’s much I’ve overheard. Now go.”
“Thank you,” she managed to say. She didn’t look back, but heard the sounds of him transforming.
When she reached the end of the block, she didn’t hear him move, if he had at all. But when she returned and opened the front door, Liam stood there, glaring. The utter fury on his face made her gasp.
“What were you doing?” he hissed. “The Council’s out there, and you’re wandering around without me! Tell me what’s going on.”
“I met a werewolf,” she began.
“Madison!” Liam shouted. He stormed away in frustration, leaning over the kitchen counter and gripping it tightly. “I love you more than anything. Don’t forget that. But werewolves and vampires don’t chat. They mate.”
She closed the door. “Yeah, he made that suggestion. Nothing happened.”
He shook his head. “Hiding from the Council’s put both of us on edge. When I woke up and saw you gone, I feared the worst.”
She flinched. “I’m sorry, I thought you’d stop me from going. I know you aren’t fond of them. When I met Ethan last night, I thought he could tell me what’s happening with the Council. Since we can’t talk to vampires, I figured he’d give us information.”
“And somehow you persuaded him to.”
She ignored his implication. Although, the fact he was jealous was hot. “He wanted to converse with one of us. He said things are changing. There are fewer bodies to feed on. The Council’s up to something.”
“It could be the Awakening causing them to resort to desperation. I don’t know why the Council would attempt to interfere with the truce. It’s never been an option.”
“Ethan said the Council has files about the Awakening.”
Liam shrugged. “I told you I read them.”
She didn’t let that deter her. “What if they were forgeries or misinterpretations? Maybe the Council keeps the originals hidden.”
“If they are, we can’t get to them.”
“He also said the werewolves have files.”
Liam smirked. “If it were to come down to needing files from the Council or them, we’ll go for the Council. Right now, this truce is more of a problem.”
They were silent for what felt like a long time. She felt terrible hiding her meeting with Ethan from him, and his reaction had shaken her. She’d planned on divulging it especially now that she’d procured the information she sought but this served as a reminder not all went to plan. Despite her attempts to find some element of control in this unpredictable life, she had none.
Liam took a seat on the couch and she joined him.
“Madison, I’d never stop you from doing what you want. But if it puts your life at risk, hell, I’d intervene.”
She smiled at his protectiveness. She had nothing to fear with him by her side, but there was something wrong. She noticed it the moment they met the hunter in the alley, and the way his dark green eyes clouded over now.
“You’re hiding something.”
He avoided her gaze. “I can’t tell you, babe. It’s more important than us, than the Council. It’s sacred to our kind. I don’t know if you’re ready.”
There was her answer. Disbelief seeped through to her very core. “I can’t believe this!”
She headed for the door. She never expected secrets to intrude, for them to have communication issues like this even after she’d allowed him to tie her up and have his way. She’d been vulnerable multiple times, yet he resisted talking to her.
“Where are you going?” Liam demanded. She looked back at him and could see the concern—and alarm—in his eyes. It made her swallow involuntarily.
“To feed. Please leave me alone until you’re ready to be honest.”
Sunrise was less than an hour away, but she didn’t plan to be out for long. Feeding was an excuse to avoid Liam and give him time to reconsider. She needed him to for the sake of trusting him. She no longer had barriers up with Liam and if he hurt her, he’d truly break all she had left. As dramatic as it sounded, it’s how she felt and she had to acknowledge it. She was deeply in love and it was constantly at risk.
Madison stared at a taxi that drove past and pulled over ahead. Movement drew her attention and she watched as a blonde haired woman emerged. She stared in incredulity. Olivia was walking toward her. She’d been scouring the streets for hours on end, it seemed - she was that desperate.
Madison headed for the closest alley, not intending to fight in public. By the look on her face, the hunter would attack with no care of who would see. As Madison stepped over a pile of trash, she heard Olivia’s footsteps approach. She casually leaned against the wall and waited for the woman to appear. Olivia stopped a few feet away and withdrew a stake from her handbag.
Madison watched; curious to see how she would approach. She had no crossbow on her. To engage a vampire at a distance was smarter than getting up close. But she’s not thinking straight. Or at all.
Sandra’s death had been because Madison was protecting Liam and taking revenge for the deaths of the Council members. But isn’t that what Olivia’s doing? The hunter wouldn’t stop until she was dead but if Madison killed her, it’d simply be murder. There was no reasoning to it. Olivia was acting out of grief.
That blind emotion pulled at her, made her remember she was human once. She may not feel remorse but she couldn’t let that change her.
“Have you figured it out?” Olivia called out.
“Sandra.”
She was dressed all in black. Madison didn’t want to appear like a threat, but from the look in her eyes, Olivia saw her as nothing but that.
“She was my sister. And you took her life away!”
She hesitated. There was intense loathing in her voice; no words could ease that. Reasoning was out of the question. As much as she didn’t want to fight, Olivia wanted this and there was nothing to prevent it.
“If you attack me, you’ll join her,” Madison warned. She had to play on her uncertainty. Surely, somewhere, she would doubt her actions.
“You deserve to die!” Olivia flung the stake at her chest. She reacted, batting it aside with the back of her hand. Olivia moved in quickly and raised a cross.
Madison flinched and stumbled back, feeling that awful pressure tightening around her. Olivia backed her toward the end of the alleyway. One more step and the cross would press into her chest. Madison crouched at the last moment, kicking out at her feet and knocking Olivia off balance.
The hunter fell to the ground, the cross still raised protectively. Madison made no move to attack. “I know you want me dead, but there are more urgent things happening.”
“Shut up!” Olivia flipped onto her feet. She withdr
ew a vial of holy water and flung the contents at her. Madison swore and attempted to dodge, but the water splashed against her shirt, soaking her skin. For a moment, they both stared in stunned silence. The water was harmless.
Madison looked up at her. “Are you sure that’s holy water?”
“Yeah. Guess it wasn’t blessed enough or something.”
Olivia lashed out with a roundhouse kick and her boot collided into her chest. Madison stumbled back but regained her footing. The hunter attempted to run to the stake lying on the ground, but just when she managed to grab it, Madison took her by the shoulders and flung her against the wall. Olivia cried out in pain and dropped the stake.
She slumped onto the pavement. “Why’d you kill her?”
“She tried to kill Liam.”
“Your vampire lover!” Olivia sneered. “It was revenge for what you did. You killed her boyfriend.”
Madison had to laugh. “Boyfriend? He cheated on me with her. And it was hunters that killed him. Didn’t you hear the report?”
She fell silent, obviously conflicted. “Sandra wasn’t like that.”
“Then you didn’t know her. Listen to me, this fighting’s pointless.”
Olivia withdrew a mini crossbow from her handbag. “Don’t be so sure.”
Chapter Thirteen
A slow smile crept across Olivia’s face. She stood, her forehead grazed from hitting the wall but if she had other injuries, she hid the pain well. Madison kept her focus on the crossbow. Damn it.
“Try and stop me, but you won’t be able to attack before I pull the trigger.”
Olivia motioned for her to move against the wall. With no choice, Madison slowly maneuvered until she stood where she wanted her. With the short distance between them, she didn’t know if her speed would be enough to avoid the arrow.
Olivia pursed her lips. “You’re in no rush to kill me. On the other hand, I won’t hesitate. That’ll be your fatal mistake.”
Madison hesitated, barely listening. Her attention was elsewhere. She heard a distant growl while she had been talking. A werewolf?
Olivia’s hold tightened on the crossbow, a finger moving to the trigger. Madison tensed. Liam…
There was a sudden flash above. It was a mass of thick, dark fur and she heard its deep, ragged breathing as it landed a few feet away. If it hadn’t fed, it wouldn’t hesitate to kill Olivia and Madison wouldn’t be able to stop it.
No one deserved being savaged to death.
“I’m the least of your problems right now,” she warned.
The werewolf growled, low and threatening. Olivia slowly lowered the crossbow, her eyes wide with fear as she realized what was behind her. She turned to face it and screamed, firing off a shot toward it. Madison grabbed the crossbow. Olivia attempted to wrench it away but she angrily kicked out, hitting her in the stomach.
Olivia doubled over as the werewolf landed, baring its large, pointed teeth. Madison leveled the crossbow at it, her finger hovering above the trigger. In the shadows, it moved forward and its thick paws scraped across the ground.
“Ethan?”
The werewolf growled and turned to face her, its eyes wide, feral, and glinting in the dark. Olivia fled down the alley and onto the street, holding an arm against her side. Madison made no move to follow and neither did the werewolf.
Then it began changing. She grimaced and turned away, hearing bones break as the transformation finished. With the potential threat over, she dropped the crossbow and looked back to see Ethan. He gave her a brief smile, his blond hair unruly from the transformation.
She returned it. “Thanks for the assistance.”
“I came to tell you vampires are taking bodies away, leaving us with nothing. They’re purposefully attempting to rile us up and end the truce.”
She couldn’t believe it. The Council were going to provoke a war.
“Sorry,” he added. “But if we meet again, it’ll be in battle.”
He turned away but she grabbed his arm and pulled him close, intent on reasoning with him. When her fingers pressed against his skin, she felt a sudden flare of heat. It felt foreign. Only months ago, it was a constant feeling.
Ethan’s eyes lowered, neither of them willing to move. She was transfixed by the heat and could almost hear his pulse. Her breathing instinctively slowed as she imagined how his chest would feel underneath her hands, his heart beating beneath her. She yearned to feel that with Liam.
She released him with a jolt. Part of her still yearned for humanity and it was pointless. She was craving what she couldn’t have.
“Wait. Can’t you stop this?” she asked. “Don’t attack, it’s exactly what the Council wants to incite.”
Ethan cleared his throat, unperturbed by her touch. “I think you’re the only vampire who knows what your Council’s willing to start. What you choose to do is up to you. I can’t help, sorry. My family swore not to get tangled up in war. We had infighting amongst us last year. All I can do is try and convince them otherwise, but it won’t make a difference, I’m afraid.”
He adjusted his tie and casually walked down the alleyway. She watched him go, her heart heavy. As he stepped out onto the street, he turned back. “It was nice talking to you again, Madison. If only things were different.”
When he was out of sight, she understood what he meant—now that the truce was apparently ending, they were no longer acquaintances but enemies. She’d been reckless in an attempt to locate Ethan, but it proved useful.
Fighting with Olivia had evoked a new perspective. She couldn’t care less what Liam was hiding, it wasn’t important. They needed to focus on stopping the Council’s attempt to end the truce. The vampires seemed unaware, and the werewolves had chosen to start a war. Something had to be done.
It started as a trickle, then exploded in a downfall of heavy rain - a deluge that was a metaphor to what had overcome them. They’d been drawn into a war and it put their lives and many others at risk. Madison understood Ethan’s reluctance to join the bloodshed, but without his help, they were alone.
She spotted Liam pacing outside the house, dark hair plastered to his face as he became drenched. He was justifiably annoyed. She’d disappointed him again, but knew he’d understand.
He ran to her, a blanket in his hand before he threw it over her, covering her soaked body. An incredibly sweet gesture that made her smile. He pulled her close and led her home.
“I know you must be angry,” she started, having to raise her voice over the harsh weather.
“I deserved it. But don’t you walk out on me like that again, babe. I was worried. I couldn’t sense you nearby.”
“Sorry. I found Ethan. Things are more troubling than we thought.”
They stepped inside and Liam ushered her to the living room. It was a relief to be home and as Liam stripped the blanket off her and tossed it aside, she glanced at him. Water dripped off her clothes to the floor.
“Don’t be sorry. Thought you’d found a safe haven,” he said. “If not for the rain, you would’ve been caught by sunrise.”
“I didn’t see any nearby. Don’t they have Council sired vamps in them?”
“Not all. The majority are owned by rogue vampires, disobeying the Council. I was occasionally sent out to unregistered havens where I…disposed of them.”
Another bombshell. She gaped at him. “You killed your own kind?”
An act that had to cause guilt, seeing as they felt nothing in regards to humans, and judging from the creases on his face, he felt an inner confliction. She ached to touch him. Ached with the need to feel him close.
Liam looked away. “It was part of the job.”
“A job that means nothing now.”
“The Council was important to me,” Liam said. His eyes were clouded with pain. The Council had been his life decades before they met, and she’d ended that for him. She didn’t know what he went through, the things which had changed him and made him who he now was. But she wanted to know.
Liam gently cupped her face in his hand, his skin smooth and wet. “I love you, Madison. I know I owe nothing to the Council. I owe everything to you. I swore to keep this eternal secret, the knowledge that Council members are the only ones aware of entering the sunlight after the full moon.”
“You’ve hidden something like that from our entire race?” She understood the immense weight of this. It had the potential to forever alter the future, to end the regulations and tarnish the very foundation of the Council.
Liam winced. “Telling you felt like a betrayal, and I had to overcome it. It’s not easy. We suffer because we feel less than human, forever outcasts, banished to the night. This revelation eases a lot of emotional torture. The Council have kept it so secret for centuries that admitting it will overthrow their rule.”
She shook her head. “Not what we need right now.”
“It’s not like I didn’t trust you with this, it’s just…I have to accept the Council, my family, have turned against me. All because of you, of our love. They saved me from myself. But you, you saved me in a different way.”
He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead, and she closed her eyes, bathing in his love, his consideration.
When he pulled back, she met his green eyes. “I can’t stand to see you hurting,” she admitted.
“Only because I pushed you away. Like hell I’d do that again, Madison. Tell me you’re okay with this. I don’t want you resenting me for hiding it.”
She bit her lip. It bothered her more than she wanted to admit, but why? Here her big, strong Liam was pouring his heart out and she felt stiff, uncomfortable. She could see his regret, the subtle pain he harbored in knowing that he’d lied and she wanted to fall into his arms and let him hold her.
The truth slapped her in the face.
It’s because she didn’t trust him. Despite all they’d been through, the way she’d surrendered to the pleasure he’d wrought from her, she expected him to be hiding something. She didn’t want to believe that of him. He’d confessed and it was minor compared to the threat of war, but she couldn’t shake it.
Awakened by the Vampire Page 13