by Calista Fox
“You’ve never seen it?”
“No.” She appeared fascinated by the prospect. “I’ve heard it’s stunning. But that’s really all I know about it. There are some hush-hush rumors from centuries ago, yet no one has ever confirmed anything. Except that it’s a gorgeous work of art.”
“That it is.”
The icy ground crunched beneath their feet, blending with the sounds of nature.
Jade asked, “How long have you been a vampire?”
“Not long at all. Seventy-two years. I was born in 1982.” Though she looked to be no older than twenty-eight or -nine.
“Born? Or is that when you became a vampire?”
“I’m a purebred. Both parents are vampires.”
“Interesting.”
“We come from a long line of them,” Sheena explained. “The coven I belong to is mostly comprised of my relatives. But when the king—Davian,” she corrected for Jade’s benefit, “built the castle and needed an assistant, I didn’t mind leaving my family because so many demons from his alliance intended to settle nearby or within the castle walls. I’ve told you before, I prefer company.”
“I’ve been enjoying it more than isolation recently. I suppose it was easier to not get too close to anyone after my parents died.”
Jade stopped abruptly. They’d reached a road that cut through the forest. She glanced over her shoulder, back toward the direction from which they’d come. She’d veered off course while talking with Sheena and they’d ended up at the one place Jade had avoided for over fifteen years.
“What’s wrong?” Sheena asked, alarmed. “I don’t hear or see anything abnormal. What is it, Jade?”
Her insides tightened and her breathing picked up a few notches. “This is where my parents were killed. I subconsciously brought us here.”
She turned to the woods they’d just exited, bewildered.
Sheena asked, “This isn’t your normal route?”
“Not at all. I haven’t been here since…” Her voice trailed off.
She walked back to the edge of the trees. Her stomach coiled.
“I hid right over there.” Jade gestured toward a thicket of tall pines. Nausea rose within her, but she attempted to tamp it down. “My parents took this road to a neighboring village one night. I was supposed to stay behind, with Michael’s family.”
The vampire instantly appeared by her side. “Of course you didn’t do as you were told.”
“Of course not. I followed them. I was just about to pop out onto the path, knowing I was far enough away from Ryleigh that they wouldn’t send me back, when two wolves came out of the forest on the opposite side of the road. I crouched down, concealed by shrubs.”
Unable to stop the flood of memories, Jade was instantly transported to that gut-wrenching day when she’d witnessed her parents’ ruthless murders.
Yet she felt slightly detached from the recollection and her voice held a distant timbre as she said, “My father pushed my mother behind him as the shifters advanced on them. He reached for his sword. She had one too. Mine. She was too scared to pull it from its casing, though.”
Sheena asked in a soft voice, “What did renegade shifters want with your family?”
“My father was the leader of the village,” Jade told her. She had no concrete answers, but said, “Perhaps they wanted to start at the top and work their way down. If they eliminated him and the slayers, the people within the borders would be easier to kill and they could take control of the village. Set up camp at the base of the castle as they awaited their army to arrive and take on the king’s men. At least, that’s what the slayers deduced, and I’ve always subscribed to that theory.” Further consideration made her add, “This is probably the reason I was so adamant about following Toran when the fire wraith’s soldiers arrived before Davian’s.”
Jade crossed to the copse she’d indicated. She reached out a hand and her fingers grazed the bark of a wide trunk. An ominous sensation slinked through her.
She said, “I remember thinking I should run away. Find a slayer. But I couldn’t move. I was literally paralyzed with fear—the way I’d been in the meadow before Morgan shoved me out of the fire wraith’s path. I wanted to scream for my parents to run as well.” The burn in her throat now was as strong as it had been all those years ago. “I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. And I know why.”
Sheena stealthily joined her once again, but didn’t speak.
“I knew there was nothing I could do,” Jade continued. “If I did cry out, the shifters would come after me too. If I fled, they’d follow me and kill me. Yet in my mind, I was yelling at myself to do both of those things to distract the shifters’ attention from my parents. I wanted to get the wolves to chase me, but I was completely immobilized. Something I’ve never forgiven myself for.”
The vampire’s hand rested gently on her shoulder. “You simply can’t accept you’re not always the true target.”
Jade’s eyes flashed to Sheena’s concerned face. “I never thought of it that way.”
“Why must you always first think that you should be the savior?”
Their gazes locked. Jade’s heart beat faster. She had no answer for her friend’s question, aside from saying, “I possess special abilities others do not. Doesn’t that mean I should try to save those weaker than me?”
Sheena gaped, but for a moment. “You’re not invincible, Jade. You’re human and mortal. So even if you had distracted the shifters, you wouldn’t have gotten away from them or survived their swift attack. They would have circled back for your parents. Then, Jade, all three of you would be dead.”
Tears crested her eyes. “I know this, Sheena. But it doesn’t comfort me. Can you understand that? I cowered here, and while my mind raced with all the things I should do—all the things I wanted to do—I couldn’t physically move, other than to turn my back and cover my ears and close my eyes when my mother started screaming.”
Her body jerked at the memory and tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Jade…”
“Eventually,” she told Sheena, “the ground vibrated and I peeked again, seeing a rider descending upon the shifters. They’d already…dismembered…my parents.” She swallowed down the bile inching upward. “The wolves took off and the rider pursued them. I only recently learned who he was—Morgan. He killed the shifters.”
“And then came back for you?” her friend asked, her voice low and soothing.
“No,” Jade said. “Walker found me. He took me to Michael’s parents’ house and I had a horrific couple of weeks there, with nightmares and never-ending sobfests.” She shook her head. “Nothing and no one could console me. I wanted to be alone. I hated how everyone kept trying to calm me. I didn’t want to be calm. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t do that with all those people constantly surrounding me. So I decided to go to the cottage.”
“And they just let you?” Sheena admonished.
“I left when they were at the town hall on a Sunday. Michael’s father came to the cottage and tried to persuade me to return with him, but I refused. I think he had it in his mind to physically remove me, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He let me stay.”
“How dreadful.”
“In the beginning,” Jade concurred. “Gradually, it got better. The solitude was somehow soothing. And I felt a connection with my parents when I was at the cottage—that got me through some very tough nights. That connection has never gone away.”
“I’m sure your neighbors checked on you regularly.”
“They did. Everyone found some way to assist me, though I’ve always had an independent streak, so I didn’t have trouble fending for myself.”
“I suppose that’s a good thing,” Sheena admitted. “Here we’ve been criticizing you for being so autonomous, yet it’s a characteristic that has obviously seen you through difficult situations. Painful times.”
Jade thought of how she’d recently opened up to her human friends, and how she’d m
indlessly brought Sheena to this sacred spot she would never have come to on her own—nor had she ever shared this much detail of the worst day of her life with anyone else. Not even Michael.
Brushing away her tears, she asked, “Do most vampires prefer being in groups?”
“Yes. That’s likely why there are a number of them who reside within the castle. The shifters prefer the woods, naturally. The other demons don’t seem to have a specific inclination, though most of them exist outside the castle walls.” Sheena was quiet a moment before saying, “I won’t lie and tell you all demons want harmony with humans. We still have the desire to be the dominate species. And we want the freedom to not live in fear of slayings.”
“Humans want that for themselves as well.”
“I understand.” The vampire smiled. “I believe that’s why we’re all able to inhabit this world at the same time, with the exception of the offshoots. They do set back our progress when they rise up. But for the most part, the demons belonging to Davian’s kingdom and those of his stewards are tired of fighting and want to enjoy the fresh air, the unspoiled land, the non-contaminated waters.”
“Your kind would have made great environmentalists decades ago.”
With a shrug and a remorseful sigh, she contended, “It’s unfortunate we’ve cared more about the ecosystem than human life.”
“Maybe that’s where a balance can come into play. Isn’t there a way to provide creature comforts without polluting the world again?”
“I don’t know,” Sheena earnestly said. “But the idea holds merit.”
It seemed to Jade each breed had much to offer, and the possibility of making those advantages mutually beneficial was certainly a notion to explore.
“Well.” Jade whisked her palms over her cheeks to wipe away the rest of her tears. Took a few deep breaths. Then she squared her shoulders, remembering her mission. “I need to make a sweep along the eastern boundary and then north to my cottage.”
They continued with minimal chatter, both lost in their own thoughts.
When they returned to Jade’s house, Sheena said, “I’ll come by at dusk tomorrow to search for the necklace if you haven’t found it during your hunt in the daylight.”
“Thank you. I appreciate the help.”
“We’ll find the Star of Nathea. I promise.”
Jade suddenly felt compelled to do something very uncharacteristic of her. She hugged her vampire friend.
With a laugh, Sheena said, “Oh! That came as a surprise.” But she hugged her back. “I suppose we both still have much to learn about being a good friend.”
“I’m going to work on it.”
“As am I.”
Sheena bid her goodnight and Jade entered her cottage. She removed her boots and settled on the sofa in front of the fire, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.
She exhaled slowly and allowed her mind to wander. Thinking of her parents and all they’d done to protect the villagers—and their union with Morgan that furthered the effort—caused yet another shift within Jade.
Closing her eyes, she released her tight hold on the past. The emotions flowed through her, knotting her stomach and tugging at her heart. Burning through her veins. She neither ignored nor fought the agonizing sensations. Rather, she gave into them, the way she had over her grief of losing Davian.
More tears streamed quickly and abundantly, because she didn’t push them back. Once again, her crying turned into violent sobs that made her body convulse. Tonight, she wept for her parents—the family she’d loved.
It was harrowing for her, but Jade knew releasing all the feelings of despair was the right thing to do. The necessary thing. She desperately needed the cleansing.
Hours slid by before the tears tapered off and her body ceased shaking. She sniffled and swept away the dampness from her flushed cheeks. A few hiccups had a strange effect on her. She actually laughed.
Following more deep breaths, she told herself it was time to move on. Time to stop living day-to-day, and focus on her future and her new role within the community. Time to let her friends into her life, and be an integral part of theirs—human and demon alike.
She even decided to invite Morgan to dinner, the way her parents once had. Unfortunately, he’d have to suffer through her less-than-stellar cooking.
As for Davian… Jade couldn’t help but wonder if it was possible to win him back.
First, she’d find the necklace. Then she’d take it to him at the castle and gauge the emotional barometer.
She’d force herself to weather any storm with him—provided he was even interested in engaging with her.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Davian spent the better part of a Saturday morning at the burned-out church. He stood on the ledge and stared at the land sprawled before him, having a magnificent panoramic view. The sun was shining, yet there were still patches of snow on the ground. Some of the tree limbs were laden with a half-inch or so of fleecy, undisturbed white.
A breeze rippled the water in spots that had begun to thaw along the river. In two more months, the grass along the banks would be a lush, vibrant green. The wildflowers would bloom. The needles on the pines would be fresh and hearty, not dried and brittle. The river would flow freely, undulating with the rapids and the steady current.
The birds had already begun to migrate back from their winter in the south and they chirped in a lively way as they fluttered about, in search of branches not covered in snow to perch themselves on or nest in.
Spring was Davian’s favorite season. Granted, it wasn’t in full swing now, but edging close.
He enjoyed the solitude and the scenery from his current post, though in the back of his mind, he toyed with the idea of leveling the tall structure on which the church stood. It was, after all, a constant reminder of what had happened to Jade during the fire wraith’s second attack.
Davian had come here a couple of times over the past month, for no reason other than it seemed to be the one place he could think about her and let his emotions move through him when he wasn’t around anyone at the castle to take his angst and frustration out on. Or for them to take note over how incessantly he yearned for her.
As he’d told Sheena, forgiveness was not the issue at hand. How to reconcile with Jade and find some sort of tranquility and mutual accord between them was, so they could be together. Yet even as he contemplated that notion, he wondered if it was too late. He’d allowed a huge span of time to slip by without seeing her or communicating with her in any form.
Not exactly the best means to express one’s love for another.
He shook his head. As much as Davian would like to blame his inability to reach out to Jade these past several weeks on his lack of romantic experience, he couldn’t rely on that shortcoming as an excuse. The truth was, he hadn’t pursued a reunion with her because the obstacles seemed too great; not just the undermining of his authority in various capacities, but also because his very sanity was threatened when it came to her daredevil ways.
This still weighed heavy on his mind when he heard Thunder neigh softly, in both welcome of an unexpected visitor and in warning to Davian. Moments later, the sound of booted feet on the stone steps caused his pulse to spike. He knew who was about to join him before Jade even crested the landing.
She walked slowly toward him, her tension visible, palpable.
Her gaze slid to the view he’d been admiring. “Master of all you survey, hmm?”
He hopped down from the ledge. “Not all.” Not her, certainly. He took her in from head to toe, dressed in black pants and a lightweight gray sweater. She had mud on her hands and knees, along with a few smudges on her face. “Starting your gardening?” he mused, keeping his tone light, though his gut twisted with insatiable longing at the sight of her.
An overwhelming urge to pull her into his arms and kiss her, wholly forgetting she constantly defied him and put herself in harm’s way, clawed at him. But he resisted
the temptation.
She said, “Actually, I’ve been searching for the necklace. Sheena has been helping too. At night when I have my watch.”
His brow dipped. “You’re rooting around on hands and knees?”
“I’m going to find the pendant and return it to you,” she insisted. “I don’t care what it takes.”
He stepped toward her, held out his hand and uncurled his fingers. In his palm lay the Star of Nathea.
She gasped and obvious relief washed over her. “You found it. Oh, thank God!” She pressed a hand to her chest, at the very spot the fire wraith had slashed it open, bringing back hellish memories for Davian.
Yet Jade said, “I am so happy.”
Closing the gap between them, Davian told her, “Take it.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Absolutely not.”
“I gave it to you as a gift, Jade. It’s yours.”
“No,” she said, her voice cracking. “You gave it to someone you thought you loved.”
“I gave it to someone I do love.” He stared down at her, gauging her reaction to his words.
Her lips quivered and a few tears tumbled down her rosy cheeks, piercing him straight to his damned soul.
“When you love someone,” she said, “you don’t shut them out of your life. I’ve learned that recently.”
He thought of Sheena’s comment about not visiting Jade a while back, and accepted that his absence had likely hurt Jade. So he clearly hadn’t been the only one to suffer through the time and distance.
A peculiar apprehension gripped him. “I haven’t yet figured out how to be with you and not try to control everything you do. Not from an arrogant or tyrannical standpoint, but because if something were to happen to you…” He felt a burning sensation in his heart over the potential torment.
In a quiet voice, Jade said, “I’ve told you, Davian…you have to accept that I’m human and mortal. I will die. In battle, from disease or old age. It’s a certainty no one can escape—not even you.”
“You’re wrong,” he ground out. “It doesn’t have to be that way.”