I did not, however, expect him to give a loud laugh or for my attempt to prove duly anticipated and blocked. The man slapped back the force of my mind game with a simple glance of his eyes. It hit me hard. I almost fell from my saddle, winded by the blow. Juliet gave a startled cry as she hung on to me.
One of the men near Gabriel spoke out to him, anxiety in his voice, ‘Gabriel, we must be careful, he is holding . . .’
Gabriel raised his hand and the man fell silent immediately, although his expression still bore evidence of his disapproval. Gabriel spoke to me once more, ‘Give Juliet to me, Lord Valancourt. You are not yet fit enough to protect her. She will be safer with me.’
I answered him coldly, leaving him in no doubt of my resolve. ‘I will not give her to you. She is not yours to take. I ask you again, sir. How do you know our names? What do you want from us?’ My voice and temper were rising in pitch. A dull pain began to throb behind my temples. I had felt the pain intermittently since my vision with Juliet and the murderer, and now it gained force. I wondered if I was not falling ill, for this time it refused to leave me in peace. It spread around my body to ache in my limbs and stomach.
Juliet held on to me more tightly, clearly afraid of the stranger’s intentions. I looked down at her to offer reassurance, and noticed her brow was furrowed. She was also suffering, I could feel pain wrenching at her body in unison with my own.
I was about to protest further when I suddenly stopped, hearing the sound of hooves crossing the forest floor. They were accompanied by the cries of hounds. It had to be William and Edward finally catching up with us. I was at a loss to know what to do.
Gabriel commanded my attention with urgency. ‘If you have any care for Juliet, give her to me. We are of the same race, Nathan, but your powers are not yet as developed as my own. I will not harm her. I give you my word. I can help you protect her from William Cameron, but you must trust me.’
My instinct to shield Juliet from this man was fierce. I did not trust him despite the sincerity I heard in his words. Only I could take care of her. Ever since the vision, I had been possessive of that right. It was more than just an instinct, it was a physical compulsion. I shook my head, angrily telling him my answer was no.
Gabriel was equally as irate, ‘I have no time for this, Nathan. We must protect Juliet from William Cameron or he will sell her into slavery and we will lose yet another female of our kind to the humans. I won’t allow another to be taken.’ Gabriel gestured at one of his men. He moved towards me, gripping my arms as Gabriel reached over to steal my precious burden.
I struggled, and with Juliet’s help we at least made it difficult for them. But the man who assisted Gabriel held my arms tightly, pulling them back with incredible strength. She was lost to me. I struggled in vain to break free, distressed by Juliet’s plight as she fought Gabriel with what little strength she had left.
He tenderly cradled her against his chest despite the frantic way she banged her fists against him to free herself. Another of the men had removed his coat and was helping Gabriel to place it around her freezing body. I watched exhaustion begin to reign on Juliet’s paling features and felt defeated. Gabriel tucked the coat around her neck as she slumped against him, resting her head against his broad torso.
Just like a petulant child, I lost my temper. I couldn’t help myself. ‘I won’t rest until I have freed her,’ I fumed at him.
‘I have no doubt, but you must trust me to help you at this moment.’
Gabriel looked down at Juliet. Gently cupping the side of her face, he tilted it up towards him. The moment he touched her, I noticed a radiance settle over his features. His reaction sparked the flame of jealousy within me. I had never had any need for the useless emotion of envy before, I had simply taken any woman I desired. But now Gabriel kindled that flame until it scorched my very insides.
I stole into his mind, wanting to know his intentions regarding Juliet. To my surprise he did nothing to stop me. I was allowed free access to the first layer of his consciousness. He sought to keep Juliet safe, and for that I was relieved. But he guarded the depths and secrets of his mind. Any attempt I made to penetrate the lower levels was rewarded with a sharp burst of painful energy. As a consequence of this heavy mental block, I learnt very little about the man.
Gabriel began to caress the backs of his fingers along the heavy bruise that stained Juliet’s pale, pink cheek. I sensed him inside her mind looking for the memory of the brutal attack. She made no attempt to resist. She was curious about him and what he knew of us. She wished to learn more, just as I did. I searched her memory with him, sharing his eagerness to understand the cause of her injury.
She had been locked away in the attic of Eldridge Hall for over a week, without food and the comfort of a bed at William Cameron’s order. Not even one of the servants had come to her aid. Whether through fear or respect, their loyalty was firmly with their master.
William and Edward visited her one evening with legal papers for her to sign renouncing her inheritance of their father’s wealth. Juliet resolutely refused, informing them it was her duty to carry out their father’s wishes. She would not let him down. William lost his temper as he reasoned with her. Juliet recoiled with fear when he threw the papers in her face, but she stood firm. He accused her of bewitching their father. He believed her to be a witch who could read and influence other people’s thoughts. He would find a way to outwit her black magic, retrieve his father’s estate, and end her life.
William had whipped the back of his hand hard against the side of her face, causing her to spin and fall. It was a miracle he hadn’t broken her cheek bone. More cruel, vicious blows to her body ensued after he’d pulled her from the floor. But she would not give in. Eventually she lay prostrate, weeping.
Edward had leaned over her, his expression darkly gleeful. ‘I have another idea. How about we arrange a marriage? William, you are already betrothed, but I could marry Juliet. Everything would become rightfully mine as well. I could share the estate between us. Then after a suitable period of time I could get rid of her, sell her off in a bride sale. How about it, brother?’
William had frowned. His expression informed that he was not completely convinced about the plan, but was willing to be persuaded. ‘It is an option. Let us talk of it.’
Juliet had been in too much pain to offer any complaint. Before Edward left, laughing with pleasure at his own genius, he had given her two sharp kicks to her stomach that had her screaming in agony.
The two brothers had obviously come to some amicable arrangement because the illegal forced wedding was to have taken place in a secret location the day after my arrival at the house.
Gabriel searched further into her mind as though he was looking for something specific. He found it. A dark presence was dwelling in the lower level of her subconscious. A pair of cold, grey, disembodied eyes stared back at us, floating malevolently. They watched us with interest. I recognised them immediately. So did Gabriel. They belonged to the clergyman vampire. I heard the echo of his familiar cruel laughter. A part of the monster’s soul was residing inside her, tethering her consciousness to his own, holding her prisoner.
Gabriel and I exchanged an anxious glance before he bent his head again to speak to Juliet. I could feel his anger swell inside his mind as it did in my own. But his voice was soft and gentle when he spoke, ‘Juliet, you must let me command your mind. You are in so much pain and in urgent need of sleep.’ She was quick to answer him, her tone agitated as she continued to shake with cold against him.
‘I can’t sleep. You saw him didn’t you? He’s inside me now, watching and waiting. I can feel him. He makes me so cold. You know him as Sebastian, and you have been searching for him for such a long time. You know why he wants me . . . You know why he taunts me and waits for the right time to take me.’
Juliet’s eyelids were suddenly drooping as Gabriel continued to stroke the softness of her cheek, his hazel eyes holding her gaze captive.
> ‘Shhh, little one, all in good time. You must rest, we will talk later. Our journey is long. I want you to sleep. I promise Sebastian will not trouble you. I will protect you from him. But to do so you must allow me to have command of your mind, just until we reach the safety of my home.’
I struggled in my saddle, my arms still pinned. ‘No. I am not going to allow you to control her.’
He ignored me, as he caressed his fingertips through her damp hair.
‘You must trust me, Juliet. If you don’t sleep you will die of exhaustion.’
She stared up at him, her face expressionless. She did not answer him, but I could feel her defiance, feel her mind fighting him as he pushed inside it. Gabriel smiled down at her, so arrogantly sure of his eventual victory in their mental battle. I lent her my own strength in support, but this only seemed to amuse Gabriel.
‘You are very strong, little one, and your protector valiant, but you are both not yet strong enough to defeat me. It is useless to fight me.’
She finally answered him in a hoarse, but none the less, indignant voice, ‘I allow no man command of my mind, sir.’
‘Then I must force you and it will cause you pain. I am sorry. Without my help you will die. You leave me no choice.’
He was a strong, firm, and unforgiving opponent. The energy he used to compel her was indeed painful. Juliet gave a strangled, sobbing cry, and I found myself torn from her mind. My efforts to re-establish our psychic bond were met with desolate coldness, as though her presence did not exist anymore and she was dead to me. The sense of loss and isolation were overwhelming. I needed to be back inside her, knowing her thoughts, feeling her emotions almost at one with my own, or I feared I may go mad.
Juliet was now asleep in Gabriel’s arms. I watched him carefully direct her head against his chest. He commanded the man holding my arms, ‘Bring him.’
The man tied my hands behind my back, then took the reins of my horse, leading me off to follow Gabriel’s hurried trot. Within minutes Gabriel had taken us on a route through the forest that lost the sound of William and his hounds.
For the whole, long journey, I kept my eyes trained on Gabriel and the sleeping Juliet. My thoughts were conflicted between finding a way to retrieve our mental bond and snatch her from him, and going along with his instructions in order to learn more about our true identities and heritage. This stranger was another of our kind. I owed it to both Juliet and myself to discover what I could, even if it meant our discomfort. Juliet would not thank me for missing such an opportunity. Besides, attempting an escape would surely prove futile.
We finally came to a stop outside the entrance to a large Georgian house hidden in a broad, expansive clearing within the forest. One of the men pulled me down from my horse onto the gravel path. I shook him off, moving determinedly towards Gabriel only to be brought up short by another of his small army. The man blocked my path as Gabriel handed down the sleeping Juliet and dismounted. Rage began to brim to fever point inside me. I had spent the whole tiresome journey trying to re-establish my mental bond with Juliet and thus break the spell of sleep Gabriel had cast over her. But he had kept us apart. I could endure it no more.
‘Leave him. Jason, untie his hands and bring him,’ Gabriel instructed as he retook possession of Juliet. ‘Welcome to Arcadia, Lord Valancourt. My home.’
I watched with narrowed eyes as Gabriel began walking into the house. I followed the moment Jason finished untying me, and snapped at him, ‘Wake her up, now!’
Gabriel ignored me as he stepped into a grand hallway, heading for the stairs. I walked with him across the wide rectangular stone floor flanked by ornately carved pillars that reached up to the open third floor. They gave the impression we travelled through a Greek temple. He swept Juliet up the stone staircase, his man Jason and I both closely following.
‘I will wake Juliet all in good time. Patience, Lord Valancourt.’
I hated the way amusement echoed through his tone and the casual manner in which he flaunted his control over both Juliet and myself. I continued our argument as we ascended.
‘I said now. No one should be able to force another human to do as he bids with the use of mental trickery. I demand you let Juliet go this instant.’
‘I can see you are used to getting your own way,’ Gabriel mocked me.
Enraged, I pulled at his arm, making him halt his ascent. He leaned against the gold balustrade and sighed with impatience. ‘You will have to be patient, Nathan. Now, I must get your beautiful charge to bed so I can wake her. She needs to feed.’
He continued on his way, carrying Juliet up the stairs as though it were no effort to him at all. I spat my words angrily at him, ‘You talk of Juliet as though she were a child with no independence of her own . . . It is insulting!’
He simply smiled, still thirsty with humour at my ill temper. ‘Compared to my vast age, she is but a babe in arms and must be treated as one until she has embraced the change. It is more dangerous for her than you.’
‘What are you talking about?’
‘You will know soon enough.’
He suddenly stopped and looked down at Juliet with grave concern. I was filled with alarm. Juliet’s forehead was covered in beads of sweat. Her body was shivering. She was moving her head from side to side, clearly feeling terrible pain in her sleep.
‘We must call her a doctor,’ I said hurriedly, ignoring my own pain as it grew in intensity, once again throbbing within my temples.
‘No. A doctor cannot help her. I cannot afford to wait for you anymore. Follow me, quickly.’
I opened my mouth to speak, but he moved away from me up the next flight of stairs at the speed of a whirlwind, his movement a blurred mirage across my eyes, then he was gone. Shocked, I stared at Jason, but his expression was blank and gave me no answers. I ran up the stairs and onto the open landing, catching a glimpse of Gabriel’s tall figure behind one of the bedroom doors that was slightly ajar. I burst through the door to find him leaning over Juliet, the backs of his fingers gently pressed against her forehead to gauge her burning temperature.
‘How did you do that?’
‘You will learn.’
He was uninterested in my conversation, his attention centred on Juliet. Jason entered the room behind me. The throbbing pain inside my head intensified. It was now accompanied by a sudden, overwhelming, grinding ache in my stomach that resembled severe hunger. The last thing I felt like doing was eating, but the sensation persisted.
I watched Juliet writhe in agony, desperately wondering how I might help her plight. My vision momentarily darkened and I felt a weakness in my legs that sent me stumbling. Gabriel caught my arms. I felt warm. My forehead was suddenly damp with sweat just like Juliet’s. Gabriel studied me with a critical eye. ‘It seems you are also going through the change. Juliet is taking you with her. This does not usually happen. Your bond is incredibly strong. I haven’t seen one like it in a long time. You must both rest and feed.’
I dismissed his words. I had to fight whatever was happening to me, I could not trust this man with Juliet alone. Steadying myself, I shook away his hold of my arms, ‘I am well, sir. Just a little tired. Do not concern yourself. What did you mean? Considering your vast years . . .?’
Gabriel frowned at me. His tone was wrought with disapproval when he spoke, ‘You are stubborn, sir. You must sit down and rest before you fall down.’
‘I asked you a question. At least have the decency and politeness to answer it,’ I growled. I began to sway as the room spun in front of me. ‘What is happening to me?’ The words left my mouth in a whisper. Gabriel caught my arms once more as I folded over with the searing pain ripping at my insides.
‘You are dying, Nathan.’
I looked up at him in horror from my bent position. ‘Juliet?’ I panted.
‘Yes. But it is not a death in the human sense of the word . . .’
I interrupted him, incensed by his words. ‘Death is final. There is no coming back. Are we
poisoned? But we haven’t drank or eaten? I don’t understand.’ I heard him give another heavy, frustrated sigh.
‘Ask me how old I am, Nathan?’
‘Why do you bother me with such questions? I must help Juliet survive . . . Tell me how I can help her. Is there nothing I can do?’
‘Nathan, ask me how old I am.’ Gabriel shouted this time. When I tried to pull away from him, he gripped my arms tight.
‘You look no more than twenty-three years old, just like myself.’
‘I am one hundred and ninety-seven,’ he told me, his tone rich with pride and triumph.
I felt my eyes widen with disbelief.
‘You’re lying . . . Why are you doing this?’ I gasped, attempting to get my breath when another wave of agony gripped my stomach. ‘Why is this happening? I don’t understand. Have we fallen prey to some terminal disease? Did you do this?’
‘Nathan, listen to me.’ Gabriel’s voice was calm above the chaos of my pain. ‘I was conceived in a union between a human and a vampire, just as yourself and Juliet. We are born human, though we never age more than our middle twenties. Eventually, at some stage in our lives, our human form dies and we become vampires. Some see it as a curse, Nathan. I see it as a gift.’
My expression revealed my disgust. It appeared to disappoint him. ‘I am no such thing and neither is Juliet. This is all a fabrication of lies. We have some psychic abilities, that is all. What have you done to us? Why are we . . . ?’
I stopped, hearing Juliet’s cries of pain again. She was calling out my name. I turned back to Gabriel. ‘Let me back in her mind. If I am to die I want to feel her close again. I won’t let her die alone.’
‘I can’t, it’s too dangerous . . .’
Before he finished his sentence I had fallen to the floor, unable to stand any longer. He stood over me.
‘You must accept what is happening to you, Nathan. Give birth to your true identity. You will survive the change if you do everything I tell you.’ He pointed over to Juliet. ‘The change is happening too fast for Juliet’s body to handle. William Cameron’s physical abuse has forced her metamorphosis. It comes too fast. Her weakened state is barely able to cope with it. Because you have a strong bond, you are being forced into the change along with her. She needs all of her strength to survive, as will you. You must not connect with her consciousness until she has won the battle.’
Knight of Swords: The Swords Trilogy Page 4