Obviously, Seth had hit a soft spot with Aubrey. Maybe he could use it to his advantage. “About five hundred years ago, give or take a few decades. Did you really think I hadn't been around? I'm older than you and much more powerful. Who do you think it was who killed your lovely Patrick? Jayd told me about him. Because of your order, you took the woman I love away from me!"
Aubrey's emotions were getting the better of her. Her eyes were barely hollow sockets. “Patrick was my favorite. He kept me company for three hundred years. Five hundred years ago, my family was murdered. I swore then that I would make whoever had killed them pay. The only thing I found left behind was a silver trinket. It didn't mean anything to me, but I've kept it all these years, and now it makes sense.” Aubrey pulled out a silver chain from around her neck. Seth had seen it there in the past, but had never bothered to ask her what it was and had never seen the charm. It was a finely worked circle with the Raven Warrior symbol pounded into it. It was the three ravens touching beak to tail and joined at the foot. Seneca had given it to him eons ago, but he had lost it. All doubt fell away when Seth realized that Aubrey must have been part of the coven he and Arik had annihilated over five centuries ago.
"This symbol. I saw it when I was drinking from you. It's in your mind. It's on your body.” Aubrey turned him, ripped the sleeve off his left arm, and exposed his back. She traced the brand lightly. When she did, the brand burned and seemed to come to life on his back. “What does this mean? What are you?” Aubrey grabbed him around the throat and tried to squeeze the life out of him. “Why did you kill my family?"
Seth opened his mind and let his power fill him. When he did, he felt it settle in his eyes, then over his heart. His whole body was ablaze with it. But he held onto it, and when he opened his eyes, Seth had never felt more powerful than at that moment. The wound at his throat healed, and the throbbing headache at the back of his head disappeared. Seth wouldn't have been surprised, either, if all the blood Aubrey had taken from him had been replaced, too. Night would soon be over, and the sun would be rising. He was at his full power during the night with the moon overhead because the goddess ruled him, but the variance was not that much different. When he opened his eyes, a smile curled on his lips. Seth leaned forward in the manacles and let his flesh pass through the metal. Aubrey's eyes widened when he became a transparent ghost. With a glimmer of his power, he called his sword to him and blanketed the room with an invisible wall so no one could enter.
"I killed your family because I was told to. One of them was after one of my charges. So we exterminated all the leeches we could find. What I am is none of your concern."
"How did you do that?” Aubrey whispered while backing away from him.
Seth could tell she was looking for a weapon to use against him. There was nothing. Aubrey summoned a fire poker with her mind. The Raven Warrior waved his hand, and it clattered to the floor. He rarely used all of his power, and when he did, it was in dire situations. He had always felt that the more power he used, the less human he would be. That was why he barely had any silver in his hair or why his eyes hadn't changed color. Unlike Robyn, who traded skills for survival, but he couldn't think about her at the moment. He had to focus on Jayd.
"How I did it is unimportant. So is the fact that what you know about me will soon be gone. Aubrey, you have endangered humanity. You've preyed on upon the weak and the hopeless. Just like your predecessors. I bring my judgment upon you, leech. You will die for your crimes.” Seth raised his sword and began his arc toward the vampire's neck.
Aubrey held up her hands. “Wait!"
Seth stopped centimeters from her throat. A thin line of blood trailed down her pale flesh. Seth gritted his teeth. His power sparked around him. “What?” he growled. His teeth shifted. His anger spurred on his hunger.
"If you kill me, then you wipe out any hope of Jayd ever being human again."
Seth laughed. Aubrey was only trying to buy time. Jayd could no more be human than he could again. That was his curse. Even if he was freed of his wings, he could never be a true human male again because his soul had been given to Nephthys. It was that way with Tremain and Darius and the others on the council. They were only human to a point because they had become Raven Warriors. “Aubrey, you can stall all you want, but Jayd can never be human again. There is no cure for vampirism. I went to the top, and Jayd is supposed to be as she is, even if I don't like it.” Seth could feel Aubrey trying to summon the other vampires, but she was not able to get them to come through the wall of his power. He was glad about that. He drew his sword back and sliced it through the air, this time moving through nothing. Aubrey had ducked, anticipating the strike this time. Seth spun around when he heard laughter in the shadows. She was only stalling to buy time.
"If you hate me so much, then what will happen to poor Jayd when she kills an innocent for the first time? Will you take her head too?"
"Jayd will never be a cold-blooded killer like you. Already she hates being one of you. If you think you ruined her soul, then take another guess. She'll never be a soulless creature.” Seth growled when he searched the shadows with his other senses. There was nothing. Aubrey had become invisible to his eyes. The shadows had swallowed her whole. Dealing with her was almost as bad as dealing with the Banshee Queen. Both creatures needed blood to survive, and he wondered if Jayd would be able to handle an eternity of being cold. But then again, she was different from the rest of them. She had his heartbeat, and he had her hunger. They shared equal parts of one another. Suddenly Seth felt a sharp swipe across his face and a brush of air. Aubrey had clawed his right cheek. Seth spun around, listening to the tinkling laughter of his onetime coworker.
"Do you really think you can save her, mighty Warrior? Even now, she's feasting on an innocent soul. Once she consumes the life of the child, she'll be mine. There'll be nothing that you can do about it."
"I don't believe you!” Seth felt his grip on his sword falter. When he did, he was swiped again, from behind this time. Aubrey had run a deep gash into his back, nearly getting the bone. Seth opened his senses further. He heard the wind stirring around him. Aubrey's presence resided in the far corner of the room. He smiled. This time he had her. The Raven Warrior heard her faint step on the brick floor. When she was by him, he closed his eyes, turned, and brought the sword over his head with a downward swing. The sword connected with flesh and bone. Something wet sprayed on his face. At the smell of it, it was blood. The pain of the vampire hunger gripped him, and he opened his mouth to catch the last of the spray, and licked the rest from his lips. When he opened his eyes, Aubrey had been sliced in half at an angle. Her arms were still flailing and there was life in her eyes. Seth had missed her heart. Her head was still attached to her body. Her fangs protruded over her lips when she tried to get herself back to her severed legs. Seth could see her spinal cord wiggling in all the blood.
"You still won't have her. She's mine!"
Seth raised his sword again and sliced it through Aubrey's neck. For an extra message, he stabbed her heart, knowing full well this time the vampire was dead. She was not going to be making any more massage appointments. Seth waved his hand over the body. It erupted in flames and began to burn down to ash. With his task completed, he let his power collapse in on itself to save his energy in case he had to go up against any of the other vampires. Nowhere around him did he feel Jayd. He quieted his mind. The coven was in a panic once they realized that their queen was dead. They didn't know what to do now that she was gone. She had been their life. Among the confusion that had exploded, Seth was able to hear Jayd. She was only a couple of rooms away from him. She battled the hunger with all her might. Aubrey hadn't lied when she said there was a child with her. There was. The poor thing was frightened and only about ten years old.
I will not touch her. I will not kill. I will not touch her. I will not kill.
Seth heard Jayd's mantra over and over again in his head. He reached out his mind to her and felt the hunger con
suming her from the inside. To ease her burden, he tried to take on some of it himself, but it was too overwhelming. He had to block Jayd out in order to stay focused. Once Seth had her, he could spirit her away and she would be safe where she could feed on him. Seth let the power of the shadows surround him. When they did, he was an insubstantial phantasm. He could walk through walls no matter how thick they were. Following Jayd's link, he came to her cell. Inside he found the little girl huddled in the corner. Her dress was torn, and her face a mess. She had been there for a while. Her face and hands were bruised, and there were fresh cuts on them. He looked over and saw Jayd turned in the corner rocking back and forth. She didn't even know that he was there because her hunger was such a nightmare to her. But she was holding on only by a shredded thread. He didn't know how, but she was doing it.
"Hey there,” Seth said to the little girl.
She looked up at him. There were tears in her eyes. He saw fang marks on her neck. She tried to back away farther into the wall.
"I'm not going to hurt you. I can take you home to your mom and dad if you want. Does that sound good?"
Her blue eyes captured his heart. They were so wide he could have seen into her soul. She didn't say anything to him, but nod. Seth held his arms out to her. She wrapped her small arms around his neck. He looked back to Jayd. He couldn't help her at the moment. This little girl had to get home before someone decided to make her into his or her next meal. But he would be quick about it. The shadows swallowed him and felt cool against his flesh when he reappeared in the little girl's bedroom. He sat her on the bed and took her hand. She smiled and he gave her a wide grin back. Her little hand squeezed his when he let his power flow between the two of them. The little girl was encompassed in a golden glow. All of her wounds healed, at least the physical ones. Once he was finished, he tucked her under her blankets and willed her to sleep. He let her hold onto the memory of him. Deep inside of her, he felt the stirrings of magick. One day she would need someone to watch her. He would mention it to the goddess when he was settled. Then, without another thought, he returned to Jayd.
Kneeling before her, Seth realized how lost she was to the hunger. It was eating her alive. He could feel two separate beings inside of her. Her thirst was starting to fracture her personality. He had never heard of a vampire doing that before. Maybe it was something that he had done when they had merged their natures. Seth realized now he had shared his soul with Jayd's and vice versa. That might have been the one thread holding Jayd to her sanity.
"Jayd."
It took her a moment before she looked up at him. Her captivating eyes were now consumed by blackness. Her gums had receded so he could see her long dangerous fangs. Her skin had grayed, and she was cold to the touch. However, her heart was still beating. It was slow, but he could hear it. A cold smile turned on her lips when she stared at him. Her tongue caressed her lips. “Jayd's not here right now."
Seth didn't back away. He wasn't afraid of the vampire inside her body. “I know that's not true. I know she's in there. I can hear her."
Jayd growled and snapped at his finger when Seth brought it close to brush a stray strand of hair out of her face. He pulled the digit back. He was more amused than afraid. “You should stay away from us, Raven Warrior. We're not good enough for you. You do not want us."
Seth ran a hand through his dreads. His fingers caught on one of the charms. He thought about the one Aubrey had around her neck. With a quick movement of his hand, Seth called it into his palm. He held out the trinket to Jayd. “I'm not going to argue with you right now. Take this trinket and realize that I'm not going anywhere. The Coven Queen is dead. You are free of her. No one will come looking for you."
With hardened and sharp nails, Jayd reached out and snatched the triple raven charm from his hand. He didn't expect anything from her at the moment. He wanted to talk to Jayd and not the vampire inside her. “It's a pretty thing. But what does it all mean in the scheme of things. Do you know what you did to us? Do you realize now I will be an outcast among the other vampires?"
Seth realized she was talking about the blending of their natures. “You know I only did it to protect you. I didn't know it would cause you to fracture the way you did. I gave you back some of your humanity and you gave me some of your hunger. Please, Jayd, come back to me.” Seth leaned in, brushed his lips over Jayd's, and pulled away. He wanted to show the other inside of her that he loved all of her, no matter what she was.
Seth watched when Jayd closed her eyes and gripped her fists together. When she did, her eyes opened. They were back to their normal color, but he could feel the hunger waiting in the wings. Seth wrapped her arms around his heartmate and felt the coolness of her flesh. “I thought the worst. She was only protecting me. She doesn't mean it."
Seth kissed Jayd lightly on the forehead. “I know, love. She's only part of you. I don't hate you for what you are. Aubrey is dead and won't come after you. The coven has scattered, and we need to get you fed."
Jayd shook her head against him. “No. I can't go with you, Seth. I'm a monster. I attacked that little girl. They put me in here to test me. She smelled so good. Her blood was so sweet. I couldn't help myself. I'm a soulless monster. You have to kill me."
Seth hugged her to him. “You're not a monster, Jayd. You didn't kill the girl. She was hurt, but I healed her and brought her back to her parents. Please come with me. I'm not about to leave you in the godforsaken place. If you stay, then so do I. You're my heartmate, remember. You're my other half. What would I do without you?"
Jayd didn't say anything but held onto Seth. He summoned his power once again and whisked them away back to the astral plane, back to his small cabin. When he did, the bond between them strengthened, but Jayd was still suffering from hunger. Being so close to him was not helping. She needed blood soon. Her body needed it to replace all the blood she had lost while being tortured. He hoped one of his brothers did not mind donating a pint or two.
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Chapter Nineteen
Safe at least in Seth's arms, her inner hunger raged that it needed blood. Jayd knew that and so did Seth. She could feel him in her mind along with the coven. The coven was in such disarray. They were waiting for anyone to step up and take control. She didn't care. Not even her hunger had cared. Seth's energy was strong. So was his heartbeat that she shared with him, that kept her warm. That alone made her different from other vampires. She knew that. If any of them ever found out about what she was, they would want to know. They would never stop coming after her. Seth would be her white knight if she let him. No matter how much he loved her, she could not put that burden on him. And she was still undecided on how she felt about him in her heart. He had been so wonderful to her. He had rescued her, had shared part of himself with her, but deep down, her heart was still locked away. She didn't know why. Maybe it was the aspect of her still not dealing with the way her parents died. Or maybe it was that she wasn't ready to jump into a relationship and wanted all the romantic stuff that went with it. Jayd didn't know.
Now at Seth's cabin, he had left her by herself while he went to find one of his other Raven Warrior brethren. Seth had figured that with the amount of blood she needed, she might want to feed on more than one person, and he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable about feeding on him. She could tell from their link that he wanted to be the only one to feed her. Seth had enjoyed the last encounter they had together. Her hunger grumbled while she waited patiently. However, it was getting harder and harder to hold on to sanity while her body needed sustenance. Her heart hammered in her chest. She needed something to eat. When she had bitten into the child, her blood had been so sweet at first that Jayd hadn't realized what she was doing. It tasted like ice cream. However, once the little girl's memories started to register in Jayd's mind, she knew what she was doing. Disgust had wrapped around her being. The fount of blood called to her, but she had used every ounce of self-control and pulled away. Her captors were not
happy. The white-haired vampire had slashed at her a few times so that the blood she had taken went to repair those wounds. Then, her hunger had started to rave once again.
The one thing she had latched on to was her heartbeat. It was so slow, but it reminded her that some part of her was human. Some part of her was connected to Seth. She had tried reaching out with her powers, but there was nothing there except an echo. Jayd guessed that someone had to have been blocking her. But the waves of hunger started hitting her, eroding away at her control, slowly wearing away her foundation. When Seth found her, she was nearing the point where it didn't matter that Seth was her anchor or not. She would have attacked the poor innocent sooner or later. The instinct to survive was more powerful than the feelings she had for Seth. That was another thing that had frightened her. He said that he would accept her no matter what she was or what she did. Could Seth look at her with love in his eyes while knowing she had killed people or might kill people some time down the line?
Jayd got up and sighed. She felt cooped up. Her teeth ached for a drink. She stared at the mural on the wall and noticed there was a raven sitting on top of one of the obelisks in the foreground of the painting. Staring at it, the bird moved. I'm seeing things. I'm so hungry now that I'm starting to hallucinate.
The vampire jumped back a little bit. She reached out her finger and was about to touch the painting when the bird hopped off the top of the stone monument and started flying toward her. Its wings got bigger and bigger until she could see the dark, beady eyes and the little spaces between the raven's wings. This was not normal. Then again, the past couple of days had not been normal at all. Jayd walked around the bed. The raven bent the wood of the wall. Its head came out and looked at her. Huge wings followed. When they did, the raven landed in the middle of the floor with its head bowed and its wings folded in front of it.
Whispers in the Dark [A Raven Saga Book 3] Page 18