The Veritas

by Wendy Saunders

  ‘Please?’ he held out his hand.

  Unable to help herself she reached out and took it. Carefully pushing herself up from her seat and grasping the handle of her cane she limped along awkwardly, edging herself out of the row of chairs.

  Mac let go of her hand and comfortably hooked her arm through his as they walked slowly down to the water’s edge.

  ‘How have you been?’ he asked after they’d walked along in silence for a while.

  ‘Are we really going to do this?’ she asked, ‘play polite strangers?’

  ‘Honestly?’ he shook his head. ‘I never know what to expect these days when it comes to you.’

  ‘I know,’ she replied quietly.

  They stood for a few more moments staring silently at each other, the tension between them heavy and obvious. Finally, Mac turned, looking back up the sloping grass to where the arbor and chairs were set up awaiting the bride and groom, and then across to the huge marquis and temporary dance floor set up for everyone to celebrate after.

  ‘I always thought this would be us,’ Mac murmured as he watched the guests milling around, chatting and smiling.

  Tammy turned to follow his gaze, but she was unable to watch all the happy smiling faces, not when her chest was aching like she had an anvil crushing it. Her eyes landed back on Mac and he pulled something from his pocket and held it up between his fingers.

  Her breath caught in her throat, her eyes widened, and the ache intensified.

  ‘I bought this the week after we first met,’ he pulled his gaze from the diamond ring sparkling in the bright sunlight and looked at Tammy’s shocked face.

  ‘All these years?’ she whispered.

  ‘I always knew it was you. You were it for me Tammy, from the first moment we met,’ he heaved out a breath filled with regret. ‘Our timing was never right, was it? Now, knowing what I do, I know why you turned me down the first time. I didn’t know who you really were, and you couldn’t tell me at the time, but when I returned to Mercy and found out the truth about you, I thought we might have a chance. I had to tell you about my past, about my ties to the Veritas, I knew that, but there was never a right time. Then you found out in the worse way possible and everything went to hell. I couldn’t protect you from what Nathaniel did to you and it tears me apart.’

  ‘Don’t do that,’ she whispered miserably. ‘What happened to me wasn’t your fault.’

  ‘I wish you’d forgive me for lying to you,’ he answered quietly, his voice filled with as much misery as hers.

  ‘I have forgiven you,’ she looked up at him. ‘For what it’s worth, I do understand why you felt you couldn’t tell me. I’d be a hypocrite for holding that against you, considering how long I kept my true identity from you.’

  ‘But you still don’t want to be with me?’

  ‘It not about what I want,’ she shook her head.

  ‘Then what is it about?’

  ‘I can’t explain it,’ she frowned. ‘There’s still things you don’t know about me, things I haven’t even figured out for myself.’ She felt the dark ancient power ripple through her veins and give a little throb, as if warning her not to share her secrets. ‘It…it scares me,’ she admitted slowly, ‘I don’t want you to get hurt. Your life has already been turned upside down because of me.’

  ‘Tammy,’ he stepped closer, the rich scent of him wrapping around her, bringing with it the aching sense of familiarity and security. She found herself longing to reach for him, so much so that her fingers twitched. ‘I’m not going anywhere; I will wait as long as I have to. You and I are far from finished and this…?’ he held up the ring in front of her, ‘one day I’ll ask you and you’ll be ready to say yes. Until then I’ll hold onto it.’

  She watched as he tucked it safely into his breast pocket and gave it a little tap to make sure it was safe.

  ‘I miss you,’ she admitted so quietly he almost missed it.

  ‘I miss you,’ he replied gruffly.

  She looked up at him her eyes large and filled with so many conflicting emotions.

  He didn’t give himself time to think but reached for her, wrapping his hand around the back of her neck gently, his other hand sliding smoothly around her waist as he drew her close and pressed his lips to hers.

  She stopped thinking altogether. It had been so long since he’d held her close like this, since he’d tasted her. Her cane dropped soundlessly into the sand as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

  It was like sinking into warmth and contentment. If it were a tangible thing, she could wrap it around herself and hold onto it. The scent of him was both familiar and arousing and she found herself struggling to remember why she was staying away from him. All she knew was that when she lost herself in him like this, it was like coming home.

  When the need for air drove them apart, they pulled back, breathing heavily, foreheads pressed together.

  ‘I’m not giving up on you Tammy,’ Mac whispered, ‘don’t give up on me.’

  She opened her mouth to answer but the words wouldn’t come. Suddenly the sound of a throat clearing caught their attention and when they turned to look, Theo was standing at the edge of the grassy slope, a small smile playing on his lips as he watched them.

  ‘They’re getting ready to start, you might want to take your seats,’ he called out.

  ‘We’ll be there in just a moment,’ Mac nodded.

  Theo gave a small wave and headed back up to the waiting guests. Mac turned back to Tammy and smoothed her hair where his fingers had tangled in it and mussed it up.

  She didn’t say anything about the kiss and neither did he. It was the most progress they’d made in months.

  He leaned down and retrieved her cane, handing it to her. She took it from him wordlessly, her lips swollen from his kiss and her eyes filled with confusion. He’d take it as a good sign. There was still something between them; he could feel the heat and the love every time they touched. The problem was life kept throwing curveballs their way.

  ‘Shall we?’ he offered his arm.

  She blinked at him slowly, but she wrapped her arm around his and silently they made their way back up to the wedding and took their seats. Neither of them said a word as they sat with their fingers linked together.

  Olivia listened for the music to start as she waited patiently at the end of the aisle. She smiled as she watched Jake standing under the arbor by the priest, adjusting his tie nervously. Theo, standing next to him, dropped a comforting hand on his shoulder and he seemed to calm a little.

  Suddenly a strange little tickle danced down her spine making her shiver. She turned slightly, her brow creasing as she scanned her surroundings, but nothing seemed out of place. Brushing the strange feeling of unease aside she turned her attention back to the wedding.

  The opening strains of music filled the air and she reached for her son’s hand. He was standing beside her wearing an adorable little suit and holding a basket filled with rose petals. Her daughter was standing behind her holding Louisa’s hand, as Louisa’s own son Jace had flat out refused to walk down the aisle at his uncle’s wedding and was currently curled into Tommy’s lap with his juice box.

  Right on cue, as per Mrs Mason’s instructions, Olivia began to walk, taking the basket and holding it for Logan to reach into. They walked slowly as he grabbed out huge handfuls and threw them on the floor. He seemed to be quite enjoying this new game, and they made it halfway down the aisle before one petal suck to his hand. After shaking it relentlessly and not being able to shake it loose he decided it was a much better idea to try and eat it.

  Laughing in amusement, Olivia pulled the rose petals from his mouth and lifted him into her arms, continuing down the aisle. As she reached the end, Davis reached out and took Logan from her, settling him in his lap in the front row.

  Olivia took her place on the opposite side of the arbor to the groomsmen, smoothing down her pale pink gown and turning to look back down the aisle.

 
Unlike her brother who’d tried to eat the rose petals, her daughter Theia was taking her duties very seriously. Refusing to hold Louisa’s hand she held her basket tightly in her fist. The problem was she had decided the best way to execute her duties as flower girl was to place one petal down on the carpet at a time, painfully slowly and with painstaking accuracy.

  Olivia glanced over at Theo who was grinning widely at the antics of his daughter.

  Finally, with a squeal of annoyance, Theia found herself swept up into Louisa’s arms and carried the rest of the way. Louisa shook her head in amusement as she deposited Theia into Danae’s lap alongside her brother and took her place next to Olivia.

  Roni took a deep breath and settled her veil over her face.

  The mournful whine of the string quartet her mother had insisted she walk down the aisle to, made it sound more like they were going down on the Titanic then walking down the aisle for her to marry the man she loved.

  She felt the grip on her arm tighten and turned to look at her dad. He smiled down at her, patting her arm reassuringly.

  Swamped with a wave of love she turned her attention to the man waiting for her at the end of the aisle and smiled.

  ‘You ready?’ her father whispered.

  She nodded as she smoothed the full skirt of her gown and gripped her flowers tightly. With one last squeeze on his arm, they began to walk.

  21

  The service was beautiful; even Roni’s mother ceased complaining long enough to see Jake and Roni married. When Roni and Jake leaned in for their first kiss as husband and wife, Fiona, the sweet, crazy old British medium stood abruptly, her enormous daisy and sunflower hat askew, and bellowed a hearty, ‘BRAVO!’ that set off a round of applause, so loud anyone left in town would have been able to hear it.

  As day gave way to night, the fairy lights twinkled, the stars shone, and the dinner and dancing commenced. The day went off without a hitch, everyone was enjoying themselves and Roni glowed.

  But still something wasn’t quite right. Olivia couldn’t settle and yet she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It was like an itch between her shoulder blades she couldn’t scratch. She frequently scanned the tree line, even checked her wards but there was nothing out of the ordinary. So why did she feel like something was very wrong?

  She smiled and engaged with all of the guests. The night wore on and gradually the crowd began to thin. Casual acquaintances and business colleagues had long since departed, as had those with young families. Only the diehards and close friends remained. As the cool breeze rippled in off the lake, Olivia checked her watch again.

  Quarter to midnight.

  She glanced across the dance floor and saw Fiona, in her bright purple and turquoise dress with a high ostrich feather collar, sitting at a table with Jackson as they drank and laughed. Davis stood alone, propping up the makeshift bar and watching the remaining guests in amusement. Danae was being entertained by both of Roni’s brothers, Louis and Evan, who seemed quite taken with the cool statuesque blonde.

  Mr Mason was snoring at a nearby table while his wife had disappeared to harass the waiters that had been hired for the evening. Tommy and Louisa were swaying sweetly on the dance floor, both a little tipsy but it didn’t matter since Louisa and Jake’s parents had departed taking their young son Jace with them.

  Dominic was perched on a chair, his short legs swinging, and his head propped on one hand as he drunkenly sat, with a smile on his face, listening to Calypso talk. While Mac and Tammy sat amongst a scattering of other people, making polite conversation.

  Olivia scanned the floor again; she could feel Manny’s claws tightening on her shoulder. Although he’d taken steps to make sure no one could see him, she could still feel him sitting on her shoulder, watching the crowd just as she was. He could obviously feel it too, whatever it was.

  ‘Olivia,’ Theo crossed the dance floor and stood next to her, ‘where are the children?’

  ‘In the house; we set up the portable crib in the nursery for Miller. He’s asleep, along with Logan and Theia, and Shelley is watching them,’ she turned to stare more fully at her husband. She could read his body language as easily as he could read hers. Waves of tension were rolling off him, as his dark eyes scanned the tree line much as hers had done.

  ‘You feel it too, don’t you?’ she asked in concern.

  He nodded.

  ‘Do you know what it is?’ she chewed her lip worriedly. ‘Can you see anything?’

  ‘No,’ he frowned, ‘that’s the weird thing. I’ve tried looking but all I see is blackness. It’s like looking through a camera with the lens cap on. Something’s blocking me, whatever it is…’ he turned to her his eyes seriously worried, ‘there is something very wrong.’

  ‘Manny,’ she whispered and felt her little fire drake shift on her shoulder, ‘go to the children. Whatever happens do not leave them.’

  There was a tightening of his claws once again on her shoulder, the dry hiss of scales sliding along one another and then the weight of him was gone.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Scarlett approached them quietly. ‘You two look extremely serious.’

  ‘We’re not sure yet,’ Olivia told her quietly, ‘something’s coming.’

  ‘I thought you said nothing can cross your protective wards,’ Scarlett replied in concern.

  ‘It shouldn’t be able to,’ Olivia turned to Theo as the nagging feeling suddenly became a punch in her gut, loud, insistent and real. ‘Theo,’ her eyes widened, as she looked around at all the remaining guests, ‘we need to get these people out of here now.’

  Nodding in agreement he strode quickly across the dance floor to where Jake was now talking to Mac and he spoke to them in hushed tones. Jake’s eyes widened as he scanned the tables for Roni.

  Olivia turned to Scarlett and asked urgently, ‘where’s Roni?’

  ‘She went to use the bathroom,’ Scarlett replied. ‘I’ll get her.’

  ‘No, I will,’ she shook her head quickly. ‘You tell Davis and Danae what’s going on; be discreet but be quick. Whatever’s coming, I don’t think we have much time.’

  Olivia turned and headed back up to the house, pausing and glancing at the lake which suddenly began to churn and bubble. The hydra was restless, that couldn’t be good.

  Kicking off her heels, Olivia ran up to the house, climbing the steps to the porch just as Roni emerged, trying to straighten the huge skirt of her wedding gown.

  ‘I should have gone for something more like yours, rather than full on princess,’ Roni blew out a breath. ‘Do you know how hard it is to try and pee in one of these things?’

  ‘Roni,’ Olivia grabbed her hands, ‘something’s coming, everyone’s in danger. We have to get the rest of the guests out of here now.’

  ‘What?’ Roni looked up, her eyes filled with confusion, ‘but it’s not just the rest of the guests, there’s all the caterers and the waiting staff too.’

  ‘There’s no time,’ Olivia shook her head.

  ‘What’s coming?’

  ‘I don’t know,’ Olivia spun around.

  No sooner had the words left her mouth than a loud scream pierced the night. They both turned to look and saw a huge circular hole appear. There was no other way to describe it, it was like a huge pinwheel firework. The edges of the circle sparked and burned bright red and gold.

  Suddenly dark clothed intruders began to spill out of the circle like it was some kind of tunnel. Somehow it seemed to have cut a hole from wherever it began, right through her wards, to open up in the middle of the wedding celebrations.

  Shouts went up and suddenly the night air was filled with the sound of gunshots.

  ‘NO!’ Olivia screamed.

  She didn’t even notice Roni dart back into the house as she took off at a flat run back toward the others, her magical bow bursting brightly into flames. She could feel the two huge cats flanking her as the Chimera prowled back and forth across the doorway to prevent anyone from entering the house where
the children slept safely.

  Some sort of smoke grenades had been tossed into the mix and the air was filling with choking clouds. Whoever they were, they weren’t magical which instantly ruled out angels and Sentinels.

  She couldn’t see a thing. She tried to aim but in the thick smokescreen she couldn’t tell friend from enemy. Suddenly Roni appeared next to her, holding a shotgun and Jake’s hand gun.

  ‘I can’t see anything,’ she coughed as her eyes watered.

  ‘I’m going to burn away the smoke,’ Olivia blinked the stinging tears from her eyes, ‘be ready.’

  Allowing her bow to flicker out, she reached up high into the sky, up into the atmosphere, anywhere she could detect an air current. Latching on to a tentative coil of air, she pulled it downward, feeling it gain in momentum until it reached ground level. She pushed it forward, directing it toward the billows of smoke and forcing them toward the lake.

  The air was still hazy but at least they could see, and suddenly all hell broke loose.

  ‘JAKE!’ Roni yelled as she lifted her heavy dress and ran into the fray, tossing him his gun as she raised the shotgun.

  The masked men in black were everywhere, there were dozens of them. Olivia spotted Danae’s brightly glowing silver whip as she leapt over upturned chairs, striking down two of them before she hit the deck and rolled gracefully to her feet. Her brother Davis was instantly by her side as they turned to face several more.

  One of them raised a gun and shot at Davis, but he simply shimmered as the bullet passed straight through him and out the other side. It hit the remaining tiers of wedding cake, causing them to explode, showering over Roni’s dad, who had dragged his screaming wife under a nearby table.

  Several tentacles suddenly speared out of the cold black water and knocked some of the intruders off their feet. Their guns clattered to the ground as the tentacles wrapped around them and dragged them screaming into the water, where several monstrous heads emerged with wide snapping mouths filled with hundreds of fine needle-pointed teeth. Olivia didn’t stop to watch but heard the screams cut off abruptly.