Bowing his head respectfully, Dorian moved aside to allow Storm to exit the study before addressing Angeline. “Are you well, fairy girl?”
“I am. Jaiden Sheen is dead.” Angeline could not help but smile, pride and accomplishment rippling through her.
“By your hand, I presume?” Dorian’s icy eyes continued to rove over her.
“Indeed.” Angeline looked at the sword in her hand where Dorian’s eyes had come to rest. “No, I did not use this. I borrowed it from one of your soldiers to use on the witch but Storm handled her. I will return it to him in the morning.”
“Keep it. I always thought such weaponry suited you well. It is fairy made after all.” Dorian took the sword from her displaying the length of the magnificent weapon in the space between them. “It is quite old indeed, a gift from the fae to an Immortal. I procured it in a Thai market some time ago. My captain carried it but now you will. I will have the rest of the set delivered to your room on the morrow.”
“You don’t have to do that Dorian. I-“ Angeline placed a hand on the ebony handle.
“It is yours. It will serve you well.” Dorian tipped the blade toward the floor and stepped closer; his free hand moved to clasp hers over the handle.
“If this is your captain’s weapon then he should have it.” Angeline’s words came out far more breathlessly than she would have liked.
“It is meant to be yours.” Dorian pressed closer so that the hard length of the sword was all that separated them.
“Am I interrupting something?” Dan stepped into the study, just visible over Dorian’s shoulder. Angeline read a mixture of emotions on his face. She stepped back from Dorian as he released the sword to her. It suddenly felt heavy in her hands.
“Yes, you are.” Dorian glared at Dan. “But you knew that when you walked in. Come see me when you are through here, fairy girl. You promised the Emerald that you would give me details of the fight before sunrise and I do so appreciate a thrilling tale of battle before I slumber.” The vampire turned on his heel and strode out of the study leaving Angeline to face Dan. She really was not in the mood.
“He wants you, Ang.” Dan made no effort to bridge the space between them.
“I know. He has made his intentions known.” Angeline shifted her weight.
“He has?”
“Yes. Not that it should matter to you.” She did not like the intensity of Dan’s gaze. “What did you need me for?”
“I wanted to make sure you were alright. Storm was pretty upset.” Dan trailed off and took a few steps toward her.
“I am fine. Storm had a right to be upset. You guys have to stop treating her like a child. I think you all forget how much power she possesses to say nothing for her years of travel. No, she doesn’t know everything and yes it was a touch reckless but that is part of who she is and what gives her the edge she needs.” Angeline gained momentum with each point.
“She cannot be so reckless. You have to know that.” Dan’s lips nearly disappeared into a thin line, his way of hiding his frustration but Angeline continued to hold her ground. “Very well, I just came to see if you were alright. I will leave you to your vampire duties.” Turning on his heel, Dan strode quickly out of the study and Angeline heard the front door slam a few moments later.
“That went well.” Muttering under her breath, Angeline slipped out of the study and down to the basement level. Everything was still though it appeared Watson had assigned rooms to the soldiers judging by the names scrawled in tape and attached to the doorframes. Angeline glided past them all until she came to a halt before the last door on the left. She raised her hand to knock though it seemed unnecessary.
“Come in.” Gregoire’s voice reverberated to her ears, the chill not lost in translation.
Angeline turned the knob and pushed inward enough for her to slide into the suite. She closed the door quietly behind her, knowingly prolonging the confrontation she dreaded. Dorian’s suite was laid out similar to a typical hotel suite with a bathroom immediately to the left as you entered then a small closet and floor to ceiling mirror before breaking into the large living space. Dorian was sprawled in a lounge chair with his feet propped on the long glass coffee table. Gregoire stood at the wet bar on the far side of the room pouring drinks. They had clearly been arguing. Angeline turned back toward the door, “I can come back later.”
“No, fairy girl, you will stay and my brother will stay and we will speak civilly. I am weary of this silent feud between the two of you.” Dorian raised a hand to silence Angeline’s protest. “Gregoire, the fairy is an ally and my friend. You can dislike my choices until we turn transparent but they are my choices and I choose to help in this cause. I have heard too many stories of the Unseen and I do not wish to live my days under his rule. If you choose otherwise, then by all means, take your leave.”
“Even if I wanted to leave I could not.” Gregoire set his glass down, his eyes with a slightly wild edge to them. “She has claimed me, I cannot leave. I do not like this one, it is no secret, but I do not have to like her to fight beside her. The Emerald I respect and if she has selected this fairy abomination as an ally then I will accept her selection.”
“Well, a pleasure to have you on board as well, vampire.” Angeline felt the rage boiling inside, burning away all fatigue as she held Gregoire’s cold, hateful stare. “I think I will come back later, Dorian. I may be a lot of things but I will not stand here and suffer being called an abomination.” Angeline turned on her heel, gripping the sword tightly as if to shift her anger into the weapon. She nearly made it back to the door before Dorian’s cool hand wrapped around her elbow and spun her around to face him. He pushed her up against the wall opposite the bathroom and pressed the length of his body against her. Angeline’s fury was quickly replaced with a new, much stronger feeling.
“You promised to tell me of the fight, fairy girl. You would not want to break your promises to the Emerald, would you?” Dorian breathed into her ear, his breath cool against her skin. He drew back far enough to look her in the eye. His free hand rested at the small of her back and the other slid up to her wrist pinning it against the wall. “The Seraph was offended by our closeness.” It was not a question.
“Yes. He was.” Angeline whispered her response, voice failing her suddenly. “Not that it matters. I have told you both I cannot give either of you what you seek.”
“Yet I will keep seeking, fairy girl. You are special in many ways. I have not known another like you in all my years.” Dorian cast a sad look toward the main room. “This is why Gregoire treats you so cruelly. It is not you, fairy girl. He regrets that I found you first. He is bitter that I befriended you, that no other vampire may lay claim to you as long as I walk this world.”
Understanding enveloped Angeline. “You two fight over me?”
Dorian nodded tightly, almost imperceptibly. “Though it is a one-sided disagreement, fairy girl, I assure you. Gregoire was jealous when we were mortal as well. He coveted whatever I possessed that he did not. It is his fatal flaw.”
“And what is yours?” Angeline desperately needed to shift the topic of conversation.
“Ah, now you have begun to understand the game, my friend.” Dorian smiled genuinely, much as he had a hundred times before. “One of the many reasons I adore you, fairy girl. Quite the intellect hidden beneath the beauty – and deadly as well. You still wonder why you attract so many?”
“I am nothing special. I never have been, Dorian. Please, I am exhausted. I just want to shower, check on Liv, and curl up in my nice cool bed.” Angeline grasped at the remnants of her willpower and slipped out of Dorian’s grasp. “The witch, Rosalee, is dead at Storm’s hand. Jaiden and a handful of his mates are being burned by your soldiers as well. That is the long and the short of this night’s activities. I believe we will be meeting tomorrow.” Angeline turned the knob on the door and pulled it open. “Oh, and there are others on the grounds now, I do not know how many or of what bloodlines but I will mee
t you here tomorrow when you wake with the full rundown.” She slipped into the hall and pulled the door closed behind her. Dorian stood there waiting; she knew full well he expected her to walk back in.
Angeline traversed the hall, climbed the stairs and made her way to the second floor where she found Olivia curled on her side in the large four poster bed with Shane watching over her. He nodded to Angeline with a strange look on his face but slipped out quietly. Once the bedroom door latched behind him, Angeline crept into the bathroom and started the shower, pulling twigs from her hair while the water warmed. The steaming water felt blissful as it washed away everything that made her feel filthy. Angeline took time to comb out her hair and braid it in an elaborate plait before slipping into her new favorite pajamas, a tank top and soft, plaid cotton pants. She fell asleep watching Olivia sleep beside her, awed by the mere presence of her sister.
Damarra – just after the sealing of the portals
As she rose up over the hill to look down in their valley, Damarra was struck with the oddest sense of peace. She’d not felt such a thing since leaving her home. Standing on the hill, cool blades of grass between her bare toes and chill breeze rippling through her gown, Damarra realized the one truth that had evaded her – this would now be her home. The Immortal and their mystical cottage were her home and her kin. She vowed then and there, as her Immortal emerged from the cottage, she would make the most of both and fulfill her greater purpose. Damarra smiled down on Roane, waiting for him to see her and respond in kind. Yes, she would find a way to make the most of it, to find pleasure in the smallness of this life.
Ryder
Sleep was uneasy to say the least. Seeing Storm wield her power in such a way left him more worried than proud. Storm was still sleeping when Ryder awoke though he could see the babes moving about in her belly, slight movements across the flesh of her swelling abdomen. It would not be long he supposed, another month or two. If they made it that long. She could not be so reckless. Ryder could not believe he agreed with the angels but they were right. Storm stepped out of the safety of Willow Wood, even though it was just a moment, she did. Damarra’s words came back to him and Ryder wondered if that few steps off Willow Wood’s grounds could have changed Storm’s fate. He looked her over, swept some stray hairs out of her face and placed his hand lightly on her abdomen, feeling the babes move. It would not happen again. She would not set foot out of the protective wards until the babes came.
Ryder rose and dressed quickly; intent on speaking with the angels as soon as possible. He slipped out of the room careful to shut the door quietly and made his way to the kitchen. Cooking always eased his thoughts – and brought the angels running. Perhaps some of the other new arrivals would be early risers, he could not be sure. Ryder had not the time or energy last eve to study all of their new arrivals but he would remedy that today. The allies gained seemed an afterthought to the main act last night. Storm destroying Rosalee was significant, he knew that for certain but what would it mean for their cause? Surely the Unseen had others at his disposal. What purpose did last night serve?
“I think we need more food, Immortal.” Dan strode in, his hair in disarray and sporting the same clothes as the night before. “And probably more blood if the rest of the vamps are coming tonight.”
“I know. I am not certain who to send at this point. Probably the soldiers, but they had a late night with clean up detail.” Ryder did not look at Dan. Instead he continued to crack eggs in his stainless steel bowl and whisk them lightly, adding a bit of milk, vanilla and cinnamon. It was a French toast morning.
“Shane and I can go.” Dan settled into a chair at the breakfast bar. Ryder could feel the angel’s eyes boring through his back.
“Speak your mind, angel.” Ryder was not remotely in the mood for pleasantries though he supposed Storm would give him hell for it later if she found it. He started the bacon on the back burner and set the skillet to warm for the French toast before turning to face Dan again.
“Last night was dangerous.”
“I know.” Ryder held Dan’s eye, challenging him to ask the real question.
“You should have stopped her.”
“You could have just as easily, angel.”
Dan bristled. “It is not our place. We protect her from the Unseen and his minions, you protect her from herself.”
“And who decided which was which last night? Do not stand here and chastise me when you were equally responsible. You saw her, saw how she lit up, how easily she defeated the witch and how quickly it all happened. She told me she saw it in her head, saw what to do and it just happened. How was I to stop that?” Ryder seethed. “Perhaps it was a test? The Unseen wanted to know how far Storm would go and how much she is capable of.”
“I thought of that as well, Immortal.” Dan ran his hands through his hair. “But she left the grounds. You heard Damarra’s words. What ripples did that one misstep cause?”
Ryder turned his back on the angel, fighting his anger. “I know. That thought plagues me more than any others. But other things have changed since then. Many things that were not seen before, perhaps this is just a byproduct of one of those alterations? Roane and Damarra are supposed to be here, the additional vampires are unexpected as well, perhaps Storm’s fate is adapting to the changes?” Even as he spoke, Ryder knew he was stretching things but it did not matter. He would not face a reality without Storm.
“We do not know. That is the truth. Everything is clouded. We had hoped Damarra would have returned with news from her realm but it seems they are embroiled in a battle themselves. We do not know how to defeat the Unseen without the gods and goddesses of old. They did not leave records as to how it was achieved before.” Dan sat back in his chair. “We do not even know how or why he chose now to rise or what events will lead to his resurrection. In their secrecy, Damarra’s kin have left us unequipped to deal with this. Even the few Immortals with knowledge of the Unseen are dead or missing.”
“Then we find another way. Between my archives and the Sullivan archives there has to be something. Trin spent years collecting all of the information she could find on the Unseen and the prophecies surrounding Storm and Olivia. There has to be something we are missing.” Ryder dipped a few slices of bread in his batter and dropped them on the skillet with a sizzle. While they browned he started a pot of coffee hoping the aroma would wake a few more – especially Lucian.
“Perhaps there is but how much time do we have to discover it?” Dan moved to the cabinet holding their dishes and began withdrawing the plates and bowls. “We will probably use it all, don’t you think? Maybe we should get some paper plates and plastic silverware?”
“Storm and Sophia would be furious – global warming and all.” Ryder smirked. “Unless you want to try to convince them that it is really a marker of the Unseen. Believe me, Luc and I already tried.”
Dan laughed, an uneasy laugh but Ryder supposed it would always be that way between them, not that he cared. “Yes, I suppose we will stick with the real deal.”
“I will be cordial for her sake, I swear it to you.” Ryder met Dan’s eye and held it to drive his point home.
“So you will stop calling us angels?”
“Not a chance.” Ryder went back to the stove to flip the French toast.
Angeline
Sunlight splattered the room when Angeline opened her eyes. It took a moment to adjust and realize morning had actually come but the next thing she noticed was the emptiness of her bed. “Olivia?” Angeline cringed as her voice came out raspy and coarse. No answer. She leapt out of bed and peeked in the bathroom to find it empty as well. The smell of breakfast met her when she opened the bedroom door, along with the sound of laughter from the kitchen. Taking the steps two at a time, Angeline made for the kitchen where half a dozen familiar faces stood around eating and chattering like old friends, Olivia included.
“Morning all!” Angeline forced a lot of cheer into her voice and a smile onto her lips to disgui
se her relief.
Olivia turned from the stool she was perched on and ran across the room flinging her arms around Angeline’s neck. “Morning An-hell-ina! It’s about time you woke up!”
“Yeah, it was a bit of a late night. Sorry, Liv.” Angeline pulled back from her sister feeling awkward, moreso at the display of affection than anything else.
“You okay?” Olivia looped her arm in Angeline’s and led her to the breakfast bar covered in food.
“Sure, yeah. I’m fine. Why?” Absentmindedly tossing foods on a plate, Angeline glanced at the rest of their company, Lucian and Sophia, Dan and Shane, Watson, Ryder, a few soldiers, but no Storm.
“I just called you An-hell-ina, you hate that. Remember?” Uncertainty colored Olivia’s words and when Angeline finally looked at her sister she noted the furrowed brow.
“You did, didn’t you?” Angeline lightly socked her sister in the arm. “Don’t do it again.”
Olivia bought it, giggled and punched her back lightly. “Whatever. It sounds better my way.”
“So, what’d I miss?” Angeline sawed off a corner of French toast with the side of her fork and stuffed it in her mouth. Nobody answered. Angeline chewed and swallowed, looking from person to person for an answer. “Seriously, what’s up?”
Looking mildly embarrassed but plenty amused, Olivia opted to answer from behind a cup of coffee. “I was just telling stories of our childhood.”
Angeline dropped her fork. “Please tell me you didn’t. Olivia, you didn’t.”
Shane and Lucian broke into a rendition of Summer Lovin’ from Grease and Angeline knew it was all over. She did it. Olivia really did it. Angeline’s ears burned with embarrassment. “Yeah, well, at least I wasn’t named after the brilliant songstress who gave us ‘Physical’ and Xanadu.” Angeline muttered between bites.
“Hey! Xanadu is a good show!” Sophia interjected indignantly only serving to invoke another string of laughter from the guys. Even Angeline found herself recovering from the humiliation to join in. Her mood lightened further as topics shifted to other movies from the 1980s and everybody shared their favorites. It felt normal. Sort of.
The Storm Sullivan Saga: The Emerald Seer Series Box Set Page 48