First Blade (Awakening Book 1)

by Jane Hinchey

  Eventually, the train reached its final destination. Azur Falls. How on earth she'd gotten to Azur Falls she didn't know, and she'd never been here before, but at least she was in the same country. Following the crowd off the train, she allowed herself to get swept up in the rush, bursting forth onto what appeared to be a main street. Then the crowd scattered, heading off in all directions.

  Taking a minute to get her bearings, Georgia headed towards what appeared to be the center of town. Fatigue pulled at her; now that she was out of the coolness of the train the humidity covered her like a wet blanket, making it difficult to move with any sense of urgency. She just wanted to sleep.

  The vision of a pay phone a hundred meters away snapped her out of it like a bucket of cold water. Rushing to the phone she dropped the duffel bag at her feet and rummaged around for coins. Heart hammering in her chest she lifted the receiver and fed in some of the coins she'd taken from the cottage. She dialed Skye's cell number, the only one (besides her own) that she had memorized.

  It rang, then went to voicemail. Just hearing her sister's voice brought tears to her eyes.

  "Skye? Skye, it's Georgia." Her voice broke, and she wiped a hand across her wet eyes, sniffing, "Please be alive. Please. Ummm. I'm in a shitload of trouble here. I'm in Azur Falls - don't ask, I have no clue. But I've no phone, no money and I don't know what my plan is, so you can't call me back. I'll try and call again later...ok? Please be ok. I love you."

  The sun was now hovering low on the horizon, not long until sunset. Shit, she needed to get off the streets and spend the night somewhere safe. But where? She had no money for a hotel room and sleeping on the streets wasn't an option. Not only would there be vamps out there looking for her, but the usual street thugs as well, and she wasn't strong enough to fight anyone off.

  She sat for a moment as she pondered her next move. She had food, water and a warm blanket. She just needed safe shelter.

  Then it hit her. A church! Vampires couldn't enter holy ground. Could they? She'd take the chance since it was the only idea she'd been able to come up with. And wouldn't you know it, from where she was sitting, in the distance, she could see a cross sitting high above the rooftops. A church.

  Swinging her duffel back onto her shoulder she took off as fast as she could manage; the sun was going down fast. She wasn't sure if it had to be completely dark before vampires could be out, but she also needed to get to the church before they locked the doors. That's if she wasn't too late already.

  Everything feels like it takes forever when you're on foot, she grumbled, finally trudging up the street to the church. Thankfully the lights of the church were on as twilight settled across the city.

  The double doors stood open and welcoming and she breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped across the threshold, hot and exhausted.

  A few people were inside praying. A priest was at the altar, laying out what he needed for his next service. Georgia crossed herself and slid into a pew at the back. Since she was there she threw up a prayer for Skye, that she was alive and recovering, and for Zak, that he was at peace and that she loved him. She hadn't really realized that she loved him when they were together, but over the last couple of horrendous weeks, she'd known what was in her heart. A tear slid down her cheek that she'd never had the chance to tell him.

  She sat quietly in reflection, her body slowly cooling down after the rush to get there, her breath settling into an easy rhythm. People began to file into the church, obviously in preparation for an evening service. She sat and listened, pondering the age-old question, is there life after death? The priest seemed to think so.

  The service went for an hour, then people slowly began to leave again, many stopping to chat with the priest. Georgia slid farther along the pew, toward the wall. At the end, there was two-foot gap between the wall and where the pew ended, enough space for her to hunker down and not be seen unless the priest decided to walk along that side of the church, but she'd been watching him carefully and he'd never veered off the center walkway. She crouched down and waited.

  Once the lights were out, the doors were locked and the priest was gone, Georgia stretched out under the pew, using the duffel as a pillow and closed her eyes, for the first night in weeks feeling relatively safe. Maybe she'd dream of Zak again. A soft smile curved her lips as slumber claimed her.

  23

  "C'mon Dainton, ring him again!" Skye was practically jumping up and down in agitation.

  "I've left him a message to call me as soon as he lands. He will. There's no point leaving him a dozen messages." Dainton looked over at her and sighed, taking both of her hands in his, "He'll find her, don't worry."

  "I can't believe I missed her call!" Skye sobbed, face crumbling. "After all these weeks of nothing, not knowing if she was alive or dead, I missed her damn call!"

  "You heard her, she'll call back when she can. She's smart. And tough. She's survived this long," he soothed, pulling her against his chest and running a calming hand up and down her back.

  Minutes passed in silence before Skye raised her head, her eyes bleeding red.

  "Hungry?" Dainton guessed, reaching over to the cooler and pulling out a bag of blood.

  "Hungry. Again." She took the bag from him and roughly pushed her fangs into it, draining it dry within minutes.

  Dainton's phone buzzed and he snatched it up before Skye could get to it.

  "Boss," he greeted.

  "News?" Zak asked.

  "Georgia rang Skye's mobile. We missed the call but she left a voice message. She's alive."

  There was a moment's silence, then Zak barked, "Do we know where she is?"

  "Azur Falls. That's all we've got."

  "Well isn't that handy. Just so happens we're in Azur Falls too."

  "It's looking more and more like Veronica is mixed up in this, doesn't it?" Dainton asked sadly.

  "It's sure looking that way. Look, I'm going to put Aston on, he can give you instructions on tracing Georgia's call."

  Zak paced impatiently while Aston and Dainton talked. Zak could feel Skye's emotions through their bond, now that she was sired to him. She was swinging from absolute exultation to anger and frustration. He sympathized with how she felt. Knowing for sure that Georgia was alive and not being able to go to her straight away was killing him.

  Aston hung up the phone and turned to him. "Okay, traced it to a public phone outside the supermarket in the town center. I reckon we go there and pick up her scent we'll be able to track her."

  "Good man." Zak slapped him on the back.

  Piling into the hired SUV they sped from the airport, unconcerned with tolls and speeding tickets. Such menial matters took a back seat when it came to finding Georgia.

  It was nearing midnight when Zak and his warriors approached the public phone Georgia had made the call from.

  "Not picking up on any vamps," Cole muttered, scanning the area intently. "You?"

  "Nah." Kyan and Heath replied in unison.

  "Spread out. And keep an eye out, if she was here they're bound to be looking for her. Luck is on our side that we got here first but that's not to say they haven't picked up her trail somewhere else." Frank commanded.

  Zak strode up to the phone and picked up the receiver. Others had used the phone after Georgia, but taking a deep breath he picked up her scent. It was faint, masked with another scent over the top. Clever girl, wearing someone else's clothes. He smiled.

  "She was definitely here. Let's go." He followed her trail, stopping every now and then to breathe air deep into his lungs, his senses picking up her unique signature and guiding the way. They turned into the street and eyed the church on top of the hill.

  "Fuckin' clever girl." Frank grinned.

  "She is," Zak agreed, returning the smile. "You lot fan out around the church, keep a close eye out but don't let yourselves be seen. We don't want to give away her location."

  They flew up the street, disappearing into the shadows as Zak walked up the steps of the
church. He tested the doors. Locked. With a shrug, he stepped up to a window and peered into the church before transporting himself inside. Being half angel had its perks...being able to walk unhindered into a church had never come in handy before, but right now? A godsend.

  The church was dark and quiet but if he listened closely he could hear soft, even breathing. Following the sound he walked along the pew and crouched, looking beneath it. There she lay, palms pressed together with her cheek resting on them, legs curled up, sound asleep.

  His breath left him in a rush and he let his head sag. She was alive. She was safe. He let it sink in a minute before reaching out to stroke her cheek.

  She awoke with a start, slamming her head into the pew above her.

  "Ow. Fuck!" she yelped, then realized where she was and what she was running from. She scrambled backward on the wooden floorboards, pissed that she'd been discovered.

  "Georgia? It's me."

  She froze. Was that? "Zak?"

  "Yeah. Zak." He smiled, his teeth shining white in the darkness. She was in his arms before he could blink, knocking him off balance and onto his backside. He laughed, wrapping his arms around her and holding on.

  "Oh god, oh god, oh god," she cried, pulling back to run her hands over his face and chest and back again, "you're really here. You're not dead? Oh god, I thought you were dead." Sobs tore from her chest, heart-wrenching cries that tore him apart.

  "Sssh, it's ok. I'm here, I'm not dead. It's all ok," he soothed, rocking her in his arms and dropping kisses on the top of her head. Finally, she calmed, sniffing and wiping at her wet face.

  "How? I was sure I'd killed you." At her own words, she started to cry again, "I'm so sorry. So sorry. I didn't mean to. I was aiming for Erik and he moved and suddenly you were in front of me and the knife just went...into...your...chest..."

  "Hey. I'm here. I'm okay, I survived. It's not your fault, I know you didn't mean it." He cradled her face in his palms and wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

  "I love you," she whispered, her drowning eyes meeting his.

  "I love you too. So very much," he whispered in return, dropping his mouth to hers and kissing her so, so softly. Gently he pulled away.

  "As much as I'd like to continue this right here, we should leave."

  She nodded, allowing him to help her to her feet. She grabbed the duffel and slung it over her shoulder.

  "Are Marius and his goons here?" she asked, clasping his hand.

  "Not yet. We couldn't sense them when we picked up your trail, which is why we need to get moving now before they catch up."

  He teleported them outside and called his team around him. They stood in a group hug and he teleported them all back to Redmeadows.

  "Georgia!" Skye squealed, flying across the room and crashing into her sister with such force she threw them both across the room. They landed with a crash, Georgia landing painfully on the floor with a groan, Skye on top of her.

  "Skye?" she whispered, eyeing her sister who was smiling back at her...with fangs...and eyes that were starting to glow red.

  "I'm...so...glad...you're alive." Skye clearly struggled to get the words out. Squeezing her eyes closed and then opening them again, "Damn you smell so good," she breathed, leaning forward, fangs extended and aimed for Georgia's neck.

  Dainton flew in from the side, tackling Skye with a powerful body blow that sent them both crashing into the far wall.

  "Bloodlust," Frank commented.

  "Yup," Dainton agreed, pulling Skye to her feet and hustling her out the door away from her human sister.

  Georgia lay dazed on the floor. Skye was a vampire? She hadn't even thought of that as a possibility in all her prayers that her sister be saved. Guess she should've.

  "Are you ok? Are you hurt?" Zak appeared above her, frowning in concern. She'd taken a hell of hard landing when Skye had launched herself at her.

  "I'm really tired," Georgia admitted, letting her eyes drift closed for just a minute. Her back was screaming in agony, the rough landing making her wounds bleed. Again. Her eyes fluttered open again when she heard Zak's hissed breath. "What?"

  He was looking at her neck, at the blood that was seeping through the dressing she'd applied earlier.

  "I'm sorry," she whispered.

  He looked at her incredulously, "What on earth are you sorry for? He did this to you!"

  "It's all my fault. None of this would have happened if I'd stayed put in the first place. Like you told me to. I followed you into the mine, I brought the dagger in, I triggered all of these events." Silent tears ran from the corners of her eyes and soaked into her hair.

  Zak pulled her into a sitting position and wiped her face. She winced, her shirt sticking to her back.

  "It's not your fault. The wheels had been set in motion long before you got involved. Eons ago. Sometimes fate just has to play the part she was dealt, and as much as we rant about it, cry over it, blame ourselves over it, really we have no control. It was meant to happen, all we can do is salvage what we can."

  He paused, sniffing the air. His eyes landed on her neck, and the dressing that was slowly leaking blood. He took a deeper breath, eyes narrowed. Hauling her to her feet he spun her until she faced away from him. He didn't touch her but she could practically feel his eyes exploring every inch of her.

  "Your back...is bleeding," he growled.

  "Most likely." She shrugged, trying to play down the extent of her injuries.

  "All over. It looks like you're bleeding...all over." He snarled and she shrieked when the fabric was suddenly torn from her back.

  Hisses echoed as the warriors behind him caught sight of her torn skin from the whipping. The silence that filled the room was thick and heavy.

  "Jesus fucking Christ," Anton swore.

  "He will fucking pay for this," from Cole.

  "Bastard," Heath.

  "This is war," Kyan.

  Georgia started to tremble, clutching her torn shirt to her chest. She was so glad to be back with these guys, to feel their outrage over her treatment, but suddenly it was overwhelming. Every breath hurt, every drop of blood she lost was one drop she couldn't afford to lose and when she remembered that she thought they weren't coming for her, that nobody was coming, she broke. Great sobs tore through her, dragged from her very soul.

  Zak swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs to his room. He laid her on his bed, his voice soothing as he murmured comforting words to her.

  "You put the bed together," she murmured, looking pleased.

  "I did. I had to have you near me, and this seemed the best way." He brushed his hand across her brow, chasing away the headache that was starting to pound behind her eyes.

  "You need to be healed," he began, his voice low, "it's going to be rough."

  "Couldn't be worse," she whispered, not meeting his eyes.

  As gently as he could he laid his palm over each lash on her back. The first white hot sting she bit her lip and remained rigid on the bed, breath held until she thought her lungs were on fire. There was no reprieve; he had to keep going, and she had so many cuts across the length of her back. She cried out, trying to twist away.

  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry...it'll be over soon, love, shhh..." Zak healed her back as quickly as he could, closing his ears to her screams.

  Finally, he was finished. Her skin was once again perfect, unmarred by the vicious whip marks. But Georgia was undone. Trembling, shivering and shaking, making funny noises in her throat. He rolled her over, untangling her from the torn remains of the t-shirt that she had clutched in her hands. Her eyes were closed, the dark lashes stark against her white skin.

  Zak held her and rocked her and soothed her while seething inside. Marius and Erik would pay for what they had done. Their lives were forfeit; he didn't care what it took, he'd see to it.

  She groaned in his arms, eyes fluttering open.

  "I'm so, so sorry." Zak's voice, raw and broken.

  "S'ok," she murmured, "fixing me."<
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  His eyes dropped to her neck. He was worried it was going to scar, and he didn't want the marks that would be a constant reminder to both of them. This would need more than just his energy.

  "Sweetheart?"

  She roused again, looking at him.

  "I need to take care of your neck..."

  "K."

  "We need to try something different."

  "K."

  "Sweetheart, open your eyes, look at me."

  Struggling, she dragged her lids open and locked onto his face.

  "Your neck is in really bad shape. I don't want to hurt you anymore, I can't. So we're going to do this another way."

  "'Nother way?" she slurred, eyes squinting, trying to focus on him.

  "Mmmm. C'mon." He pulled her up so that she was leaning back against his chest where he was propped against the headboard. Then his wrist was at her lips, pressing something wet against them. She flicked out her tongue and tasted blood. Her body tensed, but he soothed her, his free hand stroking up and down her arm as he coaxed her into taking more.

  Already exhausted, she had no energy to fight him, or argue with him. He brought his wrist up to her mouth again and coaxed her to open, to suck, to take his blood into herself. She tried, the coppery flavor foreign to her. Honestly, she couldn't see the appeal, who'd want to be a vampire? Then the effects hit her; the torn muscles and flesh in her neck started to move, to re-align and the pain was excruciating. She pushed Zak's arms away and yelled, her body practically convulsing.

  While his blood went to work healing her, Zak laid his hand over her neck and sent his energy into her as well, a double-pronged attack. He soothed, he kissed, he murmured nonsensical words while she panted against him, skin sheened in sweat. Her head lolled, heavy against him when she passed out. Better this way, he thought, hating himself for bringing her more pain.