Sentinel (Vampire Conclave: Book 2)

by S. J. West

  Just as Julian’s lips touch mine and I begin to close my eyes in anticipation of experiencing the best night of my life, I catch a glimpse of a shadow out of the corner of my eye. I almost ignore it, but the movement instantly sets off an alarm inside my body that can’t be ignored.

  Instinctively, I push Julian away to investigate what I glimpsed. Within a millisecond of that push, a ball of blue flames flies directly over my head and explodes.

  I instantly feel as though I’m in an episode of Doctor Who and our hero’s companion for the season has fallen victim to a trap laid out by the story’s villain. As the glowing ball’s blue flames explode over my head, I watch helplessly as an array of dust-sized particles are pulled down by gravity to land directly on my hair and exposed body parts. Before I can even begin to dust them off, the glowing particles quickly burrow themselves underneath my skin like a million living organisms, causing me to involuntarily gasp in surprise.

  I’ve never been someone who swoons, but in that instant, that’s exactly what I do. I fall to the floor and onto my side as an unearthly pain begins to rack my body from head to toe. I’m in so much agony, all I can do is scream just before I lose consciousness.

  I must not blackout for very long, because when I open my eyes again, I see Julian has my assailant by the throat and lying prone on the floor only a couple of feet away from me. I can hear him screaming at the man, but for some reason, I can’t make out any of his words. It’s like my mind has lost its ability to think coherently, because all it can comprehend is the pain I’m experiencing.

  Nadia barges into the room with one of her pistols drawn. She instantly kneels down beside me and places a hand on the side of my throat, presumably to check my pulse. She keeps the point of her barrel directed toward the man Julian still has pinned to the floor. Viktor runs into the room and immediately begins to lick me on the face, as if doing such an action will keep me alive in some way.

  “Who sent you?” I hear Julian yell as I finally regain my sense of hearing. He slams the man’s head against the wooden floorboards so hard they rattle and demands, “What have you done to her?”

  The man remains completely silent. I’m not sure if Julian’s physical torture has caused him to lose his ability to speak or if he’s stubbornly refusing to answer the questions. I quickly discover that the reason doesn’t matter.

  Just as Julian raises the man’s torso off the floor by the grip he still has around his throat, my assailant’s body begins to vibrate like the tongs of a tuning fork. I can actually feel the floor beneath me tremble from what’s happening to his body. The movement catches Julian off guard, and he releases his hold on the man’s throat. I’m glad he does because, in the next instant, the man’s body bursts with white hot flames that immediately turn his flesh into ash. As what’s left of the man crumbles to the floor in a pile of black powder, Julian regains his senses and rushes over to me.

  “She’s burning up,” Nadia tells Julian worriedly. “We need to lower her body temperature before she ends up like that fool.”

  Julian lifts me easily from the floor and runs toward the master bathroom. Once there, he lays me in the Jacuzzi bathtub and quickly turns on the faucet to fill it with cold water. I still can’t seem to make my mouth move to say anything as I watch him splash my face and chest with water. I notice Viktor jump up on a corner of the tub, watching me helplessly.

  “Tell me exactly what happened,” Nadia says to Julian as she uses her eyes to search for some detail on my body that might tell her what’s wrong with me.

  There isn’t much to tell. Julian is able to recap the story in less than ten seconds.

  “I don’t know what he did,” Julian says, beside himself with worry. “I don’t know what to do to help her.”

  “You need to get in touch with either that warlock or witch who were at the meeting today,” Nadia says. “One of them might be able to tell us what type of spell the man used on her.”

  “Take my place and keep her head cool,” Julian instructs Nadia as he quickly stands to his feet.

  Nadia does as he says and uses her cupped hands to continuously pour water over my head and chest.

  Julian pulls out his cell phone from his jacket pocket. He places a call and waits for an answer, all the while keeping a watchful eye on my progress, or lack thereof.

  “Mira!” Julian shouts into the phone. “I need your help. I need to get in touch with either Ryker Arriens or Fiona Delvaux.”

  He pauses while Mira speaks but then seems to cut her off rather abruptly.

  “I don’t have time to explain things!” he yells, on the edge of hysterics. “Just tell me how to get in touch with one of them.”

  Julian listens to something Mira says and then asks, “Ryker lives here, in the French Quarter?” Mira must say yes because Julian’s response is: “Give me his address.”

  Julian abruptly ends his call with Mira and quickly tells Nadia, “I’ll be right back. Keep her as cool as you can while I go get the warlock.”

  Julian leaves the room so fast I don’t actually see him do it.

  Viktor lets out a loud meow before jumping off his perch on the side of the tub and running off to points unknown.

  “Don’t you dare die on me,” Nadia sternly orders. “The queen will have my head detached from my body if you depart this world on my watch.”

  Nadia smiles weakly, letting me know she’s only joking in a vain attempt to lighten the mood. I can sense her fear and worry over what’s happening to me. We may not be the best of friends, at least not yet, but she does care for me as more than just her ward.

  “You haven’t said a word,” she notes, looking into my eyes. “Are you unable to speak?”

  Well, that’s a stupid question. How the hell am I supposed to answer it if I can’t talk?

  “Oh, wait, that was a stupid question, wasn’t it?” she says, realizing her mistake. “Can you move your eyelids? If you can, blink for me.”

  I blink once, which earns me a relieved smile from Nadia.

  “For a moment there, I thought the warlock might have fried your brain,” she says in relief. “Queen Shael would have definitely killed me if you had lost your mind. Now that we have that settled, I need for you to stay calm for me. I’m going to ask you a few questions. Blink once for yes and twice for no. Do you understand?”

  I blink once.

  “Did you recognize the man who just tried to kill you?”

  I blink twice.

  “Are you in any pain?”

  I blink once and hold it for a long time to stress that I’m in a great deal of pain.

  Nadia sighs heavily. She looks even more worried now than she did before she started her Q and A session with me.

  “Is this water bath helping at all?”

  I blink once. The cool water does feel good, but it’s definitely not a cure to what’s wrong with me.

  “Can you move any other part of your body?”

  I blink twice. My joints feel as though they’ve been glued into place. I can’t seem to move anything. I’m just thankful I’m still breathing.

  “I’ve never seen magic like this before,” Nadia tells me, looking a little frightened. “They trained us at Valengard Academy to recognize certain spells cast by humans, but I’ve never come across one like Julian described. I don’t know what to do for you. I wish I did.”

  Ryker and Julian enter the room about fifteen minutes later.

  “Move,” Ryker tells Nadia. “I need to examine her.”

  Nadia stands so Ryker can take her spot. As soon as he kneels by the tub, he places his right hand over my forehead. I feel a slight tingling sensation from his touch. I’m not sure if he’s trying to cure me or perform some other kind of magic mumbo jumbo.

  I do know he feels confused.

  After a minute, Julian impatiently demands, “Do you know what’s wrong with her or not?”

  Ryker removes his hand from my forehead and sits back, looking completely flabbergasted.
Did I suddenly grow a second head? From the expression on his face, it’s a definite possibility. A sense of helplessness surrounds him, and I instantly know he won’t be able to help me.

  “I don’t know what kind of magic was cast on her,” he says, looking over at Julian. “But I can tell you that it wasn’t cast by a human.”

  “But the man who was here was definitely human,” Julian insists. “He reeked of humanity.”

  “He may have been a warlock of fire,” Ryker concedes. “But whatever he used on Sarah wasn’t human magic.”

  “Then what kind of magic was it?” Nadia asks, even though I can sense she already suspects the answer.

  Ryker looks uneasy about replying to Nadia’s question, but in this situation, he must know neither of the two people in the room will let him leave until he gives them the information they’re demanding.

  “It has to be alfar magic,” he tells them, sounding unsure how either of them will take the news. “They’re the only other wielders of magic I know who can cast something this powerful.”

  “That’s impossible,” Nadia states resolutely. “I’ve never seen this type of magic spell either. It can’t be alfar magic.”

  “I’m afraid it is,” a new voice says, joining in on the discussion.

  I turn my gaze toward the doorway leading to the bedroom and see Alden Highborn standing there. He looks away from the other three in the room to stare directly at me.

  “What are you doing here, Alden?” Nadia asks in surprise. “How did you even know Sarah was in trouble?”

  “I have spies everywhere,” Alden tells her, considering this a suitable response.

  I notice Viktor sitting on the floor next to Alden’s feet and have a sneaking suspicion my little feline friend shifted into his human form after he made his mad dash out of the room earlier. Odds are he called my aunt and told her what happened.

  “Do you know how to help her?” Julian asks desperately. He knows as well as I do that Alden seems to be the only person in the room who understands what’s happening to me. If he knows what kind of spell was cast, he might also know how to save me.

  “We can help her,” Alden says, turning his attention to Julian. “But you need to let me take her to Alfheim. Only alfar magic can heal her now.”

  “Why can’t you cure her here?” Julian questions heatedly.

  “There isn’t time,” Alden says, walking into the room with determined strides toward the bathtub. “We have to get her to alfar healers before the poison enters her brainstem and kills her. To be honest, I’m surprised she’s lasted this long. Usually with such a weapon, death is instantaneous.”

  “Then I’m going to Alfheim with you,” Julian declares.

  Ryker quickly stands to his feet to clear the path to the tub for Alden. Alden then bends down to lift me out of the water and into his arms. For someone with such a slim frame, I’m surprised by his show of strength.

  “I’m afraid that is completely unacceptable,” Alden tells Julian in a voice that indicates arguing the fact will do my companion absolutely no good. “Human’s aren’t even allowed into Alfheim. Why in the world would you think we would willingly allow a vampire to enter our realm?”

  “She needs me,” Julian almost yells but doesn’t. I think he realizes raising his voice to Alden will do nothing but make the other man more resistant to his plea. “I can’t be separated from my companion for long periods of time.”

  “She’s in no shape to feed you her blood,” Alden says in disgust, misinterpreting Julian’s reasoning. “Besides, it’s tainted. It could very well kill you if you tried to drink it now.”

  “I don’t give a damn about drinking her blood!” Julian storms angrily. “I love Sarah, and I won’t just let you take her away from me!”

  “You have no choice,” Alden states calmly as he begins to walk out of the bathroom with me cradled in his arms.

  Julian moves faster than my eyes can see and blocks the exit to the bathroom with his body.

  “I said,” he growls to Alden, “you are not leaving here with her unless you take me too.”

  “Do you want her to die?” Alden asks tersely as he lets his anger show for the first time. “Because every second you waste arguing with me is killing her! Is that what you want? For a man who professes to love Sarah, you’re the one who’s hastening her death right now.”

  Julian’s mask of resolution dissolves after hearing Alden’s words. Reluctantly, he steps aside to allow Alden room to walk by him. If I could have voiced my own opinion or even moved a muscle, I would have protested against the way Julian was being treated. I wish I could assure Julian that I’ll come back to him as soon as possible, but I can’t. I can’t move. I can’t talk. I’m trapped inside my body, and it feels like hell on earth.

  Alden carries me out of the condo and down to the street where a black limousine is waiting. I can’t even turn my head to look at Julian one last time before Nadia steps into the back of the car with us and closes the door. The limo takes off like it has rocket boosters strapped to its engine.

  “How is this alfar magic?” Nadia asks Alden straightaway. “I’ve never seen or even heard of this type of spell before.”

  “This kind of magic was outlawed years ago. Way before either you or I were born.”

  “But how did a human warlock cast an alfar spell?”

  “He didn’t,” Alden tells her. “A long time ago, House Firestorm figured out a way to weaponize certain spells by containing them in physical objects. I was told that the warlock threw a glowing blue ball at Sarah that exploded above her. Is that correct?”

  Nadia nods. “Yes. That’s the way it was explained to me.”

  “Then we know for sure what we’re dealing with here.” Alden looks down at me and tries to smile reassuringly. “I promise that you will survive this, Princess. I refuse to disappoint your father a second time and have your death on my hands. There is a cure for this in Alfheim. I just need to get you home so we can begin to administer it. I know this must be scary for you, but try not to worry. We will take care of you. I promise.”

  As I look at Alden, his face becomes distorted as if I’m looking at it through a funhouse mirror. I squint as I try to bring his face back into focus, but that just seems to make it worse. All of a sudden, my sight is lost, and I’m trapped inside a darkness that has no escape. The only connection I have left to the outside world is my hearing.

  “Damn it,” I hear Alden curse. “I think she just lost her sight.”

  “What?” Nadia asks in dismay. “Can she still hear us?”

  I blink once, but I’m not sure anyone is paying attention to what my eyelids are doing.

  “Driver!” Alden shouts. “I don’t care what you have to push out of our way or how many human laws you have to break. Get us back to the mansion immediately!”

  “Yes, sir!” I hear a man say, presumably the driver, but since I can’t see, I’m just using a logical assumption.

  I hear the engine of the limo roar even louder as the chauffeur speeds up.

  During the ride, my muscles begin to tense up to the point where they make my bones ache. I feel as though my whole body is on the verge of exploding and am helpless in knowing what needs to be done to alleviate my pain. All I can do is place my hope and faith in a man I just met earlier in the day. From what Alden said about my father, I think it’s safe to assume that he and my dad were good friends at one time in their lives. I have no idea what he was referring to when he said he refused to fail my father a second time. When did the first time happen, and why? The more I learn about Alden, the more of an enigma he becomes.

  The limo comes to a screeching halt a few minutes later. Alden orders Nadia to get the door. He tightens his hold on me and carries me out of the car. From the sound of their feet and the sensation of moving up as well as forward, I can only assume we’re racing up a flight of stairs.

  “Open the door you fools!” I hear Alden shout to some unknown people who obviously
weren’t paying attention to the urgency of the situation.

  The sound of his footsteps changes as he enters a building. I can hear voices shouting for people to get out of the way as our path takes us farther inside the structure.

  I hear another set of footsteps come alongside Alden. They’re high-heeled shoes, so I assume it’s probably a woman, but honestly, you can never tell these days.

  “Are they prepared for us in Alfheim?” Alden asks.

  “Yes,” a woman answers, presumably the owner of the high-heeled shoes. “Queen Shael and the others are waiting for you on the other side.”

  The creaking of a large door alerts me that we’ve just entered into another room.

  “Do you want me to stay here and keep an eye on the vampire or come with you?” I hear Nadia ask.

  “You should come with us,” Alden tells her. “You’re the only one of us Sarah knows at all. I assume she trusts you to a certain extent. At least more then she will a room full of strangers in a strange land.”

  “And what about the vampire?” Nadia asks. “Their lives are connected to one another. If he dies here, they both die.”

  “Contact someone else from your detail and have them watch over Julian. Then follow us to Alfheim.”

  “Yes, sir,” Nadia answers rather obediently. I make a note to ask Alden how he’s able to tame Nadia’s rebellious side so easily. Or maybe it’s just me she tends to act out against.

  “Sarah,” Alden says to me in a gentle voice, “we’re about to enter the breach between this world and Alfheim. You’re going to feel a little pain, but considering what’s just been done to you, I don’t think it will affect you very much this trip. Your aunt and a group of healers are waiting for us on the other side. You will feel a lot of strangers laying their hands on you, so I want you to remember that all they want to do is help. I wish I had more time to explain what’s about to happen, but I don’t. Please forgive me.”

  I feel Alden take a step forward. I do experience a tingling of pain, but it’s nothing compared to what I’m already feeling. It’s more like a tickle of electricity than anything else.