“That is true,” Isaiah spoke kindly, his eyes searching Quinn’s face. “But I am sorry, Quinn – Kellan and Freya are no longer in a position to... ”
“I know,” Quinn interrupted. “They can’t take them. I know. And I understand. But I wasn’t referring to Kellan and Freya.”
“You cannot raise them yourself,” Braddon interjected irascibly. “Even inside Summerfeld. Every Guardian has a duty to the wards. Including you.”
“Let me finish,” Quinn retorted coldly, before turning back to Daniel, who she knew would have the most influence over the others. “Camille,” she explained, “Camille will take them. She is their biological aunt, just as I am. She is also confined to the City for an indefinite period of time. And,” she added, playing her trump card, “it would give her something to take her mind off Monique’s initiation.”
An absolute silence followed this announcement. Out of the corner of her eye Quinn could see her father trying to formulate an argument despite the soundness of her proposal, and Tristan’s ill-hidden excitement, but she kept her gaze fixed on Daniel. Daniel was the only person who really needed convincing. His hard expression did not change as he mulled over her words and one by one every head at the table turned to look at him. When he finally spoke, Quinn knew the battle was won.
“You will retrieve Avery’s crystal?” he prompted, and Quinn nodded solemnly. “And we have your word that if the children are permitted to be raised here, in Summerfeld, that you will return to your full duties?”
“Absolutely.”
“Then so be it.” Quinn felt the tension drain from her body at his words.
“Thank you,” she nodded stiffly, trying not to betray the depth of her emotion. Beside her Tristan had no such qualms and he shot her a look of pure, unadulterated euphoria.
“Where is the crystal?” Daniel returned immediately to business. There was no point in hiding the crystal’s location – Daniel was a noble man and he would not go back on his word.
“It’s with them,” she replied. “It’s with Jack and Ava.” Tristan exhaled heavily beside her but Daniel simply nodded.
“They will be here by morning,” he promised.
Chapter 45
Quinn paced the length of the great hall, passing Tristan at every turn, their soft footfalls echoing through the vast arch of the Cathedral. Isaiah sat quietly at a table nearby, seemingly unaffected by their impatience. Daniel had sent for Lucas to bring back the twins, but the time was passing painfully slowly. When the sound of a car finally drew up outside, Quinn dashed for the doors, flinging them wide and scampering down the stone steps in her haste to see her niece and nephew, with Tristan right behind her.
Lucas was opening the back door when Quinn skidded to a halt beside the black SUV. Every fear that she had had that the twins might have forgotten her in the months that had passed since she last saw them was eradicated as Ava threw herself into Quinn’s arms. Quinn held on to her warm body, breathing in the sweet scent that she held so dear. She noticed with a pang of regret that Ava was taller and her rounded belly flatter. The twins were almost three and growing up too quickly.
Jack wailed at being left out and Quinn scooped him up in her other arm, showering them both with kisses. She could not stem the tears that pricked at her eyes, and when she met Tristan’s gaze over the twins' heads, she saw her tears reflected in his eyes.
Tentatively, Tristan stepped forward, wary of his reception.
“Look who’s here,” Quinn murmured, jostling the children so that they turned to look at him. Tristan held out his arms but the twins shied away, burying their faces in Quinn’s neck. Her heart broke for Tristan and the genuine disappointment on his face pained her.
“Give it time,” she murmured reassuringly, and then she dropped her head between the twins’, whispering endearments into their ears.
Terrified of being abandoned again, Jack and Ava refused to be set down and they clung frantically to Quinn, despite her best efforts to reassure them that she wasn’t going anywhere. By the time she re-entered the Cathedral, Daniel stood beside Isaiah.
“Not now,” she shook her head. “It’s with her,” she inclined her head at Ava, who was hoisted on her right hip. “It will traumatise her if I take it now.” Everyone’s eyes dropped to the pink bear clutched tightly in Ava’s hand and Isaiah smiled, deducing the crystal’s location and the problem it presented to simply wrest it from the terrified child’s grasp.
“Take your time,” he nodded sagely, and even Daniel’s hard features seemed to soften as he too nodded.
Quinn had the children close their eyes while she took them through the Gateway and into the City. Tristan stayed close, unable to tear himself away from his son and daughter, and Quinn was moved by the genuine love shining in his blue eyes. Tristan looked as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, one that he hadn’t even realised he had carried with him for so long.
“Remember the story about the unicorn?” Quinn asked, moving towards the cornflower field. Jack didn’t respond, but Ava lifted her head long enough to nod. The second she clapped eyes on Tristan, she tucked it straight back into Quinn’s shoulder.
After a moment’s thought, Quinn jerked her head back towards the fountain. Trusting her judgement, Tristan followed her cue and moved away, giving them some space. Slowly, Quinn lowered the twins to the ground, kneeling before them so that they only had to look at her face.
“Did you miss me?” she asked, and Jack and Ava nodded. “I missed you guys too. I’m sorry I left you, but I had to go away for a while.” There was no point in scaring them with the truth - that they had been taken from her without her consent. “Were the people looking after you nice to you?”
“No,” Ava announced promptly and Quinn’s spirits plummeted. “He made us eat peas.” Knowing how Ava loathed peas, Quinn suppressed a smile.
“Well, you don’t have to eat any more peas,” she promised solemnly. “Do you know who that man is?” she added, pointing back at Tristan now that they were not hiding themselves in her chest. Ava shook her head, but surprisingly, Jack stared for a long moment without answering. Tristan had visited the twins a few times while they lived with Quinn, but these fleeting visits had faded in the time between.
“That’s your daddy,” Quinn explained gently. Ava’s eyes widened, but Jack’s expression didn’t change. Quinn wondered if he remembered Tristan after all. “You want him to show you something awesome?”
“I want to stay with you,” Ava sounded panicked.
“I’m here, sweetheart. I’m coming with you.” Quinn took them each by the hand and gestured to Tristan to follow.
The enormous field of flowers proved too much for the children and they finally broke free of Quinn, scampering around with shrieks of delight.
“I can’t believe they’re here.” Tristan’s voice was incredulous. “And it’s all thanks to you,” he added. Quinn didn’t pull away when he took her hand. The gesture was natural and the dry warmth of his hand felt natural and comforting.
They stood side by side, simply watching, for the longest time.
“I have an idea,” Quinn said eventually, releasing his hand. Her own felt empty.
“Jack! Ava!” she got the children’s attention and beckoned them over. “Your daddy has a surprise for you. Call them,” she added, and Tristan grinned. He let out a high, musical whistle and they all fell silent.
“What?” Ava chirruped, when nothing happened immediately.
“Shhh, watch,” Quinn dropped to her haunches and pointed to the trees nearest them. She had spotted the silvery sheen moving through the tree trunks.
When the two female unicorns emerged, Ava let out a veritable cry of uncontained glee.
“Horsey!” she yelled, bouncing up and down on the spot. Jack moved a little closer to Tristan who was nearest.
“They won’t hurt you, boy,” Tristan bent down and scooped Jack up, so that he could reach up and touch the mare’s nose as she appr
oached.
“Wanna ride horsey!” Ava insisted.
“Daddy will help you,” Quinn offered, seizing the opportunity. The lure of the unicorns was too much for Ava, who promptly opened her chubby arms to Tristan, demanding to be picked up too.
“Give Beebee to Quinn,” Quinn said, “you can’t ride the horsey with Beebee.”
All too willingly, Ava thrust the soft bear at her and then turned her attention back to the dazzling white duo.
Quinn retreated, settling down on the grass and giving Tristan space to bond with his children. She squeezed the bear in her hands, from head to toe, and up and down the arms and legs, finally feeling something hard between her fingertips. She sized it up by touch and felt a flood of relief. She had been right. She had found Avery’s crystal. And yet, she did not feel the satisfaction she had thought she would. Instead, a sense of unease settled over her, as though her body was trying to warn her of something dark and foreboding coming. Shaking herself, Quinn dismissed it. Jack and Ava were safe and she was a Guardian again. Everything was exactly as it should be.
“In the heart of your own,” she whispered, casting her eyes heavenward. “But did you have to make it so damn difficult, Avery?”
End of Book 1...
Book 2: The Fight of The Fallen
Chapter 1
Quinn Harden watched her niece and nephew meeting their new foster mother with mixed emotions. She had raised the children herself, for two years, until they were taken from her by the very people she considered family; the Guardians of Summerfeld. When Jack and Ava were taken, Quinn, a Guardian herself, had spent months defying the other Guardians and trying desperately to get the children back. It was ironic that she was now letting them go to return to her duties.
Introducing Jack and Ava to their aunt, Camille, and their teenage cousin, Monique, who was also a Guardian, went even better than Quinn had expected. The new home that Camille had been assigned had three bedrooms and had previously belonged to a Fae family of four. The Fae children had grown up and the parents did not need the extra space. They were only too happy to offer up their home at the Guardians’ request.
Camille was the most natural mother Quinn had ever encountered. Her maternal instinct was especially strong towards Jack and Ava, being her brother’s children, but Quinn secretly suspected Camille would be just as accepting of any child in need. She was just made that way. Jack and Ava responded to her immediately, from the moment she squeezed them both in a bone-crushing bear hug.
“They’re so beautiful,” Camille repeated over and over, tears shining in her eyes. “I’m so proud of you,” she added, ruffling Tristan’s hair just as she had done to Jack a moment before. The children became alarmed when Quinn explained they would be staying with Camille, but they calmed down when she promised she would be just down the street and that she would visit often. Both Jack and Ava seemed almost too accepting of their fate, and Quinn felt an irrational surge of anger towards the Guardians who had shunted them around as if they were nothing more than possessions, but she swallowed it down. She might not like the way things were, but she had come to accept it, and worse, to understand why it had to be this way. The children were important, but nothing was more valuable than keeping the inhabitants of Summerfeld safe from the vampires who hunted them.
After feeding the children, including Monique, an ample lunch of fish, salad and fresh bread smothered in the Summerfeld equivalent of butter, Camille gave Quinn a secret look.
“Tristan, why don’t you and Monique take the kids out back and let them work off some energy,” Quinn murmured. Tristan was still hesitant, unsure how to fully connect with the children he barely knew, but he kept his outward composure and played his part well.
“I can take you down the road to see the dragon eggs?” he coaxed, when the children baulked at the idea of being parted from Quinn and Camille. Ava needed no further convincing, rushing forward to take his hand, and Jack followed her lead.
“What happened yesterday?’ Camille asked the second the door closed behind them. Quinn had not had a chance to speak to her alone after the meeting the previous morning.
“Nothing was discussed except for Jack and Ava’s return,” Quinn promised. “But I meant what I said. I promise I will tell you everything I can about anything concerning Monique.”
“Isaiah says I can’t watch her training sessions.”
“That’s understandable. Guardian training is intense – it’s not dangerous,” she added quickly when Camille looked aghast, “it’s just not something that a mother would want to witness. Monique will be perfectly safe with Isaiah – he cares very deeply for all of us.”
“What if I promise not to interfere? I can just watch. I won’t even open my mouth.”
“I wasn’t finished,” Quinn smiled. “The main reason you can’t be present at her training is that a lot of that time will be spent studying the Sacred Book.” Camille looked blank and Quinn clarified, “it contains our entire history – it was transcribed from the scrolls that King Eldon himself recorded. Only a Guardian is privy to those secrets.”
Camille mulled this over and Quinn was convinced that she would argue, but surprisingly, she changed the subject.
“I may have accepted this; for my daughter’s safety I will go along with it and allow her to remain here, even going through her training,” she said, as though it took all of her willpower to do so, “but Quinn, Monique is only fifteen. You said it yourself – training takes years. Monique may be infatuated with the City right now, but how long do you think she will be content to stay put?”
“I’m not sure I follow?”
“I know my daughter. Sure, she’s one of you now and you have a bond that I don’t understand, but I have raised her all her life, loved her all her life. Trust me – Monique will need human interaction. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I am doing something for you, I am raising Jack and Ava.” For the first time, Quinn saw just how far Camille would go to protect her child, to ensure her happiness. She would resort to blackmail. Quinn was not sure if it frightened or impressed her.
“So you want me to do something for you?” she guessed. Camille did not deny it.
“I want you to promise me that you will keep my daughter safe. If she ventures outside of the City limits, for any reason, I want your word that you will be with her – that you will protect her and make sure she comes to no harm. And,” she added, as Quinn started to explain that that would not present a problem, “I want you to take her outside the City if ever she asks. And me too, for that matter.” Camille had obviously thought long and hard about this, wavering between wanting Monique never to leave the City for fear of attack, and concern that living in a cage, no matter how beautiful, was not living at all.
“That’s impossible,” Quinn breathed. “I would be acting against the Guardians.”
“The Guardians will not control my child,” Camille snapped, “I am her mother. And she deserves more than this – more than a life confined to a small village with no-one else her age to talk to, no friends. She deserves to have at least a few forays into the world that was her home for fifteen years. To interact with humans, well, ordinary humans,” she added graciously. “She is only fifteen,” she stressed again, pleadingly, and they both fell silent.
Quinn could so easily understand Camille’s concerns. She had grown up in Summerfeld after her mother’s death and had longed for the moment she could leave and explore the world. She had envied others, ordinary people who spent their lives without the heavy burden of the Guardianship that was both a blessing and a curse. Monique would, of course, visit man's realm frequently when her training was completed, but she would never experience it through the eyes of an ordinary teenage girl. And what Camille was asking was not too much – just a few trips into town, possibly a movie or a visit to a diner. Quinn could very easily keep her safe, especially if she took Monique out during t
he day. It was hardly as though a coven of vampires would be waiting to ambush them in broad daylight.
Camille’s expression was guarded, but Quinn could see, too, the desperate need for herself – for the opportunity to visit the place that she would always call home. Camille wanted this for herself, as much as for Monique. Essentially, her daughter’s fate had made her a prisoner of the City, and, as willing as she was to endure it for Monique’s sake, Camille needed to know that she would see her own kind again.
Sighing, Quinn stretched over and placed her hand on top of Camille’s.
“Okay,” she relented. She owed it to the woman who was dedicating her life to caring for Jack and Ava. It was the least she could do. “I promise. But I am going to have to speak to Isaiah.”
“No!”
“Camille, Isaiah hasn’t left the Cathedral for five hundred years. There is no way I can sneak you or Monique out without him seeing us.” Camille bit down on her bottom lip, but she could see the logic in Quinn’s reasoning.
“All right,” she agreed, “but you had better convince him.”
“I will,” Quinn feigned a confidence she didn’t feel. “But in the meantime, I need you to help me with one more thing. You don’t by any chance have a needle and thread, do you?” she asked, picking up Beebee, the soft teddy bear with the floppy hat which Ava had left on the floor beside the table.
In the end it was Freya who provided the needle and thread. With deft hands she expertly removed one of the stuffed bear’s arms and wordlessly handed both pieces to Quinn, averting her eyes as she did so. It never ceased to amaze Quinn how respectful the Fae were of Guardian business. Camille, on the other hand, showed no such restraint. She peered curiously over Quinn’s shoulder as she inserted her hand into the plush toy, groping around carefully until her finger brushed the rock-hard surface. Pinching the crystal between her first and second fingers, she slowly withdrew it.
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