Betrayal: The Awakening

by Kira Hillins

  Anna glanced up at the painting. “He caught you in bed with her.”

  “I was ashamed. He was my friend, and I deceived him.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.” She placed her hands on his chest. “You didn’t know who she was.”

  “Maybe.” That last smirk Gerard gave him before he leapt to his death still haunted him. “It is strange that he was not angry with me. He just grinned and said, ‘It is almost daylight, my friend.’ Then he leapt from the balcony.”

  “I’m so sorry, Tristan.” She wrapped her arms around his torso. Her touch comforted him. He longed for more, but didn’t deserve it. If he got close, he might tell her all of his secrets. His emotions might unravel then wake the wench who slept in her family crypt.

  He palmed her cheek then broke from her embrace. “Believe me when I say I am not the same man I was back then. I should not be telling you my past. It is too disheartening.”

  “Sometimes it takes fresh ears to put things in perspective. People change and you are no different.” She followed him to the center of the room. “You’ve been in so much turmoil over something that happened so many years ago. Let go of your feelings and let me in.”

  He leaned his palms against the desk. “I can never let my emotions go.”

  “Yes, you can.” She touched his back. “It doesn’t necessarily need to be a lover to break one’s heart. In your case, it was the loss of a dear friend. But, I don’t believe he’d mean for you to mourn him forever.” She slid her hand up to his shoulder. “It’s time to forgive yourself for all your wrongs and look forward to something else. Like us.”

  How had he not looked at her until now? She had matured into a beautiful woman—one that would be close to his age when he died. She had him under a spell. He couldn’t look away as he stood before her.

  The fine lines on the outer corners of her eyes were faint, but there. Firelight danced on her skin, soft and warm beneath his touch. Her pinkish lips were moist as if they waited for a kiss, and he desired to taste them.

  He lowered his gaze to her rounded breasts. He imagined untying the strings on the front of her gown and sliding it from her body. To take her to his bed and make love to her would ease the tension she instilled in him. As long as kept his emotions locked up, sex would be okay. But, could he get what he wanted from her without giving her his heart?

  She cupped his face. Strange to think just a few days ago she’d wanted nothing to do with him, feared him more than anything. Now she cared for him more than anyone had ever before.

  He brushed his lips against hers. Her pulse quickened. The faster her heart pumped, the more aroused he became.

  “I’ve dreamed of this moment, this closeness to you,” she whispered into his mouth. “I want you.”

  With her confession out in the open, he struggled with his emotions. He sought to give in to the desire and the need to bed her, but this was wrong. One single thought of love could wake his maker. It could cost Anna her life.

  He tried to let her go, but enveloped her in his arms. Their mouths met in a deep, passionate kiss. Her taste was sweeter than wine and better than any blood he’d ever had.

  As he backed her toward the couch, he untied the strings of her gown. She held his head in her hands as he touched his lips to her neck where her pulse beat strong. Her blood called to his senses. To taste her once would be the ultimate rush.

  His canines snapped into place. Eyes on fire, he yanked the shoulders of her dress down to her waist. When he palmed her breasts, her throat tightened on his tongue. She clutched his shoulders then gave a solemn whimper as if she knew what he meant to do.

  “Your beating heart gives you away, my darling.”

  Why the hell was Madeline’s voice in his mind? Had he waken her with just a mere kiss of Anna’s lips? A mere touch of her body? Did she know Anna was the one who would save them?

  Tristan gripped Anna’s arms tight and shoved her back. She fell hard to the floor, and the wind in her lungs came out in a loud grunt. She met his gaze and fear washed over her face. With every fiber of his being, he despised that look.

  “What’s wrong?”

  He’d lost control. To be this close to her, to ride with his emotions was dangerous. As difficult as it was, he fought back his demon until his canines retracted.

  To think Madeline might be on her way here sent fire through his veins. If anything happened to Anna, it would be his fault. Maybe it was time for her to leave the castle.

  “I warned you to stay away.”

  Anna scrambled to her feet then lifted the garment up over her breasts. “You started this!”

  “I would keep my distance, but you will not leave me alone.” He hadn’t meant to be so stern, but she needed to understand how dangerous he was without coming out and telling her.

  “God! You’re such a liar! You ask me to leave you alone, but it’s obvious that you want me.” She gave a short, irritated sigh. “You know what? Forget it. I’m going to my room.”

  He’d tried to frighten her away, but she blew it off like it was nothing. One option was to tell her what her blood meant for him, but then he might lose her trust, and he was the only one who could protect her. But what else could he do? She was not intimidated.

  He caught her by the arm and swung her around to face him. He pulled her body hard against his and then presented her with an excited, daggered grin. “Do I not frighten you?” He growled as he slid his arm around her waist. He held her wrist with his other hand tight enough that she couldn’t break free.

  “You don’t scare me anymore,” she whispered in a breath. She pressed her body tight against him. “I want you more than anything. I’ve always wanted you.”

  “Anna.” He pinched her face between his thumb and fingers and gazed at her with his demon eyes. “You cannot allow yourself to be overtaken with guilty pleasures. If it is love you seek, you will not find it here.” She opened her mouth to speak, but he pressed his finger against her lips. “Do not argue with me…child. Just leave me in peace.”

  She wriggled free from his grasp. By the glare and the tears in her eyes, his words had sunk deep. “I hate you.” She backed toward the door. “I will always hate you.”

  She heaved open the heavy wooden doors and stormed out. As she stomped away, he growled. Every ounce of him wanted to go after her and apologize. But this was for the best. Too keep her at an arm’s length would save her life. It would keep the other evil from waking from her slumber—if she hadn’t already.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Discovery

  Jack thought Mason made an excellent detective. He’d found a secret door along the wall outside the crypt almost as soon as they got to the old cemetery. It was as if some guiding light led him here in hopes to find the missing angel and retrieve her to safety.

  However, something wasn’t right with this place, this cop, this whole ordeal with Anna. As Mason lit the end of a torch that looked like it belonged in some castle, Jack’s inner voice screamed at him—run!

  “What a strange place for Anna to be,” Jack whispered as Mason handed him the torch. A chill shimmied down his spine. It seemed it never stopped. To enter a tomb in the middle of the night, in Scotland nonetheless, was out of his character, unthinkable. Mason had insisted that the kidnappers had brought Anna here. He’d been so passionate about it, that Jack had no choice but to take him at his word.

  As Jack followed Mason down the damp, moss-covered steps of the crypt, his heart thumped faster. He never liked things that went bump in the night. A romantic comedy was what he enjoyed, not the boyfriend who gets slashed by the large knife in the hand of a killer. He hoped he was the hero in this story, here to save the damsel in distress.

  This was also quite exciting. The tight corridor made him feel like an investigator. He was here to discover pieces of a puzzle that didn’t quite fit, but was getting close to finding the answers.

  Creepy moments like this might be fun for the night, but he wouldn’t want
to do this for a living. Spiderwebs, rats, cemeteries, strange cops—nope, this was not his forte.

  As Jack stalked through another stone doorway, a horrible stench wafted into his nostrils. Like an old house decayed from years of rot, the scent grew with each step he took down the spiral staircase. He pulled out the cloth tissue he carried in his pants pocket then covered his face. It shouldn’t be much longer until Anna came into sight. He could save her from this Tristan guy who’d stolen her away.

  If he’d hurt her, there was no telling what Jack would do. As a doctor he’d sworn to save lives no matter what. This bastard didn’t deserve to live.

  When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Mason breathed in deep. He let it out in a noisy exhale as if he’d made it home after a lengthy trip. He lit a torch on the wall then proceeded around the room to ignite the others.

  Jack marveled at the large wooden table along the wall that held various sharp metal objects. He lifted one up and inspected the jagged edge of a rusted blade. “This is an old embalming room.”

  “I’d say more like a torture room. See the wall?”

  Jack followed Mason’s gaze to a partially clothed skeleton hanging on the wall from a spike. Its mouth was open as if whomever it was screamed in horror before they died. The scene sent a chill on top of the chills he was already experiencing.

  Jack studied the rib cage. The bones looked warped, as if someone had pierced his heart with a javelin or some sort of sharp stake. The force had driven a hole so deep into its chest that it had pinned the person to the wall.

  “Fascinating.” This place, indeed, carried the characteristics of an embalming room, but held the horrors of torture and death. Jack shuddered. “This is a spectacular find, but a little too creepy for my taste.”

  “Want to see something creepier?”

  “Not really. But since we’re down here.”

  Jack followed Mason to a black coffin in the corner of the room. As Mason pried it open with his fingers, that internal voice told Jack to get the hell out of here. He tried hard to listen, but he couldn’t get his legs to move. As much as he abhorred scary things, he was curious what they were about to find.

  Mason shoved the coffin’s lid to the side to reveal a woman. With dark lashes and bright red lipstick, she looked as though she’d died within a few days. But the dress she wore was old, tattered as if she’d been here for a very long time. Marvelous pasty white skin, plump above her tight black corset, aroused him. He yearned to touch her, hold her, for she looked so soft and sweet—alive.

  Jack marveled. “She’s perfectly preserved.”

  Mason chuckled. “Perfect indeed.”

  She opened her eyes. Tiny globes of ice spread through Jack’s body as he stepped back. He lost his footing and reached for the edge of the coffin, but missed. As he fell on his backside, heart racing, the woman rose from her box.

  Her eyes were a deep shade of red. They narrowed as she stepped out of the coffin with a dark grin.

  “Who are you?” Jack scrambled to his feet. He found Mason on the step behind him blocking the only way out.

  “I’m sorry, Jack.” Mason breathed a short laugh through his nose. “It’s not my fault. I try to resist her, but she…” He slapped his hand to his forehead and let out a horrible crying screech. “Oh, god! I didn’t want to kill her. She made me do it.”

  “Kill who?” Jack backed away from the dark-haired beauty as she crept toward him. “Where’s Anna? You said she’d be here.”

  Mason shook his head then presented a calm grin. “The link between immortals has reignited. She knows the name of the one she seeks.”

  Nausea crept up Jack’s throat. “What the hell are you saying?”

  “I had to kill her. She was going to buy his house. The trap was set.”

  “What trap? What did you do?” Jack clenched his jaw. Tears filled his eyes. Had Mason killed the woman he loved? Anna was dead, and for what purpose? None of this made any sense.

  “The link between immortals has reignited. She knows the name of the one she seeks. I give her the name she seeks…the name…her name. Anna…” Mason cried out. His voice echoed through the room. Something was horribly wrong with him. It was a trance he’d fallen under, some sort of magic spell cast by this devil woman who couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  “You are close to the one she needs,” Mason continued, less agitated. “I brought you here for her to use as a trade.” Mason fell on his knees at her feet then arched his neck. “I am destined to obey her every desire. And right now, she needs blood.”

  This was a nightmare. Jack was sure it would go away if he made it outside. He stumbled back toward the stairs. He turned to run, but the woman appeared in his path, blocking him from his escape.

  Her eyes burned a fierce red. They were frightful, but beautiful. As much as he tried to, he couldn’t look away, and he couldn’t move. Bewitched by this creature who licked her lips, he was frozen in place.

  Mason fisted Jack’s shirt then dragged him back into the room. He lifted him up and slammed him down on the table like a slab of meat at a butcher shop. It should’ve hurt, but Jack was paralyzed.

  Mason buckled straps around Jack’s wrists and ankles. “You can’t leave until you’re properly introduced.” He presented a grin as he strapped down his head. “This is Madeline. She is my queen—our queen.”

  “Why are you doing this?” Jack whispered. The only thing he could feel was the warmth of his tears rolling from the outer corners of his eyes.

  “Anna’s blood is special. Madeline needs it to return to the living and become my wife.”

  “I don’t understand any of this!”

  “Your blood smells delicious.” Madeline pressed her lips to Jack’s ear. “And I am starving.”

  Jack closed his eyes as her frigid, rancid breath glided across his face then down to his neck. When her sharp teeth nicked his skin, he swallowed hard. This Madeline thought she was a vampire. The sick role play between her and Mason had to stop.

  Jack stared at the ceiling and searched his mind for something to say. “I’m a doctor.” His voice was shaky, but he cleared his throat to play along with their game. “If it’s blood you need, I can find it for you. Lots of it.”

  She bit into his neck. She whimpered and groaned as she drew in his essence. As nauseated as he was, Jack felt nothing of the pain. Maybe Mason had drugged him at one point of their trip. Or maybe he’d stuck him with a syringe during their altercation a few moments ago.

  Dizziness swept through Jack. He was losing blood, and fast. So, this was it. He was going to die. He’d never see Anna again. Worst of all, he wouldn’t be there to save her from this creature who had become his worst nightmare.

  “You need him alive, Madeline.” Mason yanked her back. “Or have you forgotten why we brought him here?”

  Madeline growled. She glared at Mason as she wiped blood from her lips. “Maybe I should take you instead.”

  He fell to his knees and groveled at her feet. “Yes. Please take me, my queen. That’s all I ever wanted.”

  “Fine.” She kicked him in the ribs. “Let this Jack loose.”

  As she danced her way back to her coffin, Mason sneered. His lower lip quivered as he removed the straps. “There’s no other way to cure her illness but with Anna’s blood. Trust me. She will get what she wants. Anna is as good as dead.”

  Jack was weak, but once he was free, he found the strength to strike Mason square in the jaw. The blow knocked him back. Jack slid off the table and lunged for Mason. They went to the ground. Jack straddled Mason’s waist. With a tight fist, he hit him over and over until blood dripped from his nose and mouth. The skin around his eyes had turned a deep shade of purple.

  “You led her here, you stupid fuck!” Jack hit him again.

  “That is enough!” Madeline hissed. Her frigid hold was tight on the nape of his neck. His spine tingled as she lifted him off of Mason, and without effort, threw him across the room.

&n
bsp; Jack slammed into the stone wall. His head hit with a painful crack then he fell to the floor. He was already dizzy from the loss of blood, but now his vision was blurred. Don’t you dare pass out! Anna needs you.

  Believing evil would come finish the job he drew in a deep breath and focused on Madeline. She’d turned her attention on Mason who stood before her, disfigured, bleeding.

  “I’m sorry, my queen.”

  Madeline pressed her palm to Mason’s forehead. He grinned at her through swollen lips, but they lowered into a frown. His brows arched and he glanced around as if he’d just woken from a deep sleep.

  “Where…where am I?” Mason looked at Jack. He smiled as if he’d found a long-lost friend.

  Madeline shoved his head back. The snap of his neck echoed through the room. Jack watched in horror as she drank the blood oozing from the gaping hole she’d created in his throat. Then it dawned on him. This wasn’t role play at all. This was either a horrible vivid nightmare. Or this was real.

  Jack leaned over and wretched. What had he gotten himself into?

  “Ah, I feel much better.” Madeline laughed as she dropped Mason’s empty body onto the floor and strode toward Jack. “Now, you will tell me where my sister is. Or you will die.”

  Jack wiped his mouth on the sleeve of his shirt. “You’re disgusting.”

  “I can’t pinpoint my love’s heart.” She flashed a beaming smile. “But you know where Anna is, don’t you?”

  Jack shook his head. He sniffled as the churning in his gut subsided. “Even if I did know, I would never tell you.”

  Madeline placed a finger under his chin. She raised him, with ease, to his feet. A charmed fingertip was the only explanation for his willingness to follow. She slid her hands up his chest. “She is with Tristan.”

  “You’ll never get your hands on her,” he muttered.

  “Oh, I will find her and enjoy draining her life. I will do it in front of you, since you care so much for her.”

  “I won’t let it happen.” Jack glared. “Tristan won’t let it happen.”