Beautiful Eternity

by Alicia Deters

  I cracked a smile, and the old, easy going Max returned.

  “Get it, a Keeper, but you’re also a keeper?”

  “I get it. You just made it less funny by explaining it.”

  “I totally didn’t.”

  A moment of silence passed as our smiles faded to accommodate the severity of our situation.

  “Max, I haven’t said it enough to you guys, but thank you. I’m honored and completely humbled I have the opportunity to fight side by side with each and every one of you. Even if that means reading boring ancient texts with Sophie. I know I didn’t always agree with Helen’s methods, but I’m proud to be a part of the work she’s accomplished. I know she cared deeply for you guys and her purpose.”

  “Yeah, she was pretty awesome to keep us all in line. We can be a difficult bunch, but I think her sheer dedication kept her from running for the hills every time one of us screamed at her to let us out more often. She had this gift that allowed her to see when one of us was finally ready to face the darkness, like she could see it in our eyes. I mean, no one is ever ready to face death, but I think if I went through all that my first year as a Keeper, I’d either be dead or completely broken, rocking back and forth in a corner somewhere.

  “We tested her so many times, but she never cracked, and ultimately, she knew what was best for us. I’m just grateful she made me wait as long as she did to face that kind of horror. I know I’ll get through it eventually, like you said. It’s just hard right now.”

  I didn’t know their history, but I knew Max was with the Keepers for a long time, so in a way, Helen was a parent to him. I couldn’t imagine what losing a parent felt like, not when mine were gone before my first breath.

  “I’m sorry, Max. I know we can’t bring her back. We can’t bring any of them back, but we can still fight like hell for what we still have. I promise you. We’ll make them all burn for what they took from us.”

  “I know we will. Helen believed in the prophecy with unwavering confidence. I’m not one for ages-old hearsay, but I do believe in you, Lucy. I don’t care what someone predicted thousands of years ago. I know you, and I have every faith in your ability to wipe these fuckers clean off the earth.”

  I blinked away fat tears and swiped them with my fingers when they fell. “Alright, enough with the touchy feely stuff. Give me a hug and get out of here.”

  Max stood and pulled me into a bear hug before ruffling my hair and darting toward the elevators. I followed shortly after and passed by Gregory, who was dabbing his eyes with a Kleenex.

  “So she does have a heart,” he commented. He hadn’t heard the conversation but he caught the significance of it.

  “And it only beats for you. You want a hug, too?”

  He rolled his eyes, and they landed back on his computer screen. “Have a lovely evening, Ms. Master,” he mumbled like he was just doing his job, but I knew deep down, he meant it. He was a big softy on the inside, and I made it a personal goal to bring it out of him.

  †

  I heard Gavin’s rich, silky voice coming from his office when I shut the door to our penthouse behind me. He was on a conference call with a few other people speaking different languages. His voice in any language shot through me like a warm caress, but there was something about hearing it in foreign tongues that was just… so hot.

  Chugging a few bags of O negative, I quenched my thirst before heading back to the cracked door. I pushed it open halfway and stayed in the doorway until his eyes met mine and motioned me inside.

  The frustration in his features transformed into something else as I stalked toward him. Desire heated his gaze, and I stepped around his desk to stand above him. The men and woman on the line continued their heated conversation as Gavin added his two cents every now and then.

  His eyes stayed on me as his hands pulled me into his lap, yanking me down so that I was flush with his body. Half his attention was on the conversation taking place through the little speakers on the phone, while the other half was dedicated to making me squirm.

  His hands curled under my thighs, and he dragged them up my backside, sliding under my loose tank. His warm, deft fingers skated across my skin, eliciting the best kind of chills. My eyes closed and my head fell back as I savored the feeling while suppressing a soft moan.

  Seeing it as an invitation, Gavin feasted hungrily on the exposed skin of my neck and chest. My hands tangled in his short hair and held him against me. Like naughty teenagers sneaking around under a parent’s roof, we muffled our sounds as best we could. Gavin’s lips only left my skin to interject with a few clipped phrases.

  His hands traveled up my ribcage, and whether he intended it or not, I voluntarily lifted my arms to help him lift the shirt above my head. I held his gaze, and a wicked smile spread across his face, his lips brushing the swell of my breast until the removal of fabric separated them. His eyes drank in every inch of me, and unable to stop himself, he lifted my hips and placed one hand behind my back to ease me onto his desk.

  His fingers were curling under the waistband of my leggings when his head shot up from its place by my hipbone. He cursed in English and barked out something in German. The mood had taken a drastic turn, and I sat up on my elbows, waiting for the bad news to drop. He ended the call and helped me to a sitting position on the edge of his desk.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “Philipe just went missing.” Before I could ask, he answered my question, “He’s the Helen of Poland. And now Jakob has to oversee the Poland faction.”

  “Who’s Jakob?”

  “He’s the Helen of Germany, but he already oversees his own Keepers as well as the Belgium offices.”

  There was a Helen of Troy reference to be made here, but now was not the time. “So what do you think happened to Philipe?”

  “We’d just been discussing the influx of assassins into Keeper territories. It’s happening all over the world, but this was the first time anything’s happened.”

  I had a feeling it was going to be the first of many incidents to come. My father’s warning about coming after my friends echoed through my mind, and I knew he had worked with the assassins in the past.

  “I haven’t joined him yet,” I said out loud, voicing my internal struggle.

  Gavin’s hand found my waist and reeled me into his warm embrace. “This is not your fault, Lucy.”

  “I know, but once again, I made a choice that seems to be affecting everyone else.”

  “You’re making the only choice you can.”

  “What are the other factions doing to stop this?”

  “I told them to hunker down and fortify their defenses. They’re locking down their power sources so they won’t be sitting blind like we were in Canada. No one is allowed on patrols at night.”

  “In other words, they’re being forced into hiding until I can pull my shit together.”

  “Lucy,” he begged my forgiveness.

  “No, I’m sorry. I’m putting unnecessary pressure on myself when I should be grateful they’re staying safe. This helpless feeling doesn’t get easier. In fact, it pisses me the hell off.”

  “I know, love. Believe me, I know, but we need to play it smart.”

  “Can Jakob handle the extra work?”

  “For now, I think so.” His response wasn’t as confident as I hoped.

  “You want to go help, don’t you?”

  “I wish I could, but, Lucy, there’s no way I’m leaving your side.”

  “But if there’s something—”

  “No, Lucy. There really isn’t much I can do for them, anyway. I don’t like the idea of us splitting up. I won’t leave you.”

  I nodded into his chest. “I know.” I hated the thought of being separated from him after the last time it happened.

  “For now, we stick to the plan. Go to Italy, meet with the Cardinal my sources found and figure out where this mythical sword is.”

  I smiled. “Easy as that.”

  The uneasiness die
d and I became well aware of a different kind of tension. My shirt was still rumpled on the office floor, and Gavin’s warm hands rubbed lazy circles over my sides. I lifted my head to meet his eyes, and they melted with pent up lust as soon as he noticed my desire.

  He kissed me with renewed passion and walked me backward, out of the office and into the bedroom until we bumped into the dresser. I was so sick of waiting. Waiting to make a move against the First, my Father, waiting to take the next step with Gavin until it was safe. When would it ever be safe to live my life?

  Life happened in the stolen moments between the death and destruction of my world. I had to grasp onto these moments and keep them close enough to get me through the bad ones. I wasn’t wasting any more time with death’s vice grip on my heart. I had to start taking some of my own advice and stop allowing all the ‘what-ifs’ death threw at me to corrode my life.

  I watched for any signs of evil Gavin, but his control remained intact. I reached for his belt buckle, and as I pulled, a scream shattered the intensity of the moment. Both of us went on high alert as we froze, looking like an adult movie on pause. When were we ever going to catch a break?

  “No! Don’t! Please don’t make me.” Suddenly, the girl’s voice broke off and soft sobbing followed.

  I honed into anything else that suggested danger, but was confused as to why or how any vampires would attempt an attack on our home. I had learned that Gavin installed UV lighting, hidden next to several of the normal lights, when he built this place. There were cameras throughout the main entrances and lobby, as well as the stairwell and elevators. None of that would prevent determined vampires, but I just assumed it was a widely known fact you didn’t enter into someone’s home uninvited without expecting to be shot at, or staked in the heart.

  The longer I listened, the more apparent it became this was a solo battle. Someone was having a nightmare. Sheets rustled lightly and soft padding followed as the person got out of bed.

  I heard footsteps in the stairwell headed to the roof. The door clanged open, followed by shaky and sharp intakes of breath. To my surprise, the crying ensued, which was a very vulnerable behavior. Was I hearing this right? Did hell just freeze over?

  I brought my eyes from the ceiling to Gavin, who was hearing the same thing. “Go,” he urged lightly. “But please try to be nice.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Hey, I’m the epitome of the golden rule.”

  His brows scrunched together. “You realize that it’s ‘treat others how you want to be treated,’ not ‘treat others how they treat you,’ right?”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  He sighed.

  “Kidding. It’ll be fine. I think.”

  I darted to the roof but slowed to a cautious pace when I approached the blond crying by the ledge.

  “What are you doing here?” she snapped without turning. Her sobs came to a shuttering halt. The vulnerability I heard a moment ago shriveled up in fear of this woman’s black heart.

  “Well, I haven’t been insulted in like… two hours, so I figured I’d get my fill.”

  Her head turned so she could glare at me. “I hate vampire hearing.” She turned back to face the city. “So did you just come up to kick me while I’m down?”

  “No, actually, I just came to make sure you weren’t going to jump.”

  “Ha. Ha.”

  “Seriously, though. I think this particular group has seen enough tragedy, don’t you?”

  She went radio silent on me as she withdrew into herself. Her voice was hollow and a bit defeated when she spoke again, like I wasn’t even here anymore. She recounted her own tragedy like she was reliving it through someone else’s eyes, detaching herself from it completely, but the more she talked, the harder it clung to her.

  Vampires murdered her family in front of her at the age of six, but the worst part was after they’d left, when her father asked her to end his suffering.

  I stood shell shocked at the confession. The word traumatic became the understatement of the year, or possibly the entire century.

  “For the longest time, I didn’t even know who I was more angry with. How can you ask your child to do that? I wasn’t even old enough to make my own decisions, because at that age, all adults know best, right?

  “I always think back now and try to come up with ways I would have done things differently, but it’s too late. I wasn’t old enough to say no then, but I was old enough to remember the feel of the knife tearing through his flesh and the warmth of his blood soaking my hands. I cried myself to sleep but couldn’t even comprehend the reasons for my sorrow. I don’t even remember the vampires’ faces. In my nightmares they don’t have any, until they start to blur into the face I see everyday in the mirror. I do want revenge, Lucy. But I’m not even sure who I’m avenging or who deserves the vengeance.”

  Shit. I knew what guilt looked like, and I could probably paint the perfect picture of revenge, but this went way beyond either of those.

  “Al, I can’t begin to understand your ghosts, but blame is something that’s haunted me all my life. We can aim it in any direction we want, but at the end of the day, none of it is worth holding onto. It can wear you down pretty quickly if you don’t have an outlet for it. My advice. Keep doing what you’re doing. Get angry at the world. It doesn’t matter where the vengeance is directed, just let it out. It’s a great way to cope. Trust me, it’s worked pretty well for me over the years. Eventually, you will get a handle on it.”

  She was quiet for a moment before turning her head toward me and scrunching her eyebrows. “You don’t have a lot of experience with the whole giving advice thing do you?”

  “No, I’m sorry you got stuck working through your issues with the insensitive, emotionally challenged vampire. If you’re lucky though, someday you’ll come across someone who is much wiser and better suited to be a youth counselor than I am. I happen to know someone like that if you ever want to talk about it some more. He worked wonders on me.”

  She eyed me with skepticism.

  “Shut up. I’m a work in progress.”

  “Yeah, guess that makes two of us. At least I’m not alone there.”

  I walked back to the apartment thinking about the progress I made tonight. Apparently, the night before heading off to battle brought out the heart to hearts. It was common to want to stand up against your inner demons before coming head to head with the real ones. I only hoped mine were on Team Lucy for the long haul ahead, because my monsters would come in handy for what was to come. Unleashing them wasn’t the problem. It was controlling them I struggled with.

  9

  Freezing. Everywhere in the northern hemisphere was freezing this time of year. I had been optimistic I’d get a small glimpse into spring flying halfway around the world, but no. Winter kept lording over my summer.

  Oh, well. At least you get to see another country, Lucy. Even if it is covered in frost.

  It was a Friday night in the most romantic country in the world, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend it than by engaging in one of my absolute favorite pastimes.

  Killing.

  Maiming or torturing could be excellent alternatives, but this turned out to be the perfect evening.

  After our plane landed, I watched my forlorn friends sink deeper into defeat, so I had the brilliant idea of getting right back on the horse. They jumped at the opportunity for more practice before the big show, and already, their spirits were lifting.

  It was well after midnight, and we found a group of four vampires prowling a busy section of town in the heart of Rome. We corralled them into the empty courtyard we now occupied. My original plan was to play referee, but it quickly turned into playing catch. There were too many breakables surrounding us, and my main objective became keeping them all intact.

  When Brody was hurled toward the center fountain with a statue of some naked dude in the center, I intercepted, catching him from behind. I also caught a knife Allison threw at an olive skinned, da
rk haired Italian vamp when he plucked it out of the air and sent it back in her direction.

  Tending to my surroundings had never been an issue in the States, but I was finding it to be quite the challenge. Nick screamed in agony when a vampire with bronze highlighted hair got too close. The sound of bone breaking made me wince, and I shot forward, but when I flung the bastard off of Nick, I realized my mistake and chased after his flying form, yanking him by the ankle before he connected with a string of tightly packed columns that formed an arcade. They supported a sheltered walkway between the open courtyard and stone façade of yet another building with historical value.

  Since flinging him in another direction wasn’t an option, I had no choice but to latch onto his arm with my free hand, rolling into the fall with him. We landed in the shadowed walkway between two of the columns. He grunted in pain, but I acted too quickly for him to make his next move.

  Unable to slam his head into a building, I was forced to incapacitate him with only the use of my body. He squirmed under me, but I lifted him above my head, fisting a handful of his shirt with one hand and his leg with the other. Going WWE on his ass, I dropped him as I took a knee. With added force, his spine crashed into the top of my thigh, snapping in multiple places and severing a few nerves.

  His howl of pain echoed through the courtyard. “All right. Who wants to finish this one?”

  “Lucy, look out!” Before Max even finished shouting, the sound of an arrow whooshing toward me sent my adrenaline soaring.

  Instinct had me shifting to the right to dodge the projectile. I watched it in slow motion as it flew past me, landing in its intended target. Another Italian vampire with a shaved head and thick shoulders cursed in that beautiful language as he reached up to tear the arrow free from his shoulder. I plucked the hidden knife from my boot and plunged it deep in his chest just as he dislodged the steel tip of the arrow.