The Rose Trilogy Box Set

by Tish Thawer

  Trapped in Xibalba, truly alone––her reign of terror complete––the Goddess of Suicide killed herself, leaving only the human descendants of Camazotz and Yum Camil to carry on in secret, hidden in the folds of time.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Power

  (Rose)

  I opened my eyes and felt death. The presence of it, the weight of it, the power of it. I couldn't believe how good it felt. I thought the power of it described it best. It felt like a surge within my soul...one that would only grow stronger.

  Sitting up slowly, I took stock of my surroundings. I was still in the cave, laying on the cold ground. But spread out under me, cushioning me from the rough edges of the rock, were my wings.

  I hadn't dreamt them. They were real.

  Standing up, I looked over my shoulder, trying to get a better view. My wings were large, black, and fierce. They looked like dragon hide and had wisps that extended from the ends and edges, making what I was sure would be a frightening sight as I flew through the sky. A sight I had seen often as of late; a sight I had dreamt about for days.

  Feeling the rush of anticipation, I extended my arms––not knowing how else to make them move. I laughed as my wings lifted, instantly catching the air currents surrounding me.

  With one spin and a slight push off the ground I was hovering in mid-air, as if flying was already second nature. Wait...what if it was? What if the memories and feelings I've had lately were actually of me doing all those horribly beautiful things?

  Finally awake and aware of what I'd truly become, I shot out of the hole in the top of my cave and went searching for answers. Answers and blood.

  * * * * *

  (Evie)

  "Christian, I need you to call me as soon as you get this message. It's URGENT!! I heard back from Balam, and we need to talk IMMEDIATELY!"

  Dammit! I was so pissed right now. This was the fourth time I'd tried to reach Christian and was sent directly to his voicemail.

  The idea of Rose drifting dark and turning into that...thing, was more than I could process. I needed to tell Christian what he was up against; tell him that his decision had been wrong; tell him that while being the hybrid would allow Rose to kill Meredith and her demons, if she'd already transformed, she would most likely not stop there. She would turn on us all, wiping out vampires and demons alike. And worse, unlike Ixtab, Rose had run of the human realm; an entire world to terrorize.

  I turned to Dax, who hadn't left my side since finding me hunched over my desk, crying with my cell phone still in my hand. "Do you think I should call William and see if he can reach Jillian or Justin?"

  "Yes. That's a great idea. Maybe he'll know why Christian has been unreachable."

  I quickly dialed William's number, hoping he'd be able to set my mind at ease.

  "William, it's Evangeline. I'm trying to reach Christian and have been unsuccessful. I was wondering if you've heard from Jillian or Justin lately?"

  "No, Evie. I'm sorry, I haven't. The last time I spoke with them was right before they left. Justin had relayed that they were taking off to explore some cave systems in the Midwest, but that was a couple of days ago, and I haven't had any reports since."

  Caves? Perhaps Christian's gifts have already given him the knowledge of what's happening to Rose. The thought had me panicked and relieved at the same time.

  "All right, thank you, William. I'll just keep trying him. Perhaps the caves are what's interfering with my calls. But please, if you hear anything, let me know."

  "Of course, Evie. I'll try Justin again right now. Take care."

  I hung up the phone and shook my head at Dax. Not that he hadn't heard the entire conversation, but because I just didn't have the words to express how devastated I was.

  Rose was a descendant from the demon race, and now––since being turned by Christian, she was only the second hybrid to ever exist, linking her directly to Ixtab. If Rose was reveling in her kills she would have already started to drift dark, so if Christian didn't find her soon, we all might as well line up for the firing squad that was Rose Reynolds.

  * * * * *

  (Christian)

  I woke up in a panic. Most likely because the last thing I'd thought was my imminent ruin. I could feel it. I was running out of time.

  I listened closely, waiting to see if Jillian and Justin had risen yet but was only met with silence. Using the nooks and crannies, I scaled the rock, hopping out the top in a matter of seconds.

  I looked around and found Justin and Jillian huddled together, still asleep against the far wall of the small stone room.

  I paced the tight area, annoyed I had no way of waking them faster. Frustrated, I slid down the wall opposite them and closed my eyes. I figured I should put my time to good use, so after taking a couple deep breaths, I tried to connect with Loraine again.

  Ten minutes of meditation and I was no closer to receiving any answers. Thankfully, Jillian and Justin finally began to rise.

  "Hey," Justin said upon seeing me.

  I nodded my head in his direction as he stretched and stood.

  "So what did you find out from the drawings down there?"he asked.

  I wasn't sure how to answer. Sure, I could describe the images to him, but what was the point? Besides the connection to the demented picture show my dead mother-in-law had shown me, what good had they served?

  "No, not really. Just drawings of the tribesmen's daily lives." I wasn't sure if his hesitation meant he realized I wasn't being completely honest with him, or if he was waiting for me to continue. Unfortunately, I simply didn't have anything else to say. Instead, I removed three blood bags from my backpack and tossed two in his direction. We'd need to feed and move onto our next stop...Missouri.

  Jillian woke just as Justin and I began to drain our dinner.

  "Morning!" she said with a smile.

  She was apparently a "morning person." I probably would have been too if I'd gotten to fall asleep with Rose in my arms. Sighing deeply, I shook my head. None of this was Jillian's fault, and I knew I had to stop feeling sorry for myself, but that would have been a whole lot easier if my gifts had been more active lately. I wasn't used to being this disconnected. First with Loraine, and now feeling as if I was losing touch with all of my abilities. Maybe I was.

  "So. Any news?" Jillian asked.

  "No. But I'm hopeful we'll find something at our next stop." I had to keep up appearances. If they knew how defeated I was feeling, they would report that to William who would in turn tell Evie. Dealing with her reactions was the last thing I needed right now. I hung my head and took a couple deep breaths, but my anger at this entire situation must have caused me to drift again, because when I looked up at Jillian her eyes grew wide. She then quickly made her way to Justin's side, claiming the third blood bag for herself.

  I couldn't help but to frown as they both stared at me with open uncertainty. They knew I wouldn't hurt them. Well, I hope they knew that. No matter how depressed and upset I got, I wasn't that far gone.

  "What's wrong? Why are you both looking at me like that?"

  Jillian spoke first after taking a few sips of blood. "Um...well, because Christian...you're glowing."

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Missed Opportunities

  (Loni)

  As the elevator door opened onto the twentieth floor, my attention was transfixed on the blur that sped past. A blur that no one, other than Renard and I, would have been able to see.

  We looked back and forth at one another as the crowd in front of us shuffled about. Whoever or whatever that was, would have been long gone by now and since we needed to get to Meredith's meeting site, there was simply no time to investigate. But with a nod towards my husband, I verified that I definitely wanted to check it out later.

  We completed the torturously slow ride to the ground floor, then finally exited the elevator and then the building. It was faster and way more stealthy to run t
o our destination, so after a few short minutes on foot, we arrived at the building where we'd previously witnessed Meredith's meetings. Claiming our original stakeout spot, we peered through the window at the east side of the facility. The last time we'd been in this position we'd watched as Meredith spiked the punch with human blood, but tonight, all we saw was a dark, empty room, devoid of any humans or demons.

  "Well, shit," I said.

  "Guess we should hang around to see if anyone shows up."

  "Guess so," I replied.

  After hours of waiting in the shadows, and no one making an appearance, Renard stood up and stretched his arms high above his head. "Looks like we'll have to come back tomorrow."

  "Why? Let's just run over to her house and see if we can pick up her trail from there," I suggested.

  "Evie made it clear we were to stay away from their home. Especially since Jeremy identified me the last time we were there. We can't risk either of them seeing us again or we could blow this whole thing."

  "Fine! So what if she isn't here tomorrow either? Are we going to visit every night to make sure we don't miss her?"

  "Yes. I suppose we will."

  "Dammit!" I really didn't want to spend every waking minute sitting here in the dark, waiting for this bitch to show herself. Bouncing from foot to foot, I decided to run off my frustration by taking a quick lap around the building. I was glad I did.

  Smiling as I returned, I waved the piece of paper in my hand at Renard. It was the event schedule I'd grabbed from the glass case mounted next to the front door.

  Taking the document from my hand, Renard quickly scanned the planned events for the next month.

  "Meredith's name isn't on here anywhere. And even if she was using a fake name, all of these events are either wedding receptions or bar mitzvahs." After shredding the paper Renard shook his head. "It looks like she's moved her meetings, which means we're totally buggered."

  Tonight had been nothing but a series of missed opportunities.

  After racing back to our apartment, Renard called Evie and explained the brick wall we'd just hit. She wasn't happy, of course, but didn't want us to give up. We were to stay here, and for the next two weeks––which is how long our blood supply would last––go back to the meeting facility and talk to anyone we came across to see if we could piece together where Meredith was now. Evie refused to let us venture to their home; she said she just wouldn't risk us being put on Meredith's radar any more than we had to be. Staking out the meeting facility was the safest bet.

  It was three in the morning when Renard hung up the phone. I was frustrated and pretty wound up, so I contemplated how to fill the remainder of our night since sunrise was still a few hours away. Sex with my husband, or check out the twentieth floor?

  "Babe, do you want to go up to check out that blur we saw earlier? See if we can find out who or what's up there?"

  "Not tonight, my sweet. I have other plans for us." He winked.

  That answers that. I settled into his arms and let him kiss away the disappointment I knew we were both feeling. We had two weeks to find Meredith and during that time we'd also discover who was occupying the twentieth floor, so tonight...tonight was just about us.

  * * * * *

  (Meredith)

  Staring into the eyes of two vampires in my own home sent me into a full-blown panic. But instead of launching an attack, my fight or flight response had me racing out of the apartment and back down the hallway. I assumed it was due to my maternal state. I flew past the elevator, heading immediately for the stairs. I was down twenty flights in a matter of seconds and ran directly to Lupé's house, collapsing at her front door.

  "¡Dios mío! What is wrong, child?"

  Lupé and her youngest daughter came running out of the house and quickly collected me in their arms. They helped me onto the couch that sat at the end of the porch.

  "Thank you." I hating showing any vulnerability in front of people who were supposed to be my lessers, but the surprise of what just happened overshadowed my need for pretenses. "The vampires found me."

  Lupé gasped and her daughter, whose name I still couldn't remember, started crossing herself and praying under her breath.

  "I'll call Raúl right away. We'll push up the meeting and dose everyone with a larger amount of blood, then we'll all escort you back to your apartment. We'll put an end to this." She left my side and headed back inside where I could hear her dialing the phone.

  I was so grateful for not only the physical support, but also for the feeling of being truly cared for that her words had created within me. Though Jeremy treated me like a queen and always had loving things to say, in reality it was all a lie. But this––genuine concern from one of my own––was real, and it made me feel good.

  I smiled at the young girl and listened to her mother complete what I could only describe as a demon phone chain. Two initial calls went out, then, ten minutes later, people started arriving in droves. I watched in stunned silence as Lupé and her family quickly erected a large tent structure, filling it with tables and chairs in the front yard, while others carried in two humans who were obviously obtained to serve as our sacrifices tonight.

  My strength returned and I licked my lips when I saw Juan, another of Damien's cousins, cut a man's throat, draining the life-giving fluid into the large pail that had been placed at his feet. Sacrifices, blood, immortality...all present here in the woods with others of my kind; this was how our ancestors must have lived. The thought had me feeling extremely primitive and my craving for blood was quickly reaching an uncontrollable level. All I wanted to do was fly over to the dying man and latch my mouth over his open wound. But, if I wanted to keep the others drinking blood in only small doses, I knew I had to show restraint, however the stress of controlling myself had me shaking in my seat.

  "Meredith, are you all right?" Lupé asked upon her return.

  I met her gaze with my eyes glowing red. She simply nodded and walked straight over to the table, grabbed a cup, and dipped it into the vat of blood while shooing off everyone who began to question her as she made her way back to my side.

  "I think you need this. Though I will have to answer questions from the others as to why they can't drink straight blood too."

  After downing the savory contents of the cup, I smiled and said, "Thank you. I'll speak to them."

  Lupé began to gather everyone under the large tent, and after Juan and Max, another cousin, disposed of the two bodies, I began my first speech as their true leader.

  "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I'm sure you have heard that the vampires found me, which is the reason for this rushed affair."

  I placed a hand over my stomach in an effort to gain sympathy so that my next statement would be taken at face value.

  "I asked Lupé to bring me a cup of blood directly from the pail in an effort to replenish and nourish my unborn child. The stress of running across town as we fled for our lives, took a toll on him that required a direct dose of blood to heal. Thankfully the affects are fast acting and the baby and I are now going to be just fine."

  The sighs of relief and hushed prayers that floated up from them had me feeling hopeful.

  "I want you all to make sure you have an extra cup of punch tonight, and then we'll head back into town to investigate together. I'm pretty sure the vampires would not have lingered, but you never know. The more of us there are, the better."

  I suddenly stopped and thought about Jeremy. He wouldn't be home until later, seeing as he'd already arranged to work late because of my meeting, but what if he came home early and found his home infested with demons? I couldn't take that chance, so I'd have to call and delay him even further.

  "I have to make a phone call, so I'll give you all a chance to drink up, and then we can solidify our plans."

  As the crowd began to gather around the punch bowls that Lupé had just finished mixing the blood into, I found a quiet spot in the back corner of her house to make my call. I
took a few deep breaths in an effort to pull myself together before dialing.

  "Hello, darling. How are things at work?"

  "Hi, Mer. I'm fine, just busy. What's up?"

  "Well, I was thinking, perhaps I should come meet you for a late rendezvous and we could take in the midnight showing of that new movie you wanted to see?" I tried to keep my voice even and upbeat.