by Unknown
"I-need-your-help," he gritted out. "Since you're Julianna's daughter, ye might ken what I'm searching for."
“If I help, will you leave?”
“Aye.”
After a moment of silence, she asked, “What are you looking for?”
A private smile curved his mouth. Humans, so quick to place trust in a stranger.
Gwen peered down at the floor and began to fiddle with a lock of her hair as she waited for him to answer. Cain’s breath halted. That gesture. He shook his head before he could think further on the painful memory that just assailed him. After clearing his throat, she brought her head up. "I'm looking for a verra old tome," he began. "'Tis thick with a torn, green, leather spine."
“I-I wouldn’t know where it would be if it’s not in here," she lied. Secretly, she would never forget the day that book came into her life….
Gwen had been reading in Julianna's study when Julianna rushed in, her hands full of old, ratted books, her dark brown hair disheveled, falling out of her long braid.
"What are those?" Gwen asked inquisitively.
"You never mind, Gwendolyn. Forget you saw them."
Gwen frowned. "Why?"
"Why!" Julianna snapped, "because they're terrible, monstrous books! Here, help me." Gwen closed her novel and followed Julianna over to the far wall. "Open this middle panel," Julianna directed, gesturing with her head. Gwen knelt down and pried the panel loose, exposing a small, hidden cubbyhole. Julianna hunched down and quickly placed the books in the dark space. She looked over her shoulder as she closed up the panel. "Remember, Gwen, forget these. And if anyone comes looking for them, do anything to stop them from getting the books." Gwen nodded as Julianna rose. She leaned over, giving Gwen a quick hug. "I have to go. I'll be back late." And with that, Julianna rushed out.
Gwen stared after Julianna until she left and then glanced over her shoulder at the secret panel. One look wouldn't hurt. After all, they were only books. Gwen strode over and removed the panel. She reached in and pulled the biggest book out. Laying it on her lap, she slowly ran her fingers over the frayed, worn leather. A prickly sensation tingled across her fingertips.
Gwen jerked her hand back. She shook her head and opened the book. As the cover flipped open, a huge blast of light shot out, sending her flat on her back. Gwen rolled over, giving the book numerous glances as she stood. After a moment, she wiped her hands on her pants and knelt down in front of the tome.
As she leaned over it, trying to get a glimpse of what was inside, the words on the page began to vanish and in its place...her name spelled across the page. Gwen slammed the book shut and tossed it in the cubbyhole, closing the panel. She stood back, watching. How had the book known her name? Gwen rubbed her arms, chasing the chill away. Julianna had been right. It was best to forget the books, especially the largest one.
Gwen blinked, realizing Cain stood in front of her, with arms crossed. She shrugged.
Cain closed his eyes, collecting his patience, before he strangled the chit. He knew Julianna wouldn’t place his books out in the open. “Perhaps," he continued impatiently, tapping his fingers on the desk, "she has a special place for her most prized collection of books?” He smiled. It was all teeth.
“All of her books are in here-“
"-think!” he cut in, as another spasm raced through his chest. “Did she ha' a secret hiding place?”
Gwen fiercely shook her head, hoping she wasn't as transparent as she felt. She was a fool to help him, to spend one more minute with him. Cain strode over to her, grimacing, and grasped her shoulders. His eyes narrowed as he stared into her gaze. "Ye lie," he said after a moment. "I'll find out the hard way."
Cain's eyes flashed, resembling black pools once more. He reached out to Gwen, and then squeezed her upper arms, holding on. He moved in close, until only a few inches separated their noses. Never taking his eyes off of her, he began reciting incoherent words in a strange language.
Gwen tried to glance away, turn her head, or even close her eyes, but whatever pull he had, kept her gaze locked with his. Unable to help herself, she stared into the bottomless black depths. She no longer felt his hands, or her body, but only energy between them. Dark, horrifying, overpowering energy stealing its way into her mind.
She felt the monster within Cain take over, and search out the information he needed that was hidden inside her. The blackness twisted and spun, crawling through corridors, until finding what it hunted for. Abruptly, her eyes closed as she felt herself fall to the floor.
Raising up on her elbows, Gwen watched as Cain strode across the room to a wall covered with mahogany panels, forgetting her, clearly knowing where to find the book. She regarded Cain as he knelt down in front of the middle section. While he fidgeted with the secret door, Gwen watched his bare back flex. Only a few of the tattoos covered his back, the majority on his front. For the first time, she noticed he wore torn, black, blood-soaked breeches. So, he had time-traveled here. Julianna must have told him of their safe place. That was the only explanation Gwen could think of for why he knew of their home.
Gwen’s attention turned back to the panel Cain pulled off from the wall. He reached into the small, dark hole and came out with his hands full of the ancient, dust covered books. One of them, very thick, with a green leather spine. Gwen shivered. She could have sworn it whispered her name. She silently cursed Julianna. She could really use her help right now. How was she supposed to stop Cain by herself? She had promised Julianna she would never let anyone touch those books, but with Cain…. Julianna would've known how hard it would be for her to stop him by herself.
On hands and knees, Gwen scurried over to a side table and opened the drawer. She pulled out a small, black-velvet pouch and slowly rose. Palming the bag, she tested the contents before opening. With shaky fingers, she emptied the substance into her hand. Miniscule, black, shiny pebbles, like grains of sand, filled her palm. The fine stones didn't look like much, but once blown in the direction of the enemy, they came alive, devouring them, leaving nothing but dust.
One light blow of air…and Cain would be out of her life forever.
* * * * *
CHAPTER TWO
Cain’s heart raced, feeling his tomes in his hands once again. Gingerly, he rose and turned around, only to come up short. The petite wench faced him from a few feet away, a deadly substance resting in her open hand. He wanted to smile. He knew the lass didn't have it in her. She wasn't a killer. He dropped the books to his feet.
Cain stepped forward. Gwen stepped back, shifting awkwardly. "Careful!" Cain growled. "I dinna think the Sands of Fate care who they feast upon."
"S-stay back," she yelled, thrusting her hand forward, the deadly grains moving precariously in her hand.
Cain raised his hands in surrender. The bloody fool would kill them both! "Do it then," he said, dropping his arms to his sides. "Kill me." He smiled, the smile not reaching his eyes. "You'll be doing everyone a favor."
Gwen flinched at his words. Did he really think that? She watched as Cain took a step forward, then another. Her arm began shaking. "I'm warning you," she said, her eyes welling up.
Cain took one more step so the tips of Gwen's fingers pressed into his chest. He leaned forward. "End me."
Gwen shook her head. "I-I can't," she choked out.
"Ye really are just a lamb," he mumbled. Very carefully, he placed his hands underneath hers, turning them, so her hands aimed toward the far wall. Bending down, Cain lightly blew across her palm.
As the black sand traveled across the room, the thousandths of grains came to life, transforming into a thick, black cloud of whirling sand. As the cloud moved toward the wall, the devouring particles swallowed up everything in its path, leaving only dust and destruction that had once been books, shelves, and wall.
At once, Gwen crumpled toward the ground. Cain caught her, helping her the rest of the way to the carpet. He brushed her hair off her face. Peaceful, he thought, studying the long, black lashes
lying across her cheeks. "So fragile," he murmured, caressing the side of her face with his hand. "Looks like your nerves got the best of ye."
Letting her be, he turned his attention back to the books, scooping them up, and spreading all six on the cherry desk. Lightly running his fingers over the aged covers, he remembered a time when he had trained from the books, first learning the black arts. The energy and power in the books called to him. He brushed his hands over their covers. The evils answered his summons, sending vibrations out to him.
They were ready.
Cain took his time, thumbing through the books as a smile curved his mouth. Pages filled with pictures of demons, archaic drawings, and Gaelic spells flashed before him. A loud laugh escaped him. He couldn’t be more happy with the way things turned out, except for the fact Julianna was missing. A problem he'd soon remedy.
Placing the tome he had anxiously searched for on top of the other books, he opened the cover, turning page after page, until stopping at a section simply marked: Life. Whether one wanted to cease life, create it, rule it, and so on and so on, the spell was contrived. He flipped past the next few pages to where he knew he would find the spell of immortality. Turning the page, he sharply sucked in air through his teeth. Only a torn, ragged strip remained of the page, and in its place, a piece of folded, aged parchment. Cain pounded his fists down on the desk. Curses filled the room.
With eyes blazing, he leaned forward and read the small note. Recognition of the flared penmanship and intricate cursive letters was immediate. The handwriting belonged to Julianna.
My Dearest Cain,
I know what you’re looking for.
Death is more victorious than immortality.
Friends for eternity,
Julianna
Cain clenched his teeth, growling. Reaching up, he ran his hands through his hair, only to gasp, instantly feeling pain from his broken ribs. What the hell did Julianna know about death and immortality! This was his life. He'd die when he chose to.
Cain blew out a breath. First things first. If he couldn't become immortal right away, then he had to get healthy. In order to find Julianna and the missing page, he'd have to be whole again. He picked up the small, red and gold, leather book, flipping through the delicate pages carelessly, until he came to the spell: Health. He scanned the page. Simple enough. When he had been immortal, he had never needed to cast a spell to heal himself, for his immortal blood had healed his wounds, but now, it might do him some good to remember this spell. With that thought, he sneered at the book as though it mocked him.
Cain glanced over to Gwen's form on the floor. Seeing no movement, he began the incantation. Closing his eyes, and outstretching his arms, he started to chant. A whirlwind of black smoke snaked out from under his feet, twisting and spinning, working its way up, covering his entire body. Ancient, demonic voices filled the room, joining Cain in the chant. A loud roar escaped him as he flung his head back and froze. Abruptly slamming his hands down on the desk, all noise and black smoke ceased. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he posed with his hands on the desk. His head hung down, while he flexed his muscles, giving the new, "better model" a test drive.
At that same moment, Gwen gradually brought her hand up to her head. Looking down at the carpet beneath her nose, she realized what had happened. Unsteadily, she pushed herself up. Tangles filled her hair as if a wind storm had passed through the room.
Looking around her, she found Cain hunched over the desk with his hands pressed flat on top. His skin no longer appeared pale, bloody, and gaunt. A healthy glow encased him, leaving him looking robust and incredibly handsome. Gwen froze as she caught a glimpse of a tattoo appearing on the side of his ribs with no one there to apply it. She covered her mouth with her hand, her head spinning once more. Just before she blacked out, a simple thought ran through her mind. None of the "Cain" she had fallen in love with, remained.
Cain glanced over, just as Gwen's head lolled down onto the carpet. Cain bared his teeth and walked over to her. This was his best friend's daughter. He felt responsible for her…somewhat. Bending down, he scooped her up, her body light and warm in his arms. The smell of citrus entwined with his senses. Her head rolled to the side, leaving her cheek flush against his naked chest. Cain held Gwen in his arms, thinking how disturbingly right she felt encased in them. In his long existence, he had bedded many wenches, more than he could count, but he had never gently held any in his arms except for one. Now, staring down at the pint-sized lass, lying gently in his arms, disgust filled him. She shouldn't feel this right in his hold. No one should, but the faceless lass in his dreams.
Cain hastily shook the thought away, gripping tightly onto Gwen. She lay limp in his arms, her sleep shirt riding well above her thighs. Cain's eyes widened with lust as he watched her delectable chest rise and fall with each breath. In the next moment, he placed her in a large, leather chair in the corner of the study. Julianna was one of his closest friends. He wouldn’t disgrace her by sleeping with her daughter. Besides, a fire burned inside of him that only one woman in his mind could extinguish, and she was long gone.
Cain hesitated, leaning over the tempting morsel asleep in the chair. His gaze traveled up and down her form, taking in the sight before she awoke, before fear filled her once more. Cain cursed. Whenever he cast black magic, his baser instincts surfaced. He had to get fresh air, clear his head. Without another glance, he strode from the room. He had to leave before he did something that Julianna would never forgive him for.
* * * * *
Gwen's eyes fluttered open to Julianna's empty, destroyed study. As memories of earlier events came to the forefront of her mind, she gripped the chair arms, sitting up ramrod straight. She glanced around. Papers lay strewn across the room, a bare patch now marred Julianna's favorite rug where the Sands of Fate consumed it, and Cain was nowhere to be found. Quietly rising out of the chair, afraid Cain would jump out from the floorboards, Gwen softly padded over to Julianna's desk. Julianna kept emergency money in the top drawer. Gwen would take some and leave, hide somewhere for a while.
Upon opening the drawer, Gwen noticed the stack of spell books that Cain had searched for still laying on the desk, opened to the last spell he had recited. With curiosity and apprehension, Gwen eyed the open page. A Gaelic spell. Slowly, reaching out, she flipped the page, yanking her hand back as though the book would bite her. Nothing but another spell. The book was just a book. She began flipping through the pages, now in earnest, horrified and excited at what she saw. She had never even gotten a true glimpse of what was inside the books, except for the one, before she had sealed them off for good. Every type of spell you could think of resided in the small hardcover. Better health, worse health, riches, endless destitution, plagues, hexes, one worse than the next. Gwen hastily shut the cover, her heart racing. She had to get rid of these books once and for all.
Swallowing, her gaze moved over to the large tome Cain had desperately wanted, and the one that had called her name all those years ago. It didn't bode well for her that he had left that book behind. For how badly Cain had wanted it, Gwen knew he'd return.
Against her better judgment, Gwen opened the aged, green, leather cover. The same prickly sensation ran up her fingers, but no bolt of energy zapped her this time. She slowly studied each page, waiting for her name to eerily appear. She should have been horrified at the images before her, but something tugged at her curiosity to keep reading. The spells she gaped at now, were no longer simple charms, but complicated magic. A shudder went through her as she thought of what someone would have to give to harbor such powerful magic.
She came to the center of the large book. A piece of loose parchment was wedged between two pages. Gwen lifted it out and recognized Julianna's handwriting. She caressed the inked words with her fingers.
My Dearest Cain,
I know what you’re looking for.
Death is more victorious than immortality.
Friends for eternity,
J
ulianna
Gwen stared at the note. Death? Cain was immortal. What was he looking for? Gwen chewed on her lip. Her gaze strayed to the pages below with the ancient Gaelic writing. An idea struck her. A spell to bring someone back, or find them had to be in the book somewhere. She spoke Gaelic. She'd cast the spell and hope for the best. One thing she knew for certain, she had to find Julianna, and fast. But she'd have to go somewhere private first, a place Cain wouldn't walk in on while in the middle of reciting the spell.
Gwen slammed the book shut. Casting glances over her shoulder, she stuffed the books in the satchel and hustled to the doorway. She poked her head around the corner. Upon seeing the empty hallway, she scurried across the hall to her bedroom.
While rummaging through her dresser, she froze. The bottom step in the dining room squeaked. Gwen held her breath. Cain had returned. The step only sounded when someone walked upon it. She dropped to the ground and pulled out the thick, green tome. Quickly flipping through the book, she rapidly scanned the mesmerizing pages, trying to find any spell that would rapidly fix her predicament. She stumbled upon an incantation to become invisible. That would have to do.
Gwen cleared her throat and began to read the spell. As she hastily stumbled over the almost illegible Gaelic print, written God knew how many eons ago, her eyes widened. The written words turned transparent until they vanished and new words, glowing a fiery orange, emerged on the page. Gwen sucked in her breath. The book was doing it again.
Captivated by the glowing words, Gwen began mumbling the new, brightly lit incantation, word by word, as it appeared upon the page. Wind began to form, swirling around the baseboards of her bedroom, gentle at first, but turning powerful and strong in a matter of seconds. Gwen opened her mouth to start reciting the next line, when a dark presence tugged at her feet. Whatever this magic was, evil made up its entirety. Cold, powerful, ghostly fingers wrapped around her legs, begging her to continue. Terrified, Gwen went to shut the book. The cover wouldn't budge. The power coming out of the book was too strong.