Dominion 4 - Ascendance

by Lissa Kasey

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” But the world faded into a dreamless sleep, which refreshed me though I slept only a few hours before Gabe settling in beside me woke me up. “What time is it?” I asked.

  “Just after midnight.”

  “You’re back early.”

  He kissed my hair, fingers running through it. I’d forgotten how much of an obsession he’d had with the length before Sam cut it. “Timothy said he upset you. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah. He just talked about my dad. I guess I didn’t realize that he was older than me.” Or that he’d known my father. He made me realize that it was time. “I want to go home.”

  “To Minnesota, you mean.” “Yes. To Jamie and Kelly and Hanna and my mom and my condo. Everything.”

  “Even if it’s cold and the earth is sleeping?”

  “Yes. I just have to talk to Lily first and do my interview for the MI position, then we can leave.”

  “What about the house? The ring?” I sighed because I truly didn’t know. Nothing was ever really that cut and dry. I didn’t want to get rid of the house because of the memories. My father had a ton of spells mentioned in his journals that could be perfected just by moving from room to room. The partial spells were all easily finished by adding my own words. Dorien Merth had been a very smart man. Most witches feared creating their own spells. He enjoyed it, even used the house as a way to experiment with his creations.

  Yet the evil of what had been done on the property wouldn’t be easily erased, and that gave me pause for keeping the house.

  Gabe looked away and said, “We need to talk.” Those words never preceded good times. “Okay. Is this where you tell me, ‘It’s not me, it’s you’?” “God, no. I need to explain why I was so mad. I need to stop being a hypocrite and telling you to talk to me when I haven’t shared everything with you.” He let me lay my head on his chest. “There’s no easy way to say this. One of the TriMega has gone rogue. He’s after me, and through me, you. It’s likely he is the one you invited in by accident. Tresler said he was last seen in California. That’s why I was so furious when you came here alone.”

  “I thought the vampire I invited in was Max.” Gabe shook his head. “Doesn’t make sense why he would introduce himself if he was already in your house. I’ve never met Maxwell Hart, but I’ve heard of him. He’s powerful, but not with illusions. Nicholas Galloway, however, is a master of illusion.”

  “He’s the TriMega guy?”

  “Yes. Tresler called me directly when I filed the paperwork to establish a nest. He warned me of Galloway.” I listened to Gabe’s heartbeat and wondered what it all meant. The politics of vampires were still so far beyond me. They didn’t have a set rule book other than a few basics, which seemed like a bad idea for the world’s most deadly predators. “He didn’t do anything to me, though, if it was Galloway in the house. He had plenty of opportunity to hurt me. What does he have against you, anyway?”

  “There are rumors that I am more powerful than him. Establishing a growing nest would increase that power. And then there’s having you as my focus. No vampire has ever been bound to a Pillar before. So Tresler suspects that Galloway fears I will challenge him. However, vampires are rarely direct. So maybe he’s not after me at all. Maybe he’s looking for something else. I don’t know. Tresler probably does but isn’t going to share, because he likes to watch us all flounder around.”

  “Does he know that Max makes you look like a baby vampire when it comes to power?”

  “Really?” “The guy radiates power like Tresler did.” I thought back to our first meeting and the second at the ring. “And it was like he was holding back. He said he’s not a witch, but he felt as powerful as a high-level witch.”

  “Hmm.” Gabe rubbed my shoulder and back for a little bit, lost in thought. He was still so much better at choosing what he shared through our bond than I was. Finally he said, “I have never heard anything negative about him, but if he has that kind of power, I’m surprised he hasn’t taken out Galloway already.”

  “Maybe he’s not interested. You don’t care for politics. Maybe he’s the same way. Does creating rules and being a boogeyman for vampires sound appealing to you?”

  “No. Sounds like a lot of unwanted work.”

  “So are you really going to start recruiting vampires? Making vampires?” Did that mean I’d see even less of him? “Recruiting, yes. Making new ones, no. I’ve called a few

  I’ve made in the past. They’ll be moving up to the Cities to help with establishing the nest.” He kissed me on the cheek, then the tip of my nose, and across to my other cheek. “I find there are more important things to do than look after new vampires.” His cock ground into my thigh and he slipped his knee between my legs. “There’s this guy I’m sort of hung up on, and he’s kind of high maintenance, but he’s so fucking hot, I just want to pound him into the wall. Can’t do that with baby vampires everywhere.”

  “Who might this guy be?” I licked the outline of his lips and nipped the lower one. “A certain brunet. You might know him. He has these soulful blue eyes, silky hair, and skin like moonlight. Then there’s this smile of his.” He sighed deeply and kissed my forehead. “The world makes sense every time I see that smile, and nothing else matters. Wish I could see it more often.”

  I didn’t bother fighting the smile that split my face. He always made me feel like the most important person in the universe. My heart ran up and down a crazy rollercoaster when I was with Gabe. But all those swings around treacherous corners, races down impossible cliffs, and journeys to incredible heights were so much better than the years of self-destructive loneliness I had lived.

  We kissed for a while, entwined together, not sexual, just sensual. Not that I wasn’t turned on, but the closeness mattered more than sex could any day. “So, home for Solstice?” he asked.

  “Yes. You’ll still have time to pick a tree.”

  “You really hate the idea of having a dying tree in the house, don’t you?” I hid my face in his shoulder and opened up the bond between us, showing him all the recent dreams, nightmares, and pain when something happened to the earth. The Christmas tree thing really didn’t seem that big of a deal anymore.

  “You know I’m terrified of you walking away from me, right?” Gabe asked.

  I glanced at him, surprised. “Why would you be afraid of that?” “I spent years waiting for you. Praying you’d find your way through all the mess and see me at the end, the light of your tunnel.” He rubbed my arm in slow circles. “It’s like I’m waiting to wake up from a dream.”

  My stupid insecurities had done this to him, made him cautious and fearful. “I love you, Gabe. I’m not going anywhere.”

  His eyes stared into mine for a few intense moments, like he was peering into my soul. “You have no idea what would have happened to me if I hadn’t met you. If I’d never gone to that party. If I’d never approached you that night, or if you’d never called back to pursue me. God. Everything seems so destined. Like some cosmic thread pulling us together. And as much I’d like to believe in greater powers, I’ve been around a long time. The only power I know that isn’t bullshit is you.” He smiled. “And me. This thing we have. I’m just a planet orbiting the sun. Without you I’d be a useless ball of ice. You complete me. Like those romances you read. You are my other half. I really hope you understand that someday.”

  “I do,” I told him.

  He shook his head. “Not yet. But in time you will.”

  I sighed against him, loving how right it was to be back in his arms. He kissed me one last time. “I’m going to jump in the shower downstairs. You should get some sleep. See if you can do the interview with Lily tomorrow, and we can head home tomorrow night.”

  I watched him leave the room and wanted to get up and start packing already. Five minutes passed before I rolled out of bed and gave in to the urge. Most everything had been haphazardly shoved into my suitcase when the first streak of pain slashed through me. The worl
d actually went dark.

  Chapter 20

  SOMEONE shook me awake, but the pain kept coming. Was it Gabe? I opened the link between us, only to find his end closed like a concrete wall against me. Another pulse of agony ripped through my entire body, tightening muscles and spasming them all at once. My blood seemed to boil in my veins, all pulsing back to the tree, which I’d smeared with my life’s essence by accident. It held me to that bond. Demanded my help. But I couldn’t get up.

  “Seiran, you have to move.” The voice sounded only vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t see past the light of pain behind my eyes. Someone held me up and even helped me to the ladder and down the hallway. Only then did I hear the sound of a chainsaw, not outside, but inside the house.

  My first fear was that someone was hurting Gabe. Rage filled me in a way I’d never felt before, bloodlust and a need to destroy. I raced through the house, barely feeling my limbs move. Each slash of pain knocked the wind out of me, causing me to stumble. Strong arms helped me up, and they belonged to the most beautiful man I’d ever seen: Bryar. Holy shit, he was big! People size.

  “Questions later. Stop the tree from dying first.” He practically carried me to the top of the stairs in the main hall, where Gabe lay. Blood pooled around him, dripping down the stairs, splattered on the walls. His head was nothing more than a pulpy mess.

  Every kind and happy thought I’d ever had vanished and the world turned red around me, not with blood, but with indescribable rage. Bryar vanished while I stumbled down the stairs to see Caleb sawing away at the oak that had seen more generations than he would ever dream of. Sam’s crumpled form lay beside the door, prongs from some crazy taser-like device hanging from him.

  Caleb paused only long enough to pull out the taser and pop off a round at me. I dodged to the left, falling down the last few steps, but missing the sting of the tines. He struggled to reload, but I flew at him, all the rage, pain, and earth in my punch. His head snapped back like something had broken. He staggered back a few feet, dropped the taser and chainsaw. His head looked like it was on wrong, crooked, yet he still moved and stood, alive. His neck crunched with a sickening sound, putting his head back in place.

  He crossed the space and hit me back hard enough to send me sprawling to the floor. My head smashed into the tile. I felt the back of my skull split. Lights broke through my vision, dizziness spinning me in darkness for a minute. Then the stinging pain of the taser hit me, pouring raw energy through me. I blacked out again, but probably only for a few seconds. When I awoke again it was to the annoying buzzing of Bryar by my ear, back in his tiny fairy/bug form.

  Get up, Seiran. Stop him! Easier said than done. My limbs didn’t want to work. My brain told them to move, but I couldn’t feel anything. Had he broken my back, my neck? Oddly, I felt detached from my physical body, like just a head, and though that hurt, the rest just felt like dead weight.

  “Who are you?” I demanded, though it came out more like “whoru.” Better question was what was he, since I’d hit him hard enough to break his neck, and he’d shaken it off only to turn around and wallop me.

  The sound of footsteps came from the kitchen. Timothy? Was he part of this too? He appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, eyes wide with shock. He stared at me, horror clear on his face.

  I willed him silently to run away, call for help. Anything but be part of this awful conspiracy to destroy everything and everyone I cared about again. Instead he raced across the room and jumped on Caleb’s back, trying to wrench the chainsaw out of his hands. Timothy wrapped his arms around Caleb’s throat, digging in and choking him while Caleb struggled. He dropped the chainsaw and yanked at Timothy’s hair. Timothy must have had a great deal of strength because he and Caleb fought for a few minutes. Caleb even slammed him into the wall to try to get him off his back. The hit seemed to stun Timothy for a bit because he shook his head like he was seeing stars. Caleb threw him off and across the room like he weighed nothing more than a bug.

  “You are a waste of space, Merth. You should grow some balls like your old man. You could have been a leader. Now you’re just fuel.” Caleb kicked Timothy in the stomach, resulting in a sick crunch of bones and a cry of pain from Timothy.

  Sam groaned and began to wake up. Caleb turned, slammed another cartridge into his taser, and shot Sam again. Sam convulsed, eyes rolling back in his head. He still fought, baring his teeth and trying to move, but Caleb leaned forward and slammed his fist into the side of his head. “Stay down, vampire. You’ve done your part by inviting me in, now you can wait to die like the rest.”

  Bryar buzzed at lightning speed from me to the tree and back, his panic almost visible. My limbs refused to respond. Blood trickled from my skull in a warmth that made me think of Gabe. It was sad to waste all that blood. Gabe would have licked the wound closed, and together we could heal it by pulling power from the earth. We’d been working on control for a few weeks, but I couldn’t feel anything from him other than the concrete wall between us. How long would it take him to heal? No matter what, I was pretty sure I couldn’t count on him to rescue us.

  The chainsaw kicked on again. The tree toppled with an awful thud, landing opposite the stairs. The power from the ley lines surged upward, a blast beyond that of a lightning bolt coming from the ground instead of the sky. Color and light erupted, cascading across the room and shattering the glass ceiling, which rained down on us. A red light hovered over me, and the glass slid to my sides instead of hitting me. The red returned to Bryar’s tiny form, and he darted down to sit between my eyes.

  This is bad, Seiran. You have to control the power. I’d get right on that, as soon as I could feel my body again. A bright splash of light and power smashed into me, and the pain of my awakening limbs was akin to thousands of needles puncturing my skin. The scream that broke from me rattled off the walls, hurting my own ears. Agony beyond anything I’d ever experienced before ripped me apart from the inside out. The change poured over me, only to pause, reverse, and then flow back. I tried to scream again, but even the sound was lost in the horrific breaking and mending of bone and muscle.

  How many nightmares had I had as a kid of being stuck midtransformation, unable to hold a form? Trapped, helpless, a mass of writhing flesh and bones. The hot rush of blood poured from me so fast I feared I’d bled out. I blacked out again. The piercing sting didn’t allow me to rest long, but obviously I’d lost more than a few minutes since Sam and Timothy were gone. Caleb stood over me, looking every bit like the crazy man he was, eyes wide, blood on his face, and chainsaw strapped to his back like some sort of apocalyptic warrior.

  “Time for you to be useful, Rou.” He reached down and gripped me by the hair, dragging me out the door and down the stairs. “You are the freak of all freaks, you know that? A monster now, stuck between human and cat. Disgusting.” He spit and then smacked something away from his eyes. A barrage of tiny colors swarmed him, forcing him to pause and release my hair for a moment. He swatted wildly at the bugs, probably not realizing they were fairies.

  The inside yard grew a lot like the one in my dreams. Daisies, orchids, and ivy rose in glowing bunches larger than any giant sunflower I’d ever seen. The front gate was barred shut with a wall of green so thick I couldn’t see beyond it to the street. The flashes of color still shot from the broken windows toward the garden, landing and making things grow in seconds. A few streams of wild power hit patches of fairies trying to dodge the madness, and my heart skipped a beat when I felt them die.

  The power of the earth coursed through me, healing as well as hurting, mending broken bones only to have them snap again when it insisted I change to my lynx form, then repeating the cycle. The ground shook like the slow building of a massive earthquake. How many would die if this continued? I fought with the earth, trying to distribute the power evenly, slowly, but it ignored me as though I were powerless.

  I had to stop this, somehow. Bryar clung to me, hiding in behind my ear, chanting Oh God, oh God, oh God. It seemed
an odd phrase for a fairy.

  Caleb finally freed himself from the throng of fairies and continued to drag me through the yard and out to the ring. He lifted me and carefully stepped around the holes dug into the ground to throw me into the center of the circle. Sam, Timothy, and Gabe had been placed in the empty graves. Other bodies of men I didn’t recognize filled the other holes. Death magic to fuel more death magic.

  The nightmares of the ring stung only slightly less than the continual shifting of my body. Was Caleb planning on taking all my power for himself? Why bother cutting down the tree? I closed my eyes as he brandished a knife and slit his hands to let the blood flow over me.

  Help me, Bryar. I tried to speak mind to mind, not knowing if it would work. His panicked chanting stopped. I felt him move, brushing back my hair. My scalp burned from the constant changing and Caleb’s pull on it. The tingling sensation in my limbs had returned, though I hurt in places I didn’t know I could hurt. I tried to gather the strength of the earth around me to stop the change and get back some sense of stability.

  Caleb chanted and walked around the circle. Did he think I planned to give up? Maybe he didn’t know about the last two men who’d tried to kill me. No way would I die before knowing that Gabe, Sam, and Timothy were safe.

  What do you want me to do? Bryar asked.

  Anything!

  A red blur flew upward, smashing into Caleb hard enough to send him sprawling. The man sputtered. Bryar wouldn’t leave him alone. Bright flashes of light exploded in front of him, making Caleb rub his eyes and blink. My brain moved at snail speed while I tried to figure out what to do.

  The water, Seiran! Bryar shouted to me, but it made no sense. I wasn’t a water witch. That was Kelly. Sure, I could feel the stream not far away. The peace it gave the earth clearly proved its purification properties.

  Purification, shit, that was it! Caleb fought his tiny attacker for a few more minutes. I knew I was running out of time. The earth was going wild, and without Gabe’s control, this level of power felt so far beyond me I didn’t know where to begin. If I survived this, I would need much more practice.