Soul Awakened: A Paranormal Romance (Fire & Ice Book 2)

by Idella Breen

  Cait turned to face the girl when they entered the bedroom and trailed her heated gaze down the girl’s body appreciatively. “Babe, I don’t try, I make it happen.”

  Snow shuddered at the way her mate was looking at her. It was as if the woman was trailing her hands down her body, but she was just doing it with her gaze. “We’re just going to sleep tonight Cait. We have a big day tomorrow.”

  “You can call it whatever you want, so long as you strip.”

  “And put my pajamas on.” Snow finished as she walked over to her dresser and pulled out the blue tank top and sweat shorts.

  Snow could feel the werewolf’s eyes on her, even as she made her way to the bathroom. Snow glanced over her shoulder and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Behave Cait.”

  “Only if you really want me too.” The redhead answered as her eyes darkened.

  The brunette sighed wishfully and entered the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Did she really want her to behave? Maybe and maybe not. Snow sighed again and began to change.

  Chapter 10

  Before they had left for the mission, Beck had pulled everyone together, and walked them through the layout of the mansion they were infiltrating, but as Snow looked out the window of the SUV, she hated to admit she had forgotten the whole layout in her anxiety. Cait must have read her mind because she casually whispered to her that all she had to do was stick together with everyone. That was comforting, but what would happen if she was separated from everyone? She shuddered at the thought.

  The SUV stopped and Beck turned the engine off. “We go by foot from here. It’s still a bit of a ways, so I suggest Cait and Remus transform. I’ll scout ahead and guide you to the mansion.”

  “What about me?” Snow asked.

  Cait smiled down at her. “You can ride on my back. Just carry our clothes.”

  Everyone climbed out of the car and the two werewolves phased quickly. Snow was once again in awe of how such a large beast could be constrained in such compact human bodies, but was even more in awe when Beck transformed into a large crow. The girl knew tengu were crow demons but she had never seen one transform before. He was the size of a large cat and when his beak opened, a human voice came out. “I will call out commands. Follow my lead.”

  Beck took off into the sky and Snow climbed onto her mates back after packing their clothes into the backpack she had brought. Cait’s voice filled the air as a whisper. “Hold on tight.”

  Snow nodded and gripped the silky white fur, just as the wolf took off at a fast gait. They picked up speed slowly, letting Snow get used to it, and soon they were in a full on sprint. It was exhilarating. The brunette could feel her hair blowing in the wind as it whipped across her face and screamed in her ears. They must have been doing fifty miles-per-hour. Was this what riding on a motorcycle felt like? If it was, she might have to take it up when all of this was over.

  Cait suddenly shifted direction,s causing Snow to grip her fur tighter. They rode in silence for a while. Snow couldn’t hear Beck, but Cait and Remus must have been able to, because every once in a while they would alter their direction as if they were avoiding something or someone. It felt like ages until they came to stop in a small clearing. Cait motioned for Snow to climb off and both of the werewolves were dressed in seconds. Beck swooped down a moment later. Snow figured he must have been keeping watch.

  The tengu transformed back into his humanoid form, his feathers still taking up much of his body except for his face. He grabbed a pair of pants from the backpack and slipped them on.

  “It seems the intel was correct that the security is very lax. It had said less and less guards were being stationed as the time drew nearer to the election. I don’t know if they are killing each other or just unconcerned with any outside threats. Either way, it makes our jobs a lot easier. I will lead the way. We will enter through the left side entrance. That is where the least amount of guards are usually stationed.”

  “Lead the way.” Cait said.

  They trailed through the forest under the cover of night. Snow struggled to keep up with everyone’s fast steps, but Cait would periodically slow down enough, so that she wouldn’t lose sight of them in the forest. Beck paused and hid behind a tree. Cait dragged Snow behind one just as a dark blood rounded the corner of the mansion, and walked past where they were hiding. He was carrying a sword at his side, as well as a gun on his hip. Stitched on his black shirt was a black pawn chess piece. Snow shuddered at the unwanted memories of the last time she encountered such a crest, but was brought from her thoughts when Cait pulled her forward. They were moving through the forest again, and when they paused the second time, it was when they were parallel to a door on the side of the mansion. They took cover close together.

  Beck whispered as he looked at the guard sitting by the door. The man looked to be sleeping. “I’ll take out the guard. On my signal enter the mansion quickly.”

  They all nodded and Beck snuck out of the foliage, careful to keep to the shadows, until he came to stand next to the guard. With a swift movement he grabbed the guard by his neck and there was a soft sickening crack as the dark blood’s body went limp in the tengu’s arms. Beck motioned to them as he dragged the body into the foliage, hiding it from view.

  Just like that. He killed the dark blood like it was nothing. Snow found herself replying the cracking sound in her mind. The dark blood was dead. His existence snuffed out in seconds. The brunette suddenly felt very cold.

  Cait grabbed Snow’s hand, and pulled her out of the trees, and towards the door, bringing her back to the present. She felt her stomach flop as she passed the dead body on her way to the entrance. Cait squeezed her hand and gave the girl a stern look. Focus. Snow nodded and picked up her pace so as not to be left behind.

  They entered at the side door into a hallway. Beck led the way, his soft footfalls a stark contrast to Snow’s slightly louder and clumsy ones. Cait kept their hands intertwined to make sure the girl kept up with them as they ran through the hallway.

  Beck suddenly slid up against a wall as Snow heard loud voices coming down the hallway. The tengu pulled a small dagger from his wings and held it out slightly angled around the corner. Snow realized he was using it to see who was coming down the hall. He looked back at them and held up two fingers then held his finger to his lips. He pointed at Snow and she was confused at first until Cait bent down to whisper. “Freeze them.” They waited in silence until the heavy footfalls of the two male voices came around the corner.

  Remus and Beck grabbed both men, conscious to cover their mouths, as they held them both in choker holds. Snow held up her sword and concentrated on the diamond in the hilt. She felt her power come rapidly at her calling and the two men were frozen in seconds. Remus and Beck dropped the two frozen bodies in an empty room they had passed earlier. Then they continued on their way. They were moving so fast Snow was struggling to keep up. She was already breathing hard while Cait looked as if she hadn’t even broken a sweat.

  It wasn’t until they came to a door down an empty hallway that Snow felt fear grip her gut. They didn’t know what was on the other side of the door. Snow could vaguely remember from the earlier briefing that their goal was a bedroom far into the center of the east wing. It was supposed to be the room where Aiden was said to occupy. Snow couldn’t tell how far into the mansion they had traveled, all the hallways looked the same, but they had been running fast and for a while, so it was fair to guess this was the room they were targeting.

  Her heart was in her chest as Cait let go of her hand and reached into her weapons holster to pull out a small dagger. They decided to stick together even though splitting up would have allowed them to complete the mission more quickly. Aiden’s abilities were an unknown factor and Dian’s power was dangerous, if they were singled out. They also didn’t know what Xena was capable of yet.

  The plan was to do it quickly and quietly. An in and out operation. First they take out Aiden, then Xena, then they would l
ocate Dian. If Dian didn’t agree, they were to take her out as well. Snow’s gut dropped at the thought of killing the woman she had called an acquaintance, even if it may have been a trick. She still felt sorry for the woman that had been forcefully subjected to a life as a dark blood. She hoped Dian agreed with their plan, for her own sake.

  She was brought out of her thoughts as Beck quietly opened the door and entered. Cait followed behind him, then Remus. Snow took a deep breath before following everyone and closing the door without much sound. The room was spacious. Upon entering, they were in what looked like a resting room. There was lush red carpeting covering the floor and it was furnished lavishly.

  She looked up when Beck came up beside her. “It’s empty. He’s not in here.”

  Cait nodded. “What do we-” She was cut off by the sound of the knob jiggling. In seconds the door opened and Snow was pulled behind Cait while Remus and Beck flanked her. In walked Aiden, Xena, and Dian. Aiden was speaking quietly with Xena but when Dian gasped, he paused to scan the room.

  A frown marred his face only to be followed by shock when his haunting red gaze came to rest on Snow. She shuddered when his voice resounded in the room.

  “I killed you.”

  Snow couldn’t help the snarky comeback that left her mouth. “Not quite.”

  She saw Cait smirk, then everything was suddenly in motion and she was being thrown out of the way, as a ice cold pain erupted in her leg. The brunette stumbled, then fell to the ground as her left leg refused to move. She looked down to see an icicle had punctured her left leg and was embedded in it. At first she was too shocked to move, then the pain settled over her, and she gasped, grinding her teeth.

  Everyone was moving in the room too quickly for Snow to keep up with, as the shock from her wound was making her mind sluggish. She grabbed the icicle and pulled it out of her leg with a whine. Blood pumped from the wound and she felt her body become cold. She attempted to stand from where she had fallen behind the overturned couch.

  Cait was facing off against Aiden, her fire engulfing him while one of her legs was frozen to the floor. She saw that Beck was fighting Xena. The woman was using some type of metal fan that seemed to have blades hidden upon closer inspection. Remus was kneeling on the ground curled into the fetal position. Snow didn’t know what was wrong with him but he seemed to be in a great deal of pain.

  Snow suddenly felt gentle hands gripping her shoulders and she was being lifted from the floor. She turned to see Dian helping her stand and move towards one of the bedrooms.

  “Dian.”

  “We need to get out of the way.”

  “No, I have to fight.”

  “Snow, you’re injured. You’ll just be in the way.”

  “But I have to help.”

  Dian grimaced as she saw the wound that was bleeding all along the carpet as she dragged Snow towards the bedroom. “Then help ,by not distracting them.”

  She pulled Snow into the bedroom and set her on the bed. She bent down to inspect the wound on the girl’s leg and frowned. “This is bad Snow. We have to stop the bleeding.”

  Dian stood and inspected the room, before walking into a door that looked to be a bathroom, and returned with a towel. “Here, let me tie this around it.”

  Snow watched as the vampire helped her and tied off the wound to try and slow the bleeding down.

  “Why are you helping me, Dian? Aren’t I your enemy?”

  The woman’s eye met her own brown and she saw what looked to be a deep regret in that gaze.

  “I never wanted you to get hurt, Snow.”

  “Didn’t you think handing me over to Aiden would result in that?”

  Dian paused and frowned. “He told me he just wanted to speak with you. I never thought...I never thought he would do what he did. I’m so sorry Snow. This has all turned out so bad and I’m truly powerless to really do anything.”

  Snow shook her head. The action made her dizzy. “No, you’re not. You’re strong Dian.”

  “No, I’m not. Not even my father wanted me after I became like this. A dark blood. I’m a disgrace to my family. I have nowhere else to go. Aiden promised to take care of me but he’s evil. I want nothing to do with him, but I don’t know what to do.”

  “Fight him. He’s been lying to you. My mother told me that your father is worried sick about you and has been looking non-stop for you since your disappearance. He loves you Dian and he wants you back. Aiden has been lying to you so he can control you and use your powers to give him loyal followers. You don’t have to be trapped by him. Take back your control.”

  Dian’s face was frozen in shock. “My father is looking for me? He still wants me?”

  Snow nodded, but was beginning to feel weak. “Yes. He even told my mother, after she told him you might be a dark blood, that he didn’t care. He just wanted you to come home safely.”

  “I can go home?”

  “Yes, Dian. But first I have a job for you.”

  “What?”

  “How do you feel about becoming the queen of the dark bloods?”

  Dian laughed but paused when Snow didn’t join in. “You must be kidding. I could never lead a race or dark bloods. They would eat me alive.”

  “Not if you use your power. You can make enough of them loyal to follow you and protect you. My mother would back you as the queen and I’m sure your father will as well.”

  Dian studied Snow’s face. “You’re really serious.”

  “I am.”

  “How?”

  “How does your power work exactly?”

  “I can instill absolute loyalty in any number of people, so long as they don’t know that I’m doing it. If they know, then it is a lot harder to do it, but if I focus hard enough, I am able to.”

  “How many people can you use it on at one time?”

  “Honestly, It’s not something that I consciously have to do. People are naturally drawn to me and take to me easily, but if I concentrated, I could probably use it on at least one hundred people at one time. That’s what Aiden had me do to get his current soldiers.”

  “How long does it last?”

  “As long as I want.”

  Snow shuddered at the thought of the magnitude of the woman’s power. Where had she got such an ability from?

  A loud crash resounded through in the room, followed by an anguished cry, and Snow was trying to stand again. Dian attempted to push her back down.

  “What was that?” Snow asked as there was more yelling.

  “We should wait here Snow. You’re too injured.”

  “Let me just look. Please Dian, help me look.”

  Dian sighed, but helped Snow stand again. They walked over to the door. She led the girl back down the hallway, and Snow cried out when she saw Cait bleeding heavily from her shoulder, while leaning against the wall.

  Snow hobbled over to her and the werewolf smiled when she met the girl’s gaze.

  “That was a little bit harder than I thought it would be, but it’s done.”

  Snow looked at the werewolf in confusion before she followed her gaze to see two piles of ashes on separate sides of the room.

  “Are those…” She trailed off.

  Cait grinned. “The king and queen are in checkmate. I just did the service of wiping them from the board. Play again?”

  Snow snorted and turned back to Dian. “I think we’ve found a new queen and I rather like this one.”

  Beck helped Remus walked over to the group and everyone turned to look at Snow and Dian.

  Beck spoke first. “ Dian, I presume?”

  “That’s me.” She gave an awkward wave.

  Beck continued. “I hate to say this, but we can’t help you take the throne today. You’re going to have to use your own abilities against the other dark bloods to claim the right, but should you do so, and succeed, you will have the backing of the Bennett family, I guarantee that.”

  Dian nodded and gave a weak smile. “I’ll do my best. If I don’t succe
ed and subsequently, die at the hands of the other contenders, please tell my father that I love him, and that it’s not his fault.”

  Cait smiled. “Tell him yourself. You’re going to do fine. I can feel it in my bones.”

  Snow chuckled. “You sound like an old lady.”

  Beck smiled. “Actually, Mrs. Bennett, Cait is a rather old lady.”

  “Watch it bird brain. I’m still a lady and age is a sensitive topic.”

  “My apologizes. I misspoke.”

  Remus snorted. “It’s not a problem, if you're just telling the truth.”

  Cait jabbed him in the shoulder causing his whole body to shudder. “Dammit Cait, my nerves still feel exposed!”

  “Suck it up.”

  Beck cleared his throat. “I know we are all glad to have finished this part of our mission, but there is still the small problem of getting out of here unseen. I’m sure our fight may have drawn some attention.”

  Dian waved off their concerns. “Fights have been breaking out between dark bloods all week. No one will come to check on you, but I do suggest leaving before the next rotation of guards.”

  “I agree with Ms. Dian.” Beck said.

  Cait smiled and grabbed Snow, lifting her up on her back. “Once again, lead the way bird brain, but maybe go a little bit slower this time.”

  The tengu smiled. “Dually noted.”

  Chapter 11

  Snow groaned as she hobbled down the driveway towards Remus’s house. Cait followed behind her, watching, in case the girl had a misstep and fell. It wouldn’t be the first time.

  “Cait, I had to drop all of my classes. Can you believe that? All of them. Now I’m going to be a year behind everyone else. A whole year!”

  The redhead chuckled. “Don’t worry Snow, I’ll tutor you, and you can test out of them next year.”

  The girl paused and glanced behind her. “You would do that?”

  The woman smiled. “If it would make you feel better.”

  Snow practically beamed at her. “Sometimes, you’re so awesome I don’t know what to do with myself.”