Crumbling Control (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 3)

by May Freighter

The girl stopped, her brilliant smile gone in an instant. “Why else did you come here because as far as I can see there is no Helena with you…” She looked past him. “Where, oh, where did you hide her?”

  “She’s not coming,” Lucious replied sternly. “We should negotiate another deal.”

  Nora clicked her tongue. “Papa doesn’t like when deals don’t go according to plan. And, like Papa, I dislike swindlers.”

  “I’m not here to swindle you.”

  Once again, she clicked her tongue. “Nico, escort him to the tea room. We can wait there for our guests of honour to arrive.”

  Lucious growled in frustration when her servant emerged with three vampires flanking him. “Please follow me.”

  Behind his back, Lucious gripped the butt of his gun.

  When Nico’s eyes narrowed, Lucious’ gaze darted to the subtle energies in the room as they glided towards him. The colours, ranging from blue to black, bombarded his shields. In his weakened state, he found it next to impossible to withstand the attack and used the nearby wall for support.

  “Stop. I will go willingly,” Lucious forced out.

  “And the weapon?” Nico asked with his hand outstretched.

  I should have brought C4. He handed the gun over.

  They passed the grand corridor and entered the room on the left. He was instructed to take a seat across from Nora who scrutinised him with her grey eyes.

  “I thought today would be a lovely day where I can see my friend again, but you ruined it, Mr Ellwood.” She lifted her rose porcelain cup to her lips. “I am certain Papa will agree with what is coming next…”

  Lucious’ body convulsed. He flew out of the seat and hit the tapestry on the wall with his back. Hanging a foot above the ground, he struggled against the invisible confines of the witch’s hold.

  “Whatever you’re planning,” he said through gritted teeth, “she won’t show.”

  Nora giggled, covering her mouth with her hand as she did so. “Do you know why I like old places?”

  Confused by the sudden change in the subject, Lucious’ brows knitted together.

  “It is because the dead can hear you scream,” she added.

  Mind-numbing pain detonated in him when his femur snapped in two. He screamed in agony. His balled hands cramped and his knuckles paled. A swelling formed under the material of his jeans. His blood rushed to the torn muscle and tissue as more nerve endings fired away at his sanity.

  Nora clapped her hands with enthusiasm and one of her eyes turned green. “I hope she isn’t too far away, for both your sakes.”

  Helena held on to her thigh and squeezed her eyes shut as she cried out her agony.

  Alexander slammed on the breaks, pulling into the hard shoulder.

  She jolted forwards. The only thing stopping her from flying out the windscreen was the seatbelt that locked her in place.

  “Is it Lucious?” Alexander shouted.

  She bit her lip, tasting copper. “He’s hurt.”

  A Russian curse flew out of Alexander’s mouth as he sped the car back up and continued driving down the A307. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and Alexander lifted a handkerchief out of his pocket. “Use it.”

  With an unsteady hand, she accepted it and pressed the silky material to her temple. A dull smell of lavender washing powder helped clear her mind a little.

  “Concentrate on something other than the pain,” he suggested and jazz music pumped through the speakers of his rented car.

  Beyond the crippling throbbing in her leg, she focused on the sax and the energetic melody blended in with piano undertones.

  Her breathing evened out after a while, and Alexander patted her knee. “You’re doing well. Almost there.”

  “You know, I pegged you for an asshole.”

  “I’m only nice to people I want to keep alive.” He took the turn off the A road and onto Ham Common.

  She tried to smile, but her lips morphed into a cringe instead. “Glad to know I made the VIP list.”

  Alexander snorted.

  To her right, evenly spaced oaks decorated an empty field. It was as if the city bled away from sight and was replaced with the serene tranquillity of nature. The paved road thinned out as they drove into the grounds of the ‘Ham House and Garden’. Although it was sunny outside without a single cloud in the sky, fog gathered between the trees and, after a while, she couldn’t see their way back in the rear-view mirror.

  “This is our stop?” she asked once they pulled into a parking spot.

  “This is where I dropped him off. Can you feel him inside?”

  Helena closed her eyes and sought Lucious through the soul-bond. She mentally berated herself for not doing this earlier.

  “Lucious, can you hear me?”

  “Damn it, Helena. I told you not to come!”

  “Idiot,” she mumbled under her breath. The string tugged in the direction of the mansion behind the brick wall that surrounded its grounds. Pointing at the building ahead, she said, “He’s in there.”

  Alexander started undoing his seatbelt when she caught his wrist. “Stay here.”

  His mouth opened, and she knew he was ready to protest. So, she let her words beat him to the punch. “I will go in because that’s what Reaver wants. You’ll have to find a way out for us once the curse is lifted.”

  “How do you know Reaver won’t sacrifice you while he’s at it?”

  “He wouldn’t drag me here to have me killed.” She got out of the car. Bending over, she added, “He’s the one who put a suppression spell of some kind on me. This is my chance to figure out why.”

  “Take something to defend yourself with.” Alexander unlocked the glove compartment and handed her a steel dagger. “It may save your life.”

  “Thanks.” She tucked the blade behind her back and covered the hilt with the baggy material of her t-shirt.

  She limped across the small green patch and passed through the unguarded stone archway. Taking cautious steps, she made her way around the circular cobbled path. On her right, weathered marble busts of men seemed to watch her every step. A tight band squeezed her stomach, and she came to a stop at the foot of the steps.

  Nico measured her with a long stare. “Reaver’s been waiting for you, Miss Hawthorn.”

  “I guessed.”

  The closer she got to him, the heavier the air grew around them. She struggled to take in oxygen, but she pressed on and followed him inside. The doors creaked shut behind them, and she peered over her shoulder to find that no one else was there. Creepy.

  Her skin prickled with energy causing goosebumps to populate her arms. She rubbed them better, eager to be rid of the bad feeling that encroached.

  “It’s through here.” He opened a door for her and motioned for her to enter.

  Running her tongue over her swollen lip, she winced as it brushed the cut she made earlier. She gasped when she saw Lucious being suspended in the air like a puppet with his arms and legs spread out. His suffering slammed into her through the link, and she doubled over.

  “I am sorry for the distress this has caused you,” Reaver said from behind the table.

  “Why did you hurt him?”

  “There was no other way. We needed to be certain you would come. Since you are bound to each other, soul-to-soul, this was the most logical solution.”

  “Helena…” Lucious’ weak voice caught her attention, and she rushed to his side, disregarding the pain in her thigh.

  “Let him go!” she snapped at Reaver and touched Lucious’ hand.

  Reaver’s lips tugged into a pleased smile. “All you had to do was ask.”

  The power holding him retreated, and he collapsed in a heap. A loud groan escaped him when he landed partly on his broken leg. She used her sleeve to wipe away the perspiration gathered on his forehead.

  “I have done my part and will remove the curse.” Reaver rounded the table. “But there is a small matter we must discuss first.”

  A sudden need to crea
te distance between her and Reaver caused Helena to take a step back from Lucious. “What do you want?”

  “Hum, you are not the correct person I should be talking to…” Reaver said with disappointment. “I believe we can fix that in no time.”

  Helena gasped when her feet lifted off the ground. Even when she struggled to get out of Reaver’s control, it was hopeless. Cold energy orbited her, and like chains, it pressed against her skin, freezing her in place.

  Lucious wrestled to get up, but Nora pressed her hand to his forehead, making him immobile.

  Ready to cry out, Helena opened her mouth. Yet, nothing happened. Her body kept rising until she was three feet off the ground and shivering.

  “Now then, it’s about time she woke up,” Reaver announced.

  With the click of his fingers, a wail came from Helena as the chilled energy plunged into her flesh like ice daggers. Her head whipped backwards and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She felt something tearing away from her soul like a brand that had been removed. Then, everything went dark.

  16

  Summoning The Dead

  Bound by magic and pressed against the wall, Lucious had no choice but to witness Helena’s tormented cries piercing his ears. His heart ached to the tune of her suffering. Even the pain in his leg could not match the anguish of her soul that resonated through their soul-bond.

  Suddenly, the screams cut off, and he looked at the lifeless body floating in the air.

  “Awaken from your long slumber,” Reaver said.

  Helena’s fingers twitched and the link between them came to a sudden stop just like everything else seemed to do in the room. All attention was on Helena’s body. They waited for something to happen, but what?

  Reaver carefully lowered her body, and she moaned. Her dark-brown hair covered her face, so Lucious couldn’t discern if she was still in pain or not.

  Kneeling at her side, Reaver lifted her head into his lap. “There, there. You’ve almost got it.”

  Helena’s eyes blinked open. But, they were not the same hazel Lucious loved marvelling at. They were sky-blue.

  “Helena?” Lucious called out. The rest of him refused to budge because of whatever spell Reaver had placed on him. He couldn’t fight back. The curse had weakened him too much.

  Reaver grinned. “Welcome back, Lilia.”

  For a deathly quiet second, Lucious’ heart stilled at the mention of the fate’s name. He had his suspicions for a while. He knew something was amiss with her and that guardian angel. Yet, his Helena could not be the one Anna mentioned. There had to be some mistake…

  “Reaver…” a hoarse word left her lips. “You have removed the seal again?”

  “Of course, as I’ve promised.”

  She rubbed her eyes as she sat up. Reaver was eager to help her into a comfortable position.

  Seeing this made Lucious let out a possessive growl. “Don’t touch her!”

  “The vampire is here, too?” Her eyes locked on Lucious. “It was a mistake to let him be here.”

  “A curse is placed upon him and your vessel. As you can see for yourself…” Reaver pointed to the black veins circling her wrist.

  Lilia studied her hand with boredom. “This vessel is weaker than last time.” Her brows scrunched together. “Her powers, they’re no longer here?”

  “I sensed that, too,” Reaver responded.

  “The insolence!” Lilia said, glaring at Lucious. “You let her give her powers away? Powers I bargained for with that demon!”

  Lucious glared back at the stranger before him. Although she had Helena’s body, this was a different soul altogether. “Who are you?”

  She pushed away the wisps of her loose hair behind her ear. She got closer to him. The hatred he had never seen in Helena’s eyes reflected in the ocean-blue depths of this stranger’s irises. That was not the only thing he could see—knowledge, loneliness, age. This woman mirrored the darkness residing in him. She could be a perfect representation of the abyss itself.

  Lilia bent down and ran her frosty hand along Lucious’ jawline, turning his head from one uncomfortable angle to another as if he was nothing more than a toy. “So, you are the protector in this cycle…” She placed her hand over her heart. “This vessel loves you dearly. As she slumbers, she’s dreaming of you. Yet, as a leech that clings to the blood of a mortal, you are not meant to be. What you see in her—” Lilia smirked upon seeing anger seeping into his eyes, “—is light. The light you covet in hopes to cleanse your polluted soul.”

  “Leave her body!” he snarled.

  “It isn’t hers to keep.”

  “Lilia,” Michael called out from behind her.

  Shock registered on her face and her eyes widened. Slowly, she faced Helena’s guardian with an emotion Lucious could never misread—love. She reached out her shaking hand and it passed through his cheek. “The gods, what have they done to you?”

  “They stripped away the powers I held and imprisoned me in the Gallows after they took you away.”

  A single tear escaped her. Upon seeing that, Lucious was sick to the core. He tore his gaze away.

  “I couldn’t kill him,” she said. “I couldn’t kill our son in the last cycle. He looked too much like you.”

  “Lilia…” Michael whispered her name like a silky caress. “The instant Helena linked her soul to a vampire, I knew why the gods forced me to observe her bloodline. They wanted me to watch your suffering without being able to help.”

  Lucious glowered at him. “All along, you knew about this?”

  “I have.” Michael cast his gaze to Reaver. “The curse must be lifted or the protector will be consumed.”

  “What are you talking about?” Lucious demanded.

  Lilia whirled around, her expression darkening. “It is your task in this cycle. I have weaved your fate to shape you, Lucious, and now you must repay me.”

  “What makes you think I want anything to do with you?”

  “You cannot let go of this vessel. I can see it in your tainted soul. Your greed for her love is too great,” she replied. “Or am I mistaken?”

  Lucious balled his hands at his sides. Every muscle in his body creaked as it pushed against the spell. “Helena…”

  “Enough with her name!” she snapped, cutting him off. “Reaver, remove the curse.”

  Reaver scratched his head then shook it. “There is a tiny favour I must ask for in return…”

  Lilia’s face hardened. “I have granted your soul a body, what more do you need from me?”

  “I can’t keep using my daughter. She would never get to live out her life as she should. So, I have prepared an ideal substitute.” Reaver smirked and nodded to his servant.

  Nico left through a set of double doors and re-emerged with the unconscious saint in his arms and a pixie perched on his shoulder. Nadine’s arms and neck had multiple silver bands with rune engravings on them. He laid her on the table and muttered words under his breath in an ancient language. At the same time, the pixie kicked off into the air and created a barrier around the body.

  “You wish to claim a saint as your vessel?” Lilia asked, outraged.

  Reaver rubbed his hands together. “Of course, having an angel for a bodyguard is never a bad thing.”

  “The gods will not like this…” she said.

  “Gods of the Angel Realm are not a threat to me here or have you already forgotten you were banished by them?” Folding his arms, Reaver directed his next words at Michael. “One angel at a time in the Human Realm that is the rule, yes?”

  “Yes…” Michael hissed.

  Lucious stared at the guardian. “Then you’re not one?”

  “I have lost my rank of an archangel over four millennia ago. The gods stripped me of everything, and I became nothing more than a spirit with a fraction of my abilities.”

  “How dare you fool Helena all this time?”

  Michael averted his gaze. “She is nothing more than a vessel in this cycle. Her so
ul is insignificant in these events. It is for the greater good, believe me.”

  “What greater good can come from stealing somebody’s body without their consent?”

  Lilia lifted her hand, forcing Michael to stop what he was about to say. “Vampires should have never existed in this Realm. It is our fault. Our son caused this havoc over the course of his existence. He must be erased.”

  A grin stretched Reaver’s lips. “Arthemis’ tomb exists?”

  “Yes,” Lilia said, “and you shall help me find it, so I can behead him.”

  Nico cleared his throat. “Master Reaver, the saint’s conscience is emerging from the spell.”

  “Very good.” Reaver motioned for Lilia to follow him to the table where a flash of blinding light stopped them in their tracks.

  A second angel appeared and glowered at everyone present. To contrast Michael, his shoulder-length brown hair framed his soft facial features. “Do not go near my charge!”

  “Horus,” Lilia spat out his name, “you filthy scoundrel. How dare you say that after the hurt you’ve caused us?”

  “It’s Michael who defied the gods. He deserves the punishment he received!” Horus countered.

  Lilia’s eyes narrowed on the angel. “You were his apprentice, yet you betrayed him to gain higher status. You have no right to speak here of what is deserved.”

  Anger consumed Horus’ dark orbs as he lifted his hand.

  “Kaliroth, shield!” Reaver ordered.

  The pixie flew to him. “Yeseth, Master.”

  Before a beam of light exploded out of Horus’ palm, an energy shield formed around the group. Lilia shook her head in disappointment. She brushed past the angel and studied the waking girl on the table.

  “Be still, child. Your suffering will end soon enough,” Lilia cooed.

  “Please don’t,” Nadine whimpered with tears running down the sides of her face. “I want to live!”

  “She won’t be able to reincarnate if you erase her, Lilia!” Horus shouted.

  Lilia kissed the top of Nadine’s head and gave a sorrowful smile. “Sacrifices must be made…”

  For a second, Lucious thought he saw hazel bleeding back into her irises. He smirked, Helena, conscious or not, would never let someone get hurt without having a say in it. He concentrated on the link that had been dead since the fate awoke, calling out to her with his mind.