“Why?”
His fingers stopped above the keys, and he lifted his grey eyes. “I’m certain it’s nothing more than a social call. Or are you afraid he’s having an affair with his sire?”
Helena forcibly relaxed her tense shoulders. Lucious wouldn’t do what Alexander suggested. She trusted him. But why did he leave her behind and head to the Council only to be captured by Eliza? It didn’t make any sense.
Her headache returned, and she massaged her temples.
Alexander set the laptop aside, his eyes never leaving her. “If you’re going to fall over again, I suggest you take a seat first.”
“Thanks for your concern…”
“My pleasure.”
Helena took a seat in the armchair. After five minutes, the headache retreated, giving her enough room to think. “What about the Demon Gate? We don’t have anything we can use to kill demons. Not anymore anyway.”
“I know. I am looking into that.”
“So, we do what, sit here and wait?”
He shrugged. “If you have a better idea, I’m all ears.”
Helena’s attention converged on her bracelet. Maya had the Arcanae Mortum in her possession. If we could get the blade from the Demon Realm, we could… One of them would become a demon if they killed one. It wouldn’t save anyone. But, Maya did mention a second blade a few weeks ago.
She shot up like a rocket and scurried for the stairs.
“What are you up to?” Alexander called after her.
“I’m going to use the loo if you don’t mind,” she shouted back.
Locking the bathroom door behind her, she hurried to the sink. She swallowed as she used Alexander’s dagger to cut her thumb. Not waiting any longer, she smeared her blood along the bracelet, watching the dark leather absorb each drop like a sponge.
“Maya,” Helena said, “can you hear me?”
The bathroom lights flickered. Cold energy prickled her skin and her breath turned to steam as the temperature in the room kept dropping. The mirror reflection of her face morphed into the void.
Maya’s face appeared on the other side. Her two crimson orbs glowed amidst the blackness. “Missed me?”
Helena laughed. “Always.”
“People don’t summon demons for tea. What’s going on?”
“I need the Arcanae Mortum…”
Maya’s face hardened. “Has another demon marked you? I should have felt it since you’re wearing my bracelet.”
“No, nothing like that. Eliza’s planning to open the Demon Gate.”
“She’s planning what?” Maya shrieked. “Has that Council bitch lost her mind?”
“I need the blade. Even if it’ll turn one of us into a monster, we can’t let her do this!”
Maya shook her head. “You don’t have to die. Lazarus had the demon blade in his home from the time your dad tried to stab him with it. That memory always makes me giggle.”
Helena grimaced at the mention of her father. She never did get to see him in the end. And now, Maya’s words confirmed that he was well and truly gone from her life, but not because he abandoned them. That piece of knowledge made her a little happier.
“How am I going to take the blade from you?”
Maya smirked. “Same as you got the bracelet, place your hand on the mirror…”
Helena pressed her palm against the smooth glass, and it melted away. Her hand sank through its liquid texture. On the other side, her fingers wrapped around the hilt, and she yanked her hand out of the mirror. Markings with an ancient language were carved into the obsidian surface. The hilt of this particular dagger was made out of ebony bones swathed in black leather.
“This looks nothing like the angel blade,” Helena said.
“Of course. It’s the opposite of it. It was made from the bones of demons. I heard stories from the Oracle about its creation. God of the Magi, who controls certain dark Wiccan Circles in the Human Realm, summoned demons and housed them in the bodies of her followers, so she could carve them open. She used their bones to forge ten anti-demon Arcanae Mortum. Over a dozen witches died to make each one.”
“There are more of these?”
“It is said that god keeps one of each blade on her person. But, that doesn’t matter right now.” Maya nibbled on her lip. “Look, I couldn’t tell you this before. You were in that cell and getting through to Ben was the only thing I wanted…”
“It’s fine. I get it.”
“No. It’s not okay. I was toying with your life. I was selfish and thought it wouldn’t happen but, with that suppression spell off you, you’re vulnerable to her control.”
Helena’s brows drew together in confusion. “Whose control?”
“Why don’t you ask the liar behind you?”
Turning around, Helena found Michael standing there.
He pointed at the mirror. “Demons lie, Helena. Don’t listen to her.”
“Maya’s a killer, sure, but not a liar. What did she mean by that?”
“Will you tell her or shall I do it, angel?” Maya asked.
Michael’s expression darkened. Any warmth he had on his face beforehand evaporated as his eyes shimmered with his dark emotions. “You wag your tongue too freely, demon.”
Maya grinned. “It’s my demonic pleasure to stick it to the man, or you in this case.”
“Answer me, Michael!” Helena demanded.
He faced her. Their eyes locked and some of his fury faded. “In your body, there are two souls: one of a human and one of a fate.”
“Excuse me?”
“The only reason you survived touching a soul-string in the Domain of Fates was because Lilia is resting within you. Her rebirth in this cycle indicates that this world may soon be consumed by darkness.”
The light in the bathroom blinked, and Maya quickly said, “I can’t stay any longer. Good luck, sis. Kick his ghostly butt for me!”
The bulb above her stopped flickering, and the demon disappeared from the mirror. Helena was left to stare at her guardian angel as if he were a stranger. “Okay, so the suppression spell was—”
“To keep Lilia asleep until the time was right,” Michael finished for her.
“And you knew this… All this time, you knew what was inside me and pretended like everything was fine?” Her voice spiked with each word. “Am I nothing more than a puppet to you?”
Michael reached for her, but she stumbled backwards. Her back hit the door.
“You are a vital piece of the puzzle, Helena. You mustn’t fight fate. Let Lilia out. She knows what is best for this world.”
“No!” she screamed.
A bang on the door made her jump and, when she turned to her guardian, he was no longer there.
“Are you alright in there?” Alexander asked.
She opened the door and poked Alexander in the chest with her index finger. “Did you know about this?”
“About what?”
“Oh, don’t pretend you didn’t hear that conversation, Alexander. Did you know about this?” He diverted his gaze, giving her the answer. “Does Lucious know as well?”
“Yes,” he replied. “That’s why he went to see Anna. He is looking for a way to take Lilia out of your body.”
“That overprotective, possessive, self-loathing, unbelievable idiot! I will kill him myself if he gets hurt.”
Alexander chuckled at her reaction. “Are you going to do something crazy like try to save him?”
She shook her head and raised the Arcanae Mortum.
Alexander’s eyes widened. “Where did you get that? Because I doubt Byron keeps those things under his toilet seat.”
“I got help from a demon.”
He stood there dumbfounded for a minute. “And what do you plan to do with it?”
“Kill Eliza and bring an end to this madness.”
“She’s gone bloody raving mad,” Byron whispered across the kitchen table to Alexander. “She’s a mortal who thinks she’s superhuman. Did you feed her some dodg
y drugs while I was out?”
Helena punched him in the arm. “I’m not crazy, Byron. And stop talking as if I’m not right here.”
He quirked a brow. “And she has the misconception that she’s sane…”
“Perhaps she’s got a plan.” Alexander lifted his eyes from the laptop screen. “Do you, young lady?”
“I’m working on it,” Helena said.
Alexander laughed. “See, my friend, she’s working on a plan to kill a vampire who had been around since Homer wrote The Iliad. It’s like wetting two fingers.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Byron asked.
“Russian saying. Never mind,” Alexander muttered.
“Quit it with the sarcasm and help me.” She rested the Arcanae Mortum on the table and absently traced the marking with her fingers. “How is Lucious going to get out of the Council after talking to Anna?”
Byron shifted in his seat. “I should see how Nettie and Sinead are doing…”
Her heart sank at Byron’s change of the subject. “He wasn’t planning on coming back here tonight, was he?”
“I should take the rubbish out, too,” Byron added and left through the kitchen door.
“Alexander, how is he going to get away?” Her panic rose. “The blood moon is tomorrow night. The hunters are also plotting an attack. We have to get him out!”
“Lucious is with Anna. She won’t let Eliza hurt him while he’s at the Council. But he may be locked up until the ritual.”
She got up and started pacing. “Who gave him the right to risk his life at every turn?”
“Let me tell you something about Lucious. He is a man of simplicity. If he is driven by revenge and sorrow, he will do unspeakable things to those whom he believes are responsible. On the other hand, if he is driven by the need to protect, which is his present state, he will do everything in his power to keep you safe. And, since losing his life equals the loss of yours, he will not throw it away.” He took a sip of his coffee and smirked. “Do you get it? He will not let anyone kill him while you’re bound to each other. So, have a little faith.”
She returned his smirk. “Then there is a plan to get him out.”
“Yes, we have a plan. Tomorrow, we are going to the Norwood Cemetery to party with the elders and pray our asses won’t combust from Eliza’s wrath.”
“Earlier you made me sound crazy,” she huffed.
Alexander broke into a chuckle. “Sanity is an ephemeral thing. It lasts a century or so. After that, you want to climb Everest or kill the Council members, it seems.” He picked up the blade, making the light reflect off its sharp edges. “But with this, we may achieve more than a spanking.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Why must every analogy turn sexual with you?”
“I see nothing wrong with that.”
“Yeah, I thought you wouldn’t.”
Thrown into the Council cell by two hounds, Lucious couldn’t help but laugh. The predictability of the events was almost comedic. He straightened his shirt and sat on the metal bench by the wall. Halogen lights illuminated the tiny prison cell, and he pondered what it was like for Helena to be here alone.
He closed his eyes, waiting for Anna to show. She would have heard something about his capture by now. With each hurried step drawing closer to his entrapment, his lips tugged into a smirk. Almost there.
Yet, when he opened his eyes, his smile was nowhere to be found. The person standing outside the reinforced glass door was not his sire.
Eliza observed him with a pleased look on her face. “It is good of you to return, especially after killing my spy.”
He forcibly relaxed in his seat. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I think you do, Lucious. We lost one of my best hounds the other day. You’ve ruined such a promising plan. I could have your head for that alone.”
Lucious walked over to the door. “Norton was working for you?”
“Of course. He would never betray me.” Her eyes brightened with an orange glow. “I am disappointed in your actions. To save a human, you killed one of your own.”
“He attacked me first,” Lucious replied.
“All to make it seem real, I suppose.”
He recalled the vision of his death. No matter what she wanted to believe, Norton was trying to kill him. There was no ‘maybe’ in the mix. “So, your plan was to do what? Stop the wedding?”
“After he died, I couldn’t pinpoint the time it would take place. I had to improvise. Too bad some of the leaders appear to have escaped my flames.”
Lucious diverted his gaze to the stone ground. Could they have ruined Eliza’s plan by striking early? If they didn’t attack, the hunters would have stayed at the parish. She would have been able to burn them to ash or trap them in the tunnels.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because of you and your little friends, I’m left with no choice. The only thing that can save us is the Blood Gate.”
“There’s bound to be another way!”
“Do you know why Zafira came here?” she asked.
“No. Why?”
“Because she already knew this eventuality. No matter how hard we fight our fate, it will only hold on to us tighter.” The elder’s mask of cruelty and control was slipping. She looked at her hands as she said, “As a leader, you must always put your people first and sacrifice yourself if the need arises. You must do things that others may find questionable. Remember, they don’t always see the full picture. No one does.”
“Opening the gate will only cause more havoc, Eliza. It is not the answer!”
She gave him a wistful smile. “You cannot fight fate, Lucious. Remember my words when you take the seat.”
“What are you talking about?”
With a wave, Eliza sashayed out of the cell block.
His mind tangled in confusion as he settled on the bench. What did she mean by that? What seat? Lucious sucked in a deep breath and waited. Now, he desperately needed to see Anna.
Two hours had passed, and his sire hadn’t come. His worry for Anna made him pace in his confinement.
Someone tapped on the glass door.
Turning on the spot, he faced Anna and let out a sigh. “Sire…”
She gazed at him, pale-skinned and with dark half-moons framing her eyes as if she had not slept in a week. Anna placed her palm against the glass. “Did they hurt you?”
“No.” He stepped closer. “Sire, I have a few questions for you.”
“What questions can you have at a dangerous time like this? I thought you left with Helena, fled to safety as Vincent had assured me. Why did you come back here?”
“What you said about Lilia, is it true? How much do you know about her?”
“It’s as I thought, she has returned. Is it Helena?”
“No.”
“Do not lie to me. I suspected this the moment I learned about your bond. If she is here, then Arthemis is not far behind. He will come for her and he will kill her.”
Lucious growled his next words, “How do I stop her from taking over Helena?”
“You cannot. Lilia may not have access to the Angel Realm anymore, but she is no mere mortal. As Arthemis’ mother, she seeks to vanquish us, and you must aid her.”
He slammed his fist against the reinforced glass, not making a single crack in it. “I won’t help her!”
“You may not have a choice.”
“Sire, please… I need to find a way to put the fate back to sleep. I can’t let Helena go.”
“Listen to me, Lucious. Dark days are coming.” She lowered her voice to a bare whisper. “In the past, Hartwin and I helped Lilia trap Arthemis in a tomb under Stonehenge. It was sealed with the blood of two fates and ours. If our creator returns, bloodshed is unavoidable. No human will ever be safe from his wrath as he wages his war for supremacy. You mustn’t let that happen!”
“I do no give a damn about the past or what the fates have planned. I will do what I can to keep Helen
a safe.”
“I am aware of your need to protect the one you love. I also know how much pain you went through to find the one for you, but your destiny is set in stone. The more you fight it, the more chains it will bind you with.”
“Has Eliza brainwashed you?”
“She saw the war with the hunters coming before she assembled a manhunt for you and your siblings. I do not blame her for trying to seek me out through my children. It was the right thing to do.”
“Are you telling me the meaningless deaths of my blood-brother and sisters are justified?” Lucious countered.
“She had no choice. Eliza did what she could to summon me.”
“Then why aren’t you drinking blood to regain your strength?” His body shook with annoyance. “Why are you keeping yourself in such a weakened state?”
Anna smiled at him. “I am glad you are the one chosen to protect her. Hopefully, in the next life, our fates will be different and our lives will be full of laughter and joy.” She bowed her head low, showing respect he didn’t deserve. “I pray we will meet again in the afterlife.”
“Anna!” Lucious screamed when she walked away. She left him with a goodbye, something she never did.
He slammed his fists into the surface of the door. His knuckles bled and his bones broke and healed, yet he continued to pound on it. Tears wet his eyes. His sire knew she was going to die. There was no other explanation for her behaviour. What hurt him most was that she willingly weakened herself for it.
“Sire!” he shouted in anguish.
For the final time, he slammed his fist against the glass and sank to his knees.
Standing in her mental shields, Helena waited for her doppelganger to appear. She tapped her foot—each tap indicated a wasted second while Lucious was away from her. An unmistakable loneliness crowded her heart, but she wouldn’t give in. He had made his decision, and she would use other channels to figure out a way to rid her of this fate.
“Come out here!” she shouted into the empty space. “I know you’re listening.”
“You are persistent, child,” a voice said behind her.
Helena turned around. “Stop looking like that! You’re not me.”
Crumbling Control (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 3) Page 25