Crumbling Control (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 3)

by May Freighter

  Cautiously, he waded past them, kicking their weapons away.

  At the entrance, Karl grinned like a fool. “Are you ready to leave this shithole?”

  Lucious picked up a P90 off the floor. He checked if it was functional by firing a round at the wall behind Karl. Satisfied, he responded, “Now I am.”

  Rain soaked into the ground and silence fell over the land of the dead. Eliza lifted her head and a smile stretched her scarlet lips. Relief washed over the gathered crowd, and they all began whispering to one another in excitement.

  “It is within me, I can feel it,” Eliza announced like a proud mother.

  Nods came from the observers, and a hand clamped over Helena’s mouth. Wrestling to break free, Alexander’s voice stopped her resistance.

  “What are you doing here?” he whispered in her ear.

  “Where’s Byron?”

  “Idiot…”Alexander smacked the back of her head but not hard enough to hurt. “He’s on the other side.”

  They returned to observing the events when a shriek broke into the night. Eliza started for the edge of the seal and doubled over, clutching her chest. Ruby irises framed by blackness cast a gaze over the vampires as the portal began pulsating.

  Through the gate, more demons crawled their way out. Nightmares of every kind pushed off other monsters to reach the top. But, their shadow-like bodies disappeared the moment they passed through the outline of the circle.

  “What’s happening?” one of the vampires shouted. A second later, she dropped to the ground.

  “I cannot be part of this anymore!” Xi Yi said and fleeted out of the graveyard.

  Vincent and Anna shared words between them the others could not hear.

  The vampires started backing away from the gate when fire erupted from Eliza’s hand. A twenty-foot wall of flame encased the cemetery’s grounds, causing the rain to evaporate and steam to rise where flames met water. More people folded in on themselves while those on the ground stilled.

  The hairs on the back of Helena’s neck stood as the first woman picked herself up. The sight of her sanguine eyes caused a panic the moment she ran towards the group and bit onto a man’s neck.

  “The demons… They’re possessing them,” Helena said.

  “I thought only grey souls were susceptible!” Alexander responded.

  “I don’t think there’s a manual for possession available here. It seems anyone here can be taken over.”

  He gripped the Arcanae Mortum in his hand. “I guess it is time to get rid of the main threat…”

  His stern gaze focused on Eliza who tried to step over the barrier. But, she remained trapped within its harsh outlines. The Council elder growled in frustration.

  Vincent moved to Anna’s side when she clasped her forehead. Before he could get close enough, she grabbed him by the throat. Just like the other possessed vampires, her eyes were unmistakably showing signs of a beast within.

  Alexander nudged Helena’s shoulder. “Stay here. I have to help Vincent.”

  She gave a light nod, and he ran across the graveyard with the blade ready. Helena’s nervous heartbeat skyrocketed. A seemingly endless amount of darkness seeped out from the portal. Glancing over her shoulder proved the worst case scenario. The wall of fire burned high. They were all trapped here, ripe for the demons’ pickings.

  Panning her attention to the other side of the cemetery, she discovered Byron fighting two men. His fingers extended and his shirt stretched with the volume of his growing chest. She aimed her gun, ready to put one of the vampires down.

  A hand landed on her shoulder, and a girl asked, “Feeling lonely, sis?”

  Helena frowned at the endearment and stumbled backwards when she saw the burning demonic orbs studying her. Falling on her ass, she scrambled away.

  The gorgeous blonde captured her ankle and dragged her back into cover. “It’s me, Maya. I had to borrow this shell to help you.”

  “How do I know you’re not lying?”

  Maya laughed. “I’m not attacking you. And…those things are the scum of the Demon Realm. They’re the lessers that roam the wasteland in search of food. With that fire keeping you here, you’re going to end up as their next meal.” Grasping Helena’s shoulder, Maya tugged her closer in time to keep Helena from being squished by Alexander’s body that landed next to them.

  “Oh my God, is he—”

  “He’s alive,” Maya said.

  When Helena tore her gaze away from him to Vincent, she gasped. The elder now held the Arcanae Mortum and seemed to be using his ability on Anna who struggled to get close to him.

  “Can you do something? Can the possession be reversed?” Helena asked.

  Maya nibbled on her lip. “These beasts do not deal with contracts like the others in the Dome. So, the moment you’re weak enough, they will take over. You can’t do anything here, Helena. Let’s just think of a way to get you to safety…”

  “No. People I know and care about are here.”

  “But you’re no good to them dead. Think about it, you’re a human in a fight between vampires and demons. Think they’ll give you a handicap?”

  Helena studied Eliza. The elder managed to get her hand out of the circle, but the rest of her body still remained trapped. “We can’t let that thing out!”

  “That’s an archdemon. Silver bullets won’t hurt the Councilwoman with Tanatos controlling her.”

  “You’re on first name basis with demons now?”

  Maya stuck out her tongue. “He’s the fifth gatekeeper. Since there are only six of them, it’s hard not to know their names.”

  The soul-link vibrated, and Helena rubbed her gut. “Lucious is getting close.”

  “Great. Leave the fighting to the experienced!”

  “You’re right, I’m pretty much cannon fodder.”

  “Yeah.” Maya turned on the spot and grabbed the arm of a reaching vampire. She slammed him into the dirt then kneed him in the neck. She took Helena’s gun and, without a second thought, shot him in the head.

  Three more possessed vampires emerged from behind the treeline, and Maya cursed. The two of them retreated while Maya fired another round into each of their heads.

  Helena’s mouth dropped when they continued to advance. Their red eyes watched for every movement while blood trickled from their mouths and dripped onto their tattered clothes.

  “This isn’t good…” Maya said. “Run!”

  Lucious gripped the steering wheel of the car they stole a couple of streets down from the Council building. Police and fire trucks sped past them to the scene with sirens blaring into the night. The Council building wouldn’t last much longer, or the vampires left inside.

  “Do you even know where you’re going?” Karl asked, picking at his nails with a folding knife.

  “Yes.”

  “Is it because you and your girlfriend opened the gate before?”

  Lucious glared at him. “Would you prefer to walk?”

  With a chuckle, Karl reclined into his seat. “You do realise the Council must be purged…”

  “What?”

  “The Council is too corrupt to function. You know this as well as anyone.”

  Lucious stopped at the traffic lights. In the distance, he saw a beam of crimson light shooting into the sky. Drizzle descended on the windscreen, blurring the road ahead. Humans all around had their phones out, recording the event as if it was some kind of entertainment. His gut knotted as the lights changed, and he floored the pedal.

  Leaning over, Karl grinned. “It appears we are late to the party.”

  “What you said about purging, are you trying to overthrow Eliza?”

  “Oh no, mate,” Karl said between fits of laughter. “Overthrow is such a crude word. I would call it…replacement.”

  “This is not a joking matter,” Lucious snapped. “What gives you the right to decide who is suitable for the Council?”

  “Good question.”

  The rest of the drive they spe
nt in silence. Lucious preferred it that way. Talking about death with this hound unsettled something in him. No matter how hard he tried, he could never place this man. Karl changed his accents and dialect almost every time they met. His behaviour seemed too erratic to be his true persona. These thoughts left Lucious with a half-pieced puzzle he couldn’t solve. What is his goal?

  Outside of the cemetery, a wall of fire had been erected. Humans stood in shock as they watched the events inside from their rooftops. Lucious’ string jerked with Helena’s anxiety, and he changed gears.

  “What are you planning to do?” Karl asked, assessing him wearily.

  “We don’t have much time to stop this. The hunters must know where the Council members are by now.” Lucious squeezed the steering wheel until it bent under the pressure. “We go through the fire.”

  Karl put on his seatbelt. “Off you pop then.”

  With a shake of his head, Lucious pressed the horn until a few people got out of the way. He sped the car up and drove straight through the flames. Bright orange fire washed over the windscreen for a second, blinding both of them and warming the interior of the car. On the other side, he came to a stop and rubbed his burning eyes.

  The sound of fighting caused him to peel open his eyelids to assess the scene. Vampires fought one another. To his right, Byron climbed into the back seat of the car, slamming the door shut behind him.

  Turning his head, Lucious noted the gashes and bruises all over the werewolf’s naked torso.

  Byron’s bulging eyes reflected fear. “They’re possessed. The demons from the gate are taking over!”

  Lucious prepared a question when Karl tapped him on the shoulder. “I suggest we make ourselves comfortable outside the vehicle since we have company.”

  Byron let out a growl. “I bloody hate demons.”

  “You are not alone.” Lucious stepped out of the car. He picked up his P90 and aimed it at the encroaching vampires. He fired off a few rounds into the chest of the first one. The vampire collapsed. A second later, he climbed back up as if the silver no longer affected him.

  “You and the dog can play here. I’ll go rescue your girlfriend,” Karl muttered and fleeted away.

  Lucious tracked his movements, seeing Karl running to the far side of the cemetery where Helena and Vincent were back to back with the possessed advancing from all sides. His jaw worked itself with his rising stress.

  Byron stood beside him. “It would be best to grab her and get the hell out of here.”

  “I am in full agreement, but we cannot leave the gate open.”

  “This isn’t our fight. We can’t wound these things. How are we supposed to close a damned portal to the Demon Funderland?”

  “I don’t know,” Lucious said through gritted teeth, “but there must be a way.”

  “Seems to me Helena’s optimism is rubbing off on you.”

  “You could be right,” Lucious replied with a half-smile and smacked the vampire next to him with the butt of his gun. Stunned, the man tumbled to his knees. Lucious tossed the weapon aside and grasped the vampire’s head, pulling it off with a crunch of the spinal cord.

  Blood splattered his jeans. Lucious tossed the head aside, and the lifeless body fell forwards with a soft plop. “I guess we found a way to kill them.”

  “And here I had hoped to put off laundry until Sunday,” Byron muttered under his breath.

  20

  Broken Bonds

  “Vincent, we must find a way out of here!” Helena shouted while Maya held back the possessed vampires and acted as her shield.

  The Councilman’s face was strained in concentration. “I cannot move from here, or Anna will tear everyone to shreds.”

  Anna’s upper lip curled over her fangs. Her wet hair clung to her face as she fought Vincent’s ability. “I will end you!”

  “If we cannot bring her back to normal, we may have to use…” Vincent sighed. “Anna, please listen to the voice of reason. Come back to us. Take control of the demon!”

  “It is too bad she can’t hear you,” the demon said. “I won’t let her out.”

  Maya’s eyes darting between the incoming enemies. “Kill her already. We don’t have time to play around.”

  “She’s Lucious’ sire. We can’t kill her!” Helena snapped.

  “The demon is too close to the gate. She won’t regain control no matter how long you stand here chatting to it. So end it, damn it!” Maya snapped.

  Vincent whispered an apology and edged closer to Anna.

  Maya rolled her shoulders. “I’ll keep the others off for as long as I can!”

  As he raised the blade in the air, Helena grasped his arm. “You can’t kill it without knowing where the heart is!”

  “What do you mean?” Vincent’s control of his ability slipped long enough for Anna to punch him in the chest. Bones cracked with audible snaps. The force behind the action propelled Vincent across the graveyard. His back collided with a gravestone, smashing it into chunks. Groaning, the Councilman struggled to get up.

  Anna caught Helena’s arm. Her nails scraped the leather jacket and her tight hold cut off the blood supply. “A being with two souls is going to make for a wonderful snack.”

  “Anna, dearest,” Karl said and tutted. “This is no way to treat your friends.”

  The demon’s eyes narrowed. “Kallias…”

  He grinned. “Runa lasted for quite some time. I’m surprised you’ve slept this long within my blood-sister.”

  Helena tried to tear her hand away from the demon and cried out in pain. The names they recited sparked recognition at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t place them.

  “Why don’t you let the little girl go, eh?” he suggested.

  The demon snorted. “And why would I do that when I could eat her and finish you off?”

  While the demon was distracted, Helena’s fingers gripped the silver dagger behind her back, and she sliced Anna’s hand.

  The demon shrieked and let go. Her eyes flared red as she took a menacing step towards Helena. “That’s not very nice.”

  “Sorry. On days like this, I leave my manners at home,” Helena mumbled.

  Karl laughed, pushing Helena aside. “Any idea how we kill this thing?”

  “The Arcanae Mortum,” she said. “Vincent had it last.”

  “That’s good enough for me. Entertain her for a minute, would you?” He disappeared, leaving her wide open for Anna.

  Before she could blink, she was on the wet ground, staring at the face of a monster.

  Four vampires ran up to Lucious, and he stopped.

  “We may need to borrow yer car, fella,” the Irishman drawled.

  “I don’t think so.” Lucious eyed each of them. They were young, barely over a century old, judging by the power levels they emitted. “Instead of trying to run away, we must close the gate.”

  “Ha! Are ye taking the piss?” he asked.

  Lucious grasped the man’s jaw and forced him to look at the slaughter ahead. Screams of the dying echoed throughout the cemetery, mixing with the sirens of human police beyond the wall of fire. “Can you not hear your brothers and sisters dying? If we do not stop this now, the demons will keep coming. Tonight, running away is not an option. We must protect the others!”

  The vampire staggered backwards. “Ye made yer point…”

  “I’m scared…” a brunette at the back said. “What if those things take us over as well?”

  Lucious slapped the man on the shoulder. “The sooner we get this done, the faster we may return to our normal lives. If you do not wish to go against the Council members, then clear a path for us.”

  The vampires bobbed their heads and faced the damage.

  The Irishman shook hands with Lucious. “We will do as ye ask and hope our sacrifice won’t be in vain.”

  When they were gone, Byron said, “You could start wars with speeches like that.”

  “I intend to end this one, not begin another,” Lucious grumbled. I
n the distance, he saw Anna landing on top of Helena. He scanned the field, searching for Karl. The damned hound couldn’t be relied upon to protect a single human. As Lucious gained speed, he opened his shields enough to see the energies in the cemetery. A dark shadow ran directly at him. He ducked, letting it sail over him through the air. Glancing over his shoulder confirmed his gut feeling. It was a demon. They surrounded them, more than one clinging onto the bodies of the possessed vampires like leeches and devouring their souls.

  He shuddered and slammed his shields shut. It was best not to see the reality of this madness, especially after he had witnessed the shadow looming over Anna’s form. Rocks formed at the pit of his stomach. He had to get his sire to regain her sanity.

  When they passed the midpoint of the graveyard, Lucious found Alexander pressed up against the fence, almost concealed behind the treeline. “Byron, get to Alexander. I’ll deal with Anna.”

  “Take care of yourself, mate.”

  Lucious ran the rest of the way to Helena. Stopping a few feet away from his sire, he swallowed his nerves. “Sire, leave her be.”

  “Lucious?” Helena’s head rolled to one side.

  As she did so, Anna’s attention reverted back to her. “He’s more powerful than you. I guess he can be my dinner…”

  Helena spat at her face and shifted enough to drive her silver dagger into Anna’s ribcage. With a yelp, Anna jumped off her.

  Lucious helped Helena stand. “What are you doing here?”

  “It’s not the best time for questions like that.”

  He pushed her behind his back. “Alright. Don’t get in the way.”

  “Here,” Karl shouted and threw the Arcanae Mortum to Lucious, “use this.”

  Lucious caught the dagger. He sensed the power buried in the ancient runes engraved in bone and obsidian.

  Fear flickered behind the demon’s eyes.

  Karl nudged him. “Want me to do it? It’ll be quick, painless even.”

  Anna’s eyes reverted back to normal. “Do it, my son. Do this for me and end my torment. Stab me with the blade right here.” She placed her hand on her left side under her ribcage.