by Amy Miles
She has never been very good at expressing herself. Emotion makes her weak, vulnerable to attack. She learned long ago to shove her feelings down as deep as she could so no one could ever wound her as much as Vladimir did. Some scars will never heal.
“I don’t know. I guess I tried not to think about it after he…” She trails off as her voice begins to quake.
Gabriel shifts so he is able to look directly at her. She darts a glance toward him, with every intention of shying away, but finds herself captivated by the glow in his eyes. Not the faint blue glow that used to emanate from within when his cross tattoos would flame to life, but something different altogether.
“He died so you could live. Not just to breathe and walk through the motions each day, but to embrace life and all that it had to offer you. What I had to offer you.” He falls silent for a moment and then smiles. “Fane never told you that we talked, did he?”
“What?” She rears back. “No. He never said anything.”
“I thought as much.” He nods, his head tilting to the side as if trying to decide how to word his next statement. “Fane knew before going into battle that he would protect you.”
Gabriel turns to look at her, his gaze softened by gratitude. “He promised me you would make it, no matter the cost.”
Roseline sucks in a breath, wincing as the frigid air burns her lungs, but she doesn’t let it go. Instead, she thrives off the pain, feeling like it is only a small portion of the agony she deserves.
Looking at his hands, Gabriel opens them, palms facing toward the sky, as if offering supplication. “I knew what he meant when he said those words. I should have told you, warned you of his intent, but I didn’t.” His voice cracks as he clenches his fists tight enough to drain the color from his fingers. “I was selfish. I knew the risks of losing you and I couldn’t bear to warn you because I knew you would risk your own life to protect him.”
Tears spill from his cheeks as he looks up to meet her gaze. “It is my fault that he died, not yours.”
“No.” She scoots closer, grasping his hands. She shakes her head adamantly. “If there is one thing I knew best about Fane, it’s that he made his own choices. This is what he wanted. To have denied him that, no matter the cost, would have been to dishonor him.”
Even as she speaks the words, she feels the tension in her chest begin to ease. She blinks rapidly, processing the truth of her statement. Slowly, a tender smile tugs at her lips and she looks back down at the ice. “This is what he wanted,” she whispers.
Gabriel squeezes her hand and then releases it. He rises to his feet, hesitating a moment. “I’ll leave you to say good-bye.”
Roseline places her palm against the ice one final time. This time tears of gratitude, instead of sorrow, slip from her eyes. She smiles and pushes up to her feet. Holding out her hand, she steps to Gabriel’s side.
His gaze flits over her wind-burned cheeks, wide with surprise. “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” She smiles, knowing she really is. “I’m ready to go home.”
SEVEN
The scent of home has never smelled fresher to Roseline as Gabriel opens her car door and eases her down from the black Range Rover. Mud splatters the sides of the vehicle, evidence of Gabriel’s impatience as they turned off the main roads of Brasov and raced toward Bran Castle.
Home. This word used to feel wrong when it was paired with these cold, dank halls, but now everything has changed. Returning from their trip to Canada, Roseline can feel a sense of a heavy weight having been lifted from her shoulders.
Fane is gone. There is nothing she can do to change that, but knowing that he would not want her to pine for him makes moving on a tiny bit easier.
She glances toward the hills, knowing the mausoleum is there. Gabriel clenches her hand. “He will always be there,” he whispers as he places a warm kiss against her forehead.
She nods, leaning into his embrace. She is weary from travel yet energized from the journey they took together.
Now she can look to the future.
“It’s about time you two got home,” a voice calls from behind them. Gabriel grins against her forehead before he eases her back.
“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” He chuckles as William emerges from the castle. He has grown a bit since he left. His hair is longer and brushed across his forehead in a rather lazy manner. His clothes fit snugly against the breadth of his chest. Roseline grins behind her hand.
“What’s so funny?” William asks, noting the hint of a blush rising along her cheeks.
“Nothing. It’s just that…” She hesitates and casts a glance toward Gabriel. He smirks and nods, slipping his arm confidently around her waist. “You’re hot, Will.”
“Will?” His brow rises with surprise. “You’ve always called me William. What changed?”
Roseline smiles as she moves out of Gabriel’s grasp and throws her arms around her friend. He stiffens, surprised, but quickly settles into the hug. He drops his head onto her shoulder and lifts her off the ground. “You did,” she whispers in his ear.
When she steps back, she can see a blush darkening the tops of his ears. “I bet Claudia approves,” Gabriel surmises.
William’s flush deepens as he unconsciously looks toward the castle, as if she might appear at any moment. “It was for her. I thought it might help… ya know, with keeping up with all of you.”
Gabriel steps forward and clasps hands with his friend. They weren’t always friends. In fact, in the beginning, Roseline would have said there was a definite tone of discord between them, which has thankfully run its course. She has Claudia to thank for that. “I don’t blame you. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself either if I had a sister that could kick my butt.”
“I heard that!” Sadie emerges with Nicolae in tow. Her hair is no longer red. Instead, she has settled into a shade that remarkably matches the brilliant green of Nicolae’s eyes.
“Wow.” Roseline chuckles, taking her all in. Her hair stands out starkly against the black uniform and boots she no doubt donned the instant she got done groping Nicolae in some back room after she arrived. “Remind me not to hunt with you at night.”
“Ha-ha.” Sadie rolls her eyes. “It’s not glow in the dark. I’ve already checked.”
Roseline starts to probe a bit further into the drastic change, but she notices a tension in Nicolae’s shoulders. His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes, even though she can see the effort he is putting in for their benefit.
“Excuse me a moment,” she says and jerks her head to the side. Nicolae instantly follows, leaving their friends behind to enjoy their reunion. She can still hear their lively banter as she moves toward the center of the courtyard, turning to lean back against the fountain that provided her an escape route not so many months ago.
It’s amazing how things come full circle, she muses as Nicolae stops before her. A couple of months ago, she was his enemy. Now she considers him to be a close friend. Hunter and hunted bonded together for the greater good.
“What’s happened?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest.
Her clothes feel sticky against her skin. Summer in Romania is always uncomfortable for immortals. She longs for the cool winds of fall to arrive, but they are still just out of reach.
He clears his throat, shuffling from side to side as he buries his hands deep into his pockets. That isn’t a good sign. “Come on, Nicolae. Spill it.”
“I didn’t want to ruin your arrival. Sadie has been bouncing for the past day, wondering when you would return.” He sighs and glances back toward Sadie. Roseline’s chest tightens when she sees the fear glinting in his eyes. “There have been some blackouts.” His turns his gaze back toward her. “They aren’t good.”
She knew it. Of course this would happen. Hadn’t she felt like something was coming? Pair that with Ashir’s sudden arrival, and this doesn’t bode well.
“What kind of blackouts?”
“The kind that h
int that entire bases are being wiped out. It’s strategic. We lost Dubai last night. China the day before. Last week South Africa and New York went down.”
“Have we sent teams in to investigate?” Of course they have. She knows the protocol as well as anyone. If there is an attack, it is immediately dealt with. So if he isn’t getting solid reports back, that can mean only one thing. “The second group of hunters didn’t survive either,” she answers for him.
His jaw clenches as he gives a brief nod. “We’ve lost over one hundred hunters so far.”
“And immortals?” Her throat clenches at the thought. Hunters are highly skilled warriors, but they are still human. Immortals aren’t so easy to kill.
“A handful. Possibly more. Until we can get eyes in those bases, we are flying blind.”
Roseline runs a hand through her hair, feeling how matted with sweat it has become. “What are you thinking?”
Since the truce was forged a few months ago, Roseline, Gabriel, and Nicolae have run the entire worldwide hunt from this location. Working side by side, they have learned each other’s tell signs. Nicolae’s nervous twitch is screaming at her now.
“I’m not going to let you go,” Roseline says. “I need you here.”
Nicolae clamps his back teeth. She can see him ball up his fists in his pockets. “Those are my men dying out there.”
Roseline steps forward and places a hand on his arm. He doesn’t flinch back or even stiffen as he once did when she touched him, evidence of how far their relationship has evolved. “I know, but the only way to honor their deaths is to figure this out, not run right into the fire. You have more than just yourself to think about now.”
Nicolae raises a hand and waves toward Sadie, plastering on a smile for her benefit. “She can hear us, you know.”
“Of course. As can Gabriel.” She smiles as he looks up. She can see the tension in his shoulders, but he continues his casual conversation with William, who appears to be completely in the dark. Sadie struggles more than Gabriel to hide her growing anxiety. Roseline can tell she longs to be near Nicolae again and she doesn’t blame her. She wouldn’t mind being in Gabriel’s arms right now either.
Placing a hand on Nicolae’s shoulder, she forces herself to say, “We will sort this out. I promise.” The hows and whys are left unspoken. They both know this issue won’t be so easily solved.
Dinner that night is a somber affair. The long rows of tables are filled with bowed heads and the sound of forks tapping idly against the sides of plates hardly touched. No one feels like eating.
Even Williams’s earlier carefree demeanor has shifted. His lips are pressed tightly together and pale, his face slightly ashen in appearance.
All around her sit immortals and hunters alike, each still fully armed. There is a haze of unease in the castle tonight. Roseline doubts anyone will sleep well, if at all.
The thought of who might be targeted next hangs heavily on everyone’s mind. She has old and new friends in the field, spread to the far reaches of the globe. The day after Costel Petran signed as one of the founders of the newfound truce, he shipped off to England to head up a group that chose to hole up in what remained of Torrent. The former pub hasn’t recovered since she turned it upside down by her torture and mutilation of Malachi. No one dares go into that room even to this day.
Some of the hunters wounded during the battle at Bran Castle have remained behind. Some to heal as humans, others continue to learn how to control their newfound abilities after being turned. None were forced to make this decision. Roseline saw to that.
Katia sits beside Gabriel, her own head bent low and her hands clasped in her lap. Roseline knows how hard this transition into the world has been for her. Most of her life was spent alone or with Seneh in the frozen forests of Russia. At first she hid out in her room because of Gabriel’s death, trying to find a way to come to terms with losing a brother she had only briefly known. After his return for the dead, Roseline quickly realized her withdrawal stemmed far deeper.
It was the noise that bothered her at first. The constant drivel of conversation and the clashing of steel in the courtyard not far from her room. As the weeks passed, she began to emerge from her room for short spells. Now, half a year later, she has fully adjusted to life in the castle, but her reclusive personality has not changed much.
A wallflower is what Gabriel kindly calls her. Roseline has seen several of the men casting curious glances in her direction as she passes in the halls, noticed the warm flush along her cheekbones as she ducks her head and moves swiftly on.
Katia is not a wallflower. She’s just shy around men. Having Gabriel home seems to have perked her up a bit, at least until Nicolae’s rousing speech this afternoon that left everyone with a boulder of bile firmly seated in their guts.
“This sucks.” Sadie growls, shoving her plate aside, right into her water glass. It tumbles over, soaking the center of the table. The white cloth darkens as the stain spreads, but no one makes a move to help. “Why are we just waiting around here like something is going to happen? The fight is out there.” She stabs her finger toward the floor to ceiling windows that line the dining room. “That is where we should be.”
“It’s not that simple,” Nicolae mutters. Roseline casts him a warning glance, but he shakes his head. “They have a right to know.”
“Nicolae…” Gabriel starts as his friend rises. Roseline laces her fingers through his. “This isn’t the time.”
“No,” Nicolae shakes his head. “It’s the perfect time.”
Clearing his throat, he rises and all heads to turn to face him. Roseline can’t help but admire the strength that has grown within him in such a short time. Under his Uncle Sorin’s thumb, he felt weak, inferior. Free of his control, Nicolae has become the man Roseline always suspected him to be.
With a voice that calls out loud and clear, Nicolae recants the story of her encounter with the angel Ashir at the Senthe Base. He doesn’t leave out any details or skim over Ashir’s warning.
Looking at the grim faces around her, Roseline feels pride swell within her. These men are not afraid. Not of immortals, Fallen Ones, or faceless beasts. They are warriors and she is proud to be among them.
“We don’t know if these attacks are related, but I don’t think we have the luxury of assuming they aren’t.” He lifts his leg and steps up onto the bench so all can clearly see him. “Ashir came to us at Elias’s request. You all know Elias. You have fought beside him. I have no doubt Ashir is just as trustworthy. The question each of you has to ask yourself is this: will you stand and fight or run and hide? There are no other options!”
Roseline’s throat clenches at the roar that rises all around. Fists pound against the tabletop, unsettling dishes as they topple to the floor, shattered and unnoticed. Men rise to their feet as a unified shout travels through the wooden rafters above, echoing off the stone walls.
Gabriel’s grip on her hand tightens and he turns to look at her. “I guess we fight.”
She nods in agreement. “It’s what we were born to do.”
EIGHT
Roseline stares out the window at the twilight sky, the plush curtains drawn back by a thick, crimson rope. The tension in the house is thick tonight. No one talks and no one seems to want to leave the room. People linger through dinner with no mention of eating, not that anyone could even stomach food if they thought it mattered.
Everyone seems to be waiting for the bomb to fall on the castle. Roseline can sympathize. She has been pacing for nearly half an hour herself, her hands fluttering against her thighs with mounting nerves.
There were three more attacks overnight. One on the western coast of America, just south of Portland, and another along the Canadian border, not far from Niagara Falls. The final attack came not long after dawn and started a riot in Dublin. According to the news, the authorities suspect foul play of the terrorist nature, but Roseline knows better.
The thing that disturbs her most is the lack of
bodies at the crime scenes. No prints. No witnesses. Only massive amounts of blood coating floors, walls, and ceilings. Their enemy is growing bolder but also more reckless.
She turns away, letting the curtain sway back into place. Goosebumps ripple along her arms. She tries to rub them out but stops when she feels Gabriel’s gaze upon her. She offers him a small smile and sinks down onto the couch, hugging her knees into her chest.
“I can’t take this any longer,” William mutters. His face is pale and his lips drawn back into a grimace. Claudia squeezes his hand, offering what little comfort she can, but Roseline can see her own fears in her glazed gaze. “Why are you all just sitting around here when you should be out there, stopping this?”
“And what would you have us do, Will?” Sadie asks, turning around on her couch to stare at her brother. Her hair is deflated from its wild mane, slightly flattened on the right side from where she has been pushed up against Nicolae’s shoulder all afternoon. “We don’t know where they will attack next. We don’t even know who they are!”
Roseline finds herself tapping her fingers anxiously against her legs. Gabriel reaches over and silently takes her hand in his. She smiles, grateful for how easily he knows her moods.
“Sadie has a point,” Nicolae speaks up. His voice is thick with anger. Roseline can sympathize. These aren’t just his men dying. Some of those who have fallen are friends that she has had for years. Irreplaceable friendships. Good men and women who deserve better than to be slaughtered in the night. “We have bases manned all over the world. We can’t just pull everyone out now.”
“Why not?” William counters. He slips to the edge of the couch, his face pensive as he looks to each of them. “What could possibly be worse than losing an entire army?”
“Losing the rest of the world,” Roseline mutters. She blinks, realizing that an awkward silence has fallen over the room. She looks to Nicolae and Gabriel, and each nod in approval. She sighs and lets her legs fall back over the edge of the couch, soaking in the cold from the tile floor to help push away the stifling heat of the summer night. She feels William waiting expectantly so she turns to face him. “The only thing keeping the outside world from finding out about us are the men and women in those bases. They cover up murders, fight against rogue immortals, and keep the peace. If we pull them back out of fear of losing a few, there could be mass chaos around the world.”