Kenneth motioned for the researchers to leave. Two researchers, one carrying Veronica, walked out of the door. “Remember, our agreement is only valid if Mr. Austin remains alive.” He stepped over the wooden fragments on the floor. “If he is killed or if he isn’t returned, The Brotherhood will move against all Deamhan, starting with you two.”
Remy’s eyes danced. “I’d wish you’d try.”
“You should study history more, Remy. We have old connections that would stomp all over you Deamhan like cockroaches,” Kenneth replied in a calm tone. “We’ll be in touch.” He stepped out into the night.
Suddenly Anastasia felt a strong force push her from behind. She flew across the foyer, landing only inches from one of Nathan’s marble statues.
Remy stood over her with his fists clenched. “What happened to caring for Veronica’s well-being?”
Anastasia jumped to her feet and she felt her fangs extend. “Veronica isn’t the problem here.” She controlled her anger, deciding that now wasn’t the time to fight or argue.
“What is it going to take for you to understand that we can’t trust them!”
“I don’t trust them.” She brushed herself off and quickly climbed the steps, heading toward Veronica’s room. She smelled Hallie’s scent from the other side of the door and knocked.
“Anastasia?”
She heard Hallie’s frantic voice and pushed the door open. She saw Hallie, standing in the corner of the room, frightened.
“I’m so glad you guys came in time,” Hallie said, her voice trembling. “I thought they were going to kill me.”
“If they wanted to, they could have,” she replied.
“Where’s Veronica?” Hallie asked.
“She’s with them now.” Anastasia approached Veronica’s bed slowly and sat down.
“Anastasia wants to work with them.” Remy walked into the room. “The moment they get what they want, they’ll turn on us. You know it and I know it.”
“Kenneth is hiding something about Veronica’s father.” Anastasia stared at Remy and she saw his eyes slowly began to widen and his mouth drop slightly. “I could sense it. Couldn’t you? I don’t think he wants Mr. Austin back alive.”
“Yeah, I felt it too. He was struggling hard to keep his thoughts from us.” Remy’s face filled with interest. His brown eyes danced at the thought. “The only truthful thing that came out of his mouth was when he mentioned ‘old contacts.’ I mean, are there any even left?”
“We need to find that piece before they bring those annoying vampires into this.”
“Like Lambert and Alexis?” Lost, Hallie questioned frantically.
“Not remotely close.” Remy placed his arm around her shoulder and he whispered with a quaint smile on his face. “We’re talking about vampires who use to hunt us for sport.”
“What kind of vampires? I thought there was only one kind?”
“Yes, only one kind but different groups; different families.” Remy looked at Anastasia. “The ones we’re talking about are Dorvo Coven vampires. The Brotherhood will bring them back into this if they haven’t already.”
1
DARK CURSE. DEAMHAN CHRONICLES #2
CHAPTER nineteen
A knock on the door raised Nathan from the comforts of his homely bed.
He walked to the door and opened it, only to find Ayden standing on the other side, his head and gaze focused on the floorboards. His eyes slowly drifted to Nathan but as soon as he made contact they reversed back to the floor.
“Kyra calls for you.” His voice was soft and amenable yet filled with distress. “Please pack your things.”
“Is something wrong?”
“Please, Mr. Tiernan. If you would hurry.”
Nathan closed the book and tossed it on his bed. He didn’t hesitate and he didn’t question. He grabbed his suitcase and he packed immediately. He glanced around the room to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything before following Ayden down the hallway and toward the front door of the sanctuary.
He saw Kyra with her back to him standing in the doorway. The long gown she wore moved left in the brisk wind. Her hair tangled into a neat seated bun on the back of her head. She held her hands, palms together, in front of her face and her eyes fluttered in seizure like contractions.
She smelled his tangy scent. She looked over her left shoulder and in a small yet refined phrase she said, “I managed to break into Lucius’ mind.”
He walked over to her, standing slightly to her left. He looked out the window, seeing the dark sky dotted with blinking stars. The day had passed by so quickly. Time in the Deamhan world seemed so fast compared to the dilatory time of the human world.
“Do you know where he is?” Nathan asked gently.
“Yes.” Like a lost child Kyra nodded and she pressed her gloomy hand on his cheek, feeling his wrinkled skin. “He has found me.” A weak smile appeared on her face. “You must go before he comes here.”
“You should come with me,” Nathan suggested but Kyra hushed him.
“I can’t put you in any more danger.” She looked to Ayden. “He will take you back to your home and protect you at all costs.”
“We have to go, now,” Ayden placed his hand on Nathan’s shoulder, “before it’s too late.”
For a moment Nathan felt his guilt beginning to overshadow the need to escape. He knew he couldn’t change her mind, but he continued to beg her to come with him to his manor.
“Your survival is more important than mine,” she said. “Please, go.”
Ayden grabbed Nathan by his wrist. “It’s better for humans if they close their eyes.” Before he could speak out against Kyra’s decision, he felt his eyelids droop and suddenly he saw darkness. He felt Ayden’s arms wrap around his fragile waist and without hesitation, the wind smacked against his face, making his cheeks push back against his teeth.
He felt his body fill with an electric sensation and his feet dangled in the air. While his mind filled with dread for leaving Kyra behind, he also remained curious to where Ayden planned to take him.
He lifted his eyelids slowly and small bubbles of light appeared in front of him. He attempted to lift his hand, to pick at these spots that dangled nonchalantly, teasing his curiosity, but he held his frigid composure. He experienced what all Deamhan went through when they traveled, but Ayden’s speed was different, faster—a whole other existence that boggled his opened mind. Finally he felt the cold concrete underneath his feet. The electric sensation suddenly ceased along with the wind and the feeling of confusion. He opened his eyes to find that they stopped in an alley behind a tall brick building.
Ayden moved his hands from Nathan’s waist and he tilted his head slightly. “Are you alright?”
Nathan nodded. He felt his legs wobble for a moment and Ayden caught him before he fell. “I just need a little time to recover.” He gathered his wits and asked, “Where are we?”
Ayden looked up at the brick building, eying a lonely glass window on the third floor. “Saint Paul, Minnesota.”
“Saint Paul? I thought you were going to take me back to my Manor?”
“Yes, but I have to do something first.” Ayden carefully eyed the environment. “Wait here.” He bent his knees and jumped, landing on a sliver of landing next to the window. Nathan watched him ball up his fist and punch through the glass, shattering it with ease. He then crawled in through the window.
Nathan examined the environment around him. His ears picked up on the sounds of fire trucks, a police siren, and car horns just around the corner. He saw a middle aged man walk past, his head drowned in the Sports section of a newspaper. Nathan walked out of the alley and to the front of the building. It was a tall, old brick hotel that seemed to reach into the sky in a lengthy distance. The front double doors were boarded up and red and white graffiti sprawled along the walls. Cracked windows dotted the red brick façade, exposing the interior to the outside air. It was a perfect place for a sanctuary.
Nathan pul
led on the rotted boards nailed to the building’s front doors but they didn’t budge. He pulled harder, feeling splinters slowly sink into the skin on his fingers. The corner top of the wood bent slightly but a force from inside pushed him back. The board splintered and Nathan saw the passing blurs of Deamhan running in fear. He stood to the side seeing many men and women rush down the street and disappear.
When the fray settled he climbed over the splintered wood and cautiously walked into the building. He heard the noise of broken glass underneath his feet. The dank air around him smelled of rotted, old wood. Wallpaper, yellow and stained from the elements, dangled from the walls and above Nathan saw an old chandelier loosely rocking back and forth.
He heard the noise of footsteps coming from the floor above him and he headed for the stairs located in the near corner. He climbed them slowly, testing the strength of the wood before taking his next step. Nathan reached the second floor, scanning from left to right. He heard the footsteps again but this time they were frantic, running back and forth on the floor above him.
When he finally reached the third landing he felt another gust of wind yet this time it was strong enough to push him against the dusty walls. The blow knocked him into a dizzy tangent and he closed his eyes. It picked up around him and he felt his neck slowly beginning to contract. He reached for his neck, feeling feminine hands. His head throbbed and his knees began to wobble.
“Don’t touch him!” Ayden’s voice roared over the sound of crashing boards.
Nathan opened his eyes, finding them locked into the wild eyed stare of a woman he’d never seen before. Her round shaped face contrasted her deep brown eyes. He noticed a long jagged scar on her left cheek. She wore a black shirt and blue jeans. Her short, dark hair moved slightly as she turned to face Ayden. She then quickly returned to Nathan and instead of releasing him, she squeezed harder and Nathan felt his throat pulsate. The woman opened her mouth slightly and her fangs extended from the roof of her gums.
Ayden placed his hand on the woman’s shoulder and spoke in her ear, loud enough for Nathan to hear her. “Let him go!”
“Who is he? What is he doing here?” The woman pushed Ayden away with ease and she continued her assault.
“Let him go, Maris.” Now on his feet, Ayden hunched over and his eyes turned dark. “I won’t tell you again.”
Suddenly Maris released Nathan and he stumbled back, catching himself on the railing. She faced Ayden. “You dragged me all the way here for this?” She pointed at him. “What is wrong with you?”
“I’ll explain everything to you but first we have to go.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on.” She tilted her head to the side as she studied Ayden. “This human smells like Brotherhood. Why would you bring one of them here, knowing what they’ve tried to do to me!”
“He isn’t the enemy,” Ayden answered.
Maris’ eyes remained on him. Even when he stood to his feet, Nathan saw that she didn’t believe a word he said. “I only came here because you told me that I would be safe from what’s going on.” She huffed and she turned to walk away. “I’m so stupid to still trust you after everything you’ve done.”
“I’m not lying.” He reached out for her but quickly she turned and slapped him with such force that he fell back over the railing and to the pavement below.
Nathan found himself alone with Maris again. It dawned on him that the Ramanga who stood in front of him wanted nothing more but to rip him to shreds. He had to convince her otherwise. “Yes, I was part of the organization a long time ago, but I’m not now.” He slowly raised his hands to show that he wasn’t a threat. “I’m a friend of Kyra—”
“Kyra.” Maris gnarled her name.
Nathan heard Ayden’s hasty footsteps as he rushed back to them. With arms extended, he cavorted toward Maris. Using her Deamhan speed, she quickly moved out of the way again.
“His name is Nathan Tiernan.” Ayden stopped, turned, and ran at her again. “His last name should sound familiar to you.”
“I don’t care.”
Nathan hurried down to the first floor and he looked up, watching Maris and Ayden’s actions in quick blurs. They twirled around each other for what seemed to be hours until he made out Ayden’s frame standing near the ledge. He wrapped his arms around her waist and Maris used her body, pushing him back. Ayden held on and using Maris’ momentum, they both fell over the edge, landing on their feet in a loud clonk. Using her speed again, she ran toward a stack of wooden pallets in the corner, ripped off a piece of wood, and rushed back to Ayden in a quick blur, embedding the wooden weapon in his stomach.
Ayden grunted and took a few steps back, his eyes focused on his wound. He then collapsed onto his knees. Nathan didn’t have enough time to think or to grasp at the dangerous situation he found himself in. He ran over and knelt beside Ayden. “Relax, I’ll pull it out.” He had never done anything like this before—saving a Deamhan—but Kyra trusted him and Nathan knew Ayden would do anything for her.
He pulled out the piece and tossed it aside. Immediately he saw Ayden’s health return and he stood up slowly to his feet.
“Thank you.” He lifted his shirt slightly and watched his wound close. “Maris, he is the son of Butch Tiernan.” He approached her. “He was the human who stole the tablet from The Brotherhood, remember?”
She stood still and in moments she spoke up again. “You and Kyra promised me years ago that I wouldn’t have to deal with that ever again.” She sighed and her eyes moved to the floor.
“I wish I didn’t have to bring you into this.” He walked over to her. “But times are dangerous now. There are Deamhan out there who want to free the Pure Ones and they are going after the tablet piece.”
“I warned you.” She nodded to her own statement. “I told you that you should’ve destroyed it decades ago.” Her eyes carefully drifted back to Nathan. “Instead you trusted Kyra and she trusted that human to hide it and now you want my help, again, but I won’t do it this time. I’m not the dumb Ramanga you knew from the past.”
“But you’re still the descendant,” Ayden replied.
She glared at Nathan in quietude. Finally, everything that Kyra told him in Chicago and what he read about The Dark Curse made sense. Standing face to face with the descendant of the Kashshapu, he couldn’t help but think how Maris could help them when Kyra told him that she was the key to unlocking the curse.
“Kyra took that from me. She emptied that crap from my mind,” Maris said with clenched teeth. “It’s not my problem, anymore.”
“It is your problem. It always will be. No matter who tries to tear the information from you mind, you are still the descendant. It’s embedded in you.”
“Then you lied to me.” Her eyes expanded. “Why would you lie to me?”
“Look, we all have to place our differences aside. Silvanus isn’t here to help us anymore. He’s dead,” Ayden said. “Lucius and Selene are behind this and they’re stronger than anyone could ever imagine. We have to help Nathan find the piece before they do so we can stop this once and for all.”
Her eyes withdrew from Ayden. “You should’ve killed me the first day you met me. I told you...I told all of you that I was too dangerous to live. If you would’ve just killed me, Silvanus would be alive today.”
“And I told you that you shouldn’t have to die because of this,” he replied. “We can’t dwell in our past mistakes, Maris. We have to deal with the here and now.” He walked over to her. “Kyra doesn’t know that I’m here. If it was up to her, she wouldn’t involve you in the matter. I’m doing this because you need closure and I promised you a long time ago that you would get it.”
“You also promised me that you would find my maker for me,” Maris replied. “And you never did.”
“I have found her. I know where she is.”
Maris’ eyes lit up. “Where is she? Where is Anastasia?”
“She’s right here, in this next city.”
Ayden gripped his stomach and exhaled. “I need to eat before I can travel.”
She opened her mouth slightly and her fangs extended. “I’m sure we can find a suitable human along the way.”
1
DARK CURSE. DEAMHAN CHRONICLES #2
CHAPTER twenty
Nathan opened his right eye first then his left. He found himself standing in the front yard of his beloved Blind Bluff Manor with Ayden and Maris.
Thanks to Ayden, the travel was quick and again he felt his stomach beginning to hurl. He controlled the sensation to throw up whatever foods he’d consumed earlier. He slowly walked up to the front door and before he could knock, it swung open.
Hallie stood in the doorway and her eyes expanded. She suddenly embraced him in a tight squeeze, aggravating his stomach a little more. Her eyes glistened with the onset of tears. “Nathan’s back!” She looked over her shoulder and yelled. “Nathan’s here!” Suddenly she released him and turned her attention to Maris and Ayden. “Who are they?”
“I’m Maris.” Maris tilted her head to the side. “Who are you?”
Nathan knew well that Hallie could smell their scents. “They’re here to help us.” He wanted strongly to believe it but he had to see for himself their reaction when they stood face to face with Anastasia. Remy appeared from his study and he too became curious about their new guests.
Anastasia appeared on the balcony above. She didn’t greet Nathan nor did she show any signs of exhilaration for his return. Instead she remained still, eying both Ayden and Maris.
Dark Curse (Deamhan Chronicles Book 2) Page 20