by P. Jameson
“Where were you?” His hard voice snapped at the night, making her bristle.
“None of your business.”
“You promised you’d meet me in an hour. It’s been nearly two.” He still didn’t look at her.
“Well, I’m here and I’m fine, and I’m leaving.”
His head came up fast and she saw that his green eyes were shining. Were there tears in them? Tears because of her? No. She must be wrong.
“Let me walk you home.”
“There is no need for that.”
He came to stand in front of her, and up close, the traces of wetness were evident.
“You scared me, Canna. Had me nearly crazed. And I am asking you, please, let me take you home.” As he spoke he seemed to go from frazzled to angry. And well… he was perhaps just a little intimidating when he was like that.
But the day had been long and weary and she couldn’t bear to be talked to anymore. Couldn’t bear listening to more of his excuses. Couldn’t bear anymore contact. Period.
She needed time to work out what had happened between them this night.
“Fine. On one condition. You don’t speak to me on the way there. You don’t touch me, and you leave as soon as I am safely inside.”
His face turned hard, his mouth forming a grim slash. But he nodded, agreeing to her terms.
Canna turned without checking to see if he followed. She went quickly through the streets, ready to be in her bed, ready to escape. She made it to her castle in record time and went through the gates, all without looking back to see if the wren was with her. When she climbed the steps to the front entrance though, she heard his boots echo behind hers.
He was seeing her all the way to the door.
As she pulled the latch to open it, she meant to walk right in and leave Breckken in the cold without even a glance. But somehow she couldn’t. She needed to read his expression one more time. Had to be sure the determination she’d felt from his kiss was real.
Glancing over her shoulder, she saw sadness, pure and undiluted. Deep sorrow, the emotion she knew well.
She had to really work to ignore it, and go inside. But that’s exactly what she did. She took the back staircase to her room to avoid running into anybody. Shut away, safe from the others of the house, she found herself drawn to the window. Looking down, she watched as her wren walked slowly away, keeping his end of the deal.
The vision gave her a curious mix of relief and disappointment. Would she ever know her own feelings again?
***
It took every particle of strength within Breckken to walk away from Cannalise. But he did. Somehow. And as he went from her property into the street, he was a tangle of emotions he couldn’t sort out. He wanted to scream, laugh, sob, and hit something all at the same time. He settled for kicking a loose chunk of ice that was in his path. It shattered on impact.
Breckken had been overcome when Canna finally arrived at the bridge. She’d been over half an hour late and he’d convinced himself a quarter of the way in, that danger had befallen his maiden. The only thing that kept him from searching the city for her was the niggling little thought that maybe she’d been held up for some reason.
So he’d waited. And worried. And cursed. And paced. Until his chest began to ache. The pains were purely physical and the likes of which he’d never before felt. They were worrisome.
Then suddenly there she was. Safe and sound before him. With no excuse to lend.
She’d never intended to meet him at the bridge. He was certain of it. Why she’d changed her mind, he wasn’t sure.
He’d kissed her.
He’d needed to connect with her on some deeper level just to appease his inner wren. He’d taken her mouth like he’d always dreamed of, and she’d yielded to him, if only for a few precious seconds. It was enough to soothe the raw edges of need. Enough to calm the protective instincts that raged within. But it was also barely a taste. Barely a sip of what he wanted to demand from his maiden.
He pulled his robe tighter as he went to the gates of the city. He was tired of being cold all the time. He wanted to go home. Not to his dwelling in the city but to the Lands. It had been so very long since he’d been to see his parents. Since he’d gazed upon trees of color. All the trees here were pale-barked and never in bloom. They were all just varying shades of gray and white. He wanted to feel the fluffy snow in his fingers and taste his mother’s bread. It was nothing like Ula’s rock that she tried to pass off as bread.
But most of all… most of all he wanted to talk to his father. He wanted to ask him how he’d messed this up and how to fix it. Because there had to be a way to fix it, a way to get through to her. Even if she never loved him as he loved her. Even if she avoided him, he would always watch over her.
And that meant he needed to get to the outpost so he could question the Helix spies they’d captured.
Breckken breezed through the checkpoints, nodding at the guardsmen as he passed. Once inside the building, he made his way through a long, gray stone hall until he arrived at the commander’s office. A sharp knock, and was immediately let in.
It took only minutes for Breckken to give his report of the attack while Sir Harmon took detailed notes on his recorder.
“You believe the maiden, Emmalyn, was targeted specifically?” the commander asked after a slight pause.
“I do. It seemed to me, a very precise attack. And they didn’t try to harm her. Their mission was to take her away.”
Commander sat back in his chair, stroking his black goatee. “What interest do they have in a maiden who serves brew?”
Breckken thought for a moment before answering. “There is one thing, though it could be nothing…”
“Go on.”
“Emmalyn is somewhat of a friend to Cannalise.”
The commander raised one ebony eyebrow, skeptical, for it was well known that Canna didn’t have friends. But he was too dignified to make a rude comment.
“Your maiden?”
“Yes, sir. Canna sometimes follows Emma to and from the kafé in order to see to her safety. I believe that is what she was doing tonight and why she engaged in battle against the Helix.”
Commander nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe then, the real target was Cannalise. Perhaps they were using the other maiden as bait.”
“Perhaps.” It was possible. The thought that Canna was the actual target left Breckken even more anxious.
“For now, the maiden Emmalyn must be protected until we know the intentions of the Helix. I do not want an innocent to become a pawn in Davian’s vengeful games.” He turned to his second. “Harmon, station five of our best outside her dwelling and three to follow her at all times.”
“Gilleth will likely be with her as well, sir. He was quite protective of the maiden tonight,” Breckken added.
“Odd as that is, I am inclined to thank him for his service.” He turned back to Harmon. “I see no problem with that. Allow him to remain with her as he pleases.”
The commander had known Gilleth as long as he’d known Breckken, and had long been plagued with Gill’s blatant desire to be a Nova guardsmen.
“Sir, I would like the opportunity to interrogate the captives.”
The commander’s brow creased over his dark eyes. “Regretfully, they didn’t come out of the hex. They are of no use to us.”
Breckken was shocked silent. He’d never heard of someone not waking from a hex. “They are dead?”
“Yes.”
“How…”
Commander nodded to Sir Harmon, who flipped a few pages back in his recorder and began to read.
“On the twenty seventh hour, Sir Trellan and Sir Kelston arrived with three hexed wrens. Helix A: shaved head, eyes blue, height six two, helix symbol on right forearm. Helix B: red hair, eyes brown, height six five, helix symbol under left ear. Helix C: Black hair, eyes green, height six nine, helix symbol on chest. The three were taken to a holding cell to recover. After an hour passed, they were not revi
ved and were found to be dead. At twenty eight and a half hours, attempts to revive Helix A, B, and C failed and they were pronounced officially deceased.”
Breckken’s head spun with the information. “Poison? Could they have somehow…”
“An autopsy will be performed,” the commander said. “Until we figure out the cause, we must focus on what we do know. Which is, the Helix want Emmalyn and they are already sending their people into the city. Tomorrow, I want to interview the maiden. Perhaps she can shed some light on things.”
Breckken nodded but something was off. He couldn’t place his finger on it but… something.
“You are dismissed, Sir Breckken.”
He rose to leave and then remembered…
“There’s one more thing, sir.”
The commander looked at him expectantly.
“Cannalise’s heart began beating tonight.”
Sir Harmon gasped. And the commander smiled—actually smiled.
“That is terrific news, Breckken. And what a relief. She shall be safe now that she will dwell with you.”
Yeah, how to put this…
“She wishes to have nothing to do with me at this time, sir.” Saying the words out loud brought a new measure of despair.
The smile faded from the commander’s face. “I see.”
“But I will protect her as I always have. And truly, she can protect herself. As was witnessed tonight. You know of her skills, sir.” Breckken knew he was close to babbling so he forced his mouth shut.
“I do.” The commander was quiet for a moment. “I am more concerned about one of my best soldiers being lost to heartsickness.”
Heartsickness. It wouldn’t come to that. Would it? She’d see how things should be. All she needed was a little time. He recalled the kiss, how she’d let him learn her mouth, and held on to the memory. There would be more like that with her. More learning and sharing. He had to believe it.
He swallowed hard. “I am told that it goes away with time. I will still be of value to the Nova Guard, if it comes to that.”
Commander’s hand drifted up to his chest and rubbed in a tight circle. The action was thoughtless, as if he wasn’t aware he was doing it. Then his eyes leveled on Breckken and he spoke quietly but firmly. “It does not go away. It lasts forever, my friend.”
Breckken stared at his leader, astonished by the revelation.
“You are dismissed.”
He turned and went from the office.
Dismissed. Would the Guard be done with him if he fell sick? Was that the commanders concern? Perhaps he’d have to learn Gilleth’s skillset before this was all over.
But as he walked down the dismal gray hall, something was still tugging at the back of his mind. Something he should remember…
Mid-step he froze, fear lighting every nerve in his body. Not for himself, but for the ones he loved.
He sifted through the information he’d just relayed, and Sir Harmon’s rundown of the dead Helix.
Oh… fates.
Oh, fuck.
He raced back to the commander’s office and didn’t bother knocking, barreling through the door to the surprised faces of his leaders.
“There were four,” he rushed out, urgency making him forget protocol. Fuck protocol. “There were four hexed Helix members. Three wrens and a maiden. Where is Helix D?”
Chapter Nine
The air of An`gel was cold. So unbelievably cold. An unceasing shiver.
Helix D passed lithely from one shadow to the next without being seen. Not that there was a single person traversing the streets this night. Still, she would be a shadow. Gone from their vision before they could ever see her.
She wanted to leave this place, the frigid ice, the damp air that seemed to suck the breath right out of her. But she couldn’t. Not yet. She had to complete the mission.
She continued on to where she’d been directed. The maiden’s home was only a little farther. As she came upon it, she wanted to curse.
The maiden was not alone.
A sturdy wren could be seen through the window.
Her mind was working for a way to get to the target. She didn’t want to kill anyone. The mere thought made her stomach clench with sickness. She really couldn’t afford to stay in the city much longer, but the wren posed a threat.
And returning without the girl was not an option. Lives were at stake.
Hers to be exact. And his.
Davian was a cruel, cruel wren. But his death was unacceptable.
She wasn’t ready to give up yet. Wasn’t ready to accept the reality that loomed over her head like a gaseous cloud.
The target’s wren turned to stare out the window, and her heart started pumping wildly. Not for the first time though.
When he turned back around, she let herself slump against the side of the building.
The pounding behind her sternum was always a reminder. She recalled a time when things weren’t as they were now. When Davian was good. When he was brave and strong and loved.
But things had changed.
And now the thumping served as another reminder: he dies, she dies.
She sighed, and the warm puff of air formed a temporary cloud.
She’d have to take the wren out before she could obtain the target. It was unfortunate, but she’d do whatever was necessary to keep Davian safe.
His mating instincts might have suffered at his delusions of grandeur, but hers were still fully intact. She’d save him. And someday… perhaps someday, he’d love her enough to remember what was truly important in life.
***
The explosion took Gill and Emma to the floor, but it wasn’t enough to damage the castle. Shaken, but not fallen.
He landed with her beneath him, as tiny shards of ice fell all around. He was aware they were under attack. Aware there wasn’t another around to assist him. There was just the enemy trying to steal away his Emmalyn. And he’d fight tooth and nail to prevent it.
Gilleth glanced around. On the floor he spotted a spent canister of nitron. A tiny one, but still potent. Fucking nitron. Only the Guard should have access to the explosive.
This had to be Helix.
A growl ripped from his throat and Emma flinched beneath him. He dragged his gaze to her and found her eyes were squeezed shut against the blast.
The kitchen door swung open and in stepped the perpetrator, dressed to disappear into the dark of the night. Dark robes, meant to keep her mobile. Black hair pinned tightly to her scalp. Expression beautiful and cruel.
He’d destroy her. The fact she was female mattered not to him. If she meant to take what was his, he’d annihilate her.
Gilleth jumped to his feet, his head spinning with the sudden movement. The Helix traitor trained her eyes on him, gauging the level of threat he posed. He ran forward, ready to meet her in hand-to-hand. But then another blast knocked him flat on his haunch.
THUG. KA-THUG.
He shook his head, trying to clear it. He hadn’t noticed her readying more nitron. How did she manage to blast him again?
When he gathered his wits enough, he found the female staring at him curiously, head cocked.
“Gilleth!” Emmalyn cried, crawling toward him on the slick stone floor.
The female Helix snapped her gaze to Emma as more explosions rocked Ula’s small castle.
The air thundered and crackled as if a storm had erupted. But there was no damage. Not even the Helix seemed affected. Just… Gill and Emma.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, and he reached for her. But the Helix got to her first, wrapping a gloved hand over her mouth to prevent her from crying out. The female yanked Emma backward, kicking and struggling, but she wasn’t strong enough to escape the soldier.
Gilleth crawled forward, desperate to stop them. If he could keep them within the castle, he could overpower the Helix.
THUG, THUG, THUG.
More thundering had him ducking for cover. The castle was growing hot. How much more could th
e dwelling take?
He stared at Emma as she resisted, her eyes wide. The muffled noises she made were urgent. Like she was trying to tell him something. He struggled to his feet again, lunging forward. Emma fisted her hand, using it to beat the helix.
Gill blinked. No. Not the Helix. Emma pounded at her own breast.
Thug, ka-thug, thug.
Gilleth went still. The thumping was from within. Originating from his own chest.
His hand went to his heart, his eyes widening. It beat within him.
He found Emma just as the Helix was about to pull her through the door. She nodded, still pounding her chest.
Fates…
She was his Heartbeat.
Those fucking evil Fates had kept them apart this long, only to reveal the truth in this midnight hour.
He hated them.
Lunging forward, he pushed through the door, eyes scanning every direction. There was no sign of Emma and the Helix.
“Help!” he shouted, running past the gate and into the street. “Help! Call the guards!”
But it wasn’t necessary. They were near. Five of them running toward him, weapons drawn.
“She’s been taken,” he barked. “Emmalyn. My maiden. By a Helix. Find her, damn it.”
Gilleth turned in circles, looking for any trace of them. Any hint at which direction they’d gone. But there was none. It was as if the entire incident had been a figment of his imagination.
“Seal the borders!” one of the guards called. “We have a code red.”
Chapter Ten
Breckken pounded on the front door of Canna’s castle. The hour was late but it mattered not. He must speak to her, make her see truth. There was no more time for giving her space. Not when her safety was in jeopardy.
After several more knocks, the door creaked open and Rowene appeared, wrapped in a night robe, her dark hair falling over her shoulders.
“How may I help you?” she asked warily as she peeked through the slivered crack in the door.
“I apologize for approaching at such a late hour, madam. I am Sir Breckken of the Nova Guard and I need to speak with Cannalise immediately.”