We Shall Rise

by J. E. Hopkins

  “My wife picks out my clothes for me.” Lucian grabbed Olivia’s wrist and hurled her towards him causing her to stumble into his desperate arms.

  Lucian hoped the wife comment would end this incredibly uncomfortable flirtation but Diamonde was unperturbed. “Well, you are certainly a beauty as well. We could have lots of fun. All of us.” Olivia’s lavender eyes nearly popped out of her head.

  Reysa grabbed Diamonde. “I think it’s time to see Yasmine.”

  “Yes, please.” Before leaving the room, she turned back to Olivia and Lucian. “I’ll see you two later,” she winked and left with Reysa.

  “Well Stepdaddy, how does it feel getting taken down by a drag queen?” Kaden mocked. “I think he-she likes you.”

  Lucian dusted off his pants. “Not as bad as having your hand bitten off by a Chihuahua. Great video by the way.”

  “Lucian,” Olivia admonished.

  Lucian won that round, Kaden conceded.

  “So what the hell was that anyway?” Lucian asked.

  “That, Stepdaddy, was Diamonde.”

  “What is a Diamonde?” Olivia inquired. Kaden could not help but laugh.

  “She’s Yasmine’s mother-father.”

  That didn’t quite clear things up, but Olivia got the feeling that she probably didn’t want to know more.

  Lucian left to complete his calls, leaving her alone with Kaden. She wanted to resume their conversation although it was apparent on his face that he did not.

  “Sit, Kaden. You’re not getting out of this.”

  Kaden flopped on the couch. Olivia sat across from him on the ottoman.

  “What happened with Reysa?”

  “I really don’t want to talk about my love life with my mother.”

  “Tough. Either you talk to me, or I’ll go talk to her. One way or the other, I get the answers I want.”

  Kaden looked at this stranger before him who may have resembled his mother but certainly didn’t sound like her. Since when did his sweet mother get to be so bossy?

  “We had a little fight before you and Lucian arrived. It’s no big deal.” Olivia just stared at him making it clear that they would sit there all night, but he was going to tell her what she wanted to know. “Fine,” he grumbled, rolling his eyes. “She told me she’s part siren. I didn’t quite handle it well. In my book a siren is just as manipulative as a succubus and the last thing I need is another one of them pulling my strings.”

  “Please tell me you did not compare that amazingly strong and compassionate and generous woman to that evil, murdering, disgusting boil faced monster.” Kaden’s sheepish expression was all the answer she needed. “What were you thinking? Why must you self-destruct so needlessly all the time? You are your own worst enemy. Reysa was made for you. Everyone can see it except you .When will you stop fighting happiness and accept that you deserve it?”

  “When will you see that I don’t deserve it?” Kaden stood up and stormed out of the house. Olivia followed.

  She found him sitting on the hood of a Porsche that undoubtedly belonged to Christian with the small wolf image painted above the rear lights. He had that familiar angry and lost expression he so often used to push people away. He had yet to learn that it would never work on her. She had never and would never give up on him even though she often wanted to strangle some sense into him.

  Olivia understood him like no other. Everyone used to say that Kaden was just like Daughton, but the truth was, he was more like her than him. Like her, he allowed fear to paralyze him. They both wallowed so much in disappointment that they couldn’t see their way out of it to find happiness. Eventually, there comes a time when you believe it is not meant to be for you. So you sabotage your life just to prove yourself right. In the end, you’re just left with this self-inflicted despair that eats away at you until there’s nothing left but emptiness.

  “I used to think that I didn’t deserve to be happy either. I convinced myself of it. I made one poor decision after the other ensuring my misery as punishment for my perceived sins. Those choices nearly cost me my life.” Olivia sat next to Kaden on the Porsche. “One thing I’ve learned lately is that my mistakes were mine. Not Daughton’s, not yours, not Lucian’s—mine. I should have left your father years ago. I stayed out of fear, but also out of some sordid belief that I deserved to be hurt by him because I hurt Lucian and my sons. Daughton was my punishment. I was wrong and I see that now. I pray to the gods that you will see that soon before you lose out on the most precious gift the world will ever confer upon you, your mate.”

  Olivia leapt off of the car and proceeded to go back to the house when Kaden stopped her. “I don’t know how to make her happy. I don’t know how to be happy.”

  “Let her teach you. Lucian shows me every day by loving me. Let Reysa love you.”

  IV

  Kaden returned to the house where Reysa and Olivia had been chatting. Reysa seemed much calmer now. At least she didn’t seem like she wanted to strangle him at this very moment. That was progress.

  Lucian slammed down his phone and motioned for Kaden to join him with the others.

  “What’s wrong my love?” Olivia asked.

  He plopped down next to her on the couch entwining their fingers. “It’s not good. There have been several reports of other missing children, mostly vampires and lycans. It’s not limited to the US. We’ve heard from our contacts in Asia, Africa, South America and Europe. At least two thousand children have been taken within the last month. There are rumors that the kidnappers are other immortals—lesser immortals for lack of a better term. The vampires and lycans are getting edgy. There have been calls for vengeance. So far, my people have been able to control the situation, but for a few sporadic attacks on some hybrids. I don’t know how long they will be able to hold them off. If these rumors are substantiated, there will be no stopping the vampires and lycans. If ELM wants war, they will have it.”

  Reysa’s stomach churned at the thought. “We know where they are keeping the children, we will stop them and…” The realization set in that the facility in Vancouver that had held Yasmine and Caleb was not the only one. If there were two thousand children missing all over the world, then they were likely being held in various places all over the world. Vancouver was just one of many. “Do we have any idea how far ELM’s reach extends?”

  “No,” Lucian growled in frustration.

  “Do you have the resources to stop them? Does the Council?” Reysa asked fearing she already knew the answer.

  “I don’t know. The Council is fracturing. As you know, the vampires and lycans dominate. They want this threat against them quickly eliminated. They are willing to kill every lesser immortal that crosses their path to ensure their own safety. They are not interested in guilt or innocence. They just want an end, which we all know means death. Of course the lesser immortals on the Council are not in agreement with that plan. I’ve been trying to meditate and keep the peace, but it’s not working. I’ve managed to convince my fellow vampires and lycans to give us time. Give us time to find the source of the threat and eliminate it otherwise they will start eliminating all perceived enemies.”

  Reysa stood up and began pacing the room. “'Enemies' translates to everyone who is not pure like them.”

  “Exactly,” Lucian confirmed.

  “That’s genocide, Lucian.”

  “I know. That’s why we need to succeed in Vancouver. A victory of some sort will stay the purists.”

  “When do we set out?”

  “Tomorrow night. That’s all time they gave us.”

  Chapter 10

  Reysa’s house was more crowded than usual as everyone had gathered there to meet up before the upcoming battle. Anastasia and her fellow sirens had enthusiastically agreed to help. Reysa had been worried that they might be hesitant to stop ELM as sirens were lesser immortals who would likely benefit if ELM were to succeed. Anastasia understood that there would be no true winner in this kind of war, only death for many inno
cents. She would do what she could to stop that now. Besides, her girls loved a good fight. They were always itching for a battle. Sirens were true warriors.

  Joining them in this battle were Christian, Alejandro, Lucian, Olivia, Corinne, Julian and of course Kaden. Reysa had been avoiding him for the last twenty-fours, to weary to face another pointless argument with him. There were more important things to deal with than his fragile ego and insecurities.

  Reysa watched as Lucian and Olivia argued about whether or not she was coming along. Lucian wanted her to stay behind. He argued that she was still recovering and this was too dangerous a situation for her. Olivia would not back down. She refused to stay home while her mate and children went off to fight. Reysa was surprised to see Olivia stand up to Lucian and even more shocked to see him finally concede. He must really be in love. How nice it must feel to be so connected to another. Reysa looked over to Kaden, who loaded his gun with silver bullets. She had hoped to share such a connection with him, but she was starting to realize how impossible that would be.

  Kaden felt Reysa’s eyes on him. He looked in her direction, but she turned away and started talking to Christian and Alejandro. She had been avoiding him since their argument. He wanted to make amends, but she refused to talk to him. He knew he had hurt her again. He feared she had reached the point where she had had enough.

  “Are you going to avoid him forever?” Christian asked a distracted Reysa.

  “I don’t have the energy for him right now. I need to focus on stopping ELM.”

  Christian tilted her face up to his forcing her green eyes to meet his golden ones. “What’s wrong? You don’t seem like yourself.”

  “I’m stressed. I want this to be over. I need a break,” Reysa acknowledged. “Promise me a long vacation after this. Just me, you and Tatiana like we used to.”

  “That may not be possible anymore, love,” as Christian’s eyes darted towards Kaden. “Whether you want to admit it or not, it’s not just the three of us anymore. You can’t run from him. You can’t run from your destiny.” Christian kissed her lightly on the cheek and walked away leaving Reysa with Alejandro.

  “Don’t say a word, Alejandro,” Reysa warned. She wasn’t in the mood for another lecture. Alejandro smiled as he bent down to rub his cheek against hers in an affectionate cat gesture.

  Reysa hugged him tightly needing his embrace. “I love you.”

  “And I you, my dear.”

  Alejandro turned to find a nervous looking Lina standing behind him. “I-I just wanted to wish you all good luck,” she spoke as her voice trembled.

  Reysa hugged her and walked away leaving her alone with Alejandro. “I’m sorry for what I did. I’m sorry for entering your dream, but it’s good that I did. It made me see how much you loved her. I understand why you could never love me.”

  Alejandro held her face in his hands as he lightly kissed her forehead. “One day, my sweet Evangelina, you will find your true love. For him, you will be the greatest gift the gods could have bestowed upon him. He will honor you and cherish you the way you deserve. I wish I could be the man worthy to receive the precious gift of you, just to erase the sadness I see in your eyes when you look at me. But I am not that man, my Lina. I am so sorry to disappoint you again. I do love you and I will always be there for you as your dear friend, but not as your lover.” He kissed her tenderly on both her cheeks stilling the tears that had begun to fall. He held her a brief moment more before releasing her and walking away.

  Kaden decided to search for Reysa. He really wanted to apologize. He needed to feel her in his arms again. He couldn’t sleep or eat without her. The last twenty-four hours had been hell. He missed her touch, the smell of her jasmine-scented skin, her laugh, her love. He missed her and this distance between them was his fault and his alone.

  He assumed she would be in the Moroccan room, the place she used to mediate. There was a woman sitting there in seemingly deep prayer, but it was not Reysa. It was Yasmine.

  He was going to leave her in peace, but she called out to him. “You were the vampire that befriended my sister.” Her voice was so distant the pain of loss evident in each word she spoke.

  “Maddie was one of my dearest friends. She was my only friend.” Kaden entered the room and sat down on the pillow next to Yasmine.

  “She loved you. She spoke of you often.”

  “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  “We both lost her,” Yasmine turned to face Kaden. “We both loved and lost her.”

  “It was my fault,” Kaden admitted his face stricken from guilt.

  “That’s not what I heard. Reysa told me part of the story, but I wanted more details. I had to know everything that happened to my sister. I asked Julian. He told me everything. He told me about Helena and what she did, but he never said anything about it being your fault. He actually said that you did everything possible to help capture Helena and stop her from hurting others.”

  Kaden was dumfounded. Julian had made it clear that he blamed him for everything, yet now, Yasmine was telling him that Julian had actually defended him. Why would he do that for him when he hated him?

  “I don’t know what to say,” Kaden admitted. “Julian-”

  “Doesn’t like you very much,” Yasmine completed for him, “but he loves you.” Yasmine stood up. “It is time we join the others.”

  Kaden stood up and followed her out the room, where he was met with a glacial blast from Julian. Reysa’s eyes were just as frosty as she glared at him with barely restrained contempt. She quickly brushed off the moment of anger and focused on Yasmine.

  “Yas, are you up to this? Are you sure you want to join us?” Reysa asked. When she first mentioned the rescue trip to Yasmine, she seemed petrified, but determined to go back. Reysa wanted her to stay behind and finish healing.

  Julian approached Yasmine. “I promise you, we will save those children and your friend. You don’t need to put yourself through this.”

  “Yes she does,” Kaden argued earning more contemptuous looks form Reysa and Julian. “Confronting her fears will help her overcome them. She needs to cleanse herself from that place, from those memories. Helping us destroy it will help her heal.”

  “What makes you such an expert?” Julian chided. “You are the king of running away, yet you’re going to stand here and tell me that Yasmine needs to face her fears head on. You’re such a hypocrite.”

  Do as I say, not as I do, Kaden thought. “I may be, but that doesn’t make me wrong about this.”

  Julian was incensed. Before he could launch into another tirade, Yasmine spoke up, “Kaden’s right. I need to do this. I promised those kids that I would come back for them. I have to go back for them. I must do this for them.”

  “Ok,” Reysa agreed. “You’re strong, Yasmine. I know you can handle this. I just didn’t want to see you hurt anymore, but I can see it would hurt you more to stay behind. Trust me, my friend, we will stop these lunatics and save those children and the other captured witches.” Reysa looked to Diamonde whose brown wig was braided into a tight bun. Her staccato heels were replaced with combat boots and the tight red dress was now a black leopard skin cat suit. Diamonde was dressed for battle, at least the transvestite battle attire. She was talking to Corinne with whom she had forged an instant connection when they met a day ago. “You and Diamonde need to stick close to us. You are both extremely powerful Wiccans and no doubt ELM would love to capture you.”

  Yasmine shuddered at the thought of being recaptured. She could not go through that again. “Good luck getting my father to follow your rules. You know how he is. Frankly, I’ve never seen him like this before. He was livid. Kind of crazed. He was determined to kill everyone involved in kidnapping me. I don’t think you have to worry too much about him. I think the guys who took me are going to have to deal with the full impact of Diamonde. I don’t envy them.”

  II

  They arrived by Lucian’s private planes to Vancouver. It would have been quicker
for Reysa to dematerialize there, but she could not take all of them with her. It would drain her to the point of unconsciousness.

  Waiting for them was Lorenzo along with ten other lycans and vampires dressed all in black fatigues. Lorenzo greeted Lucian, but stilled when he felt her presence. Corinne was here. Her blonde hair blowing so gently in the wind filling his nose with her fragrant vanilla scent. He had not seen her in weeks after he caught her with Liam. The separation was a knife in his heart, but she left him no choice. His beast was clawing him as it ached to be free to claim her. The beast craved the woman it knew to be his, but the man would not force a bond between them. Corinne would have to choose him with all of her heart or soul. Lorenzo would not—could not—settle for less.

  He glanced in her direction one last time before focusing on Lucian. “We’ve been surveying the perimeter from a distance. We did not want to get too close, in case they could scent us. The spell to mask our scent had worn off by the time we arrived.”

  Lucian had sought the help of a witch to cast a spell to hide their scent. The witch’s powers were limited. She warned that the spell would not last long and even shorter for lycans. The spell had worked when he and Olivia first arrived at Reysa’s but he knew it had faded for them as well.

  “I can handle that kind of spell,” Diamonde said as she stepped in between Lucian and Lorenzo. She surveyed both men. “I’m the meat in between a juicy lycan and vampire sandwich. This is surely my lucky day,” she purred.

  Both men stepped back. Diamonde winked and then closed her eyes as she chanted in a language unique to the Wiccans. The trees swirled in the breeze as a gust of wind appeared in this otherwise still night.

  Everyone could feel the power in the air. Diamonde was no ordinary warlock.