“Hey beautiful,” he croaked.
“Thank you,” she whispered and Caia couldn’t look at her for fear of falling apart at the sound of grief in Jae’s voice.
No. He is going to be OK. He is going to be OK. Marion will fix this.
“No...” he shuddered hard. “No problem mi amigo.”
See, he’s joking and teasing even now. He is going to be OK.
She clutched him tighter.
“Cy,” he whispered and her eyes got caught in his again. “I love you, Cy.”
“Don’t,” she choked on her tears. “You’re going to be OK.”
He smirked. “I love you anyway.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered.
“That’s good.”
A deep silence settled on the truck and Caia began to shake with exhaustion and fear.
“Like a friend, Cy?” Sebastian whispered suddenly, and then winced.
“What?”
“Love me like a friend. You?”
She nodded, unable to lie to him even now. But his eyes never dimmed. “That’s enough for me.”
30 - Gone
Sebastian died in Caia’s arms ten minutes later. The grief thickened the air as they drove back to the pack, Lucien staring blankly ahead at the road, while Ryder soothed a crying Jaeden, who was mourning more the loss of her friend than her innocence. Caia hummed softly, stroking Sebastian’s hair, her throat thick and burning with unshed tears.
She had failed him. He loved her and she had failed him.
But she wouldn’t fail the rest of the pack.
31 - The Decision
“They’re all gone.”
Caia turned on her bed to see Marion walk slowly into the room and stop, grasping a post of the bed. She tucked the picture of her father beneath her bed covers so Marion wouldn’t realise the full extent of her maudlin musings.
Her eyes were gentle with understanding, and Caia wanted to turn away from that sympathy.
It had been a week since Sebastian’s death.
With the elation of having Jaeden home came the crashing disbelief that Seb was gone.
What was worse was that no one blamed her.
She was the hero who had led them to Jaeden in the first place. Who had taken down the ‘Head’ of the Midnight Coven.
No one blamed her but... it seemed like it was more out of fear of her than anything.
Lucien’s home had been filled with members of the pack ever since their return and a suffocating mix of awe and grief had wrapped around the home like a cloak. Having cried herself to sleep the night they got back, and then cried herself boneless the next day, Caia was numb. She had woken up every morning since, afraid to open her eyes; determined that if she lay there long enough with them closed tightly shut that it would all go away; it would all be a bad dream and that Sebastian would knock on her door any second.
But it wasn’t a bad dream.
And she would never see his smile again.
Somehow she had managed to go to Sebastian’s funeral but she hadn’t been able to meet Isaac or Imogen’s gaze... or anyone’s for that matter. The only person she had even looked at was Jae, and that was only to make sure she was OK. Her friend was a former shadow of herself. Caia had never understood that expression until now. Jae stood apart from everyone, following her family a few spaces behind, despite their determination to keep her close. But she was haunted by what had happened to her and by the looks of it, that wasn’t going to change any time soon.
And now everyone had gone home. Was it wrong she was relieved?
“I heard,” she managed.
Marion sighed and came around the bed to sit beside her, both of them looking outside of the window.
“Happy Birthday.”
Caia blinked. It wasn’t a cause for celebration today. So what, she was a year older and one friend down. She hated to think what the next months would bring.
Marion understood her silence and changed the subject. “Marita and Vanne have been told. Their spies tell them that the Midnight Coven is in chaos.”
Caia nodded numbly.
“I hate to ask but... do you feel anything?”
Every day. The hum of connection had been growing stronger and stronger, and Caia believed, ironically, that her grief had been keeping it compressed and easy to handle.
“Yes. I already knew the Coven was in chaos. Attacks have stopped. The major players are convened at their headquarters in Moscow, trying to work out where Ethan is, if he’s dead or not. A few ambitious ones are pretending that they have the trace magik.”
“The headquarters are in Moscow? We thought they were in Minsk… sneaky…”
Caia smiled humourlessly.
Marion grinned back at her. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe we have you. This... is the beginning of the end.”
Caia didn’t say anything but Marion must have detected her flinch.
“What?”
The truth was Caia was sure something was wrong with her trace. For days now she had been sensing thoughts in her trace that baffled her. It would seem there were Midnights apathetic to the war, some oblivious, some afraid, others weary, and even those who had no such hatred for other Sueprnaturals as she had been brought up to believe. It couldn’t be right, could it?
“Caia?” Marion urged.
No, she wouldn’t reveal her worries to Marion or anyone, not until she had a handle on it herself. For now, she would carry on in the capacity of advisor to the Daylights, as Marita wished.
She shrugged. “The attacks will start again. They’re already panicking. Things will get out of control and I don’t know if I will be able to help everyone when they do.”
Marion laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You do what you can. That’s all anyone can ask. You have it in you Caia... for Gaia’s sake, you obliterated Ethan.”
Caia snorted, “Any theories on how I did that yet?”
Marion shook her head. “No, but my sister is definitely going to be taking a more avid interest in you. She feels… well… responsible for what happened. I think she was testing you… but she knows someone should have been in there with you from the Centre, considering you were dealing with Ethan. She wants to make it up to.”
Silence. And then.
“I can’t leave them here unprotected.”
She knew when the magik understood what she meant because she stiffened and her hand dropped from her shoulder. “You’re not leaving the pack are you? You’re not coming to the Centre with me.”
“I can’t.”
“Is this because of Sebastian?”
Heaving herself off the bed, Caia approached the window and looked up at the moon. “It’s about my father.”
“I don’t understand.”
“My father did everything he could think of to protect me, and so did Lucien’s. Since I came back I’ve caused the kidnapping and torture of one friend, the death of another, and the attack of the Pack Leader.”
“None of that was your fault.”
Caia shrugged, refusing to look at her. “It doesn’t matter if it is or isn’t. I can’t turn my back on them now. They have to come first. I have to be here in case anything happens. And I can do my job for your sister just as well from here as I would have at the Centre.”
“But the Centre will offer you training, and a chance to mingle with other supernaturals within Daylight.”
“It doesn’t matter. The pack matters. My father’s pack matters.”
“Your pack.”
Caia drew in a breath and whirled around to see Lucien standing in the doorway, his silver eyes as tired as they had been all week. Tired and sad and dishonoured. That’s how he felt. As if he had failed in his duty somehow. She wanted to slap him across his thick head, and then hug him until he was the same old arrogant Lucien again.
Marion stood whilst they gazed at one another and then cleared her throat. “Well, I can see your mind is made up. I’ll leave in the morning to le
t Marita know of the situation.”
“But you’ll be back?” Caia asked softly.
Marion nodded and smiled. “Of course. I’ll be your liaison.”
After a nod of understanding, Marion left the room as gracefully as she had entered it. Lucien closed the door behind her and took a few more steps inside.
“So you’re staying?”
“If that’s OK?”
Lucien nodded. “I heard what you said. I understand it. But, Caia, Christian was right before... back in the truck... after the motel. He was right about ending this war being more important. I was wrong.”
She knew it must have taken a lot for him to admit that, and she smiled gratefully. “I can still do that. From here.”
He nodded again and then looked away, seeming uncomfortable. He cleared his throat before looking back up at her, his silver gaze intense and unmoving. “What I said before... I meant it. I won’t interfere with your choices any longer.”
“Not mates?” She breathed, hating that her heart ached at the thought.
“Not mates.” He shrugged and sighed, “Maybe after I die, the pack will be ready for a change anyway. Us Líder’s have been hogging the title for a couple of centuries too long I think.”
Caia looked away from him, not wanting him to see how hurt she was. She had thought maybe they could work things out. Yeah, the idea of being his mate, his wife, still terrified the Hades out of her little eighteen year old ass, but they wouldn’t have had to have kids right away and... Lucien could have held her every night as she tried to compress her connection to the Midnights into something manageable.
But that wasn’t going to happen.
“I’ll help you,” Lucien suddenly said, dragging her gaze back to him. “I owe you for Jaeden and I... I want to help. Whatever I can do.”
She nodded. “I’ll probably be co-ordinating with the Coven to prevent any future attacks I see coming. I could use some help with that.”
He smiled softly, looking a little younger than he had been these last few days. “No problem. You don’t have to do this business by yourself.”
She laughed hoarsely and flopped down onto the bed. “So you’ll be like my business partner.”
He snorted and jammed his hands into his pockets looking like a little boy. “After what I saw you do... more like your lackey.”
Caia chuckled. “I wish I could have seen it, but I can’t remember.”
“It was amazing,” Lucien whispered reverently.
“It was revolting.”
He grinned and nodded. “That too.”
A howl ripped through the air.
Caia gazed out of her window. “Ella?”
“She’s taking it pretty hard.”
“There’s more to come.” Caia turned back to him and caught his gaze. “Are you ready?”
Epilogue - Jaeden
Jaeden’s heart started beating normally as soon as the bus pulled away from the stop. She held onto her backpack like a life jacket as the town gradually fell away and she could close her eyes for a moment’s peace.
How had it come to this? That she, Jaeden Rodriguez, who had lived for nothing more than her pack, could only breathe again now that they were safely behind her.
Sebastian’s funeral had been her final goodbye to a friend who had risked everything to get her to safety. To her it was a risk he took and lost, because the pack hadn’t rescued Jaeden Rodriguez; they had rescued Jaeden, broken and hollow who could suddenly move things with her mind whenever she wanted to.
Two days ago when she had returned from her first run as a lykan in weeks, her emotions had been so on the surface, that before she knew what was happening, items in her room were flying all over the place. She touched her split lip absently. Courtesy of a book that had flown off her bookshelf.
So now she was not only broken and hollow Jaeden who didn’t know how to be around the pack anymore, she was weird, tortured Jaeden who had come home less of a lykan because she had some terrible psychic abilities.
So this was better.
Some clothes, stolen money, and a book were tucked into her backpack.
Leaving the pack was the right thing to do. One more agonizingly disappointed look from her father when she didn’t react to one of his jokes like his pre-torture Jaeden would have done, was going to send her over the edge.
Jaeden was jolted awake when the bus stopped. She yawned, looking out the windows at the city. She must have been asleep a good few hours. More passengers climbed on board and she kept her gaze locked in the opposite direction, praying someone wouldn’t ask-
“Can I sit here?”
She tried not to groan and turned up to look at the tall, pale young man that smiled at her. His eyes were beautiful, almost black, his smile full of wickedness. He was well built and carried himself with a confidence beyond his years. She noted he let her see his elongated incisors. He must smell what she was.
“Sure,” she said softly and the vampyre slid gracefully in beside her.
“I’m Reuben.” He held out his right hand and Jaeden noted the silver thumb ring. She looked up at him as they shook, his cool skin pressed against her warmth. “What’s your name lone wolf?”
Jae cracked her first real smile in a long time. “You can call me, Jae.”
He nodded and looked her over like she was meal. He bit his lip sexily and sighed. “So where are you headed, Jae?”
She shrugged. “Somewhere with action.”
He perked up. “Yeah? What kind of action?”
She smiled. “I don’t know. Maybe you know of something.” Was she flirting with the vampyre?
Reuben chuckled appreciatively. “Well, you look like someone who could use a good punch bag. I know a whole bunch of those where I’m going.”
“Punch bags?”
His face suddenly became serious. “Predators that need to be stopped.”
Jaeden’s heart began to pound. This was it. This was exactly what she needed.
“You action?” His dark eyes drank her in.
She didn’t need to be asked twice. “I’m action.”
The End
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Samantha Young graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2009, where she studied ancient and medieval history. Sam enjoys incorporating her love of history into her writing, and is currently living in her home county of Stirlingshire, Scotland, doing just that.
Visit http://samyoungyafantasyauthor.blogspot.com for more info on Samantha’s upcoming novels.
Table of Contents
Moon Spell: Part One in the Tale of Lunarmorte
Midpoint
Moon Spell: Part One in the Tale of Lunarmorte Page 30