by Dahlia Rose
"Is this you being in their thoughts?"
"No, this is me having faith in them and in all of us."
Luna sat back in her chair and looked into the fire. “So this reading people's thoughts thing—can you see into everyone?"
"Mostly it's like I'm feeling or sensing the emotions behind the thoughts. So far it happens when it wants to. But I have been able to control it, or push it, so to speak. There's only one person I can't see no matter how I try."
"Who is that?” Luna asked curiously.
"I can't see into Jarrod's mind. It's as if his thoughts and feelings are hidden behind a thick door. Maybe it's because he's an ancient, and his powers are greater than most."
"I'm sure that's it,” Luna said. She caught her sister's hand and they sat staring into the fire, both thinking of Sola and Gideon, both hoping she would come home alive and successful.
* * * *
The second night of searching for the amulet yielded the results Sola and Gideon hoped for in a strange way. The third set of caves led to nothing but dank, moldy rocks, and was filled with bats. The beam from the flashlight sent them from their perches, and the winged creatures flew all around Gideon's and Sola's heads. They ran outside to the sound of muttered curses from Gideon and husky laughter from Sola, who found the bats more amusing than scary.
"Fuck!” Gideon spat out and brushed at his hair, hoping none of the bats were stuck on him. “I hate bats!"
"Come on, Gideon. They're wonderful night creatures.” Sola smiled as she caught one of the bats off his coat and let it fly free from her hands.
"They're rodents with wings, pure and simple."
"You'll come to love them as time goes by."
"That will never happen, lady, never!” His harsh reply set Sola laughing again as they headed on their way with Gideon still brushing at his collar. A few feet away, he rested his hands on the mountain. “I swear there's one of those things on me!” He glanced over at Sola, who stared at something with a look of surprise on her face. “What! What?"
"Look at where your hand is resting."
Gideon looked over and his eyes widened in surprise. The place where his hand rested glowed, outlining each of his fingers perfectly. He moved his hand, and they watched as the glow remained. The stone sank in with the grating sound of rock moving against rock, revealing an opening to another cave.
"Thank God for bats."
"Uh-huh,” Gideon affirmed, knowing that if it wasn't for those bats and his putting his hand on the rocks, they would have moved on to another set of caves and missed this completely.
The pair entered the cave, which was dry and warm compared to the others they had searched. It was completely empty and while they searched it thoroughly, they could find nothing where an amulet could be kept.
"Touch the walls, Gideon. Put your hands on every space you can reach, slow and steady. Your hand made the words on the scroll and the door appear. Maybe it will show you where the amulet is hidden."
"Have you ever wondered why it was me chosen for this? Why my touch actually got the ball rolling, so to speak?” Gideon spread his hands along the wall. “I mean, the vision you had pointed you to me. The words on the scroll only came up when I touched it after you turned me. And now this. It makes it seem like I was part of this from the very beginning."
"Are you going all past life on me, Gideon?"
He smiled. “No, but you have to wonder why I was chosen, right? If there's something from the past that connects us now in the present..."
"An existential conversation we'll have to have at another time,” Sola replied. “For now, let's not question the why or how, let's just find this damn amulet so we can go back to civilization and warm blood because I can't—"
"My hand is glowing again.” Gideon interrupted her flow of words.
They both looked around and listened for the sound of rocks moving. If there was anything to point to where the amulet was, they didn't see it. Gideon heard Sola's sigh of frustration and a muttered curse in French.
"Come here. I have an idea,” he said.
"What idea? Obviously your glowing hand isn't working. Don't tell me I'm going to have to break rocks apart until I find the damn thing."
"Just come here!"
She joined him. “Fine. Now what?"
"Put your hand next to mine. Yes, right there."
As soon as her hand touched the stone, it glowed. Their heads turned when they heard the stones shift next to them. Resting inside the little cubbyhole built into the rocks was a velvet pouch. Sola took it out reverently and held in the palm of her hand. She opened the drawstring and pulled out a thick silver chain. On the end of it hung a pendant that resembled a flower petal, the edges trimmed with silver. It was the color of emeralds, and on the very tip sat one jewel that gleamed like the sun. The first piece of the Lazarus amulet—she could feel the power already flowing through her. Gideon took it and hung it round her neck. This was her destiny, her birthright. It was only right for it to be placed there.
Hand in hand, they left the cave and walked back down the rock path to the snowy riverbank. Their boots crunched in the snow and ice. Moonlight illuminated the way, showing them the footsteps they'd made a few hours before. There were other prints mingled in with theirs. Gideon picked up their scent easily this time; he could tell Sola did as well. Her movements changed, and she became the warrior in seconds. She tucked the amulet inside her coat. Without a word, Gideon handed her a sword from the bag he carried, and he armed himself as well.
Out of the darkness their enemies appeared and circled them. They didn't make a move. Instead they just held their position so that Gideon and Sola could not escape. He heard the sound of footsteps coming toward them and then saw the face of someone he thought they would never see again emerge from the shadows.
"Creve,” Sola whispered.
"I thought I killed you when I threw you against that tree!” Gideon growled.
"Oh, my body was broken, but someone came along and changed all of that,” Creve said with a sinister smile.
Gideon and Sola watched in horror as he smiled and fangs descended from his gums.
"You see, I am one of you now!” Creve waved his hands, signaling the others to attack.
* * * *
This was her vision! Sola tried to keep Gideon in her line of sight as they fought, but with all the bodies that came flying toward them, she couldn't keep her gaze trained on him and fight at the same time. Inhuman screams of pain came from the vampire things as Sola ran them through or sliced their heads from their bodies. Their jowls unhinged like a snake's, showing the second row of teeth they used to rip flesh from bone. Cannibals and blood drinkers were what Carthos created, and if given the chance, they would tear her apart and feast until she prayed for death. Sola wasn't going to give them that chance. Creve watched from a distance, talking to himself and holding his head.
He has gone mad! Sola thought as one of the vampires tried to attack her from behind. She twisted and caught it around the neck. It brought its massive jaw down on her forearm, sinking its teeth into her flesh. She screamed in pain, then broke its neck. Its limp body fell to the cold earth. Nothing else came at her, and she saw the last few attacking Gideon. He fought without mercy, using his fist as much as his sword to keep them away. Creve stalked toward Gideon while the other inhuman things kept him distracted. In his hand he held a stake. Even as a vampire, he used what he knew best to kill. Sola screamed Gideon's name.
Whirling to the sound of her voice left Gideon open. One of the vampires used his distraction to sink its teeth into his neck. Gideon's roar of rage echoed through the trees. He reached around and pulled the thing over his shoulder, and it landed on the snow with a soft thud. Before it could move, Gideon's hard boot came down on its neck, crushing the bones. The thing could only gurgle as it died.
Creve chose that time to attack. He ran toward Gideon, the wooden stake pointing directly at Gideon's heart. Gideon spun on his heels
and in that instant met the tip of the stake. It pierced his chest. Sola's cry of distress was foreign to her own ears. From where she stood, it looked as if the stake went straight through his chest. She pulled Gideon back, and his body fell to the ground. Sola caught Creve's arm. The sound of it snapping when she broke the bone filled the air along with his screams, and his arm hung limp as he fell to his knees. Sola didn't notice him anymore.
Her thoughts, her eyes were on Gideon.
She knelt on the ground beside him, pulling him into her arms. “Are you hurt? Please, Gideon, answer me! Open your eyes!"
Gideon grinned. He opened his eyelids, and she lost herself in the beautiful eyes she had come to love. “I'm fine, babe. He barely nicked me."
"You idiot! A few more inches and he would have ashed you!” She inspected the wound, which had already begun to close. “Hell, I should do it myself!"
He pulled her into a kiss. “You love me too much. Is Creve dead?"
"No, just in a lot of pain."
Gideon got up and helped Sola to her feet. They turned to the now-whimpering Creve, who still knelt in the snow. He looked up at them with pain-filled eyes, but there was something more mirrored there. Something Sola could not distinguish.
"I should kill you,” Gideon said.
"Do you think I want to live like this, to kill my kind for food?” Creve spat out. “I have become what I hate the most! I dream of my daughter and then I can almost taste her blood in my mouth! Each time my heart breaks as I drain her life from her veins. Do it! Kill me!” Creve held his head and screamed in pain. His eyes became a black glaze, and the next words that came from his lips were not Creve's at all.
"Sola Collette, I know your father and the whore that sired you."
"Why, Carthos? You use a mere man to speak to me. I would think you would come and face me yourself."
"All in due time, my dear child. I want to make an offer to you and your sisters. Find the Lazarus amulet. Give it to me, and I will let you live."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then you will die along with this world when I can walk freely. I will drink from mother, father, and child, anyone and everyone one I please. It is a gift I offer you."
"I'll have to say no, Carthos. After all, it is my father and bitch mother, as you call her, you had killed, remember? As far as I see it, my sisters and I were created to destroy you."
Sola bent over to look into Creve's eyes, knowing this evil was using them as a mirror. She wanted him to see her as she spoke. “We will kill you and all the things you created. I swore it when I learned of how my parents died. We will fight you and we will win."
"You will die!” Carthos’ voice snarled angrily from Creve's lips.
"You can try, but I will not go that easily, Carthos. Look at the first piece of the amulet around my neck. You will never touch this or any other piece. I swear it to you."
Carthos released Creve's body, and it shuddered for a moment before the screams of agony that accompanied his master's angry torture began. He looked at Sola and Gideon helplessly when he could, tears trailing down his cheeks.
"Please kill me. I beg you!” Creve pleaded. “He does horrible things to my mind! Makes me feel such pain! Protect the amulet. I see now you are the one who is to be its keeper! But kill me. Stop my torment!"
Sola glanced at him and then at Gideon who nodded his approval. She couldn't bear Creve any ill will because of what Carthos had made him. She couldn't stand to see him suffer any more. She picked up the stake and aimed it at his chest.
"I hope you find peace in the next life.” She plunged it into his chest.
A look of calm crossed over Creve's face just before his body turned to dust in front of them.
"What should we do with them?” Gideon asked, looking around at the bodies that littered the snow.
"Leave them. When the sun rises, they will be no more than dust piles."
"Then let's go home. Our part in this is over."
Sadness washed over Sola. “And now another of my sisters must face this danger."
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Chapter Ten
Carthos sat, angrily thumping his chair. They have the first piece of the amulet! And she refused my offer. She's as stupid as the humans she thinks she's protecting. When will vampires understand they can't live side by side with humans? They rule the world while vampires hide in the shadows, having to hunt in secret. The few humans who know of us, hunt us. If the whole world believed they existed, vampires would be extinct, hunted down and killed until they were just dust blowing in the wind. Vampires needed to be taught and ruled knowing that humans were cattle to be herded, to be kept to be in servitude for meals and procreation. He knew he would eventually be victorious. Plus he had another plan already forming in his mind. He pulled the cord next to his chair, and soon there was a knock on the heavy door.
"Enter.” His reply was met with the creaking of the door as it opened to show his manservant cowering in the doorway.
"She refused my offer, and our people are dead. I was the one who made her mother and gave her to her father! I was the one who started this unholy union for the sole purpose of getting the amulet! I was the one for all these centuries who played...” His rage built as he spoke. “This is bigger than any of them! The Lazarus amulet has been around from the beginning of time, since the ancient ones had their first taste of blood! I made them to have it in my grasp, and now they think they can refuse me!"
"What shall I do, master? I live to serve you.” His manservant bowed low.
Carthos leaned his head back against the dark velvet of his chair and closed his eyes for a second. Suddenly he looked at his man, his eyes gleaming with evil intent. “Find her for me and pass this letter along. Make sure you are not seen. She will get me what I need once her desire for revenge is stirred."
His manservant took the envelope and tucked it into his coat. Bowing low, he edged to the exit. He stopped when his master spoke.
"Keep the door open when you leave, and bring me a few humans to toy with. I have a need to play with my food tonight."
The manservant left in a hurry to do his bidding, leaving the door open as was ordered. Carthos leaned his head back once again. The sound of human cries and screams filled his ears and soothed him, a melody built on agony and pain.
* * * *
Back at the chalet, Sola sat running her fingers over the surface of the amulet while Gideon packed. They thought it better not to call Luna and Willa to tell them of their success. It was better they keep it as secret as possible until they got home. Knowing that Carthos could be watching the family house or have his minions waiting along the way, Sola wanted to keep her sisters safe from danger as long as she possibly could. Their own quests were coming soon. They should have some peace before they were thrust into danger.
Her fingers traced the intricate little patterns carved into the amulet. She felt it humming with power, almost as if it vibrated along the nerves in her fingertips. She wondered, oh how she wondered, if it really worked and if they were hunting for something that would truly allow them to walk in the light.
"Put it on and watch a sunrise, Sola. You deserve that much for what you and your family have been through. One sunrise before it's destroyed."
Gideon's soft words came to her before she felt his hand on her shoulder. She looked into his eyes, and he smiled at her gently. “Do it, my love, or you will regret it for an eternity. God knows I can't listen to you bitch for hundreds of years about not seeing the sun when you had a chance."
Sola laughed at his comment and got up to wrap her arms around him. “I never bitch, Gideon."
"But you should see the sun come up,” he whispered. He took the amulet from her fingers and placed it around her neck, kissing her lips softly. “Now go see the sun."
She walked to the door and turned to him. “I'm sorry I can't take you with me. I would have loved to share it with you."
"Hey, I've seen my share of s
unrises. I'll watch the moonlight with you any day."
Sola opened the door and strode out, closing it behind her. She stepped into the predawn. She walked to the clearing where they had found the campers the first night they arrived in Alaska, and turned to the east where the clouds had a thin line of pink at the edges. With her eyes closed, she listened as the first birds of the day began their chirping conversations. Different kinds, each with a different sound, took up their cheer. She opened her eyes, and the clouds now had the color of cotton candy. With each minute, the light pushed the darkness further and further away.
With a burst, the sun came over the horizon and the light hit her full in the face. Sola gasped and shielded her eyes against a light she had never seen. She watched it creep across the ground as the sun rose higher in the sky. Animals peeked out from their slumber to begin their day. She felt the first rays of sun against her face, and her flesh did not burn. She held out her hands in the light and felt its warmth on her pale skin. Tears trailed on her cheeks. Sola lifted her head to the sun and felt them dry. A smile spread across her face. She stood there until the sun was high in the sky. It was like being a newborn child brought into the world.
Two hours later, she returned to the chalet and closed the door behind her. Gideon came out of the darkened bedroom and watched her put the amulet back in its velvet pouch and slip it into her bag. She would never put it on again. She knew that in her heart and accepted it. For the world to live, she must walk in the darkness.
Gideon walked over and held her, pressing his face to hers, still warm from the sun's rays, but cooling quickly back to the cold flesh of an immortal. “How was your sunrise, my love?"
Sola pulled away with a smile. The beauty of what she'd seen filled her with a new glow that transcended her immortality. “It was beautiful, lover, absolutely beautiful."
TO BE CONTINUED IN
THE COLLETTES: LUNA
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About the Author
Dahlia Rose, best selling author of contemporary erotica, suspense, and paranormal romance. She was born and raised on a Caribbean island and now currently lives in Charlotte, NC with her four kids whom she affectionately nicknamed “The children of the corn” and her biggest supporter/long time love. She has a love of erotica, dark fantasy, Sci-fi and the things that go bump in the night. Books and writing are her biggest passion and she hopes to open your imagination to the unknown between the pages of her books.