“This isn’t about Dawn any more, Rose. This is about your pissy attitude. You know damn well Dawn finds herself no more powerful than you. She truly believes that her power is equal to yours, that all wardens’ powers are one and the same. You want to know something? She’s unlocked power that you have yet to even tap. So unless you can clear Nick’s name for the murder of a blessed one I suggest you just shut the hell up,” he screamed at her, and Rose’s eyes shot towards me.
“You mean that Nick is the spy? That he murdered a blessed one?” she stammered.
“That’s impossible. Nick doesn’t have a mean bone in his body. He’s the one that brought us together,” Helen interjected, though her tone had changed.
“Sometimes the weakest person you know is the most sinister,” my father said. “I’m just tired of you girls not getting along. You are wardens, damn it!” His fist came down hard on the table and all four of us jumped. Wesley laughed from the corner of the room.
“So what are we going to do?” Rose asked, twisting her hands together.
“We are going to act like nothing happened. Nick already has a court martial this afternoon with me and Angie plus several of the higher courts. If they lean in our favor, Nick will be stripped by the end of the day. No more harm will come to anyone and we can allow the boy’s parents to mourn.” My father frowned. “I don’t want to do this but I think that it is in the best interest of the camp if we just complete one task at a time.”
“Miranda has been talking about Nick for weeks.” Wesley said slowly. “Well I suppose I’m assuming that it is Nick. Dark prophecies is what she called it. Don’t worry, when all this started he was clean. It didn’t happen until he went after the redhead.”
“So you are trying to say this is my fault?” Rose said, turning her head towards him.
“Not in the least. It was going to happen one way or another. When you brought Krista back from Purgatory, finding you was a piece of cake.” Wesley didn’t sound empathetic for saying what he did.
“Piece of cake?” Rose didn’t look too happy.
“Well yeah. The only way to track a warden is to bring them together. Look, Nick knew what he was doing. If you had been the third and Krista the fourth, it would have happened with her.” Wesley glanced at me, his eyes burning into mine. They were changing again rapidly.
“What happened?” I asked him, trying to take the pressure off Rose.
“He showed up at the camp bound and gagged. Miranda told him that if he didn’t find a way to tear apart the wardens she was going to kill his family. Same tactic that she used on me to get me to leave Midvale,” Wesley pointed out. I had forgotten that he was going to be full of information on the operation in New Mexico.
“That’s why he sent me to get Rose,” I said, looking at Krista. “He couldn’t do it.”
“How did he get past Angie?” Helen asked, her face pale.
“He’s avoided direct contact with her for months. All these sabbaticals he’s taken in search of new people kept him off the radar.” My father ran his fingers through his hair. She never suspected that he was compromised.
“He’s been telling me for weeks that this priestess was going to be the end of us.” Rose put her head on the table. “How could I be so stupid?”
“Well, unless you are inherently stupid I wouldn’t go that far. Let’s not forget I fell for the same song and dance.” Wesley was sitting at the end of the table now, his tennis shoes resting comfortably on the lip. I looked at my father who was about to have a fit. “Now the reason for the murder? I cannot answer that. I did not kill a single being while I was held by Miranda. I had opportunity as well as motivation but I never once harmed a single person.”
“We all assumed, because he was the prophet, that he would know when things were going to go one direction or the other,” I said simply, motioning for him to get his feet off the table.
“The blessed one knew what was happening. He probably stumbled on Nick having a conversation with Miranda and threatened to out him,” Wesley said, looking at my father. I already knew he had the truth all figured out. He wasn’t going to tell us. Not now at least.
“Solid thinking.” My father smiled uncomfortably at Wesley. “I may grow to like you after all.”
“Well if you plan on being my father-in-law one day that might be something good to have on my side,” Wesley said without thinking.
My father’s jaw started to grind and all eyes were on me as I blushed a deep red and tried to hide my face from view. Leave it to Wesley to end a perfectly good conversation on an awkward note.
“All right, ladies, back to your posts. The court martial starts in half an hour and I need you guys out of here. The deal that I made with the court was that the four of you would not be involved.” My father ushered us out of the room and into the hallway.
I grabbed a jug of water and took off towards my practice field with the intention of fixing the thirst of my firevamps. I wasn’t going to be the next one to be let go because I didn’t keep my troops properly hydrated.
Chapter Eight: Blood Water
“Paul!” I yelled, running up behind Shawn and Minerva.
The firevamp put down his weapon just as his partner went up for a swing. Paul’s reflexes were quick even through his thirst. He grabbed the weapon and looked at his partner with a disturbing glare. His face swung back towards me and he looked confused, dropping the weapon and his partner on the ground.
“Yes, Madam?” He said as sweetly as possible. His expression changed from disgust to respect in a matter of mere seconds.
“Come with me.” I held up the water jug. He looked at me oddly before stepping away from the group and following me several feet away.
“What can I do for you? You know that isn’t going to help me much,” he said, pointing at the jug.
I eyed him.
“Just hush and watch. If this works for you, it could work for the whole lot of you.” I put the jug down on the ground. Squatting, I put both hands on the jug and closed my eyes.
It took several moments to get the incantation correct. Paul gasped and my eyes shot open, looking up at him.
“How the hell did you do that?” He dropped to the ground next to me and grabbed the jug, spinning it in circles between his fingers.
“Go ahead, take a sip,” I said as he eagerly ripped the top off the jug. “You know I’m surprised that Rose hasn’t done this for you guys.”
“What are you talking about?” He said, putting his lips to the top of the container.
“Nothing. How does it taste?” I asked softly as he started to drink faster, his eyes decreasing in color.
“Amazing. Is it real?” he asked, wiping his lips, putting the empty jug on the ground and smiling, satisfied.
“I’m not quite sure of the sources. All I know is that if it helps you stay hydrated, maybe it will keep your thirst saturated as well.” I took the plastic bottle and carried it back towards the troops. I would throw it away when we got back to the house later.
“Yes. Yes, I think that it will. How did you do it?” he asked again. There was color in his cheeks.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged. “It is something I picked up from my mother.”
“That explains a lot,” Paul said as we approached the rest of the group.
Of all the creatures in my troops, Paul was one of the few firevamps. Most likely the only one if I looked further into it. That would make him a rare breed, seeing as how fire can cause a vampire’s demise. To have it shoot from his own fingertips must make him an enemy even to himself.
“Really?” I asked, returning from my moment of thought.
“Prior to her having to go to New Mexico, your mother would bring us coolers full of blood bags.” Paul smiled at me and put out his hand. “Thank you, fire girl.”
“We will bring you more tonight, Paul. We don’t need anyone getting sick.” I gave his hand a pat.
“Again, thank you.
” He turned and ran off back towards his partner.
“What was that all about?” Shawn asked.
“The whole water to blood thing,” I said nonchalantly. “What do you say big brother, you want to spar?”
I hadn’t touched my sword in what felt like forever. Gripping the hilt of my old friend brought back memories of my time before Prudence. I still felt her inside of me, wishing to come out again. Her sense of style, the way she talked. She was everything that I had wanted to be when I was a little girl.
“Of course.” With no warning he swung his sword, our blades clashing together as my reflexes took over.
***
“How was training today?” My mother asked as I helped her make dinner for the masses. We were going through food so quickly that Helen had to help take over the fields to keep the crops coming.
“It was nice to be back on the meadow again. Not that I was out of practice or anything, but still,” I shrugged.
“Hand me the lettuce, please.” My mother pointed at the box of lettuce heads on the table. “It’s good to know you felt better out there. I have been worried about you.”
“It’s only been a day, Mom,” I laughed, placing the box next to her.
“True, but I know what happened at Gran’s,” she said casually.
“Good Lord, does Wesley know?” I asked.
“Who knows what that boy thinks? Your father has him following everywhere he goes.” My mother sighed. “I’m not saying it was a good idea to jump so quickly into bed with Aaron. However, I know how seductive incubus blood is.”
“Do we have to talk about this now?” I groaned.
“You are an adult, Dawn. We should be able to discuss everything. Like your birthday tomorrow.” She snuck that in to make me cringe.
“It’s Wesley’s birthday, too, you know,” I said, grabbing a knife and assisting her in cutting the stalks out of the lettuce heads.
“I am aware of that,” Mom sighed.
“I don’t see the point in celebrating nineteen when I’m not going to see twenty for another hundred years,” I said as my knife slid through the lettuce.
“You will only be nineteen once. No matter how you look at it.” She grabbed the large tub that had become the salad bowl and set it down on the floor as she began tearing the lettuce and dropping it into the bin.
“What about Wesley? He was supposed to have this long life ahead of him. Now he’s just frozen in time,” I said, putting my knife in the sink and helping her.
“He does have a long life ahead of him. It is just quite a bit longer than the life he originally had.” My mother shrugged.
“Have you told Greg?” I felt I needed to ask about Wesley’s father, especially since it was his birthday as well as mine.
“No, we figured we needed to give Wesley time to get used to his skin. He can control the constant shifting of his eyes somewhat but it is still not enough to convince his family that he is still human.” She looked upset at keeping things from her long-term friend.
“If Greg already knows about this world then why would Wesley have to hide anything?” I asked, enjoying the fact that the conversation was geared away from me.
“It’s one thing to tell a father that his son is special, it is quite another to tell him that he is immortal.” My mother stopped what she was doing and looked at me. “If someone came and told me that you had lost all your power and become human I would feel that I failed as a parent.”
“That’s comforting to know. So if I’m bitten by a human, I will become one?” I laughed.
“Don’t kid about such horrible things. There are reasons He gave them the world to do with as they please,” my mother sighed.
“You ladies talking about me?” Wesley said, walking into the room and perching himself against the counter tops.
“Were you always this egotistical and we just did not see it?” I asked as my mother hid a laugh.
“I actually think some of those diplomats infested me with a higher quality of life. I’m sure that, aside from the rapid eye changing, you find yourself drawn to me at every turn.” He smiled and pointed at the tub. “What are you two doing?”
“Each group brings a specific food to dinner each night. Tonight the manor is bringing salad,” my mom said, grabbing a box of carrots and putting them on the counter.
He shook his head. “So dinner here is one large pot luck? Miranda had some form of meat on a spit and gallons of water and wine.” He held his hand out and I handed him a peeler.
“Yes. I do recall turning quite a few of those water barrels into blood for the vampires in her group,” I said as mom started to hand me carrots so that I could wash the dirt off and hand them to Wesley for peeling.
“You know that was awfully kind of you to do. I mean, seeing as you were there to get data,” Wesley said, placing a peeled carrot on the table.
“I had a role to play,” I said, my voice catching.
“Listen, I know that you were attached to many of them. They weren’t all bad people. They were just following misguided directions. They truly believed that the purebloods were going to wipe them out. Miranda didn’t exactly tell the truth about things you know,” Wesley pointed out.
“I know,” I said softly, handing him another carrot.
“So what else is for dinner tonight?” he asked, changing the subject.
“It’s Italian night, so anything that they feel would contribute,” Mom said, smiling at him.
“Where does the food come from?” he asked as the pile of carrots began to increase on the table.
“We blocked off several acres just for food growth. Helen and her group take care of the growth patterns. Other items that we need come from shipments via truck and helicopter. Damien owns quite a few canning facilities overseas and interstate.” She answered his question plainly but truthfully.
“You have it all planned out then,” Wesley said, shrugging.
“I would like to think so.” She laughed as she handed me the last few carrots.
“This is quite a compound that you have created here. How many people are between each apartment in the barn houses?” He nodded towards the window.
“Little by little we have expanded the barns’ capacity below ground. The more levels we create the less people are pushed into the rooms,” Mom said, grabbing a knife and cutting board and heading towards the table.
“When did you start doing that?” I asked, taking the box of tomatoes and beginning their cleaning process.
“Shortly after you left for Dallas with Mona,” she answered.
They had made quite a few changes while I was gone. I supposed having levels below ground was safer for the vampires and other nocturnal creatures. It probably made the demons feel closer to home as well.
“Have you told the young man’s parents about what happened today?” Wesley asked. He was the king of subject changes.
“Yes, they took it rather well. By rather well I mean they didn’t release the plague on us.” My mother was chopping carrots when I handed Wesley the tomato slicer.
“What happened with Nick?” I pushed. If Wesley could ask his questions, I could ask mine.
“It’s not good. The court declared him guilty.” I could tell she was tense.
“Have you talked to Mary?” I felt compelled to ask.
“Here is the thing.” She put her knife down and turned to look at me. “Mary wouldn’t speak to me. She already knew what had happened.”
“Might I inquire what Mary’s last name is?” Wesley asked as he sliced through a soft tomato, a satisfied expression on his face.
“Peterson,” she answered him, raising her eyebrow at him.
“Mary Peterson? Brown hair, bright blue eyes?” Wesley asked.
“Yeah. How did you know that?” My mom was confused. How could Wesley know someone whom he had never met?
“Probably best for Nick to be where he is then.” He frowne
d and shook his head. “His mother was kept in the prison part of the camp for the first two weeks she was there, until she started to cooperate with Miranda. I have a pretty good feeling she was there when the camp was invaded.”
“It just keeps getting better and better,” I moaned as my mother’s face paled.
“Mary was a good woman. I don’t understand any of this.” She was starting to sound worn down by each bit of news.
“Shawn once told me that you cannot trust even those you think you know so well,” I replied, then closed my eyes. “Or did he say something else. Anyway, someone somewhere told me that and I’m starting to see the truth in it.”
“Still, Mary was always so kind to you and me.” She put the knife in her hand down and placed her palms on her knees.
“I think certain beings have a capability to just cave,” Wesley chimed in. Of course he had to get his two cents in.
“What about you? Did you ever cooperate?” I narrowed my eyes at him and he gave me an offended expression.
“I cooperated enough to keep myself alive. I let those women do things to me in order to keep this pretty face.” He shook his head wildly. “If they asked me to do anything else I probably would have taken death.”
Our eyes locked. There was a tremendous amount of sadness behind them. I was pretty sure that he felt trapped in his own skin. Whatever they had done to him not only left him with an increased life expectancy but broke whatever remained of his spirit. The silence that followed was suffocating until he finally decided to break the forming ice.
“Either way, what is done is done. There is no going back now. We cannot change something that has already been done.” He looked saddened by his tiny speech. I was starting to wonder if time travel existed and someone had gone back and screwed this all up.
***
“So what are your big plans for tomorrow?” Wesley asked me that night after dinner.
We were sitting in the lawn looking at the stars. For some reason Wesley had been stuck to my hip all afternoon, constantly asking questions about how things ran, and why I wouldn’t just give it another shot with him. By the time the sun went down, I found myself praying that my father would come back and take him away.
The Wardens Boxed Set Page 88