by T. A. White
Thomas didn’t argue, conceding the point with a small noncommittal shrug. He looked around, his gaze searching.
What was he looking for?
“Did you see which direction the stag went?” he asked.
“Why do you want to know?” I couldn’t help but feel a little protective of the creature. His interference had probably saved my life several times over. There was no doubt in my mind he could have escaped well before the hunters had closed in, if not for my slower self.
“Aileen,” Thomas said, a warning in his tone.
I didn’t answer, my thoughts turning to another. “Where’s Nathan?”
He looked away. The enforcers had grown silent as well.
I pushed away from Liam. “Thomas, where’s Nathan?”
“He’s alive,” he admitted grudgingly. By the way he said it you could almost hear the ‘for now’ after that.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Unharmed?”
He looked away.
My eyes widened and a growl slipped from me.
His gaze swung back to me. “Careful. My tolerance only goes so far.”
“I see some things still haven’t changed,” a quiet voice said from the trees to our left.
CHAPTER TWENTY
A man stood there, the early dawn shadows wrapping around his body. They didn’t quite shield all the bare skin on display.
He seemed perfectly at home among the trees, as if he was a forest sprite and we were the interlopers.
His hair was nearly white and his skin pale as milk. His eyes were an electric blue, at once familiar and yet strange.
Motionless, Liam and Thomas looked toward the stranger with haunted expressions.
“Connor,” Thomas whispered, stepping slightly forward.
My head whipped towards Thomas. Connor. As in Thomas’s yearling? The first one? The one who’d disappeared after some argument no single person would tell me about? That Connor?
What was he doing here? Now?
I shifted my attention between Liam and Connor. Liam must have known about this. He’d told Connor to protect me during the fight. I hadn’t realized it at the time, too consumed with survival. I blinked as realization sunk in. Connor had been the person Liam was looking for when he left. Did Thomas know?
Connor’s focus was fixed on me, the expression on his face almost shy. “I wanted to thank you for freeing me.”
I blinked at him, having no idea what he was talking about.
“You’re welcome?” It came out almost as a question.
“Ah, you may not recognize me without the antlers,” he said.
The stag? How? What?
Confusion must have been written on my face because his smile turned wry. “It was Niamh’s idea of a joke. A hunt with traditional prey.”
More and more, I was finding it hard to regret her death. I didn’t know what that said about me.
I nodded. There wasn’t much to say after a revelation like that.
“Come, let’s get you some clothes,” Thomas said, his expression hopeful. “We have so much to catch up on.”
Connor dipped his chin in agreement, padding out of the trees, his bare feet whispering over the ground. If he felt any discomfort walking barefoot and naked through the forest, he didn’t show it.
It was a quiet journey back to the car. Caroline and a few wolves ranged in front of us, leading the way. Evidently when Inara had said Caroline was waiting, she really meant Caroline and half the pack.
The pack’s presence was probably a good thing, considering there were several of us. More cars meant more room.
Given the sun had only strengthened in the short time since the hunt had ended, those vehicles would be desperately needed.
I crawled into the backseat of an SUV, already losing the battle with exhaustion.
Connor, Thomas and Liam joined me in the back of the SUV. Eric and Anton took the front. The rest of those present went with other drivers.
I let my head fall on Liam’s shoulder, my eyes shutting under their own will.
I felt his hand brushing my hair back, but didn’t move.
“Have you been with Niamh all this time?” Thomas asked.
I didn’t hear a response, but there must have been one because Thomas continued talking.
“Why didn’t you send word? I would have helped you.”
There was a small snort, the same sound the stag had made on several occasions. “You overestimate your abilities. For a long time, I was barely aware that I was more than the stag. By the time I remembered who I was, many years had passed and I assumed you didn’t care anymore.”
“I will always care,” Thomas said, his voice aching.
I didn’t know what had happened between the two, but it was clear Thomas felt strong emotions for this man. The hope on his face when Connor had made his presence known had been surprising in the master who normally seemed unflappable.
Liam continued to stroke my hair, the gesture lulling in its comfort, as he spoke to Connor. “Thank you for protecting my heart from me.”
My lids lifted enough to see Connor give him a small nod. His blue eyes came to mine in the next minute. One pale hand touched my forehead. “Sleep, A stóirín. You’ve done enough for the night.”
After that, I didn’t remember much, only half-surfacing as Liam removed my shoes. I fell back into sleep, barely aware as the bed dipped under me and a hard body wrapped around mine.
*
Behind me, Thomas radiated disapproval as I stood in front of the small room that doubled as one of their prison cells. I’d been informed there were silver bars built into the walls, ceiling and floor. The door was also covered with silver and was made of a metal thick enough it would take a tank to punch through.
Thomas didn’t like my insistence about meeting with Nathan. He still didn’t quite trust him after knowing Nathan had been used as a trojan horse. The bite from Liam’s enforcer had opened a small chink in Thomas’s defenses. Coupled with the bond between the two enforcers, it had allowed Niamh’s compulsion to take hold of Liam. It would probably be a long time before the memory of Nathan’s unwilling treachery faded.
Daniel guarded the door, his expression uncertain as he noted my determination.
“How is he?” I asked.
The question triggered a frown as he shook his head. “He refuses to come out. Says he can’t be trusted.”
“I thought Niamh’s thrall ended the night of the hunt?”
When I’d broken it, I meant, but I didn’t say it aloud. Liam and Thomas had agreed it was best if no one knew the extent to which I’d been involved in undoing Niamh’s bindings on the rest of the hunt’s participants.
The enforcers in the room with us during Miriam’s questioning might realize I could see through glamours at some point, but they didn’t know about all the rest.
I suspected it wouldn’t be long, however. Already there were those like Niamh’s husband, who had guessed what I’d done. Inara knew as well, since she was the one who’d called me “magic breaker”.
My days of keeping that ability under wraps were limited, but I saw no reason to hasten my revelation either.
Based upon the conversation I’d overheard during the trip back to the mansion the night of the hunt, it seemed as if people with abilities like mine were either hunted or enslaved. Given I was still a baby power-wise, I’d delay the inevitable as long as possible—at least until I had a hope in hell of protecting myself.
Given the way the hunt had ended, most people would assume Niamh’s death had been responsible for breaking her bindings, not me.
The Fae’s hunt had been successful and established the beginnings of a barrow. It just hadn’t had the prey Niamh intended. I’m told her ending was not pleasant or merciful. I was just relieved she was dead and we didn’t have to worry about her again.
“The thrall did break,” Daniel confirmed. “But he planted himself in that room and hasn’t come out since. This has hit him hard.�
�
I nodded. I could understand that. For someone at the top of the food chain, it would be difficult to be confronted with your weakness. To be forced into actions that weren’t your own. It was a devastating violation.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Thomas asked. “I’m told he’s been quite ugly to others who’ve tried to talk to him.”
I had no doubt about that.
“He’s my friend,” I said.
That was the only answer I had. In my world, you didn’t leave friends to hurt alone. They needed to know someone was there—that someone cared, even when they were in the deepest parts of night.
It might not make a difference, but then again, it might.
Thomas sighed as he studied me. Whatever he saw there must have convinced him of my stubbornness because he gestured at Daniel.
Daniel shook his head but opened the door. “Good luck.”
I took a deep breath and stepped inside. Despite the lights, the room still managed to be dark. It was bare of any amenities beyond a simple cot and chair.
Nathan sat in the corner on the ground, his legs drawn up as he stared at me.
I hesitated in the doorway. Now that I was here, I wasn’t entirely sure what to say.
“You should go,” Nathan said tiredly.
I walked forward and sank down against the wall a few feet from him. I leaned my head back and waited. I didn’t say anything as I kept him company.
Sometimes words were ineffectual niceties. When your life has imploded enough that the act of getting up seems like more work than its worth, it doesn’t help to have someone whisper meaningless platitudes. It just isolates you further.
Still, there was no reason he had to sit alone.
“This place is a lot nicer than the wolf’s cage,” I told him, looking around.
For one thing, it didn’t look like a cage, even if that’s what it was. The surroundings might have been simple, but it looked like a normal room, plain though it might be.
“How long do you plan to hang out in here?” I asked.
He didn’t answer. Silence grew between us.
I nodded and went back to staring at the other wall. I relaxed into the quiet. It’d been a long time since I simply sat and thought. My life had become filled with action. There was always something to do, some crisis to solve. It was kind of nice to do nothing for once.
When my butt cheeks got sore, I turned onto my side, stretching out and folding my arm under my head.
Through it all, Nathan remained motionless. I couldn’t help but be impressed by his discipline. Me, I’d had to change position a half-dozen times since I got here, while Nathan remained a rock, like one of those ascetic monks who put their bodies through extremes in the pursuit of holiness.
“You’re wasting your time,” he finally said when it became clear I wasn’t giving up.
“It’s my time to waste.” I sat up and leaned back against the wall. A chair would have been nice right about now.
He bared his teeth at me. “Go.”
I snorted. “We both know you’re not going to hurt me.”
His fangs were at my throat in an instant as his body hovered over mine. My heart gave a painful thump. He’d gotten faster. In all our training sessions he’d never moved like that. It was like watching a snake strike. You could feel it coming but you couldn’t get out of the way in time.
I had to wonder if he’d been holding back this entire time, or if this was a side effect of Niamh’s tinkering.
I didn’t move, refusing to show any signs of fear. That’s what he wanted. This was a carefully calculated move to drive me away. As someone who’d perfected such methods against her family, I recognized it for the posturing it was.
“You done?” I asked.
“I can feel your heart racing,” he said, his voice silky, a threat on his face that wasn’t Nathan. “You can pretend all you want, but we both know I terrify you now.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You think you didn’t terrify me before?”
He drew back, just the faintest bit, enough so he could watch me through wounded eyes, his expression unsure.
I gave him a sad smile. “All vampires terrify me, Nathan. A vampire just like you killed me, ripped me out of my former life. There was nothing I could do to stop it. Worse, I participated, giving myself over to the pleasure of his bite. Because it felt good. Because it was easy.”
He sat back on his heels. There was understanding there. And regret.
I’d take it, even if his sentiments were due to my revelation.
“Thomas may not have been fully in control of his actions because of his curse, but that doesn’t mean I don’t relive that night again and again in my dreams,” I told him softly, as I shared something I didn’t like to admit to anyone.
All makings were traumatic, but for Nathan and Liam, and all the rest, the intervening centuries had blunted their memories. For me, the night of my rebirth was still visceral and real. I could close my eyes and be there again, watching as my life drained away, not lifting a hand to stop it.
To make matters worse, my making was more violent than most. I had Sarah’s curse on Thomas to thank for that.
“Why are you really in here?” I asked.
He looked away, his jaw tightening stubbornly.
I waited.
After a long moment, he rubbed his forehead. His voice was faint, as if he didn’t want to tempt fate by voicing his thoughts aloud. “What if they’re wrong? What if there’s still some suggestion hidden in there, just waiting?”
Suddenly I understood why he was punishing himself with this place. It wasn’t because he felt guilt, although I’m sure that was some of it. It was because he didn’t trust himself anymore, didn’t trust it was only him driving his actions.
I blinked and took a deeper look at him, searching for any faint shadows or any suggestion of influence that didn’t belong.
There was nothing, just Nathan’s power fluttering like a banked fire on a cold winter’s night.
“You’re clear,” I told him.
He snorted, a little of the old Nathan coming through. “Sorry, A, but there’s no way for you to know that.”
I debated how much of the truth to give him.
“I can. I can see magic,” I said.
My admission wasn’t going to please Liam or Thomas, but if it would help Nathan come to terms with what had happened, it was a secret I was glad to part with.
He gave a short laugh, disbelief written on his face.
I didn’t move, just watched him calmly.
The laugh died, then his eyes widened.
“How do you think I knew you were under her influence?” I asked.
He stood, looking down at me with disbelief. “Do you know how dangerous that information is? People would kill to possess such an ability.” He ran his hands through his hair. “Does Liam know?”
I lifted a shoulder. “He figured it out a while back.”
“And he hasn’t told you to keep that little tidbit to yourself?” Nathan snapped.
I smirked.
He rolled his eyes. “Of course, he has. Why are you telling me this?”
I propped my chin on my hand and lifted my eyebrows, silently telling him to guess.
A stunned look crossed his face.
Now he was getting it. I stood and walked over to the door.
“You’re worried you could still be under her influence. Don’t be. You’re not. I can guarantee it,” I told him. “All of us will be waiting, when you’re ready to leave this place. Do me a favor and don’t keep me waiting too long. You know patience isn’t my strong suit.”
He watched me open the door and step out, without making a move toward me.
That was okay. He needed time to heal. I understood that. I’d be here when he was ready. Until then, I thought it was important he knew he didn’t have anything to worry about.
“Aileen,” he said, stopping me in the doorway.
I w
aited.
“Thank you.”
I lifted a shoulder. “What are friends for?”
His smile held a shadow of his old self. “If Liam hadn’t already staked a claim, he’d have heavy competition.”
That wiped the smile off my face, turning it into a scowl. His laughter followed me as I walked from the room, the door shutting behind me.
*
I rounded the corner, my shoes squeaking along the linoleum, the bear I’d bought clasped in my arms.
I’d timed my visit to the hospital well, I hoped. My parents were busy at home and Jenna had just left to get a change of clothes. It should give me time with my niece without the drama of everything else.
Linda was still sick. It turned out Niamh really hadn’t had anything to do with her illness. I’d been forced to accept sometimes bad things happened to good people and that children do get sick.
Life threateningly so, it seemed. The doctors still weren’t sure what was causing her to throw up blood, but there were whispers of cancer.
At her door, I composed myself, practicing a smile a few times before taking a deep breath. The last thing Linda needed was to see fear on my face when I went in there. The mind was the most powerful part of the human body. If she believed she would get well, then there was a chance—but not if every adult in her life treated her illness like the coming of the apocalypse.
I stepped inside and drew up short at the sight of Thomas sitting by her bed, Liam standing behind him.
I didn’t speak, sorting through scenarios and discarding them.
“What are you doing here?” I asked quietly.
“I’m here to offer you a gift,” Thomas said.
My gaze darted to Liam’s. He gave me a reassuring nod. I relaxed slightly. I trusted him. In this, I didn’t think he would lead me wrong.
“How?” I asked.
“You’re here to give her your blood,” Thomas said. There wasn’t any judgment on his face, no hint of anger.
I shifted, uncomfortable at how well he knew me. I hadn’t fully committed to my plan yet. One, because I didn’t know all the ramifications. There was still so much that was still a mystery to me about being a vampire. I didn’t want to risk screwing Linda up further by giving her blood that might hurt her in the long run.