Read Awakened (A Fairy Tales Novel) Online
Authors: Melanie Walker
Bri didn’t have much to go on with her black tank top and jeans duo, but she brought a black head band for good measure and kept her hair down. Maybe it would even make Fangs smile considering his memories of it down were like hers. She shut her eyes because she didn’t want to think about him, it was bad enough he might be here tonight. She would force herself to deal then.
"Absolutely positively certain it’s the real deal?" They exited the guest room after Bri hung her taffeta nightmare in the empty closet.
Ashess gave her an incredulous look. "We are not amateurs Bri for Christ sakes."
She nodded and realized she was actually nervous. "I refuse to get my hopes up." She told Ash as they took the stairs two at a time. To think that the contract to bind the Blessed Knife was actually in the state of Washington, hell in the US was unbelievable. Perhaps her father had been right and the contract would somehow guide the Blessed Knife to it. Stranger things have happened, four of the most famous Fairytale Princess' of all time were in the same room together right now so unlikely wasn’t a word Bri liked to use. She couldn’t help herself and looked at Ash her violet eyes huge in wonder.
"Stop, no emotions yet Bri. We have no clue where the knife is." Ash made a point. The same one she was making right then but the thought of being free of Fil was almost too good to resist. Perhaps a dream here or there never hurt anyone. Hell, her theme song was about dreams... okay she was stretching it but still. The knife had been created for the purpose of freeing Bri from Fil once and for all, no more late night summoning that when she awoke from being beaten and bruised because Fil could only reach her in sleep, when her guards were down. Sleeping Beauty? No more like Waking Nightmare. No more of his feeding from her like a fucking happy meal and no more contract between her and the Dark. She would be a free agent no matter how much her father begged her to stay. She would also kill the SOB Fil the minute she had both contract and the Blessed knife in hand.
"I know your right. If the contract is real then I want it moved Ash." That had Ashess grabbing her and bringing her to a halt.
"What? Absolutely not Bri. My safe is magically coded, steel and titanium reinforced and can only be opened by my handprint and pulse. So.Fuck. No."
"Ash, Fil is a tricky son of a bitch and demented to boot. I can’t have him suspicious of the contract being with you and come after you."
Fil had attacked all the girls in some form over the span of their friendship and had used them against her every time. He is sadistic would love a go at something she loved. He was the sole reason she walked away from Fangs, the only man she had ever loved to her fullest ability. She would not risk Ashess in the
process. It was her freedom, her burden.
"Oh god Bri get off the cross the wood is needed." She spun her around and stood in front of her, blue eyes blazing. "Don’t you get tired of constantly being the fucking martyr?"
"Not everyone is like you Ash. Death doesn’t become us all." Bri knew it was a low blow but not everyone escaped their fate like Ash. She didn’t get the chance to go to hell, her pain was palpable from the instant her heart stopped. A succubus was there to tie Ash to the demon world, and Bri had been there to tie her to the Dark.
" Bri, make no mistake that I don’t get the same fear and the worry inside of you over the God damned thing. But I am the safest place for it because Fil knows that it’s not Ezek protecting me. We are made from the same cloth, he and I, and he knows damn well that I am worth more than him. So if he wants to come, let him. If he wants me he can damn well try." Ashess was right and Bri knew that she had made herself untouchable. She had the entire Dark on her side and Fil had made enemies with their kind and he would never dare come at Ash full head on. But that didn’t mean she should be saddled with it either. They both worked for Dvina, hand in hand an Incubus and a Succubus, but Ash had the type of power inside of her that could light all of Emerald City if she chose to let all the despair inside of her out. Fil didn’t stand a chance, but it also didn’t mean that he wouldn’t find a way to hurt her. Fil always found a way.
"Just because you have more pull than him doesn’t mean you are untouchable. Think back to the shit he has done Ash and tell me you believe it."
Ash said nothing because perhaps somewhere inside she knew Bri was right, maybe she was just pissed. But they stood there silent as can be in an extremely loud party.
"It must be exhausting being you Bri." She said with deceptive gentleness that Bri didn’t fall for in the slightest. "You need to prove a point or maybe you just don’t think I can succeed. Whatever the case Bri I am washing my hands of the fucking thing." Ash walked away not even glancing at Bri.
She wanted to tell her that it wasn’t fair to place a burden like that on her, to tell her thank you for always watching her back. She wanted to scream that maybe this time she wasn’t the scariest thing in Fils world and tell her she was being a baby. Either way she let it go, Ash was her best friend and they had argued in the past over much bigger issues. Besides, there would never be a final between Bri and Ash, they were bound together by blood and Ashess survival depended on that bond.
That bond had been formed by Ezek, Bri’s father when Ashess was bound for her fate before him all those years ago when the deal that Dvina, the Succubus that made Ashess, broke a law that would cost Ashess her life. In an attempt to save her, he tethered Bri to her by the life blood in Briar’s veins. Feeding Ash had become a normal every day thing but Ashess would never ask for her vein so it was Bri who made sure she was around once a day.
The feedings weren’t as uncomfortable as they were in the beginning. Ashess emotions and memories would rush into Bri each and every time she fed her. And Ash had nothing safe inside. Her emotions and memories were terrifying.
Bri never spoke of them though Ash knew the sadness Bri felt each time they finished.
So with that thought Bri followed Ashess back outside and stopped when the energy coming off of Ash was terrifying. Ashess was the master of all things despair, could spot the tragedy of lost love long before she was summoned. Somewhere at this party, someone’s heart was breaking or damn close to doing so. "Tell me..." Bri whispered and stood beside Ash.
This was business and the tiff they had not even a minute before would back burner it until they had the situation assessed.
"It’s coming from Marcus Bri." Winter didn’t flinch, never cried and was never the first to throw out an extreme emotion but when it came to the four of them Ashess was over protective and openly loving to her girls. If Marcus was intending to hurt Winter, well, he would soon have one pissed off Succubus on his ass. Not to mention a mad as hell Ware and a Vengeance demon.
"Any idea what he plans to hurt her with?" Marcus was human and had no idea the clout that Winter had, let alone the gritty little freaks she chose to associate with. He would be a fool to hurt her so deeply. Where Ashess and Bri answered to Ezek the Arch demon, Winter answered to the Devine, a sector of what the humans call heaven. And what the Devine would see fit to punish if a Contaca soul was harmed... shudder at the thought.
"No, I’m only picking up that he will." Ash sighed and ran a frazzled hand through her hair. "For all I know he may die in a car accident tomorrow." She looked at Bri and the absolute helplessness in her ice blue eyes made Bri whimper. Ash could literally do nothing unless Winter called out to her. Her ability to help came only then and Ash could physically do nothing about it until then. All about the god damned balance.
"Let’s just keep our eyes and ears on him as much as we can and we make sure someone is following him when he isn’t with Winter." Bri wished she would be able to say something to Win, somehow prepare her for the loss that was coming but Ashess would pay in sound lashing if Bri did.
Ash nodded and looked at Bri. "I’m sorry I jumped your shit before... I just..."
Bri nodded knowing the words were hard for Ash. "I just think that if Fil comes looking, we know he won’t hurt you, we know he will trash your place though looking for it. I would rather you be able to tell him it isn’t there. He will know if you’re lying and when he reads that you’re not he won’t mess your place up."
"Where would you put it?"
"Belles."
"Belles." They both said in unison knowing it was the safest place if not with Ashess. Bri had to face the truth and the truth was that even though she didn’t want them involved, they were her best option. Belle wasn’t just a turned Werewolf, she had been turned by a born wolf known as Beast to the world and Beast had paid dearly for turning her. Wolves had magic and strength. Born wolves were bigger, stronger and more deadly predators making Belle the scariest, most deadly, turned wolf alive. She would kill anything in seconds flat if they threatened her domain.
Ash nodded and Bri felt relief that Ash was seeing things Bri's way. It may have been premature planning, they didn’t know about the knife yet, but being prepared was sixty percent effective in the game.
When a very handsome, very available human male came up to talk with Ashess, Bri stepped aside and turned to go back to the bar and get sloshed on whatever apple drink thing Winter had in store. But like fate didn’t get a kick already, wanting to mess with them, it did when Marcus stood and decided to make an announcement.
Winter stood beside him, a smile from ear to ear as Marcus took her hand in his. "It's my baby's birthday tonight and from the faces of all those here I can see the well of love that surrounds her...." He looked at Winter eyes bright and full of hope. Bri stepped closer, watching close and could see Ash walking from the adorable looking human at her side, glancing at Bri she cringed not sure what he was doing.
"I want to join that well of love surrounding her, forever." He dropped to his knee before everyone and Bri snapped her head to Ash who looked like she would puke any minute. Not from the mooshy-ness of the moment... no she was ill because this was going to end badly and very soon.
Winter gasped and looked at Marcus every hope and every dream inside of her balancing on a tight rope at that very second. "Marry me Winter, be mine?"
The ring he placed on her finger was enormous and could be seen from a mile away, Bri took that as a bad sign. Ash had said on more than one occasions that the bigger the ring the bigger the prick and most often than not it was those women with the giant ring that had signed on for a life of hell.
The resounding yes coming from Winter said all they needed to hear.
Ash came back to Bri's side and Belle joined them seeing the complete lack of happiness for Winters biggest dream coming true. "Why are we not happy?" Belle asked in a low voice so only Ash and Briar could hear her.