Dawn of a New Age: A Sons of Satrina Novel (7 page)

Jackson didn’t really have too much time to think about what was happening and why. It wouldn’t do any good to think about it too much anyway. It was clear that something big was going on, and equally clear that the trainees weren’t going to find out the finer details. It was clearly on a need to know basis, and they didn’t need to know. He did guess that it was something to do with Aisline’s abduction, as the timing was so coincidental, but who knew? If they needed to know what was going on, Kelton was sure to tell them.

If he was honest, packing up books wasn’t exactly mentally challenging, but it was still quite hard work. His back was already aching from stooping over and his ribs were twinging. Plus, these weren’t any little romance paperbacks. These were immense volumes that held the history of the Lamia race as a whole and it was like hefting cement blocks. He knew that his muscles were going to ache like a bitch tomorrow after this different kind of work out.

It was also solitary work. There were plenty of murmured conversations going on around him, but he didn’t have the energy to join in. The other trainees had tried quizzing him about everything that had happened on the field trip and the rescue mission but he wasn’t willing to talk about it. After a while, they left him alone to his own thoughts. He was still physically and mentally drained after all that had happened but no matter how much he tried to shut his brain off from it, images of Aisline came flitting back to him time and time again.

It really was a miracle that they had got her out of there in time. It was an even bigger miracle that she was healing as well as she was. Jackson had never seen anything like it before. The injuries she had come in with were way beyond anything he had seen before. Luckily, the doctors and nurses had managed to tend to the wounds, but he knew that he emotional damage would take a lot longer to heal.

He hated to think of what she had to endure at their hands. The warriors had got to her as fast as they could, but it still wasn’t quick enough. More had happened to her than she would have ever admitted to or would ever talk about. He could see in her eyes the evils she had been through. They’d tried to break her.

Luckily, Ash was made of stronger stuff than that. That was one of the things that had drawn him to her in the first place. Her strength. She was the first female ever to receive the mark of the Sons of Satrina warrior and she hadn’t shied away from it. Hell, Aisline had embraced it. Everything that was thrown her way, she battled through it with a grin on her face, which was better than how some of the male warriors handled things.

He liked her. Yes. Of course he did. And, it went way beyond that. His true emotions had come out when he had said those things to her when they’d brought her back to the academy. But, it was just too damn complicated. She was too good for him. There was no holding her back or telling her to reign it in for her own safety. She didn’t give a damn about herself. She was a team player, through and through. Ash would always put the others before herself.

And, Jackson would always put her before the others. That was the problem.

Not that he thought that was particularly a bad thing, because it wasn’t. Jackson was the same. He would sacrifice himself in the line of duty to save a civilian or a team mate. But, he didn’t want that for her. He didn’t want to worry about her going out on the job and not coming back. He wanted to keep her safe. And failing that, he wanted to back away so it didn’t hurt so much.

Emptying the last shelf in front of him, Jackson knew that he would never be able to back away from her and his feelings. Aisline meant way too much to him just to ignore it. But, he still wouldn’t be able to take that step forward and make something more between them. It was just too dangerous. It was the only way to preserve his sanity. He’d just have to be satisfied with watching her from afar and being her friend.

It wasn’t going to be easy.

It was going to be nearly impossible.

How was he supposed to do that?

Aisline had never spent so much time asleep. She was starting to feel lazy. It was amazing how much better she was feeling already and she knew that a lot of that had to do with being back in the safety of the academy. She wasn’t under any threat here. There was also the bonus of vampire physiology; they may be killed, but they healed a hell of a lot quicker than the average human.

A knock came on her door and Trey walked in.

“Hey, I thought you’d been chased away from here.” she grinned.

“I was. I thought I’d come back down here and see you anyway.” Trey laughed, looking nervously over his shoulder. He’d already been in enough trouble today, but he couldn’t stay away. She was his best friend and he was worried about her.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Feeling better, I guess. I’m just bored now.”

Another knock came on the door and Master Warrior Verynai stepped into the room. Ash couldn’t help smoothing down her hair and wondering quite how bad she looked. Verynai was deadly gorgeous. His body was inked and pierced and his expression was usually fierce. He was beyond stunning. If her best friend, Lana, came face to face with him, she’d faint, that’s for sure. He had that bad boy sex appeal going for him.

“How are you feeling, Aisline?” he asked.

“Better, thanks.”

“Well, you still look like shit.” Verynai was never one for mincing his words, but his grin softened the blow. “Can you move alright? Have you tried walking yet?”

“I can help her.” Trey said.

“Nope. Sorry. You need to be back with the others, packing up.” Verynai gave him one of his very best glares and Trey knew better than to hang around any longer. With a sheepish grin at Aisline, he back out of the room before the wrath of Verynai fell on him in full force.

Ash pushed herself up further in the bed, testing her limbs to check how much the movement would hurt. It wasn’t too bad, considering the level of pain she’d been in. Her ribs screamed out in agony, but that was nothing compared to how they were. The bones were already starting to knit back together and she knew that she’d feel as right as rain in a couple of days. Well, she hoped, at least.

“Someone will be coming shortly to bring you some clothes. When they do, get ready and wait here.”

“For what?”

But Master Warrior Verynai had already treated from the room, leaving her in confused silence.

A nurse quickly opened up the door and placed a folded pile of clothes on the bed for Ash. “What’s happening?” she asked before the nurse could leave.

“I’ve no idea.” The nurse replied guardedly before scooting out of the room.

Aisline was left staring at the shut door. She couldn’t even guess what was going on now, but it seemed important enough to freak out the staff here. Glancing at the clothes on the bed, she knew that she had her own task ahead of her. Getting out of this bed and moving. She didn’t relish the idea.

Sure, she’d been feeling bored and restless, but the thought of moving turned her stomach.

Taking it slowly, it wasn’t as bad as she thought. Her ribs hurt like a bitch, but that kind of detracted from the pain she felt anywhere else, so in a way, it was a blessing. Having one great big pain was easier to deal with than aches all over her body. At least the movement hadn’t caused her to faint, that was a bonus. Moving around felt strange after being in bed for the last twenty four hours, but she managed it. She was sitting on the bed taking a breath when Doctor Phillippe came into the room.

“How are you feeling, Aisline?”

“Better, thanks. What’s going on out there?”

Doctor Phillippe momentarily ignored the question. “You father came in to see you.”

“He did?” Ash was shocked. She had no idea. It must have been when she was unconscious or knocked out with the drugs.

“He did. He would like to call by and see you again when you’re feeling up to it.”

“He does?”

The doctor smiled gently. “Evidently, he has seen the error of his ways and wants to make amends.”

“Wow.” Aisline was speechless. This was the last thing she had expected to hear.

“Good things really can come out of a disaster.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Ash was blown away by the revelation. But, not for too long. She quickly reverted back to her original question. “What’s going on out there? It sounds serious.”

Doctor Phillippe perched on the edge of the bed. “Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. We haven’t been given all the information yet. All we’ve been told is that we have to pack up everything in the medical suite, ready to move.”

“We’re moving?” Ash’s eyes flew wide.

“Apparently so.”

“But, why?”

“We don’t know. We’re just following instructions.”

Aisline suddenly felt very nervous, a bad feeling descending over her. Something big was happening, but she couldn’t even guess what.

“If you come with me, I still need for you to rest, but there’s much to do.”

“I can help.”

“We’ll see.” Doctor Phillippe gave her a warning glance. She moved over to the stood and waited for Aisline to follow her. She led her out to the small seating area. It was right in the middle of the medical suite where Ash would be able to see everything that was happening. People were rushing around and packing things into cardboard boxes that were being piled up, ready to take… somewhere.

“I don’t want you doing anything strenuous.” The doctor warned.

“I can do something.” Ash may have still been feeling stiff and sore, but she hated the thought of sitting around and doing nothing when everyone else was rushing around like headless chickens.

Doctor Phillippe thought for a moment before retrieving a cardboard box and placing it in front of Ash. “If you could box up the leaflets in here, that would help.”

“I can do more than that.” Aisline raised an eyebrow sarcastically.

“You will not do any more than that. You still need to rest.”

“I’ve had enough of resting.”

The doctor shook her head. “I’m not budging on this, Aisline. You’ve been through a lot and there is no way I’m letting you do more than put a few leaflets in a box.” She wagged a finger at her before turning and heading into her office to pack up her own things. The medical suite was manic with warriors rushing in and out, taking equipment and boxes to the waiting vans.

She did know exactly where they were going. Kayleigh had been down with Kelton to fill her in. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the time to get into it all with Ash, so she had feigned ignorance. There was so much to do and so little time. It was just fortunate that the only patients in the place, Aisline and Marshall. At least that freed up the medical staff to help pack up everything in sight.

Ash sat quietly after she had filled the box with leaflets and everything else she could see in the waiting area. Once one of the warriors had been to take that box away, she had nothing else to do but to sit there and watch. She sat next to an old man who she had never met before. He introduced himself as Marshall, but didn’t speak much after the initial formalities. That was a good thing. It gave Ash time to watch and think. Not that thinking helped her much, she couldn’t make any sense of what was happening in front of her.

From the time she had been taken, the world seemed to be turned on its head. Now, she had to wait for the calm.

Chapter Seven

The first impression of the mansion was pretty damn overwhelming. Rising up four stories into the sky and stretching out and extending into wings on either end of the building, Ash couldn’t even begin to image how big it was on the inside.

It was like something off of a movie set. She could imagine big, strapping riders on horse-back galloping across the land. Or ladies in big, flouncy dresses carrying parasols like they did way back when having a romance was the only thing on their minds.

The mansion itself stood on a location just outside Mason, only a short ride away from Brandestowen. It was certainly off the beaten track, not the kind of place that you could just stumble upon by accident. The private road leading to the ridiculously long private driveway saw to that. No one would ever think that there would be a bunch of vampire warriors training out in the middle of nowhere. They would have plenty of privacy, guaranteed.

Luckily, this spot was still close enough to the surrounding towns and cities to be able to effectively guard the Matris citizens in the area. Brandestowen may be a car ride away, but they could get there pretty damn quickly if they broke every speed law known to man.

Aisline loved it on sight. It seemed to have the best of both worlds. And so much character! The structure itself seemed quite gothic in style. The arched windows, climbing ivy and sloping roof seemed very romantically dramatic against the moonlit sky. This place was very much in keeping with the kind of place that a vampire should dwell, Ash thought to herself with a cheeky grin. If Dracula lived in the modern day world, he would have loved this old pile of bricks.

“Are you ready?” the nurse who had travelled with her asked as the driver opened up her door.

Aisline smiled, thanking the driver for helping her out of the car so carefully. Stretching to stand, the fresh coolness of the night rushed around her. It wasn’t as cold as she thought it would be, out here in the middle of nowhere, but it was refreshing. Even that felt different out here. Cleaner. Fresher. Invigorating.

She still had no idea as to why they had to leave the old academy so abruptly, but Ash could see already that it was going to be a really good thing for them all. This place had such a positive feeling to it that she couldn’t help but smile to herself.

The warriors that had helped them to move all of the boxes and equipment from the medical suite had simply told them that Kelton would fill them in when they got settled. It was intriguing but Ash had too much to think about to ponder on it for too long. She was just happy to be standing there, breathing it all in.

Even though the nurses had done all that they could to keep her resting, Ash had still managed to get involved in the pack up. As soon as the pain medication kicked in, the only lingering ache that caused her problems was her ribs. She didn’t think that was a good enough reason to keep her sitting and feeling idle. That was why she got stuck in, whether the nurses gave her permission or not.

She could understand why they were all fussing around her. In the little room they’d had her sequestered in for the last twenty four hours, the adjoining bathroom had been small and there had been no mirror. When she had to leave the room so they could pack it up, Aisline had to use the bathroom in the waiting room. After looking at her reflection, she thought that maybe the no mirror thing had been no coincidence.

The bruises were spreading across her body like wild fire, varying from blues to greens to yellows to purples. It wasn’t a pretty sight. Her face was swollen and looked like it should hurt like hell. In a way, Ash was glad that she mostly felt numb. Her arms were bandaged to cover up the horrific rope burns that she knew were underneath, a sight she wasn’t in a hurry to see again. The raw skin made her want to puke.

Anyway, Aisline decided that she would avoid mirrors until people stopped treating her like fine china. When that time came, she knew that her bruises would have faded a little, making her look a little less fragile.

She had to admit that after spending the day even just doing light lifting, packing and tidying she could feel the deep seated ache in her bones. However, standing outside this new home of theirs had given her a second wing and she no longer felt so tired.

Looking up at the mansion that loomed above her, she saw that there were bright lights already blazing in some of the windows, like welcoming beacons. She smiled as she carefully made her way up the stone steps to the large mahogany front doors that opened like a smiling mouth, revealing Doctor Phillippe. She watched Ash slowly walk up the steps, mistaking the slow walk for pain as opposed to drinking in the wonder of the place, which was exactly what Ash was doing.

“How are you feeling? Have you over-done it?  Was the drive over here okay? Not too bumpy?” Doctor Phillippe asked in immediate concern.

Aisline rolled her eyes and smiled, “I’m fine.” She spun a slow circle, looking up at the immense space of the entryway, “This place is amazing.”

“It is beautiful.” The doctor still sounded preoccupied, looking over Aisline with a fine eye to check for any changes or hidden pains.

“Well, let’s get you in and get you settled.” Doctor Phillippe took her elbow and insisted on helping her inside like she was ninety years old. Sure, she’d been feeling crappier and crappier all day, but right now she was feeling fine. She didn’t need this special treatment.

“I don’t need to get settled. I’m fine. I can help.” Aisline insisted. Her body may be battered and bruised and her mind was pretty much FUBAR, but she was up and walking and could be useful. The last thing she wanted as to be lying down and being fussed over like a patient again.

The doctor exhaled. “It’s nearly sunrise. There isn’t much else we can do here tonight.”

“But, there’s something we can do, right?

“Ash,” she sighed, “Can you please do me a favour and stop being such a pain in my ass tonight? Just for tonight? Please, let us find you somewhere comfortable to sleep and we’ll tackle the rest of it in the morning. This mess isn’t going to go anywhere. It’ll still be here when we wake up, and probably will continue being a mess for the foreseeable future. There’s so much to do.”

Aisline stood with her mouth gaping wide open. She had never heard the doctor speak like that before and she wasn’t sure how to respond. It was easy to forget that people in certain professions actually are people and it was easy to see the stress on Doctor Phillippe’s face. Ash instantly felt guilty for causing her more worry.

“I’m sorry, Ash. This has been a hard couple of days.”

“You don’t need to tell me that.” Ash replied, smiling. “Honestly, though. You don’t need to worry about me.”

“It’s my job. I have to worry about you. Please? For me? If I don’t need to worry about you wearing yourself out and causing yourself further injuries, it’ll be a load off of my mind. Can you do it for me, please?”

How could Aisline refuse? Plus, she was feeling shattered, no matter how much the sight of the new house had invigorated her. It was hard to admit it, even to herself. Now that she was thinking about it, she was ready to drop on her feet. “Okay.” She conceded.

“Great. Thank you.” Doctor Phillippe sighed gratefully and glanced around at the people milling around the entry way. Seeing Kayleigh, she beckoned her over. “Can you find somewhere for Aisline to spend the night? Do we have anywhere ready?”

“Of course.” Kayleigh said with a tired smile, waving at Doctor Phillippe as she rushed off to. “What do you think of the place?” she asked Ash.

“I love it.” Aisline grinned. 

The entry way itself held her in thrall. It was magnificent. The ceiling rose so high she had to tilt her head back to look at it properly. Everywhere she looked, cobwebs hung over elaborate painting, gilding and carved wood. She knew that this place would look great when the warriors got down to it, but it was also clear that it would take more than just a couple of days. Sure, they would be able to make it liveable, but this place should be so much more. It was like something out of an old film where the finely dressed heroine would glide down the sweeping staircase.

“It’s going to be amazing when we’re done, isn’t it?” Kayleigh commented, smiling at Aisline’s rapt attention on her surroundings.

Aisline simply grinned in response. She didn’t want to share her soppy, romantic thoughts.

“So, how are you feeling?”

“Not as bad as I look, I can assure you.” Ash smiled despite feeling very fed up of being continuously asked that question. She knew that they were all just concerned for her after all she had endured.

“That’s good. You’re looking a lot brighter than I thought you would be.”

At least she didn’t say that Ash was looking better. She knew just how bad she looked and didn’t need any false compliments.

“I do feel it. I love this place. I feel energised.”

Kayleigh paused as they walked up the elegant staircase to the first floor, “Look, Aisline. If you need to talk to anyone about what happened, you know where I am.” Ash started to protest that she was fine but Kayleigh held up a hand to stop her. “No, I know you’re not one for talking. But, I also know that you’re not okay. Sometimes, when something big like this happens, it’s often easier to talk it through with someone to get the thoughts straight in your head.”

“I don’t know if I can talk about it.” Aisline whispered, feeling heart heavy.

“I’m not saying to talk about it now. I’m saying I’m here for you when and if you need me.”

“But, Kelton’s going to want to know what happened.”

“Kelton wants to know the facts. That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“But, how can I tell him that?” Too much had happened that Ash didn’t even want to think about, let alone talk about.

“I’ll help you. Whether you want to speak or write it. Kelton needs to know and I’ll be there for you.”

Aisline nodded but didn’t say anything. She was feeling better, but the thought of reliving it all scared her senseless. It was all too soon and too raw. There were too many things that she would have to keep from them all. It wasn’t because she thought they would think any less of her, it was that she was so embarrassed that she hadn’t been able to stop it from happening. She was stronger than she thought, but still, she hadn’t been able to stop the torture and abuse.

“You’re not alone in this. We’re all here to help you in any way we can.”

“Thank you.” Ash nodded but didn’t make any promises.  She couldn’t.

They continued walking until Kayleigh stopped and produced a key from her pocket. “I saw this room and decided to save it for you.”

The room that Kayleigh took her into was pretty old and dusty, smelling like it hadn’t been lived in for decades. It was musty and dust motes floated in the air. Still, she thanked her lucky stars. The room was large and roomy and it was a much better option than sleeping with the boys. They were all sleeping on thin, uncomfortable roll up mattresses on the floor in the ball room and the grand hall, and basically anywhere else that was cleared of dust and grim. Even though a whole team of them had been working on the clean-up operation, it was nowhere near done and there hadn’t been enough time to sort out sleeping arrangement. This place was going to take forever to sort out, but Aisline was looking forward to it. She couldn’t wait to uncover the mysteries of this old house.

Shutting the door after Kayleigh had left, Ash revelled in the momentary silence. This was something that she had been missing. Peace and quiet. Since being brought back into the academy by the warriors after the attack, there had been constant activity and noise surrounding her.

It wasn’t only the peace that she had been missing. Ash was missing her friends and simply hanging out. Sure, it had only been a couple of nights since things had been normal, but it was disconcerting. Back when everything had been normal, she had got used to the guys constantly around her more or less from sunset to sunrise. They had sat with her a lot when she had been brought back in, but as soon as they were pulled to help pack the academy up, she hadn’t seen hide nor hair of them.

She missed all of them. She missed Jackson. She had grown really close to Trey since her life had changed drastically when the warrior mark first appeared. He was one of her best friends and the kind of guy that she knew she would have in her life for as long as she lived. Her teddy bear, not that she would ever say that to his face. But, with Jackson, it was a different kind of friendship. There was an undeniable connection between the two of them. He had saved her from the worst moment in her life and then he had stayed by her side until they literally kicked him out of her room.

He wasn’t just protective. It was more than that. Jackson didn’t know that she had heard the words that he said when he thought that she was unconscious. If he did, she knew that he would probably run a mile. Jackson wasn’t big on sharing emotions. Look where it got them last time. He’d been all moody and when she’d called him out on it, they’d ended up making out. Not that it lasted long before he pushed her away and ran.

At the time, she had been really pissed at him. The last thing she had wanted when she came to the academy was some kind of romance to detract her attention away from her training. But, her feelings for Jackson had snuck up on her. It hurt to have him push her away like that, but it was probably for the best. This thing between them was just too complicated.