Rebirth (Rogues Shifter Series) (35 page)

Maya walked over. “You two can rest in the tent for awhile. Eleanor, Antoine and whoever they bring with them are expected to arrive within the next twenty minutes.”

Garrett and I walked into the extremely large tent and eased our tense bodies down on the small couch I recognized from the cabin. Wordlessly we took in breath after breath of our combined scents as we wrapped our arms tightly around each other, lost in our own thoughts. It was warm and stuffy under the nylon roof, but I ignored the sweat that beaded along my hairline and continued to lean aga
inst his chest and just breathe, and breathe. Garrett shifted position, putting his head on my chest so he could listen more closely to my heartbeat while I stroked his auburn hair, the steady rhythms calming us both.

I wondered if this would be my last few minutes alone with him for all time and what I should say or do if that were
true. Soon, I’d have to get up and walk into the clearing and he’ll have to watch me fight and not interfere. I could smell his fear, not for himself, but for me.

I sent, “
Promise me you won’t blame yourself.”

“I can’t. I…”

“Shhh,
” I leaned down and we kissed gently.

I teased him to lighten the mood. “That fae magic is still messing with me. If we didn’t have a couple of vampires to kill I’d rip your clothes off
and jump you right here.”

He didn’t laugh, but he managed to sound sexy when he said, “I’ll remind you later tonight.” W
e both knew there may not be a
later tonight
.

There was so much to sa
y, but how could I even begin? “Besides me fighting Antoine, what would you change?” was all I could manage. I just wanted to hear his voice.

He thought for a moment. “I’d keep you from being attacked, of course.” He kissed my hands and arms where the old scars used to be. “I’d tell you more often how precious you are to me and I’d work on being a little more patient with you and the team.”

“We needed you to kick us in the butt that night. Lily could have killed us. And if I hadn’t been attacked, you wouldn’t have given me your blood and so we wouldn’t have had that early connection.”

“I still would have claimed you. I believe t
hat we’re together for a reason—that this is our path—that we’re meant to make this journey together, wherever it leads us.”

I smiled even though my heart was breaking. “I believe that too.”

“But you haven’t told me what you would change, my love.”

“I’d ask
you to play the violin or the guitar for me. I never got to hear you. And I’d make sure that we had more time for fun stuff, like hunting together. Besides that, I’d do everything the same—except for that day with Lily. I’d listen to Liam.” We were smiling at each other when Garrett tensed.

“They’re here.”

Chapter Forty-four

We came out of the tent and instantly noticed the difference in the atmosphere of the crowd. No one laughed or spoke or even moved. Eleanor and Antoine stood staring at us, fangs out and eyes full of malice. I have to say, they looked about as terrifying as vampires can look, and that’s saying a lot. I felt myself tremble just a little so Garrett sent to me, “
Start your calming and focusing exercises, mon ange.”
Stretching out my muscles, I never took my eyes away from Antoine, silently praying that he couldn't smell my terror.

Eleanor was dressed in a short white dress with a low neckline and a slit on the side which stretched to fit her shape perfectly. On her feet were sexy high boots and practical me wondered if she’d be taking them off for the fight. My boots were already off. Antoine was dressed in cream leather pants and nothing else. Jeez. I guess he figured I’d swoon and drop dead after one glimpse.
There was blood on his mouth, as if he'd just fed, and his muscular chest and arms were covered in tattoos, probably hoping to send out the impression of a scary badass. I tried to ignore the blood and looked to see if he carried a weapon.

Seeing me watching him, he pulled out a wicked looking knife, which he decided to play with, tossing it around skillfully and then slicing it through the air in practiced maneuvers. My hand automatically went to my belt where Liam's smaller blade rested. I swallowed, my throat suddenly feeling very dry.

There were eight other vampires spread out behind them, more than Garrett had anticipated.  Lily was there and Garrett pointed out others: Sasha, William, Heinrich and Yv
ette and three newly made teenaged vampires, probably no more than fifteen years old when they'd been turned. The young ones hissed at us like feral cats.

Maya moved into the middle of the clearing and spoke. “We are here to witness the duels between Jacqueline Crawford and Antoine DuLac and then Garrett Cuvier
and Eleanor Howard. The duels will be fought in accordance with vampiric law. There is no time limit and torture is allowed. Only one fighter will leave the ring alive.” At this point the crowd had become completely silent, the serious nature of the night’s events sinking in.

“Each fighter may bring one weapon into the ring with him, but it must first be presented to our judge for approval. If a weapon is enchanted, it must have been created that way and not altered unnaturally for the purpose of the duel.
This includes poison. Our judge will determine whether a weapon is acceptable or not.

"
No one outside of the ring may interfere in any way on pain of death. This includes the use of mental powers.”  As she spoke she looked at everyone, so there’d be no doubt as to the seriousness of her words.

“The duels will be judged by an outside neutral party. Kennet, Fae Lord of Cascade, has
agreed to take on this task.” I looked toward the woods and saw a tall, slender man with a glowing golden aura emerge. It was hard for any of us to look at him at first because his aura was so bright that his facial features were unclear. Many of the people who'd come to support us took a step back, obviously afraid. When he reached the center of the clearing, his glowing aura dimmed and he greeted Maya with a small nod of his head. His hair was long and very light in color, a platinum blonde that bordered on white. He had sharp features, thin lips and deep purple eyes which moved from Eleanor and Antoine to Garrett and me, reflecting only mild curiosity.

As Maya left the ring, he turned to look at the crowd and spoke in a rich melodic voice, free of any accent. “Jacqueline Crawford and Antoine DuLac, come into the ring with your weapons.”

Antoine moved quickly to the center of the ring, pulling out his knife and handing it hilt first to the fae Lord. Kennet examined it and gave it back to Antoine who then returned to Eleanor, kneeling in front of her as if he were a knight asking for his Queen’s favor. I moved hesitantly into the center and handed Lord Kennet Liam’s blade. His eyes met mine and instantly he was past my wall and in my head.

“
Who gave you this?”

“I borrowed
it from a friend.”

“A powerful friend?”
He arched an eyebrow and smirked.

“Yes
.“ My mouth felt dry. He was every bit as frightening as Antoine.

“
Tell me his name.”
I felt a strong nudge pushing me to tell him. I strengthened my wall in response, but instantly realized how stupid I was being, since he'd already breached it so easily.

“
No, I can’t. I promised
.”

His eyes narrowed and yet I felt him withdraw, making th
e decision not to push harder. He could have forced me to tell him, or he could have just taken the information without my permission. “
You can, but you choose not to betray your source. I will not weaken you before a battle by forcing you to tell me. Did he offer it freely?”

“Yes. I wasn't planning on using a weapon."

“Then why did you take it?”

“I took it because he advised me to take it and I've learned to listen to his advice
.” My answer seemed to amuse him because he smiled at me, at least, I think he was smiling. He seemed more alien even then Liam, his movements and expressions felt off. An icy chill rolled down my spine as I took in a whiff of his scent and tapped into the lines, focusing it to see him more clearly. Kennet's core energy, the magic that surrounded and flowed within him, made Eleanor and Antoine's look like a couple of triple A batteries.

“
To wield this blade, one must be powerful indeed. I will watch your duel with great interest, Jacqueline Crawford.”
Lord Kennet returned the fae knife with a nod and I spun and walked quickly to Garrett, still shivering slightly. I wrapped my arms around him and shut my eyes. Note to self: avoid fae lords whenever possible.

“In one minute the due
l will begin.” Kennet spoke loudly so all would hear.

Garrett sent,
“Francois is here. He’ll heal you if you need help when the duel is over. You may have to drink his blood, but you can trust him completely
.” I nodded against his chest.

He lifted my face. “
Je t’aime, mon ange.”

“Je t’aime.”
I managed a smile as I turned away, allowing my hand to run down his arm until only our fingertips were touching. With one last step I was on my own, moving into the clearing where Antoine waited, his lips curled in a vicious sneer.

We circled each other, glaring and waiting for the battle to start. I pulled in a slow breath, allowing a deathly calm to
replace the fear in my heart. I thought about Carly’s violent murder and allowed my anger to build inside of me. Antoine hissed and moved his knife back and forth between his hands, but I left my enchanted blade in its sheath where Liam had placed it. Magic pooled around my feet so I drew it into my center and shaped it to my will. The sounds of the crowd died away, as all of my mental focus, energy and magic was held in readiness, aimed toward Antoine's destruction.

“The duel will begin now!
” Lord Kennet’s voice rang out.

He was on me before I took another breath, biting viciously into my shoulder and ripping off a chunk of flesh. I avoided his knife by striking his wrist with a brick of energy, but the pain from his bite was excruciating. I managed to jab him near the heart with another sharpened shaft of power and he backed off, looking surprised but pleased.
Yes Antoine, I’m going to give you a good fight.
  He rushed me, attempting to smash his fist into my face. I turned away at the last second so he only grazed the side of my mouth, splitting my lip. I responded with a flat wave of energy which sent him flying across the clearing where he crashed into a tree. Unfortunately, he was on his feet immediately, wiping the blood off of his mouth and smiling.

He rushed forward again, using his vamp speed this time, so I slashed out immediately with a mental slice across his neck, causing him to growl, but not slow down. Although I tried to avoid him, he ha
cked at me, ripping through my pants and leaving a long gash in my thigh. I tripped him at the last second and pushed out another wave of energy sending him rolling once more to the far side of the clearing where he got back to his feet quickly. He touched his wounded neck and then lifted his bloody fingers to his mouth where he licked them and rubbed his saliva on his injury, sneering at me. I watched the blood stop and the wound close and disappear.

I was bleeding from three places now and I knew I didn’t have much time left if I was going to have the strength to kill him. The steady blood loss would eventually weaken me so much that I’d be unable to defend myself, let alone attack, but I didn’t want to use up my st
rength healing myself just yet.

We began to circle once again. “So, Cheetah, you use the lines well. It won’t mean a fucking thing in the end when I rip you apart piece by piece and drain you in front of your lover and your friends.” His voice was harsh and throaty. “Carly begged me to stop.
Please stop...please.
" He imitated a woman's voice in a cruel way. "Then she just screamed.”

His laughter burned a hole in my gut as I dug my nails into my palms
to pull in my focus. He'd made a deadly mistake, because now I was seething with rage. Liam’s knife vibrated against my hip, responding to my anger, so I took it out of its sheath. It felt pleasantly warm in my hand as its energy merged with mine with almost a sentient desire for blood. My eyes narrowed; glaring at my enemy in anticipation of avenging my friend, accepting the unique magic that the fae blade offered up.

Antoine raced toward me in a blur, his fangs extended and his knife slashing through the air. I raced behind him in my own blur of motion, surprising him and jabbing him in the kidneys with Liam’s
fae blade, then raising my hand to strike again. He stumbled and threw himself away from my intended strike, roaring with fury and pain.

I’d been fighting for only ten minutes and I was tired and bleeding badly from the wound on my thigh. I was using a great deal of energy and I needed to play it smarter and conserve my strength until the right time came to strike the killing blow. Magic continued to wrap around me, so I used it to darken my aura
, allowing my anger to suck energy from Antoine the way he’d sucked blood and strength from Carly. I saw the first flicker of fear in his eyes as I grew stronger and he weakened.