The Awakening (21 page)

"A decoy," Aya said, her eyes twinkling.
"I like it."

"With any luck, it won't be noticed for some
time."

"And we'll be long gone," Gabby said.

"There's no way they'd link it back to
us," Aya reassured them. "No finger prints, no security
footage."

"Maybe not for you," Gabby replied.
"You never existed on record. I'll make sure to keep my gloves on,
thanks."

With a smile, Aya cracked open the doors to where
Isobel and said the vault was located. The low hum of electricity greeted them
as they entered the room and Gabby scanned the door beyond that led into the
vaulted area of the library.

"You know," she said, looking at the
glass windows and door, "I was expecting something a little
more…ominous."

"It's not a bank vault," Isobel said with
a smile. "No gold ingots. Just a bunch of really old books."

She stood before the keypad and punched in the
number they'd gleaned from the security guard. Four, six, eight, five, seven.
The light flashed green on the lock and a click signaled they were in.

"The vault is temperature controlled,"
Isobel explained and as soon as Gabby walked through the door she felt the
sharp rise in temperature. "It's to keep the paper and ink from
deteriorating."

"The grimoire won't dissolve," Aya said
with an annoyed sigh. "That thing could survive the end of days without so
much as a scratch."

"I think I know which book it is," Isobel
said. "It's one that's been in the too hard basket for as long as I can
remember."

"Please explain," Aya retorted.

"Well," she started, glaring at the hybrid,
"there's about two dozen or so books that no one has been able to
decipher. All have been carbon dated to different time periods. Mostly vague
date ranges, because you can't really carbon date a book without destroying it.
But, the texts are in an unknown language. Most people think they're written in
some kind of code, but nobody's broken it yet."

"Witch speak," Gabby said, assuming that
all those books might be different grimoires.

"You think they're all spell books?"

"It's the most likely explanation," she
said with a shrug. "You know you can't tell anyone about this…"

"I know." Isobel sighed with what sounded
like disappointment. "It just goes against my nature, you know. Solving a
mystery, only to keep it to myself."

"If the truth got out about witches and
vampires and everything else that exists in this world, can you imagine what
the humans would do to us?" Aya asked.

"Point."

The vault was set out into several rooms that split
off one main ones with a special reading table. Isobel lead them to the
opposite side to another door that had a seal on it like a fridge. It let out a
hiss as she pushed it open and Gabby followed with Aya close behind. There was
several sets of drawers lining the walls, some thin, some thick. It looked like
the inside of a bank vault with dozens and dozens of safety deposit boxes.

"It has to be one of these," Isobel said,
pointing to a row of drawers on the left hand side. "But they're
locked."

Gabby ran her eyes down the row of locks on each
drawer. They were simple enough, small electronic keys slotted into the end,
much like a keycard that they gave out in hotels, but much smaller than credit
card size. They should be simple enough that she could short them out with her
power. Hopefully.

Collecting herself, she pulled off her glove and
pressed her palm against the first. Slowly, her power trickled forth, spilling
into the lock and it spread to the entire row with ease. With a sharp jab she
heard the clicks as each one shorted, loosening the drawers one by one.

"Wow," Isobel breathed.

"Let's get this over with," she said with
a smile, rubbing off the metal with her glove. Definitely no finger prints
allowed.

Isobel slid open the first drawer. "This is
one of them."

Gabby could instantly tell it was a grimoire, magic
seemed to radiate from it. It was a dull imprint, but it was there. Placing her
hand on the brown leather of it's cover she shook her head. "Not this
one."

Isobel closed the drawer and opened the next. They
repeated it a few more times, all with the same result. The next drawer that
opened, she felt something different. A familiarity and even without touching
it, she knew that this grimoire was probably the one they were looking for. It
was smaller than the rest, worn and faded with use, not time. Where as all the
other grimoires Gabby had encountered all had brown leather covers, this one
had a green embossed casing with a strange symbol etched in the front. It
looked like an ancient Celtic symbol, a knot work design that looked similar to
the modern sign witches used for flame.

As soon as Gabby put her hands on it, she knew it
was Katrin's grimoire. The phantom pain she'd felt when the founder had given
her the vision of it's making sliced through her hand and she stumbled back
with a cry, holding her hand to her chest.

"Gabby?" Isobel asked, alarmed.

"That's the one," she gasped, shaking her
hand.

"I'll take it," Aya said, picking up the
grimoire and Isobel put in the decoy and slid the drawer shut. It wasn't a match,
but it would throw the library staff off for a while.

"What just happened?" Isobel asked.

"Katrin gave me an affinity so I could locate
the grimoire," she explained. "It wasn't very nice."

"Explanations later," Aya said ushering
them towards the door. "We've got what we came for and now we need to go.
I don't want to linger longer than we have to."

Gabby gave one last look to the drawers that housed
the grimoires and lamented leaving them there. They'd be no use to anyone else.
If a witch had come across them, they'd know to keep quiet, but she longed to
read them and find out what had happened to the witches that had owned them. If
she could reunite them with their families…if they still had families alive
today. Isobel closed the vault behind them and as the light flashed red on the
lock, she sighed. Best to leave them.

They backtracked the way they'd come and to Gabby's
relief the library was still silent. She sent Zac a quick text to let him know
they were on their way out and when they lingered by the exit, looking out into
the courtyard, it was only a minute before the vampire rapped his knuckles on
the door to let them know he was there.

Aya stepped out first and kissed him on the cheek.
"Done and dusted."

"Any trouble?" Gabby asked as Zac gestured
for Isobel to jump on his back.

"All quiet," he replied. "Too quiet
if you ask me."

"Then lets get out of here before Aed or
someone else catches on."

Aya knelt down so the witch could jump on her back.
Gabby's breath caught again as the vampires crossed the courtyard and jumped up
onto the roof and into the night. It looked like they'd gotten away with it,
but as soon as Aed realized they had Katrin's grimoire, he'd come looking for
them and it wouldn't be pretty. Gabby had to decipher the spell as soon as
possible and that was the least of their problems.

The spell would be useless without the right kind
of human. Gabby didn't want to acknowledge it, but Katrin had said they needed
someone selfless, pure of heart…the only person who fit that bill was Alex.

Aya seemed to sense her worry and her grip
tightened on her for a moment. Gabby hoped with all her heart that it wouldn't
have to come to that. They would find someone else. Alex was going home human
if it was the last thing she ever did.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Alex tried to get some sleep. He closed his eyes,
did his best to ignore the thousand year old vampire sitting in Izzy's cramped
kitchen, but it just wasn't happening. He was over tired and over worried. What
if they were caught? What if that Aed guy turned up?

"Would you like a drink?" Tristan asked
and Alex sat up with a groan. The perceptiveness of vampires was kinda freaky.

"Depends what you mean by drink."

"Booze," the knight said with a grin,
reaching into his coat pocket. He pulled out a flask and waved it in his
direction.

Alex took it and unscrewed the cap. "How long
has it been?" he asked before downing a mouthful of whatever liquor was
inside.

Tristan laughed when he handed back the flask with
a wheeze. "Steady, Alex. That's some strong spirits in there."

"Don't you have taste buds? I think I just
melted mine off."

The knight screwed the cap back on and set the
flask on the table. "They've been gone a few hours. They should be due
back any time now."

Alex glanced at the door with a frown. A few hours?
How long did something like this take?

"I've known Arrow for a very long time,"
Tristan said, catching his expression. "When she says she's goin' to do
somethin', she follows through, no matter the cost."

"Why do you call her that?"

"Arrow? Well, it was the name she gave me when
I first met her and it stuck. I don't think I could get used to callin' her
anythin' else."

Alex rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. Aya
certainly had her secrets, there was no denying that.

"They're comin' now." Tristan nodded
toward the door and a moment later, it opened and Isobel walked in.

"Izzy, thank fuck," Alex exclaimed,
pulling his sister in for a hug.

"I told you it'd be fine," she said,
pushing him back. "But I still need to breathe, you know."

Gabby and Zac followed and Aya came in last,
bringing up the rear.

"You got the grimoire?" Tristan asked,
rising to his feet.

Aya pulled out the little green book from the
inside of her jacket and set it on the table.

"It's smaller than I thought it would
be," Zac said, narrowing his eyes at it.

"It's different to any other grimoire I've
seen before," Gabby said, peering at the book. "It's certainly
changed from the vision Katrin gave me."

"It's likely she wanted to alter it after she
was made one of the Five," Aya said, sitting at the table.

"Alisandra's was full of awful things. I'm a
little scared of opening it."

"You can do it. You've gotten this far."

As Alex watched Gabby stare at the grimoire, he
cracked his neck. This wasn't any place for him. What did he know about magic
and vampires? Zero, zip, zilch, nada. He stood and everyone looked up at the
movement.

"I'm taking you out," Alex said, pulling
Isobel to her feet. he could see she was dying to see inside the book, but he
wanted to spend time with her in a 
normal
 setting. Preferably
one without any mention of anything supernatural.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Zac
said. "Lord Fairy Dust could be hiding around the corner."

"I can't sense him," Gabby said,
frowning.

"Then it should be safe enough," Alex
countered.

Zac didn't seem to like it. "Just because you
can't sense him, doesn't mean he's not hanging around, or has someone doing the
watching for him."

"We already have the grimoire," Aya
sighed. "He has no use for Isobel and certainly not Alex. I don't see the
harm in them going out for an hour."

"See?" Alex said. "Just an hour. I'd
like to spend some time with Izzy before…you know."

"I'm not turning you," Gabby exclaimed,
her hands curling into tight fists. "I'm not, so just forget it
already."

Alex exchanged a look with Aya. "Gabby,
I-"

"Just let me decipher the grimoire. Can you do
that?"

He nodded meekly. His friend was under so much
pressure, it was unbelievable and how he hadn't seen it before. Gabby's
strength was surprising and it showed how much she'd grown in the last year.

"Okay, Izzy. Are you up for it?" he
asked, drawing attention from the witch.

"Just an hour, because I'm kinda beat from a
night of thievery." She gave him a wink and his worry eased a fraction.
"We can bring back some takeout if you're hungry, Gabby?"

"Thanks," the witch replied. "That
sounds great. It's easy to forget to eat when you're the only human in a bunch
of vampires."

Alex pulled his jacket on and motioned for Isobel
to follow him. Before things got crazy and before something happened to ruin
everything, he wanted to hang with his big sister. It might be the only chance
he got while he was still human and there wasn't anyone else he'd rather spend
his last hours with. Who knew what would happen when he changed? If he'd still
be the same person as he was now, if he'd still feel the same way about his
family.

Alex's heart was well and truly set on sacrificing
himself. Gabby was fighting against it, but he was the only one that was fit
for the job and everyone knew it. It was time to say his goodbyes while he had
the chance. Everything was fair game now.

If they weren't in such a shit place right now,
Alex might've enjoyed seeing the place that Isobel called home. He would've liked
to see the University where she studied, the places she hung out, met some of
her friends….gone sightseeing across the countryside. But instead they were
stuck in the middle of some ancient war between two extinct magical races.
Head. Fuck.

They wandered down the street together, Christmas
decorations twinkling in every window, the promise of snow on the air. It
should've felt festive and cheerful and all of that, but all Alex could think
about was his big sister and the looming threat of some psycho hybrid.

"Do you remember when we were little and Dad
used to get up on the roof and decorate the house with Christmas lights?"
Isobel asked.

Alex nodded, trying not to let it get to him.
"Yeah, it was terrible."

"Half the lights were always broken."

"He tried so hard," he said with a laugh.

"We'd stand out the front in the dark and he'd
make this big show of plugging them in, making a speech and then only half the
thing would light up."

"Didn't he blow the fuse box one year?"

"You remember that?" Isobel asked,
threading her arm through his. "You were only about five or six."

"I remember it," he said, squeezing her
arm. "How could I forget? Mrs. Landers called the fire brigade."

Isobel let out a loud laugh. "She thought he'd
burn the whole street down."

They fell silent as they walked down the main
street of Oxford, or what felt like the main street. Shops lined either side
selling clothes, cell phones, jewelry and a few of those souvenir places that
had Oxford University sweaters and t-shirts hanging in the windows

"Are you happy here?" Alex asked. "I
mean, is it where you want to be?"

Isobel sighed. "Yeah. I really like it here.
The University is great. I like my apartment, even though it's a shoebox. I've
made some great friends…and made some great discoveries." She winked at
him, biting her lip. "Even though I have to keep them to myself."

"Good. I'm glad."

"You don't sound very happy," she said.
"What about your business? I thought you were starting your own building
and gardening service?"

"I am…I was…"

"But?"

"But-" He hesitated, his heart feeling
heavy with what he knew he had to do. "It's not meant to be."

Isobel instantly got his meaning. "Alex, you
can't be serious. We may have very different dreams, but yours are just as
important as mine. Just because they need someone to, 
you know
,
doesn't mean it has to be you."

"And you'd rather it be you?" he asked a
little too sharply.

"I'd do it," she said without blinking.

"No, Izzy," he cried, turning to face
her, the light from an electronics store illuminating her face in the murky
winter daylight. "I'm the only one who can do this and you know it. I have
the right mind, the right heart and the right intent. Anyone else and it won't
work." He'd seen the monster Arturius had turned into and he couldn't
chance Isobel turning into that. He couldn't chance Isobel turning 
at
all
. It was completely out of the question.

"I don't want you to," she said, her
voice quiet.

"Self-sacrifice has a lot to do with it,"
he replied. "I'd do it to save you. A million times over."

"It doesn't make it right."

"No, but it's what needs to be done."

A tear slipped down one cheek and she brushed it
away furiously. "I can't. You're my little brother. I should be protecting
you."

"Trust me, Izzy." He rubbed her shoulders
and cast his gaze across the street, watching people pass them by. Ordinary
people going about their business with their ordinary problems. How he wished
they could be just like them. That's when he saw a man standing across the
street. He was dressed in a suit, no tie and was just staring at them. Alex
didn't know how he knew it, but something told him they needed to get out of
there like yesterday. Was that guy the hybrid, Aed? Alex wasn't going to stick
around to find out.

Rather than alarm Isobel, he flung an arm over her
shoulder and began leading her back towards the apartment, cursing the fact
that he no longer had a cell number for Zac or even Tristan. "Let's go
back," he said in a low voice. "Wasn't there a takeaway place near
your house? We can get Gabby some breakfast from there."

"I think it'd be more like lunch by now."

"Food's food right?" He looked over his
shoulder and caught sight of the man in his peripheral vision, looming like
some freaky sicko. They were definitely being followed, but he wasn't sure by who.
It might be Aed, or it might be another of his vampire thugs keeping tabs.
Right now, his only option was to keep walking like nothing was wrong. With any
luck, they'd get back to Isobel's in one piece and the guy would keep his
distance.

Worst case, he'd try something and there was
nothing Alex could do about that. They were human and that meant they'd already
lost. Luck was the only way of getting out of this and luck was in short
supply.

"Is there a shortcut?" he asked as they
wandered back. "I'm freezing my ass off here."

"It's not like winter in Louisiana, huh?"
Isobel said with a laugh. "I kinda miss that humid cesspool
sometimes."

"Yeah, ice and snow…can't say I'm a fan."

"Okay, grumpy. There's a lane here we can cut
through instead of going around the block." She pointed to a break in
between some buildings ahead.

"I need a coffee, stat," he said
cheerfully, hyper aware that their shadow hadn't dropped off.

They turned down the lane, their footsteps echoing
around them and he cursed when he saw how long it was. What was that thing
about dark alley ways and horror movies? He lengthened his stride and Isobel
almost had to jog to keep up.

"What's the rush?" she asked, but then
her face fell.

"Just keep walking, Izzy."

"He's-"

"I don't know. We just have to make it
back."

They'd gotten half way down the lane before their
follower decided to make his move. He landed in front of them with a thud, a
hand on the cobblestones to steady himself before rising to his full height.
Isobel gasped, clutching Alex's arm and he pulled her into his side.

The man stepped toward them, his movements almost
cat-like, but that's not what Alex was staring at. He'd seen some freaky eye
shit with Zac and Aya, but this guy took the cake and ate the whole fucking
thing, too. His eyes were 
red
. Not entirely red, but like some
people had blue or brown irises. Red like a stop light. Red like 
blood
.