The Awakening (24 page)

"I guess it helps me understand you a bit
better. You're one complex guy."

Zac smiled wryly. That was an apt description if he
ever heard one. "Napalm," he said, casting his eyes away.

"Napalm?"

"Some people called it sticky fire. Once it
was lit and adhered to something…buildings, forest…
people
, it's almost
impossible to stop. When I saw it used against the enemy and innocent people, I
just threw down my gun and walked away."

"Right there?" Alex's eyes were wide.
With fear, horror, admiration…who the hell knew.

"Right in the middle of a mission. I just
turned around and never looked back. Their suffering was horrendous and even
with all my strength and speed, there was nothing I could do. That was the
day I decided to start trying again."

"Shit, I had no idea."

"Be the change you want to see in the
world…" Zac said, remembering something Sam had once told him. He was sure
his little brother had gotten that nugget of wisdom from someone a little more
prolific. "It took me another forty years to understand that and it's the
simplest thing in the world."

"I think I get it," Alex said quietly.
"Right now, I feel this sadness…I don't know how to explain it, but it's
deeper than anything I've ever felt. It's almost overwhelming."

"And that's what it's like to be a vampire
holding on to your humanity. It's a constant struggle."

"I'm sorry," he blurted.

"What for?"

"I never understood how hard you had it. How
hard you must have struggled every day. I'm sorry I was so quick to brand you an
asshole."

Zac shook his head, surprised that Alex felt the
need to apologize at all. "I
was
an asshole."

"I'm still sorry." And that was why
Alex made the perfect founding vampire.

"If you ever need anything, Alex, put me on
speed dial, okay?"

Alex smiled and thumped him on the back.
"You've got yourself a deal."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Aya watched Zac and Alex on the rooftop and smiled.

They really made an odd couple, but if anyone was equipped
to help Alex with his change, it was Zac. After everything he'd been through in
the last one-hundred and seventy years, he had a lot of wisdom to share. All
the highs and lows a vampire could experience.

Alex had been the most selfless one of them all
since day one. Innocent in every aspect, he was the perfect founding
vampire…and the perfect human. It was ironic that with all of the combined
power that was assembling in Oxford tonight, that Alex was the one who was
going to save them all.

When she saw him jump from the roof and land across
the street, she couldn't help smiling. He had a really good landing for his
first try. He turned and saw her watching him and shrugged.

"Hey," she called out.

"Hey."

Crossing the street, she said, "Nice
landing."

"Thanks, I think. It'll take some getting used
to."

She didn't want to ask the question, considering it
would be the one everyone asked him for a while, so she cocked her head to the
side.

"I'm fine," he said with a thin smile.
"I'm going inside to see Gabby. Zac's still on the roof."

"Thanks." Before Alex could leave, she
grabbed his arm and pulled him back. To his surprise, she circled her arms
around his waist and leaned her head against his chest. She gave him a squeeze
before letting him go. "We'll be in soon."

Nodding, Alex stepped back and disappeared inside
the apartment block. On the outside he seemed to be taking things really well,
but since Aya had the unfortunate ability of being able to sense emotions, she
knew it was another story under the surface. With a frown, she jumped to the
roof, curious to see what Zac thought about it.

He looked up as she landed, a little more
delicately than Alex had done before and she felt at least a little guilty that
she'd spied on their training session.

"How is he?" she asked, sitting beside
him.

"As well as can be expected," Zac said,
winding an arm around her back.

"His emotions are all over the place,"
she mused, burying into his side.

"They always are in the beginning and he has a
lot of pressure to deal with at the moment."

Aya sighed, curling her fingers through Zac's. He
always had this knack for calming her down just when she needed it and she
needed it now.

"You're worried about him?"

"I'm worried that he will hesitate at the last
moment," she said. "He's too kind, too compassionate. I'm afraid he
won't do what he needs to."

"We'll be there to help him."

"I know."

They sat in silence for a while, pondering what was
about to come. She'd just gotten Zac back and had almost lost him again
yesterday. He wasn't as indestructible as her, no matter what he seemed to
think. She'd spent so much time and effort pushing him away in the beginning,
but now he was here and there was nothing she wouldn't do to save him. Without
even asking him, she knew he felt the same and wasn't that what love was?
Trust, selflessness, compassion?

"I'm worried about you too, you know,"
she said, looking up at him.

"You don't need to be," he said, glancing
at her in the greying light.

"You said it yourself, Aed almost had you if
not for Isobel. I can't lose you, Zac. Not now. Not ever."

"Hey," he whispered, sliding a hand over
her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere without a fight."

"It took me a long time to find you. I'm not
willing to take any chances."

He tilted her chin up and pressed his lips to hers.
With a small moan, she kissed him back, her hands curling into the lapels of
his coat. It was too easy to get lost in this and it was too easy for it all to
be taken away. She'd lost him once and never wanted to go through that again.

"Aya," Zac murmured, pulling away.
"We'll always have worry in our lives, but with each other we can do
anything."

"Anything?" she asked, cocking her head
to the side.

His lips curved into a sly grin and he brushed a
thumb over her lips. "Pretty much."

"I intend to take you up on that offer once
this is done."

"I intend to allow you."

"I'm going to take you places you've never
been, Zac Degaud."

"Shit," he hissed. "I knew you were
bad, but never wicked."

With a smile, she pressed her lips to his again and
when they parted it was breathless.

"Faith, Aya," he whispered. "We'll
get through this. All of us."

"I hope you're right."

"C'mon," he said, rising to his feet.
"It's time to rock'n'roll."

A sense of dread began to settle in her heart and
as Aya took Zac's hand, she hoped it wasn't a premonition. She had the curse of
living on while everything around her withered and died…and she would even
outlive the immortal if she chose to. But despite all of that, she knew that
she would do whatever it took to protect Gabby, Tristan, Zac and Alex from Aed.
They had become her family when she was sure she'd never get to have one again.
Forever and always, these were the people she'd die her true death for.

Gabby looked up at the warehouse at the edge of
Oxford for the second time in as many days. Had it really been yesterday that
she'd stood here, gleaning information out of Aed's compelled vampire? Looking
at the time on her cell phone, she supposed it was three days ago now. It was
well past midnight and she yawned despite herself. It would be a while yet
before she could get some sleep. It was a sad feeling to know that she was the
only human left among her friends besides Isobel.

Tristan appeared beside her and she smiled as he
offered her his arm. She regretted that she hadn't had the chance to get to
know him a little better, especially since Aya seemed to hold him in such high
regard.

As they weaved their way through the dark
warehouse, four figures slowly came into focus through the shadows where they
lingered. She recognized Nye immediately, he had that kind of presence about
him, and Maddox she'd met the day before when they'd gone to get Katrin's
grimoire. The other two men she supposed were the other members of the Three,
Pyke and Rix. Dropping Tristan's arm, she glanced at Alex who grimaced in
return. He didn't need to say anything, she felt exactly the same way.

"How's your face?" Nye asked with a
laugh, slapping Zac on the shoulder.

"Flawless, thanks for asking," the
vampire replied and the air seemed a little less heavy.

They really were a sight. The newborn
founder, Alex, and the Celestine hybrid, Aya, stood beside her. Then there
was Zac, Tristan and Nye, otherwise known as the good guys. And finally there
was the Three, aka the bad guys, Maddox, Pyke and Rix. Add her to the mix and
there was an entry for the history books.

"What's the plan?" Nye asked. "I
assume you've got something cooked up?" He glanced at Gabby.

They were all looking at her and the gravity of the
situation that laid on her shoulders was crushing. Straightening up, she said,
"The only way we're getting close is if Aed is weak."

"How do you suppose we're going to do
that?" Maddox asked, the petulant lit in his voice annoying the hell out
of her. If he thought her ideas were stupid before she'd even voiced them, then
why didn't he offer his own? Oh, that's right, he didn't have any.

"We can't rely on my power or strength,"
Aya said, narrowing her eyes at the assassin in warning. "We need another
way."

"Celestine blood weakens him," Zac said,
taking her hand. "When he took a bite out of me, he threw it up like I'd
poisoned him."

"Then we find a way to get some into
him," Gabby said. "Fill syringes and shove it down his throat if we
have to. With the glyphs I learned from Alisandra's grimoire, it should be
enough to bring him down to our level."

"I hope so," Aya said with a grimace.

"And what does he do?" Maddox asked
pointing at Alex.

"He rips out Aed's heart," Gabby said
scowling at the assassin.

"I, what?" Alex exclaimed.

"Was that a good idea?" the assassin
asked with a roll of his eyes. "Making
him
a founder?"

"The only choice." Gabby stood to face
the vampire, the warning clear in her stance. They couldn't afford trouble and
Maddox was the worst kind.

"Maddox, leave it be, mate," Nye said,
putting a hand on the assassin's shoulder.

"It may be that we all have to hold him down
to subdue him," Tristan said.

"A pile of vampires?" Nye asked with a
laugh. "Stacks on."

Gabby shook her head at the latest joke from the
spy. "Regulus said that there was a reason there were six founders."

"We don't have six founders," Rix said,
finally speaking up. "I don't like the sounds of that."

"We have as much as we're getting," Aya
said. "There's no way in hell we're creating more founders and we don't
have the time anyway. We have a chance at doing this right and we're taking
it."

"Isobel is counting on it," Alex said
thinly.

"Right, the human girl," Maddox sighed
dramatically.

"She's my fucking sister, asshole," Alex
hissed and before anyone could stop him, he was across the room, pushing the
assassin against the wall, breathing hard through his teeth.

"Hey, settle down," Maddox exclaimed,
holding both his hands out like he was trying to calm a wild beast.

"Alex." Aya was beside him, her long
place fingers prying his away from where they were fisted into Maddox's shirt.
"You need to calm down. I know it's hard, but you have to hold on,
okay?"

"See?" Maddox exclaimed, shoving Alex
back. "He can't even control himself."

"I can fucking do it," Alex said,
ignoring everyone else, his eyes fixing on Gabby's.

"I know you can," she replied.

"Okay, so we find out where he is hiding, then
we can figure out how to get to him," Zac said, changing things back to
the task at hand. "It's all good and well planning his demise, but we have
to get our hands on him first."

"Zac's right," Gabby agreed. "I'll
track Aed first, then we can work out the bit in between."

"So, what happens once we come face to face
with him?" Pyke asked. "What do we do?"

"Rix, you're going to cover Alex," Zac
said, taking point. "You were a bodyguard in a past life. Once Aed
realizes that Alex has turned, he'll go straight for him."

"Aye," the vampire nodded.

"The rest of us will keep him busy until Gabby
can cast her glyphs."

"And we'll try and stick him with some
Celestine blood," Nye said with a twinkle in his eye.

"I need four glyphs around him," Gabby
explained. "The fifth I need to cast on his body. That'd be the part where
you hold him down."

"Once you've done, that's when I…rip his heart
out?" Alex asked with a frown.

"Yes." She caught Aya's frown out the
corner of her eye and hoped Alex didn't notice. The fact that the hybrid was
worried, made her hesitate. "Then Aed needs to be dismembered and burnt to
ash, just to be sure."

"I can do that part," Maddox said with a
wicked smirk. Gabby bet he would take great pleasure in it and couldn't wait
until she could see the back of him.

"Right, if we're done for the moment, I need
to get a bite to eat," Rix said, elbowing Pyke.

"I think we all should," Tristan added.

"I'll take you to feed," Zac said to
Alex. "You'll need it more than the rest of us."

"We meet back here in one hour," Aya said
and glared at the Three. "Don't be late, or I'm reserving the right to kill
you myself."

"I'm good," Nye said, nodding towards
Gabby. "I'll hang here."