The Awakening (26 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Gabby stood on the side of a lonely back road,
looking out across England. A thick mist had settled over the countryside,
trees and fence lines looming out of the whiteness like ghostly figures. The
Cotswolds was the country getaway spot for the rich and richer, full of stately
manor homes, new and historical. It seemed fitting that Aed had found himself a
place to live here. He was royalty, after all.

She found herself thinking of Regulus and wondered
if he would be proud of her, standing on the cusp of completing his life's
work. She wondered if she listened hard enough, if she could feel him watching
over her. Casting her hearing out, all she got was the overwhelming presence of
Aed. Gabby missed Regulus terribly, more than she ever thought possible.

She stood on the rise of the hill, the group of
miss-matched vampires around her, looking over the valley at the roof of the
manor house that peeked through the mist. Manicured hedges framed frost tinged
lawns and a long gravel driveway led up to the entrance where a granite
fountain sat, any water that had once flown through it, silent. It looked like
something out of a Jane Austin novel that had been adapted to film, though
there was no Mr Darcy in sight.

"Fucker sure knows how to live it up,"
Nye said with a scowl.

"Do you suppose it was empty before he came
along?" Gabby asked, her voice muffled in the heavy air.

"Maybe, maybe not," Aya said. "As
far as I can tell, nothing lives down there, but that doesn't mean anything.
Perhaps someone is inside."

"Better check if we can get in first,"
Tristan said. "Hate to get to the door and be denied."

"I'll wait and see before I cast the
glyphs," Gabby offered.

"You said you needed four of them," Zac
said, appearing at her side.

"Yes. One at each corner of the house on the
outside should be enough."

"I'll come with you," he added.
"I've got a strange feeling something is waiting for us down there."

"You mean, other than Aed?" Nye asked.

Aya glanced at Zac, understanding flashing through
her features. "He may have resurrected a few friends to protect the
house."

"Oh great," Nye exclaimed. "Zombies?
Are you kidding me?"

"No, I am not kidding you," the hybrid
drawled.

"Does everyone know the plan?" Zac asked.
"If there's any questions, now's the time to ask. We've only got one shot
at this."

Everyone was silent and Gabby took that as a yes.
They'd been over and over it and it was simple enough, but mistakes were
totally out of the question and who knew what Aed would do.

As they started to move out, she grabbed Alex's
hand and pulled him back. "Good luck," she whispered, tears welling
to the surface.

He threw his arms around her, hugging her tightly.
"Thanks. You, too."

Instead of approaching from the driveway, they took
the scenic route through the field and over the fence into the manor grounds.

"I don't like this," Tristan said.
"It's too quiet."

"Yeah," Maddox said with a hint of
sarcasm, "I thought there'd be a little resistance. A chance to get my
hands dirty."

"You'll get it soon enough when we face
Aed," Zac said. "Save it for him."

"Eyes open for zombies," Nye said,
putting in his two cents. "Stay here and I'll check the threshold."

They lingered behind a box hedge as the spy dashed
across the open drive and past the fountain. He twisted the doorknob and
he glanced back at Gabby, who was peeking through the bottom of the hedge. The
door creaked open ever so slightly and the spy peered through before testing
the threshold. His hand went through without any problems and he gave everyone
the thumbs up.

Gabby didn't wait to see if everyone got inside,
she led Zac to the far corner of the house, weaving through the garden and as
they reached the house, ducking underneath windows. It was oddly quiet for the
home of an insane Tuatha prince. The air was thick with mist, but it was also
thick with the cliché of foreboding.

Reaching the first corner, she placed her hand on
the bluestone and started casting the first glyph, tendrils of power seeping
through her skin into the masonry. When it was done, she nodded at Zac and they
continued on to the next corner.

The mists were starting to lift as the morning
progressed and the sun was shining through. It would be clear skies today, the
first since she'd arrived. As more of the grounds were revealed, the emptier
they looked. It couldn't be that easy, surely? Rather than look a gift horse in
the mouth, she cast the second glyph. When she pulled her hand away, she
glanced at Zac. He was starring off into the distance, his face contorted into
a scowl.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I can't tell for sure, but I think we have
company."

There was a loud crash from inside the house and
they both looked at each other, knowing that their friends were counting on
them.

"Let's go," she said and started to run
towards the far corner of the house. Before she could get to the end, a figure
launched itself from the hedges around the rear garden, arms outstretched.
Gabby skidded to a halt as the man tried to grab her, but Zac was there,
shoving him away.

"Guess we know what happened to the
groundskeeper," he said wryly as the man stumbled backwards.

The man seemed to lack any semblance of dexterity
so it took him a while to steady himself and when he did, he lumbered forward
again. Zac grabbed the zombie's head and in one fluid motion, smashed it
against the wall of the house.

"Go," he said to her. "I've got your
back."

Zac was beside her as they went for the third
corner and as she slapped her hand against the wall, three more zombies
lumbered towards them. Her heart began to speed up and the glyph melted away in
her hands.
Shit
, she thought to herself. She couldn't let fear get the
best of her, not now. She trusted Zac to keep her safe until this was done.
Closing her eyes, she tuned out the sound of the vampire struggling with the
three undead men and began casting the glyph into the fabric of the house. The
power pulled away from her skin and it was done.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked frantically
for Zac, but he was standing beside her, his hands covered in blood.

"Next," he said, with a shrug.

The fourth glyph was easier and closer to their
location, but the fifth was going to be the most difficult. She needed to
physically touch Aed for it to work and she hoped that the vampires were enough
to restrain him so she could get it done. When the fourth was complete, she
nodded at Zac.

He took her hand, the blood tacky against his skin,
and squeezed. "For Regulus."

Gabby was a little taken aback, but smiled anyway.
"Let's get the bastard."

Aya watched as Zac and Gabby disappeared into the
mist, a pang of worry stabbing into her heart.

"They'll be okay," Tristan murmured in
her ear.

"I know, but I still worry."

"C'mon," he said, coaxing her forward,
"let's end this once and for all."

Aya lifted a hand and caressed her friend's cheek.
"Let's go."

As soon as they walked into the foyer, the air
shifted and Aed appeared at the end of the hall. Suits of armor gleamed in the
half light, like they were ready to come alive at the hybrid's call. Luckily
for them, they were empty.

"I thought I smelt you, Celestine," he
drawled. Isobel appeared behind him and Aed grabbed her, holding her small
body against his chest. "You're not going to take her away from me again.
I will fight to the end to keep her."

"She's not your long lost lover, Aed,"
Aya said. "Let her go."

With an annoyed roar, Aed pushed Isobel aside and
lunged for Aya, but his hand smacked into thin air as she let her power
flare, lighting the room with a blue hue, before it faded away just as quickly.

"We cancel each other out, remember?" she
leered. "Your power is useless in this fight, Aed."

Isobel cowered against the wall, her eyes wide with
fear. When they latched onto Alex, Aya caught the sudden wave of hope that
washed over her.

"Who is this?" Aed asked, cocking his head
to the side, eyes firmly on Alex.

Rix's shoulders squared and he moved in front of
the founder.

"Oh, I see," the hybrid declared, turning
to look at Isobel. "You found the grimoire."

"Time's up," Aya said, stalling, knowing
that Gabby needed to be here before they restrained him. "Any last
words?"

"Last words?" Aed scoffed. "You're
the one who needs last words, Celestine
scum
."

"You can't kill me, but I'd like to see you
try."

"No, I cannot kill you," he said, eyeing
her. "But I can kill
him
."

Aed's eyes misted over red as he lunged for Alex,
but Rix was in the way, steeled for this exact thing. It was his duty to
protect their last chance at ending the Tuatha, but he wasn't fast enough. He
would never be fast enough.

Aed's hand punctured Rix's chest and he flung the
vampire across the room like he was nothing but a rag doll. As
Rix rolled to a stop, his eyes began to glaze over, blood pooling beneath
his body. Maddox roared in pure anger as his friend began to desiccate and
turned on the hybrid.

"You'll pay for that," the assassin
roared and he threw himself at Aed, fangs bared, looking for the kill. He
wasn't going to get it, but there was no stopping him. Aed ducked, ramming his
shoulder into the vampire's gut and sent him flying. Maddox landed over the
staircase bannister and there was an loud crack as his spine snapped in two. He
half slid, half rolled down the stairs and when he reached the bottom he was
out for the count.

Nye nodded at Tristan. "Stick him."

Tristan flew across the foyer and stabbed the
needle into Aed's arm. They hybrid pushed him away, but it was too late. Aya's
blood started to merge with his and he stumbled, looking bewildered.

"Poison," he hissed, pulling the syringe
from his arm and casting it aside.

Nye appeared behind him and rammed another into his
neck. "Tasty, huh?"

"Fools," Aed roared, shoving Nye aside.
His eyes fixed on Alex again and he began to advance.

"It's done," Gabby said, stepping into
the room.

"
You.
" Aed stopped mid stride and
snarled at the witch.

"Yes,
me
and this time you won't be so
lucky."

Aed stepped toward her, but Gabby's appearance was
their signal. It was time to get down to business.

Tristan and Nye grasped Aed's arms from behind and
Zac and Pyke used their strength to push him down on his back. Aed landed with
a thud, a vampire holding each limb and Aya straddled him, curling her
hands around his throat. The moment she touched him, all of his malice slammed
into her with enough force to take her breath away.

Aed struggled against them, his anger seething
through his skin right into her heart. Her eyes began to change as she
struggled to keep her control and Gabby was in front of her. The witch slapped
a hand on Aed's forehead and began casting the fifth glyph.

"
Bitch
," Aed hissed, baring his
fangs. "I will rip you to shreds, little girl." 

"You'll have to get your hands on her
first," Aya snapped, her own fangs beginning to lengthen as the hybrid's
anger started to infect her senses.

Gabby snatched her hand away and scrambled backwards.
"It's done."

"Alex," Aya called, looking up at him.
She knew she was a terrible sight to behold, but when she saw the blind terror
on his face, her anger started to swell even more. "Alex. Do it now."

He hesitated and she felt like throttling him as
well. Her Celestine power started to simmer in response and the air began to
charge around her.