Authors: Nadja Notariani
Following the man past rows of doors off-shooting from the main hallway, Cael was led left, down another vast marbled hall to a grand room of limestone tiled floors and walls. Chandeliers hung beneath beautifully crafted medallion moldings, the large room illuminated by the glittering crystals. Behind the heavy desk sat the vampire he’d come to speak with. Malcolm.
“
Approach,” came the command.
Cael moved forward, unsure of the reception he would receive. He had disobeyed the Council’s order to bring Paige to them while she Awakened. He was betting Malcolm would thank him now that he had proof he’d made the right decision.
“
Malcolm of Clan Gaunson,” Cael began, “yer daughter lives.”
“
I am aware, Maccinnis,” Malcolm sighed. “Do you believe she will fully Awaken soon?”
Malcolm’s question shocked Cael, but he buried the thought quickly. Paige was Awakened, would be fully vampire once she fed. Malcolm should know this, should have sensed the moment Paige wakened on this side of her ordeal through the Netherworld. That he did not implied that either a Druid enchantment masked Paige’s condition, or that Malcolm lied. Sensing no dishonesty from the man, however, Cael favored his first thought.
“
I come on another matter.”
Cael decided to keep Paige’s vampire status to himself. If Malcolm could not be trusted, at least he’d be unaware that Paige was now immortal. It could save her.
Malcolm’s head snapped up, surprise showing in his eyes.
“
Another matter?”
“
How well do ye know yer fellow Council members?”
“
What sort of question is that?”
“
Malcolm,” Cael said firmly, his blue eyes keen to the vampire’s returning stare, “ye have a traitor on the Council.”
“
Who?” Malcolm growled.
“
Conrad of Clan Maccinnis.” Cael expected Malcolm to rail against him, to deny the possibility of such an evil, but the man did neither, instead sat waiting for Cael to continue. “He’s plotting to hand over the half-born – yer daughter – to the Fates. He’s also planning to remove the threat of my ascension to the Council seat that is rightfully mine. And Gwendolyn is helping him.”
Malcolm sighed heavily.
“
How did you uncover this information, Cael?”
“
It was overheard, the message delivered to me this night.”
“
No doubt through the organized crime syndicate,” Malcolm eyed him sharply. “You cannot play both sides of the fence, Maccinnis. If you want to be taken seriously, you’d better…”
“
That’s where ye be wrong, Malcolm. Without the organized crime syndicate in place, ye wouldna be sittin’ in yer Council seats at all. All out chaos and rebellion is what ye would be facin’!”
Malcolm remained stone faced, but Cael could see that his words had impacted the fellow ancient.
“
You believe you’ve a solution to our dilemma?” Malcolm asked carefully.
“
I doona claim any such thing,” Cael replied. “But I canna stand by and let Conrad and his followers destroy the Council completely, nor will I allow him to harm the woman I love.”
“
My daughter,” Malcolm stated.
“
Yer daughter,” Cael affirmed. “She’s bonded to me; I’ll not give her up, no matter that she’s a half-born. And I willna tolerate any that do not actively oppose Conrad and his.”
Malcolm smiled.
“
I did not expect anything less from you, Cael of Clan Maccinnis. We have much to discuss. Come.”
Malcolm led Cael into his private office where he revealed his story and his love for a half-born. Offering Cael sincere apologies for remaining silent before Conrad all those years ago when Kaiden and Gwendolyn had falsely accused him, Malcolm confessed his and Rhys’ concerns with the Council’s effectiveness in ruling. The men formulated a plan, both fearing at the knowledge of Gwendolyn’s involvement.
“
That viper!” Malcolm hissed. “She’d sell her mother for gain.”
“
Aye, Malcolm,” Cael affirmed. “She’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants.”
“
So, Maccinnis, we must discover what it is she truly wants,” Malcolm said pointedly.
Huddled together on the floor, Brooke and Lara whispered in the darkness.
“
There must be something on the outside of the windows to keep it so dark in here,” Brooke speculated. Her sister ignored her. “What’s the matter with you?”
“
What’s that matter?” Lara shot back in frustration. “We’re stuck in here and we’re never getting out unless we tell them where Paige is!”
“
To tell them anything would endanger our sister, Lara!”
“
We’re in danger, Brooke! Or haven’t you noticed?” Lara’s response cut the air. “This is Paige’s fault, anyway. If she hadn’t mixed herself up with a vampire…”
“
Really, Lara? Really?” Brooke snapped.
Brooke was becoming seriously agitated with her twin. This was not what she expected from Lara, and it sparked an unease within her. Remembering she’d witnessed Gwendolyn take on the form of each person she’d touched, Brooke determined to discover the identity of who or what sat next to her. Leaning near, Brooke spoke unintelligible sounds and syllables into her twin’s ear, waiting for the proper response. As children they shared their own garbled language amongst the three of them. What Lara replied would tell true.
“
What?” Lara looked at her sideways. “You’re talking gibberish.”
Brooke repeated the mixed up talk again in case her sister’s panic had scrambled her memory.
“
You’re talking nonsense. I can’t understand a thing you’re saying!” Lara whispered loudly.
“
You are not my sister,” Brooke retorted, proud to have outsmarted the female vampire. “My sister would never turn coward and tell you anything!”
“
Then you are more foolish than I had first thought,” Gwendolyn replied, appearing as herself again. “Have it your way.”
The vampire smiled at her before she faded into a black mist that disappeared. Brooke prayed that her sister and mother would not be fooled by the trick. The funny part about all this was that they really didn’t know where Paige was. It was a protection she was thankful for. Gwendolyn’s eyes had told her that the woman would use any means to get what she wanted. Brooke attempted to prepare herself mentally, certain that pain was to be in her near future.
*
Something was wrong.
Activity in the house was high for this early in the eve, and Cael’s hearing picked up unfamiliar voices. He also sensed the unraveling of his enchantments on the property, and he thanked the Fates that he’d not been away long in meeting with Malcolm.
“
Paige,” he whispered, shaking her slightly. “Ye must wake up.”
She turned, alert at once.
“
Someone is here.”
He smiled. Her instincts were developing quickly.
“
Aye, lass. Now cover up that beautiful body. I’ll not abide a man lustin’ after what’s mine.”
His wry smile drew a rueful look from her.
“
Like this?”
Jeans and a sweater covered her lovely figure. In a second he was beside her, his mouth hungry on her lips.
“
Doona laugh. Unless ye want to see me come unraveled,” he whispered between kisses.
“
I do not,” she smiled faintly before her brow furrowed with worry. “What are we going to do?”
“
Be ready. Stay close to me, Paige. I detect three vampires, and I’m betting one of them is Gwendolyn. But I think there are more than three people.”
“
Me too,” her eyes widened as she agreed. “I can smell them…I think.”
“
Aye. Ye can. Humans.”
Paige heard as Cael reached out to Alden telepathically, alerting him to the danger.
“
Cael,” she shivered, swaying on her feet.
“
What is it? Are ye not well yet?”
“
No. I mean I feel fine. It’s just that I had a sense of foreboding for a minute. It’s gone now.”
Cael didn’t like the sound of it.
“
I wish ye had fed once ye wakened. It’s the final step of yer transition. It will have to wait until later. Stay close to me, lass. Promise.”
“
I promise,” she agreed. “Cael,” her voice was shaky, “They have my Aunt Anna and my cousins.”
“
Let’s go,” he stated, opening the door and walking out like he owned the place.
“
What are you doing?” Paige breathed.
“
Do you trust me?”
“
Yes.”
Cael readied to make war as he walked into the pit of perdition. In the sitting room of Raven House were Conrad and Kaiden, holding between themselves the three Kinnell women. But when Cael caught sight of the third vampire, he reeled.
*
Charity hurried her brother and sister along.
“
Button your coat, Harry. It’s quite cold.” She kept her eye on him a moment, daring him to defy her, but her smile hinted at the fun they were having all the same. “Let me tie your scarf.”
Little Jael scooted closer to help Charity with the task.
“
There! We’re ready,” she announced, tucking the scarf’s ends into Harry’s coat.
Jael’s small voice reminded, “Charity, what about your coat?”
The girls laughed merrily, Harry joining in when he, too, realized that in her haste, Charity was the one leaving the house with no coat against the cold weather.
“
What would I do without you, Jael?”
With marbled buttons fastened and pink plaid scarf tied snug about her neck, Charity led her siblings out of the house. In the front yard they joined hands and skipped around the inside of the stone circle, chanting in sing-song unison until they faded, their song remaining a few seconds behind their disappearance.
Still linked hand in hand, now outside Raven house, Charity bent down between her brother and sister.
“
Harry, do you remember what we are here for?”
“
Yes, Charity.”
“
And Jael,” Charity touched her sister’s nose lightly, “do you remember what you are supposed to do?”
“
Yes!” Jael beamed up at her sister. “I can’t wait to see Paige. She said she’d play another game with me.”
“
Now, you mustn’t ask her to play until the end, Jael,” Charity reminded her.
“
That’s right,” Harry encouraged the youngest sibling.
Entering through the heavily carved front doors of Raven House, the little Fates headed for the center of action, ignoring the gasps of all who had come to find what was going on. At seeing the Fates, vampires disappeared back inside off-shooting rooms or dematerialized. No one wanted an encounter of unknown origins with the Fates.
“
Ah, I see you did come after all,” Conrad greeted the children with a wicked grin. “Couldn’t resist the prize we offered? Tsk. Tsk. What naughty children to renege on the deal you made with Malcolm and his Council cronies.”
Charity smiled her prettiest smile. She even curtsied.
“
Conrad of Clan Maccinnis, you should know better than to call names. Shame on you. Didn’t you learn your manners?”
The vampire’s wary expression had Charity’s dimples puckering deeply.
“
We’ve come to collect the half-born for you, Charity,” Conrad continued in a more appeasing tone. “Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“
I don’t see her,” Charity deflected the question, peering about the room in exaggerated fashion.
“
Soon, little girl,” Conrad hissed. “You can be sure of that.”
Turning to her siblings, Charity ignored the vampire, knowing she offended him.
“
Harry, do you remember when we used to play empire?”
“
I’d forgotten about that game,” Harry looked up excitedly.
“
Let’s play now.”
Conrad called out to his companion, “Bring out the girl.”
Kaiden pushed past the Kinnell women, shoving the female in front of him roughly until they stood just off to the side of the staircase’s bottom.
“
What now?”
“
We watch, of course.”
*
Rowan waited in the living room. She’d been treated well during her stay, and after Eagen had spoken with Cael expected to go home. Ewan informed her it was impossible. At first she’d railed against them, convinced they would require her to do some criminal deed to pay them back. Ewan had simply laughed and ignored her after that. Listening to reason after she cooled her heels, Rowan had to admit they were right. It wasn’t safe at Fife House, and she had nowhere else to go until Conrad and his men made their move. Determined to state her case one last time, she pounced as soon as Eagen entered the room.
“
You cannot leave me here! I can help. Cael trusts me and I’ve met Gwendolyn before. Believe me, you don’t know what you’re up against.”
“
We’ve dealt with bitches before,” Eagen laughed.
“
You didn’t deal well with me when I first arrived,” Rowan called him out.
“
That’s because you’re a daft lass,” Eagen remarked dryly. “A daft lass and a bitch are very different entities.”