Betrayal: The Unforgiven

by Kira Hillins

  “Have you ever heard of the four horsemen?”

  “Yes.” Tristan folded his arms over his chest. “They are biblical entities said to bring about the apocalypse.”

  “Pestilence. War. Famine. Death. These seals were not broken by angels. They were our personal evils to cast upon each other from the beginning of time.”

  “You do not believe the story in Revelations?”

  “Not how the bible conveys it.” Ivan inhaled through his nose then out through his mouth. “The four horsemen were angels who went before God with a plea to let them rid the world of the seals. He allowed them to go. These angels showed humankind their transgressions. They healed wounds. Resurrected the dead. They cured the world of plagues and famine and stopped wars. They created Heaven on earth. Evil no longer had a place in this world.

  The rulers of Hell did not perceive this as fair. After all, there cannot be good without evil, and evil without good. So, Lucifer confronted God.”

  Ivan clasped his hands behind his back. He stalked around Tristan who stood in the center of the room. Leery, Tristan kept his gaze on him ready to bolt from the room if Ivan tried anything.

  “In order to prevent war, God called forth the angels. Though he allowed them to keep their powers, to a limited degree, they could not prevent death or war or famine.”

  Tristan shook his head. “I have never heard such a story.” Nor did he believe it. Ivan was telling a tale to stall him, to keep him away from Anna as long as possible. What did this matter anyways? Anna was more important. He needed to get back to her.

  Ivan leaned his head back. He touched his left eye and took out the deep green contact. “I never liked wearing these things.” He pulled the other contact out then flipped it on the floor. “Ah, that’s better.”

  Ivan turned his black eyes on Tristan. Though startled, Tristan showed no fear even as Ivan walked around him again.

  “Hell felt God’s decision was unreasonable so their rulers assembled a dark army. A battle for the Heavens commenced. After a brutal war, the two sides came to an agreement. Hell would allow the four angels to remain in the world, as long as they could send their own soldier. They created an evil being, an immortal to spread plague from the shadows. This demon raised the dead to do the devil’s bidding, but—”

  Anna’s shriek echoed through the room. Tristan! I need you! Her inward call sent globes of fire though Tristan’s veins. He despised her agony. He yearned to be near her to help her through this birth. He tried to move, but his legs wouldn’t budge. Something unworldly kept him glued to the center of the room.

  “What magic have you cast on me?” Tristan’s eyes caught fire and his canines fell fast into place. “I need to go to her.”

  Ivan closed his eyes. He grinned as if he enjoyed her pain, as if her shrieks were music to his ears. His deep chortle sent an awful chill down Tristan’s back.

  “You are your father’s son.” Ivan’s eyes radiated an angry blue. “I thought you as lost once, a pitiful excuse for a boy. But I see I underestimated you. You are clearly worthy of our kind, worthy to be an Elder, and a descendant of an angel.”

  Tristan glared as Anna’s cries continued. “Let me go to her. Please.”

  “Patience son. I’m not finished with the story.”

  Tristan clenched his jaw. His muscles tensed as he fought against the powerful spell. It was no use. He couldn’t move. He had no choice but to sit here and listen and pray Ivan let him go when he was done. Deep down, he knew this was a trap, but like an idiot he didn’t listen to his inner voice.

  “Finish your fucking story and let me go.”

  Ivan breathed in deep as he stood before him. “Hell’s soldier found one of the angels. He went to her one night to destroy her, but did not foresee her intentions. She healed his destructive mind and his heart followed. They fell madly in love and bore a child, a female who carried the gift to touch the mind like her mother. Mira is a descendant of that child."

  Tristan let out a short breath. “My mother?"

  “I was but a resurrected soldier in hell's army, and yet this angel loved me. I only wanted her to create a daughter, for only females carry the gift of God. To be in control of such power could make me a ruler of heaven and hell." Ivan sighed. "Unfortunately, we conceived worthless sons.”

  Tristan shook his head. “I am not part of such a ridiculous lie."

  "Oh, you are very much a part of this. More than you can imagine.”

  Tristan whimpered in desperation. “I do not understand.”

  Ivan chuckled. “Hell created another soldier, but he was healed by another of the four angels. Anna is a descendant of that angel.”

  “You are wrong.” Tristan’s legs weakened. He fell to his knees. He didn’t want to hear anymore, not with Anna’s pain tearing through his soul. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Don’t you understand? You and Anna are descendants of angels.” Ivan flashed his fangs. “The bloodlines of two devils and two angels have come together for the very first time. Imagine the possibilities. What powers of light and darkness this child will hold. She will be a messiah...a new beginning to our existence.” The blue in Ivan’s eyes turned a shade of green. “And she will be mine to instruct!”

  Chains extended from the floor. They wrapped around Tristan’s ankles and wrists. Electricity zapped through his body and he jolted from the pain. His muscles weakened. He tried to break free, but was too weak.

  Ivan stood before him with solemn eyes. “Nothing personal, my son. In fact, you should be proud you found love when your father could not. Be honored you conceived a daughter with a beautiful angel. Anna would’ve made a good wife for me, but I cannot save her now that her memories of you have returned. The child, my grandchild, is more important than love.”

  Tristan shouted in rage. Desperate to break free, he rose. Muscles strained, he pulled against the chains, but they would not give.

  “Gwen amazes me with her skills in the dark arts. Enchanted chains, unbreakable to the strongest immortal. I do not envy your time here.”

  “I will escape.” Tristan gnashed his canines. The chains continually clanked as he pulled at them. “I will hunt you down. I will kill you.”

  “Pathetic threats.” Ivan chuckled. “How I long to stay and watch you suffer, but I have a birth to attend.”

  He retrieved a key from his pocket. As he bowed out of the room, he stared at Tristan. The door closed. The key went into the lock and turned. Then Ivan was gone.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It’d been hours, maybe even a day since Ivan left the room. The candles had fizzled out leaving Tristan kneeling in the dark in despair. Desperate to get to Anna, he’d tried pulling his hand through the heavy metal cuff, but it cut deep into his skin. He’d attempted to sever his hands with the sharp edges, but the spell on the chains wouldn’t allow it.

  Anna’s screams had ended an hour ago. Tristan closed his eyes. He should be there to welcome his child into the world with a promise to protect her with his life. But her sweet voice went silent as soon as it had begun.

  Tristan inhaled deeply then let it out in an agonizing scream. His shout echoed through the room and down the corridors of this hell he was in. He pulled at the chains in one last desperate attempt to break free but failed. He bowed his head and wept.

  How could he have let this happen? If he'd only acknowledged the signs Anna had left. Her cravings, mood swings, and endless desires to be with him, they all made sense now. She'd begged him to listen, but he was too stubborn, too much of a coward to respond. If he could just go back and change things.

  “Tristan?” A soft voice came from the hall. He lifted his head to find Nena peeking through the bars. She unlocked the door then hurried to his side. “I’m sorry it took so long.” She stuck a rusted key in the lock of the cuff and jiggled it around. “It was difficult lifting the key from Ivan’s pocket before he left, but I managed to do it." She let out a short laugh through her nose. "I was a thief b
efore I became a sister. And let me tell you, after all this, I’m thinking about going back to that life.”

  “What of Anna and my child?” Tristan asked in desperation.

  She shook her head as she fought with the stubborn lock. "Your baby…she was stillborn. When Ivan realized, he and Gwen left in a hurry.”

  Tristan tightened his fists and jerked the chains. A deep growl worked up his throat. Tears welled in his eyes as though his heart had been ripped from his chest. “What of Anna?”

  “They left her bleeding. She’s alive, but what they’ve done to her is disturbing.”

  One of the cuffs clicked open. Static energy brushed over Tristan’s skin. The shock sent Nena to the floor on her backside.

  Tristan easily broke free from his shackles and left his prison. His feet never touched the ground as he rushed to Anna’s room. He stopped short at the end of her bed, eyes wide, horrified.

  Her gown was slit up the center, and her abdomen carelessly torn. They’d ripped the child from her womb and left her to bleed to death. To see his love lying in a pool of blood—so much blood sickened him.

  “I’m so sorry,” Nena cried out of breath as she came into the room. Two older ladies followed her in, hands covering their agape mouths. “We wouldn’t have allowed them to do this if we had the strength to stop them.”

  “Where are they?” He bowed his head, rage building inside him. If he didn’t control his flaring temper, he’d lose himself to the demon. He’d destroy everything and anyone who got in his way.

  “I don’t know. When they realized she was dead, they left her here.” Nena pointed at the bassinette along the wall. “I’m truly sorry, Tristan. This is such a horrible, heartbreaking tragedy.”

  He looked at the bassinette. To see the lifeless being would break him, but he had to do it. He had to be sure. It took all his strength to stalk toward the bassinette. He pinched the blanket between his forefinger and thumb then slowly lowered it.

  Breath lost, he gazed at the child who lay on her back. Beautiful. Pale. Dead. This was his child—his daughter. She was gone. He’d never hold her in his arms. He’d never comfort her cries or reassure her everything was okay. He’d never hear her sweet voice tell him how much she loved him. She’d never call him dad.

  He lifted the blanket up over her face. His heart ached as he went to Anna’s side. He fell to his knees and gathered her hands in his. Sorrow deep in his chest, he bowed his head and cried.

  “Tristan,” Anna whispered.

  “Forgive me.” He forced himself to look at her, to see the pain he’d caused. “Forgive me for not protecting you. Forgive me for not being here when I promised to always be by your side. Please, Anna…forgive me.”

  “I want to go home. Let’s take our baby home.” She smiled in delight. “Where is she? I want to hold her.”

  He brushed a blonde lock from Anna’s temple. “Our child is gone.”

  “Gone?” Anna shook her head. “But I heard her voice. She’s alive.” She reached for the bassinette. She tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed, but cried out in pain. “Over there,” she said in a strangled voice. “She’s just sleeping. She needs me. Bring her to me now.”

  “Anna.” He gently squeezed her hands. “Please listen to me.”

  “I know Tristan…I know.” She broke down into a sob. “I want to hold her. Just once.”

  Tristan hesitated. In her state of mind, she would not be able to handle this. But she deserved to see her daughter, to memorize her features before they buried her in the ground.

  He went to the bassinette. He picked up the limp, cold body, so fragile and tiny in his hands. He brought her to the bedside then laid the child in Anna’s arms. At the moment he let go, Anna moaned. Tears flooded her cheeks as she stared down at their baby.

  This was unbearable to watch. Heartbreaking. He could barely stand the agony roaring through his chest as he leaned his temple against Anna’s.

  She lifted her tiny hand with her forefinger then let it drop. The furrow in her brows eased as she lifted her gaze to his. "Take her away.” Her tone was soft and cold.

  He placed the body back in the crib. He turned to Anna who closed her watering eyes. The rose left her face, leaving her pale, colorless. Her hair changed from beautiful blonde strands to straight midnight locks. The open slit on her abdomen clenched together until it bled no more. Whatever light she’d carried for months was now lost to the shadows.

  "Anna.” Tristan went to her side.

  She looked up at him. Her eyes were still as blue as the sky. That gave him hope that she had not yet let her demon win.

  She rose up in the bed. She yawned and stretched as if she’d slumbered for days, forgetting about her devastation. She smiled at Nena who stood at the foot of the bed, face wet and eyes wide in shock.

  “I’m hungry.”

  Tristan caught Nena’s gaze. He sensed the woman’s fear, but nodded in reassurance that she was safe from harm. “I know you dislike preparing our meals,” he said. “But would you be kind enough to fix it one last time?”

  Nena breathed a sigh of relief. She gave a quick nod then turned to the sisters beside her. “Gretchen. Go run Anna a bath while I fix something warm for her to eat. Cornelia. Find fresh clothes for her to change into.”

  “Yes,” they replied in unison. The ladies gave a quick nod and then left the room.

  “I remember everything.” Anna gazed at Tristan as he sat on the bed beside her. “You were protecting me and what we had. I ran away and now look at us.”

  He cupped her face. “We are together. We will get through this.”

  “If I’d just told you about the baby from the beginning.” She whimpered and his heart sank. “But you already resented me. You were under so much stress. I was afraid it’d be too much for you to handle.”

  “I never resented you, Anna. Everything was new to me…to us. As an Elder I was forced to prove myself. I had to come when they called.”

  The loving smile she gave startled him. “Where is my baby? I want to hold her and take her home. We’ll make sure she has a happy life.”

  Tristan lay back beside her on the bed. He pulled her into his arms. As he held her close, he stroked the back of her head. “She is gone, my love,” he whispered, afraid to look her in the eyes, afraid he’d see nothing in them.

  “It’s the Elders fault. It's Ivan’s fault.”

  “The Elders had nothing to do with this. But Ivan—he is indeed the one to blame.” He closed his eyes. “Ivan is…my father.”

  Anna leaned back to look at him. “What?”

  “You and I are more alike than we thought. We are, apparently, part of a higher power.” He closed his eyes and concentrated on dousing the anger festering inside him. “That is why Ivan wanted our child. She is a messiah.” He glanced at the bassinette and his heart sank. “Was.”

  Anna shook her head. “I don’t understand any of this.”

  “I am uncertain if I understand.” He sighed. “I believe Gerard will have answers. We will go to him and confront him. And then I will move heaven and earth to find Ivan and make him pay for what he has done to you.”

  ***

  Anna pressed her cheek against his chest. “To us.”

  Cornelia appeared in the doorway and curtsied like a lady before a dance. “The bath is almost ready. If you’d like to cleanse before supper.”

  “Thank you, Cornelia.” Anna rose from the bed. Though healed on the outside, she felt twisted and torn inside. Her heart ached even as she averted her gaze from the bassinette. She whimpered as she strode toward the open door, and then stopped with a hand to her temple.

  She palmed her belly. Empty. Swollen. The baby wasn’t there. She’d given birth a few hours ago. She gasped. Had she left her alone in the room?

  The baby’s cry had gone silent a moment after she came into this world. She lay dead in the bassinette. Anna hunched over. So many months of excitement, of planning for her arrival, and her baby h
ad died. How would she get through this?

  Tristan scooped her up in his arms. “We will bury our child in the church cemetery tonight,” he said as he carried her down the hall. He took the stairs to the corridor, candlelight lighting his way to the room at the end. He set her down on her feet before the tub.

  “Help me,” she whispered as she turned her back to him. She swiped her hair to the side.

  He grasped the string between his fingers and untied the gown. He slid his hands over her shoulders and down her arms to remove the soiled garment.

  “If only I could go back, to see your belly swell over time.” He pressed his lips to her ear. “I had always dreamt of a wife and child. I never thought it possible, and yet, here you stand before me—”

  “—empty.” She turned around to face him. She grasped his hand and placed it on her swollen abdomen. “Our baby.” Tears fell fast from her eyes. “Oh, Tristan. Our baby is dead.”

  He enveloped her in his arms and held her close. The truth had finally sunk in. Their child was indeed gone, and the people who deserved to die for this had gotten away.

  “I swear on my existence, I will never stop looking for them. When I find them, you and I will make them pay.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Jack leaned back against the wall near the fireplace. As Tristan told his story to Gerard and Madeline, Anna remained silent on the couch beside him. Jack couldn’t take his eyes off her. The poor thing had been through so much. His heart ached. To forget who she was and where she came from was one thing, but to lose her child…

  Jack teared up. Anna put on a front, but he could see devastation in her glittering blue eyes.

  “You knew my mother.” Tristan’s growl brought Jack back to the conversation.

  “Aye, I knew Mira,” Gerard confessed with a grumble and a nervous clearing of his throat. “I admit I was after the same thing Ivan was at first, but I fell in love with her. I do not think Ivan ever loved the woman. He wanted her to be his puppet. To have a daughter to guide into doing his will. But Mira gave him sons.” He shook his head. “I am sorry I kept this from yeh. I figured Ivan would keep his distance. I had no idea he was after Anna or how he even knew she existed. Otherwise I would’ve done something to stop him.”