Blood Awakens

by Jessaca Willis

  “So you did too?”

  “No. I wasn’t given a choice. Two Sanguinatores took mine, thought they could make me bleed for fun, but what they didn’t realize is pain sparks a cubozoa’s power.”

  As Diesel gave his recounting, Sean watched the rest of his team gather the remaining Sanguinatores. Most of the fighting had stopped, aside from a few people who wouldn’t stand down, despite knowing their leader had fallen.

  Once Zane’s people were all lined up, shoulder to shoulder and on their knees, it was time for Sean to make a choice. Continue the reign of power and terror and slaughter them all just for being who they were. Or show them mercy and hope to end the cycle of violence, to set a better example for the people in this new world.

  Sean chose the latter.

  Before his people and the small group of bound Sanguinatores marched back across the dessert to Hope, Sean retrieved the die and dog tag from Zane’s cold corpse.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Santiago

  “Befana, Befana. Call Lochness.” The ulipsi made its usual chime before the screen illuminated with Mara’s flawless reflection behind it.

  Even after everything she’d endured, Santiago found her breathtaking, frustrating willpower aside.

  Mara continued. “Anything to report? There’s concern that the Eagle has been in the wind longer than anticipated. Please send a progress report.” Then she told the message to send.

  Instead of staring the ulipsi down until it received a reply like Santiago wanted her to, like he would’ve done, Mara placed the old mirror back into her pocket as if nothing hinged on the response.

  After Santiago lowered his end of Laurel’s body onto the bed, he squared off with Mara. She didn’t seem to notice his burning gaze, and finally, after his foot had been tapping for what felt like ages, impatience won him out. “Are you going to stand there and pretend that I have any idea what you just said to Sean, or are you going to fill me in?”

  “Hmm,” she started, and already, Santiago didn’t like her tone, snooty and arrogant. “I guess there are benefits to reading the entire manual after all.” Before he could launch into a serious rage about how, at the time, he’d been a little distracted and worried sick about his sister, much like he was now, Mara softened, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. The code phrases are an Awakened Authority precaution, in case a ulipsi within the network is ever compromised.”

  Her decision to back down, along with the intense gaze of her two iris eyes, eased his rage a little. It was unclear if she had backed down due to the fact that she had a spark of hope that she was going to receive information on her family or if she pitied Santiago for now being in a similar predicament to what she’d faced, but she approached him with more tenderness than she ever had before. The way her eyes took him in, as if he were worthy of her compassion and concern, set his chest ablaze.

  “All I said was that I wanted an update on his status. The ‘Eagle’ refers to the leader of the community. I didn’t want to give too much information. Someone might realize our leader isn’t here, or they might discover we are looking for our people.”

  Santiago appreciated the explanation but still felt himself clenching. It was difficult to ignore the fact that Graciela’s name hadn’t been mentioned during that call, and therefore, that meant Mara hadn’t asked about her.

  His frustration must’ve been noticeable because, in an unforeseen flash of excitement, he noticed one of Mara’s hands had fallen to his shoulder. “We will find her. I promise you.”

  “You keep saying that, but that’s not something you know or can promise.”

  Santiago didn’t want to think of what it would feel like to find his sister in any condition other than perfectly healthy, uninjured, and smiling. It was the only version of her he’d ever seen.

  “I know. The worst part is not knowing. But we have the resources here to find her. We won’t give up until we do.”

  They held each other’s gaze, tear-filled and emotionally naked. Santiago didn’t think there had ever been a moment like this before, one where he had felt so connected to someone and in so much pain at the same time. Even with his insert snuggly in his ear, he could feel her heart breaking at the prospect of hope. Where his pain ended and hers began was unknown to him. It all felt like one in the same.

  When she blinked, her tear ducts devoured the forming puddles retreating back inside for safety. It was a side of her he’d only ever seen in visions, and even in those, she never allowed herself to be this vulnerable.

  His chest burned. All of a sudden, all Santiago wanted was to be closer to her. Though he knew he was staring, knew he was leaning in closer by the second, he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

  And to his elation, Mara didn’t either. A quick flick of his lashes and he saw that she too was examining his mouth, a yearning that he’d never seen her direct toward him before. Toward anyone, for that matter.

  Tentatively, he reached a hand up to cup her cheek. It stopped, close enough to feel the fine hairs on her face, to feel the static of life between to the two of them. His heart raced. Everything he’d fought for the past few months had been for Mara, for this moment and chance.

  But then the fluttering stopped. Despite himself, he thought of Graciela. How could he be here with Mara, enjoying such a perfect and dreamlike moment when she was out there, terrified and tormented.

  For all he knew, this could be the very moment she was being killed.

  Grief and guilt withdrew him, and his hand followed.

  He resumed breathing, sensing Mara doing the same, as the two turned away from each other to sit in the thickening silence.

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Mara

  Leave it to a man to finally get what he wanted and then to lose interest…

  Mara rolled her eyes and confessed, inwardly. That wasn’t fair to Santiago and admittedly, she was simply feeling scorned. It had been a long time since she had even considered something intimate with someone, and to face rejection was too painful to accept at the moment, even if she did recognize the terrible timing. But moments only come so often, and yet, when they’d had had theirs, when they were about to share a kiss, he’d backed away.

  It brought up even more painful memories of a past she tried to forget.

  So for now, she decided to continue being offended, rather than feeling foolish. Even though she could admit it was unwarranted and irrational, she couldn’t help herself. This mask was the only defense she had.

  On her command, the diligent construction worker within her rebuilt the wall that she’d grown so accustomed to. She shoved all human emotion aside, back into the box she kept under lock and key, and resumed dutifully, patiently, watching over Laurel. The prospect of the news she’d awaken with was more than enough to keep Mara distracted.

  “Mara.” It was Amal who entered the infirmary, releasing the two of them from the awkward tomb of silence. “I’ve tried contacting Sean and the others on multiple occasions, but no one’s responded. Have you had any luck on your end?”

  Mara peeked at the mirror still resting on the bedside table, though it seemed more like a courtesy since she knew the answer to that question hadn’t changed. “Unfortunately, no. I haven’t heard anything from him since he left.”

  Amal hung her head and whispered, “I’m beginning to assume the worst.”

  “There’s nothing to worry about. Sean took our best trained people.” Well, almost all of them. Not that Mara had a big ego, but she worried how the group would fair without her skill and instruction. Not to mention, they’d also left behind Trey, their most adept roider. Amal’s doubt was beginning to become contagious, though Mara wouldn’t let it be known. “Even if you only count the Waves, we outnumber them. Not to mention, Sean had a plan, a good one.”

  Amal didn’t relent. “I don’t like putting all my faith into one plan.”

  That was something they could agree on. As sound as the plan seemed, it was also largely based o
n a hunch. It’s not as if they’d had time to test if an insert-stifled attack was a promising strategy. The closest they’d ever came to that is Mara reiterating time and time again that, as an Awakened, you can’t always rely on ability alone.

  Just then, the woman on the bed stirred. Mara leapt to Laurel’s bedside, only to determine the woman was merely twitching in her sleep. The short burst of energy she’d had faded in a flash, exhaustion seeming to nestle itself effortlessly next to disappointment.

  Mara turned back to Amal. “Don’t put your faith in one plan then. You’re the Vice—acting Head Sentient,” she corrected. “Allora, do whatever you think is in the best interest of our people.”

  This was a call to action that Mara didn’t give lightly. The three of them together, Sean, Amal, and Mara, ruled in a way that balanced each other out. However, without Sean in the mix, there was no denying that leaving decisions such as these to Amal made Mara a little uneasy.

  Amal stood for a second, before declaring, “You’re right. And I will.” Then she turned on her heels and headed for the door.

  Mara found herself at the edge of Laurel’s bed. “Well? What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to call the Awakened Authority. They might be able to assist us.”

  Of all the plans, that one was the least promising. Mara had to pretend like she was checking Laurel’s vitals, to avoid Amal seeing the look of regret on her face. The plan she was proposing wouldn’t mean anything to the people who were out there risking their lives, not immediately anyways.

  Santiago bristled, apparently deducing the same. “It’ll take them weeks to send someone here. We need to send another group after Sean, now.”

  Amal shifted onto one hip and crossed her arms and glared at Santiago so intensely, it was amazing he didn’t burst into dust.

  Mara stepped between them. The two women shared a look, then Mara waved her hand, an indication that she had everything under control. The message received, Amal walked out of the infirmary, leaving Mara alone with Santiago.

  A look of betrayal flooded Santiago. “You can’t be serious. Sean said it himself, the Awakened Authority won’t do anything! We have to find my sister! It’s been hours already!”

  “I know,” she said hushed.

  Santiago fell silent, speechless. His jaw opened and closed but nothing came out.

  “There’s not many of us left who would be useful in a fight if it comes to that—and I think it will. But Trey and I, we can go. We should’ve gone to begin with.” Mara looked back at Laurel and made a silent wish that the woman wouldn’t awaken until her return.

  When she looked back up, Santiago was almost purple. “And what about me? You can’t make me stay here. I’m going with you!”

  Mara analyzed him for a moment and realized Santiago had likely been an empath well before the Awakening. He was controlled by his emotions. They ruled his every decision. Having someone like that on a mission to rescue their own sister was suicide. He would put himself and everyone else at risk.

  But family was family. If anyone tried to stand between Mara and her family, they’d rue the day.

  “I think it is a mistake, but it is your decision to make. Not mine.”

  Santiago scoffed and began walking toward the door.

  As he left, she permitted herself one final glance to Amal and said to no one, “All right, let’s go find Trey then.”

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Graciela

  Despite the healing Sean performed on her wounds, Graciela could still feel the knife twisting in her stomach. The blade felt like molten lava against her insides, and the deeper it plunged, the deeper she fell into the memory. The nightmare. Death, it almost had her. She’d expected to become bodyless again, to rise over herself and watch the world continue to unfold around her, without her. Only nothing happened. Not like it had when she’d left Fintan’s body. Everything had just gone…dark.

  “Thank the Mothers,” Carson wheezed. His voice brought Graciela back to the present moment, away from the tomb that had become her mind. “I almost didn’t think we’d make it.”

  Graciela wasn’t sure he meant for anyone to hear him. “Me too.”

  As they shambled through the south gate, Amal greeted them with wide-eyed relief. “You made it! Everyone’s been in a frenzy since your absence.” She looked specifically to Sean when she added curtly, “Don’t you check your ulipsi?”

  Sean lowered his head, hand to the back of his neck. “It might still be in my room.”

  After a brief shaking of her head, Amal returned to them both with a dutiful nod. “Well, I’m happy to see you all. And you, Graciela. Welcome back!”

  Graciela bowed her head in gratitude, too exhausted for words.

  Sean responded in kind and dismounted his horse—a wily, cranky thing—and received a sturdy one-armed hug from Trey. They embraced longer than a courteous hug would last, like they genuinely cared for each other, like they were family. It made Graciela miss her own all the more and only amplified the guilt she felt for leaving Santiago the way she had.

  “Have you seen my brother?” she asked, breaking up the reunion.

  “Last I saw him, he was at the infirmary. He woke up after Sean left with the Waves. Mara wouldn’t let him chase after the group, but you better believe he wanted to.”

  It was the only news that could melt away the pain.

  “Go on, find your brother. I’m sure he’s been worried sick since he came to. I’ll take care of the horses,” said Sean.

  “You should go with her, Sean,” Amal suggested in a weary tone. “We have a visitor in the infirmary that you’re going to want to meet. She became…incapacitated before we could question her properly, but Mara can fill you in on the details.”

  Sean shot Amal a suspicious look.

  “Don’t look at me. It’s not something I would’ve sanctioned without her insistence. But the stranger is from Italy, and there was no turning her away once Mara realized it.”

  “All right,” Sean said, turning back to Graciela, who was expectantly waiting for him at the corner of the path that would lead them to the infirmary. “I’ll come with you then.”

  Graciela and Sean briskly made their way to the infirmary, both with very different motivations. While Sean’s brain likely reeled with the endless possible outcomes of the foreign newcomer, Graciela solely focused on how to apologize to her brother. In all honesty, when she’d taken the insert from his ear last night, never did she believe she’d have the opportunity to apologize for putting him in the situation she’d put him into.

  Actually, she’d been entirely certain that she wouldn’t get the chance.

  Her thoughts on the subject subsided as they rounded the corner to find Santiago walking out of the infirmary. Her vision blurred immediately.

  At first he didn’t notice her, hyper-focused on some unknown task. But then, a moment of recognition. “Gracie!”

  “Lo siento hermanito.” She muffled a cry into his shoulder as her younger brother enveloped her in a giant bear hug that lifted her off her feet. His lean, muscular arms tightened around her waist, holding her in a death grip that said he would never let her go again.

  “You…” Santiago sobbed. “You’re alive.”

  Never before had Graciela realized how akin relief and guilt could be. She was grateful not to face the wrath she’d feared from her brother at what she’d done to him, but she knew it would come eventually, once his own relief passed.

  “How did you—what happened?”

  She gave a brief retelling of her story, omitting the parts where she nearly died and the moment when she learned she was an Awakened. It left the whole thing fairly bare-boned, but he seemed not to notice.

  Her brother swept her up in another hug, one that made a deep thud on impact. “I’m so glad you’re a… a…”

  Alive, she knew, was the word he couldn’t say.

  When the sweetness of the moment past, Santiago held her back at arm
’s length, and Graciela braced herself for what was to come next.

  “You left.” There was a thin layer of glisten to his eyes, but where astonishment began, it was quickly devoured. Accusation was not shy on his tongue. “You…you forced me to stay behind.” A hand floated to his ear, as if he was reliving the moment just then. “You pulled it out. I passed out because of you and your selfishness!”

  “Selfishness? Santi, I was being the opposite of selfish. I was saving all of you.”

  A roar of laughter. “Oh yeah? How’d that go? How many of us did you save? How many people died going out there to find you?”

  Everything went tight. But not the same tightness found in her brother’s posturing shoulders or clenched jawline. It was the kind of tightness that made it difficult to breath. The kind that felt as if her rib cage had just given to the pressure of immense guilt and dread and folded in on itself.

  Of course, it had been something she considered. If she hadn’t left, no one would’ve gone after her, and a war wouldn’t have broken out. But she had to keep reassuring herself that more would’ve died had it not been for the choice she made.

  “Whoa, Santiago.” Sean’s presence had nearly been forgotten until he stepped forward. The way he said Santiago made it sound more like a curse than a name. “That’s not fair to your sister. If she wouldn’t have sacrificed herself to the Sanguinatores, there’s no telling how many people they would’ve left butchered in the stands.”

  Head bowed, Graciela noticed Santiago roll his eyes, both in submission and disagreement.

  Twice her savior now in the past twenty-four hours, Sean continued with a deep voice, giving a fatherly sense of authority. “True, people died, and that’s a weight we will all carry with us for the rest of our lives.” He pointed his attention to Graciela when he said, “The people we lost tonight though, it’s not anyone’s fault but the Sanguinatores.” And then back to Santiago. “And we made sure they paid.”