Hearts Eclipsed: A Beautiful Nightmare Companion Novel

by L. C. Son

  Rising to my feet, I make my way as close as Damina’s watchful glare will allow. The hurt and anguish written on her face plummet a sense of dread in the pit of my core. Still, I can’t allow her to leave. Not like this.

  “Damina, please let’s talk. Don’t go,” I beg, with one hand on the gate lock bar, preventing her exit. It’s all I can muster.

  Damina gazes at me searching my face for hope but it’s obvious she only sees her betrayer. For the first time in the existence of us, Damina eyes me as though I were an abhorrent stranger. A grim mar of disgust slowly frames her face as she watches me once more through flame-filled eyes. Just then a faint tint of her former glow rises from her body as anger pulls her in at the sight of me.

  I need to find a way to comfort her but I’m still not sure what to do. Mostly, I just don’t want her to leave me. Lightly placing my fingers around her wrist, I grimace as her heat stings my fingertips. But I don’t care. I need her to stay. My hands are only on her for a millisecond before she shoves me with a brute force I thought her petite frame incapable of producing.

  Once more my wolf rises to the occasion as I dig my feet in the ground, dragging both cobblestone and dirt in the hollowed path beneath me. I feel my muscles retract and pulsate with the alpha within desiring its release, but I stifle my rage. Gregory echoes in kind, his lycanthropy aching to take over, but he follows suit only allowing a low snarl to ripple through his chest.

  Still, Damina is not moved. She cares not for my foreboding friend nor my callous attempts of regaining the grace of her presence. Not even Dacari can assuage Damina’s rage as she almost rips into Dacari for merely touching her. I watch in awe as she stiffens her stance, squaring her shoulders daring Gregory to react. One low rumble from me and Gregory steps back as I nod for him to step aside.

  Although I don’t want her to go, it’s obvious she has no desire to stay.

  Why would she?

  Just as I begin to accept my fate and let her go, for tonight, a shuddering cry erupts from her that breaks through the quietness of night like a bolt of lightning. I watch in horror as my bride-to-be topples to the ground of the front yard. She clinches her hands into the grassy carpet sobbing and screaming in grief. Shawn races to her side, after giving Gregory a nodded warning and asks Dacari’s permission to get Damina to the car.

  Cries score through me as well as the weight of the pain I’ve caused her knots the core of my soul into my gut. I care not who sees me cry. What care I that my pack now have their first reveal of my vulnerability.

  Tonight, I’m not an alpha. I hardly feel like a man. A man loves and covers his woman. A man protects what he loves because he loves to protect. At least that’s what my father taught me as his father taught him. Tonight I am not that man. I am the fool who had a blind eye to the troubles brewing beneath the surface. I am the idiot who didn’t follow his own inclination, but rather took the advisement of others and kept the truth from my beloved.

  How could I be so foolish? If I could do it all over again, I would do it different. I should have done it different. But I didn’t. I’ve failed her. I’ve failed us.

  Now, whatever happens next, I must accept my fate.

  Even if it means rewriting my destiny.

  Dalcour

  There are very few times when disobedience is acceptable. Tonight is one of those times. Although I clearly instructed Cedric to guard the post with Abigail, I was happy when he and his wife showed up at the Abahana estate. Had they delayed their arrival I have no doubt I would have killed Brian. It doesn’t take a genius or Altrinion telepathy to know he had every intent on unleashing his fury on me. Nor does it take a genius to know had he acted on his impulse only one of us would remain standing.

  The odds are not in his favor.

  Not long after their arrival, the remainder of Abigail’s company returns prepared to provide the Guardian’s Defusal Services. Over the last few centuries, the Guard has become adept in cleaning up behind supernatural messes such as these. We even have Tolu and Baron who oversee our faux PR team in New Orleans. Whether the task requires compelling humans to forget what they have seen or making a scene such as this look like a random gas explosion, Tolu and Baron are as crafty as they come.

  While I’m always impressed to see the Guard come to our aid, tonight I especially marvel at the caring manner at which they handle the victims. At the very least, I hope it would bring some comfort to Brian that those he considers his family will be given the dignity of both proper treatments and burial. Though, I can tell there is little hope in reining in his anger.

  “Lord Marchand,” Cedric begins, tapping my shoulder lightly. “We should get you back to the mansion. No need for you to be here when the press arrives.”

  “What of the child?” I ask curiously of the preemie’s whereabouts.

  “Abigail will take him to the Infantia Sacras Cripta at the edge of the Hall of Isis maze. She’s spoken with Brian, and he is well with the arrangements, my lord,” Cedric replies.

  “Was the child of lineage?”

  “Brian believes so according to Abigail, but he isn’t entirely sure. The mother was young, and the father not identified.”

  “It’s no matter. Well done,” I answer in a grim tone. The thought of a child getting caught in the crossfire of Decaux’s nonsense sickens me. In any case, the Sacred Child Crypt is a fitting place for the baby. Although normally used for supernatural children who die prematurely, this certainly fits the situation. Since supernaturals caused his death, we should at least take responsibility for it.

  “Abigail, inform the others I’m escorting Lord Marchand back to the mansion. Have Lux accompany you on your way back and keep your eyes peeled,” Cedric says. Abigail acknowledges with a brief nod and opens her mouth to respond when Brian jumps in front of her.

  “What? Not willing to get your hands a little dirty after all the trouble your family has caused? Or is it more fitting for others to do your work for you? Ha! And they call you lord—”

  “Watch your tongue!” Cedric jumps to my defense. Abigail hands the swaddled infant to one of the Guards in her company and stands guardedly at her husband’s side.

  “Why should I? What has he ever done to be esteemed among any of you? And you Cedric—you are an embarrassment to any drop of canine essence to ever run through your veins! Now you’re just another viper!” Seething snarls and hissing sounds erupt within the courtyard and the dutiful deeds of the Guards come to a screeching halt as each of them eye Brian with contempt. Though we’ve added several wolves to the Guard as of late, tonight only Altrinion-Vampires and former Scourge Vampires stand among the company.

  Brian is literally barking up the wrong tree.

  “Stop it, Brian! Your issue is with me. Leave it there!” I contend.

  “As you wish!” Brian barks back.

  “Look, I know these people are your family and I can understand how this hurts you but—”

  “But what? The fact remains that every one of these dead bodies can be laid at your feet. You claim to be a leader yet and still you fail to do what is necessary to ensure massacres such as this cease.”

  “What would you have me do? We are all doing what we can to maintain balance in the supernatural world!”

  “Kill Decaux!” With Brian’s declaration, my instincts straddle between both ending him swiftly and giving him a Mercy Blade myself to use against my wretched brother. I stand frozen and gaze at the watchful faces of those in the courtyard. Most likely agree with his sentiment but are too fearful to speak. Only a handful like Cedric understand that the situation is far more complex than merely taking my brother’s life.

  “Lord Marchand—as you call yourself,” Brian resumes, “you know as well as anyone here that Decaux is the root and cause for such turmoil. Sure rogue Skull and Scourge exist, but he is putting together an army whose sole purpose is annihilation!
”

  “Don’t you think I know that?” I lash back, lunging at Brian with only Cedric’s arm at my chest to hold me back. “Listen to me and hear me well, you stand here among my Guard in the city I call my home and dare hurl insults at me? Don’t you dare forget that if it were not for me Abahana wouldn’t have had the very land where your feet now rest to call his home. I and I alone have stood countless times against my brother not just for my own grievances but for the good of you all.”

  “For our good? Please tell me how we benefit from your good! Guardians globe-wide have increased their numbers due to the steady influx of Scourge and Skull. And the reality is you’re not the one out here sacrificing life and limb—no you’re held up in your mansion. The truth is you are no better than Decaux. You’re just a necessary evil!”

  “Brian! Mind your words!” Dranoel says now appearing at the entryway of the courtyard. I have no idea how long he’s been here, but he clearly disapproves of Brian’s charges against me.

  “It’s quite all right Dranoel. Let him think whatever he will. Brian, I don’t need you to understand the sacrifices I’ve made; which have ultimately given you the freedom to even stand here with your self-righteous indignation before me now. But you were right with one thing. I am the necessary evil and it would serve you well to never forget it!”

  Brian charges me, baring his canines with his eyes a bright golden hue and sweat beading across his brow. He swings his right arm, but my movements are too swift, and I duck under his arm and tug his leg, sending him to the ground. Standing over him, I dig my feet into his chest and use my other to hold the heel of my boot at his neck. He grimaces, squirming beneath me but is unable to free himself.

  Dranoel comes forward, his arms up pleading with me not to end Brian.

  But my rage is kindled.

  “Is there anyone else here who shares the sentiment of this mongrel at my feet?” I shout while scanning the room for any who’d seek to defy me. Most look away, hopeful not to catch my eye while others bow their heads in full submission. “Is there no one else? Let me be clear to all under the sound of my voice—I have killed others for far less than the actions of this mutt. I will not hesitate to do so now. So this is your chance. Now is your one opportunity to speak up.”

  “My lord, please he’s just grieving,” Dranoel says approaching me slowly, his eyes filled with terror as he casts watchful glances down at Brian, cautioning him to surrender. I know if I press my heel any deeper into Brian’s throat, I will kill him. It’s no more than he deserves. “Please, my lord,” Dranoel begs once more.

  Cedric holds his position stiff at my side, keeping his watch of any others with similar intentions. I gaze down at Brian, and he grimaces beneath my boot and am slightly impressed he hasn’t given in so easily. As I look at him, thoughts of Jerrica fill my mind and it becomes clear I have let this go on long enough.

  “Well then, if there are no takers let us be done with the matter!” I shout. I push my foot into Brian’s sternum before kicking him over on his side as I saunter into the middle of the courtyard. Dranoel and his daughter Sonja are at Brian’s side in an instant while Cedric remains guarded at my back. “Lest my claims of nobility and civility cloud your view of me, let tonight be a lesson to you all. You do have cause to fear me—your necessary evil. So I urge you, choose now the vice for which you stand. Whether it be Decaux, Scourge, Skull, human or me—the evils for which you contend and guard against are always present among you. Still, I promise you this. I will fight for the balance and harmony that we once shared in this earth long ago. And if you stand with me there is nothing we can’t do to rebuild this world for the better. But, if you stand against me, not even the light of the sun will protect you from my retribution—that is a promise.”

  Chapter 6

  Jackson

  “Does this look like love to you?” Those six words invade my very being, piercing my soul and heart in one blow. Sure, Damina had more to say about my disloyalty and betrayal which also rage my thoughts, but it’s that phrase—that question to which I must give an account.

  How I wanted to pick her up from the ground and hold her in my arms! I wanted to console and comfort her, but I knew to her, my touch was the most unwanted thing in the world. To see her so filled with sorrow and anguish is hard to bear. But knowing it was my own doing is where my struggle remains.

  I almost wished Gregory hadn’t stopped the cellphone Damina hurled at me from hitting my face. At least I would have felt some connection to her. Just having the last thing she touched—touch me would have comforted my disconsolate heart. Now, I have nothing.

  Nothing about tonight looked like love. Instead, it most resembled torment, heartache, and pain. I have given her every reason to revile and hate me. In all my worrying about Allyson and Sophie’s concern of my brother, it stands to reason I am my own reckoning. I have authored my own heart’s destruction.

  I could blame Damina’s family for making me vow to keep her lineage a secret; thus binding my own. I could even fault my family and pack for how we’ve led a life of secrecy in the world of supernaturals. Still, I know it all pales in comparison to the truth. Of my own volition, I kept hidden the things that should’ve been shared. I made a conscious choice to deceive her.

  How else did I expect this to end?

  “Just a few more to go, Jackie,” Sophie says softly as she tweezes hunks of glass from my feet. Though I feel her heaving the fragments out and puncturing my flesh with each tear, none of it hurts more than recounting the grief-worn look on Damina’s beautiful face. Knowing I am the cause is more painful than the sting of the glass etched under my skin.

  “I’ve tried calling Delia, but she hasn’t answered,” Sophie adds. She stops for a moment and holds my left foot steady on her knee and stares back at me likely awaiting a response. But I am mute. I haven’t said a word since Dacari sped Damina away in her Jeep. I can’t help recounting the events of tonight in my mind, over and over.

  “I can only imagine the vile things Dacari must be telling Delia—filling her mind with all manner of untruth,” Sophie continues as she tosses a large bloody shard from my foot into a glass bowl.

  “Truth, Sophie. It’s all truth,” I reply just above a whisper.

  “How can you say that, Jackie? Nothing about tonight is the truth!”

  “How can I say that? Let’s be serious here, Sophie,” I shout jumping up from my seat. I’ve grown tired of sitting here as Sophie plays nursemaid. “I’ve had five years to tell her the truth—five years, Sophie! Yet in one night those years have been shredded to nothingness! All because I didn’t tell her the truth. What else do we expect Dacari to tell her mother? Delia will not be happy that we’ve let it come to such a pass.”

  “Well, Delia has her own part to answer in all of this Jackson! We did not set Damina’s course alone!”

  “There is no we, Sophie. There is only me and Damina. But I allowed the we to play the bigger part and that is all on me. The only one who chartered Damina’s course to its undoing tonight is me. So no, my dear aunt, there is no we—only me.”

  Sophie’s bleak and grim expression fills the space between us. I know she wants to counter my claims, but she remains silent, observing me through tear-filled eyes.

  Gregory bursts into the room, breaking the awkward silence brewing between Sophie and me. He gazes back and forth at us as if he’s trying to decide whether to engage. Thankfully, he doesn’t let our dissonance distract him.

  “Hey, Jack! We’ve got a ping on Dacari’s Jeep. She was at Damina’s place for a while and then headed home. She showed up alone, and then she and Delia rushed back out of the house. Shawn went to Delia’s place and their housekeeper told him Dacari and Delia left out with the dog on an emergency.”

  “Oh, I guess that explains why she hasn’t called me back,” Sophie’s tone is curt. I dart a glance of warning at her, but her stubbo
rn exterior remains.

  I don’t have time to deal with Sophie tonight.

  “We have every reason to think Damina is at her place—or at least she was over an hour ago.”

  “Thanks, Gregory. Let’s go!” I reply.

  “Jackson! I haven’t finished removing the remaining shards! You can’t go out there like that!” Sophie protests.

  “She’s right, Jack-O. I mean, but you could just wolf out and heal. You’d push the glass right through,” Gregory suggests.

  “I don’t have time for phasing right now. I need to do this as a man, not a wolf. Have someone bring me a few pairs of socks and my Nike flops. They’ll have to do until I can get myself cleaned up.”

  We’re in the car in a beat and I can still hear my aunt calling my name from my front door. I know she’s only worried about me. She has every right to be. Even with two pair of thick socks on both feet, tinges of blood still stain the rim of my heel. Sure, I could’ve taken Gregory’s advice, but I don’t trust my wolf right now.

  He’s probably just as pissed at me as Damina for my actions.

  I can’t face him right now. But I know I’ll have to soon.

  As Gregory speeds through the city like a banshee, I inwardly cringe at the tickets we’re likely tallying from the speed cameras. There’s truly no way to avoid them since there are cameras on almost every corner. I’m sure I can reach out to a few of my contacts to make enough of them go away, but it’s still not the most pressing issue on my mind.

  Damina is all I can think about, and we can’t get to her place fast enough.

  Every thought I have is of her. And now with her playlist blaring through my car’s Bluetooth, I have no choice but to become enraptured in everything that is my beautiful lady. Tightening my hold of her phone in my hands is all I can do to feel her with me.