The Keeping Place (Book Six in the Witch Hunter Saga)

by Nicole R. Taylor

  “Get up, for goodness sake,” she said, rolling her eyes. “No one is dying today.” When he didn’t move, she declared, “Don’t make me get down there because I’m so not getting up on my own. I want to keep some dignity, you know, and rolling around like a bloody beached whale won’t help.”

  “Isobel—”

  “Shut up,” she hissed at Nye, who took a step back as she tugged at Tristan’s shoulder. “How about you go inside for a change? I’m not one of your royal subjects, your highness.”

  Nye scowled and turned away, seeming to know what was good for him. Once he’d gone, she threaded her arm through the knight’s as he finally stood.

  “There. Isn’t that better?” she declared.

  Tristan nodded, looking sheepish. “Isobel—”

  “Shush, he’ll come around,” she said kindly as she allowed him to escort her into the house. “It’s been a rough couple of weeks.” She waved her hand toward the garden behind them. “All of that won’t help anyone.”

  They found themselves in the sitting room, and she sank onto the sofa, the soft fabric feeling heavenly against her aching limbs. Tristan sat beside her, his gaze fixed on her enormous stomach. Talk about the elephant in the room.

  “It seems I have missed a great deal,” he said, warily. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

  “A girl,” she said proudly, the emotion startling her. She supposed he was rather used to the idea now.

  “Her heart is strong,” he commented.

  “You can hear it?”

  He nodded. “It’s a strange thing to see after being away for such a short amount of time. I’m beginnin’ to wonder if more time has passed and I’ve…”

  “No,” she said firmly. “It’s only been a week since I caught the baby plague.” When the knight raised his eyebrows, she added, “That line is courtesy of Reed, bless him.”

  “He’s still here?”

  She nodded. “Hasn’t left. He’s been helping Gabby with her wraith research.”

  “Good,” he said, sounding pleased. “Then how did this happen? Would you tell me?”

  Taking a deep breath, she explained the comings and goings of the last two weeks, about the curse, the Triskele, what Gabby had found out about the true purpose of the ritual, and everything that had happened since she’d gotten knocked up. Finally, she explained the little she understood about what her little girl was going to become. Guided by light or dark…the immortal witch.

  “So it could be any day now,” Tristan mused, focusing on the one piece of the puzzle she’d been trying to avoid. The actual birthing part. “Now I understand why Nye was so…protective. I can’t imagine him as a father. It took enough convincin’ for him to face his feelin’s about you.”

  “I can,” she whispered, an image of Nye and his little girl coming to mind. “I have faith. I have to.”

  Silence stretched between them as they thought over everything they’d confided. Tristan’s need to protect his mismatched family had won out over his shame, so he’d returned, and she was glad he had. Hoping some of her faith would rub off on the knight, she took his hand.

  After a moment, Isobel asked, “Did you tell Nye the truth? Were you really with Aya?”

  Tristan nodded. “She knows me better than I know myself,” he explained. “And with her abilities, she was able to look into my mind and see if the compulsion was truly gone. I trust Gabby, I do, but I had to be sure.” He glanced away in an attempt to hide the shame flooding his features and let go of her hand. “What I did…it…”

  “You don’t have to explain yourself,” she said when he couldn’t continue. “I don’t blame you, and neither does Gabby. You needed time to come to terms with it yourself. I understand.”

  “If I had known Eleanor was renewin’ her assault so soon, I would never have left.” He glanced at the Triskele pendant hanging around her neck. “I would never…”

  “My curse came back,” she said, her fingers idly caressing the jewel. “But it had nothing to do with your compulsion. Nothing at all. Gabby said they were two entirely different spells. A curse can’t be removed, like ever. This stops it from progressing.” She sighed. “It would’ve been handy to have the other week, don’t you think?”

  Tristan smiled. “Now who’s focusin’ on what ifs?”

  Her lips curved upward, and she laughed. “You have a point.” Then she got serious, wondering if he’d spoken to the infamous Witch Hunter about their current situation. If anyone knew something, then she had to, right? “Did you happen to ask Aya about the Unhallowed?”

  “Yes.” He shook his head, and her heart sank. “She didn’t know much. To her, wraiths were only a secondhand story. She’d never encountered them, let alone fought one. She tracked dark witches and dealt with them long before it became an issue. I suppose it could be the reason they no longer exist apart from the Unhallowed.”

  Isobel wasn’t comforted. “So after all of this, we still have nothing…”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” he said in an attempt to reassure her. “She said wraiths were a result of witches turning to dark magic. That delvin’ too deep caused some kind of change in their souls. Perhaps it might mean somethin’ to Gabby.”

  “Anyway,” she said, attempting to lighten the mood. “She’ll be glad to see you when she gets back.”

  “Gets back?” the knight asked. “Where is she?”

  “Shopping for the baby, though I don’t think she’s coming back with nappies and little pink onesies.” Her stomach squirmed, and she winced as she felt the baby plant her foot in for yet another kick. This time, it was higher, signaling she’d flipped and was getting ready to make her grand entrance.

  “Are you okay?” the knight asked, reacting to her tensing.

  “Yeah, she’s just kicking like a ninja. Here…” She grasped the vampire’s hands and placed them on her stomach. “Feel that.”

  The baby kicked again as if she sensed what was happening out in the world, and Tristan’s eyes widened.

  “I would never do anythin’ to harm you, Isobel,” he said, glancing at her. “Or the little one. You have to forgive me for leavin’. I—”

  “You’re a part of this, Tristan,” she interrupted him. “You would never knowingly betray us. There is nothing to forgive. Nothing.”

  “Truly?”

  “I want you to be here. I want you to be a part of this baby’s life. She needs good people around to guide her to the light. She is the most important little girl there’ll ever be if you can believe it. Eleanor’s coming to take her…” She choked as her throat tightened, a sudden rush of tears threatening to spill. “She’s going to try to take her from me.”

  Tristan glanced at her stomach as the baby kicked again, and something she couldn’t quite catch passed over his features.

  “I’ll be here,” he murmured, his brow creasing. “I pledge my life to you and your little one, Isobel. I am yours to command.”

  Chapter 14

  Alex stared down at his sleeping sister and smiled.

  When Izzy had told him she was in love with Nye—a vampire—he’d lost the plot. When he’d sacrificed himself over her to become a founder, he’d vowed to protect his family over the generations, using his immortality for good. He’d reacted badly to her and Nye, not because of the fact he was a vampire but because he’d take her future. Children, the whole white picket fence thing. Looking at her now, he wondered if he was more annoyed at himself than at anything the spy could do to put her in jeopardy.

  In hindsight, he probably should’ve been pissed she was hooking up with a vampire more than anything else. He knew exactly what they were capable of. He was still new and had trouble remembering his own strength half the time. Paired with his unbelievable thirst for blood and all the accidental compulsions, he was having a hard time.

  But seeing his sister pregnant gave him hope she’d be all right. That they’d have something to fight for after all this was over. Whoever or whatever the little girl turned out
to be, he’d be there just as he’d promised.

  Isobel began to stir, and her eyes fluttered open. He smiled down at her again, his heart swelling. She’d be a good mom.

  “Hey,” she said, wiggling into a seated position. “How long have you been there?”

  “Not long.”

  “Sorry, I’ve been extra sleepy the last day.” She rubbed her eyes and scooted off the edge of the bed, her feet hitting the floor.

  Gently grasping her arm, Alex helped her to stand. “Are you okay, though? Anything to worry about?”

  “If you’re asking if the curse is making a comeback, then no. It’s the bun in my oven.” She smiled and pointed toward the bathroom. “Can you help me? I need to…” She paused, her face beginning to drain of all color. “Oh…”

  “Izzy?”

  Her free hand grasped her stomach. “Either I have no bladder control left or my water just broke.”

  Alex began to panic. “You had better sit back down.”

  Isobel practically fell back onto the bed and cried out, her hands clutching the sheets. “Oh, shit,” she exclaimed. “Ohhhhh, shit!”

  “Izzy?” he asked frantically, not knowing what to do.

  “Contraction,” she hissed through her teeth. “It’s gotta be baby time.”

  “Gabby!” Alex roared, entering full panic mode. He knew nothing about babies, let alone all the gross bits. There was always a cut scene in movies and TV shows, so how the hell was he supposed to know what to do?

  A moment later, thundering footsteps powered down the hall, and the witch appeared in the doorway.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, crossing the room. Her eyes widened at the sight of Izzy, and she placed her palm on her forehead, then on her stomach.

  “Isobel?” Nye appeared out of thin air, his face looking exactly how Alex felt. Panicked.

  “The baby’s coming,” Gabby confirmed.

  “Now?” Nye asked, wringing his hands together.

  “It could be hours and hours yet,” Gabby replied. “Or considering the pregnancy has been barely nine days, it could be much quicker.”

  “Great,” Alex said, glaring at Nye. “Just what we need on top of everything else. An express lane.”

  “I’ve been waiting for the lecture,” Nye said, rolling his eyes.

  “No lecture,” he shot back. “What’s done is done.”

  “I’ll say,” Isobel declared. “I can’t stand to hear your fighting, not when I’m about to shove a baby out of my vagina.”

  “Whoa!” Alex exclaimed, covering his eyes. “Too much information!”

  She slapped him on the arm. “Smartass.” Then her smile faded as another contraction came.

  Alex glanced around the room, his smile fading when he saw the matching looks on Nye and Gabby’s faces. They were worried.

  “Guys?” he asked softly, not wanting to alarm his sister.

  Gabby nodded once, and Nye rounded the bed, taking the free side by Isobel. Somehow, Eleanor would know when the baby was coming and would make a kidnapping attempt. What was it that the witch had explained to him? To turn to the light and shape her future, the baby had to bond with her parents—her real parents.

  “She’s coming, isn’t she?” Isobel asked, not missing a beat. “She’s coming to take my baby before I can even see her. She’s going to take her and use her as a…thing.”

  “We won’t let her,” Nye said, clutching her hand. “We’ll stop her before she even lays eyes on you. I’ll tear her apart with my bare hands if I have to. She will not get into this house.”

  “Stay here with her,” Gabby said to the spy. “We’ll handle Eleanor.”

  “You’re leaving me?” Isobel exclaimed, crying out as another contraction tore through her stomach.

  “You’ll be fine with Nye,” the witch replied. “You have to be. Magic needs to fight magic.”

  “But—”

  “You’ll be fine,” Alex interrupted her. “If anything happens—which it won’t—he’ll be able to heal you.”

  “Tell Tristan to call the Six,” Nye barked. “Get as many hands here as they can. We’ll need everything we’ve got to fend her off.” Turning to Isobel, he placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll be a minute, love. I’ll be right back, and then we’ll do this together.”

  She nodded, the labor already beginning to take its toll on her body. It was going to happen fast, and he hoped Nye had the guts to stand by her until the end.

  The group filtered out of the room, leaving her in peace, and Alex lingered, making sure his sister was settled before he joined the others.

  “Alex,” Isobel said, grasping his hand. “If they fight her off this time…what happens when she comes back? Eleanor won’t stop until she has what she wants.” Her hands curled into the sheets as yet another contraction twisted her stomach.

  “Then we’ll fight her again,” he replied. “And again and again until we find a way to get rid of her for good.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her brow spotted with sweat. “I never meant for things to—”

  “Don’t even say it, Iz. No regrets, okay?”

  She nodded and moaned, screwing her eyes shut. “You know what sucks about giving birth to a magical baby?”

  “What?”

  “No hospital. That’s where they keep the painkillers, you know.”

  Gabby stood on the back patio, the last rays of sunlight fading over the horizon.

  All was quiet apart from the normal sounds of the city. Cars whooshed by on the street outside, a dog barked a few houses down, a door slammed, music filtered up the hill from the heath. Human life was going on even as a magical battle was about to be waged. Thankfully, none of them would hear a thing that happened within the manor grounds. She’d seen to that.

  Glancing over the assembled army of vampires, she studied each one, grimacing at some of the hardened faces. Nye really knew some thuggish vampires, having made the best of the bunch for the new incarnation of the Six. They were loyal to the spy, and in turn, they were loyal to her. Thankfully, the presence of Isobel and the baby were kept secret, and they believed they were fighting for the well-being of the London vampires—which was true. A few omissions had been made for the good of everyone.

  She saw Reed standing with Tristan—father and son—and she raised her eyebrows at the younger vampire. He caught her gaze and shook his head. He hadn’t told him yet, and now wasn’t really the time for a family reunion, but she could see the hope hovering around him.

  When she’d heard the knight had returned, she’d been relieved, to say the least. Then Isobel had explained he’d offered his life to Nye—who’d almost taken it—but had reconsidered at the last minute. Vampires criticized witches for their weird and wonderful ways, but theirs? Man, they were crazy.

  “We form a tight web around Eleanor,” Tristan was saying. “When she appears, we force her back. Gabby will use her power to shield us as best as she can.”

  “How are we meant to fight a wraith?” one of the vampires asked. “I thought you killed them all already.”

  “One slipped away,” Gabby said, voicing the suspicions she’d had all this time. That the night of the ritual, she’d almost overwhelmed them to the point she could have let them slip into oblivion, but the others had sacrificed their power so that Eleanor could go on.

  The theory she’d been mulling over since Isobel’s pregnancy had come to light was to drain the wraith’s battery to zero, and only then would the Unhallowed be truly gone from the land of the living. But a theory wasn’t solid, and they couldn’t bank on it, not yet. Besides, Gabby didn’t have enough power to face a fully powered-up wraith and win. Her other theory was to do with the baby, and she didn’t like it at all. No, that theory would make her become exactly like Eleanor despite all the good intentions in the world.

  “We’re here to buy time,” Tristan said. “Protect and repel. Nothin’ more. Gabby will do what she can. Those are Nye’s orders.”

  “
Where is Nye?” another vampire said. “Why isn’t he here fighting? Regulus would have stood with us.”

  “Nye is protecting something far more precious than your sorry ass,” Alex said. “You want a founder to back you up when you piss your pants? Well, you got one.”

  Gabby snorted at the irony. Alex defending Nye? Miracles did happen.

  The vampire standing next to the founder balked. “You’re…”

  He scowled at the man, who was at least three times the size of him. “The one and only.”

  Alex had come a long way from the days of his nerdy, gangly youth, that was for sure.

  The air began to ping with an electrical charge, and Gabby straightened up, pointing to the far end of the yard. “The wards have sounded,” she cried. “Look alive, she’s here.”

  A dark mist began to pool at the far corner of the grounds, the small sliver of moon hardly lighting much at all. The longer Gabby stared at it, the more she realized it was pulling everything into it like a black hole. Not even the bright lights of the manor could penetrate the growing darkness.

  Her heart grew heavy as she realized what she’d faced at the ritual was nothing compared to the power Eleanor had gathered since. This might be the end of the line.

  A human form materialized through the vapor, and the wraith appeared. Eleanor stood at the bottom of the garden, a sole figure among the greenery. Her hair was loose, her wild curls fluttering in the breeze, and her waifish form made her seem weaker than she was. This tiny, sweet-looking woman was much more than she seemed on the surface. None of them could underestimate her if they wanted to get out of this alive.

  Gabby peered at her, squinting as Eleanor’s form flickered slightly, shimmering from solid into the mass of cloud and lightning she’d seen the night of the ritual. Her wraith form was coming out to play, being held just below the surface ready to strike like a snake.

  “You have something of mine,” she said, staring straight at Gabby. “I’ve come to collect.”