by Eva Brandt
Valerian grabbed the other scavenger, and together, we started to make our way back the way we’d come. By the time we reached the surface, my mind had drifted to Lucienne and Declan again. I kept wondering what I was supposed to do about them.
This was just... not right. I believed in the Alarian creed, but at the same time, I didn’t want Declan to die. Why did things have to be this way? Why hadn’t we been able to find a solution?
Because there isn’t one, I reminded myself. The Banished were fools for even trying. Scavengers and Pures had the most practical approaches. As a member of our species, you could either embrace your curse and take full advantage of it or reject the enchantment with every single ounce of your being and protect the innocent at all costs. The people who still clung to the hope that there might be a middle ground were only fooling themselves.
Then again, perhaps I had been fooling myself too, at least a little, because not long after we reached the surface and reunited with the rest of the enforcers, Valerian received a call. He took it away from the rest of us, and I couldn’t hear any part of the conversation. However, just by looking at him, I could tell that the caller had to be someone from the royal family, most likely Prince Darius. Even Alarians had ingrained patterns of behavior, and the automatic deference they granted to their leaders was easy to spot if one was familiar enough with their mannerisms.
My earlier dread and uncertainty returned with a vengeance, but I did my best to not focus on it and instead threw myself into providing support for the team of enforcers who were still on clean-up duty. It was a little easier said than done. If the truth behind what had happened at the club had already come out, Declan would be dead within days, and so would I. The Pures would scan my mind for the truth, and once they realized what I’d done, it would be all over.
It didn’t take long for my worst fears to be confirmed. The call itself was brief, and as soon as Valerian hung up, he made his way back to my side.
“Guardian Malachai Braun, you are hereby under arrest for suspicion of complicity in breaking the Soulmate Protection Dictate. Please surrender your weapons and come quietly. You will be taken into custody and a trial will be held at the Palasion, where you will be allowed to make your case and explain your actions.”
Everyone turned to stare at us. Even the enforcers looked a little surprised. I had been loyal to our cause for decades, so my sudden change of heart wasn’t something anyone would have expected.
I ignored them and complied with the request I had seen coming ever since the beginning of this mission. “Yes, My Lord,” I replied, already retrieving my dagger and gun and offering them to Valerian.
Valerian accepted my weapons and snapped his fingers. Within seconds, another enforcer had shown up and bound my wrists in the same shackles we’d placed on the scavengers we had captured. Valerian escorted me to the vehicle that now held the prisoners and I climbed in the back without protest. “We’re to return to the Palasion at once,” he told the enforcer who had been standing guard. “The rest of you finish the operation here while I report to His Highness.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
Valerian climbed into the truck after me and closed the doors. The prince must’ve given him specific instructions on how I was to be handled if he had decided to keep an eye on me himself. I couldn’t say the knowledge encouraged me in any way.
As Valerian took a seat next to me, the truck started, and we were left sitting there in awkward silence. I would have preferred the uncomfortable quiet to what happened next. The scavengers were right in front of me, and as soon as they recovered a little from the side-effects of our confrontation, they took note of my presence, as well as my imprisoned state. They wasted no time in starting to taunt me about it.
“Well, well, if it isn’t a fallen guardian,” the same incubus I’d taken captive said. He grinned sharply, his eyes shining with dark, visceral satisfaction. “I didn’t think I’d ever get to see the day. I have to admit that it is a little satisfying.”
“You should’ve joined us when you had the chance,” the second man commented. “You wouldn’t have been in this situation had you not chosen the wrong side.”
The wrong side. What a laugh. The only side I had ever been on was that of my soulmate. In my experience, the Pures had always been the most efficient at protecting the interests and lives of the unfortunate other halves of each Accursed. That was why I had decided to leave my coven and serve Alaria. I might’ve been a second-class citizen for the Pures, but as a guardian, I could help keep humans safe, and I hadn’t cared about anything else.
Would I have done things differently had I met Declan sooner? Probably not. One of the things that had brought us together was our shared belief in the Alarian creed, and despite the price we’d have to pay for our choice, I could not say I had changed my mind.
I thought about my beautiful Lucienne, lying so motionless and pale on that cot in the ambulance. Maybe this was for the best. Maybe it had been presumptuous and selfish of me to lie, to try to help Declan with his unavoidable end. She would be safe once we were both gone. It was a painful thought, but one I tried to take comfort in. I wasn’t really successful.
Wasn’t it enough that we had to fight day in and day out with the knowledge that we would always be both outsiders and anomalies? Wasn’t it enough that we had torn ourselves from every other attachment to protect this distant dream? Another memory of Lucienne flashed through my mind, the way she had been when she had attempted to help Declan. We could’ve had so much together, a real bond, a real relationship. This was so unfair.
In front of me, the incubus laughed, obviously sensing my anger. “Not very happy with your change in status, are you? How pathetic. You guardians all think you’re better than us, but at the end of the day—”
The words melted into an ear-piercing screech as Valerian dug his knife into the man’s thigh. “Be silent, wretch,” he said coldly. “Nobody asked you for your opinion.”
I would have felt grateful that Valerian had defended me, but I knew better than to believe his actions meant anything. Despite the fact that I’d broken the law, I’d yet to succumb to my baser needs, so I hadn’t reached the level of wickedness that would cause enforcers to react in such a way. I would automatically be treated better than the scavengers.
The prisoners didn’t seem to care too much about this. In fact, the second scavenger smirked, seeming almost satisfied at Valerian’s reaction. “You might silence us and harm us. You might even kill us. But that won’t change anything. In the end, we will still prevail. The curse will always be stronger. One after the other, all of you will fall.”
Valerian didn’t bother addressing the comment. He simply retrieved a syringe and injected both scavengers with liquid silver extract. Normally, he would not have done that, as it was tedious to have to provide treatment for scavengers before they were interrogated. However, due to the nature of our mission, this particular vehicle was not stocked with more specialized shackles and gags. The liquid silver would have to do since the scavengers would otherwise continue talking our ears off.
For a few seconds, I allowed myself the luxury of watching the duo convulse. Under different circumstances, I might have found it entertaining. I knew how painful silver poisoning could be for an Accursed, and I was well aware that these people had it coming.
But the fact remained that, in some ways, the scavenger was not wrong. No matter how hard we tried to fight it, the curse always prevailed. I had been trying to ignore that and deny my true nature for so long I’d forgotten the true taste of blood, but I could never forget this.
I had been born an Accursed, and I would die as one. I would die regretting the fact that I hadn’t been able to help Declan and that I would never know the warmth and rightness of Lucienne’s embrace.
I stared at the still writhing scavengers and almost wished I had been in their shoes. Silver poisoning would’ve hurt less than the knowledge of everything I would soon lose.
/> Eight
We Call Ourselves The Accursed
Lucienne
I had not thought things could get more confusing after the incident in the car, but I had been very wrong. The green-eyed man never returned to my side, although I had seen him leave the truck after helping the prisoners out. He’d then exchanged a few words with another stranger, and judging by his demeanor, I suspected the second man might’ve been his leader. I had hoped that once that conversation ended, my rescuer would come to see me, but no such thing happened, and I was stuck with the tight-lipped woman who seemed to disapprove of my very existence.
She hadn’t been cruel to me or anything, but something about her unnerved me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but this was not the first time I’d had such gut feelings, so I knew I couldn’t be wrong.
Unhappy with being bossed around by a person I owed absolutely nothing to, I got up and shucked off my blanket. Behind me, the woman let out a small noise, perhaps taken aback by my sudden decision to go against her oh-so-kind advice.
“Wait!” she demanded as I walked away without looking back. “You aren’t cleared to approach the area!”
I ignored her. If these people thought they could discard my will and have me obediently stand by like a cute puppet, they had another think coming. I wanted answers. I wanted to know what the hell was up with the green-eyed man, why I could both remember and not remember him, what had happened during the fire. Something was very wrong, I was sure of it, and it wasn’t just that I had yet to see any police cars, despite the fact that we’d just busted a human trafficking ring.
A man I had never seen before got in my way and tried to grab me. “You need to return to your assigned spot, Miss.”
The words sounded respectful enough, but the concept of “assigned spot” grated on me. “I don’t remember agreeing to be placed in an assigned spot. I’m not a toddler you can put in time out. I mean, seriously. Have you all just lost your minds? You can’t possibly expect me to just sit there and twiddle my thumbs when everything that is going on is so fucking weird.”
By the time I finished the sentence, I was screaming, and the green-eyed man had returned. At one point, he had put on some clothes, a black shirt and pants similar to the ones everyone else was wearing. “Angel, you need to listen to him. I beg you.”
He was doing the pleading expression thing again, but this time, I forced myself to not yield to it. “I listened once. You told me to wait outside and I did. I’m done waiting.”
“Well, she’s an interesting one,” I heard someone mumble behind me.
“We might have our hands full with her,” another person whispered.
“She can also hear you,” I snapped at them in irritation.
The group’s leader walked up to me, a meaningless smile on his face. “Ms. Hastings, I realize this must all be quite terrifying for you. Please be aware that we are doing everything we can to be expedient in our actions. However, this is an elaborate operation and we are still working on handling the aftermath. You have my word that we will deal with all of your questions later.”
Politician, my mind instantly provided. Did he think such an excuse was going to work? Was he honestly under the impression that something like his word could make a difference to me? How cute.
Whether a human trafficking ring had been involved or not, these people had been very efficient in removing the threat. I had seen no other sign of the kidnappers having reinforcements, and the rest of this guy’s staff seemed to have fallen into a standby state and weren’t really on guard. The kidnapped people were nowhere to be seen. They must’ve already been taken to a hospital, although I hadn’t seen or heard any ambulances. I was the only civilian still around, which was in itself unnerving since I had no idea why they would’ve made the distinction. In fact, I had no idea how they even knew my name, since I had not introduced myself and had no documentation on me.
I smiled tightly and replied, “I’m aware of the extent of your efforts, Sir. Indeed, I appreciate your intervention, and I realize it might be selfish of me to make this request. However, that doesn’t change my situation or the necessity for an explanation.
“I can’t help but note that nobody here has been surprised by my presence. In fact, I get the strange feeling that you all know me, which is kind of funny, because I certainly don’t know any of you.”
“Ms. Hastings,” the group leader replied, “I assure you we mean you no harm.”
His eyes met mine, and something clicked at the back of my mind. It reminded me a little of what I had experienced earlier, when I had forced myself past my panic so that I could free the captives from the truck. This time, though, the feeling was very different. Unbridled rage assaulted me, so feral and intense that I could hardly believe it came from me. “You know what?” I snapped. “I don’t believe that for a second.”
Fuming, I stalked up to man and poked him in the chest. “I don’t believe you. I’ve met all kinds of people in my life, and most of them have been trash. So far, you’ve given me no reason to think you’re any different. In fact, the opposite is the case.”
The air around us seemed to freeze. The leader of the group stared at my digit like it was an alien thing, then looked up at me with an unnerving, blank expression that chilled me to the bone. To our left, another man reached for his waist and retrieved an honest-to-God sword. It looked like something I’d have expected to see in The Lord of the Rings, except for the fact that it wasn’t a prop. Did he plan to cut off my finger? Shit, these people were crazy.
I’d have probably tried to tell him such extreme measures weren’t necessary, but I didn’t get the chance to speak. Before any of us could react to these developments, the green-eyed man was there, and the sword flew out of the hand of my new enemy. “Touch her and die, Cyrus,” my protector snarled.
Meanwhile, the woman who had been guarding me manifested from behind me and grabbed my arm, jerking me away from her leader. I hissed and instinctively jerked back. The woman cried out and let go of my arm like she had been burnt.
“Enough!” the leader of the group bellowed. “I will not have this kind of chaos in my ranks. We are not scavengers. Enforcer Diaz, sheathe your sword. You don’t need to defend me from a human woman. Guardian Whelan, get away from my enforcer, or I will make sure your hands are permanently removed.
“As for you, Ms. Hastings, it is clear to me that your sense of self-preservation is not as well-developed as it should be, and I cannot fault you for that. Nevertheless, I assure you that your well-being is our topmost priority. The very reason for our existence is to protect you and people like you from perils you don’t understand and are not aware of. You can rest easy in the knowledge that you will not be harmed. However, the same cannot be said about Guardian Whelan.”
As he spoke, the man reached into his jacket and retrieved a gun. It looked alarmingly like the one I had noticed earlier, in the coat of the kidnapper with the key. Under my very eyes, he pointed it at my rescuer.
“Let me make things clearer, in case you have yet to process your position. You will remain silent and cooperative, or I will shoot Guardian Whelan in the head. Right this instant. Am I understood?”
My breath caught at the man’s threat. Yes, I had been rude, but his reaction was out of proportion. To top it off, it involved killing a person who was in his employ.
Who were these people? The mafia? A cult? Something else entirely? I didn’t know, but no matter what titles they used, they definitely had nothing to do with the police. Whatever they were guarding and enforcing, it wasn’t a rule consistent with common decency, mores, and legislation. I had no doubt that the group leader would keep his promise and kill my green-eyed protector if I didn’t fall in line, and that wasn’t something any kind of police officer would do.
I opened my mouth to reply that I did understand, then remembered that I had also been told I needed to remain silent. My words died in my throat and I nodded, numb with shock and horror. For wh
at seemed like the millionth time that day, my vision blurred and my head started to pound. I tried to not let it show, but I must’ve been unsuccessful, because my protector, Guardian Whelan, took a step forward, only to stop before he could actually reach out to me.
“Prince Darius, she’s scared. Could I, perhaps, just for a moment—”
“No,” the group leader—who was, apparently, a prince—cut him off, his voice implacable, like a sentence. “You’ve done enough. Enforcer Ayers, take her to the car. I will join you in a few minutes.”
“Yes, Your Highness,” the woman who’d earlier kept an eye on me replied.
She grabbed hold of my elbow and ushered me away. I went along with it, still in a daze after the exchange with the prince. The vehicle he had mentioned turned out to be a dark blue limo with a sleek, classic look. It was strange to see such an expensive car in a neighborhood like this one, but after everything that had happened today, it was the least of my concerns.
Enforcer Ayers silently opened the car door for me and I slid inside and curled into the leather seat. Shivers wracked my body and my teeth chattered as if I were standing on the peak of the Everest, not in a comfortable, luxurious car.
What had I stumbled upon? I didn’t keep tabs on royalty from every single country in the world, but most of these people didn’t look foreign, and their accents sounded American. Was that man actually an acknowledged royal of a nation state, or was he something else? Assuming I had committed a serious offense by being rude to the prince, why would he point his gun at his subordinate?
Also, what was the whole thing with the “human” all about? The man from before had addressed me in the same way. “Little human.” “A human woman.” Why would someone, anyone speak like that? The implication of the words suggested that these people weren’t human at all. But surely, that couldn’t be possible. What in the world was I thinking?
