The creature’s voice had lost all its rich timbre, its tone was dull and void of any fire.
His dragon rolled and with a heaving swipe of its tail, thwacked against the back wall of the cave. Stones fell from above and covered the entrance to his inner home, obscuring it from sight. Even if anyone were to find the entrance, they would be hard-pressed to move the heavy boulders. Etienne began to panic and tried to claim dominance of their shared entity, but the dragon refused to submit to the shift and instead curled up on the cavern floor, ready to sleep.
No, Etienne shouted into the dragon’s mind, No, we can’t, we mustn’t give up. The numbness in his joints began to spread at an alarming rate, and Etienne felt his efforts to move go redundant. We need to fight for her, we love her! He screamed.
Our mate rejected us. His dragon repeated in a slurred and monotone whisper.
Etienne couldn’t feel his wings, his tail or his legs. With a huge and exhausting effort, he forced the dragon's eyes to move to his tail. Realisation dawned and dread threatened to choke him. Etienne began to shout and fight with his dragon’s consciousness in earnest. He was turning to stone, a black mottled shining stone, the colours of his scales dimming to just a muted glimmer amongst the prevalent darkness.
We cannot give in, we must get up, we have to fight, she needs us! He shouted in desperation.
No fight. No mate. The dragon’s resigned tone cut like a knife, as Etienne already felt the futility of his attempts to rouse the beast.
No! Please, we can’t leave her! Etienne pleaded.
Tired.
The word was slow and quiet, and Etienne felt the chilling loss of his dragon’s consciousness as it slipped away from his own, leaving him exposed and alone.
The cold stillness pulled his dragon’s eyes shut and he was plunged into darkness that crept into the edges of his mind. He could no longer feel anything, his body was lifeless and idle. Etienne sent out a final mournful call to his mate as the thumping echo of his heart slowed to near-nothingness and his lungs expelled one final, pitiful puff of ice-cold breath.
There was no peace in The Long Sleep, only sorrow.
Chapter Eighteen
Brianna
Brianna awoke suddenly, the ache in her chest had disappeared and although the haunting pain had felt like agony, now it had stopped she felt a little bereft. It was the strangest feeling. Her physical reminder of the heartbreak she felt, had left her and now it was missing. She couldn’t understand why but she felt like it shouldn’t be missing, like the pain had been good and right, and without it, things were wrong.
She opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings. She was in a beautiful and ornate room, the quiet and familiar pop and crackle of a fire, soothed her agitation at the loss of her agonising companion. It reminded her of their cave. But this was not their cave.
She sat up and found she had been laid in a huge bed that was as soft and comforting as a gentle hug. The voluminous and weighty duvet had been pulled over her, keeping her warm despite the cold that seemed to be embedded in her very bones. The room was palatial, decorated in creams and decadent golds. The fireplace cast the room in a soft and warm glow, and Brianna cocked her head at the sight of Katherine sprawled out on a chaise in front of the fire.
“She refused to leave you,”
Brianna jumped at the voice and turned to find Lucian sitting in a sleek office chair just a few feet away from where Katherine lay.
“What are you doing in here?” Brianna asked, clutching the blankets up around her. She was fully dressed but she still didn’t like knowing that some strange man had been watching her while she slept.
“As I said, Katherine refused to leave, and so nor could I,” Lucian lightly drummed his fingers upon the arm of the chair.
“How did I get here? Where’s Etienne? Did he come back?” She asked anxiously.
“After you lost consciousness, and it became apparent you were not going to come round immediately, I carried you here,” Lucian explained, his eyes shifting from her to where Katherine was beginning to stir, “we felt it would be better for you to wake in comfortable surroundings.”
“Well, thank you,” Brianna said bashfully. She didn’t mind when Etienne carried her on occasion but a man she didn’t know having to drag her unconscious body around, was deeply embarrassing. “Where is Etienne?” She repeated.
“I assume he has returned to his lair; he refuses to acknowledge my mind link so I cannot know for certain,” Lucian leaned forward and gently stroked his fingers along Katherine’s ankle, her eyes opened, and a moment of such tenderness was shared between them, it made Brianna’s heart hurt anew.
“How can we know if he’s OK?” Brianna asked, “I said some horrible things…” she sucked in a breath and turned her head away from the abundant happiness on display in front of her.
She heard soft whisperings and the sound of a kiss being bestowed before Lucian spoke again,
“As I said, I cannot connect with him through our thoughts. There have been no reports of any villages bursting into spontaneous flames, so I would suggest it is safe to say the old boy is likely licking his wounds.”
“I wish I could talk to him; I mean I’m still angry with what he did, his betrayal hasn’t gone away but, I don’t know, I just want to make sure he’s OK.” Brianna looked at where her hands fidgeted in her lap.
“Have you tried calling to him, through mind link?” Katherine asked from where she sat perched on the edge of the chaise. “He might be ignoring Lucian, but he might respond to you, you two are mates, right?”
“I don’t know if we are, I don’t even really understand what that is. He called me that and I have these mating marks now,” Brianna gestured to her back, “but, he never made out that they were hugely significant, just that we had shared a connection and his dragon really liked me.”
“It seems the dragon has been keeping a few other things from you,” Lucian mused.
“Like?” Brianna prodded.
“Mating amongst shifters is a serious and lifelong commitment. More so than marriage, it is a unique bonding that ties the two souls together. Mating marks are given to cement the connection and to act as a visual reminder to all others that you are claimed and belong to another.”
Brianna’s mouth went dry. She was married. Or mated, or whatever. He hadn’t asked her; she hadn’t said yes and now she was mated for life.
“Why would he do this to me? Why would he want it with me?”
“From what I know from my friend, Rose, it’s almost an instant reaction upon meeting. His dragon must’ve recognised you as his mate from the very first moment. I understand the mating instinct is crazy strong.” Katherine offered.
“Add into the equation that Etienne is a dragon shifter, his drive to claim, possess and hoard is extremely high. I doubt the old boy could have resisted the urge to take you as his mate, even if he tried.” Lucian added.
Brianna held her head in her hands and tried to take in everything she was hearing.
“I don’t understand why he didn’t tell me any of this. Why is it so difficult for him to just communicate with me?” She mumbled into her palms. Before swiping them down her face, feeling exhausted, “First he wouldn’t tell me that he knew my memory had been wiped and by whom, nor did he tell me the reason why- what I had done, or almost done,” She sighed, “And now he has neglected to tell me that I’m supposedly married to him.”
“Is that such a bad thing? The mating part, I mean?” Katherine ventured,
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I was hoping what had happened between us could become something more long term, but to have ‘mated for life’ suddenly forced upon me, is a lot to take.” Brianna tried to explain, her feeling tied up in knots.
Yes, she liked Etienne, he made her feel all kinds of good and she couldn’t shake her worry for him. She missed him. But she’d only known him and about his world for a matter of days. That wasn’t enough to sign up for ‘until death do us part�
��.
“Do you love him?” Lucian asked, snapping her out of her own head.
Brianna peered up from her lap and looked at the serious and sincere look in the vampire’s eyes. She looked to Katherine who held the same serious expression, her features appearing a little kinder as the silence in the room grew.
“I don’t know. Love takes a while, right?” She asked quietly, feeling uncertain.
“For shifters, the bond is-” Lucian was interrupted by Katherine, who carefully placed a hand on his knee.
“For humans, love takes as long as it takes,” she smiled gently, “you don’t need to know, right now. We’ll let you get some rest, and I can catch up with you again at breakfast? I think some breathing space will do both you and Etienne some good.”
“Thank you,” Brianna said, “You are both being so kind to me, considering what I almost did to you. I’m so sorry for the part I played in that. I mean, I don’t exactly know the full picture, but regardless, I was involved, and it was out of character for me to act that way. I don’t want to write anything that would expose you or others to a world that would likely try to eliminate you.” Brianna shook her head ruefully, “I’m not going to tell any other humans about what I know, you can keep that Dictaphone or delete the recording. I don’t want it.”
“I didn’t think you were the kind of person to try to blackmail and hurt others. I usually have a good instinct for reading people,” Katherine nodded, her features quickly becoming sad, “I’m sorry that you somehow became embroiled in my father’s insane plan. He’s a professional crook so I have no doubt that he would’ve used every trick in the book to convince you to go along with him.”
“I don’t know, I just don’t know how it happened, I guess I’ll never find out, unless you can reverse what you did to my memory?” Brianna looked hopefully to Lucian only to have the glimmer of promise snuffed out instantly by the sombre shake of his head.
“It cannot be reversed,” he said, his eyes taking on a regretful look, “I am sorry for the confusion and trauma I have caused you, Brianna. If there is anything that I can do to assist you in seeking your answers, I will dutifully oblige,” the vampire made a small bow of his head and held his hand out to Katherine.
“Thank you, Lucian, apology accepted. Like I said earlier if I had been in your position, I would probably have done the same.” Brianna, replied, grateful for having been able to resolve part of what needed fixing. “I might need to take you up on your offer, but first I think I’ll try to get some sleep. I’ve got a lot to think about, and I need to figure out how I feel about Etienne.”
“As you wish, goodnight Miss. St. Clare,” Lucian nodded and led Katherine towards the large, ornate door.
“Feel free to wash up and grab some clean clothes,” Katherine said softly, “The bathroom is through there and on the other side, there is a fully stocked closet. Take whatever you need, I’ll be downstairs in the hall tomorrow morning and we can talk some more,” she smiled as she stepped from the room, “goodnight, Brianna, don’t worry- things will work out.”
The door closed almost silently leaving Brianna, alone in the vast and extravagant room. The loneliness was staggering and despite the warm bed and gentle glow of the fire, Brianna felt a sharp stab of ice in her chest, spreading out through her bones. She shivered and felt a tear slip down past her lashes.
Damn you, B. Why did you do this to me?
She thought sadly, not sure if she was talking about playing her, mating her without her permission or making her miss him so acutely.
Brianna waited in silence to see if he would respond, her breath was caught in her lungs as she strained every possible muscle to catch the sound of his deep timbre in her mind. After a few long minutes, her shoulders slumped in disappointment. It looked like he wasn’t willing to talk to her either. In fairness, she hadn’t called to him directly, perhaps if she did, he would answer?
Brianna shook her head. She wasn’t ready to speak to him. She didn’t know what to say, she didn’t know what she wanted to hear from him, or what outcome she wanted. She missed him so much that her body ached, but he had deceived her and not given her a choice in being mated to him. She had no idea whether she could get out of it, like a divorce, or if this really was a forever kind of deal. She didn’t know if she wanted to give up on the chance of forever with Etienne. The chill in her heart told her she would be miserable if she did.
She threw off the duvet and jumped down from the huge bed with a frustrated huff. Brianna was utterly lost. She doubted she would get much sleep, but she would try to calm her mind, starting with a hot shower to chase away the cold. With a determined stride, she walked into the bathroom and vowed to figure it all out; her feelings, the gap in her memory and where she wanted her future to be. If she had to do that without her dragon there to keep her safe, then so be it.
Chapter Nineteen
Brianna
Brianna entered her building to a cheerful smile from a neighbour who held the door open for her. She went straight to her mailbox and punched in the code. The little door popped open, and Brianna reached inside and found her spare key that she kept taped to the door. Aside from that, she didn’t have much mail. She glanced over her shoulder nervously, still expecting the cops to jump out at her any minute before she gathered up the contents of the box, secured the door and headed up the stairs.
Katherine and Lucian had driven her back to the city, offering her the chance to stay with them should she wish. Apparently, the vampire had a huge place on the upper east side. She had refused their kind offer; the couple had been generous enough. She hadn’t heard anything from Etienne. She had tried to call to him in her mind a couple of times during the day but as day turned into night and she still hadn’t had a response, she decided it was time she returned home. Etienne hadn’t wanted to go with her anyway, he didn’t like the city.
Brianna had taken down Katherine and Lucian’s cell phone numbers and she had agreed to stay in touch. She needed to buy a new phone first, seeing as she had left everything back at Etienne’s cave, but she would keep the couple updated with what she discovered about her movements before she had first arrived at Tumbricane.
She plodded up the steps on automatic pilot. When she finally made it to the fifth floor, she snuck a peek down the corridor that led to her apartment, worried that she’d find the place cordoned off or a couple of cops standing sentinel outside the door. It was empty.
As she walked along the hall the sounds from her neighbours' apartments rose through the air to meet her. Mr. Henderson had a baseball game on high volume like always, Ms. Riley was playing her favourite opera at an equally high volume, in a bid to drown out the baseball. The newly married couple across the way were at it again, their noisy, sexual acrobatics used to make Brianna blush. But tonight, she just took all the familiar sounds as a sign that everything was normal.
Brianna let herself into her apartment and flicked on the light. The smell of her musty second-hand couch mixed with the sickly dank scent of rotting flowers greeted her. She’d meant to throw the bunch of cheap carnations away long before she had disappeared, now they were practically zombie-like in their murky watered vase.
She closed the door behind her and threw every lock in place. It was an automatic reflex but this time she felt a genuine sense of reassurance as she barricaded herself in and shut the rest of the world out. She shuffled in and dumped her mail on the couch, before picking up the vase of offensive flowers and carrying them to the trash can in her little kitchen. With a slight cringe at the god-awful stench, she tossed the wilted stems in.
Everything was as Brianna remembered. Her home was the same as it always was. Small, slightly chaotic with numerous nick-nacks cluttering up the place, but it was comfortable. Most people would’ve felt relief at being home, so why didn’t she? All she felt was the same sense of emptiness that had become her companion ever since Etienne had flown off the night before.
B? You there?
Nothing.
Perhaps he was still mad about their fight. In truth, so was she. She wasn’t sure why she kept trying to reach out, she would likely end up arguing with him if he answered her.
With a huff, Brianna stomped into her bedroom and switched on the light. Yup, same old, same old. Un-made bed, overflowing laundry basket in the corner, a collection of used coffee cups on the small desk by the side of her bed, her laptop open with a hundred or so different pieces of paper scattered around it.
Brianna was beginning to get the impression that she hadn’t done anything drastic in the three days she couldn’t remember, aside from travelling to a strange mansion in the woods with a con artist to blackmail a vampire. OK, so that was drastic enough, but it didn’t look as though anything else had gone down. Everything about her home was…normal. Boring, even.
Nothing wrong with boring, she told herself as she gathered up her laptop and piles of notebooks and papers. She carried them back to the couch and added them to the smattering of junk mail before making herself a fresh pot of coffee. She was likely going to need it if she was going to paw through every scrap of paper, every email and internet search, to get to the bottom of what she had been up to.
Her answer machine blinked at her continuously from the other side of the room. Steeling herself, Brianna strode over to it and pressed play on the three messages she had waiting for her. One was a sales call, the others were from her mother and had been left yesterday, expressing annoyance and then concern that Brianna hadn’t replied to her messages.
Brianna took a deep breath and dialled her mother’s number. She had a backup story in her head, something Katherine had helped her with including an embarrassing detail, apparently people were more likely to believe a lie that way. She didn’t want to ask the woman how she had come across that little bit of devious information.
“Brianna, Finally!” Her mother’s voice came down the line and tears immediately welled in Brianna’s eyes. There was a point in the last few days when she had thought she’d never hear her mother’s voice again.
Broken Slumber: A Darkhills Romance Page 14
