Lucious selected some boiled baby potatoes and piled them on his plate.
Helena’s mother eagerly nudged some homemade salad and her roasted duck that perfumed the air with an apple scent towards him.
“I must apologise, I am not much of an eater,” Lucious said and pushed away the offered food.
“You should eat some meat if you want to have any strength,” Sasha scolded.
Helena shook her head and grabbed the salad bowl. There has to be something to explain his lack of appetite. “He’s a vegetarian, Mum.”
“Am I?” Lucious sent back to her.
Richard’s head bobbed in acknowledgement of new information. When Sasha was about to speak, he patted her on the shoulder, and she settled back in her seat with displeasure written on her face.
They spent the next hour merrily talking about travelling around the world. Lucious had more than enough tales to keep her parents occupied, and Helena finally found the position in which her body wasn’t in too much pain. As the dinner was drawing close to an end, her parents smiled at each other.
“There’s something we would like to tell you,” her mother began.
Helena pushed her half-empty plate away and listened. Her appetite was dulled by the constant ache in her stomach.
Sasha played with her serviette nervously. She took in a deep breath that seemed to take away the air in the room. “We’re going to have a baby!”
Helena stared at her in disbelief. “You’re what?”
“You’re going to have a brother or a sister in seven months,” her mother said with renewed enthusiasm.
Helena wished the ground beneath her would open up, and she would end up in a different dimension where her life wasn’t threatened by a demon. Who knows what Lazarus would do if he found out about this. Would he use my family against me? Her blood drained from her face and her fingers grew cold.
“Aren’t you happy?” Sasha asked, her excitement gone.
Lucious took Helena’s hand under the table. The simple action helped her contain her panic.
“Congrats!” She managed a controlled smile and made her way to the other side of the table. Bending, she hugged her mother as she held back a cry of pain and the stinging waterworks.
Richard stood and hugged the two of them.
Helena struggled to keep being upright. Her legs trembled under their combined weight. She glanced at Lucious, and he graciously began to clap as he rose to his feet.
“That is wonderful news.” Lucious extended his hand out to Sasha and Richard for a handshake. “You are simply bringing more beauty into this world, madam.”
Sasha blushed, and Richard broke the family embrace.
“Whatever is wrong, my dear, you should hide your disappointment before they notice it,” Lucious spoke in her mind.
Helena didn’t realise it was showing through. She forced another smile.
Lucious shook hands with her parents and retook his seat as she stumbled back to hers.
“Helena, are you alright?” Sasha asked.
She sat down, taking the weight off her legs. “I am just overwhelmed.”
“I was the same,” Richard said. “I’ll make you some coffee to raise your blood pressure since you look pale.”
“And I will start clearing up some space for dessert,” her mother added.
Lucious patted her thigh under the table, passing calmness through the link. He glanced at his wristwatch and stood with the loud screech of the chair being dragged along the wooden flooring.
Both of her parents glanced over their shoulders.
“I must apologise for interrupting such a joyous occasion, but I believe I have to leave,” Lucious announced with genuine sadness in his voice.
Helena rose from her seat, too. “I should head back. Laura wanted to give me her present tonight as well.”
“What? What about the cake?” Sasha protested.
Richard added, “We are sorry this wasn’t the best birthday ever, Helena. I know you would be happier to spend this day with your friends instead of us.”
Helena raised her hands. “No, I had fun. I swear.”
“That’s fine. Now, before you leave, we have a present for you.” Richard disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a small red velvet box.
Helena took it from him and slowly opened the lid. Inside was a large silver ring with a flower-shaped topaz in the centre.
“It was your grandmother’s,” Sasha explained. “It’s the last memento I have of hers. She loved you very much, and I think she would like for you to have it.”
Helena slid the ring on her middle finger. It was heavier than she expected. On a verge of more tears, her heart constricted. “Thank you.”
“Glad you like it,” her mother chimed. “Be safe on your way home.”
They strolled along the dimly lit Dublin streets. Helena didn’t want to return to the apartment. There was too much to consider. So much, in fact, that she was beginning to get a migraine.
Saying nothing, Lucious walked at her side, matching her pace perfectly. Across the road from them was a park where her mother and Richard took her to play when she was little. She hadn’t realised she stopped moving until Lucious placed his hand on the small of her back.
“Is something the matter?”
She ignored his question and crossed the road in a few long strides. If he was going to play the role of her bodyguard, he would have to follow her. Even if he didn’t, she wasn’t worried. She knew this area to the last grain of sand in the sandbox.
Although she put some distance between them, in a brief second, he was at her side. “Helena, we should return.”
“I need some time away from the apartment. It is full of people, and, right now, I want to be alone.”
They entered through a gated side entrance and the smell of freshly cut grass assailed her senses. She strolled along the paved path, her childhood memories flooding back…
Autumn had arrived, coating the world in browns and oranges. The sun had already set and the street lamps blinked on. Richard brought her to a playground after work at the university. She wouldn’t talk to him. Her mama paid more attention to this stranger than she did to her daughter. And, when her mama told her that papa wasn’t coming back, Helena struggled to understand the concept.
Four children played on the swings. Their loud laughter ruined the quietness as the wind made no effort to produce a whisper. They traded places on the swings, the girls sitting in the seats and the boys pushing them. Their mothers sat on the bench, occasionally sparing a glance in their direction.
Helena marvelled at them. Would they accept her into their group? She ran to them, her heart buoyant with her excitement.
She tried communicating, but her words were in Russian. The laughter died and judging eyes assessed her as if she was some kind of monster under their beds. As if she didn’t belong in their group.
Two large hands grasped her midriff, and she became weightless. In a split second, she was sitting on top of Richard’s shoulders, looking down at the children. He sauntered over to the merry-go-round and lowered her onto the colourful platform. With a tender smile, Richard knelt on one knee in front of her.
“You will learn the language soon enough,” he told her in strained Russian.
Helena glanced in the direction of the other children. They returned to taking turns on the swings as if her existence didn’t matter to them. To them, she was invisible, like a memory of a motion or a sentence that held no importance.
Her heart ached at the bittersweet memory. She shook off the remnants of the past and peered over her shoulder at Lucious who studied their surroundings.
“Why did you return?”
“To keep you safe,” he replied.
“Somehow, I doubt it’s the real reason. You came here to keep an eye on me because you don’t trust me to look after myself. Like everyone else here,” she snapped. She clutched at the material of her coat, hugging it to her body. Why is it
this cold in May?
Lucious picked up his pace and soon was striding next to her. “Perhaps that is half the truth.”
She snorted inwardly. “And what’s the other half?”
He grasped her elbow, forcing her to stop and look at him. “I wanted to see for myself if you were alright.”
Helena averted her gaze. The swings were still there. The only thing that changed was the new layer of paint coating them.
“When I first learned English, I was around eight years old. Richard would bring me here to play with the other kids. Although I came here often, they wouldn’t let me join. I almost believed I had some kind of disease. I would return home and cry myself to sleep. Always wondering what was so bad about me that they would not let me in.” Her throat was scratchy and her eyes watered. “That’s when Michael appeared for the first time.”
She sat on the solid plastic seat of the swing, her eyes focused on the sand beneath her sneakers. “Ever since, I had one true friend.” She kicked off and let her body move with the pendulum of the swing. “And now he’s gone. There’s this emptiness inside of me that I can’t understand. It’s like a part of me was removed without my knowing.”
Lucious slid into the seat of the second swing mere two feet away. “Tell me what happened.”
“Alexander would have told you everything by now, same as the vampire woman who was there.”
“I want to hear it from you.”
She rested the side of her head on the metal chain. Her attention wandered to the clear night’s sky above them. It was already dark and the light pollution drowned the brightness of the stars. “I was at home with Perri and Hans, waiting for Laura to arrive. When I opened the door, the person who stood there was you. Well, he looked like you. Lazarus shed your form and tried to take my soul, or perhaps changing my string’s colour was his goal. I don’t know.”
Lucious took one of her hands in his, and her fingers tingled with warmth. “I felt your pain through the link. It was as if he was seeping into my body and shredding anything that made me who I am.”
“Yes. Then your friend showed up, and Lazarus vanished.”
“Was that it?”
Helena shook her head. “Michael said I was no longer considered to be human. It’s the reason why he left me. The reason I’m alone again.” She released a bitter laugh. “It’s kind of funny.”
Lucious moved to stand in front of her. One of his hands gripped the chains of her swing, restricting her movements. He wore an unreadable expression as he said, “We are all fundamentally alone in this world.”
She touched the place where his string would have been if she could see it. “We aren’t alone. Our souls are bound.”
“For now. But when we find a way to break it, we will return to our separate lives.” Lucious pushed her hand away. “Let us return to the apartment. I believe your friend wished to congratulate you.”
“You haven’t answered my question,” she said.
“What question?”
“Is there anything different about me? Can you tell why Michael said I’m not human anymore?”
“Do not worry yourself over trivial matters. If you became a supernatural being, I would be able to tell because they emit different energies. Since he left your side, your power is less and your shields are weak. That is the only difference I can sense.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I am trying to say that you are more human than you ever were, my dear. Now, let us go.”
Helena found Perri and Hans, playing cards in the living room when they returned. She shrugged out of her coat, and Lucious took it from her without a word.
“Who’s winning?” Helena asked.
Perri turned her head and grinned. By the look on Hans’ relaxed face, he was losing on purpose.
Helena smirked, warmed by the notion of how Hans always wanted to please Perri. Approaching them, she sat next to her friend on the sofa.
Perri put the cards on the glass coffee table, her smile slowly fading. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m coping, I guess. I do need more painkillers, though.”
“Master Vincent believes it would be wise to remain at your side until the danger passes,” Hans said, folding his arms.
Perri’s eyes searched Helena’s face for some kind of reaction.
“Does Eliza know?” Lucious cut in, holding a glass of water and two pills. He offered them to Helena, and she took them after mouthing her thanks.
“Master Vincent said it’s a personal matter and has nothing to do with vampires. Therefore, there is no need to notify her of this development,” Hans stated.
Helena was grateful Vincent was in charge of looking after her and not Xi Yi or Eliza. They would find joy in seeing her locked up in some underground dungeon.
“You two don’t need to remain here. I will look after her,” Lucious said.
Hans eyed Helena as if silently asking for her permission. Staying alone with Lucious would be a mistake. Who knows what would happen if they were together without a chaperone? The effect of being close to each other had already kept her on edge. She had to stay away from seeking his comfort because a single brush of their skin caused her heart to flutter. And that interaction at the park left her aching for more physical contact.
She swallowed her pills and sipped her water before setting the glass on the coffee table. “They are staying. You, on the other hand, are not.” She strolled into the kitchen and made herself some tea.
Lucious moved to stand behind her. “I am not leaving.”
Helena was tired. She needed to get some caffeine in her system or she would collapse in front of everyone. There were too many things to worry about. What she wanted was to hide under her covers and ignore the outside world. But, that was not one of the options. “I don’t have time to argue with you. I have more than enough bodyguards.”
Although his expression remained impassive, the link trembled with his anger. He was losing control over his shields and leaking his emotions into their connection. His eyes tightened around the edges as he forced the words out of his mouth. “Those two may not be enough.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. Realising she brushed her wound, she dropped them right away. “I will make do. Leave.”
Instantly, Hans was standing next to her, his hand clamped on Lucious’ shoulder. “The lady has made her decision.”
Lucious stepped out of his hold. “Alright, I will go. If anything so much as smells wrong, contact me immediately.”
Helena stood in the middle of a wasteland. The sky above her was covered in ominous clouds, swirling in unpredictable patterns. The only light came from a huge dome over a dozen miles ahead of her. It encapsulated tall golden skyscrapers she had never seen on Earth.
Here, there was no wind to brush her hair and no life sprung from the dusted ground. The whole place felt wrong as if someone took everything that gave life and eliminated it.
Unease grew inside of her. The air around her was different than at home. It was sticky and humid as she walked on the lifeless cracked dirt. With every step, the air grew thicker.
In the distance, mountains stood tall, spreading more shadows on the ground. Pained screams reached her ears. The agony of many men and women swarmed her senses. Her hands shot to her ears to block them out, but they got louder like someone was playing with the volume button on their stereo.
She fell to the ground. Cradling her knees closer to her chest, she rocked back and forth, praying for the cries and begging to stop. And, once they did, she looked up at the sudden silence. She was no longer alone.
Horrid creatures surrounded her. Some had humanoid shapes with claws spanning to their ankles. Others were closer to large dogs. Their misshapen ebony bodies were covered in fur, scales, and even spikes you would find on a hedgehog. Each creature’s eyes glowed bright red with anticipation.
Anticipation of what?
Helena gasped and stumbled backwards, kicking up d
ust into the air with her feet. Her heart hammered in her ribcage. She fought for control—something to halt her panicked mind and reclaim rational thought.
“Just breathe!” She sucked in a lungful of air and let it out slowly. These creatures were too much like the ones Nadine showed her.
Their claws reached for her.
She focused on the figure behind the monstrosities. “Lazarus…”
His body was mostly human apart from the elongated fingernails and ivory horns protruding from his skull which was covered with long blue-black hair. Those predator-like red eyes locked on her, and he smiled.
“I can smell your fear, my flower. Soon you will be drowning in it.” He burst into laughter, shaking the world around her. The pain in her shoulder subsided and her vision blurred.
She shot upright in her bed with her clothes drenched in cold sweat. Lazarus was coming back for her, and it was sooner than she expected.
2
Bittersweet Memories
Lucious stormed into the Russian Roulette. Tanya, Alexander’s childe, said something, but he didn’t care what it was as he brushed past her. The rage in him wouldn’t subside. How could she tell him to leave? He came here to keep her safe, and she claimed the protection of the Council’s lackeys was enough for her.
He burst into Alexander’s office.
Alexander didn’t look up from his paperwork as he said, “It’s nice to see you, too, Lucious. Next time, knock. Never know what I might be up to in here.”
“It has been a while, lover,” Zafira piped in. She stood behind Alexander, her hand resting on his shoulder.
Lucious observed her. “Am I to believe the real reason you returned was to save Helena from the demon?”
She pouted. “Oh, it’s Helena now? You are getting awfully close with your human.”
“You know we are bound to each other. I have no choice.”
“You had a choice before you made the bond, Lucious.” Her voice rose. “Why did you do it? Why let some human girl become a part of you when you let no other woman in?”
Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2) Page 2
