“Oh, that may be for the best,” Perri replied, sounding relieved.
“I think Michael called them here to help fight the demon. He would not endanger me otherwise.”
“Hum, I don’t know. I’ve never met this ‘Michael’, but if you think he is a good person, I believe you. Wait, Hans has something he wants to tell you,” Perry added, and his gruff voice replaced hers.
“Helena, after conversing with Master Vincent, we have received orders to return to Scotland. He believes it is too dangerous for Perri to remain here due to the development of such unfortunate events.”
Helena’s expression fell, and she clutched the journal to her chest. More people were leaving her side. “I get it.”
“In the meantime, I urge you to find a different place to reside at. The hunters may not have returned yet, but that does not mean that they will not.”
“I will deal with them. Don’t worry.”
Hans sighed. “As you wish. I bid you farewell.”
“Look after her,” Helena added.
“I always do.” Hans ended the call.
Helena clutched the smartphone in her hand. Would everyone eventually leave her? She glanced at Lucious who was studying her from the sofa. Once the bond was broken between them, would he also abandon her?
“What is it you’re holding?” Lucious asked.
“My grandmother’s journal.”
He made his way to her, and his eyes narrowed on the cover. “That is a witch’s grimoire.”
“How do you know what it is if you haven’t seen the contents?”
“I can sense powerful protection spells on it. They are like ants crawling under my skin,” he said with distaste.
She rested the journal on the counter and stroked the carved outlines of the fern leaves. “I don’t feel anything from it.”
“Because you are permitted to use it. Are you practising magic?”
She assessed his sudden interest. “I’m not. I found it in Laura’s room.”
“Protected magical objects such as this cannot be seen by humans without certain charms. Unless she is of Wiccan origin, your friend may be someone else.”
Helena folded her arms. “Laura is not a witch, and what do you mean by someone else?”
“Hunters carry charms, allowing them to see magical items. Select hunter clans work with converted witches to seek out and eliminate other beings. They cast spells of protection and sight on charms or weapons instead of being directly involved in the fighting.”
Her hands fell to her sides and her eyes were drawn to the journal. “Laura could see it from the beginning… But, isn’t there another explanation for this?”
Lucious grasped her shoulder. “Hunter or a witch, my dear, no one else could have touched that journal of yours. Just like I cannot hold it without your express permission.”
He seemed to be telling the truth. Helena looked at her phone again. She selected Laura’s number in the contacts and separated from him. The repetitive beeping was constant until the voicemail kicked in. Helena tried calling three more times, but Laura didn’t pick up. She always picked up her phone, even in the middle of her Pilates class.
“I can’t reach her,” Helena said as she put the phone next to the grimoire.
“Could you give me permission to have a look at it?”
She licked her lower lip. The sting of her cut from earlier hurt. With her permission, what would he do with it? The grimoire was important to her and somewhere in there was information about her missing father. She had to uncover it.
“No.” She gathered the journal into her arms.
Lucious raised a brow. “Why not?”
“Because I said so. Now, let me through. I need to hide it before—”
“Before we show up?” Maya’s voice came from behind Lucious.
He turned at an inhuman speed. With a guarded expression, he assessed the two hunters standing at the entrance to the living area. “You’ve masked your heartbeats.”
Maya smirked. “For a vampire who slaughtered my brothers and sisters, you are a bit slow.”
“What are you talking about?” Helena asked, her attention darting between the two of them.
Maya lifted a small dictaphone from her pocket and pressed the ‘play’ button on the side.
Alexander’s voice came first. “Are you telling me you are enjoying this? You? The man who slaughtered half of the hunters in London while on your rampage?”
Maya’s smirk turned into a sneer. “He talked about you as well.” She pressed another button to fast forward.
As the seconds ticked by, Helena’s stomach sank.
Next, Lucious’ annoyed voice came from the tiny speaker. “I am not falling for her. She is a tool I must tame.”
Betrayal stung Helena’s heart. Her mind replayed his words like a frenzied chant, telling her she was wrong from the get-go. She could never trust him. As per usual, he was trying to use her. Her hands gripped the journal.
Lucious reached for her. “I can explain.”
“Don’t. Touch. Me,” she spat out every word.
Lucious dropped his hand as a brief flash of hurt crossed his features. He glared at the hunters. “Are you pleased with your machinations?”
“Very!” Maya announced with a smile. “Don’t worry, Helena, we only bugged the living room.”
Helena glided to the kitchen island in an attempt to put some distance between her and everyone else. She grabbed the phone and slid it into the back pocket of her jeans. “Are we going to talk without guns being pointed at us this time?”
Maya nodded. “Of course. As long as your friend here keeps his distance.”
Lucious let out a faint snarl, and Helena caught him by the wrist. Although she didn’t want to touch him, she couldn’t ruin their chance of getting these hunters to help their cause.
He glared at her and tore his hand out of her grasp. Folding his arms across his chest, he rested his hip against the counter. “If you harm her, these pleasantries are over.”
“Looks like we have an agreement,” Ben said next to Maya. He took off his coat and tossed it on the sofa. “But first, why do you have a grimoire.”
Helena swallowed loudly. Hunters could see the grimoire. Her eyes searched both of them for anything that could be called a ‘charm’ and came up with nothing. Their black clothes covered every inch of their skin except for their faces and hands.
Ben smiled knowingly at Helena. “You are searching for a charm, yes? Sorry, we were listening in to your enlightening conversations. We had to know if we could trust you.”
“And?” Helena asked.
“It would seem that we—” Ben’s attention darted to Maya who doubled over in pain.
Maya clutched her stomach and tumbled to her knees. Her partner was instantly at her side, and Helena heard Lucious’ voice seeping into her head.
“I can eliminate them. This is our chance…”
Helena stepped in front of him, getting the full brunt of his scorching glare.
“You won’t touch them.”
“Do you not know how dangerous they are?”
Her eyes narrowed. “They may be dangerous, but they’re upfront about their intentions!”
“I told you, I did not mean it like that.”
“Enough,” Helena spoke aloud. She tossed the journal on the counter and darted to Maya’s side.
Maya’s forehead was covered in sweat. Her fringe stuck to her skin. Ben brushed away her damp hair and gathered her in his arms.
“Where is the nearest bed?” Ben yelled.
Helena pointed at the ceiling. “You can use my room. It’s the second of the left.”
“Thanks.” He rushed up the staircase, taking two steps at the time.
Helena turned to follow suit, but Lucious caught her shoulder. His sullen words tugged at her heart. “Is this cooperation what you truly want?”
She recognised his uncertainty through the link and did her best to ignore it. “Y
es. I’m sure. Now let me go. I need to check on Maya.”
His grip on her shoulder turned painful. “I did not mean the words I said in that recording.”
She fought not to look over her shoulder to see his expression. It shouldn’t matter what his excuses were. She should have learned by now that it was wrong to trust vampires because they always had hidden agendas. In the end, they would always betray or hurt her.
“It doesn’t matter.” She shrugged him off and stopped short of the staircase. In a tired voice, she said, “Don’t touch me as you please anymore.”
7
Wanting To Be His
In the corner of the room, Helena bit her nails as Ben clutched Maya’s hand and muttered things in German. Maya’s body thrashed uncontrollably on the bed, and Ben acted as an anchor, keeping her in place. The sight made Helena’s heart clench like a fist. She knew well the nightmares Lazarus was willing to enforce on them to reach his goal.
Ben lifted Maya’s sleeves. Multiple bracelets with black stones dangled from her wrist. He took them off, one at the time, and eyed Helena as he set the bracelets on the carpet.
“Do you have some purification salts?” he demanded.
Helena dropped her hands to her sides. “No. Do you know where we can get some?”
“Witches. We need a witch, a siren, or a warlock. Since you have a grimoire, there must be a spell you can cast on natural salt,” Ben said.
She raised her hands in defence. “I don’t know anything about magic.”
Ben barked something in a foreign language, and his eyes settled on Helena’s neck. “That’s a protection charm. Give it to me.”
Lucious stepped in front of Helena, blocking her view. “She will do no such thing. Without a working charm, she may be taken by the demon as well.”
Helena’s hand clasped the amber stone around her neck. The colour of it was becoming clouded or maybe it was her imagination. She circled Lucious and gathered the bracelets on the floor. Each of the stones used to be a clear amber stone like hers.
“Why did they turn black?” she asked.
“The demonic energy is trapped in the amber stone of the marked one. Now that you know, give me the one you’re wearing.” He whipped his gun out, pointing it at her head.
The blood in her veins chilled, and her face paled. Helena could tell by the death stare he gave her that he would shoot her if she didn’t hand over the witch’s jewellery. Using slow, steady movements, she pulled the necklace over her head and handed it to him.
Ben mouthed a ‘thank you’ and wrapped it around Maya’s hand, touching the stone to her bare skin.
Almost immediately, Maya’s expression became more relaxed, and Helena let out a sigh of relief.
“What are you pleased about, my dear? He stole your final layer of protection. Unless you want me touching you all day, you are exposed to the demon because of it.”
Helena turned her head and gave Lucious a sheepish smile. “It’s alright. She needed it more than me.”
“Your charity will lead you to an early grave,” Lucious said in a clipped tone and stormed out of the room.
Helena studied Ben. He had his gun pointing at the ground now, his fingers loose around the weapon while he clutched Maya’s hand, pressing it to his forehead.
“I can see that you care about your friend,” Helena said.
Ben’s eyes flicked open, and he sat back on his haunches. “We’ve been partners for nine years. I am not willing to lose her to a single demon without a fight.”
Helena took in his words. When she looked at him again, he seemed preoccupied with fixing Maya’s pillows. She collected the bracelets off the floor and headed downstairs where she placed them on the counter next to the grimoire. Her eyes settled on the cover. Would there be a spell in that journal to purify these bracelets?
“You are not truly intending to cast a spell, are you?” Lucious asked behind her, making her jump.
She glared at him over her shoulder. “What if I am?”
“Children should not play with forces they cannot understand or control.”
Helena’s temper sparked. “You have kissed this child one too many times to complain about my age.”
Lucious cast his eyes downwards and combed his hand through his hair, stretching the t-shirt he was wearing over his chest. “I beg of you, please do not take everything I say to heart. It was a mere observation, not an intended insult.”
“And that’s your cue to stop talking,” she said, feeling her neck aching from the tenseness in her shoulders.
Oddly enough, he waved for her to continue as he relaxed against the counter behind him.
Helena pulled the grimoire close to her and opened it. Once again, she was met with a list of names written in different handwritings. Instead of skimming through the contents, she worked her way from the list of names on the first page, attempting to read the writing as she went along. Most of the handwriting of the early owners of the journal had faded, and she couldn’t read the majority of the words. She could only hope that those entries were not where the purification spell was.
Her eyes darted from one line to the next, from one drawing to another. Some were simple sketches of leaves with charcoal, others were pentagrams with odd writing at the corners.
“You should get Alexander to have a look at it,” Lucious suggested.
Helena rolled her eyes. “What happened to not talking?”
“I am not your dog, Helena. Please remember that I can, at any time, lock you away in one of Alexander’s properties.”
Her hand froze on the page she was scanning. She knew he meant every word without having to look at him. Lucious held all the cards. He entertained her by creating the illusion of her freedom. If he wanted to, he could easily do as he threatened, and she wouldn’t be able to put up a fight against him.
“Noted,” she said.
After a few more pages, she found the Russian text that spoke of protection and purification. She scanned the page, confirming it was the correct spell before her eyes ran through the list of ingredients.
“I need natural salt gathered from the mountains. Er…normal salt? It’s above your head in the cupboard.” She pointed behind her. “…five flames. Candles? A crystal chalice blessed by the angel’s servant, and tears of a virgin?” Helena burst into nervous laughter. “What a list…”
Lucious set the bag of salt on the counter and assessed her with newfound interest. “Virgin’s tears? Do you happen to know any?”
A blush stained her cheeks. She undid her hair-tie, letting her hair fall around her face to hide her embarrassment.
“You have not had sex yet?” Lucious asked in disbelief. “Women in this day and age tend to be much more adventurous.”
Her wave of discomfort turned to annoyance. Was he mocking her because she hadn’t given her virginity to some guy she met at a bar or during a school trip abroad? When she faced him, there was no humour in his expression, only curiosity. Her anger fizzled out.
Defeated, she said, “Yes, I guess I’m not a typical woman for this day and age.”
“It pleases me that you are picky about your partner.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. You’re not getting into my pants,” she countered and returned to the book. Where was she supposed to get a crystal chalice blessed by a servant of an angel? Did Nadine count as someone who could bless things? It wouldn’t make sense since Madeline made this for her. Surely, she wouldn’t know about Helena’s connection to a saint. What did that mean? Did they need a priest? A nun? A holy spirit? She scratched her head in frustration.
“You mustn’t forget, witches like to over-complicate things. Most of the time, they had to use the things they had lying around instead of fancy relics from sacred tombs,” Lucious added.
She turned and selected a striped blue-and-green cereal bowl from the cupboard and placed it next to the salt. “I guess this will have to do.”
Helena remembered Laura always had a f
ew scented candles in her room. She scaled the stairs and burst into the messy bedroom for the second time. As her eyes scanned for the candles, they were also seeking anything unusual like guns or maybe ingredients for spells. When she didn’t find anything of the sort at a first glance, she gathered five vanilla scented candles from the windowsill and fled the room. She had to call Laura again once the spell worked or failed. At this point, she wasn’t sure she was doing the right thing by playing with magic and a grimoire.
She brought the candles downstairs and arranged them around the bowl, with equal spaces between the candles, at the points of a pentagram. The next line she read aloud in Russian before translating it. “Strike a match at the witching hour, lighting the North flame…”
One look at the clock on the wall told her it was 11:45 p.m. There were fifteen minutes left before midnight. She searched the drawers and found the lighter Andrew suggested they keep in case of an emergency. Obviously, he didn’t foresee a magical one.
She poured the salt into the bowl and recalled the saddest thing she could—Andrew’s death. No tears surfaced.
“Are you trying to induce tears?” Lucious asked with a hint of a smile.
“Is it that obvious?”
He chuckled. “You look like someone stole your favourite teddy bear.”
Helena pursed her lips together. “Do you have a better way to make me cry?”
“Is that a challenge?” he inquired, getting closer.
She raised her hands in the air. “No. No, it’s not!”
Lucious smirked. Grabbing her wrists, he propelled her into his solid chest. Her hands were trapped between their bodies, and warmth pervaded through his clothing.
Desperate to not enjoy his touch, she focused her busy mind on anything other than the way he felt against her body. The longer he held her, the more she relaxed and, eventually, she closed her eyes. A stinging pain in her side alerted her, and she tried to tear away from him.
“What are you doing?” she yelled.
“I believe I’m pinching you,” he replied smartly.
Tears rushed to the surface, and he finally let her go. She glared at him with watering eyes.
“Well, do not waste my efforts by glaring at me for the rest of the night. Put those tears to good use.”
Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2) Page 10
