“This is why I did not want to tell you this. You are still immature when it comes to relationships.”
Her tears forgotten, Helena’s eyes narrowed. “Obviously, when it comes to fucking, you’re as experienced as your best friend.”
Lucious’ eyes flashed dark blue, and he slammed her back against the wall, trapping her in place. She tried to wriggle out of his hold, but he grasped her wrists and pinned them above her head.
“Let go, Lucious…” she warned.
He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, they were back to normal. “Listen carefully as I will say this again. I do not love you. You are my drive to live, my need to protect, and I am willing to sacrifice myself for you without a second thought. So, please, forgive me for wishing to keep you safe, even if it means not sticking to monogamy.”
Another sharp pain resonated in her heart, and she thought it would shatter into tiny pieces. The words she feared and tried to block out were thrown at her. She had no response. Her mind rejected the idea of him not loving her while her chest burned as if she was suffocating. Tears overflowed, and she let them take over. Struggling seemed futile as was the need to be by his side. He did not want her. She was an object he had to protect until another task became his priority. That knowledge stung more than anything.
He wiped her wet cheeks with his free hand and lifted her chin. “Do not cry, I beg you.”
“What do you care?” She sniffled.
Lucious let go of her arms and drew her into a hug, resting his chin on top of her head. “I have warned you that I have never loved a woman in my life. Do not be upset by this knowledge.”
Helena hit his sides because they were the only part of him she could reach as images of Zafira and him kissing and sharing the same bed invaded her psyche. Her hands gripped the material of his bloodied shirt, and she looked at him with fragile resolution burning in her eyes.
“Did you kiss her?”
His brows drew together. “During the act? I have not.”
Blowing out a breath, Helena wiped away the rest of her tears with her sleeves. “Alright. It’s alright. I will try to forget it happened.”
Lucious raised a brow. “You believe kissing is more intimate than sex?”
“No. But, I consider it to be something you do with the one you love,” she said, pushing him away. “I’m going to find Maya and make sure she’s doing alright.”
“You are a strange woman.”
She gave him a lopsided smile, but, on the inside, struggled to come to terms with this new information. “Look who is talking.”
Helena couldn’t stay in the same room as him any longer. She rushed into the showroom as fast as her legs would take her in search of the hunters. Luckily, she didn’t have to go far. She found them in an office on the ground floor. Ben was sleeping, his back pressed against the wall, and Maya was loading bullets into her gun’s magazine.
One quick glance at Maya’s pale face told Helena she hadn’t recovered from the stab wound. Lowering her head in shame, she took a step forwards.
Maya pushed the loaded clip into her gun and pointed it at Helena. “Are you a zombie?”
Helena lifted her head and shook it. “Not quite. I am sorry I hurt you…”
“That’s good,” Maya interrupted her and grinned. “Wouldn’t want to get stabbed again.”
“I wasn’t in control.”
“I know.” Maya put her weapon on the desk. The movement caused her to wince, and she relaxed into the office chair she sat on. “It’s alright. I’ve been through worse. Heard your vampire boyfriend tortured the undead dude we brought back with us. I would be careful not to piss that one off if I were you. The agonised cries that kept me from counting sheep at night reminded me of South America.” She shuddered and rubbed her arms.
“It couldn’t have been that bad…”
Maya’s face turned serious. “That vampire by your side is dangerous. He seems to care about you right now, which is all fun and games, but I would sleep with a gun under my pillow and one eye open.”
“He won’t hurt me.”
“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.”
Helena rolled her eyes. “I got the demon slaying blade from Reaver.”
Maya’s eyes bulged out of their sockets. “How?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care anymore. I want Lazarus out of my life.”
Ben grunted. He opened his eyes and cursed. “Maya, you’re supposed to be lying down!”
The girl scowled at her partner. “I was, for an eternity. But I got bored, so I’m sitting.”
“Your stitches will come undone,” he said sternly.
“I was being very careful. It’s not bleeding, look—” She studied her wound. “Oh, shit. Well, forget I said anything.”
Ben shot up and gathered her in his arms. He laid her on the desk that had been pushed against the far wall. He used his tuxedo jacket as a pillow and shoved it under her head.
“Don’t move an inch from here,” he ordered.
Helena smiled at the sight. Regardless of Ben’s tough exterior, he cared a great deal about Maya. This display of affection was what a real partnership should be like. They may argue and fight at times, but when it counts they support one another. Helena’s smile faded as she recalled the scene with Lucious from earlier. Does he only see me as a partner?
“Helena, I’m glad you’ve returned unharmed. While you’re doing nothing, find me some bandages or clothes. I’ve run out,” Ben said.
“Sure.” Helena left the two of them in the office. She was about to go out and find a pharmacy when Lucious grasped her by the arm and pulled her to one side.
“Where are you going alone?”
“To get some bandages for Maya,” she replied. The warlock even gave her a few hundred euro spending money in case she needed a taxi to a different location. It was awkward taking money from Nico but having cash was better than relying on Alexander for everything.
“You’re not leaving this place unguarded,” he said, taking her hand.
She studied their intertwined fingers and lifted her eyes to meet his. “This does not weird you out?”
He opened the door for her and led the way. “It will keep you from getting too far away from me. I do not want a repeat of what happened at that bloody opera house.”
Helena eyed their linked hands. They were already soul-bound, being linked physically made her blush.
Lucious glanced over his shoulder at her. “You are getting slower. Is something the matter?”
Helena quickened her steps to keep up with his long strides and shook her head.
After the fighting, countless problems, and arguments, she wanted to remain by his side, even if it was only as a partner.
“We will be stopping off at Heathrow in fifteen minutes,” Alexander announced from the seat across from her and Lucious.
Helena’s head snapped in the direction of the infuriating man sitting next to her. “Are you going to see Anna?”
“I must do so soon, my dear,” he said and pushed the rest of the sentence through the link. “I cannot worry Alexander with my condition. He hates losing friends, and I already owe him too much.”
She let out a sigh and turned to stare out of the plane’s round window into the complete darkness.
“My sire may know what we must do to kill the demon now that we have the blade,” he added.
“Can’t you call or text her, instead?”
Lucious chuckled. “She detests technology.”
Alexander cleared his throat, drawing their attention. “I know you two can talk through that mind-boggling connection of yours, but it is quite irritating. And, if you two are going to date, tell me beforehand. I want to have my finger ready on the eject button.”
Helena was about to speak when Lucious interjected, “Do not fret, Alexander. We are not dating. We are saying our goodbyes. Or would you rather listen to them?”
Alexander leant back and picked up the laptop from t
he seat next to him. Opening the lid, he spared one last measuring stare at Helena. “I don’t get it, Lucious.”
She scowled, and Lucious let out another chuckle. Even when she desperately tried keeping pace with their conversations, they always found a way to confuse her.
16
The Quinns
Helena sighed for the dozenth time at the gaping hole in her heart that was created by the distance with Lucious. Like it had been for the five months they spent apart, the link between them showed no signs of life.
She shook her head as the group ascended in the lift to her apartment. Ben was holding Maya up. She had a pallid complexion, and she hadn’t complained once about her suffering.
Alexander kept tapping his foot.
When she stole a peek at Maya, Helena’s lips stretched into an apologetic smile.
Maya rolled her eyes. “Stop it, sis. It’ll be fine. I haven’t died yet.”
“Yet being the key word,” Ben chided.
Maya swatted his chest and winced. “Stop making me hurt myself.”
“I could help by knocking you out cold,” Ben retorted.
She scowled at her partner, and Helena struggled to contain a smile that threatened to escape. Despite what they suffered or underwent, those two always remain lively. They were like a ray of hope in a dark tunnel.
“I liked them more when they talked less,” Alexander complained as the doors glided open.
Helena followed him out and waited until the hunters caught up.
Alexander stuck his hand out in front of Helena. “Your key card?”
“Oh, right.” Helena rummaged through the outer pocket of her duffel bag and handed it to him.
Outside of her front door, Alexander lifted his hand, halting everyone mid-step. “Someone is in there.”
Helena’s mind raced. “It could be Laura. She may have returned—”
He shook his head. “Your human friend is not two people, is she?”
She pressed her lips together as Ben separated from Maya, resting her against the wall.
“The vampire and I will look into it. You two stay here,” Ben ordered.
Alexander raised a brow. “Why would I listen to you?”
“I don’t trust you to watch my back either, but we have the same goals for now. I suggest we put our differences aside,” Ben said, screwing on a silencer onto his pistol.
With an unreadable face, Alexander took a step towards the door lock and scanned the key card.
Helena closed her eyes. This had to be some kind of mix-up. Maybe it was Laura with a friend? Yet, with everything going on, that seemed like an improbability to her. She looked at Maya who shot her a weak smile.
“It’ll be alright,” Helena said.
Angry shouts and a female scream came out of the apartment and, unable to stop, Helena snuck in to see what was going on. She came to a halt in the living area where two bodies bled out onto the hardwood flooring. One of their faces stared ahead with glassy eyes.
Helena fell to her knees and covered her mouth with her hands, muffling her apologies as life faded from their bodies. She knew these people.
“What have you done?” Helena whispered.
Ben stepped over the bodies, eyeing her with an intense stare. “Did you know them?”
“They’re Laura’s parents…” she forced out, unable to believe the words had left her mouth.
“They were hunters,” Alexander said in distaste.
The crimson stain expanded under their bodies and memories of her time with the Quinn family at their vacation home barged in. Helena couldn’t rid herself of the images of a loving couple. She tried getting closer to the bodies, but Ben grasped her by the shoulder and pulled her back.
“It is not a good idea to go near them. We must be certain they’re dead,” Ben added.
“Are you serious? We should call for an ambulance in case they’re alive.”
“Enough drama. I’ll take care of the bodies. It would seem the local hunters already know about this place. You will have to come to my home,” Alexander said and glanced at Ben. “Your friends, I suppose?”
“I did not inform the local clan. If anything, we tried to keep our presence under the radar.”
“We need to clean this up and move to a different location,” Alexander said.
“You can’t do whatever you want,” Helena shouted and slapped Ben’s hand away. She dragged her feet to where the bodies lay and searched for a pulse on their necks. Nothing. Not a single beat pushed against the pressure of her fingers.
“They’re gone,” Maya called out from the entrance. “Let the vampire take care of their bodies, Helena. It’s for the best.”
Helena glared at everyone. How could they suggest getting rid of Laura’s parents? These people deserved a proper burial. Slowly, she stood and clenched her shaking fists. “Laura needs to know.”
“It’s not a good idea,” Ben said. “If she knows, the local hunters will arrange a manhunt for you and anyone involved. We would be at a disadvantage.”
“This isn’t about advantages or disadvantages. It’s about doing what’s right, and Laura would never hurt anyone!”
Alexander snorted. “You know nothing about hunters’ children. They learn the craft from birth, or am I wrong?”
Ben shook his head, and Alexander added, “This means that your friend has been lying to you the whole time. Accept it and move on.”
“Listen to me,” Helena said.
Maya grasped her shoulders and shook her. “Helena! You can’t do anything for these people. They’re like us. They would have killed you and the vampires. Your friend was most likely planted here as a spy to keep an eye on things in case they got out of hand.”
“No. There has to be another reason…”
“Think about it. Why did Laura have your grimoire? Why did her parents come here? Why did they bring weapons?”
Helena’s lower lip quivered, and Maya drew her into a warm hug. She rubbed Helena’s back while her eyes watered.
“It’ll be alright. Let the vampire take care of this mess,” Maya murmured.
She wrapped her arms around Maya and buried her face in her shoulder. Her chest ached and her eyes stung as she heard the bodies being lifted off the ground. She didn’t dare to look. Another sight of the Quinns would force her to argue again when she knew it was hopeless. They had a point. She couldn’t turn back the clock and be like everyone else. As the people around her changed, she was forced to change with them.
The fire in her wouldn’t relent, and Helena wiped away the tears. She pushed Maya aside, careful not to hurt her.
“Wait!” she called out after them.
Alexander and Ben both turned, with a body each on their shoulders.
“What is it now?” Alexander demanded.
Helena squared her shoulders and steeled her nerves. “Leave the bodies here. I’m going to call Laura. She needs to know.”
“We have already covered this,” Alexander hissed.
“I said leave the bodies!” she yelled, and the air in the room thickened with her pent-up energy.
Alexander’s eyes narrowed, and Ben stared at her in what appeared to be disbelief.
“What’re you doing?” Maya asked.
Helena’s attention was solely on the men. The energy in the room shifted once Alexander released his shields. Her nails dug into her palms as she struggled not to back down. She returned his sharp glare. “Leave them here, Alexander.”
His energy drew near before slamming into her weakened shields. Copper aftertaste filled her mouth, and she realised she had bitten her lower lip. The stinging didn’t stop her from fighting against the vampire’s power with everything she had left. If she let everyone make decisions for her for the rest of her life, she may as well be in a cell. And, no matter the outcome, she could no longer stand by and watch it happen. After what seemed like an eternity, sweat beaded on her forehead and a rivulet rolled down her face.
Alexan
der was powerful, she had to give it to him, but Lucious was stronger. She placed her hands over her soul’s string and concentrated on the link between them, drawing more power from it and letting it flow into her.
The string became agitated, and she knew Lucious would contact her about the anomaly with the link sooner or later. Once the prickling energy gathered in her, she could no longer contain it. She let it out as she hit the floor with her knees, using her arms to keep her face from kissing the ground.
Alexander cursed and collapsed on one knee. The body of Mr Quinn tumbled out of his hold and hit the ground with a thud.
“Do not play games with me, witch!” Alexander’s booming voice spread throughout the apartment. “I will dump in a dungeon if you continue to fight me.”
Helena drew back the energy into her weak body and squinted to be able to make out the blurry shapes of people on the other end of the living area.
“Alexander, please…let them be,” she said between heaving breaths.
The vampire sighed and appeared in front of her. He grasped her jaw, forcing her to her feet and to look at him. “I shall entertain your idiocy this once. Whatever comes from it, you will have to shoulder by yourself because I will not be a part of it.”
Helena tore her face out of his painful hold. “That’s fine with me.”
He shook his head. “It seems we have decided to leave the incriminating evidence here. I do hope you’ll take a page from a hunter’s book and sleep with a gun under your pillow as I fear for the future my friend will have with you by his side.”
“Don’t drag Lucious into this.”
“You are right. He’s not here to defend you. It would be too easy this way,” Alexander added and walked to the door. “Let us leave this place. It is no longer safe.”
Helena glared at his leisurely retreat. She hadn’t recovered from the expense of energy she had used to fight him. The only reason she remained upright on her legs was due to pure willpower.
Ben lowered Mrs Quinn beside her husband. Then, he stopped a foot away from Maya and picked her up, carrying her in his arms like he would a princess.
Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2) Page 22
