He let out a low chuckle. “Of course, it is after I apologise to my childe.”
She slapped him on the shoulder. A deep blush coloured her face red. “Well, that was unexpected.”
“I’m sure it was. Your answer?” he asked, trying not to sound too eager.
“Only if you can promise me one thing.”
“And that is?”
Helena pointed at his fashion faux pas. “You get to wear your normal clothes.”
Lucious let out a loud groan, and Helena burst into laughter which shook the string between them. The melodic sound warmed his heart, and he had no choice but to accept her request.
21
Peace Never Lasts
With her mood high up in the clouds, Helena opened her eyes to the sound of rain droplets battering at the windowpanes. Sitting up, she took pleasure in the sensation of her heart fluttering in her chest and the warmth of the room she slept in. Lucious asked her out to dinner and that thought stretched her lips into a smile until her face hurt. She rubbed her flushed cheeks with her palms, giggling to herself.
The door burst open, and Maya stuck her head in. “Helena, get… Oh, you’re already up.” She slid into the room and closed the door behind her. “Did something good happen to you?”
Helena shook her head as couldn’t share the news with Maya. She would be against it. It was a miracle in itself that the hunters and vampires around her hadn’t killed one another.
Maya raised a brow and rubbed her wound. “Right, okay. Well, get dressed. You and Ben are going for a run.”
Helena spared the window one more glance. Grey clouds hung thick over the city as they bathed its infrastructure in a steady rainfall. “You’re not serious, are you?”
“I’m always serious, except for the times when I’m not. And right now, I am. So, get ready.” Maya made her way to Helena’s duffel bag on the floor.
Since storing her clothes in Alexander’s apartment didn’t sit well with Helena, she hadn’t planned on unpacking any of her belongings. It didn’t seem like the right thing to do. “I’m pretty sure you’re trying to get rid of Ben for a short while.”
Grimacing, Maya dropped the bag on the bed. “Great perception coming from someone who’s grinning like a Cheshire cat. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were excited about something, and I swear it’s not the business with the demon.”
Helena climbed out from under the sheets. “It’s nothing.”
“Alright, don’t tell me. I’ll be here, by myself, waiting for your stinking happiness to spill through the cracks.” Maya plopped on the bed.
Laughing, Helena searched the contents of her bag. She fished out a pair of black tracksuit bottoms and a clean t-shirt. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Maya gave her a long, measuring stare. “I’m still waiting for the happiness to drip all over this carpet.”
Helena ran into the bathroom where she sped through changing into her clothes. She ran a hairbrush through the tangled mess on her head. Her frizzy, shoulder-length hair stuck out in every direction when the rain fell—which, in Ireland, happened more often than not.
When she was ready, she returned to the room to find Maya splayed out on her bed with her limbs spread out in every direction. She stared at the ceiling with a blank look on her face.
What’s so interesting that she didn’t check on her surroundings?
Helena cleared her throat, and Maya jerked into a sitting position, immediately regretting her reaction with a loud hiss. She fell backwards and shot Helena a pleading look. Without a doubt, she could beat Perri in the puppy-dog eyes contest, and that had to be a feat.
“Whatever it is,” Helena said with raised hands, “I’m not doing it.” Maya’s face contorted with pain, and Helena sighed, dropping her hands to her sides. “Alright, what is it?”
Maya grinned. “Could you grab some Chinese food on the way back?”
“It’s raining, last time I checked.” She felt the need to climb back in bed and pretend the world didn’t exist. Not only was she supposed to go for a jog, she had to be a personal assistant to her friend who was staring at her with a quivering lip. Helena pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fine. Chinese. Anything else, your highness?”
“That’ll do, my good sister.”
Helena couldn’t stay annoyed at her. Maya was simply one of those people who could get away with murder. As she contemplated this, her brows drew together. Maya did get away with the murder of vampires. She even lived to tell the tale.
Ben marched into the room with two glasses of a purple mixture balanced on a tray. He handed one to each of the girls. “Once you drink it, Maya, you get back to bed, and you”—he pointed at Helena—“can come with me for a run.”
Maya gulped down the drink while Helena took a whiff of the overwhelming berry scent.
“Can I skip breakfast?” Helena asked.
He stared at her with a no-nonsense look. She retracted her words in silence and consumed the concoction. Um…it tastes nice… she willed herself to think because, in reality, she was fighting the need to cringe from the sour aftertaste it left behind.
When the last drop of the drink was gone, tears pooled in her eyes, and she blinked them away.
Somehow, Maya was unaffected by what they had ingested. She fell back on her pillows. “Thanks for the berry-bomb, partner.”
Ben took the glass from Maya’s waiting hand and placed it back on the tray. “Helena, let’s go.”
She shot Maya a pleading look. If exercising with Maya was painful, she couldn’t imagine what it would be like with Ben.
To her dismay, Maya grinned and whispered, “Chinese.”
With a roll of her eyes, Helena put on her sneakers and left the room. While Alexander was looking into local Wiccan Circles, and Nadine said she won’t be available until evening, Helena was stuck with the hunters who seemed intent on turning her into one of them.
She waited for Ben by the lift.
He turned the corner, carrying two black raincoats, one of which he handed to her. “Put this on.”
She shrugged on the noisy plastic material and zipped the front of it. The silence between them grew into a separate, palpable entity, as the lift descended. Every possible question that popped into her head seemed irrelevant. The situation reminded her of the first time she met Nadine. She hugged her sides, recalling the dark creatures from her dreams. The way their hands extended towards her in an attempt to consume her, sent ants marching down her spine.
Is that what the Demon Realm will be like?
They left the building, and Ben started off with a slow jog, keeping pace with her. It had only been about a week, and her body was already struggling to move one leg in front of the other.
“How long are we going to do this for?” she asked between mouthfuls of humid air. Raindrops assaulted her face, and she grumbled low that washing her face that morning was a waste of time.
“It won’t be long. It’s only a two-mile run.”
She groaned, and Ben let out a laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
“You and Maya are similar in character. When she launched her training, she complained about as many times as there are minutes in the day—maybe more. She did it till she decided to train you.”
“Ah, so she’s been putting on a show all this time?”
“Most definitely.”
Helena pursed her lips at Maya’s need to sadistically torture her through exercise. Maybe not having any siblings was a blessing she took for granted?
They turned the corner, and Ben picked up the pace. Her muscles cried out in protest, but she tried to match his speed.
“So…” She gasped for air and added, “What are your plans for the future?”
Stopping at the traffic lights, he eyed her. “Why is it young women gossip too much?”
She picked apart his question in her mind. Was she gossiping? Not like she had anything better to do. Her t-shirt clung to her back like
a second skin and her feet were overheating, even though her sneakers were drenched.
“No plans then?”
Ben chuckled. This was the first time she had seen this side of him and was slowly figuring out what Maya liked about him. His demeanour changed when he laughed. His sharp features seemed softer and his dark eyes reflected some life in them. With his perfect teeth, Helena guessed he would make a great model for toothpaste advertisements. She cringed at the idea.
“I have contacted my parents. They’re willing to forgive this indiscretion if I marry the woman they’ve picked out for me. This way, Maya can be assured that everything will remain the same.” The light changed to green, and he crossed the road.
Helena trailed behind him. “Have you told her any of this?”
“Not until we have dealt with the demon. The vampire we’re staying with said something about a Demon Gate.”
“You mean Alexander,” Helena corrected him.
“No. He is what he is. Calling a vampire by his name is not in our policy. It makes us more susceptible to their mental attacks.”
Thinking like that gave her a headache. Hunters had weird logic when it came to the supernatural world. If she and others like her didn’t fight alongside them, they weren’t considered human? When she thought she was closing in on figuring out their norm, Ben managed to complicate things further.
By the time Helena crawled her way back to Alexander’s home—Ben decided to use the emergency stairs instead of the lift—a nice, hot shower was the only thing on her mind. When her eyes focused on the rearranged living room, her mouth unhinged at the sight of the blue gym mats on the floor. To the side of the makeshift gymnasium, Maya sat on the sofa, propped up by a massive pillow and with what appeared to be a smoothie in one hand.
Maya waved at them and eyed Helena with a probing look. She scowled. “Where’s the food?”
Helena swatted her damp forehead with her wet palm. Whether it was sweat or rainwater, she couldn’t tell and didn’t care. Drink, shower, and rest were the only things she wanted.
“I forgot,” Helena said, aiming for her room.
“Come back here after you’re done changing. You’re going to do some sparring with Ben!” Maya called after her.
Helena slowed her pace to that of a sloth. Maybe, as more time passed, Maya would forget the outrageous idea of turning her into a fit human being.
Although she wasn’t eager to continue the training, she skipped the shower, changed her clothes, and met up with the others in the living room. Maya remained in the same place, but her drink was gone.
Ben sat next to her with bandages resting on his lap. He lifted Maya’s tank top and studied her blood-stained dressing with a stern face. “You’ve been moving around too much. Do I have to tie you to a bed to make you stop?”
Maya gave him a sheepish smile. “You know me. I can’t sit still.”
“That’s precisely why I never take you to recon,” he mumbled and undid her bandages.
“Helena, you’re here!” Maya shouted.
Helena nodded. Now that she knew what Ben was planning to do after they got rid of the demon, the thought of Maya’s disappointment tugged at her heartstrings. She didn’t want to see her friend troubled. Nevertheless, she would prepare the tubs of ice cream if necessary. Deciding that silence was the best course of action, she waited for Ben to finish dressing Maya’s scabbing wound.
“How did you move the furniture?” Helena asked.
Maya pointed behind Helena, and she turned around, as Andrew strode into the room. The sleeves of his white shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing lean muscle beneath.
He seemed busy, nattering on the phone, so Helena raised a brow at Maya. “You got Andrew to lift things for you?”
“Your vampire friend seemed eager to accommodate me once he found out you were the one who stabbed me.”
Helena cringed inwardly. She was about to unleash her apologies when Maya raised her hand. “Sorry, it slipped out.”
Helena’s knees grew weak, and she sat on the mat, waiting for Andrew to finish his phone call.
When he noticed that the others in the room were staring at him, Andrew mumbled something and hung up. “When do we start?”
“We?” Helena and Maya asked in unison.
Ben pointed at the vampire. “He will be Helena’s sparring partner for today. She needs to get used to the speed of the opponent since you have already taught her the basics. Once she has a better grasp on them, I will teach her more advanced techniques.”
Maya accepted his words, and Andrew offered Helena a hand.
Grateful, she took it, and he asked with a grin. “When did you start exercising, Thorn?”
Helena elbowed him in the side.
He bent over in mock agony. “You’ve wounded me! Who is going to pay for my medical bills?”
Maya burst out laughing and cried out in pain as she clutched her middle.
Ben shook his head and bopped Maya on the back of her head as if it was the natural thing to do. “You never learn.”
“And you never let me off the hook,” Maya complained.
Ben joined Helena on the mat. “We may as well begin.” He gripped Andrew’s shoulder and led him to the other end of the mat, making him face her. “You will do as your nature tells you, vampire. You will attack her and pin her to the ground. Understood?”
“I’ve got a name, you know.”
“Noted. Now, Helena, your eyes will be useless to you in this.” He retrieved a long strip of black material from his pocket which he crumpled and tossed to her. “It’s a blindfold. Put it on.”
“I’m going to spar with Andrew blindfolded?”
“Your eyes will only hinder you. With vampires, you must listen out for the movement. Once you learn this on a subconscious level, you may train with your eyes open.”
Uncertain, she put on the blindfold, tying the rough material behind her head. Darkness claimed her vision. She didn’t like it. This reminded her too much of the demon. She was waiting for him to spring out of nowhere and offer another deal.
A hand landed on her shoulder, and she jumped on the spot.
Next to her, Ben said, “Listen out for the movement on the mat and try to lodge this into the vampire’s chest.”
An object was placed in her hand, and she used her other hand to feel the item. It appeared to be some kind of a wooden blade.
“Will it hurt him?” she asked in a wavering voice.
“He’s a vampire. Unless it’s silver, he’ll recover fast,” Ben replied.
“So it will hurt him!” she snapped and was ready to pull off the blindfold when Andrew added, “Let it go, Thorn. I’m not about to let you lay a hand on me.”
Not convinced, she loosely held on to the weapon and waited until Ben walked her to what she believed to be the centre of the mat. The shuffling of his feet informed her he had stepped away.
“Begin,” Ben ordered.
As the word finished leaving the hunter’s lips, Helena’s world spun. Her back collided with something soft with enough force to knock the air out of her lungs. She gasped, and Andrew’s laughter followed along with the clanking of her weapon as it skidded across Alexander’s hardwood flooring.
Hands grasped her under her arms and guided her back into a standing position while she attempted to get her bearings back. Fighting normally was one thing, but trying to fight blindfolded and winded was another.
“Helena, use your senses. You’ll get nowhere if you keep standing there like the Eiffel Tower,” Maya complained.
The vein in her forehead started to throb in annoyance. She took the stance Maya had drilled into her: feet apart, shoulders forward, knees slightly bent. Now that she was a smaller target, Ben placed the weapon back into her hand, and she gripped the handle.
“You look serious, Thorn. Don’t worry, you’ll always land safely on your behind,” Andrew mocked.
Helena mentally rolled her eyes. “Bring it on!”
On the smooth leather of the sofa, she massaged some cold cream Maya gave her into her calf. Even Lazarus is nothing compared to Ben’s tenacity when it comes to training.
Andrew handed her a large mug of steaming coffee, taking a seat next to her. “Alexander called. He and the saint will be arriving shortly.”
“Her name’s Nadine.” She stuck out her chin. “You don’t like it when hunters call you a vampire. Have you stopped to ask yourself if she likes being labelled?”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t had the chance to meet her. I didn’t know her name, and Alexander—”
“I swear every second word out of your mouth is ‘Alexander’. Are you turning gay on me?” She smacked herself on the forehead. Maybe being knocked down a thousand times by him had caused permanent damage and her wires got crossed. “Sorry about that.”
“Are you jealous?”
Helena scowled at him. “I don’t get along with Mr Popular.”
“At first, we didn’t either. His lifestyle was the opposite of mine. But, he does care about his staff and those close to him. Once it dawned on me, I chose to stop fighting his suggestions and listened.”
“So you invite a few women to your place for some midnight billiards as well?” she asked with a raised brow.
Andrew’s hands shot up in defence. “I said I listened to his suggestions. That doesn’t mean I followed his example!”
A smile broke through, and she burst out laughing at the way he assessed her as if making sure she was on the same page. It was fun peeking out of her shell and being the one to crack jokes.
Their attention was drawn to the two people stepping out of the lift. Alexander’s annoyed expression and rigid movements told Helena that he did not enjoy being close to Nadine.
Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2) Page 29
