Demon Gates (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 2)

by May Freighter

  Both of her parents had their mouths hanging open, which didn’t surprise her.

  “I don’t know whether you need a shrink or a white padded cell at this point,” Sasha said.

  Tanya snorted and ambled to the coffee table. She peeled back the sleeve of her blue cashmere sweater and sank her pointed red nail into her skin. Blood oozed out of the wound. With her clenched jaw, Tanya moved her nail upwards, causing the cut to expand, and Richard covered Sasha’s eyes.

  “What are you doing?” Richard demanded.

  “Watch.” Tanya directed her wrist towards Helena’s parents.

  Richard watched in horror and amazement as the wound on Tanya’s wrist stitched itself together.

  Sasha slapped her husband’s hand away and paled at the proceedings.

  “That’s an impressive healing ability,” Richard commented.

  Helena could already tell his brain was working out ways he could replicate it in the lab.

  “I also do not have a heartbeat and have been dead since 1889,” Tanya replied smartly.

  “May I?” Richard asked, reaching for her wrist.

  Tanya sighed and offered it to him.

  His fingers skimmed the surface over the healed flesh. He poked it a couple of times then searched for a pulse. His eyes bulged as he withdrew. “You have no pulse…”

  “Since I don’t want to stick around, Alexander, could you take care of the rest? I feel like a lab rat for some reason,” Tanya said with a mock shudder.

  Alexander gave her a nod, and Tanya waltzed out of the room with her heels clicking on the hardwood flooring.

  “Now will you agree to go?” Helena asked.

  “We are not going anywhere without you,” her step-father said. “You are part of the family. How could we leave you here with these…people.”

  Alexander glanced at Helena. “Can I wipe their memories and be done with this farce?”

  Helena was beginning to agree with Alexander. If there was no way to convince them to leave, she would have no choice but to ask him for help. Deep down, she truly wanted them to leave without vampiric persuasion.

  “I will move to Florida with you after I go to a funeral. It is important to me that I attend. Will that do?” Helena looked between her parents for confirmation.

  Sasha scoffed. “And whose funeral are you attending? How do we know you are not trying to send us away?”

  Helena’s hands formed fists under her thighs at the lack of trust in her mother’s tone. They were the ones who had kept the truth from her for over a decade. How could they be questioning her honesty now?

  “Alright,” Richard said. “We will go to America as you ask. I know you wouldn’t make us change continents out of baseless fears. But, I do expect you to join us in a month’s time. If not, I’m coming back to get you. Will that do?”

  Tension left Helena’s stiff shoulders, and she nodded.

  While Alexander finalised the travel arrangements over the phone, Helena studied the night view of the city out of the suite’s window.

  He stopped next to her and ended the call. “Your family got on a flight a couple of minutes ago. You did well.”

  “Thank you.” She diverted her attention back to the flickering lights in the distance.

  “Are you certain you wish to return to your family at the end of July? What will you tell Lucious when he comes back?”

  Helena’s heart constricted at the mention of his name. She wanted to see him. Every cell in her body wished to be enveloped in his arms, so her soul could find some peace. With the way things were heading, it was an impossible task. Even though they were soul-bound, they were two different people with separate lives. Perhaps they were not meant to be together since everything they did forced them further apart.

  “He doesn’t have to know about it.”

  “I do believe—”

  Helena faced him, her raw emotions bare. She was too weak to fight Alexander on the matter. He had been right all along. They were not meant to be, and it would be best to realise that sooner rather than later. And, because of that, she was going to go as far away as she possibly could. She would forget him and, maybe, the link would no longer bother her.

  “I see,” he said. “I won’t say a word.”

  Fourth of July came quicker than she had anticipated. Taking care of Andrew with his degrading sense of humour was the only thing that helped her pass the lengthy hours in the day.

  Helena tucked spare t-shirts into an overnight bag and studied the black dress Alexander suggested she should wear to the funeral. Her fingers ran over the chiffon material, and she felt numb inside. There was no true happiness or joy behind her smiles. Although Andrew didn’t point it out, he visibly struggled to keep her spirits up for which she was thankful. He remained a true friend, and she would do everything in her power to return the favour.

  “Helena, are you ready?” Andrew asked, peering around the door. He wore a black suit that framed his toned body.

  Helena’s lips formed into a smile at the sight of his undone tie. “Need help with that?”

  With sure strides, he entered her room. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  His hand grasped hers. With the other, he lifted her face to meet his scrutinising gaze.

  She returned his penetrating stare, and he released her.

  “Tell me if something bothers you. You know I’m always here.”

  “I know,” she mumbled, capturing the two ends of his tie. Her fingers moved fast as she expertly fixed it for him. The years she spent tying Richard’s ties while her mother was out shopping came in handy.

  “Are you going like that?” Andrew inquired.

  Helena scowled at him. She assessed her torn at the knees pair of skinny jeans and a white blouse. “Once I’m done with the packing, I’ll hit the shower, and I’ll be ready to go.”

  “Well…” He peeled back the sleeve of his jacket. “You’ve got thirty minutes.”

  Helena cursed and shoved the dress into the bag. She turned on the spot, checking to see if she had packed everything she needed.

  With a chuckle, he nudged her side. “Go shower. I’ll make sure you have everything.”

  Helena narrowed her eyes. “Don’t go snooping in my underwear drawer.”

  “No promises, Thorn. Now get going.”

  Helena grumbled another curse and ran into the bathroom where she sped through taking her clothes off and climbed into the bathtub. Ice cold spray of water hit her, and she let out a high-pitched scream. From the bedroom, she could hear Andrew’s laughter as she tried to rub the goosebumps on her arms away.

  After the shower, Helena shrugged on the clothes and cleared the steam off the mirror. She ran the hairbrush through her shoulder-length hair and forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

  “You’re fine. He’s fine…” she said, as she did every morning and night to assure herself Lucious was well and alive somewhere.

  “Helena…” Maya’s voice filled the room, and Helena gasped when her reflection turned into darkness.

  Maya’s pale face reappeared with red eyes. “I finally found you!”

  Helena stumbled backwards and hit the wall with her back. “Maya? You’re…alive?”

  A grin stretched the demon’s lips, revealing a perfectly normal pair of white teeth. “I wish I wasn’t a demon, but yeah. I’m alive and trapped on the other side.”

  “Oh God…” Helena pushed away from the wall and rushed towards the mirror. “And Lazarus? What about him?”

  Maya’s smile faded and was replaced with annoyance. “He’s sleeping within me. Once I was found by the demons from the Dome, they told me that I am now one of them. Apparently, no one liked Lazarus—no surprise there.”

  “Is he a danger to you?”

  Maya shrugged. “I don’t know. I am at the bottom of the totem pole because I don’t possess his knowledge. Some have been kind enough to explain why the Arcanae Mortum didn’t work.�
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  “Why?”

  Maya let out a condescending laugh. “I bet Reaver and the saint conveniently forgot to mention that the white blade kills angels and the black twin blade kills demons. If you kill a demon with a white blade, you become like me—a freak. And it’s vice versa for the other dagger.”

  “You’re not—”

  Maya sighed. “I can’t talk for long. I was only able to track you because of your mark. Helena, I can reabsorb the darkness residing in your soul and change you back to normal.”

  Helena remained silent. She didn’t want to become a witch and follow in her grandmother’s footsteps. Removing the demon’s darkness from her soul would undo everything Lazarus had planned. “Please do.”

  The lightbulb in the bathroom flickered when Helena’s string stirred in her gut. She massaged the aching spot. Black wisps crawled out of her skin, and she moved her hand back. Unblinking, she watched as they broke away from her body and swayed towards the mirror.

  Maya’s eyes narrowed in concentration and the darkness wrapped around the mirror’s frame and seeped into it. When the last of it was gone, Helena rubbed her gut better, checking to see if her body was intact. She felt no different.

  “There, you are a full-blown human. I can even see your white souls shining,” Maya said triumphantly.

  Helena frowned. “Souls?”

  “Yeah, one is brighter than the other, but I can see two…”

  “The other has to be Lucious…”

  “No. It is bright like a star and seems dormant.”

  Maya’s image faded, and Helena grasped the mirror around the edges. “Maya, wait! What did you mean?”

  A split second later, she was staring back at her panicked reflection, and she fought the urge to slam her fist into the glass. “Damn it!”

  To her right, a bright light flashed, and Helena blinked at the spot where Michael had appeared. His long golden hair framed his sharp features and his azure eyes reflected a million secrets she was going to rip out of him.

  “You…” she growled through gritted teeth.

  He raised his hands in defence. “Helena, let me explain.”

  “Yes. That’s exactly what I want.”

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  Book 3 of the Helena Hawthorn Series

  “Crumbling Control” is on its way!

  About the Author

  “Lover of cake, life, and writing.”

  May was born in the little Eastern country called Ukraine where winters are harsh and summers are too sunny. Having moved to Ireland at the age of twelve, she learned to appreciate the temperate climate and became addicted to tea, too.

  In her spare time, aside from writing, she likes to daydream of character murder (hopefully, it is the bad guys), plotting the next mystery, watching TV series, or simply diving into books.

  May is a fan of fantastical, horror, and a sucker for romance.

  You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, or her website for more information!

  Dedication

  To my niece, Evelina.

  I hope you’ll grow up to be a strong young lady with a large heart and a good soul.

  Acknowledgements

  Special thanks to my proof-readers: L. Andrews, M. Soriero, M. Appkova, A. Santos, and I. Galvez.

  I would also like to thank everyone who helped by being a part of my launch team: L. Santiago, E. Pennington, R. Vann, K. McQueeny, M. Oliver, K. Kivlen, J. Beard, Y. Basher, L. Piras, A. Raby, B. Johnson, A. Crook, B. Tran, L. Dauber, J. Praise, N. Burger.