Awakening

by Warneke, A. C.

  Celeste moved to his side, protectively wrapping her arm around his shoulders as if she could defend him from any threat. He would have laughed at the absurdity but he was too busy basking in the warmth of Celeste. Sorrowfully, she looked at the demon and the half-breed. "This is my fault; I should have warned you guys that Auberon would be coming over."

  How could she have warned them when she hadn't known? He gaped at her, at her desire to shelter him, and another strange and new feeling whipped through him, one he had never experienced before and wasn't quite sure how to describe. He pressed his fist against his heart again, wishing the ache that had settled there would go away; she wasn't his. She would never be his.

  "So what’s going on?" the angel asked, her brow creased in an adorable little frown. "Are you having sex with Adam’s brother, too? That’s just kinky; I didn’t think you had it in you to fuck two of them.”

  “No!” Celeste quickly denied, hugging his head to her belly and killing him with her adamant denial. Her soft words, her warm scent filled him as he put his arms around her waist and returned the painful hug, his eyes closing as he held her knowing she would never be his.

  Shaking her head, she said, “No, I’m not having sex with Auberon. He's just here to help move our stuff."

  "Why isn't Adam here?" Kim asked suspiciously.

  Celeste shrugged her shoulders, "He had an important meeting with the Council so he sent Auberon in his place."

  The demon and the half-breed exchanged a look, their eyes widening in their faces as they looked at him. Rachel dropped to one knee, the dagger clattering to the ground next to her. Bowing her head, she stated with some embarrassment, "You're one of the Vespari twins."

  "Auberon Vespari," he murmured, forcing his lips into the cocky smile that normally graced his face.

  "Genevieve," the succubus murmured, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

  "Rachel," the demon said humbly, a dull flush of color on her high cheekbones. Humiliation came and went in a heartbeat. She was a demon; regrets were for humans and she didn’t really dwell on them. Instead, she turned her head to the man in leather and smiled her obvious appreciation.

  Auberon nodded his head in acknowledgement, trying to find his equilibrium once more while keeping a wary eye on the two demons. They were unpredictable and he was glad they were on Celeste's side.

  “I should have realized it was one of the Vespari twins; it just never occurred to me that one of my friends would meet someone so… famous, I'm almost jealous," Rachel said, a delighted smile on her lips as she gazed down at Auberon, winking incorrigibly at him. Turning her head to face Celeste, she caught her lower lip between her teeth and grinned, “Adam Vespari; I am so impressed. I bet he was magnificent; was he magnificent?”

  The corners of Celeste’s lips curved upwards in a faint smile and Auberon wanted to rip his ears off his head so he wouldn't be able to hear her answer. She practically purred, “Very.”

  “Wow,” Rachel sighed, though it was more of an exhalation of breath then a sound. She turned her head and looked back at Auberon, a hint of sympathy in her brown eyes. The sympathy quickly disappeared and her cheeks dimpled in a smile, “I take it back, Cel, I am very jealous.”

  Celeste laughed at Rachel’s comment, her fingers idly toying with the strands of Auberon's hair; he doubted she was even aware of what her fingers were doing.

  The angel looked at each of them and shook her head in confusion, "They must be famous in Europe or something because I've never heard of either of them. And now, if you don't mind I'm going to bed. I haven't been able to sleep very well because I've been having the most fucked up dreams and this whole thing tonight definitely isn't helping."

  With a yawn, she walked over and gave Celeste a hug goodnight. She barely spared him a second glance as she moved on to the other two girls, hugging the demons with no hesitation at all. His jaw dropped open as the angel made her way back to the bedroom, completely unaware of the significance of her actions.

  "That was Kim," Celeste said, interrupting his thoughts and bringing him crashing back to reality as she disentangled her arms from around his shoulders and joined the demons in the tiny kitchen. Awkwardly, no longer familiar with his own body, Auberon staggered to his feet and lurched after the infuriating, intriguing girl. Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling, she added, "She does not do so well when she's woken up in the middle of the night, especially if there is a gorgeous man with a slit throat."

  He rubbed his neck and grinned down at her, "I'm surprised at how well she took it when you started sucking my neck."

  Color flooded her cheeks as she slammed a hand over her mouth and laughed, "I'm sure she will just write the whole thing off as some weird dream."

  Looking up, he caught the succubus watching him with those damnable blue eyes that saw too much. Clearing his throat, he looked away, wishing he was several months in the past, taking Adam's place in Paris. Gods, her blood had been exquisite, her tongue on his skin had been blissful pain…

  Alarmed, he jerked his head around to look at her, surprised by the glow of color in her cheeks, her plump lips. If he didn't know any better, he would never have guessed that she had recently been drained of so much blood. As if sensing his eyes on her, she looked at him and raised an eyebrow in a silent question. He shook his head in answer, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in a room with three beautiful women. "I'm going to head back to bed; do you need anything before I go?"

  When the three girls stared at him as if he were slightly mad, he felt a flush heat his cheeks and he quickly turned away, walking to the bedroom and slamming the door shut behind him. He was thousands of years old; he had fucked thousands of women and yet suddenly he was brought to his knees by a human who was pregnant with the new Queen; what the fuck was wrong with him?

  *****

  "So that was the infamous Auberon Vespari," Rachel said, letting out a low, approving whistle. "I had heard he was gorgeous but nothing could have prepared me for that." She waved in the general direction where Auberon disappeared. "Those sinful lips and devastating black eyes; if I hadn't just tried to kill him I'd be begging him to fuck me right now."

  "Oh, please," Genevieve giggled. "You are itching to chase after him as we speak. It's just unfortunate that Apocritae tend to avoid fucking demons."

  "Not that one," Rachel grinned, once more nodding towards the absent Auberon. Her eyes lit up in wicked delight, "He'll fuck anything if it strikes his fancy." Turning to Genevieve, she winked, "You felt the weight of his sensual power; even you would have succumbed."

  "I wouldn't have," the blond denied half-heartedly, color seeping into her creamy cheeks. Her tongue darted out, moistening her lips as she shrugged her shoulders, "Besides, he didn't really want me; he just wanted to prove a point. I have to admit he is a master of seduction."

  Celeste's mouth fell open, "He tried to seduce you?"

  "Only after I tried to seduce him first," Genevieve admitted with a guilty smile. She laughed as Celeste's jaw dropped even further. "At least I'm not the one lapping up his blood as if it were chocolate."

  Celeste's cheeks burst into flames as she fully realized what she had done; she drank Auberon's blood. She didn't just drink it, she savored it, rasping her tongue over his heated skin desperate to have every last drop. Pressing her hand to her stomach she almost groaned in relief; it was only pregnancy cravings, like women who crave dirt when they're expecting. "I couldn't let him bleed to death; he's Adam's brother."

  Rachel snorted, "He's Apocritum; he would have healed in five minutes top. I only cut him to get him away from Genevieve."

  "You didn't have to cut him at all," Genevieve protested, thankfully letting the blood drinking slide. "Like I said, he was only trying to prove a point: a young half-breed should not try to take on a master."

  With narrowed eyes directed at Celeste, Rachel smiled slyly, "Oh, I think if you were the right person he would have succumbed."

  The heat in Celeste's c
heeks ratcheted up another thousand degrees, knowing that a denial would only confirm their suspicions. Besides, what Rachel said was true but not for the reason she thought; it was the simple fact that an Apocritum could drink her blood unendingly. "So, um, they're really famous?"

  "Yes," Rachel dead-panned. "They're really famous."

  The two of them exchanged another look and burst into fits of giggles and Celeste suddenly felt left out of the joke, not even sure if there was a joke. Genevieve reached out and put her slender hand over Celeste's, "Sweetie, the Vespari brothers are legends in our circles; they have their fingers in everything and wherever there is a major scheme or a conspiracy taking place you can be sure that they are behind it. They wield a great deal of influence and power."

  "I see." She did see but she really didn't want to. Her fate was already sealed; she was moving in with them in order to protect the baby. The new Queen.

  Chapter 13

  Celeste was absorbed by the images on the television, her friend bored to tears. She and Kim had been living with the Vespari brothers for nearly a week and it was amazing. Their home was not as grand as the estate in France and it was far less intimidating with its open floor plan and natural lighting. The house sat on fifty acres of pristine land nearly an hour outside of the city, offering much needed privacy and escape. Adam and Auberon had their own wings of the mansion with plenty of guest rooms dotted throughout and an incredible media room with every conceivable gadget and gizmo Celeste could imagine. There was an indoor pool that Celeste had yet to experience and several other luxurious amenities.

  One thing was for certain, the Vespari brothers enjoyed their creature comforts.

  Adam reluctantly agreed to allow her to continue working at BioGenesis, as if he had much say in the matter. He didn't hover so much as surround her with his aura, keeping his distance at least physically. She doubted anyone who worked at BioGenesis was even aware that Celeste knew who Adam and Auberon were, let alone the fact that she was living with them. Of course, Adam always managed to find her alone and ravage her body and soul, leaving her a mass of goo before he returned to his meetings and research. It always took her a few moments to put herself to rights after a visit from Adam in the middle of the day but she wouldn't have it any other way.

  The nights, on the other hand, were a completely different matter. He was at times demanding, quick and desperate at other times slow and tender. Surprisingly, he rarely bit her anymore, telling her that just making love to her was the greatest joy he had ever known. Her heart was his and every time he said something so sweet she fell even further and her doubts grew more and more distant. Some days she didn't have any fears for the future at all.

  “Well, this is interesting,” Kim muttered dryly as she and Celeste sat on the over-stuffed couch in the Vespari twins’ living room, the 103 inch plasma screen TV playing an old episode of Blight Fighter Extreme. It was during the last season of the show, near the very end of the entire run.

  They were at the main fight, Blight heads falling from Blight bodies at the edge of Beck’s swords and daggers. It had been one of Celeste’s favorite episodes. Of course, that had been when she thought Beck was a fictionalized version of a brilliant scientist and the show was metaphorical. Now, she sat absorbed by the actions, not quite able to believe that what was happening actually happened; that Beck was not a brilliant scientist but a brilliant, if completely insane warrior; that it was all real. Kim, however, was not as impressed and was nodding off.

  Fascination and admiration for the world she now inhabited filled Celeste; her eyes were huge and unblinking as she watched the actions unfold from several years pass. Her lips rounded upwards in a smile as Adam prowled across the room and sat on the couch next to her. She leaned against his solid chest as she continued to watch the fight in full bloody color and all its gory detail. She rested her hand on his shoulder, loving the way his chest rose and fell with each breath he took as her attention remained riveted to the television; to Beck. “She’s incredible.”

  “Yes,” Adam agreed, though his eyes were on Celeste and not the screen. Kissing the top of her head, he placed a hand on her flat stomach and smiled. Draping his other arm around her shoulders, he pulled her even closer, sheltering her, and she loved him. In a low voice, he rasped, “She's an amazing fighter.”

  “Will she fight for us?” Celeste asked softly, watching a particularly gruesome beheading, the smile on Beck’s blood-stained lips, the way she relished in the kill. Celeste found herself holding her breath as Beck made the destruction of the Blight look so effortless and almost beautiful in a macabre way.

  “Perhaps,” he murmured, gently rubbing her arm as he held her. “But I doubt Beck will be allowed to fight the Queen on our child’s behalf.”

  Turning her head, she looked at Adam, the darkness in his expression as he faced an unknown future with her. “Can’t we just, I don’t know, run and hide?”

  He smiled slightly at the foolish words as he cupped her cheek. “We’ll train our child to fight, love; she won’t go in without preparation.”

  “That is not very reassuring,” Celeste grimaced, snuggling further into Adam’s warm embrace. In Adam's arms, in the safety of his home, she felt like she could totally take on the Queen if the bitch were to show up right that very minute. Nervously, she glanced around the room to make sure her thoughts didn’t have any unintended consequences, like calling the Queen forth. It’s one thing to feel invincible, it’s quite another to actually be invincible.

  Nuzzling her neck, he murmured, “I’m glad you’re here.”

  Before she could respond, however, Kim’s entire body started to flail, her arms swinging at invisible adversaries, her neck arching uncomfortably away from the couch. Alarmed, Celeste flew to Kim's side while Adam followed quickly behind and grabbed Kim’s shoulders to hold her body still. Auberon casually glanced up from his magazine, an extremely bored expression on his face, “Oh, I forgot to mention; Kim’s a Guardian.”

  Adam growled at his brother as the girl’s violent tremors were lifting him from the couch as well. “Get over here and help me hold her down.”

  With a long-suffering sigh, Auberon swung his legs to the floor, dropping the glossy magazine he was only pretending to read. Leisurely, he crossed the large room, pressing his hands against the wildly thrashing legs. By the strength of her conversion, Kim was a powerful little Guardian; but Auberon wasn’t about to let Adam know that it was difficult to hold her down. In a purposefully indifferent voice, he asked, “How long do you think this will take? I have plans for this evening.”

  “Auberon,” Celeste breathed, staring from her friend’s jerking body to Auberon’s expressionless face, not understanding his apathy. Kim’s face was twisted in pain, her lips thin and white, pulled tight. Beads of blood and sweat gathered on her forehead, her hairline. Her body was forcing her blood out through the small pores! “Auberon!”

  He lifted his head and met her gaze steadily, not flinching when he saw the recrimination in her eyes. “The girl will survive, Celeste.”

  Her eyebrows rose and fell as confusion and apprehension flittered across her face as the two men returned to holding Kim’s flailing body down. Their muscles flexed against their shirts, rippling against the strength of Kim’s violent shaking. There didn’t seem to be anything else that could be done for her, making Celeste feel useless. She was a glorified incubator for the new Queen; why couldn’t she have any powers to protect those she loved? After a long moment, she asked, “Is… isn't there anything I can do?”

  “Turn the damn television off,” Auberon growled, the noise of Blight destruction fueling his anger, his lust.

  Grabbing the remote, Celeste turned it to the screen, pressing the off switch. As the picture faded, the living, breathing Beck stepped through the screen, looking resplendent in black leather pants and a black, long sleeve t-shirt. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a braid, her green eyes flashing with interest and amusement.

&nb
sp; Falling backwards and landing with a soft thud on the hard floor, Celeste watched in astonishment as a man follow Beck out of the screen, also dressed in leather and black. He was similar but not identical in appearance to Adam but with… blue eyes. He had to be the third brother Auberon mentioned, the fraternal triplet. The rebellious one. Cocking her head to the side, she contemplated this strange event; it wasn’t every day an action heroine stepped out of fantasy and into the real world.

  “Auberon, Adam,” Beck spoke, her voice smooth and extraordinarily beautiful. “It’s been a while.”

  “Daddy,” a little girl’s voice murmured from behind the strange man. He turned around and scooped the precocious child up into his arms, smiling at her with absolute devotion. Her head was covered in dark curls and she wore the frilly pink and lace dress of a princess but her bearing was that of something far grander. She was all of maybe three years old and Celeste could feel the power thrashing within and around the small child.

  “What is it, Poppet?” the blue-eyes man asked, his voice warm, loving. Celeste watched Beck stare adoringly at the man who held the child, love and deeper emotion evident in her green eyes.

  “The Guardian needs help; she is in pain,” she said in her small voice; her little, child's body belying her age, her power. “I wish to be of service.”

  The man set the child down and she toddled over to Kim, resting a hand on the woman’s forehead and closing her eyes. As she chanted softly, Kim’s body relaxed into the cushions, her face returning to stillness. The Vespari twins stepped away from the couch, turning to face the newcomers. Auberon’s lips quirked upwards in a grin as he took in the sight of the trio; they came. Shaw looked at him and nodded his head in recognition of his request, a slight smile playing at his lips.