His grip tightened on the trigger. “Hopefully dead. Those who threaten my Madison don’t see the light of the moon.”
“I’m aware she came here with you. As for leaving, however…”
He’d spoken with an implication that she’d been harmed. Liam knew otherwise. She’d be confronting Jonathon at this moment and his curiosity would prevent him from hurting her. “You won’t get a rise out of me.”
His lips twitched. “I knew you weren’t killed in that explosion. A damn shame. Foolish Jonathon assumed you were. That’s why he’d never surpass me.”
“Unwavering confidence will be your downfall. How could you allow the truce to end? Of all the things I expected you to come up with, this never crossed my mind.”
“It was a ruse to lure you from hiding. You are the catalysts of our greatest prophecy. You have to be silenced. Love doesn’t belong in our world. We thrive on sex and blood, not binding emotions. And that goddamn truce has been nothing but an annoyance and waste of time. Sure, it allowed us to study them and devise a way of taking them out. They’re an inconvenience. An unnecessary species. Irrelevant, as you will be.”
Elijah sped at him and grasped his arm. He squeezed and Liam felt the bone fracture beneath his grip. Pain forced him to drop his weapon but he lashed out and kicked Elijah in the chest. The blow made him release Liam and he stumbled back. He held his damaged arm to his chest, aware it would heal. But not quickly enough.
Elijah grinned. “This certainly livens up a mundane day.”
With a blur of speed, Elijah slammed his head against his. Liam’s nose snapped from the impact, but his arm had healed and he crouched low and barreled into him, using the full force of his weight to drive him against the wall.
“Headbutt,” Liam laughed. “A low blow.”
Elijah grabbed at him, trying to push him back, but Liam grabbed his throat and slammed his head against the wall. Damn, the shuddering impact was satisfying. Beating him up wouldn’t kill him, unfortunately.
Liam released him. Elijah was heavy and slower, he’d use that to his advantage. He sped for the stake gun and with the weapon firmly in his hold, he spun around to see Elijah standing directly behind him.
“Haven’t you stopped to think about your Madison? We tracked her movements. I knew I could deal with you myself, so I sent the team after her. They’ll take her downstairs. But I think you knew that,” Elijah said with a triumphant smile. “I think—”
Liam pulled the trigger. The stake slammed into Elijah’s chest, directly into his heart and he grunted in surprise. He looked down in disbelief then met his eyes with a look of shock before his skin began to flake and his body crumbled into dust.
Liam stamped down on his remains. “Fucking ass. Consider yourself demoted.”
Elijah’s sole weakness had been assuming things would go his way. He also seemed to favor talking, which he had no interest in. He’d forever silenced their leader, but Jonathon would take his place. The magnitude of his actions would reverberate through the ranks for decades. No vampire had been assassinated by one of their own.
It was his piece of revenge for what they’d done to him and Madison, and the resulting gratification had been worth it.
Jonathon greeted Madison with a smile. A promising start. He gestured toward a couch opposite his desk. “Why don’t you take a seat?”
She bit her lip.
“You’re unarmed. I see you have no intentions of eliminating me. If I wanted you restrained, I can easily summon aid.”
He had a point. She relented and sank into the leather seat. It was eerily silent, apart from the sound of the air conditioning.
“I’ve been notified Liam is confronting Elijah. An interesting turn of events. But seeing as I’m not on friendly terms with Elijah, I won’t intrude. He believes Liam will fall easily by his hands.”
Hearing of his chances, she immediately straightened.
“I don’t understand why Liam attempted a brazen attack,” Jonathon said. “But—”
His cell phone began to ring. She watched nervously as he answered. Liam had risked himself for her, their future, and assured her he’d survive. She trusted in what he’d done, but feared for the outcome.
“Oh, indeed?” Jonathon asked. He listened intently for a few more seconds and then ended the call. His stern expression softened. “It appears Elijah has been killed. Liam is on his way here. I was about to suggest you wanted to negotiate terms of the truce, but I suppose you have another intention.”
She hesitated, relief flooding her body. So far, this was going well. She couldn’t jinx it.
“Elijah’s death was intentional. We need a stronger leader. One who will reinstate the truce.”
Jonathon raised an eyebrow but the excitement in his eyes was undeniable. “Since ending the truce wasn’t supported by me, I can grant such a request. It is for the betterment of both species to coincide. However, there is the matter of the prophecy and your role in it.”
Her breath lodged in her throat. “You believe I’ll cause this myth?”
“No. I believe it was written to cause dissent and fear among us. If you and Liam believe to be in love, it’s simply obsession.” He leaned forward. “I now have the official power to reinstate the truce. The werewolves won’t be willing to accept after Elijah’s mistake, but I’ll ensure they do.”
“How?”
“We have records of them. They wouldn’t risk defying us now that they know what we’re capable of. My rule will be more steady and predictable than Elijah’s, but it’s for the best. Sanity will prevail once more.”
She nodded slowly. He seemed genuinely grateful to have become head of the Council and because of that, he wouldn’t go back on his word.
“It’s a deal,” she said carefully. “Now that we’ve worked things out, I’ll leave.”
He reached for his phone and dialed a number. “Let her leave without any incident. Same goes for Liam Dalton. The two of them are to depart unharmed.” Jonathon gestured toward the door. “You may go. And tell your boyfriend he was wise to turn our infighting to his advantage, but it won’t happen again.”
She nodded and turned away from him. She entered the stairway and noticed how quiet it was. While it was reassuring to know that the truce would begin and the war wouldn’t continue, it didn’t seem like enough. Jonathon’s disbelief in the Awakening would ensure the Council would finally stop hunting them, but there were the werewolves to be concerned about.
They’d lost many of their own. She doubted they’d concede easily.
Madison entered the Council reception area. She took the stairs to the right and noticed the vampires were minding their own business and walking past without a second glance. As soon as she left the tower, a hand grasped her arm.
“Madison!”
Liam pulled her close. The relief in his voice was overwhelming. It was over. They’d made it.
“I heard you dealt with Elijah,” she said, looking into his green eyes.
“Yes. He was never much of a fighter, age took its toll. This is unprecedented. Council heads rule until death and Elijah had at least a century remaining. I hope Ava’s happy with her new position in a dustbin. Elijah would’ve ordered her detained soon as he noticed the security breach.”
“Jonathon intends to secure the truce and he won’t pursue us over the Awakening.”
“Good. My schmoozing with members did pay off.” Liam looked toward the Council building. “But we’ve done what we needed to and stopped that madness. Hope the wolves will agree with a second truce, but if not, we’ve done our best.”
“What’ll we do about the prophecy?” Madison asked once they returned home. “Aren’t you curious to read about it?”
Liam raised an eyebrow. “We have the files if we decide to start it. Doubt we need to now.”
She looked into his eyes. His comment seemed offhanded, as though he were avoiding something. “Don’t you miss being human?”
“There’s n
othing much to miss,” Liam replied. He walked over to the small dining table and seated himself. He motioned for her to join him. “My human life was a mess, to say the least. After Pearl Harbor, I joined up. I’d finished military training as many of the others in my division had done, and that was grueling enough. I was armed with an old bolt action rifle and barely enough ammunition to last ten days. I thought I’d make it. My final battle was around the island of Guadalcanal. It was messy, bloody and to experience it…I was stunned. No matter how much I tried to justify it, for me, there was no true reason to fight but for those who endured alongside me. I survived six months of that hell until I was shot.”
He reached up to his left shoulder and gently pressed against it. “I earned a Purple Heart, but it meant nothing to me. A meaningless symbol for a battle that had no significance. In the end, it amounted to pointless killing. Once the war ended, I had nothing left. To see my buddies die….I couldn’t cope.”
She watched him, transfixed by the emotion on his face, aching to hold him.
“I’d faced the horrors of war, and survived. But I couldn’t adjust to a normal life. I couldn’t be happy. I did nothing but drink in bars and desperately show off my medal to get the attention of women. It was who I’d become. I carelessly hurt my family. That’s all I regret even now.”
Madison reached out and placed her hand over his. Her eyes were wide as she absorbed what he said. Liam had fought for their country in a war that killed her grandfather. Remembering her family made her throat tighten for the losses they’d both endured, shards of pain that they were slowly helping each other free from.
“What happened to your family?”
“My dad died from alcohol overdose. Mom remarried to a banker. They were happy together. Gabe got married, had three kids. My other brother Nathan left town and drifted off the radar. I watched it all unfold as the decades went by, submersing myself in the pain of watching their lives and traveled back to San Francisco often to overhear any updates. It brought no comfort, only loss. I thought I was helping myself. I didn’t want you to go through that. It doesn’t help with healing, only shows what you’ll never have.”
She grimaced, her hand tightening.
He reached over and trailed a hand down her cheek. “Don’t be sad for me, babe. All I went through has shown how much I’ve gained in you. I want us to share the joys of life even with our limitations.”
She blinked. “What are you saying?”
“We subverted the Council and will face the Awakening if it happens. But all that matters, and all that ever did matter, was you. I know having children isn’t possible, my little white soldiers are out of action. But I want to give you the next best thing.”
She was hanging onto every word, her heart swelling at his declaration. He’d revealed his inner pain, and now he was intent on overshadowing it with their happiness. They were both emerging into the light together after confronting their darkness.
“I want us to get married. Somewhere warm and peaceful, with you in a bikini during the honeymoon. Like Hawaii.”
She grinned. “I can deal with that.”
He leaned closer. “Now that you have, and know, all of me, I’m warning you that I’m not gonna hold back. I’ll make you the happiest wife of the undead.”
She laughed and kissed him. “You know, that’s pretty romantic.”
Chapter Seventeen
Madison wandered the streets, intent on feeding. Two days had passed since the Council instated the truce and she’d settled down with Liam and made the house their own. They’d spent thousands online buying all that they needed for their future together. New furniture, a few paintings to spruce up the place. Okay, and maybe she looked up venues to accommodate their sunlight deprivation in Hawaii for their eventual wedding. She knew Liam was searching for a ring to officially propose with. They were both excited in a way they couldn’t allow themselves to be before.
Something moved behind her, jolting her from her thoughts. She immediately spun around and locked onto a man with disheveled brown hair. He stood a few feet away, a troubled expression on his face. He wasn’t a vampire, she could sense that much. But he didn’t seem entirely human either.
“I know what you did,” he spoke, his voice deep and captivating.
She raised an eyebrow, completely taken aback. “I walked past you. Is that offensive?”
He shook his head and as a brief gust of wind blew around them, he pulled his leather jacket tight. “Don’t make me laugh. You know what I am. Right, how could I forget? You’re a Newborn. You can’t sense me.”
She smirked, shaken by his insight. “A werewolf.”
“Name’s Quinn. We don’t have time for civility.”
Something about his urgency led her to think of the Council and Jonathon. “Has the truce been reinstated?”
“It has. Some of us have quietly accepted it and moved on. But others aren’t willing to. Personally, I think they deserve a taste of a full werewolf attack.”
She bit her lip warily. “Why?”
“It was your Council’s fault. I know you’re not a part of them, but they expect us to fucking lie down and accept what they tried to do? I lost most of my pack. They died unable to unleash their fury on those falsely civilized monsters. They couldn’t even defend themselves!”
While his pain was palpable, his anger incensed her. “And more will die if you attempt to fight.”
There was a moment’s silence. She couldn’t persuade him to abandon pursuing the Council, but she’d try. They risked so much to stop the war. But as she looked into Quinn’s dark eyes filled with grief, her attempt at reason had been deflected.
“It’s too late for that. We made our choice.” Quinn hesitated and leaned closer as if he were about to reveal a secret. “The vamps killed my brother. You knew him.”
Her eyes widened. Ethan.
“You had no reason to end his life. He told me he was meeting you, and when he didn’t return, I knew he was dead.”
She swallowed, guilt flooding her body. “Aren’t you jumping to conclusions?”
“I followed your scent as I did with his and recovered his body. I don’t blame you for my little brother’s death. It was risky for the both of you to meet, but it was…beneficial. You’ll soon learn what I mean.”
He disappeared into the darkness of a nearby alley. She stared after him but was too shocked to follow. After everything they’d endured, the war was going to continue and because of the werewolves’ pride, their arrogance, they weren’t going to let the past go.
Liam awaited her at home. “Hey, sexy. How was your feeding?”
“Depressing,” she remarked, joining him on the couch. “I came across a werewolf.”
Liam immediately straightened. “Maybe I should start accompanying you and talk sense into anyone who confronts you. What did it want?”
“His name was Quinn. Ethan’s brother.”
“Shit. Does he think you killed him?”
“Luckily, no,” she said, meeting his worried gaze. It hurt to know what she needed to say. “The truce has been reinstated, but the werewolves aren’t buying it. I think some are going to start a war no matter what.”
Liam stood and lowered his head into his hands. “Damn it! I don’t want to go through this again. We gave them a ceasefire. If they can’t control themselves, then we should let them suffer. It’s not up to us to handle it.”
She hated seeing the tortured expression on Liam’s face. She wanted to kiss it away, lead him to the bedroom—the only place where they forgot everything else and focused on their desires. But his annoyance sobered her. She’d simmered over Quinn’s reasoning on the walk home and understood it.
“The werewolves lost those they love. If it were us, we’d do the same.”
He nodded, silent for a moment. “Damn right. But this war won’t end until one side is completely eliminated. I know the Council. They’ll fight for every element of control, no matter who the leader is. Th
ey’re war hungry, power driven. And this situation’s been building for centuries.
“The wolves will attempt to kill as many vampires as they can during the full moon and the Council will retaliate by hunting them in human forms. Their response would be a massacre. The wolves won’t stop. Eventually they’ll need to feed and resort to turning their attack on humans.”
She thought of her family, her best friends Casey and Rachel. They were memories she was losing grasp of as time passed. She had no tangible reminders of them and it still tore at her. The war would affect them more than she cared to think and she couldn’t protect them, even if all supernatural species were revealed. By then, it would be too late.
She chewed her lip. “We have the Awakening.”
Liam ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Looks like it’s the only solution. Before we view the files, something’s been on my mind since you returned.”
Something about his tempting voice sank right to her core and made her tingle.
“What is it?” she asked softly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head against her stomach. He gently slid her shirt up and kissed her skin.
“Before I start tasting you and taking what I’ve been craving...”
“Oh?” She caught sight of the bulge in his pants.
“I’d prefer to claim you as mine right now, but I’ll propose this week. Nothing will make me deviate from that. I’m telling you this so you know you’re more important to me than anything. I’m not delaying making it official. After the Awakening, we will be married.”
Liam leaned forward and pulled her across the table into an embrace. He tilted his head to kiss her. She met his mouth with hunger, their tongues delving together in an erotic dance of foreplay, longing for the feel of his body and the sensation of his cock entering her. The table shook underneath her as she was pressed into it, helpless to Liam’s sensual assault.
He pulled away abruptly. “I love you. Everything around us changes. We won’t.”
Awakened by the Vampire Page 17
