“Madison!” he said. “Gareth.”
She glanced at each of them. There was a friendly tension between them, a familiarity. “You know him?”
“I used to work here, many years ago,” Gareth explained. “The Council once had a provisions department.”
“It was a section where humans were assigned to recruit other people for feeding,” Liam added. “Back when the Council used to feed on humans. They preyed on humans who longed to meet a real vampire.”
“But the Council became wary,” Gareth continued. “I think they didn’t like having humans amongst them, even though we were working for their benefit and under their control. So they assigned for us to be killed. There was only me and five others. Liam was sent to end my life…but he chose not to.”
Madison looked at him in surprise. “Why?”
“He’d done nothing wrong,” Liam responded. “By then I was already questioning the Council’s actions.”
Gareth nodded urgently. “We have to leave. We can take the elevator. I only managed to get in here because my I.D. hadn’t been completely removed. I was still registered in security, but they’ll find out.”
“Let’s move,” Liam agreed, and began walking down the corridor. She followed with Gareth behind them. She glanced at all of the white prison rooms on either side of them. Were there other vampires trapped, or had they turned to dust long ago?
“I heard about two vampires being held for trial,” Gareth said. “I had to be sure it was you.”
“Not that I’m ungrateful, but why do you care?” she asked. She winced as they passed under a fluorescent light. It was going to take time to adjust to being out of that room.
“I hadn’t seen Olivia in weeks, so I assumed something happened to her or you. You must start the Awakening. It’s the only thing that can end this…madness. Vampires and werewolves conspiring against each other, killing for no purpose.”
She looked at him. So he was related to or friends with Olivia. Interesting coincidence. “Do you even know what it’ll do?”
“No. But it’s our only option left to change what’s taken place.”
They reached the end of the hallway and stopped before an elevator. Liam pushed some buttons and the door slid open. It was empty, of course. She didn’t think an elevator leading to the prison cells would be used often.
Madison followed the others inside, but couldn’t restrain her fear. Once they reached the ground floor, the Council could surround them. She was too disoriented to fight or flee. The Awakening was something they’d been ambivalent toward, although she’d suggested it, it was considered to be a last attempt. Now that they had to do it, she began to wonder if it would be any better than the war. It was an ancient prophecy, something which could be far more dangerous.
The elevator stopped with a ding and as the doors began to open, she exchanged a look with Liam. And Gareth…could he really be trusted?
A loud explosion emanated from the entrance. Council vampires immediately began to flee, running to the stairs, none of them looking toward the elevators. She couldn’t repress a laugh. A full scale attack on the Council had begun.
She followed Liam and Gareth as they left the elevator. When they stepped into the open in front of the reception desk, she was drawn to the mass of vampires moving at them. Hundreds had arrived. An army. They were equipped with crudely designed stake guns as well as tasers. Some of them sped forward, taking positions at the reception desk and tapping away on the touch screen computers.
“Didn’t expect you here.”
She turned toward the familiar voice and recognized Dave. She smiled in relief, glad that they’d taken action as they’d claimed.
“We were held captive. Just on our way out.”
He nodded and his gaze flicked to Gareth.
“Well, you chose the right time to escape,” Dave conceded. “I don’t know how much damage we’ll be able to do, but don’t worry, they’ll be hit hard.”
Madison nodded and felt Liam gently take hold of her arm. She let him lead her out past the vampires and when she looked back she noticed them moving into the elevators like a flood washing away the Council’s taint.
Once they were outside in the cool night air, she took a deep breath, allowing a moment of rest and looked up at the sky. The stars were glittering as brightly as ever, the moon a half crescent in the darkness. Freedom.
“I had something I was meaning to give you,” Gareth announced. He took a slip of paper from his pocket and passed it to Liam. “It’s the Awakening in full, from what I remembered. That last moment when I was decrypting the files, I noticed those two lines. And in time, I remembered them fully.”
Liam nodded. He didn’t read the paper and instead shoved it into the pocket of his jacket.
“How’d you get it?” she wondered.
“I went to see Gareth while you sought out the haven. He was the ‘business’ I needed to take care of. Gave him some of the files, hoping he could help and told him of our predicament in case anything like this happened. I had this under control.”
She relaxed. How could she be exasperated by him when he’d done it out of good intentions?
A ghost of a smile crossed Gareth’s face and he looked meaningfully at Liam. “I think it’s safe to say my debt to you is repaid.”
“Completely.”
“Thank you for rescuing us,” she added.
She lowered her gaze. Did Gareth even know about Olivia’s dilemma? How would he cope with knowing what she’d become? She didn’t want to tell him, but he had to know. She owed him that.
“Do you know what’s happened to Olivia?”
Pain creased his face. “I do. She’s a werewolf. I could tell the moment I saw the wound on her arm, but she was so insistent on hiding it from me. There’s no cure, nothing I could do. She’s gone from my life now.”
“She attacked us. I think it was her plan to become a werewolf to be able to kill me.”
Gareth nodded, his eyes clouding over. She shared a look with him, wondering if he perceived her the same way as Olivia had. A murderer.
“She never would’ve forgiven you for killing Sandra,” he said. “I understand why you did, and I no longer hate you for it. You did what you needed to, to protect the one you cared for, and I’d do the same. Maybe her fate as a wolf will give her a new perspective, to realize we’re all equal, all struggling.”
He hesitated. “It was the wrong situation at the wrong time. I helped both women become hunters to find a nasty vampire who killed my friend. I made them into what they were, driven by hate. They could never see vampires the way I did, never truly believe that any of them could be good. I viewed them as my daughters, and thought I could protect them like a father. I failed.”
Gareth stopped before a blue sedan and gestured for them to get inside. “I can take you wherever you need to go. This will be the last we see of each other.”
Chapter Twenty Two
Gareth parked outside their house after Liam relayed the address. Madison glanced at it, noticing the broken window. The familiarity, the comfort of being home was nice but she knew they wouldn’t be able to stay. The Council knew where they lived, and even though the New York Council was preoccupied, there were others who could attempt to find them.
She faced Gareth. He had put his life at risk to free them from the Council. Perhaps he has nothing left. Sandra and Olivia are gone. He must not care anymore.
“Thank you,” she told him. He gave her a smile but said nothing. She stepped out of the car and watched him leave. If it weren’t for him, they wouldn’t be free. When he was out of sight, she followed Liam inside.
“Those weeks spent in that room was torture. Being so long without you made me realize something,” Liam said.
She stepped in close, trailing her hands down his arms. The sensation of his skin felt heavenly. “What?”
“We’ve caused their downfall, together. But it’s not enough. I thought it’d ease this impati
ent surge, but I know now it’s you. It’s my love for you and this need to see what our purpose is.”
She noticed the fierce determination in his face, the glint of anger in those brilliant green eyes. He was angry at the Council, and it was probably the first time he’d felt genuine hatred toward them.
Madison gently took hold of his hand. The conflict had to end, the bloodshed couldn’t continue. That mattered more than them, for now.
“You want to start the Awakening?”
“Not here. Do you need to bring anything with you? Clothes?”
Uncertainty took hold. Where would they go? The Council would be too distracted to come after them, but that didn’t mean they were safe. Quinn was still out there, and Olivia, both intent on seeking them out with more fervor than the Council.
She shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
“Olivia’s car is still outside.” Liam released his hold on her and went to the counter, grabbing the key.
When he returned, his chest rose and fell with each breath. She lowered her gaze down his body, recalling how he felt naked against her. It had been too long ago, and she wanted to take him to the bedroom and make love to him.
He leaned forward, their lips inches apart. Then he smiled. “Can’t get distracted now.”
“You tease.”
“I’ll make it up to you.”
She followed him into the car but Liam said nothing more. Tension simmered, a reluctance to acknowledge what awaited. They pulled out and away from the home they’d shared together for months.
Several hours went by as she stared out at the road, the passing fields and night sky. Sunrise was close. She could almost sense the heat and imagine the sun touching her skin.
The Council’s fate came to mind.
“Do you think the haven vampires killed Jonathon?”
Liam glanced over then returned his attention to the road. “Not likely. The Council have more weapons and advanced tactics than the rogue vampires. But they were taken by surprise, so who knows.”
She heard the finality in his voice, as if he wanted to leave it all behind, never to return. The thought sent a spear of pain through her. It meant truly abandoning the fate of Rachel and her family. Being in close proximity to them made it feel like they were still close and part of her was resistant to losing it all and letting go of the past.
“Liam, you don’t think we’ll be coming back from this, do you?”
He hesitated. “The Awakening may change everything in a way that would make it impossible to revert.”
As she expected. If it happened, the Council would want them dead. Maybe even the werewolves. It was safer to continue driving, to stay on the move. Maybe that would be their future, always on the run. She glanced up at the sky, at the last of the stars obscured by clouds.
“Sunrise will be here soon,” she warned.
“We should stop,” Liam announced. She heard the clicking of the turn signal and glanced up from the dashboard. Liam was turning off the road toward an abandoned gas station where the pumps sat unused, the logo faded and weathered from time.
Liam parked between the pumps and the front door. She shot a look at the building. The windows were boarded up with chains and a padlock on the front door. If anyone was desperate enough to break in, it could be done with minimal effort.
“Someone still owns this place. It’s not completely abandoned,” she pointed out.
“That’s the least of our worries at this point.” Liam turned off the engine. “You ready for this?”
She hesitated. “I have to be.”
Madison followed him out and watched as he broke the padlock from the chains and tore the metal away from the door, letting it clatter onto the concrete forecourt.
Liam grunted as he pulled the door free, opening it wide enough for them to enter. Immediately, the smell of dust and mold emanated from inside and she grimaced.
Liam nodded toward the door. “Ladies first?”
She grinned, stepped inside and coughed as the dry dust filtered into her lungs. She noticed an old desk with a cash register still sitting on it, and a few dusty, empty shelves. The air was heavy and dry with a musty odor.
“Be careful once the sun comes up,” Liam said. “The windows are boarded up, they’re fine, but watch your step.”
Liam came to her, pulling her into his arms. She drew in a breath as his body collided with hers, hers breasts pressing into his chest. This was where she belonged, fitting into his arms where it felt like home.
“I can tell you’re worried,” he said.
“Aren’t you?”
“No, I don’t believe the Awakening will be a threat anymore. How can something from our love ever cause that?”
Liam released his hold on her. She tilted her head up to look at him and relaxed as his hand brushed against her cheek.
“We should see if you’re right.”
He nodded and reached into his pocket and withdrew the piece of paper. Madison stared at it warily. Then he unfolded it, slowly, and a dark look fell across his face.
“What is it?” He hadn’t looked so disturbed since the Council dismissed him.
“Two combining, love ever blinding,” Liam announced. “And unto the end of vampires and werewolves.”
A stunned silence fell. She stared at the paper open mouthed, unable to speak, to acknowledge how final it sounded.
“That’s it? That’s the Awakening?”
Liam cleared his throat. “Yes, I believe it’s the original text. The other files were just interpretations of it, evaluations of what it meant. Gareth remembered just what we need.”
He lowered the bit of paper and walked over to the desk, leaning against it. “The files I read at the Council were assumptions. But this last sentence obviously implies that the Awakening will cause the end of our kind.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. She could remember the time when she felt Liam’s heartbeat, as if he were human. Will it bring back our humanity?
“The Council always knew of this,” he continued. “But they never interpreted it clearly.”
“Tell me more.”
Liam stared into her eyes but she could recognize the pain, the reluctance in his. “The Awakening is a prophecy that was made centuries ago, when the first vampires and werewolves walked among us. One man believed that an event had triggered the emergence of these supernatural creatures, and he believed another event could end it. It was the forbidden love between a vampire and a werewolf that solidified the existence of the two species. If such an event hadn’t happened, then they would have wiped each other out, as it was meant to be. Vampires and werewolves were meant to pass into myth and legend, not survive until modern times.”
Madison hesitated. “Seems like you remembered some stuff about it. So a human made the prophecy?”
Liam nodded. “He put all of his faith in the belief that another love, just as strong, would happen again and that it would cause the end of both species. When writing these words, he made it so.”
She blinked. “He was a prophet? How is that possible?”
“In the same way a human would ask how we’re possible,” he said with a slight smile. “There are people out there who have prophesized things to happen.”
Madison turned away from him and raised her hands in frustration. “My God. So that’s all our love is. A prophecy that’ll kill off the entire existence of us and werewolves? Make us human?”
“And isn’t that what you want to happen?” Liam argued. He threw the paper aside. “I’ve seen the longing in your eyes, the disappointment when we fuck. You miss it.” His voice lowered, becoming almost somber. “And it’s something I can’t miss, because being human was what I lost long ago.”
She winced and gently reached out to touch him. He stepped back and shook his head. “You want this to happen based on your feelings. You have to consider the consequences this will have. Not just in New York, but worldwide.”
She knew what would ha
ppen. And didn’t care. It was selfish, and she hated herself for it but it would mean Liam could be human, they would be able to step into the sun every day. They could go shopping, eat out at a restaurant and act like a normal couple. Get married in the daylight. Just the thought of relaxing at the beach in Liam’s arms, listening to his heartbeat, brought tears to her eyes.
She blinked them back. “Of course I want it.”
“But this won’t just affect us. The Council, Quinn, the haven vampires…they’ll all become human. And without warning, without explanation.”
“We can give them one.”
“And what of those who’ll hate us for changing their lives? We’ll be hunted like we are now.”
She flinched. “We’ll be human. Don’t you want to feel that?”
Liam turned away. “I do. But would you want to live with the consequences?”
“It has to better than what we have now! We’ll be ending the war before any more people die. Don’t you want to eat something other than blood? After spending a month eating that crap from the Council, I swear I’m never touching the stuff again.”
“You’ve made your point. Anyway, the prophecy mentions about us combining. The Council assumed it referred to sex. I think it means our blood combining.”
She nodded slowly, her anger cooling. “I guess that makes sense. Are you willing to do this?”
“I know it’s the right decision.”
“But?”
“It’ll end the war, and make you happy, which is what I want more than anything.”
Madison stared at him, noticing the hesitancy in his voice, how he averted her gaze. “There’s something you aren’t telling me.”
She glanced behind him at the paper sitting on the desk. Before he could react, she sped forward and grabbed it, reading the words before he could take it from her.
Two combining, love ever blinding. And unto the end of the vampires and werewolves. Those of Council old will fade in time. Humanity will prevail.
“Why didn’t you tell me this?” she insisted.
Awakened by the Vampire Page 21
