by Kelly Hall
“Let us know where you’re going to relocate,” said Jarreth to his father. Rebekah and Canter whispered back and forth. He figured it had to do with his special assignment and tried not to feel bitter about it. “Delilah and me will come and stay with you sometime. I’d like to hunt with my old man.”
“I will,” said Brock. “Take care of each other.” He pulled Jarreth into a hug, patting him on the back to show affection. “I love you, son.”
“Love you, Dad.” They gave a final clap on the back, and then Brock walked them to the closest access road where they had hidden the car.
“Do you really think we’re going to have to ask the church for help?” asked Jarreth as they loaded into the car.
Rebekah knew it sounded bleak. “I hate to do it too, but they do have the biggest collection of histories I’ve ever seen. If anyone has answers, it’s them.”
“How are we supposed to get to their records? Where do they even keep them?”
“The Great Cathedral was the last place I heard of. But they renovated the place about a hundred years ago, and I heard that they downsized the stacks. Most are kept in a new location, and only a few know where that is.”
“You don’t?”
Rebekah gave a half-hearted chuckle. “I’m not sure, but I have a few guesses. You have to understand; the Church has had it out for me for centuries. They haven’t shared their secrets for some time. But there are people who know. I’ll figure it out.”
She had to deal with the issues back home, but then, the first place she was going to look was the one place she never wanted to return to. Arcadius.
Chapter 21
Rebekah’s Irish castle loomed dark in the foggy distance as she and her weary travelers approached. It was good to be home, but the bittersweet circumstances had her mind in a hundred different places.
“Can you speed this thing up?” she asked Jarreth, who was already taking the winding road home a little too fast.
He shook his head. “I’ve got my foot in it, trust me. If I go any faster, we’ll never make the curves.”
Aziel sighed. “You think it’s bad for you? I could have flown in hours ago.” If only he could stretch his wings. Having to land with them, go through the task of loading into the car they’d left on their last trip out, and then driving all the way back to the castle seemed like such a waste of time, but Rebekah had insisted.
Canter looked out at the Irish hills and wished they were in an off-roader. He’d take that son of a bitch right up the middle. “You were around when this castle was built, Rebekah. What did they have against straight lines and shorter paths?”
“They wanted a prettier landscape, I suppose, but it wasn’t like I met the people. I was busy killing in an entirely different part of the world.” At least she thought. She could have been killing in Ireland.
Aziel glanced out the window. “They are expecting us, aren’t they? The castle looks a bit dark from here.”
“It’s because we’re just passing the east side,” said Rebekah, pointing out the window to the nearest tower. “The north is always lit up, and Delilah said she and Katie will both be waiting.”
As soon as they lined out on the final leg of the path, Jarreth sped up a little to get to the castle drive. He let off when turning in, in case the girls were waiting, and he and Canter gave a collective sigh as they came to as stop, and Delilah and Katie ran out to the car to greet them.
“I’ve never been so happy to see your girlfriend, Canter,” said Jarreth with a chuckle in his voice.
Canter jumped out of the back seat before the car came to a complete stop. As soon as Jarreth had the car in park, he opened the door only to be attacked by Delilah, who showered him with kisses.
“Ahh, it’s so good to see you, baby,” said Jarreth. “How’s my vamp-killing badass doing?”
“Good. We just said goodbye to the visiting commanders about an hour ago. They were impressed,” said Delilah, glancing over at Katie and Canter, who were too tongue-tied together to speak. “We both kicked some serious ass. It was the wildest thing ever.”
Katie and Canter finally came up for air. “Well, we had a little help. That’s for sure.” Katie still couldn’t get over how fast everything happened.
Canter patted her on the back. “Father Timms put up a brave fight?”
“No,” she said with a half-hearted laugh. “Lulu and Mace.”
“Wait, what?” Canter wasn’t sure he’d heard it right. “Lulu?”
Delilah spoke up. “Yeah, turns out, she’s had two years of training and was never marked.” She stepped over to Aziel, who gave her a hug.
“I always knew she was a badass,” said Jarreth. “Damn, that’s awesome. And you know, now that I think about it, it makes a lot of sense.” Lulu had to be pretty special to put up with trainees like him back at the academy for all those years.
Delilah gave a weary smile. “Yeah, turns out that wooden spoon she’s always shaking at us, it’s hand carved from cypress.”
“Nice,” said Jarreth. “Let’s just hope she doesn’t continue to stir our soup with that thing.”
Rebekah couldn’t believe Lulu had never told her about her training. “That’s amazing. I wonder what happened to cut her training short?”
Delilah shrugged.
“And Mace managed to kill one of those assholes too?” asked Canter. He had known that Mace seemed like the type of girl you didn’t want to mess with. “I guess she’s got to know how to use all of those weapons she makes.”
“She probably has a better understanding of arms than we do,” said Katie. “Her style was pretty awesome. She held her ground.”
“Yeah, she’s actually pretty lethal,” said Delilah, who Jarreth couldn’t help but notice looked worn out from worry. “I’d love to see what she could do if she were marked.”
“That might be an idea,” said Aziel, nudging Rebekah.
“Yeah, I’m not so sure that’s one of her life goals.” She had a feeling Mace wouldn’t go for it, but she’d think about asking her.
Jarreth squeezed Delilah’s hand. “It’s so good to be back.”
“I’m proud of you,” said Rebekah to the young huntresses. “And yes, it’s great to be back home again. I just wish it were with better circumstances.” She moved toward the castle. “Let’s get inside. I’d like to see Liam and Father Timms.”
Delilah’s face fell. “We’ve got Liam in one of the dungeon cells. Mace keeps an eye on him. She said he’s in a lot of pain.” Delilah herself hadn’t been down to see him in a while. Her guilt was too great to see him suffering.
The heavy creases in Delilah’s brow and the darkness under her eyes told Rebekah that what happened to Liam was weighing heavily on her heart and spirit. “It’s the virus. It just has to run its course.”
“And then what?” asked Katie. She gave Delilah an apologetic look, but she had to know. She had a feeling she already knew. That once Liam turned—if he turned—they would kill him.
Rebekah walked them to the door where Lulu and Mace had come out to greet them. “Let’s get inside, and I’ll talk to everyone. We need to make this decision as a group and do what’s best for Liam.”
Katie didn’t know what that meant. She didn’t blame Delilah for what happened, but it was a raw deal for the kid.
They followed Rebekah and gathered in the front room.
Mace stepped up and touched Rebekah’s arm. “Ignis wanted me to tell you he is down with Liam. He has been with him for a few hours now, but I’ll go and relieve him if you want.”
“Take a break. I’ll go down and see him there.” Rebekah was surprised that he hadn’t wanted to be there to greet her, but with the tension between them so great, she reminded herself not to expect anything. She would only be disappointed.
Lulu walked over and hugged Jarreth and Canter. Then she hugged the Immortal Huntress like she was one of her own children. “Frankie wanted to come down,” said Lulu. “But she hasn’t left Randall�
�s side since the attack. He’s sleeping at the moment.”
“Has he been up any since the attack?” Rebekah was shocked that he was in bed. It was already dark, but Randall Timms wasn’t an early to bed kind of man, and it was hard to keep him down.
“Not much,” said Lulu. “She wanted you to go right up.”
Rebekah turned to the others. “Let’s get settled in and meet back here in twenty.” She scanned the room, which looked much different since the attack. She didn’t like the thought of those vampires being in her home, and she was going to chew Kayne a new one for the intrusion.
She went to the staircase and, once at the top, walked down the hall where she passed a few of the rooms and finally came to the one Frankie had been using. The door was shut, so she tapped her knuckles gently. “Frankie?”
“Come in,” said a soft voice.
She opened the door a crack and stuck in her head to find Frankie sitting on the bed beside Timms, who had his eyes closed. A pained expression was on his face, and Frankie didn’t look any better.
“How are you feeling?” she asked Timms as she walked into the room.
Frankie looked up at her. “He’s dozing in and out. It’s the medication. He needs it for pain, but it’s not agreeing with him.” Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Ah, he must be sensitive to narcotics.” Rebekah walked into the room and stood beside him. His arm was bandaged and held close to his body.
“Yes, he is.” Frankie rubbed her tired eyes.
“Huntress,” he said with a scratchy voice as he stirred. “You’re home.”
“Yeah, we’re back. Let’s hope we don’t have to go away again any time soon.”
His expression grew weary. “I was up here when it happened. I came up for a nap before dinner. I guess I’m just getting too old for all of this.”
“You’re not. You’re still one of my strongest hunters.” Rebekah didn’t like to see him so down on himself, but he did in fact look as if he’d aged five years since she last saw him.
“Not now. Not with this bum arm. Even if I get better, even if I can still use it, it’s never going to be strong again. I’m afraid I’m going to have to retire for good, Huntress. I’ve failed you.”
“Failed me?” She searched his eyes. “You could never fail me, Timms. You’ve proven yourself worthy time and time again.”
“But I cannot serve my Huntress.” He looked away to the floor.
Rebekah sighed. “We’ll see about that. We just have to find something else for you to do. You’ve served many roles for me, and fighting doesn’t define a man’s worth, especially to me. My father wasn’t a hunter, and he was the most important man in my life. You’ll heal, and we’ll find your next purpose. I promise.” She reached over and took his hand. “Get some sleep, and don’t let this bother you.”
“How can I? Of course, it bothers me, Rebekah.” He felt so hopeless. “Even when I wore the cloth, I carried a sword for you. I’ve been at the ready in everything I’ve ever done for you.”
Frankie leaned in and brushed his hair away from his face before planting a soft kiss on his cheek. “Rebekah is right. And I need you to be better for me as well. Me and the baby need you, Randall.”
He reached over with his good hand, and she leaned in so he could stroke her hair. “Beautiful woman,” he whispered.
Rebekah could see the love that had grown between the two. It showed in the light in their eyes as they looked upon one another and in the gentle touches they exchanged. “I’m going to leave you two alone. I’ve called a meeting, but I don’t expect you to come down.”
Timms lifted his dark brows. “Fill me in later?”
“You’ve got a deal.” Rebekah gave him a wink and then quietly left the room.
She needed to see Ignis. With a lot to say to him, it wasn’t all about catching him up, but rather catching herself up on where he’d been when the vamps attacked.
Rebekah went down to the dungeon not knowing what to expect. There were several phases of the virus that turned vampires, and with her not being an expert, all she could do was guess.
As Rebekah neared the bottom of the stairs, she could hear the whimpers of the boy and the rattle of his metal cot. With every step, Liam’s torment seemed to increase as if he sensed her there.
“He’s not changed much in the past couple of hours,” said Ignis. “I’m not sure what that means.”
Mace stood beside him, and she turned around when Rebekah approached and then excused herself to leave them alone together.
Once Rebekah was confident they were alone, she turned to Ignis. “You should have been back here in plenty of time to help them. Did you delay leaving? Spend more time with Talia?”
“I am not your hunters’ babysitter, Bex. I took my time coming home, and there’s really nothing more to it than that. I didn’t think Grady would make it here before me.” He hadn’t really thought anything would happen. Guilt had soured in his gut, the bitter lump of bile stinging his throat.
“If you say so.” She turned to the boy, knowing his condition was where her focus needed to be. “What am I going to do with him?” What was she going to do about any of it? Kayne? The Church? Grady? It was all messed up and seemingly worse by the minute.
Liam was pale, his face scrunched up in pain, his lips peeling back as he panted like a sick animal.
Ignis pulled her aside and lowered his voice to a whisper. “You know how this ends, Rebekah. If the virus doesn’t kill him or make him crazy, you’re still going to have to decide his fate. You kill him, put him down slow and painless, or he ends up locked away in Arcadius. Either way, his life is over. You have to decide what he would want.”
Rebekah didn’t want to hear it. It stung in the pit of her chest. “He’s a kid. He’d want to live and grow old, to experience all he can in life. He’s getting shortchanged, and it pisses me off.” She ground her teeth together, looking in on the boy.
“What were those vampires doing here anyway?” asked Ignis. “Delilah said they asked for you. Pretty fucking bold move if you ask me.”
Rebekah held her arms close to her middle. “News of the Church’s decision has spread. I’m sure there will be many who want to come for me, knowing I might be going for Kayne. There are still some who want to win his favor. He’s just as mean to his own as he is to us, even if he really loves them at heart.”
Ignis had been disgusted when he’d seen what happened to the boy. “Kayne would not like any of this.”
“You don’t think? He probably sent them.” She wasn’t sure she could ever trust him again.
Ignis shook his head. “He wouldn’t, Rebekah. He’d never approve of an attack on your home.”
“How do I know that? How do I know anything for certain when it comes to Kayne? Maybe he’s trying to capture me again before I can rally my men?”
“Nonsense. He’s already proved he can take you when he wants. He’s fearless because he knows he cannot be defeated, but trust me, he wouldn’t do this. He doesn’t care as much about what his vampires are doing these days, if you haven’t noticed?” Ignis realized that she really didn’t know the level of Kayne’s interest in her. Which meant that he hadn’t told her anything about the past or their bargain. Yet. “He doesn’t know, but he needs to.”
Her temper flared. “You have acted like you hated him all these years, and suddenly, you’re on his side?”
Ignis grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I am always on your side. That’s the only side that matters to me. So, don’t you stand there accusing me, Bexy. You know me better than that.”
“But I don’t. And why is that? Because you’re the one keeping secrets. You keep saying to trust you, yet you do things that make it impossible.” She let out a soft growl, her eyes widening. She cleared her throat to hide the sound that had always bubbled up when she was angry for some reason.
Liam screamed in pain, and his cries of agony sent chills down Rebekah’s spine. “Y
ou’re right that Kayne should know about Liam. I’m about to host a meeting with the group. I want to discuss our options. I’ll have to let them in on the decision or risk losing them too. But I think we should consider asking Kayne to come and take him.”
Agitation had Ignis’s nerves jumping. “Those people upstairs will never vote for that option, and you know it. Sometimes, you just have to make the decisions yourself, Rebekah.”
“Yeah, but I can’t just make this decision myself. This is their friend.” She was beginning to wonder if Ignis remembered the meaning of the word. “Besides, with everything going on, I have to remain transparent. Especially since I don’t get the luxury of keeping secrets like some of us do.”
“I get that. But they saved him from vampires. They aren’t going to want to send him back. You’re the Immortal Huntress, so it’s going to fall on you regardless.” There was no way Delilah would want to turn the boy over, not after the battle she’d fought against the bloodsuckers.
Rebekah realized she’d been downstairs much longer than the twenty minutes she’d told the others. “Well, I need to get up there,” she said, backing away from the bars. Her heart broke into pieces seeing the kid in this condition, and she wished she could take away his pain and make him into the hunter that he wanted to be and not the monster he’d involuntarily become.
“Do you want me to go up with you, or should I stay here with the boy?” Ignis didn’t know how much help he’d be, but if she needed him, he’d be there. He’d always be there for her no matter what.
“I think Mace should be there for the vote. She’ll be upset if she’s not.” Rebekah walked to the stairs. “I just need to know that whatever happens, you’ll stand beside me.”
“My vote is with you, Bex. Always. I’ll back you up if you want him to go with Kayne. I agree that if he has a chance at surviving, it’s the only way, but you need to prepare yourself for how he’s going to react to that. He might come for you, and when he does, he’ll be the enemy, and you’ll have to put him down anyway.”
