Seth's heart froze. After everything that happened, he half expected to be punished. If that were her wish, he would face an eternity in Raven form and forget his humanity, but not before Jayd was cured. He had promised Gabrielle he would watch over her niece, and Jayd was the woman that he had been searching for. “Please. Punish me if you must, but I can't lose her. There must be something that you can do."
Nephthys shook her head. “Sadly, I can do nothing. I know you feel responsible for this human. Nothing I do will change her fate. Not even Azrael can modify her destiny, and he is the Angel of Death. Once Jayd's soul crossed the threshold of the dead, her fate was sealed and her humanity stripped. Can you not accept her for what she is? You can't save everyone, Raven Warrior. Look what happened the last time you tried. My understanding is that Robyn is still furious with you."
Seth hung his head. He expected to hear this answer from the goddess, but he still had faith. Now that had been taken away from him when well. The light in his life had been eclipsed by darkness and would never reemerge to see the dawn once more. What Nephthys said about Robyn was true. He'd only been trying to do the right thing, but even when he did that, it never did seem to work out. Maybe he should stop trying on this one. No. I can't. I have to save her. “Isn't there anything?"
Nephthys put up a hand and stopped him. “Seth, don't kill yourself over the past. There is nothing that you can do. You need to think about the present. You are on your own at the moment. You have raised the alarm on Betha and Caleb. The council has already shot you down in regards to Jayd. I don't suggest going to Azrael and asking him. He'll give you the same answer. What I want you to do is think about Jayd. You're running around trying to find a cure for her, when the one thing she desperately needs is you."
"How can I go back to her when I promised to protect her? How can I go back to her empty handed? She's relying on me to find a cure for her. I swore to keep the demons away from her. How could I fail?” he asked himself more than the goddess. Seth felt ashamed that he was not able to keep his promise to Jayd.
The goddess shook her head and rose from her throne. “Men. They never see what's right in front of them. How the world is ruled by them, I will never understand it."
"Mistress?” Seth questioned.
She shook her head. “Never mind. Look.” The goddess waved her hand, and in the space between the Raven Warrior and herself formed a reflecting pool. The pool did not show Seth or the being in front of him. It showed Jayd. She was curled into a ball in the corner of the room. She was rocking back and forth, gripping her jeans tightly. Seth saw bloodstains. The fabric was shredded and bloody. Her nails were longer and bloody. He couldn't see her face because her hair obscured it, but when he watched her, he felt the echo of her pain stabbing his heart and soul. Then he could hear her through the portal.
"He will come back. I know he will. He will come back.” Jayd kept repeating that to herself over and over again. It was the only thing that she had to keep herself sane.
Seth's heart dropped when he heard that. Her words echoed in his mind as the litany kept tumbling from her lips. He looked at the vision and saw it change. Jayd was outside. She had escaped from Robyn. The sun was about to break over the horizon. He felt its prickling rays on her skin. He was being bitten by thousands of fire ants, it stung so badly. But he was going to face it. She was going to face it. The light was blinding. The heat was causing her skin to burn. But Jayd kept herself focused. She was not going to give up when every instinct in her body demanded she run and hide in the shadows were it was safe. Where she could survive. Her thirst was ransacking her body, shredding the edges of her sanity. It took all her willpower to focus on her actions. The bright orange sun was coming slowly over the horizon, unwrapping itself from twilight. When it did, Seth saw and felt Jayd catching on fire. First, it was the fine hairs on her arms and then her skin. The blood began to boil inside of her heart. Seth clutched his chest and could barely breathe. He wanted the agony to stop. He wanted to yell to Jayd to get out of the light, but he couldn't find his voice. He was on his knees now, consumed by the flames. All the while, his heartmate never once turned away from the sun, and her last thought before her soul was snuffed out was of him. Then there was nothing.
"She can't! She wouldn't!” Seth looked up at the goddess. “Would she really do that? Would she rather face death than existing?"
"What I showed you is a possible future and what she plans if you don't return to her. By staying here, you waste precious time. The only thing that holds her to sanity is you. You promised to go back to her. To be there for her. When each minute passes, the virus consumes her system more and more. The remedy that Robyn gave her has only stalled the process maybe a few hours, but nothing more. If Jayd survives, by nightfall, she will be a vampire, and there's nothing you can do about it."
"But I don't want her to be condemned. I don't want her to have to suffer. Being a vampire would be like a death sentence to her. Leeches are horrible creatures. How could she survive like that? How could I be destined to be with a bloodsucker? Is that what you want for me?"
Nephthys passed through the portal she had created. It dissolved into smoke. She pushed her face right into his. “She is already in torment. If you say she's your heartmate, Seth, then go to her while there is still time. Worry about the Betha later. There are things you must deal with. Other things that are looming underneath the surface. Do you really think it was all coincidence that Jayd was chosen to be turned into vampire? There are other forces at work. If you love her then what does it matter what creature that she is? Love transcends all things. It can bring people back from death. It can move mountains. Time is running out. Already the sun is cresting over the horizon. Time is different here than it is in the astral. There, it runs parallel to Earth time, but here, it is faster. You should know that.
"Now go, Raven Warrior. And the next time you decide to throw down your sword, make sure you do it in front of me. This time I'll give you a free pass due to your emotional distress. But do not underestimate me again. Is that understood?"
Seth nodded. He understood. He was being given one more chance. Nephthys was showing him compassion and leniency. One statement the goddess made which troubled him the most was that someone had been behind Jayd's becoming a vampire. The goddess would not lie to him. The events of Jayd's turning went deeper than he imagined. He had to get to the bottom of it, but first he had to get to Jayd. The words of Nephthys rang in his ears. Did it really matter how much he hated vampires? He loved Jayd. Sharing her pain and losing her was not something he could fathom. Something turned in him. No. It did not matter that she was a leech. He would love her no matter what she became. Seth refused to give up on her. His power wrapped around him tighter than air and he let it take him away.
The light was already warming his skin, even when he was in the shadows. His eyes adjusted from the Grey to the real world. Jayd stood off in the distance staring at the horizon, awaiting her death. If he could already feel the heat of the dawn, then she must have been boiling. He stepped out of the shadows and materialized a cloak that he wore at times. That was another thing with his magick. He could make anything that he wanted appear out of thin air. He took the cloak and ran. The night was about to break its hold on the world and release the sun. Jayd wasn't on fire, yet, but she was close. He threw the material over Jayd. She began to struggle, but he grabbed her, yanking her back into the shadows and whisking her away to his cottage at the same time. There, he locked the door and pulled the cloak from her form. Jayd started shaking when she saw Seth. When he looked at her, warmth captured his heart. It didn't matter what she was. She was his. Looking at her face was like staring into the face of joy.
Seth ran his fingers along her cheek and smiled. “Hey, beautiful."
Jayd stared deep into his eyes and beamed. When she did, his insides started to melt, but before he could admire her silent beauty any longer, she fainted back into his arms. Seth caught her. Her flesh wa
s ice cold. Seth lifted her, gently laying her on the bed. Seth realized that with the sun freed from the night, she must have fallen asleep. Vampires slept during the day. The Raven Warrior felt content and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Seth, realizing how tired he was, slumped to the floor next to the bed. He would watch over Jayd until the sun was captured by twilight and he could talk to her again. Seth relaxed. For the first time in a long time, he sensed that things were going to work themselves out. His eyes fluttered shut, and before he realized it, he was asleep.
The next thing he heard was banging on the door. He opened his eyes reluctantly and checked on Jayd. She was sleeping deeply. Enough so he didn't even see her chest rising and falling like a normal human. His heartmate was still so beautiful, and he couldn't wait until she woke.
"Seth, I know you're in there. Come out!” Seth heard Robyn banging on the front door.
He groaned but knew that he had to get the door. He owed the sorceress an explanation about Jayd. He shut the bedroom door to make sure no daylight would sneak in. When he opened the front door, Robyn was fuming. Her hair was red as her temper, and in the sunlight, he could see the silver reflected in the strands.
"Robyn, what a nice surprise. What are you doing here?” Seth asked. He made the grin on his lips wider than it really was. It didn't bother Robyn, who stormed in and slammed the door behind her. Seth was afraid it would wake Jayd, but he didn't hear her stirring in the other room. Before he knew what hit him, Seth felt a sharp sting across his cheek. He worked his jaw after Robyn slapped him, but still didn't melt the smile from his lips.
"Don't give me that, Seth! You asked me to help Jayd, which I did, but I never volunteered to almost be lunch for her!"
"Did Jayd bite you?” Seth asked calmly.
Robyn shook her head. “No, but she came close. I think the threat of self-preservation made her see the light. A sliver blade to her throat made her think twice."
Seth was shocked. He didn't realize that the sorceress has access to the blades or any of the Raven Warriors’ weapons. But then again, she was a Raven in every sense except for the curse. “Where did you get the dagger?"
Robyn crossed her arms over her chest. “I've befriended a few of the Elves who smith your weapons. They've made quite a number of things for me over the years. Not to mention many a dagger."
Seth felt the blood drain from his face. Enchanted silver daggers were hard to come by, and if they were dipped in poison, the specific poison used to kill his brothers, then they could be fatal. The dagger alone would do damage and cause pain, but the Ravens would heal from the wounds eventually. It would be human slow instead of the rapid rate they normally mended. “Robyn, how could you ask the Elves to smith those? You know what can happen if they fall into the wrong hands? Darius and Tremain have both fallen victim to the wounds of those knives. What were you thinking?"
Robyn's mouth spread into a wide grin. “I was thinking about survival. Do you know how hard it is to be alone in this world with no one at your side? My existence has been hell. The other Warriors only come to see me when they want something. The same as you. Those who have been freed have heartmates to spend their eternity with. You never even gave me a second thought, Seth. You never come to say hello. I'm your responsibility. Your creation. And you want nothing to do with me. All you care about is that monster that's in your bedroom."
Seth was taken aback. Was Robyn saying? No, she can't be. “Robyn, look I'm sorry if you think I neglected you all these years, but you made it perfectly clear to me that you wanted nothing to do with me after we tried to be—"
Robyn cut him off. “When we did try to get together, you turned back into a bird. Yeah, I remember the moment quite well. That doesn't mean that I stopped caring for you, Seth, or that I stopped loving you. I figured over time you could love me back and maybe we could try again, and this time you wouldn't change back."
Robyn stepped forward and leaned up on tiptoes. She caught Seth off guard when her lips mashed against his. The Raven Warrior felt nothing for Robyn. It broke his heart that he could not comfort her, but his soul was sleeping in the other room. When he did not respond, the sorceress pulled away. There were tears in her eyes. He saw then that she still loved him. Seth had tried for the first hundred years or so to love Robyn after he'd given her his gift to turn one person into a Raven. Seth had used his gift to save Robyn from the rack. However, when Seth and Robyn had tried to make love, Seth had turned back into Raven form. Right there, that proved the sorceress was not his heartmate. It was one of the reasons he had stayed away from Robyn. That and the guilt of helping her when she never wanted his assistance in the first place. It had plagued his soul for centuries. At first, he thought he was doing the same with Jayd, with trying to help her, but he knew deep in his soul that Jayd was his other half, the one to break him free of his curse.
"Robyn, I'm not sure what else you want me to say. I don't love you. I tried for a century. Nothing came of it. We both know it."
"Yeah, you can't love me, but you can love that thing in there! What are you doing to do when she needs to feed? Isn't she like one of the creatures that you Warriors try and save your charges from? You couldn't save my sister and you did a bang-up job with me."
Seth put up his hands in defeat. This was not an argument he was going to win and he knew that. “Robyn, I stopped living in the past a long time ago. Sure, we all have issues about what happened. I was sacrificed into this life. I never wronged a woman. Nor did I end up embracing my fate with an option for it at death. We all have different stories. I have lived my life. There are things in my past I wish I could change, but I can't. If I could rewind time, I'd have left you on the rack to suffer and die. I assume now that's what you wanted. If you don't enjoy this existence, then go to the goddess and ask her to end your life. Go to Azrael and ask him to take your soul. I did the only thing I thought was possible at the time. I have accepted what I am. Have you?"
From her expression, Robyn hadn't expected him to react the way he did. It seemed everything in her was defeated. Seth has always known her to be stubborn, and now she had folded in on herself. He wished he could ease her pain, but he could do nothing for her.
She laughed and wiped her eyes. “Next time you need a favor, don't come to me to watch a neophyte vampire. The answer will be no. I don't feel like having my throat ripped out. If you truly love her, Seth, then you have to watch your back. Newborns are hungry all the time. They can't go out in the sun. Only their older counterparts can."
"How do you know so much about vampires?” Seth walked Robyn to the door.
She turned and gave him a knowing smile. “A girl has to survive in this day and age. I don't care who comes knocking at my door. Compensated it is all I care about. For you, we'll call it even. Next time you want something from me, you had better bring something I want. Deal?"
Seth nodded. He didn't like the sound of that, but he doubted that he was going to have to go to Robyn again. If she was using her skills to survive in the world, he wondered how many of the silver daggers had been passed around. How many had gotten into the mortal realm over the past five hundred years? The silver was enchanted by the Elves that made the daggers. Any ordinary silver dagger that cut a Raven Warrior wouldn't do any harm. Seth shook his head. There was no time to think about what was going on with Robyn and how she was making her living. He had to worry about Jayd. And Seth had a lot of questions.
How would he feed Jayd? He didn't want her to kill. It was their duty to protect the innocent. If Jayd did get out of hand, Betha or the council might send him after her. Seth had to make sure Jayd was not going to hurt any innocents. Now that she was a vampire, was she even capable of love? Did vampires even have a soul? For the briefest second, when he had unwrapped his heartmate from his cloak, he had stared into her eyes and saw himself reflected there with all the sorrow now buried inside her heart. Jayd had never wanted to be a leech. The goddess had said it was no coincidence she was singled out by t
he vampire coven. That meant one of two things.
Someone wanted Jayd out of the way for something.
Someone knew that he was watching Jayd and wanted to get back at him for something.
There was also the possibility that what the leech had said was true. With him gone, the rest of the coven would search for Jayd and claim her for their own. Seth was not going to let her go no matter what happened. Robyn left and he locked the door. He was weary. The Raven Warrior sighed and sank in the chair beside the door. He closed his eyes. When he did, banshee screams erupted in the back of his mind. For a moment, he followed the web connecting him to all the Raven Warriors. He used a little of his power and sent himself to where the rest of the flock was.
Tremain was standing over Betha with his sword at her throat. Linnea had Whitney huddled close to her chest. Tremain's anger seethed right through Seth and he shared it. Linnea was bruised and cut. It appeared Betha had tortured her or had begun to. The baby was unharmed. The other Warriors had Caleb trapped in a cage of sword points. They were waiting on the council to come and take Betha away. Seth nodded to himself.
We got this brother. Take care of your heart for now. We'll fill you in on all the details later, Seneca whispered in his mind.
Seth pulled himself away from the flock and focused on sleep. It had been a long day and he didn't know the last time he had fallen asleep in his cabin. Right now, he didn't care where he was. Jayd was safe.
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Chapter Thirteen
Jayd knew she was asleep and dreaming, but it was a different kind of dream that she'd never experienced before. Instead of dreaming about random things, she found herself standing in a meadow with nothing but rolling hills of green grass. The sky above her showed a full moon glowing against the blackness of the sky. There were no stars. There was a slight chill to the air. Somehow she knew she should've been a lot colder, but she wasn't. She was fine. There was no one else around her, but someone was watching her.
Whispers in the Dark [A Raven Saga Book 3] Page 13
