Set In Flames (Morningstars Book 1)

by Sam Destiny

“It seems fitting, because you just got royally fucked over and you are still standing.”

  So he had been witness to her misery.

  Her vision decided to come back full force that moment, giving her the best chance to see the pitying expression on his face.

  “I like that beanie you wear,” she smiled, reaching for the grey hat covering his dark hair. He was beautiful really, made so even more by his sweet personality. Changing the topic she hoped would ease her heartache.

  She tried to remember if she had seen him with his hat before. She couldn’t help but realize that whenever Jaden was in a room, she only ever saw him. It was a damn curse.

  “You think that … you think that sometimes fate makes a mistake? Like pairing off an unwilling soldier and a stupid little girl?”

  Lex smiled, looking more handsome than she had realized before. She hoped that one day, one day soon, there’d be a girl for him. An Origin.

  “I don’t think that Fate ever makes mistakes. There is just a difference between being ready for Fate and simply imagining that you have a choice when, in truth, you never had.”

  He reached out, touching her knee.

  “Princess, there is a reason why I am here…”

  He got up and for once Maya wished she could look into his head. He looked torn and somehow she wasn’t sure this was about Jaden and her. It seemed to be bigger than that.

  “I don’t know if anyone ever told you about the Queen of the Origins. She’s going out, finding all that will one day bring new children into this world. The way I get it there’s this little vibration thing going on… Oh man, that somehow sounds totally wrong.”

  She had to chuckle and he gave her a smile.

  “I think we all went absolutely wrong about this whole thing. No one should have locked you up with half the info, but Colbin thinks that you could freak out if you actually find out what you are supposed to do. I don’t think so. I think you are amazing and you might feel better if you can actually prepare for what will be coming.”

  He took a deep breath, pausing for a few minutes while contemplating his words. It was pretty clear that he either debated on what to tell her or how to do it.

  “Look, you don’t have to tell me. It obviously isn’t easy. If this is some kind of secret, I’d prefer it if you don’t spill it. I am guessing it’s a warrior thing,” she smiled and he shook his head, kneeling in front of the windowsill.

  “I want you to understand what your title means, what it will bring to you. Colbin thinks of the race. I think of you.”

  She finally realized what he was aiming at and it made her shake her head.

  “If you are trying to say that I am the Queen, then you better stop wasting your breath,” she whispered and he slowly nodded.

  “It’s what I am saying. You’ll be the Queen. And you’ll be an amazing one, too. Trust me. You don’t have to be scared. Wherever you go, you have us. We are your warriors. We are protecting you with everything we have. All those unmated Origins you’ll find, they’ll come and live at the court with you. Friends, Maya… You’ll have a lot of friends. Families will be together because of you. Babies will be born. You are the hope of the race! No matter what will be coming. Do you see what that means?”

  She took a deep breath, but he obviously wasn’t done yet.

  “Without a Queen every Origin will die. Every warrior who finds a mate will have to watch her die. Everyone until now did. Once you are turned, the Origin magic will make sure that your generation survives… And that will create babies… It will bring a new generation in the world. It’s not all though, Princess.”

  Not all? Wasn’t it already enough?

  Lex chuckled, proving that he simply couldn’t stop looking into her head. It should annoy her, but she wasn’t sure she could actually put all her jumbled thoughts into words.

  “You know best how it feels to be abused. Your court will be open for all girls and women who need it. Not all matings are perfect. In fact, a lot of them aren’t. Out there we have kids that come from insane matings. Hellraise children. The first-born are still Morningstar, a lot of them beaten and neglected. Your home will be their home,” he whispered and she pressed her lips together. Of all the things he could have said, that was the only thing that got to her.

  “Don’t you have orphanages or something like that?” she asked, hopeful, but he just looked at her, letting her come to her own conclusion.

  “Why are you telling me?” she wanted to know and he got up, shrugging.

  “Because I think that we all have moments when we doubt whatever we do. There are moments when we need a reminder that life doesn’t stop. I tell you because if a person knows how much one needs to have a helping hand, it is you.”

  She closed her eyes, looking at the dark windows. She still wanted to go outside, still needed to feel the sun on her face. Maybe now she needed it even more than she had before.

  “I might be a helping hand for all those lost children, but, Lex, who is ready to be my helping hand?” she asked, knowing very well that there was something he wasn’t telling her.

  “I promise that I will do everything I can in order to make it right for you,” he quietly told her and still she could hear what he didn’t say: Everything but betraying my warrior-brothers. She couldn’t even say how much it hurt her to know that everyone had someone’s back … while she had a million people ready to stab hers.

  Destra stared out of the window, waiting for Nox to arrive. Ty was out, having left the state on official business. Destra long had stopped caring what that meant.

  It was good that he was gone, too.

  Insanity followed her closer than ever because she couldn’t get any hint on where her bitch of a daughter was. She wanted to have that girl in her hands, squeeze her pretty neck until her pale color turned to blue. She wanted that girl dead before anyone could figure out her secret.

  Years ago, when she had found out that her daughter actually was still alive, Destra had started a game with her. She had Nox by her side already back then and found the girl at school at the age of ten.

  Back then she still had considered it the ultimate plan to actually let her daughter go crazy, make her a Hellraise sooner than anyone expected. Tymon would have seen that he couldn’t save his daughter no matter what he tried and she was sure it would give her a great amount of pleasure to actually comfort him after he had been told that his daughter had become a murderer.

  Hell, Destra even had planned hanging somewhere nearby when Maya would make her first kill.

  There was something beautiful, almost artistic about the way blood started to spray the ground when a Vampire got into the bloodlust. She had seen it often enough, and, had to admit, she had caused it just as many times.

  Now though, with a warrior at her daughter’s side, she’d never see that day. Tymon would never be ultimately hers because he never would have to hear about his daughter being a monster.

  In a surge of anger Destra brought her fist through the window glass and cut her palm. The blood dripped down onto the white windowsill and she couldn’t look away. It was a beautiful sight; the wine red drops on the innocent white, and she wanted more. Grabbing a shard she cut through the thin skin on her lower arm, seeing the small rivers run down her hand. She had to cut again and again, her healing making the show just so much more intense, when suddenly a strong, warm hand reached for hers, taking the glass from her bleeding fingers.

  “Mistress,” Nox said, shaking his head as if he was talking to a small child. “You are not supposed to hurt yourself,” he went on and she pouted while he raised her cut to his lips, slowly licking over it.

  They both simultaneously shivered and the magician gave her an appreciative glance.

  She was glad that vampire blood didn’t work the same for all races. She knew others like her would be burning with her blood in their mouth, but with magicians it prolonged their life.

  Nox would be forever twenty-five, but that was all the bloo
d did for him. He still got sick. He still could be injured and he still was bleeding just like any human would, but he didn’t age. He hadn’t aged since he was her companion.

  Not that he had asked for her blood in return for his services, but Destra liked looking at him and she definitely wanted him to keep his youth.

  She enjoyed the idea of a young lover; one who would give her all the things she could never asked Tymon for.

  “I waited,” she finally whispered, making it clear that she was annoyed … and too close to an edge she was not yet ready to fall over.

  “So before, then,” he remarked and she only nodded. He closed his eyes, mumbling words under his breath that she didn’t even bother trying to understand. They wouldn’t do her any good anyways.

  Magic words only worked if you had magic blood, and while vampires had a certain kind of magic, it wasn’t the right one.

  Theirs was ancient, passive, while Nox had active magic. He could create a world while the world created vampires and their bonds. That was the strongest magic they had and yet, they couldn’t influence it even if they wanted to. The special powers some vampires had were remnants of another time and Destra was glad that she was one of the few that still owned them.

  Often female vampires had special abilities, but she had heard a rumor that the warriors had their very own collection of pretty special boys.

  Cold engulfed her and everyone who wasn’t familiar with Nox’s magic surely would start to panic now, but Destra knew that she was being bewitched; enchanted by dark magic.

  Nox’s powers always froze her to her bones and Nox had more than once explained that it was the darkness he was using. If he’d be a good boy, she’d feel all warm and fuzzy. Instead each spell left her feeling more like an ice-statue than the one before.

  She did feel much saner though, giving him a wicked smile.

  “It worked, I take it,” he said, opening the shirt he was wearing button by button. She sat down on the bed and then let her blood red nails wander over his chest.

  “Lie down,” he ordered.

  She untied her robe, letting it fall to the floor. As always she was naked underneath.

  She lay down stomach first on the dark satin sheets and then gave him an inviting grin over her shoulder.

  Grabbing the ties that were secured to the headboard, she waited in anticipation until Nox sat down on her back.

  Destra closed her eyes, sighing happily. She wanted, needed, what only Nox could give her.

  He reached over to the nightstand and took a knife. It was sharper than any of the kitchen knives.

  “Ready?” Nox asked, grabbing her chin and twisting her neck enough so he could kiss her deeply.

  “Born ready,” she replied and he placed a first cut right on her spine. It was shallow, but deep enough to draw blood and a loud moan.

  He licked over her skin and she loved the pain and pleasure that caused her.

  There was nothing better than the way he took her blood and she knew that by the end of this little game she’d be bloody, satisfied and saner than ever before.

  “Shouldn’t you be in your room or somethin’?”

  “Or something,” Maya mumbled. She had snuck into the kitchen, being ready to get away from the confines of her room.

  Three days had passed since she had the confrontation with Jaden and she knew that he hadn’t been back to the base because she purposely had walked into every room where the boys could hide.

  Besides finding Matt there she hadn’t found anyone else.

  Tonight though obviously someone else was left behind.

  “Boring, huh?” Devon, at least Maya thought that was his name, asked and she pointed at her book. Lex had been kind enough, or feeling guilty enough, to bring her some of her favorites.

  “I just couldn’t see my four walls anymore,” she replied and he grinned at her while walking over to the fridge.

  Maya loved the kitchen. It was huge and had a table there that would be standing in her kitchen, too, if she ever would get to have her own apartment. She loved those tables because it meant you could get a whole family together … a family she didn’t have.

  With a sad sigh she focused back on her book and Devon sat down across from her.

  “I love reading, too,” he said and she looked up, giving him a doubting look.

  “Fine, I doona read at all,” Devon admitted and she gave him a smile.

  “Where are you from?” she wanted to know and he pushed his food away as if he suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore. He looked sad and she reached out to touch his hand. She just couldn’t help it. After all he was nice enough to talk to her, and even though he was the one who didn’t talk much – if memory served right – she liked that he ignored the direct orders all warriors seemingly had gotten.

  “Scotland. I havna been there in more than fifty years,” he explained and she nodded. He didn’t sound very Scottish to her ears.

  “You miss it?”

  He shrugged, but she could tell that this was not really what he meant. He probably figured that if he’d admitted to missing his home, she’d want to know why he hadn’t ever gone back. Obviously that was a story he didn’t want to share.

  “I am going to watch some shows, do you want to come?” he wanted to know and she stared at him for a long moment.

  “Colbin will be furious if he finds out that you hung out with the pariah,” she joked, but still watched for his reaction.

  “I doona care. If you asked me you can roam all the halls and rooms freely. Seriously, that’s shite what they are doing. But…”

  And that was where he looked up again, meeting her eyes.

  “There’s no place safer than this for you, so you will have to stay in this house,” he added and she couldn’t help but grin. At least he didn’t try to lie to her.

  “I’d happily read while you watch TV,” she agreed and he gave her a friendly smile, then got up, grabbing his plate and walking in front of her. She jumped up, simply following him; somewhat happy that for just another night she wouldn’t have to be all alone.

  Jaden almost went crazy in his own room. He had his reasons to not go back to the base, but by now he really missed hanging out with the guys.

  The door opened and his twin came in, being followed by Lex and Ryder. Not that Ryder was his favorite person right now, but at least he was some person and he could ask about Cupcake and their parents. Ryder had to know something, right?

  “We brought beer and action movies.” Yeah, since Jaden loved action movies like nothing else. But he wouldn’t complain.

  “You okay, J-Man?” Ryder asked and Jaden had to actually calm himself down before looking at his mate’s brother. He might not want Maya as his Origin, but he couldn’t forgive Ryder for twice having tried to get rid of her and still acting as if he was the only one allowed to care about her.

  Not that he had bothered to tell Maya this part, but then again, Jaden wasn’t one to talk out loud. He couldn’t get himself to go against his vows. She simply wasn’t important enough to him to risk being kicked out of the warriors. They were his life and he simply had no idea what he’d do if he no longer were part of them.

  “Peachy, and why shouldn’t I be?” he wanted to know, throwing his friend a challenging glance.

  “Maybe because you are leaving my sister hanging like that? Locking her up, making sure she won’t have a good life at all? I mean, aren’t you supposed to be in love with her or something?” Ryder asked back and Jaden wanted to jump over the couch to hit him.

  How had they come that far?

  “You mean because you treat her so much better? Have you been in to see her?” he pushed and Ryder instantly got up again after having settled down on the floor.

  “It’s not that she wants to really see me,” he snapped and Jaden gave an angry laugh.

  “Weren’t you the one who just mentioned she was locked up? You don’t think she’d want to see anyone really? I think you are just too afraid
to face the fact that your little sister made it pretty well out there and you weren’t the one to protect her when you should have.”

  Ryder was seething, but Jaden didn’t care. It was the same he way he felt.

  “Ry, tell us about your parents. How didn’t you know Destra was what she was when you joined?” Lex asked, trying to defuse the situation. Jaden couldn’t help but be disappointed that he couldn’t find an outlet for his aggression.

  He did want to know though how Destra was still in the position to hunt her daughter.

  “When I left the family I was pissed at her because I had just gotten a little brother. I was so angry with my parents for allowing that, for creating a new child that I surely would come to love. One died pretty young, to be honest… Some freak accident, that, come to think about it, maybe wasn’t an accident after all. Next time I went back to check they had a girl. Two died as any Origin would. Only she was still sane enough to realize what she’d turn into one day. She made me promise to stay by her side. It was twenty years after One died.”

  He got up, his hands shaking, and Jaden instantly felt sorry for his best friend. He couldn’t imagine how it would feel to lose someone that you considered family, no matter how weird the circumstances were, only to realize that maybe your mother had killed them. Then again, Destra couldn’t hurry along an Origin’s death.

  “Then came Three… I met my father, Tymon, when I went to meet the MSP for Colbin. Back when I freshly joined the warriors he wasn’t that much into politics yet. Oh well, what can I say? He told me about Three and that he had died as a toddler. Ty had heard that I was a warrior now and he asked me if we’d come and hunt them, prosecute them for getting more children than allowed, but I just told him that none of his children were around to cause any harm anymore.”

  He went through his hair, leaving it chaotic. “I didn’t know then that Destra was already carrying the next baby. In fact, I only went to see her the day I met Maya after someone reported a Hellraise lose on the street. I came to the house, found traces of blood, saw my mother and her red eyes. I have no idea how she hid it all those years. I couldn’t do it though… I couldn’t kill her,” he finished quietly and Jaden looked around.