The Complete Chosen Trilogy (The Chosen #0)

by N. M. Santoski

  “Dr. Castillo! Dr. Castillo? Avis!” Matthew tried, but she continued to scream. Claire reached down and plucked a cell phone from the Proctor’s nerveless fingers. She glanced over the still glowing screen and choked back a scream of her own. Green eyes wide in her suddenly white face, she turned the phone around so that Matthew could read the words that would change everything.

  JENKINS DEAD. AERON DISANZA AND IGNIS MISSING. MAXIMUM SECURITY.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Pyrrhus sat straight up in bed, the world tilting around him. He scrambled his way through the tangle of bed sheets, stumbling and hitting the wooden floor so hard tears came to his eyes. His new position on his knees was so alarmingly close to his flashback that he lost the final shreds of his control. He made it to the bathroom with only seconds to spare, emptying his stomach of canapés and champagne.

  He ignored the quiet steps behind him as he remained doubled over, dry heaving once or twice. The sink tap ran for a moment, and a hand offered him a damp washcloth.

  "If you throw up again, you'll make me do it, too," Nolan said quietly as he perched on the edge of the tub.

  Pyrrhus passed the washcloth over his face and mouth with a shaky laugh. "You'll have to do it in the tub or the sink—toilet's mine." He eased himself back against the cool porcelain of the tub, looking up at Nolan. The vivid red slash across his face stood out all the more under the harsh bathroom light. "You look like hell.”

  “Says the man on the floor.”

  Gia stumbled up the stairs and into the doorway, hair wild. “Everyone okay?” she demanded.

  “I just threw up all that lovely party food, and Nolan looks like he hasn’t slept in a year,” Pyrrhus said. “You?”

  “I’ve been staring out the window all night,” she admitted. “On guard. It’s almost dawn.”

  “You don’t think they followed us, do you?”

  “No. But I can’t sleep anyway. I just keep seeing…” She shuddered and began to cry.

  Nolan held out his arms and she joined him on the edge of the tub. Tears gathered in his own eyes, and he failed to hold them back. Pyrrhus leaned back against both of their legs in commiseration.

  “Well,” he managed finally, wiping tears from his face with both palms like a child, “I think Uncle Robert would be damned ashamed of us, crying like this.”

  “He saved your life,” Gia said.

  “I—In my nightmare, I was back in that moment,” Pyrrhus admitted. “Kneeling on the floor, helpless, watching you die.”

  Nolan put his hand on Pyrrhus’s shoulder and squeezed. “Your nightmare was about me?”

  “I mean—yes. In my head, the blood creeping toward me on the floor was yours. If Uncle Robert hadn’t… it would have been.”

  “It should have been,” Nolan said before he could stop himself.

  Gia shot straight up, glaring at him furiously. “You’re an idiot, Nolan Aeron!” she snarled as she bolted from the room. They heard her footsteps clatter down the stairs and a door slam.

  “You are,” Pyrrhus said to his kneecap. “If I were you, I’d go after her.”

  “I just lost my uncle. I think I’m entitled to just a little self-pity.”

  “Not at our expense. Wish all you want it never happened, but never wish it were you instead. Uncle Robert knew what he was doing when he jumped in front of you. If I had been free, I would have been there instead. I don’t like to speak for Gia, but I’m sure that if she’d been able to, she would have taken that blade for you.”

  “No!”

  “Then think next time!” Pyrrhus was almost translucent, still swaying with nausea as he rose to his knees. “The horror you feel right now thinking of us doing that is only a tenth of what we felt when we saw that sword going toward your neck. Don’t say stupid shit while we’re all tired and emotional.”

  “Go back to bed,” Nolan said. “I’ll go talk to Gia.”

  “No, I’ll sit up and stand guard.”

  “Pyrrhus, if you can sit upright for more than five minutes, I’ll be surprised. Go to bed.”

  “Maybe I’ll actually sleep this time.”

  “I think you will. Go.”

  Nolan watched until Pyrrhus was back in his bed before turning on his heel and going back downstairs. The door to his room was closed, so he knocked once before turning the handle and letting himself inside.

  Gia was curled up on the bench by the window, eyes locked on the swirling snow visible in the porch lights. She ignored his entrance until he was sitting on the bench with her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “It’s the grief talking.”

  “I know. I’m grieving, too. But Nolan…” She floundered for a moment, searching for words that wouldn’t come. She pounded her fist against the cushion in frustration. “Not you. Never say it should have been you.”

  “Okay.” He gathered her into his arms and they sat in silence, watching as the sun began to rise over the first day of the first year without Uncle Robert.

  ***

  Leiani was locked in the bathroom when Alan finally returned to the rooms that Warrington had appointed them for the night. It was almost dawn, he was still covered in body fluid from the knees down, and he now had the unenviable position of telling his wife that their uncle was dead.

  “Leiani?”

  “Go away!” she screamed through the door.

  “Leiani, open the door. I have to talk to you.”

  “Oh, really? You abandoned me at that party hours ago! I wasn’t that important then!” She yanked the door open, rage plain on her face, but it slowly dropped away as she saw the state of him.

  “Alan, gods, what’s happened to you?” She pulled him into the bathroom rather than follow him out, and the vaguely sour smell already present was quickly overpowered by whatever Alan was coated in. She busily began to strip him of his expensive suit, certain they would have to burn it. He passively let her tend to him, his eyes locked on something far beyond the small room.

  Suddenly, he moved. His eye caught hers and he said hollowly, “Uncle Robert is dead.”

  Leiani froze in the act of pulling Alan’s shirt off. “What did you say?”

  “Uncle Robert is dead.”

  “How?”

  “He showed up with my brother,” Alan spat. “Pyrrhus and the older Disanza girl were their accomplices. They broke into the lower levels looking for the Sword and almost killed Manas and Captain Selocrim when they tried to stop them. Manas took a swing at my brother and… Uncle Robert sacrificed himself.”

  Leiani was holding Alan’s shirt in a death grip, her eyes glued to the stains still spattered across Alan’s pants legs. “This has to end,” she whispered. “We’re all going to die over this stupidity.” She swayed on her feet, suddenly light headed.

  In a single motion, Alan swept her up and was moving for the bedroom. “It will end,” he swore under his breath as he tucked her in. He quickly rid himself of the offending pants and tossed them into a corner, joining his wife in the bed. He took her in his arms and held her while she cried… then accepted her embrace as he did the same. He wept for the end of his uncle, for the only father figure he’d even known… and for this final straw that made his brother his implacable enemy. For a single moment, he prayed that Keopelani would tell his mother—to have to tell her that yet another of her closest family members was dead at the hands of a Swordsmith would surely break him.

  ***

  Michael was worried about Alix. Her mind had always been preternaturally sharp, but lately… she’d been losing track of time. Last week she spoke to him in Latin for almost five minutes before he could get her to realize he couldn’t understand more than the gist of what she was saying. She’d forgotten the names of half of the maids already, and just yesterday stood standing helplessly in front of the front door as if she couldn’t remember how to open it.

  She lashed out at him when he asked her why she was standing there staring at the doorknob like she’d never seen one
before, but in the midst of her tirade she seemed to just run out of steam. She stuttered to a stop, eyes slightly glazed over, and was quiet for a moment before asking what was for lunch-- at 6 o’clock in the evening.

  He wasn’t sure which Alix he would be getting today, so he decided to visit her in the privacy of her rooms. She had to be told of Manas’ involvement in Robert’s death. He paused in the doorway to observe her unseen.

  She was still absolutely beautiful—frozen in time as that girl she’d been before the fall of the Roman Empire. As the door clicked shut behind him, she looked up. It was a good day—her eyes were clear, and she greeted him by name with a sad smile as soon as she saw him.

  “We need to talk.”

  They had said it simultaneously, both laughing when they realized they’d done so.

  “Go ahead,” he encouraged.

  “Michael—this is the end.”

  He froze. “The end of what?”

  “Juno is punishing me for my crimes.”

  “I thought we agreed that she didn’t have the power left to harm you.”

  “She told me from the beginning that I would be immortal—and she’s kept that promise. My body is as it ever was, but my animus… I’m losing my mind, Michael.”

  He wanted to protest, but he couldn’t. She was right. The idea horrified him: to be immortal, but to spend centuries without the presence of mind to enjoy it? “How long?”

  “It’s been getting worse. I just… I don’t know.”

  “Now what?”

  Alix shrugged, trying to keep the panic from her voice. “Manas is grown—I got to see him become a man. I hope to stay lucid long enough to see him wed, but I think to hope to see a grandchild and know them is too much to ask. The further my bloodline progresses, the more my mind will degrade. As far as my role as Lady Tempus…”

  “To hell with that!” Michael said roughly, taking her hand. “I’m worried about you.”

  She smiled. “All this time working toward your goal, for nothing?”

  “Could the Sword undo the damage?”

  “I can’t say for sure, but… Juno wouldn’t be the type to allow her punishments to be easily dismantled, especially by Jupiter. Michael, I… I don’t quite know how to handle this. Will I be beyond caring for myself? What happens in twenty years? In fifty? In a hundred? Will my great-great-grandchildren be swapping nurses constantly to care for a woman who never ages—who seems barely out of her teens, but has the mind of an ancient woman?”

  “We will take care of it all, Alix, I promise you.” He leaned in and kissed her.

  “Michael, I want to spend what time I can with you, and with Manas.”

  Michael rose to his feet, brushing his hand along her beautiful russet curls. “He’s working on something for me,” he lied, “but I will bring him here as soon as I can so we can tell him together. I love you, Alix.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He turned and walked from the room, his mind churning. Despite her conviction that the Sword could not save her, Michael was more optimistic. He knew he could harness the power of the Sword to heal her. They just had to accelerate their timetable.

  The hunt was on in earnest.

  PART THE FIFTH

  FRENETIC

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Alan was certain now that Leiani was pregnant, though she’d said nothing to him or to her mother. The refusal of champagne, the sudden sicknesses… and now, her body was gaining curves she’d never had before. He kept his silence, but stiffened his resolve. His child would not be tainted by a lunatic uncle. Something had to be done. He’d planned to wait for the spring to inter Uncle Robert, since the ocean was fierce and cold in the winter, but things were moving too fast for that. He dialed a number by heart and waited until the phone clicked over and a voice answered.

  “I need my uncle’s remains. It’s been three months—I am sure your father’s investigation is done by now.”

  “They will be at Beachhead by the morning of the 15th,” Manas said in a clipped voice. “I need you to deliver your end of the bargain.”

  “Uncle Robert’s bones will help us with that. I need Selocrim on call for this.”

  “No. We need her here. We can send her best people, as well as some others.”

  “Fine. I will contact her when I need them.”

  They hung up without another word spoken between them. He left his rooms and headed down the hall to his mother’s small lodging. He knocked on the door and was greeted with a somber, “Enter.”

  His mother had aged visibly these past months. The loss of her twin and the renewed loss of her second son weighed on her more than anyone knew.

  “Good morning, Alan.” She tipped her cheek up for his kiss and watched her eldest settle into the chair across from her, long legs gracefully tucked against the side and away from her little coffee table. “What brings you to see me this early?”

  “I think we need to inter Uncle Robert…and I think we have to invite Nolan.”

  She stared at him for a moment in silence. “I thought…”

  “I know. We were going to wait. I just got the call about his… him. They will be here in three days, and Uncle Robert deserves to be returned to the Sea. And Nolan is… was… his nephew, too. He deserves to be invited, at least.”

  He hoped his mother wasn’t looking too closely for a lie. Alan would have happily disowned all knowledge of and responsibility for his wayward brother without a second thought, and he certainly didn’t think Nolan should be anywhere near the man he murdered—or might as well have. They had to lure him out of hiding, however, and this was the most surefire way they could think of.

  “Are you sure it’s safe?”

  Alan leaned forward and took his mother’s hand. “As sure as we’ll ever be—and this could go on for years. We owe it to Uncle Robert to do this.”

  For a moment, he hated himself as his mother’s eyes filled with tears. She forcefully blinked them back. “How will we get in touch with him?”

  “Leiani knows how to get in touch with Pyrrhus… I am sure he is with Nolan, though no one will confirm that.”

  “Alan… has she told you yet?”

  He let a smile slip onto his face for the first time. “No, but I’ve known.”

  She nodded. “As have I… since you returned from California.”

  “Does her mother know?”

  “I don’t think so—Keopelani would be much more forceful about her first grandchild.” They exchanged a laughing glance that made Alan’s heart ache for the way things used to be.

  They would be that way again, no matter what it took.

  “Well,” Mara said with a sense of renewed vigor, “go talk to her about contacting him. Has he left the country?”

  “I don’t think he has—three days from now it will be, and I think he’ll move heaven and earth to get here.”

  “Done. Go find your wife and let her know!” Mara made shooing motions with her hands, laughing as he scrambled away.

  Alan let the smile drop from his face as soon as he cleared the hallway. He hated lying to his mother, but it was necessary—and easy. Lying to Leiani, on the other hand…

  He was sure his wife was with her mother, and he was right. The pair were seated, Lady and heiress, their bright teal hair burnished with sunlight as they sat with their heads together on the beach. As soon as he rounded the corner, Leiani caught sight of him and her face lit up in a smile. The past three months had been kinder to them—they were finally approaching the rapport they’d had before things went so terribly wrong. He felt a sudden twinge of fear. When she realized he’d lied to her, would their marriage be back where it started?

  Surely not.

  Leiani rose to her feet, stretching. Her arched back pushed the slight curve of her belly forward, exaggerating it to the point where Alan was glad his mother-in-law was looking his way and not hers. The game would have been up immediately.

  “Hello, Alan,” his wife said, ste
pping forward for a kiss while her mother watched indulgently. “What brings you out here?”

  “I’d like to take a walk with you, if you don’t mind,” he said, directing this last at Keopelani.

  “Please! Neptune forbid I get in the way of true love! Besides, I need to make the final arrangements for Kale’s reciprocal visit!”

  Alan managed to resist rolling his eyes, but only just. “Thank you, Mother Keo.” He offered his wife his arm, and she accepted as they began to walk toward the waterline.

  Once they were safely out of earshot, Alan dropped his hand to Leiani’s waist, curving his hand to caress the edge of her bump. Her gasp was lost to the sound of the waves, but Alan felt her spine stiffen.

  “Don’t you think you have something to tell me, darling?”

  He could almost see her lips forming the denial. “Leiani.” The admonishment in his tone crumpled her resolve. She nodded against his tricep, not quite looking him in the eye.

  He wrapped his arms around her, thoughts soaring. He’d known, but to have her confirm it…

  “When?”

  “July, I think.”

  “Why haven’t you told anyone? Your mother…”

  Leiani snorted and pulled away. “My mother! Exactly! The moment she knows, she’ll lock me up in Beachhead until her precious grandchild is born.”

  “Leiani…”

  She snapped her head around to look at him. “What?” His tone had dropped to a deep baritone, worrying her.

  “We’ll be interring Uncle Robert in three days.”

  “What? What happened to the spring? What happened to after…” she made a vague gesture with her hands, “... you know?”

  “We can’t keep waiting.” Alan pulled Leiani away from a particularly friendly wave trying to soak her feet. “It has to be done—I need you to contact him.”

  “I don’t—”

  “I know you can contact Pyrrhus, and I know Pyrrhus is with him. Do it… please.”

  It was the please that sealed it, and he knew it. Leiani swallowed and looked down at her feet, still visible below the tiny bump. “Okay.”

  “So… boy or girl?” he said cheerfully, attempting to change the subject as fast as he could.