Quinn didn’t believe her. She sensed Lenora was keeping something from her, but she knew that she would say no more, so she changed the subject.
“Lenora, you know that Isaiah never meant to hurt you, don’t you?’
“Of course I do. I think I always did; it was just easier to stay away if I convinced myself otherwise.”
“And now that you are no longer apart?”
“Isaiah is a good man... one of the best. But he is still the Slayer and I will not put him through that pain.”
Quinn could not deny it. She had seen first-hand how hard it was for Isaiah to be around vampires.
“I should thank you,” Quinn mused, as a thought occurred to her. “You’re the reason Isaiah never judged me for my friendship with Drake.”
“I’m not the only reason. Everything I just said about Eldon and Aleksei? Who do you think told me?”
Chapter 14
“How are you feeling?” Monique peered around Jonas’s bedroom door. It was the first time she had been allowed to see him since his surgery yesterday afternoon.
“Fine,” he lied.
“You look ridiculous.” She eyed the two plaster-casts that covered his arms from elbow to fingers.
“I feel ridiculous.”
“Look who I brought to say hello.” Stepping around the doorway, she revealed Lucky, the baby Chumana dragon.
“Is he allowed in here?”
“I don’t think Lenora wants her priceless antiques destroyed, so I would have to say no.” She set Lucky down on the ground and he promptly set fire to the Persian carpet at the foot of the bed. Stamping it out with her feet, Monique smacked him on the nose.
“How are you really feeling?” she turned her attention back to Jonas.
“Sore,” he admitted, “but the surgeon said it all went well. He reset the bones and said I should be right as rain in no time.”
“You saved my life,” she murmured shyly.
“I got my ass handed to me.”
“You still saved my life in the process.” She smiled and Jonas felt his heart skip a familiar beat. Embarrassed, he changed the subject. “What’s been going on out there?”
“Quinn just left. She’s gone to fetch Blair’s crystal; well … her crystal. She left her phone behind – it’s been ringing all morning. She’s in the room next to mine,” she added quickly, “I wasn’t snooping.”
“I didn’t say you were! How many rooms does this place have, anyway?”
“About a hundred,” Monique giggled. “It’s crazy, right?”
“Look, it’s nothing more than I’m used to,” he teased.
“Personally I thought your tent was a lot more impressive, but I guess we’ve just got to endure it.”
Jonas turned serious. “I’m just glad we’re together.”
“Me too,” she reached for his hand, and then, remembering the casts, she smoothed back his hair instead. “I spoke to my mom again this morning. She’s still freaking out.”
“Understandably.” Sensing her distress he drew the conversation back to safer territory. “How is the Orochian?”As he expected, Monique jumped at the chance to discuss the dragon.
“He’s struggling to adapt. He keeps flying off, sending the herd into a panic. They almost brought down the back fence yesterday; it’s driving Kellan nuts.”
“How is Velkan?” Jonas asked casually. The faery’s feelings for Monique were plain to see, and Jonas could not help but feel threatened. Velkan and Monique shared a bond he could not compete with and they were spending a lot of time together, caring for the wards.
“He’s still cut up about Mairin. He thinks it’s his fault she was out there in the first place. He thinks maybe something was wrong with the hatchlings and she was trying to find him. I don’t have the heart to enlighten him to the truth.”
“The truth?”
“I heard Freya and Anaise talking. Apparently Mairin was crazy about Velkan. They think she was trying to help.”
“So he’s cut up about her?” Jonas pressed, eager to hear if Velkan had reciprocated Mairin’s feelings.
“He is, but he’s working through it. He’s so good with the herd... even the Orochian tolerates him now.” Her smile faltered as she caught sight of Jonas’s face. “Wait... you’re not jealous, are you?”
“No,” Jonas replied far too quickly. “Why, should I be?”
“Absolutely not,” Monique smiled down at him, stroking his face, and Jonas felt a weight lift from his chest.
“Come here.” His eyes sparkled as she lowered her head to kiss him. She smelled of fresh air and flowers.
“Am I interrupting?” They broke apart at the sound of Rowena’s voice and Monique jerked her hand away from Jonas’s face. The awkward silence that followed was broken by the sound of Lucky sneezing, and Monique leapt forward to pat out the flames that had caught the bottom of Lenora’s curtains.
Rowena smiled at the blushing pair. She was delighted that Jonas had found someone he cared about, and that she was someone who was worthy of his love. Even Balthazar approved of Monique.
“I just came to check on how you were doing,” she said, stepping into the room, “but I can come back later?”
“No,” Monique insisted. “I have to get Lucky back to the other hatchlings, so I should go.”
“You will come back later?” Jonas asked.
“Of course. I’ll bring you up some lunch.”
“Well, that seems to be going well,” Rowena teased when Monique was gone. The faint smell of burnt fabric lingered in the air and she opened another window.
“Yeah, it’s almost worth having both of my arms broken,” Jonas grinned.
“I brought you this,” Rowena deposited a small flask next to his bed. “It’ll help with the pain.”
“Thanks,” Jonas knew from experience that Rowena’s herbs often worked better than any modern-day medicine. “Could you?” he smiled, embarrassed at having to admit the pain he was in. He had hoped to drink it after she left, but the plaster encasing his arms limited his movement, and the pain pills the doctor had given him were wearing off fast. Rowena quickly unscrewed the cap and dribbled some of the murky brown liquid down his throat. It burnt all the way down, settling into a fiery pit in his belly. “Thanks,” he sighed, leaning back on the pillows. “Where’s my dad?”
“He’s out helping Kellan repair the fences. The unicorns keep kicking out poles. They don’t like being confined.”
“How long do you think we’ll stay here?”
“I have no idea. The Guardians are determined to open the Rose Gate but they need all twelve crystals. Quinn’s gone to fetch her new crystal – the one which belonged to Blair - but Lucas’s is still unaccounted for and Tristan’s...”
“Is in the belly of the beast,” Jonas finished the sentence for her.
“Pretty much. So I guess we’re here for a while.”
“We have to help them.”
“You have to rest,” she corrected, reaching for the flask and making him drink. “Your father will handle this.”
“Is he still treating you like the Invisible Woman?”
Rowena laughed. “Whatever happened to those comics, anyway?” She had found a stack of them at a thrift store years ago and hadn’t been able to resist buying them for Jonas. He had loved those comics.
“I don’t remember; they were probably lost in one of our thousand moves.”
They chatted for a while longer until Rowena noticed Jonas’s eyes getting heavy. The herbal tea she had made was working. It eased the pain but it also made the drinker drowsy. She waited until he had fallen asleep before pulling up his covers and planting a soft kiss on his forehead.
Rowena left Jonas’s room and headed for the paddock. Balthazar was working side by side with the Fae men, his dark eyes and olive complexion a stark contrast to their fair paleness. Still, the sight pleased her heart. Finally Balthazar was where he truly belonged, and she hoped that realising his life-long dream might
make him less angry. He had not been as cruel to her the past few days as he had before they went to live in Summerfeld. While they weren’t exactly friends, he had broken his perpetual silence and deigned to speak directly to her when necessary.
“How’s Jonas?” he asked as she approached.
“He’s good. All the better for a visit from Monique this morning.”
Balthazar smiled, confirming her suspicions that he was pleased with his son’s choice.
“I’m going to go up and see him in a minute,” he said.
“He’s sleeping. I gave him some tea to help with the pain. He’ll probably be out for a few hours.”
Balthazar didn’t seem to hear her. Instead, he was staring at her, deep in thought.
“We need to talk,” he murmured.
“Sure,” she nodded, her stomach in knots. She didn’t know if she could take any more hurt from him. She might be strong, but she was human, after all. Nailing in one final pole, Balthazar turned to Kellan.
“Will you be okay to finish up here?”
“Of course,” Kellan replied. “Thank you for your help.”
“They’re worried,” Balthazar announced as he and Rowena made their way back to the house. “We are far too exposed here and it’s only a matter of time before the vampires find us.”
“The Guardians will find the crystals,” Rowena spoke with an assurance that surprised him.
“You have a lot of faith in them.”
“I’ve seen what they can do, and what lengths they will go to to keep us all safe.”
Balthazar stopped to face her, his dark eyes searching her face as though seeing it for the first time.
“It’s frightening how far people will go for the ones they love,” he mused darkly. Rowena opened her mouth to defend herself, but he held up a hand to stop her.
“Don’t, please... you don’t have to. I was a fool. I was blinded by anger,” he ran his hands through his hair, leaving a trail of grey dust in the ebony. “For so many years I had only one purpose. I couldn’t see past finding the City, and, in the process, I neglected everything that mattered, Jonas... you... And you were right - I took the money without question. If I had just stopped long enough to think, I would have seen what was really going on, but it was easier to look the other way. What you did,” Balthazar squeezed his eyes shut as if to block out the image, “it was my fault as well as yours.”
His admission made Rowena’s heart lurch in her chest. “I need to apologise,” Balthazar continued, his voice breaking slightly as if he wasn’t sure exactly how to go about it. “What I did to you was unforgiveable. I was supposed to protect you, but instead, I threw you to the wolves.”
“Surely you don’t mean those wolves,” Rowena smiled, gesturing at Channon and Rafe, who were emerging from the trees nearby.
“It’s not funny,” Balthazar half-laughed, half-sobbed. “Don’t try and make me feel better. I don’t deserve it. I can never take back what the others did to you, but, as soon as I realised my mistake, I tried to make amends. It was simply too late.”
The words were a jumble, so sweet and sincere that Rowena barely registered half of what he was saying, but the last struck a chord deep inside of her.
“That’s why you let them go?” she gasped, finally understanding. “That’s why you didn’t tell them about the City? I thought it was only to save Jonas, but you sent them away because of me.” She couldn’t believe that he had made such a colossal sacrifice. Deep down Rowena had known that Balthazar’s heart had not been in it when he had told her he didn’t want her with him after the convoy had decided to leave. That’s why he hadn’t forced the issue when she had insisted on staying. But he had given her the choice, believing she hated him. He had given her an escape; from him.
“I figured the least I could do was make sure you never had to see them again,” Balthazar admitted.
“Oh Balthazar!” tears pricked at her eyes.
“I know that too much has happened for us to ever go back to the way we were,” he continued. “There’s a lot of resentment between us... on both sides, but I would like to try and start over. When you chose to stay... I thought perhaps you might feel the same. We don’t know how much time we have left and I don’t want to waste it. You and Jonas are my priority now. Say the word and we will leave here, we will go somewhere safe and never speak of Summerfeld or its wards ever again.”
Gazing up at him, Rowena heard the words she had yearned to hear for so long. Balthazar had finally chosen his family over the quest he had followed blindly his whole life, but strangely, they didn’t make her feel the way she had expected. She loved him, but she also knew that this was where he belonged. So, instead of accepting his offer, she made one of her own.
“Marry me,” she said simply.
Chapter 15
Quinn was still reeling as she drove the flashy car Lenora had lent her away from the house. Isaiah, the most dedicated of them all, believed that Eldon had been wrong, just as Quinn herself did. It didn’t change the fact that they needed to protect the wards, or the fact that the vampires had to be stopped, but it was nice to know she wasn’t alone in her feelings.
She had just shifted into fourth gear, enjoying the power of the Mercedes, when a figure stepped out onto the street a short distance ahead. Slamming on the brakes, Quinn skidded to a halt.
“Drake,” she sighed as she stepped out of the car. “What are you doing here?” It never ceased to amaze her how human he looked by the light of day.
“I heard you were heading out alone to retrieve the crystal.”
“How did you hear... oh,” she frowned, answering her own question, “Lenora.” She recalled the muted voice she had heard while she was dressing and the cell phone in Lenora’s hand. She should have known. Recovering quickly, she continued, “You can’t be here. I told you to stay away from me, away from us. The other Guardians will kill you on sight.”
“I’ll leave before we get back. They’ll never know I was here.”
“I don’t want you here.”
“If you think I’m letting you go out there alone you’re crazier than I thought,” he replied bluntly, moving toward the passenger door. “Every vampire within a five hundred mile radius is looking for you. You can hate me all you want but I will not leave you unprotected.”
“I can’t trust you with that crystal,” she said pointedly.
“Quinn!” he raised his voice in frustration. “I don’t give a damn about the crystal. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I am here for you – and only you. Now get in the God-damned car.”
They drove in silence for almost an hour, Quinn’s fingers clenched on the steering wheel, her body rigid with tension. Drake, on the other hand, lounged in his seat, appearing utterly relaxed. She doubted his outward facade was a true reflection of his emotion, given what had happened the last time they had met, but she was grateful that he didn’t bring it up. She had failed. She didn’t need him to remind her of it.
“You’re going to go after Tristan’s crystal next, aren’t you?” he asked eventually, breaking the lengthy silence. Quinn didn’t respond. “You won’t get near it, you do realise that?”
“I’m not discussing this with you,” she snapped, but he was completely unfazed.
“If Charlotte has it, which I think it’s safe to assume she does, any attempt to retrieve it would be a suicide mission.” Quinn made a left turn, keeping her eyes fixed on the road ahead. “I think you should run,” Drake continued. “All of you.”
“There is nowhere we can run that they won’t find us.”
“Then you run again. And you keep running, until the end of time.”
Frustrated, she threw caution to the wind. “We will lose them all if we do that. The wards need the fountain to survive, they’ll die without it.” It might take a few thousand years, but they would die, eventually.
“And I take it that is not something you can live with?”
“Have you lost your mind?
” she finally took one hand off the wheel to thrust her wrist under his nose. “I am a Guardian of Summerfeld,” she spoke with a fire that he had always suspected lurked within her. “A Hunter! I will protect them and I will make them safe. The City will be resurrected if it’s the last thing I do.” Drake reached up and moved her hand away from his face, not wanting to look at the tattoo a second longer.
They lapsed into another drawn-out silence, neither feeling much like talking. Despite Lenora and Isaiah’s prompting, Quinn knew that there could never be anything between them, and Drake was only now coming to realise it himself. Still, he did not regret the decision he had made, even if had been too late to redeem himself in Quinn’s eyes. Lenora had been right... the Guardians’ cause was worth fighting for. He was ashamed that his own people had carried Aleksei’s hatred in their hearts for so long, and even more so that Charlotte had blinded him, however briefly, to that fact.
“Is there any reason you’re driving so fast?” Drake asked much later in the day, the silence having stretched into hours.
“Yes,” she sighed, accepting the inevitable. “I was trying to get there before nightfall.”
“And I take it from your delighted tone that that’s not going to happen.”
“No,” she admitted. “I’m going to have to find somewhere to spend the night. There’s a map in the glove compartment... make yourself useful, will you?”
Grinning, he retrieved it. “Pull off at the next stop. There’s a motel just a few miles from here,” he offered, after a moment’s consideration. Quinn followed his directions and sure enough, they soon pulled into the lot of a small motel.
“Shall we get a double?” Drake asked pleasantly. It wasn’t even worth arguing. He wouldn’t leave, and asking him to sleep in the car would only prove that she was affected by his presence, so instead, Quinn gritted her teeth and booked a twin room.
Once inside, she began to wish she had insisted he sleep in the car after all. The room was tiny and consisted of two twin beds, separated by a small bedside table. The only other furniture was a miniscule closet and a rickety dresser painted the most hideous shade of green. Dumping her duffel bag on the bed closest to the door, Quinn drew the curtains.
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