Kellan smiled at her from the passenger seat. “I guess we’ve all got a lot on our minds.” Rowena didn’t miss the anxious glance he cast Freya over his shoulder.
“You’re going to be fine,” she insisted with the utmost conviction. “The Guardians aren’t going to let anything happen to you and you’ll be back with that baby in no time. Besides, you’ll be out of harm’s way until you get your magic back.” Glancing in the mirror again she noticed Evangeline shift slightly in her seat. “You are going to stay out of harm’s way until it comes back, right?” Lenora frowned. No one answered her.
Heaving a sigh, Lenora pulled over to the shoulder of the road.
“What are you doing?” Kellan’s voice was panic-stricken. “We need to keep moving. We aren’t going to go looking for trouble if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“It’s not that,” Lenora opened her door as Balthazar pulled up behind them. “You’ll do what you’re going to do, regardless of what I say.”
“Then why are we stopping?”
“The sun’s rising,” Lenora gestured at the horizon and, sure enough, the dark sky was tinged the palest pink. “I may have become philanthropic in my old age, but I still have a strong sense of self-preservation.” She slammed the door and walked to intercept Balthazar’s car as it approached.
“Rowena’s going to have to take my place,” Lenora said when she reached his window. Rowena was sitting in the passenger seat of the Audi. Unlike Kellan, Balthazar understood immediately why Lenora had stopped.
“Where are you going to hide out?” he asked. “It doesn’t look like there’s a town anywhere near here.”
“I’m not hiding anywhere. If I lose a whole day I’ll never make it there in time to keep you all out of trouble.” The briefest of smiles crossed her lips before a look of accepted annoyance replaced it. “Pop your trunk,” she grumbled.
Balthazar did as he was told. The trunk was hardly small, by vehicle standards, but it certainly wasn’t spacious enough to be comfortable.
“You’re seriously going to spend the rest of the journey in there?” Rowena asked, coming around to join them.
“It’s not something I’m looking forward to,” Lenora said. “Best you don’t hit any potholes,” she added, glaring at Balthazar as though he might intentionally do just that.
“I’ll do my best,” Balthazar grinned. He waited until she had curled herself into the empty trunk. “Just thump if you need anything.”
Lenora was still cursing as he closed the trunk.
“Are you going to be okay driving?” Balthazar asked. Rowena nodded. Her quiet confidence and dedication never ceased to amaze him, but he could also see the fear brimming in her eyes.
“I’m just so worried about him,” Rowena admitted.
“Jonas only a left a short while before we did,” Balthazar reminded her. “With any luck we’ll catch up with him and the wolves before they even reach New Haven.” She smiled, and he could tell she didn’t really believe him. As frantic as they were to catch up to Jonas, they knew he felt the same about Monique. He would be travelling as fast as he possibly could. The chances they would catch him before he reached Summerfeld were slim to none.
“The wolves will protect him,” she whispered.
“Exactly,” Balthazar feigned a confidence he didn’t feel. “And we still have a lot of light on our side. The vampires will be confined inside until nightfall. We just need to make sure we get there before sundown.”
“It’s going to be tight.”
“I know.” Balthazar glanced again at the horizon, the sky lightening with every passing minute. A whole day stretched before them, but they still had a long way to go.
“We should get back on the road,” Rowena said, mirroring his thoughts.
“That would be wonderful,” a disgruntled voice called from the trunk and Balthazar chuckled. Bending so that his mouth was level with the trunk, he spoke.
“You might want to hold onto something,” he told Lenora.
Balthazar walked Rowena to the Mercedes and opened the door for her.
“Be safe,” she said. On impulse, Balthazar took her in his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. They had been through so much together and now they were heading into the most dangerous situation of their lives. But they were together, Balthazar reminded himself. Whatever happened, they would face it together, as they always had. And who knows? Perhaps they might even find a miracle.
“I’ll be right behind you,” he murmured gruffly into her hair. He released her quickly, watching as she slid into the driver’s seat. “It suits you,” he smiled. Only once she had started the engine did Balthazar walk back to the Audi, a heavy weight burdening his heart.
Rowena made small talk with the Fae as she drove. Kellan was polite, but distracted, and Rowena eventually fell silent. It would be nice to have mindless conversation to keep her mind off Jonas and the danger he was in, but she sensed that the Fae were too lost in their own thoughts to indulge her. Instead, she turned on the stereo and focused on the road ahead. She had no idea what make of car she was driving, but it was a far cry from her battered old truck. From what she could tell, all of Lenora’s cars were top of the range and this one was a pleasure to drive, but, even so, Rowena missed her truck. She wondered where the other gypsies were now, if they were even alive. Cara had explained that Charlotte had let the others go after she had promised to track Rowena, but Rowena doubted that the vampire had made good on her promise. If she were to admit it, Rowena strongly suspected their friends were dead. She only hoped that Cara, who was back at the farmhouse with Cosima, never came to the same conclusion.
The miles passed slowly and Rowena checked the mirrors every few minutes, comforted by the sight of Balthazar’s car right behind them. The older Fae woman, Evangeline, sat directly in her line of sight when she glanced in the rear-view mirror but Rowena paid her no heed, until she lifted her eyes to the mirror and saw that Evangeline had frozen, sitting unnaturally still in her chair. Her mouth was slightly open, her opaque eyes fixed on something that no one else could see.
“Kellan!” Rowena yelled, jerking her head back toward the older woman in a panic. The car swerved slightly to the left as she did so and Rowena quickly straightened up, jerking the steering wheel back to the right. Balthazar flashed his lights behind them, no doubt panicking. Rowena eased her foot off the gas, preparing to pull over, but Kellan placed a warm reassuring hand on her arm.
“It’s okay,” he soothed. “She’s okay.”
“But...” Rowena glanced back into the mirror and, to her surprise, Evangeline looked perfectly normal. She sat upright in her seat gazing out of the window as though nothing had happened.
Disconcerted, Rowena nevertheless flashed her hazard lights three times, letting Balthazar know that everything was fine.
Chapter 26
True to his word, Drake arrived only hours after Quinn and the others had landed in the relative safety of the woods, not far from the old gypsy clearing. It was mid-morning, so there was no threat of any vampires stumbling across them. Quinn sensed him coming, her headache increasing the nearer he got.
Stay where you are, she told him, not wanting the others to witness her weakness. I’ll come to you.
He was waiting for her beside a small stream. It was the same stream the herd had drunk from when they had first fled the City and, when she came across it, Quinn was reminded poignantly of that day. She stood a few yards away from Drake, far enough that they could speak aloud to one another and close enough that the pain was almost unbearable. Immediately her mind was flooded with his thoughts. She knew how seeing her in the flesh lifted a weight from his shoulders that he had been carrying since she was hurt. She also knew that the agony of being near her was worth it for him to see for himself that she really was all right.
The others are on their way. The words seemed so insignificant, but he didn’t know what else to say. Quinn, however, was no longer concerned with
hiding her feelings. I’m glad you’re here.
I know. He tapped his temple with his finger and she realised they were still communicating silently. Clearing her throat, she spoke her next words aloud.
“You can’t be near me when we go down there.”
He pondered this for a moment, concentrating intently. When he closed his eyes, he saw himself, through her eyes, the left side of his face in shadow and the stream bubbling innocently beside him. Quinn sensed him in her mind and she smiled.
“I’ll be there,” he said.
“It’ll be nice having you with me, even if it’s only in my head.” The small, secret smile that she loved lifted the corners of his mouth.
“I have something for you.” He gestured at a rectangular box at his feet.
“What is it?”
“I have no idea. It’s from Lenora. She wanted you to have it.”
“Well,” she laughed, waving her hand in circles. “Open it!”
Drake bent down and tore open the heavy cardboard as though it was paper. As he peered inside the package Quinn saw his smile widen and then he pulled out a small, state-of-the-art, fully assembled compact crossbow, followed by an aluminium tube which probably contained the bolts.
“Oh!” Quinn gave a gasp of excitement.
“I’m assuming you know what this is?’ Drake asked, holding it up.
“It’s a pistol crossbow.”
“And I take it, from your tone, that you like it?”
“It’s self-cocking, which means it only takes a second to reload and it fires with the simple touch of the trigger. What’s not to like?”
“Right,” Drake lowered the weapon to the floor at his feet. “Well, just don’t point it at me.”
Quinn laughed out loud at that, but her laughter faded on the wind as Drake’s expression darkened. She probed his mind but, before she could pinpoint what was troubling him, he spoke.
“Quinn. Daniel told me about the prophecy… about the choice you might have to make...”
“I don’t believe it,” she interrupted immediately. “The only vampires who need to die tonight are those who stand against us.” She should have known that he wouldn’t let the subject go that easily. “If it is true,” he said, “you need to do the right thing. I don’t want you to feel torn. My life isn’t worth the lives of so many.”
“It is to me,” she admitted boldly. “And I don’t care what arrangement you may have with my father – consider it cancelled. I won’t lose you.”
Drake’s breath caught in his throat. In that moment he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he loved this woman beyond any human comprehension. And with that realisation came the knowledge that he had to tell her the truth, finally. For some reason the bond had not revealed his deepest secret, but he wanted her to hear it from his own lips. Before that, though, there was something else he needed to do. Throwing caution to the wind, he moved, taking a step toward her. This time Quinn didn’t stop him and he continued forward, every step causing them both excruciating pain. Eventually he stood before her, so close that he could reach out and touch her, but he didn’t. He wanted her to make the first move.
Quinn’s eyes were closed, her exquisite face contorted in agony, but she reached out both hands and took hold of his shirt, drawing him to her with a force that drove the air from their chests as their bodies collided. Reaching up, she curled her hand in his thick hair, pulling him down toward her. The instant that their lips met, a jolt of electricity passed through both of them, magnified as they felt it through each other’s mind as well as their own.
Quinn’s blood pounded in her head, merging with the pain until she thought her head might explode, but, through it all she was agonisingly aware of the taste of his lips and the gentle sweeping motion of his tongue as it explored her mouth. She felt the points of his fangs and ran her tongue over them. Drake groaned, his arms dropping to her waist. Gently, he pushed her back, forcing them apart. Quinn couldn’t take another second, all her passion driven out as the pain consumed her and she dropped to her knees as Drake blurred away from her. One second he was holding her in his arms and the next he was back between the trees, his chest heaving. His green eyes were haunted, the torture of the bond crucifying him just as it was her. Quinn remembered the first time she had seen those eyes. They had seemed cold and inhuman, but now they were familiar and beautiful.
She took a moment to catch her breath, waiting for the pain to subside before she could speak. Eventually, she looked up at him, her eyes mirroring his own pain. “Do you know what I wish?” she whispered.
“What?”
“I wish I hadn’t been so scared when we first met. I wish I had told you then how I really felt. I wasted so much time trying to do the right thing, trying to be the perfect Guardian. Maybe if I had just...”
“Quinn,” he interrupted, “why are you talking like this?”
“Like what?”
Like you’re saying goodbye. He spoke the words in her head as though he couldn’t bear to speak them out loud.
“Maybe I am.” The words were a faint whisper, carried to him on the wind.
“Don’t say that.” Drake’s chest rose and fell as he breathed in deeply and Quinn felt something through the bond. There was something important he wanted to say, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It was as though he had concealed it from her.
“I need to tell you something...” Drake began. A screech overhead interrupted his confession, and they lifted their heads to see a dragon streak overhead.
“It’s a Saurean!” Quinn yelled, recognising the pale plum belly. The dragons had fled Summerfeld, but this one must have stayed in the area. Quinn’s initial pleasure at seeing the beast alive vanished instantly as she remembered the Orochian. “I have to go!” she gasped, leaving no room for argument. Drake didn’t hesitate. Scooping up the crossbow, he tossed it across to her. Quinn caught it and a second later the aluminium tube. She cast one last lingering glance at Drake. There was more to say, but the Saurean screeched again and she glanced helplessly at the sky.
Go! Drake whispered in her mind, and when she turned back to the trees where he had stood, there was no sign of him.
Chapter 27
“Monique!” Quinn burst into the clearing. “Keep him on the ground!” She stopped dead as she caught sight of Monique, Liam and Oliver, all hanging on to the Orochian’s ears for dear life, trying to do exactly that. The dragon had sensed the Saurean and he was desperate to get into the air, his territorial instincts kicking in. It was clear that they would never hold him. Making a lightning decision, Quinn changed tack.
“Get on his back!” she yelled at Monique. “Get him out of here. Give me the Hawkstone and your crystal!” she added quickly and Monique pulled them from her pocket, tossing them on the ground near Quinn’s feet. “The Saurean was heading west – go east,” Quinn instructed and Monique wasted no time. She vaulted onto the Orochian’s back and Liam and Oliver jumped clear as the dragon shot skyward.
“We might need him!” Liam lamented.
“I know,” Quinn nodded gravely. “But she’ll be able to control him better in the air and the last thing we need is a dragon fight drawing attention to us.”
“What do we do now?”
“We sit tight until the others arrive.”
They moved into the woods, a short way from the clearing and not too far from the road. As the minutes turned to hours Quinn tried not to reach out to Drake. They had stolen what little time they could, but for now, it would only serve as a distraction. With no better way to pass the time, Quinn opted to educate Oliver. Aleksei had managed to grab him before he could reach the Guardians and nothing had been explained. Quinn recited passages from the Sacred Book and explained how Summerfeld had fallen, a knot forming in her chest as she recalled how they had failed in their duty to defend the City. She skimmed over their time at Lenora’s and then outlined the plan they had in place to open the Rose Gate. Oliver didn’t bat an eyelid w
hen she told him that they had had to come to Charlotte’s in search of the crystals and that they had been fortunate enough to find him too. Already, he understood that some things were more important than the life of a single Guardian.
“To be fair, though,” Quinn grinned, “I did suspect the dungeon would survive the fire. I was sure you’d be safe.”
“How sure?’ Oliver teased.
“Pretty sure.”
“So exactly how does the gate open?” Oliver asked. Liam looked at Quinn, his brows raised.
“We don’t actually know,” Quinn replied, answering for both of them. “Eldon said that the crystals should be united in the altar, which I think is the entrance to the Rose Gate. How it works exactly, is a mystery.”
“Do you have to say some sort of spell or incantation?”
Quinn laughed. “I don’t think so. We’re Guardians, not faeries. We don’t know any spells.”
“What if it doesn’t open?”
“It will.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because I have to be,” she replied simply. “Releasing Wintyr is our only hope and it has to work. Also, I believe in Eldon’s magic.”
Oliver traced the white tattoo on his wrist, his finger swirling along the S-shape.
“I had that white brand for a century,” Quinn murmured, nostalgia coming over her.
“And you had this one for about a day,” Liam snorted, pointing at his black Hunter’s tattoo.
“What happened to the last Slayer?” Oliver asked. His question was innocent, born of genuine curiosity, but both Quinn and Liam fell silent, recalling Isaiah’s death.
“He was killed just a few days ago,” Quinn replied after a long pause. “He was one of the original Guardians and one of the most honourable men I have ever known.”
“I’m sorry.” Oliver seemed to sense that he had hit a nerve.
Guardians of Summerfeld: Full Series: Books 1-4 Page 94
