“Mom?” Christian whispered. “I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry. Victoria told me what happened, that—that’s how I knew about the scar.”
I ignored him. Still looking at Victoria and not trusting myself to move, yet I did finally speak, “Do you remember what I said about staying away from him?”
Victoria for once just nodded instead of coming back with a smart reply.
“I meant it.”
I looked back at Christian, “What’s this about saving our lives?”
“Um, your eyes look really scary like that.” I was assuming he meant they had turned black.
“Just be glad your girlfriend is still standing, now talk.”
“Okay, okay try to chill a little will you?”
I closed my eyes and took a few relaxing breaths trying to calm myself down. I had a feeling he didn’t have good news to share with us and I was too excited already. I felt William come stand behind me and I began to feel better just having him near.
“Start talking Christian.”
“Well, we had all planned on meeting tonight for some more training right and William had given me a key to the place, and Dad was on my case all day so I told him I got called into work early; I came here to hang until you guys were up. I didn’t do anything I swear! I didn’t know where you guys slept and if it involves coffins it kinda freaks me out a little. I really didn’t want to find out, so I was mostly chillin’ in the library and kitchen, which why don’t you have any food—that really sucks.”
“Christian, get to the point,” Ana spit out at him.
“Alright, so I hear a noise that sounded like it was coming from outside, but I couldn’t figure out how to get the door to open up again once I came in, all the windows have shutters on them so I couldn’t see outside. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I tried the underground passage. Sorry about all the books, I had to pull on a few until I got the right one; but I started to smell smoke.”
“Christian, you refused to tell us what was going on until you saw your mother, now tell us what it was.”
I think William was at the end of his rope.
“Some guy had started the garage on fire. He was trying to get the house to light, but it wouldn’t catch. Hey did you know there’s a Range Rover in the yard?”
“A fire, are you okay? I knew I smelled something as soon as I woke up.”
“I’m fine, the guy saw me coming for him and ran off. I didn’t catch him. It was either chase him or try to put out the fire. Someone must have called the fire department because they showed up just as my fire extinguisher ran out. The fire didn’t spread past the side of the garage. I told the fire fighters I was house sitting and I’d let the owners know what happened. They pretty much soaked everything with foam and water to keep it from spreading. It’s a mess in there.”
None of us really knew what to say or think for that matter; someone had just tried to kill us while we slept. William was the first to break the silence as he held out his hand to Christian.
“Thanks man, you really did save our lives tonight.”
“Nah, it’s cool.”
Ana and Victoria each gave their own pats on the back and Christian pulled me to him for a hug. “I love you, babe are you sure you’re okay?”
“Aw, Ma, I told you I was. Would you leave it alone already?”
Ana was smiling to herself as I mauled Christian.
“Who do you guys think it was?” Christian asked us.
“The Council.”
“The Coven.”
“Monica.”
We all answered at the same time.
“Well doesn’t that suck.”
“What?”
“That they all have a reason to want you dead.”
None of us had a response for that, but my money was riding on Monica. After what Michael had done to her because of me I was sure we’d find singe marks on at least one human working for her. Ana and Victoria began having their own debate on who they thought it was and I started feeling the whispering of spider’s legs brushing on the back of my neck. I was intimately familiar with this sensation; it meant another vampire was near. I looked around to see if the others had noticed but they didn’t seem to react, yet. Except I had to stop and give Christian a closer look, he was brushing his hand across his neck trying unsuccessfully to brush something away. He’s sensing vampires without realizing it.
Just as I was about to mention the approaching vampire signature Ana lifted her head, “Martin’s here already?”
“What’s going on Ana? Why is Martin here at all?”
They all started flashing around the room in a blur making it orderly for their boss, putting the books back, straightening the chairs. I didn’t move an inch from where I stood in front of Christian.
“Christian,” I hissed grabbing his attention, “if something happens you can trust William and Ana. If you must run, grab your Dad and brother and hide. Run during the day and hide at night.”
“Mom, nothing is going to happen. Trust me.”
“Trust you? You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I have to disagree with that. This must be Christian Lucio. I’ve anxiously waited to meet the young Day Guardian.”
We turned to see Martin Harris standing before us. He was wearing a dark grey pristine suit and his small stature did nothing to diminish his intimidating presence. The darkness of his skin made the effects of the vampire paleness less noticeable, making him look exceptionally human.
Christian stood up and walked around me toward Martin. I shot my arm out taking hold of Christian’s preventing him from going any further and stepped in front of him blocking Martin’s access to him.
“What’s this Juliana?” Martin said tilting his head to the side, “don’t you trust me?”
I didn’t respond.
A brief spark of anger showed across his face, but just as quickly as it showed it disappeared.
“Why are you hiding behind your mother, young Christian? I thought the duty we assigned you was as your mother’s Guardian. You can’t do that if you are hiding behind her like a little whelp.”
“I’m not cowering behind anyone,” Christian stepped out from behind me and I again moved in front of him.
“What brings you Mr. Harris?”
“You seem to have forgotten your place, Mrs. Lucio. I am the one who will be asking questions.”
I looked at Christian, “It’s time to go.”
“He stays. This was an all or nothing deal or do you wish us to revoke our protection?”
“You know I don’t.”
“Then stop acting as if everyone is your enemy and start treating him like a member of your team, and that is an order.”
This time Martin was the one throwing daggers with his eyes, he wasn’t going to budge on Christian staying.
“Jules, back down. We can trust him and Christian just proved that we need him.”
“You heard what Michael said about a traitor. Then just before he shows we almost burn to death? You expect me to believe that’s a coincidence?”
“Yes, I do,” William snapped at me, “unless you’d like to believe that murdering, human- trafficking bastard over me.”
“Trouble in paradise,” Martin mocked.
I was so tense and on edge I felt like I was about to snap, I could feel my fangs starting to descend.
“Ah, yes, this entire operation is depending on the control of one unstable newborn whose desire to protect puts everyone around her in danger.”
This sobered me up making me realize how my behavior must have looked to everyone else in the room. Victoria walked past me to sit on the couch, curling her feet underneath her once again fitting her dual image of the 17-year-old girl. I turned to face the rest of the room to see Christian moving to sit on the couch casting considering looks Victoria’s way. William and Ana hadn’t strayed from my side, my ever-present guard, except after Martin’s remark I began to wonder if it was me they were p
rotecting or everyone else.
“We received your report about the spy within the Council. If information is being leaked we need to know who is doing it. Juliana, you need to start compelling them for information it’s the only way we can be sure of the truth.”
“I can’t compel--”
“Enough! We know you can compel other vampires and it’s about time you put it to use.”
“Michael said he was the only one who knew the identity,” Ana started.
“Then that narrows down who she needs to talk to doesn’t it. You will get that info any way you can I don’t care what you have to do. There is another reason I came tonight, but first why does your house smell like a bloody campfire?”
“Someone tried to burn it down today while we slept, Christian was here and got it put out.”
“Then I suggest you learn to trust him, Mrs. Lucio, because he is going to be going undercover with you.”
I couldn’t speak. I was trying to fight back acting like an unstable newborn and embarrassing myself again.
“He isn’t ready,” William told him for me. If I hadn’t loved him before I would now.
“Then as his trainer you need to make him ready because he will be going with you.” Martin looked over at Christian, “Sebastian wants you to gather as much intel as you can. We agree that you can be most helpful in this. Humans are always overlooked and merely brushed aside. They won’t think twice about talking in front of you as you won’t be worthy of their notice.”
Victoria spoke up asking the question on all of our minds.
“How are we supposed to get Christian into the Coven in the first place?”
Martin looked me directly in the eye as if daring me to challenge him, “He’s going as your personal feeder.”
Chapter Seventeen
I knew I bore a look of pure malice on my face, but really it was already proven there was nothing I could do about the situation. I had agreed to this after all. I looked at Martin with fury seeping from my pores as he was the very cause of all of this.
“Christian call your father tell him you are staying with a friend this weekend. Every minute we are awake you will training.”
I began pacing the room as he pulled out his phone and called his dad—my husband, ex-husband, former husband, what was he to me exactly now that I had turned? I started making a mental checklist for all the things I needed to do: get food for Christian and figuring out how to get silver into his system were at the top of my list. Christian’s speaking pulled me out of my thoughts and I was curiously aware that all the eyes in the room were on me.
“So, it’s cool then if I stay with my friend Will this weekend? . . . Sure, his folks are gonna be here . . . okay have fun . . . Hey Dad! Where’s Evan at? . . . Oh, alright. Bye.”
Christian turned to me with a hidden sort of sadness in his eyes, “Dad said it’s cool if I stay.”
“Okay, good.”
What I didn’t tell him was everyone else in the room could hear the other side of the conversation just as well as he did. I didn’t mention the happiness in Antonio’s voice when he said he and Talia were going away for the weekend or the disregard for Christian’s unknown friend to whom he had just given Christian permission to stay with. Antonio was starting to move on, I understood that; Christian didn’t.
“Mr. Harris is there anything else?”
“No, I think that’ll do for now. I want a report as soon as you have anything of importance.”
“As always. You know you really didn’t have to travel all the way from New York to tell us this you could have called.”
“Who says I live in New York? Have a good night everyone and Mrs. Lucio try not to blow everyone’s cover.”
He left the house just as abruptly as he came. Before the door had even shut completely I was running up the stairs to my room. I wasn’t alone because they all decided to follow me.
“What are you doing?” Victoria was the first to ask.
“I’m getting dressed if you don’t mind.”
I looked around and kicked William’s shoes under the bed before Christian had a chance to find them lying on my floor.
“Look I want you to help train Christian; he needs to be able to protect himself not me.”
I wasn’t getting dressed with an audience so I went into my closet pulling the door shut behind me. I threw on the first pair of jeans and tee-shirt that I found. I walked out to find all four of them standing with their arms crossed over their chests.
“Do you all practice that?”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Ana was quick to ask.
“You don’t give me orders,” Victoria said right on her heals.
“Oh give me a break; I have an errand to run and Victoria you said that you want Christian protected so go teach him.”
I started looking, once again, for my shoes. What did William do with them?
“Have you seen my running shoes?” I looked sharply at William as I asked.
“If you have to go anywhere you will wear the heels as we have discussed before. Where are you going?”
“The grocery store.”
“What’s this crap about me not protecting you? That is the reason I’m here.”
“Watch your language Christian. The reason you are here is because you are my son and I love you more than life itself. You need protecting against vampires, not me.”
“I can help you—”
“The way you can help me is by not letting me worry about you. It is possible for a human to defend themselves against a vampire. I know this because we come from a line of vampire hunters. You need to learn how to defend yourself; let William teach you.”
When he stood there not saying anything I turned pleading eyes on William, “Please, Will I have to go. Take Christian and get started.”
He was looking at me with that infuriatingly expressionless look of his that gave away nothing of what he was thinking.
“Fine. Your shoes are in the hamper. Victoria, you are helping me with Christian. Ana, go with Juliana.”
“The hamper, Will, really?”
William started laughing as he, Victoria and Christian headed downstairs to get to work.
I turned to Ana, “I’m glad you’re coming with, since I’m not allowed to have a real job that means you’re buying.”
As soon as we made it outside she broke her silence, “So, where are we really going?”
“I told you the grocery store. We need to get Christian some food.”
“Where else?”
“The medical supply store.”
“Why?” She ground out between her teeth.
“What if he injures himself sparring,” I was all innocence, “and we need a microscope, some slides, a few syringes, blood tubes you know all the standard stuff.” I finished a bit evasively.
Ana stopped walking, which in turn forced me to stop as well.
“You’re going to do it aren’t you. You’re going to get silver into his system.”
“Yes, I am.”
I looked at her unapologetically this time, “I will arm him in every possible way regardless of the risk it poses to myself or anyone else.”
“You are going to do it no matter what?”
“No matter what.”
“I don’t know if I should report this or wish I had someone that cared this much about me when I was a human.”
“Ana I’d do whatever I could to save you too, don’t report it. There is a spy somewhere, just tell them you gave me a ride to get some band-aids.”
“That’ll be awfully big box of band-aids.”
“How will they know the difference? When’s the last time a vampire needed a band-aid?”
“You are seriously pushing it Juliana.”
“Well, you might as well get used to it you’re going to be stuck with me for a long time.”
“With the way you do things, it might not be as long as you think.”
I didn’t have an argum
ent for her so we just made the rest of our way to the garage having to walk around the Range Rover still sitting on its roof, then we stepped over the mangled handle bars of William’s bike.
“How do suppose Christian explained this mess to the fire department?”
“I don’t know, but William had better stop destroying all my favorite things.”
When we opened the door my jaw dropped. The hood of the Audi was lined with scorch marks and covered with a white sticky mess from the foam the fire department sprayed to keep the fire from reigniting. There was water dripping from the ceiling and walls soaking everything. It was immediately apparent they were very thorough in making sure the fire was completely out.
“William is going to freak out when he sees this.”
“I don’t think I want to be around for that one,” I told her.
We made a quick run to the grocery store grabbing all of Christian’s favorite foods, on our way back we stopped at a medical supply depot and the university supply store. Ana stayed in the car for both of our last two stops; I think she wanted plausible deniability. Once we made it back home we ran the boxes up to my room and hid them in the closet. We were in agreement that no one else should know what I was doing.
I made Christian a sandwich back in the kitchen along with a big glass of iced tea. The simple tasks making me feel all at once at home. I crept down the stairs to bring him his food, but trying not to interrupt at the same time.
Christian was standing in the middle of the sparring mat fending off William, looking unquestionably human. Sweat was dripping profusely from his head and face making a trail of tiny rivulets to gather on his shirtless chest. I was surprised at how lean and muscular he was. He had changed out of his jeans and into a pair of William’s workout pants and it struck me how much he looked like his father. He was right, he wasn’t my little boy anymore.
I continued to watch as Christian’s face was set in a mask of determination his eyes never straying from William’s. William was slowly moving in to Christian’s space and it looked like he was about to make a final move when like an apparition Victoria appeared behind him, not a breath later Christian rolled, effectively moving himself out of reach of both of them. I could see why he was sweating so much they were working him out physically and mentally.
Rising Son (The Juliana Lucio Series) Page 16
