“What is the meaning of these games? Why did you hurt my hounds if you intended to challenge me in the first place?” Hans snapped.
The two people behind their leader snickered. It was hard to tell their sex based on the long cloaks they wore. He couldn’t be sure of what weapons they were hiding under there. The same could be said about their leader. He, too, wore a black cloak that covered most of his body. The only thing Hans could see were the well-polished boots that peeked out from under the material.
“Master Hans, this was a ploy to weaken you before a challenge,” Andrea whispered next to him. “You mustn’t accept this challenge until you are well enough to fight.”
She had a point, but as Councilman, he could not run from the issued challenge. These people knew the rules of the game. His worry did not end there. Lotte was adamant that it was Vidor and Nusa who had betrayed him. And if they were influenced with a spell or powerful mind-control, Perri could be in danger.
“Nusa, take Daniel and retreat. I want you to contact the remaining hounds in the Council building and order them to locate Perri and Lotte at once,” Hans barked without taking his eyes off his opponent.
Nusa hurried to Daniel’s side. The tears in her eyes showed the pain she had suffered from losing her friend and partner. Out of the corner of his eye, Hans noticed the sorrow reflected in her features.
“I will stay here,” Andrea told him.
The head vampire clicked his tongue. His voice was distorted through the mask, making Hans incapable of identifying him. “We cannot allow for your hounds to leave this place. Not until the victor is decided.”
Andrea stepped in front of Nusa and Daniel. She looked over her shoulder and added, “Quickly, get out of here!”
The two vampires lunged forward, and Andrea managed to stop one of them from pursuing the others with her sword. The second vampire fleeted past her and sped after the retreating hounds.
Hans glared at the leader. “Who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter who I am,” the man responded. He pulled back the cloak, revealing a cane from which he pulled out a thin sword. “Let the duel begin.”
Hans barely had enough time to raise his sword and block the oncoming attack. This man’s powerful strikes were hard to fend off in his current state. His shoulder began to hurt, and he staggered. The wound from the previous hunt had reopened. He could tell by the sudden smell of blood mixed with the rainwater.
The clanging of the swords continued. Hans trusted Andrea to take care of herself. Since Nusa still had her weapon, she would be able to put up a fight and protect Daniel from further injuries. He also needed his men to find Perri. For some reason, an unsettled feeling had his stomach twisting into knots.
Please be safe, my love.
6
UNFORGIVABLE
PERRI
Half an hour into the journey, Perri frowned. The signs along the road told her that they weren’t headed for Scotland. Instead, it seemed that Lotte was taking her elsewhere. Soon, the streets became fields and forests. Her nerves were making her heart pump the blood faster through her system.
“Lotte, where are we going?” Perri finally asked.
The woman smiled at her. “I’m taking a different route to our destination to be on the safe side. We can’t be certain if Vidor and Nusa didn’t figure out that you’d be transported today.”
Perri nodded. That makes sense. She should stop worrying needlessly and concentrate on trusting this woman. After all, Lotte was someone Master Levile sired and turned into a vampire. He strove to be like Master Vincent, so he would never turn someone who was a bad person.
Settling back into her seat, Perri returned to looking out the window to the peaceful silence that fell between them.
After a few minutes, Lotte turned on the radio that played low classical music through the speakers. It helped soothe Perri’s panic, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.
“You are in grave danger,” a voice she had not heard in a while whispered to her.
Perri looked around the empty field. The dark sky littered with stars was nothing compared to the beauty of the large peach tree blooming in the centre of it. The wind blew past her and the strange whispering returned.
“Hear me, Perri. You may die if you don’t wake up!”
This time, she was sure she had heard something and that she wasn’t imagining it. Perri spun around. It was exactly like the strange dream world the spirits dragged her and Hans to when they created a spirit-bond between them. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the ring around her wedding finger.
Before her, Morna appeared in a tattered wedding dress and ruined makeup. She was the spirit who had conducted the wedding ceremony between her and Hans all those months ago. “At last, you can see me! You must awaken and run from the vampire you are with. She means you harm.”
“What do you mean? Lotte is someone Hans trusts, and she was Master Levile’s childe. She can’t possibly be a bad person.”
Morna shook her head. “You are mistaken. She is not who she says she is.”
Perri’s heart quickened in her chest and the bad feeling from before returned tenfold. “How do I get away from her? She can easily outrun me.”
“Use the power of the ring I gave you. It will protect you from harm if your desire to live is strong enough. But, in return, you must give up a part of yourself to create your spirit guardian. If there comes a time when you feel like there is no other way, remember these words: Lux, consumptura est Tenebrae.” Morna touched Perri’s cheek and smiled sadly. “It would be a pity if you became one of the dead before you had your chance at experiencing all the joys of love.”
She returned the spirit’s smile. “I will. Thank you for the warning and the help.”
Morna glided away. As she faded along with the vision, her voice echoed around Perri. “Use the spell in dire need, for once you summon your spirit guardian, it will forever be a part of you.”
The field and the tree disappeared along with the night’s sky. Perri was left in the darkness from which she awoke with a start.
“What’s the matter?” Lotte asked, eyeing Perri from the driver’s seat.
Perri smiled sheepishly at her. “I—I need to use the bathroom.”
“There aren’t any petrol stations along this road.”
“I can go behind a tree if you stop somewhere.” Perri rubbed her thighs nervously for effect. “It came on so suddenly, I don’t think I’ll be able to hold out much longer!”
Lotte pursed her lips and pulled to a stop. She turned on the hazard lights and started getting out of the car when Perri caught her arm.
“I’ll go alone. I won’t be long, I promise.” She rummaged in her purse for a pack of tissues she kept there in case she ever had a runny nose from the changes in the weather. She couldn’t let Lotte notice that something was amiss, not until she got far enough away from this vampire.
The hound assessed her for a painfully long second. “Alright but be quick.”
“Thank you.” Perri got out of the car and headed into the forest. The darkness ahead was nerve-racking. Her senses were overwhelmed by the smell of pine trees and humidity. She clenched her hand into a fist above her chest and crept on ahead into the consuming shadows of the night. Helena wouldn’t back down in the face of danger, and Perri shouldn’t, either. She wanted to see Hans and everyone in Scotland again.
The further she ventured into the forest, the faster she began to move. Her eyes had adjusted to the limited light, and she did her best to put as much distance between herself and the car as possible. Morna would not have appeared to warn her without a good reason. The spirits may have dragged her into their world once to fulfil their selfish needs, but she got Hans out of it. They weren’t bad ghosts, and Morna didn’t seem like an evil spirit who wanted to harm her.
“Perri?” Lotte’s voice bounced off the evergreen trees.
Perri’s heart jolted in her chest, and she ran faster. Her foot slipped on
the hidden patch of mushrooms under the dead leaves. Collapsing on the ground, she stifled a groan. Her knee was aching from hitting something solid. Nevertheless, she bore the pain well. Pulling herself back to her full height, she kept on running away from Lotte’s calls.
A large object hit the back of her knees, sending her to the ground once more. To break her fall, she moved her arms to the front and hissed in pain when her palm was sliced on the fallen tree’s bark.
“Why are you running away?” Lotte asked, marching up to her. Her grey eyes were lit with their preternatural light. “Didn’t I say not to take too long?”
“You…” Perri turned her head to look at the long twig that was the reason for her fall. “Where were you taking me?”
Lotte sighed. “And here I’d hoped it would take you longer to figure things out. What gave me away? I thought I played the role of the ideal hound perfectly.”
“It wasn’t something you did,” Perri muttered and tried to get up. Her legs were shaking, her palm bleeding, and the pain in her knee hadn’t stopped. She wouldn’t be able to run now, not with Lotte being able to catch up to her without breaking a sweat.
She grabbed Perri by the collar of her pea coat and lifted her into a standing position. “Come. I don’t have the time to play chase with a human. If the plan to eliminate Hans and his hounds fails, I can always use you as a trump card. As weak as he is, he will sacrifice himself readily for you.”
“Why are you doing this? Hans was nothing but kind to you,” Perri demanded, trying to wriggle her way out of Lotte’s grip.
“The Council is weak and deserves to suffer for allowing half of the delegates to perish. It is their fault for having no power. Eliza had to be mad to leave Europe in the hands of two young vampires and their human whores.” Lotte blew out a breath. “I came here on the orders to assess the situation and act on my conclusion. This new Council must be purged.”
“Everything you’ve told me about Master Levile, was it a lie?” The pain was making it hard for Perri to think. She was dropped by Lotte onto the hard ground. Unable to stay upright, she landed on her rear.
“You know, before coming here, I’ve tracked Lotte down to Netherlands and killed her slowly. Watching her die was worth the boredom I’ve suffered here. Since no one on the Council knew what she looked like, it was easy to slip into her shoes and pretend to be her.” She squatted next to Perri and sneered. “Once Hans and Lucious die, the Order of the Eight will take control of Europe. By then, you will be dead and forgotten.”
Perri swallowed the knot that was forming in her throat. Her limbs were shaking from fear. She had given up on the idea of moving them. But, her friends would die if she did nothing.
Is this the danger Morna talked about in my dream?
“Get up already.” Lotte grabbed Perri by the collar and started dragging her in the direction of the car.
Perri’s legs didn’t cooperate. Fear had crippled her ability to move.
“If you won’t walk, I’ll drag you,” Lotte snarled.
Perri squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for strength. In her place, Helena would never back down. She was strong and fought danger head on regardless of the consequences. If sacrificing a piece of herself would help protect those she loved dearly, she had no choice. She had to fight.
Letting out a breath to steady her panic, Perri opened her eyes and said, “Lux, consumptura est Tenebrae.”
7
BEHIND THE BOND
HANS
Hans felt the blade of the sword piercing his right shoulder. He couldn’t dodge the attack. This vampire was faster and carefully calculated his every move.
“You should not have taken the seat, Hans,” the man said through the mask. “It would have saved your life and that of your mortal wench.”
Hans’ jaw clenched, and he ripped himself away from the piercing blade. The sharp pain in his shoulder was nothing compared to the fear of losing Perri. He had been so foolish in believing that he could protect her by sending her away. Not only that, now he had endangered her more than ever.
“Where is she?” Hans demanded, his irises alight with their green glow.
“Probably tied up and waiting for you to die. If you perish here peacefully, we may let her go.”
He knew better than to trust the words of a power-hungry man. In this fight to the death, he could not lose his concentration and cool. Out of the corner of his eye, Hans saw Andrea dodging attacks. She and her attacker were equally matched in skill, which meant that either one of them could become the victor.
“Tell me this then. Why the charade? Why not challenge me head on?” Hans inquired, taking another step back as he tested his shoulder. It hurt every time he moved it and some muscles were damaged enough to weaken his ability to hold the sword. The bite from the possessed vampire hadn’t healed at all. He needed to finish this fight as soon as possible, or he would not be able to save Perri.
“Our task for the Order was to eliminate you and Lucious by any means necessary. We did not want to take any chances,” the man replied. “And it seems to have paid off. Wouldn’t you agree?” He lunged at Hans with the sword as the last word left his mouth.
Hans had limited options and a split second to make a decision. Remaining in place, he felt the silver-coated blade cutting through his left lung and emerging on the other side of him. Through the bird mask’s glasses, he noticed the man’s eyes widening. Hans took this opportunity to drive his sword into the vampire’s chest.
The burn of the silver was nauseating. He fell to his knees, and the vampire did the same. Seconds ticked by almost in slow motion. The man before Hans disintegrated under his clothing and his corpse fell to one side.
Grasping the hilt of the blade lodged in his gut, Hans ripped it out and groaned. Although he may not die from the stab wound, there remained a strong possibility that he won’t be able to overcome the poison in his weakened state.
He swayed. Lifting his head to the sky, he felt the raindrops landing on his face. He had to save Perri, but what could he do when the rest of his body no longer listened to him?
Andrea ran to his side, screaming out his name. She captured his shoulders in an unrelenting grip. “Master Hans, please stay with me! I will find blood for you immediately…”
Her voice became muffled and along with the silence came peaceful nothingness.
Lying in the field he once visited to find Perri, Hans stared at the starry sky above. The swish of the wind carried with it the gentle smell of peach flowers in bloom and the embrace of the grass beneath him brought with it comfort.
“Do you desire power, Hans?”
He had no energy to lift his head or to look around for the owner of the feminine voice. He didn’t need to. That voice he would recognise anywhere. Morna—the spirit who bound his and Perri’s love for each other into the strange rings that never came off—sighed and sat on the grass next to him. The skirts of her ruined wedding dress fell around her like a blanket of dirty snow.
She turned to face him and flicked his forehead. “What will you do now that you’re on a brink of death? Will you die and enter the Well of Souls or stay to haunt the woman you were spirit-bound to?”
“I want to save her…” He was incapable of producing more than a whisper.
“Of course you do. The stronger your love for each other is, the tighter the ring will cling to your finger. And I can see that after so many months, it still won’t come off. The match I made between you two was perfect, if I have to say so myself.”
He looked at her face that turned serious. “What you asked…power…I want it.”
“And what would you give up for such a gift?” Morna inquired with a raised brow.
“Anything.”
“Even if the payment is the price of your reincarnation?”
He nodded.
“You know, mortals have always fascinated me.” Morna’s wedding gown changed to a green satin floral dress. Her tired blonde hair turned black an
d the makeup that was once ruined was restored to highlight her sapphire eyes and haunting beauty. She lied down next to him and reached out her hand towards the stars. “In the past, present, and the future, love between two beings can be such a wonderful thing. I once believed that giving more power to protect their loved ones would make mortals happier. I was wrong. They turned on one another, feeding their greed and desire to claim godhood.”
“You’re no ordinary spirit, are you?” he asked.
She smiled. “Some mortals prefer to call me Nyx.”
“Could you be another fate?”
Nyx gave a musical laugh. “Oh no. A fate is a creation of the false gods.”
“But the gods of the Angel Realm were the ones—” His eyes widened. “You’re a goddess?”
She groaned and sat up. “I hate that word. My creations have defiled it with their actions. The more they divide, the weaker they become. One day, I hope they will see the truth and realise that they are not all-powerful.”
Hans pushed himself through the pain into a sitting position. He assessed the beautiful goddess with interest and suspicion. “You created the Angel Realm’s gods?”
“They are not gods. They are imitations. Long after the humans were created, I chose to create magic. I gave it as a gift to the select few who showed promise, but they chose to fight among themselves for more power. In life, the more you have the more you’ll crave.” She met his steady gaze and added, “And now you, the man to whom I’ve granted the gift of perfect love, want more power and are willing to sacrifice your everything for it.”
“You are mistaken.” Hans balled his hands at his sides. “I don’t want the power for myself. I want to be able to protect what is important to me, and Perri is worth it.”
“I am willing to help you one more time. You may never be stronger than Lucious and do not wish for such a curse. The strength he will one day possess could destroy your world if he’s left unbound. A man not constrained by fate is an anomaly we have not predicted. You must keep watch on him.” She touched Hans’ forehead, spreading warmth throughout his being. “The power I give you is to protect others. If a day comes when the lust for more overtakes you, your lover will be the one to suffer.”
Cherished: A Perri & Hans Spin-off Novella (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 4.5) Page 5
