Russian Roulette (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 1)

by May Freighter

  Lucious glanced at Helena. She was too exposed where she lay.

  Xi Yi leered at him. She glided closer to Helena’s body and withdrew the energy spears, splitting them into a dozen daggers that danced in the air.

  Holding on to his gut, he glowered at the Councilwoman and cursed his body for not healing fast enough.

  Xi Yi’s perceptive eyes burned into his. Her lips twitched into a telling smile. On instinct, his body jerked towards Helena.

  Her smile curved. She had him, and he knew it. Her daggers rushed for Helena.

  Lucious launched to protect her, taking the damage of the raining blades that lodged in his back. His agony summoned screams from him and Helena. He did exactly what Xi Yi wanted and didn’t dare move away from his human. As long as he remained above her, he could keep her alive for a while longer.

  Tearing the daggers out of his back, Xi Yi drove them in again and again as she giggled.

  The muscles in his back were being torn to shreds. Blood seeped through his clothes and dripped down his sides. He fought to remain conscious and not crush Helena under his weight.

  A pair of high heels stopped next to his face. “I thought you would be more challenging. You had such promise because of your past. Sadly, this game is coming to an end.”

  Lucious glanced away to find Alexander bleeding from various injuries. The hound was wielding dual silver blades, one in each hand. By the looks of it, Alexander had lost both of his knives in the fight. Blood oozed from his friend’s chest, too close to the heart to give him any comfort.

  The glint in Norton’s eyes told Lucious how much he enjoyed the fight which was drawing to an inevitable end. The hound flipped the blades in his hands and, after dodging Alexander’s attack, drove one of them into Alexander’s back.

  Alexander’s knees buckled, and he shot Lucious a faint smile.

  Lucious cursed himself for allowing his friend to come along. He didn’t deserve to die here.

  “Where do you think your attention should be?” Xi Yi asked.

  Pain ricocheted throughout Lucious’ body as her blades lodged in his back and shifted, creating greater craters. He clenched his jaw to stop his cry of agony as it sought a way out. A few more inches to the left and one of them would slice his heart.

  “Stop this at once!” a musical voice shouted from the entrance.

  Lucious tried lifting his head and couldn’t.

  A murmur of voices came from the balcony, and he finally managed to face the commotion. His weary eyes rested on a young girl in an ebony Victorian dress.

  I must be dead. The figure became the sire he thought was dead for over a century.

  Vincent’s deep rumble roared from above. “Enough!” His power flooded the room like a tsunami and froze movements of everyone except Anna who continued gliding closer to the balcony.

  “So you can still move even with his power active? Impressive,” Eliza said.

  Anna’s face remained impassive. She had stayed the same—always perfectly composed, never showing a shred of emotion. She gave the Council members a curtsy. “I am here as you wanted, Eliza. Now let my last childe go.” She spared Lucious a glance and took in his state. Her eyes flared red. With much visible effort, she returned her attention to Eliza and Vincent.

  “Release him and his friends at once,” Anna demanded.

  Lucious felt Vincent’s power retreating, taking away the support it gave him. He collapsed to one side, forcing a few of the blades in further. He groaned.

  “Xi Yi, leave them be,” Vincent ordered.

  She looked at Eliza who gave a flick of her wrist as a sign to retreat. The daggers in his back dispersed into energy and gathered around its master. She created some distance between them, and he blew out a relieved breath.

  Lucious’ eyes never left his sire’s face. She was supposed to be dead. She pretended to be dead for over a century! Her actions brought endless bickering to their family. After so many years of searching for her murderers, countless days of agonising over his mistakes, here she was as if nothing happened. As if none of that mattered.

  Lucious glared at Anna. “Why are you alive?”

  She lowered her gaze. The pain in them didn’t take away the betrayal he felt. “I’m sorry, Lucious. I needed to be alone and away from everyone. I never thought things would escalate to this.”

  “It would seem the sole childe you truly care about is him. The others met their end without you showing up to save them,” Eliza said.

  Lucious stared at Eliza with newfound rage. To draw his sire out of hiding, the rotten wench had killed them. She slaughtered his family for her own gain. He attempted to push away from the slippery ground that was covered in his blood, and couldn’t. Although he was already healing, he wasn’t doing it fast enough. He slammed his fist into the ground with a loud thud, cracking the tile next to him.

  “You bloody wench,” he shouted. “How dare you do that to my family?”

  “Be silent,” Anna said.

  Lucious’ head flicked to his sire’s face. She was battling for control of her emotions. His rage was replaced with fear. If her other self emerged here, he wouldn’t be able to protect Helena from harm in his current state.

  “This matter is between ‘The Demon’ and me,” Eliza said.

  Vincent studied Anna with concern. Did he know about Eliza’s charade from the beginning?

  Anna walked to Alexander’s body and touched his forehead. After a quick assessment, she nodded to Lucious. That was all the confirmation he needed. His friend was going to live.

  “Speak your terms for their release,” Anna said softly.

  A smirk stretched Eliza’s lips. “Alright. I shall let Lucious and Alexander return home, but the witch has committed a crime. She stays.”

  Lucious found enough strength to sit up. He hugged Helena closer to his chest. “She’s coming with me.”

  Eliza shook her head. “She killed one of us and needs to be punished for it.”

  He stroked Helena’s pale cheek with his thumb. He couldn’t leave her here. Whether it was his wish to stay alive or the undeniable need to protect her, he wasn’t going to abandon her.

  “What would it take to return her to him?” Anna inquired.

  Eliza tapped her lips with her finger. “Aren’t you eager to protect them all? Whatever happened to the ruthless being you are rumoured to be?”

  Anna took a menacing step forwards and the power levels in the room shifted. “I owe my childe a great debt which I cannot repay. Speak what you want from me and be done with these silly games!”

  All eyes were locked on Eliza as she stood. “We are a member short at this time because of your childe’s witch, or whatever she is. Someone has to take that seat. If you take it and swear your loyalty to me, I shall let them go.”

  “You can’t!” Lucious yelled.

  His sire raised her hand to silence him. She closed the distance between them in a second and knelt on the ground next to him. Anna’s hand cupped his cheek and her blue eyes welled with sadness. “How important is she to you?”

  The words wouldn’t leave him. He was trading the life of his maker for a girl. Without one, he would be lost again. Without the other, he would die. He pushed her hand away. “I cannot ask you to do this, sire.”

  “I owe you much more than this. I wish I didn’t have to leave you with a lie. For now, answer me honestly.”

  It hurt but not as much as the thought of losing her again. A tear escaped the corner of his eye and ran down his cheek. The words he was about to say he would regret for the rest of his life. “Her life is my life. If she were to perish, so would I.”

  Anna squared her shoulders and faced the Council. “I will accept your offer.”

  Eliza’s blank expression did not betray what she was thinking as she waved to dismiss Norton. “They are free to go once the ritual is finished.”

  Lucious knew they fell into her well-designed trap when Vincent nodded and Xi Yi pouted.

&
nbsp; Eliza jumped down and stood next to Anna. The Councilwoman was, at least, two feet taller than his sire. She placed her hands on Anna’s shoulders and bent down.

  “Do you pledge yourself to me, Anna Ordayne? Your life shall become mine, your will shall become mine until I deem the contract to be void,” Eliza said.

  His once proud sire lowered her head. Her eyes rested on him and she recited the promise. “My life is yours. My will is yours until you deem the contract to be void.”

  Eliza lifted Anna’s face and sealed the contract with a deep kiss. The room grew silent as their energies mixed and Eliza’s became the dominant one.

  Lucious averted his gaze and brought the unconscious Helena closer to him.

  “Don’t look so glum, Lucious. You can visit your sire if you wish,” Eliza told him when she broke the kiss.

  He climbed to his feet, his body swaying from side to side while he cradled Helena in his arms.

  Eliza retreated to discuss something with Xi Yi and Vincent.

  Alexander managed to stand and stumbled over to his side. He grasped Lucious by the elbow. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

  Lucious didn’t say anything. He should be pleased Eliza permitted him to see his sire, but at what cost? She now belonged to the Councilwoman. Anna was bound to obey her commands because of the contract between them.

  His sire pointed to Helena’s shivering form. “Take her, treat her. She is not able to heal at the same rate as you.”

  A chill reverberated through his system. He smelt Helena’s sweet blood. She must have taken damage in the crossfire. Her eyes were closed and pain reflected on her sweating face. This girl had suffered enough because of him. Upon studying her closer, he noted Helena’s right shoulder was bleeding. He touched the wound on his arm and smeared his blood over her cut. You will be fine. He brushed away the damp strands of hair that were stuck to her face.

  Anna planted a fleeting kiss on Alexander’s and Lucious’ cheeks and started leading them out of the room.

  Before they passed through the doors, Eliza’s commanding voice stopped them. “I want to make something perfectly clear. The witch is not permitted to become a vampire. Anyone who turns her will be executed along with her. She is to be placed under Council’s watch until I deem she is not a threat to us.”

  Lucious didn’t care about that. These conditions reinforced her safety from other vampires.

  “As you wish,” he spat out and turned on his heel.

  They headed for the way out.

  In the night’s breeze, Helena’s shivering grew more violent. He couldn’t help wondering why she was wearing a torn blood-stained dress that gave her little warmth.

  Lucious nudged Alexander. “Give me your jacket.”

  Alexander shrugged out of it with little protest. It looked as if the material had passed through a cheese grater with many holes, long tears, and blood smears.

  It would have to suffice. He wrapped the jacket around her, and Alexander excused himself.

  Her shivering subsided and her eyelids opened a crack.

  “Lucious?” Helena’s voice was weak compared to the chattering of her teeth.

  “You are safe. Rest,” he murmured.

  She huddled into his chest, and her relief flooded the link. The dark circles under her eyes aged her and her body seemed more fragile with the obvious weight loss.

  “Lucious, wait,” Anna called after him.

  He didn’t know what to say to her. His sire had abandoned him for over a century, forcing him to believe she was dead. In that moment, he wasn’t certain whether he wanted to drown his sorrows in alcohol or sing praises to God.

  “Why did you return?” he asked.

  “I want you to know that I did not abandon the others as Eliza would like you to believe. I was too far away to protect them. I am glad I was able to arrive in time to protect you from her clutches.”

  She hadn’t changed one bit, never caring about how the others felt and always making the tough decisions alone.

  Whatever she saw on his face made sadness return to her eyes. “The cold season has arrived. Your woman is freezing, so take her home. When you are ready to listen to my apologies, come back, and I will give you my explanation. But until then, there is another matter…” Anna’s hand hovered above Helena’s right shoulder.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked, although he already knew about the demon’s mark. Can the demon inside Anna sense it, too?

  “She is protected by some being, but that protection is not enough against the one who placed this mark on her. If you wish for her to live, I suggest you keep her close. He will do his worst to take her soul as I imagine she already knows.”

  “I know that without you telling me.”

  Anna smiled. This was the first time he had seen his sire’s attempt at a happy emotion. The smile made her seem like an innocent child who knew nothing of the creatures lurking in the shadows. Her sky-blue eyes full of knowledge ruined the illusion.

  She waved goodbye and made her way into the Council building with her long skirts trailing behind her.

  Alexander parked around the corner, and Lucious got into the back seat with Helena resting on his lap. Being this close to her made him feel complete. What the guardian angel told him was the truth. They had become part of the same soul with two bodies. That, too, didn’t seem to bother him anymore.

  His friend turned in the driver’s seat. “The sun won’t rise for another seven or so hours. Shall we take a flight to Dublin or spend the night in London?”

  “We need to return her home. She has suffered enough on my account.”

  “You’re not falling in love with a human, are you? I mean they’re fun to play around with, but trust me, don’t get too close.”

  “Since when was love related to being glad we did not turn to dust?”

  Alexander put the car in gear. “Remember my wise words, Lucious.”

  Helena awoke to the sound of a ticking clock. She was in a warm bed and no longer on the cold tiled floor. Feeling for a light switch, she found a familiar bedside lamp. With the low light dispersing the darkness, she sat up, studying her bedroom. The curtains were drawn. The rest remained the same as if this past month never happened.

  If she wasn’t already lying down, she would have collapsed from relief. She was home, safe and sound. She searched for the switch again, flicking it off, and relaxed.

  Helena rolled over. Her hand landed on something smooth and solid. Unfamiliar with the warm object, she gasped. Quick to react, she tried retracting her hand when someone grabbed her wrist.

  A familiar pair of eyes with a blue glow sieved through the darkness and calmed her.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. She wanted to get angry at Lucious but fought the urge to throw a pillow at his face for scaring her like that. He did save her life.

  He yawned, covering his mouth with the free hand. “I don’t know. Once we returned, I must have fallen asleep.”

  When she reached for the light, Lucious grabbed her by the waist and drew her closer to his body. Her face ended up being buried in his bare chest. Stuck for words, she fumbled with her pyjama sleeves. When did she put them on? Her ears burned with embarrassment at the realisation that he was the one to dress her.

  “Do you feel that?” he whispered.

  “Feel what exactly?” She didn’t want to be touching anything other than a light switch in the dark with him. Helena pushed at him while trying not to think of what she was touching.

  He wouldn’t relent, restricting her already limited movements. “Trust me and relax.”

  She didn’t know why, but she obeyed. As she stopped fighting him, she felt the light hum of the link between them. The link, it changed. Somehow, they were more in sync. She scanned his emotions and concluded he was not planning to do anything to her.

  “It’s weird. I can feel you, your emotions, your…soul,” she whispered.

  “Indeed.”

  Unconsciou
s of her action, she huddled in closer to him. “You’re warm.”

  She heard him smile.

  “I know.” His fingers combed through her hair, gently playing with the strands. “I have not felt this peaceful in my entire life.”

  His words carried so much sadness. She wanted to look up yet didn’t dare to. In the depths of her psyche, she knew the feeling he was talking about. It was similar to the cosy sensation she always got when Michael held her, except Lucious was no guardian angel.

  Her peace deteriorated. Something wasn’t right. She had forgotten something in this calming embrace. Helena fought her way out of his arms and sat up. This time, he didn’t interfere and joined her.

  “What’s the matter?” He seemed to be already searching the room for any threats.

  “I don’t know. I have forgotten something. It must be important.” Unable to put her finger on what was bothering her, she rubbed her temples in an attempt to soothe her sudden headache.

  Lucious climbed out of bed and turned the lights on.

  She was relieved to find him wearing jeans even though they were splattered with dried blood.

  Helena slid out from under the covers, setting her feet on the carpet, and relished in the feel of familiarity. Her mind raced over the happenings of these past few days: Andreaz’s attack, Hannah being a ghoul, Viola’s warning, the Council trying to execute her, Norton’s hand on her throat…

  She jumped up. “Viola!”

  Lucious rested his back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. “Who is this Viola?”

  She avoided looking at him. “One of the women I met at Andreaz’s place. What happened to her, to the others?”

  He sauntered over to her desk. It was a mess of college materials and notebooks she hadn’t had the time to use. He tore a page out of the first notebook, grabbed a pen, and handed them to her. “Write down the names and descriptions. I’ll look into it for you.”

  His gentleness surprised her. Perhaps there was still hope for them not to be at each other’s throats.

  She took the items with trembling hands. Sitting down on the bed, she jotted down as many names as she could remember. She recalled enough to describe Viola, Anya, and Crista in detail. The rest of the women she hadn’t paid much attention to. She paused. Were they even their real names? Could Lucious find them?