Crumbling Control (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 3)

by May Freighter

  At the door, Lucious felt Hans’ stern gaze burning holes in him. “Your eyes, they’ve gone black again.”

  Lucious rubbed his aching eyes. “I guessed that much.”

  “Would you mind telling me how you knew they would be coming?” Hans inquired.

  “I mind,” Lucious replied and left the room.

  Hans grasped his shoulder. “Your ability, has it developed?”

  “I’m uncertain.”

  “Nevertheless, you should serve the Council. It would benefit us.”

  “I do not give a toss about the Council or becoming Eliza’s servant. I much prefer to be free from politics. Now, shall we continue or stay here until someone spots us?”

  “Let us take the lift to the parking garage. Ghoul Master has agreed to help you escape. He said he owed you one,” Hans replied and picked up the pace.

  Lucious chuckled. The old fox kept his word and did everything he could to disobey Eliza behind her back.

  Night fell over the city as they arrived in Watford. Dark grey clouds hung overhead, keeping the stars hidden behind a fluffy grey blanket. They sat on the roof and scanned the emptying town square below. The street lights blinked on along the High Street and illuminated The Bell pub along with adjacent shops. Across the tiny square from the pub, St. Mary’s parish stood out with a large blue cross fixed to the first floor.

  Lucious’ heartbeat slowed since he arrived here. Usually, it would speed up when he exerted himself in any way, yet the closer he got to their destination, the less it beat. He could only assume that it reflected Helena’s heartbeat, which meant he had even less time than he thought.

  “Is he going to show up?” Hans asked next to him and peered over the wall.

  “Byron is always late. I believe it has something to do with his personality,” Lucious replied.

  A light laugh came from the other side of the building. Byron climbed up using his half-shifted hands which became claws sharper than a blade. He joined them, saying, “I am not always late, only at the times when I feel I should show my importance.”

  Lucious rolled his eyes. “You are not important enough to make others wait.”

  “But if people wait for me then I got to be.” Byron squatted next to them. “So, what’s the plan?”

  Using his finger, Lucious drew a rectangular outline of the parish in the gravel. He highlighted the cemetery and other nearby buildings by doting smaller squares around the church based on his memory from the previous stakeout.

  Lucious indicated to the three entrances of the parish: front, side, and one at the back, facing the cemetery. “I need the two of you to distract the majority of the hunters. Make them believe this is an attack and draw them out of their lair.”

  Byron rubbed his chin. “Strategically speaking, it would be best if this vampire and I pick one or two off and radio the hunters inside. On my way here, I noted they were on high alert, which is why it took so long to get here. So, we’ll need to distract them another way. But—” he pointed at the cemetery entrance and added, “—if I was them, I would guard this location the least. There are too few graves to hide behind, and they would only need to station someone in the clock tower, overlooking the field.”

  “Who is this man?” Hans asked.

  Byron grinned. “I am Lucas’ old Ius. Planning raids is what I do best.”

  “Then I will take the cemetery entrance.” Lucious studied the building over his shoulder. He closed his eyes, willing his ears to search past his and Byron’s heartbeats. The pub across the street seemed half-empty tonight. The parish, on the other hand, had over forty humans inside and one of them had the heartbeat that matched his. “Helena…”

  “We’ll get her out, mate.” Byron nudged Hans in the side with his elbow. “It’s best if we get going. Lucious, give us five minutes and fleet for the door. We are going to make a lot of commotion in that lovely pub of theirs.”

  “We’ll get murdered,” Hans protested.

  Byron laughed. “You’re already dead so live a little. I’m the one with a finite lifespan here.”

  Hans’ gaze flickered between the two. “Alright, I shall do as you ask.”

  “Great, let’s get going.” Byron grinned and headed for the edge of the roof.

  Lucious glanced at the time on his phone and returned to assessing the building ahead. His mind focused on the slow heartbeat which was almost drowned out by the presence of so many strong ones. If that was her heart, and they had mistreated her, he would kill every last one of them. He balled his hands and rested his forehead on them while the eternal countdown tormented his mind.

  Once five minutes were up, he did as Byron suggested. He jumped off the building and fleeted across the road and the small town square. Hiding in the shadows of the treeline bordering the cemetery, he heard screams coming from The Bell. Lucious ducked, waiting for the guard on top of the clock tower to face the pub.

  The second his head turned, Lucious ran at his fastest speed for the door. Upon reaching it, his body collided with something solid, and he ended up slamming his back against the nearby gravestone.

  Grunting, his eyes searched the area for the threat. When he found Norton—Eliza’s favourite hound—at the entrance, Lucious let out a low growl. “You!” He remembered well how this man hurt Alexander during their trip to the Council six months ago.

  “I was waiting for you, Lucious Ellwood,” Norton said in a deep, gravelly voice. “Guess I was right to assume you’d come for the human.”

  “Move aside, hound. I have business to attend to!” Lucious rose and readied for a fight. He bent his knees a little, setting them apart. His attention zeroed in on the vampire before him.

  Norton snorted. “You won’t have much to attend to after I’m done with you.”

  A second later, Norton charged at him with a silver blade in his right hand.

  Lucious ducked and attempted to grab Norton’s thick wrist. The hound’s fist collided with his stomach, and Lucious was sent backwards. His back skid along the grassy field.

  Norton launched forwards. There was little time to rest, so Lucious jumped up and prepared for another assault. Lucious caught the blade with his hand and hissed in agony as the silver edge sliced his palm and burned his skin.

  Disregarding the pain, he grabbed Norton by the throat and pushed him against the wall. His wounded hand stung while Lucious attempted to get the weapon away from the vampire.

  Before he knew it, Norton’s left hand came up between them. The sharp knife he clutched lodged in Lucious’ chest, piercing his heart…

  Lucious rubbed his eyes, finding that he was on the ground with the gravestone digging into his back. He clutched his chest, feeling the area where the dagger was a split second ago. His power must have activated at random.

  “I was waiting for you, Lucious Ellwood,” Norton said. “Guess I was right to assume you’d come for the human.”

  Glancing up at the bald man, Lucious scanned Norton’s body as he climbed to his full height. He relaxed and waited for the vampire to make the first move.

  “What happened to your eyes?” Norton asked.

  A stiff smile stretched Lucious’ lips. If he needed to follow his vision, he had to repeat the events. He bent his knees and took the fighting stance again. His words came out strained, “Move aside, hound. I have business to attend to.”

  Norton glared at him and withdrew a dagger from behind his back. Since Lucious couldn’t see any sheaths on the sides, he assumed the second blade was there also.

  Lucious advanced. The hound swung the dagger at him, and Lucious ducked. With no time to manoeuvre, Norton’s fist collided with his stomach, propelling him backwards.

  His back hit the soft grass. Lucious struggled to stand and lunged at Norton before pressing the man up against the wall. His nervous heart beat in his chest as he noticed Norton’s left shoulder shifting. If he wasn’t looking for it, he would have missed it. He sensed Norton’s left hand inching upwards and released hi
s hold on the right. A second later, he grasped the vampire’s wrist with both hands and rammed the blade into Norton’s chest.

  The hound gasped as his right hand descended, lodging the dagger in Lucious’ shoulder.

  Lucious groaned and jumped away from the withering vampire who clutched his chest in terror. He yanked the bloodstained weapon out with a muffled hiss and wiped it on his jeans.

  The light in Norton’s eyes faded, and Lucious knelt beside him. He tore his shirt up and pressed the material to his wound. Whatever the reason this hound was here for, he did not care about the hunters taking notice of him. Which meant one thing: he was working with them. If the Council had traitors within their ranks, it was safer for everyone to stay outside of the headquarters. The vampires gathered there were nothing short of sitting ducks, waiting to be devoured by dirty schemes.

  His heart jolted when he entered the building through the back door and the link trembled a little. She’s here. He almost collapsed when a dizzy spell hit him. Lucious grasped the nearby radiator for support, his eyesight slowly returning to normal. Michael wasn’t mistaken; Helena had little time left if he didn’t find her soon.

  He closed his eyes and listened for the nearby hunters. Most of them were rushing around on the other side of the building. Byron’s distraction seemed to have worked, hopefully not well enough to get those two to lose their lives.

  Taking cautious steps, he opened another door and studied his surroundings. Half a dozen hunters sat with their backs turned to him on the other end of the room, discussing the wedding. Although he was tempted to listen in on the details, he ignored the urge to do so and fleeted to the staircase. He pressed his back against the wall and eyed the steps. The old varnished wood would alert everyone in the building to his presence if he placed any weight on it. So, he grasped the bannister and put most of his weight on the thick oak railing as he used the edges of the steps to make his way up.

  His eyes darted to the sudden explosion of whispers coming from the room to his right. Slamming his back against the wall, he listened in.

  “…almost there. One more day, and we can kill those monsters,” the female hunter said in a high-pitched voice.

  Cheerful laughter erupted from the other hunters in the room.

  A deeper voice replied, “With the witches on our side, they won’t know what hit them.”

  Glasses clinked, and Lucious waited for them to engage in drinking before moving past the doorway. He hurried along the corridor, isolating the weak heartbeat, which was becoming harder with each second.

  When he arrived at the end of the hall, Lucious stopped. The string came back to life, and he clutched his gut as bile climbed his throat. Covering his mouth, he sucked in deep breaths to assuage his nausea.

  Once he finally gained control over his stomach, he opened the door to his destination and was faced with two women. From brief observation, he noted they were Wiccan by the tattoos of their Circle’s emblem on their wrists. Their vine-like energy twisted around the room, and they spoke their incantation once they saw him.

  Without a second thought, he grabbed the blonde closest to him and snapped her neck, trapping unspoken words inside the witch.

  The other woman screamed, “Daria!”

  Lucious glared at her, breaking her chant. She hugged her sides and stumbled backwards. Her back hit the white wall. The witch’s frail form shook as she mumbled words under her breath.

  The world around them became devoid of sound. He felt as if he was wading through water as he attempted to close the distance between them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a bed with someone resting on it. The slow heartbeat he followed came from the person laying on it. He recognised the chocolate brown hair that fell over the pillow and his anger surged, taking away rational thought.

  “You will die for hurting her.” Lucious pushed through the Wiccan spell, his fingers winding around her throat.

  She gasped for air. “We didn’t touch her. Promise! It was Ben. Always him. He hurt her.”

  The mention of Ben’s name had Lucious’ hand squeezing her throat more.

  She clawed at his hand with her long nails, but it was useless. Blood vessels burst in her eyes and her face changed shades.

  Lucious let her drop when her life left her hateful gaze. He pulled back the quilt and studied Helena’s unconscious form with worry. Her hands were bruised and a few nails were broken off. The sweater she wore was torn in multiple places and tiny bites blemished her exposed arms. His eyes found the bandaged bullet wound on her calf, and he clenched his hands. That bastard will pay for what he has done to her.

  Wasting no time, he bit into his wrist and parted her lips. The blood dripped into her mouth, but she didn’t swallow or wake.

  He shook her gently. “Helena, please wake up.”

  She didn’t react.

  He sat her up and massaged her throat with his fingers to get some of his blood to enter her system. He kissed her forehead and gathered her in his arms. They needed to get away before the hunters noticed something was amiss. Lucious lifted her in his arms and prepared to leave.

  Ben appeared in the doorway with his weapon drawn and pointed directly at his head. “Lucious…”

  “Get out of my way,” Lucious growled. He was torn between holding on to Helena and ripping the head off the impudent hunter. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to bring this man back to Phil’s freezer and gut him. “I will kill you otherwise.”

  “Even with a weapon pointed directly at your face, you remain stoic.” Ben lowered the gun enough for Helena to be the target.

  Lucious snarled at him. “If you hurt her…”

  Ben holstered the weapon. “Listen here, vampire. Tomorrow is the day of the wedding. I can’t convince the elders to stop it. Believe me, I’ve tried. So, I need your help.”

  Lucious narrowed his eyes at the genuine worry on the hunter’s face. “Why would you want to stop it?”

  “Because many will die on both sides if nothing is done.” He sighed. “Never mind. If I let you two go, I want you to promise me that you’ll intervene tomorrow.”

  “I should kill you for what you did to Helena.”

  “You will get your chance at the wedding. All bets will be off. Do we have a deal?”

  Lucious searched Helena’s pasty face. Her blue, cut, and bruised lips conveyed the suffering she had endured during her time with the hunters. He was more than happy to repay them. “Yes.”

  Ben stepped aside, clearing the doorway. “The ceremony will be held here at dusk.”

  Lucious fleeted past him, throwing caution to the wind. He left through the same door, noticing that Ben had removed the guard on the clock tower. As he ran towards Byron’s parked car at the top of King Street, he felt Michael’s presence next to them. The angel managed to keep up with Lucious through the winding streets at thirty miles an hour.

  “You mustn’t let go of her. The connection needs to readjust,” Michael said.

  Lucious came to a stop under a streetlight. “What happens if I cannot hold on to her?”

  Michael pointed to Helena’s ashen face. “She will fade.”

  Lucious held her closer to his chest. “I understand.”

  “Good.”

  The guardian vanished as quickly as he appeared. Byron and Hans jogged up to him. Both of them stared at Helena with unreadable expressions.

  “Let’s take her back to mine,” Byron suggested. “Sinead will be able to take care of her.”

  “We should keep out of the werewolf territory and retreat to Master Vincent’s holiday home in the city,” Hans replied.

  Lucious rubbed his eyes. “We need the wolves to help us stop tomorrow’s wedding.”

  Hans’ expression turned serious. “How would you know that?”

  “A hunter told me this,” Lucious replied, “even though I do not trust him.”

  Byron snorted. “It’s obviously a trap.”

  “Even if it is, we cannot risk the union
of two clans. We must gather whoever will help take them down,” Lucious countered.

  “We need to inform the Council,” Hans added.

  “No. No one must know we are outside. Not until we know if there are any more leaks,” Lucious said.

  Hans’ dark brows drew together. “Are you saying there are vampires who would betray us?”

  “They already have.” Lucious strode to the car. His priority to look after Helena took over. He balanced her weight on his arm and climbed into the back seat with her. The men joined him by filling up the front seats.

  Byron started the engine and smirked. “I know you missed the lady, but if you hold her any tighter, you’ll break her in two.”

  Lucious glowered at the werewolf. Though, he did loosen his grip around her shoulders a little. Taking great care, he rested her head on his shoulder and concentrated on their soul-bond. The distance did not seem to matter anymore. The link hadn’t given even the tiniest of quivers, and that made his worry rise tenfold.

  “Drive to your home, Byron, and hurry,” Lucious said.

  Helena peeled open her heavy eyelids. Based on how sluggish she felt, she must have slept for a century. The morning light from the window found her, and she covered her face with her hand.

  “Oh thank heavens, you are awake,” Lucious’ voice made her turn her head to one side.

  On the bed, next to her, he rested beside her. At first, she blushed at the sight of his naked chest but soon saw the bandages fastened around his shoulder.

  “What?” her voice came out as nothing more than a squeak. She cleared her dry throat and winced.

  “Hold on, let me get you a drink.” Lucious shifted to the nightstand and produced a glass of water for her.

  She noticed that his other hand held onto hers. As she accepted the drink and swallowed the contents, she frowned. “What happened? How did I get here?”

  “Do you truly wish to know?”

  Helena thought about it and pursed her lips. The only thing she cared about was that she was out of that cell. After handing him back the empty glass, she tried pulling her hand out of his grip, but he stopped her.