Crumbling Control (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 3)

by May Freighter

  “Your guardian told me to hold on to you for the link to stabilise,” Lucious said.

  Looking at their joined hands, she giggled. “Michael helped? Have I died or did pigs learn to fly?”

  Lucious chuckled and wrapped her in an embrace. She buried her face in his chest and breathed in his musky scent. Her body came to life, and she hugged him back to enjoy the closeness they shared.

  “I thought I was going to die,” she mumbled, letting a tear escape. The small water droplet got absorbed by the pillow her head rested on, and she squeezed her eyes to prevent any more tears from coming out. She needed to concentrate and think past the horrors…

  Lucious’ fingers traced the outline of her back as he said, “You’re alright. I won’t let you out of my sight again.”

  She lifted her face and pressed her lips against his. After a long second, he reciprocated her kiss, and she thanked the gods for allowing her to find him in her lifetime.

  Helena winced when a sharp pain cut through her leg. With an annoyed sigh, she drew back, and he chuckled again.

  “Another time, perhaps,” he said with a heart-warming smile.

  Helena sat up. She pushed the quilt off with her free hand, since he refused to let the other go, and took her time to take in the damage. A large pink t-shirt covered most of her body. A faint smile appeared on her lips. At least, she was no longer wearing the filthy clothes from the dungeon. Her left leg swelled to the point where it looked like a watermelon. Different parts of her body were bandaged or had plasters stuck to them. Even her fingers looked like that of a mummy.

  “I may have partied too hard.”

  Lucious sat up next to her and lifted her hand to his lips. He landed a soft kiss on each bandaged finger and said, “I do hope you will avoid such situations in the future.”

  The thought of the future made her recall the wedding. She grasped his hand, making her hands ache. “The wedding, we have to stop it!”

  “You are not going anywhere near the hunters. The war between them and supernatural beings has nothing to do with you,” he warned.

  She scowled at him. “I’m not worried about the war. Ben needs to see reason for Maya’s sake.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Maya, she—” Helena stumbled over her excitement, “—possessed me and talked to him. I don’t know what was said, but I know she loves him. If he marries a girl from another clan, Maya will be heartbroken. And then—”

  He lifted his hand, stopping her tirade. “You do not wish for the hunter clans to unite because a demon has feelings for a hunter? Have you lost your mind?”

  She looked at her shaking hands. “I was in that cell for days, Lucious. I had no food, no water, and every chance they got, the rats took a bite out of me. I don’t think I slept… You could be right, I might be crazy, but I owe Maya this. She took my place when it was I who should have become a demon on that day.”

  “Stop it!” he snapped and grasped her shoulders. “You cannot take on everyone’s mistakes. Maya went to the Demon Realm and accepted her fate. There was nothing you could do. So, stop it. Stop blaming yourself for every little thing, I beg of you…”

  Helena burst into tears at his words and folded in on herself while he massaged her back. She let everything she had kept inside over the past month out; every worry, every fear, and he listened, never once interrupting her. By the end of it, her head was ready to burst from a migraine.

  Nevertheless, with tenderness she will never forget, he kissed her cheek and whispered, “We are one and the same now. Let me carry the burdens that weigh on your heart. I will take them for myself, so you may lead a happier life.”

  Helena’s gaze travelled from his serious face to the wound on his shoulder. On the surface, he represented strength and power she wanted to figure out. Yet, her aching heart sought to climb under his mask of stability and assurances where he was as hurt as her. For every man or woman he killed, he carried a cross—a heavy burden that reflected in his eyes more than the love he so readily gave her.

  “My burdens are my own, Lucious. No one should carry them for me, especially not you,” she replied with renewed determination. “And, despite what you think, I’m going to crash that wedding and repay Ben for the nightmare he put me through.”

  12

  Cursed

  An outburst of deep laughter had Helena’s head turning towards the doorway. There, a tall, muscular man stood with his hands on his stomach as he doubled over.

  Lucious sighed. He swiftly wrapped the quilt over her shoulders and exposed legs to cover her up. Then, he put on a shirt. Under the covers, his hand found hers, providing her with the much-needed assurance that this new man wasn’t going to hurt them. “Helena, meet Byron. He is an idiot.”

  Byron’s grin expanded. “Got to uphold the reputation somehow.”

  “Who are you?” Helena asked.

  “I, fair lady, am Byron Brentwood,” he announced with a dramatic bow.

  Behind him, a blonde woman in what appeared to be her late thirties emerged and smacked him on the back of the head. “Please ignore my husband. Sometimes I feel like I’ve adopted a man-child instead of a werewolf into my bed.”

  Byron chuckled. He enfolded his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck. Instinctively, the woman placed her hands on his and caressed his long fingers with gentleness. “I am Sinead. Lucious omitted your name since your arrival, so I am curious to find out what we should call you?”

  “Helena,” she replied as a little girl peered around Byron’s legs. Her doe eyes were framed with angelic blonde ringlets.

  “Come here, Antoinette. Say hello to our guests.” Sinead lifted her daughter into her arms.

  Byron took a step to one side and shared a strange look with Lucious that Helena couldn’t read.

  “Are you going to be alright without me for a few minutes?” Lucious whispered into her ear.

  “Of course.” As long as she stayed away from any dark cells for a lifetime, she would be fine.

  He slid off the bed and left the room with Byron. When the door clicked shut, Helena began feeling sick. She massaged her stomach as her face changed from a rosy shade to pasty grey.

  Sinead set Antoinette down and rushed over. “Are you alright? Should I get him again?”

  “It’s okay…” Helena forced out, lowering her head to the pillow. “They have business to discuss. Today is the wedding.”

  Lifting the quilt off her, Sinead quickly sorted it out and carefully draped it over Helena. She pressed her warm hand to Helena’s forehead, making her skin tingle from the burning touch.

  “Why are you so cold?” Sinead asked, perplexed. “This is unnatural…”

  Helena gave her a weak smile. “It’s normal for me. Don’t mind it.”

  “You’re a human. How can this be normal?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  Sinead sat on the bed next to her and combed Helena’s hair behind her ear like her mother used to do when she got sick. “I’m a nurse. It’s my job to take care of people and, since you’re technically my patient, I would like to know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

  Helena’s stomach clenched like a fist, and she winced in pain. She doubled over, almost knocking Sinead onto the floor with her knees.

  “Lucious!” Sinead screeched and ran for the door. Before she made two steps towards it, the door flung open, and Lucious cursed.

  He knelt by the bed and touched Helena’s perspiring face. His touch soothed the pain away like magic, and she made a mental note that he was better than aspirin. The spasms relaxed, and he grabbed a small pink towel on the bedside table then dabbed at the sweat on her brow.

  “What is wrong with her?” Sinead inquired.

  “It’s fine,” he replied. “I was told she will get better if I don’t leave her side. I thought she would be alright after a couple of hours. My guess was wrong.”

  Helena could tell he was exhausted. Though, as
always, he pretended to be strong. Now that she paid closer attention to his face, she noted the dark half-moons under his eyes and a couple of days’ worth of stubble. She sat up and took his hand. “I’m better now.”

  “You are not!” he countered.

  “This doesn’t change the fact that I’m going to the wedding.”

  Sinead grasped his arm, stopping him from adding to the argument. “I suggest she rests for the day. I have wiped the grime and dirt away last night, but I’m sure she’ll appreciate a hot bath. Or am I wrong?”

  Looking up at Sinead’s pleading eyes, Helena extinguished any thought of pursuing the fight. She nudged Lucious’ shoulder. “Help me get to the bathroom.”

  “Since you two can’t separate, I’ll get our friend here a blindfold,” Sinead offered.

  “There’s no need,” Lucious said.

  Helena punched him in the side and smiled at the kind woman. “Thank you. It’s much appreciated.”

  Once Sinead and Antoinette left the room, Lucious scrutinised her with his steady gaze. “Helena, it is too dangerous for us to be involved with the wedding if we cannot be separated.”

  “What’s dangerous is that a war is about to break out. We don’t have time to worry about ourselves!”

  In silence, they glared at each other, neither willing to give in.

  Byron sauntered into the room, swinging a silky red blindfold on his index finger. “Trust me, Lucious, you don’t want to aggravate your woman. They can leave you with blue balls for a month.”

  She snorted at the werewolf’s response while Lucious crossed his arms, breaking contact with Helena for a second. Before she had a chance to collapse to her knees, Lucious caught her and sighed. “Alright. I will do as you ask. We will be on the lookout. I will not permit you to get close to danger.”

  “I need to talk to Ben,” Helena said.

  “Forget about him. There is nothing more important than your life and stabilising the soul-bond.”

  “I’m sure Maya would disagree. I owe her.”

  “I would have thought your recent encounter with the hunters would stop you from doing something rash again,” he retorted.

  Byron’s head kept turning between the two as they traded insults and still held on to one another. “You two behave like you’re already married.”

  “Shut up!” both of them yelled.

  Byron tossed the blindfold at Lucious. “Bathroom is across the way, and Sinead is already running a bath. I’ll talk with you about the details later on. By the looks of it, your woman will have to sit in on the meeting with Lucas and Ghoul Master.”

  “Is Theo not going to show?” Lucious asked.

  “No one from his pack has been taken. I guess he’s hoping he may avoid the war,” Byron replied.

  Helena frowned, not knowing what they were talking about. She took Lucious’ hand and separated from him. Nothing seemed to go the way they planned it.

  Lucious’ voice broke through her thoughts. “Is Vincent going to join us? I am certain Hans informed him, even though I was against the idea.”

  “Is Vincent alright?” Helena asked, tugging on his hand. “Does he know about Levile?”

  “The Councilman was torn up about the news,” Lucious told her. “The hunters will pay.”

  Helena interjected, “The hunters didn’t kill Levile. Eliza did.”

  The two men stared at her with stone-cold expressions.

  “What do you mean by that?” Lucious asked.

  An unpleasant shiver ran through her when she recalled the events at the Archives. “Eliza was there that night. She killed Levile and started the fire, but I’m unclear as to why she wanted me to be captured by the hunters. There’s one more thing…”

  “Vincent has been accommodating when it comes to you, perhaps it is because of that,” Lucious suggested.

  Byron’s expression turned serious and, for that instant, she felt she was seeing his real personality shining through. “There’s more?”

  “Only vampire blood can open the Demon Gate. It must be why Reaver brought his servants with him, to bleed if there weren’t enough vampires present. The more blood is shed on the gate, the larger the portal becomes.” A heavy weight pressed on her heart. “She is willing to sacrifice her people to activate the gate.”

  Lucious raked his fingers through his hair. “That must be why she has gathered them in the Council building. Everyone there is cattle for her ludicrous scheme.”

  “And I thought Theo was an ass,” Byron piped in.

  “We have to warn them,” Helena said.

  Byron sighed. “No. It would make Eliza erratic if she thought others knew of her plan. She would slaughter them then and there.”

  “But Vincent could stop it!” she protested.

  “He can’t.” Lucious’ expression was grim. “He is Eliza’s childe and must obey any and every direct command of his sire.”

  “The bath is ready!” Sinead called from the hallway, diffusing the climbing tension in the room.

  With a light chuckle, Byron slapped Lucious on the shoulder. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do in the bath.”

  Helena blushed beetroot-red, and Lucious grumbled, “Do not bring me down to your level.”

  He led her to the bathroom. Although small, it had an artsy feel to it. Blue walls encased them. Lime-coloured tiles and almost everything else inside had seashells on it. Sinead must really like the sea… Steam rose from the contained body of water in the bath against the wall. She couldn’t help another blush creeping up her neck when she thought about how close they would need to be.

  He locked the door, and Helena bit her lip as he lifted the hem of her oversized t-shirt.

  “I can do this by myself,” she complained.

  Lucious’ breath warmed her ear and goosebumps populated her arms and legs with pleasure. “There is no need to be shy. I have already seen everything there is to see, twice.”

  “That doesn’t make me feel better.” She slapped his hands away, and he caught her hand. She was tempted to shake him off but knew she couldn’t. Not if she wanted to remain standing.

  He tugged on her hand, and she crashed against his chest. His deft fingers lifted the hem of her top, helping her out of it. A second later, his hands landed on her bare back. He tenderly traced his way up her spine.

  Enjoying his caress, she relaxed into him. She had missed him. Every day she spent in that cell, one thought kept her sane. He will come for me. He will figure out a way. Otherwise, this crazy world would pick its sharp teeth with her bleached bones.

  “I thought I would lose you, Helena. It drove me mad imagining what the hunters could be doing to you.” His hand stopped on her neck, and he brushed her hair back. He lowered his face to her jaw and kissed his way to her collarbone.

  The suffering of his soul gave the link a violent shake which caused her heart to fill with sadness. More than anything, she wanted to remain by his side. She wanted to be there for him as he always stood by her. She grasped his face and pressed her lips to his in a slow kiss that reflected the agony and loneliness she had survived. His being here was like a dream. She never wanted to wake up.

  When he took a step back, he had his eyes closed. He slid the blindfold over his eyelids, knotting it behind his head, and motioned for her to get in.

  “You’re not going to look?”

  “I am doing my very best to remain a gentleman. I suggest you get in before I change my mind.”

  Helena removed her underwear and padded along the plush oval rug. She climbed into the tub. Warm water blanketed her, and she brushed his hand when a dizzy spell tried to ruin her piece of heaven.

  Lucious sat on the floor and faced the wall, holding her hand. It took a while for her to get used to doing everything with one hand, but after a few minutes, she managed to scrub most of her body and wash her hair. Seeing the back of his head made her feel slightly mischievous. So, she splashed him.

  He tore the blindfold off and stared at her
in disbelief. “Did you just—”

  “Splash you? No.”

  His lips stretched into a smirk, and he dipped his cupped hand in the water.

  “Don’t you dare, Ellwood, or I’ll tell your sire on you!”

  “I doubt my sire would mind.” He splashed her with the soapy water.

  Child-like laughter escaped them. They commenced their battle until he was drenched. He lifted his hands in defeat then caught her hand, planting a soft kiss on her palm. “It has been a long time since I have behaved like this. Please keep this a secret from Alexander.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. We don’t exactly meet up on the weekends to share heartfelt confessions.”

  “I see.” He selected one of the fluffy white towels hanging on the hook by the door and offered it to her. “I am certain you are hungry. Let’s get you fed and dressed. I believe the clothes from earlier may be a lost cause from your enthusiasm to drown me.”

  Holding his hand, she climbed out of the tub, and he cocooned her in the towel. He helped her sit on the edge of the bathtub while he unbuttoned his black shirt that outlined every curve of his body. Once he turned away and the material fell, she gasped. Black veins spread across his back from where his heart would have been. The dark ring formed in their centre scared her.

  “What is the matter?”

  “Your back,” she stated, reaching for the ebony lines.

  Michael materialised a few feet away from them. “Do not touch him, Helena.”

  She retreated at the harsh remark. It was strange seeing him wearing a raven peacoat that hung on his shoulders and kept his arms hidden. “Why?”

  “He’s been cursed,” Michael said.

  “The witches…” Lucious muttered. “They must have cast the spell before I got to you.”

  Helena hugged the towel closer to her and intertwined her fingers with Lucious’. “Well, what kind of curse is it?”

  “It is a death curse,” Michael said. “We must find the witch who cast it and remove it at once before it consumes you both.”

  “They’re dead. I killed them,” Lucious replied.

  Helena shot Michael a nervous glance. “What do we do now?”