Crumbling Control (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 3)

by May Freighter

  “I do not like your tone.”

  “And I don’t like you stealing my form,” Helena shot back.

  Lilia’s body began to change. She grew three inches taller and her eyes turned blue. Raven hair ran down to her slim waist as her face morphed into that of a gorgeous woman. “Is this better?”

  “No, the need to punch you is still there.”

  The fate laughed. It was a chirpy, melodic sound. “Why did you seek me out?”

  “What are those dreams I’ve been having?”

  Lilia circled her. “They’re my cherished memories. After a while, they will stop.”

  Helena’s eyes narrowed. “And what will happen when they do?”

  “We will merge. Your soul will slumber, and I will do what I must.”

  “Why do you have to do this?”

  Lilia’s marble-white hands slid around Helena’s shoulders. “It is precisely because of that, child. You cannot take on the battle ahead. It falls to me to bring eternal rest to my son.”

  “Don’t touch me!” Helena jerked away and stumbled backwards. “Why does it have to be me? Can’t you pick someone else?”

  “I’m sorry. Once the vessel is chosen, it is for life.” Lilia advanced a step. “You mustn’t be afraid of me. I do not take pleasure in hurting you.”

  “Then why don’t you leave me alone? Go back to sleep or whatever.”

  “If you keep fighting me, you will perish.” There was no animosity in Lilia’s tone, but Helena picked up on the clear warning. “As you see the memories of my past, I see yours. Haven’t you been hurt enough? Those you love die or become creatures of the night. Your friend, Laura? She, too, left you once she found out what you truly were. Is this the future you wish to fight for?” Lilia asked and cupped Helena’s cheek.

  Helena blinked back the tears. “You know nothing about me. Seeing my memories won’t help you comprehend them.”

  “Then I guess we must speed up the exchange…”

  Pain exploded in Helena’s head. She doubled over, clutching her temples. Her eyes squeezed shut as her concentration broke. The steel bubble of her shields reshaped into a bedroom…

  Lilia stood at the foot of a queen-sized bed with the golden sheets. She bent over and slid her hand along them, enjoying the silky texture. Filled with giddiness, she bounced to the desk teeming with scrolls and papers branded with important-looking seals.

  “He is serious even in decorating his bedroom,” she whispered under her breath. On the wall by the door, a sigil of the six gods was painted in red. She traced the outline, testing the prickling magic.

  The door opened, and Michael froze in the doorway.

  “Shall I come in with you?” Horus asked. He sounded calm, so she guessed he had not seen her.

  Michael’s large body covered the entrance as he replied, “No. Wait here. I shall retrieve the scroll and be back momentarily.” He shut the door behind him and glared at Lilia, an action she found amusing.

  “What are you doing in my chambers?” he whispered with a vein popping on his forehead.

  She grinned. “I’ve come to see you.”

  “Lilia, you are my charge. I cannot see you as anything more. Please, you must understand this and return to your domain when I leave here.”

  Her smile faltered. “You would throw me out? Aren’t you supposed to be the one protecting me?”

  “I am tasked to protect you from demons.”

  “But what if you may need to protect me from myself?” She opened the window. Looking four storeys below her, she saw other angels strolling through the busy market. None of them appeared any different to the humans in the Human Realm, which she always found to be curious. Along the cobbled road, some carried books while others danced to the tunes of the flute players. She lifted her foot to the windowsill and looked over her shoulder. “What if I jump?”

  His eyes bulged. “Are you inebriated?”

  “No.” She lifted her second foot. Her white dress swayed with the wind as she clutched the sides of the window frame.

  “Catch me, Michael,” she said and let go.

  He cursed under his breath and rushed forwards. With a snap of his fingers, she floated in the air, stifling her giggles as he brought her in with his magic.

  “I should lock you in Pandora’s box,” he threatened, his hands landing on her waist to help her stand.

  A knock on the door made both of them stiffen.

  “It must be your apprentice,” she mumbled, pressing herself into his chest.

  Michael closed his eyes and withdrew. “I will lead him to the market. While I’m gone, leave and stop playing these games.”

  “Always so formal.” She landed a soft peck on his pouty lips.

  Lilia sat on her bed and wept. Her heart ached as if a thousand daggers had pierced it for a full day and night.

  “Why must you cry so much, sister?” Diya asked, rubbing her shoulder.

  “He wishes to leave me! I heard him talking to those angels… He asked to be reassigned!” She burst into another wail, rubbing at her puffy eyes with her wet fingers.

  Diya hugged her close. “I am certain it was a misunderstanding. If not, I will kick him where it hurts.”

  Lilia clung to her sister’s robe. “No, don’t hurt him. I cannot bear the thought of him suffering.”

  “Oh, sister, you know the gods will not approve of this relationship. A fate must wed a god, not his servants.”

  “Damn the gods. I do not care for their rules or wishes. All they do is trap us here.”

  Peeling away from her, Diya scowled. “You cannot say things like that outside this home. Be careful they do not hear you, or you will be punished.”

  “Isn’t being married to one of them punishment enough?”

  Diya covered her smile with her hand. “I am in agreement with you, which is why I borrowed some ambrosia from the storehouse.” She lifted a ceramic jug from underneath the bed and shook it, making the contents slosh inside. “Let us drink tonight to your broken heart and the future.”

  “Thank you.” Lilia wiped the last of her tears away. “But keep this a secret from Michael. He must never see me intoxicated.”

  Her sister winked. “Cross my heart. Now, let’s drink!”

  19

  The Gate

  “Helena, wake up!” Alexander shook her out of another set of Lilia’s memories.

  She groaned and sat up. Her head pulsated as if it had a drum built in it. “What time is it?”

  “Time to get a watch…” He tossed some black clothes at her. “Put those on. You’ve slept the day away. We must head to the cemetery.”

  “Already? How long was I out for?”

  He pointed to the clothes. “Get ready.”

  Alexander left the room to give her some privacy. She stripped out of her sweaty t-shirt, changing into black skinny jeans and a matching tank top. Alexander even gave her a leather jacket, which reminded her too much of Lucious as she ran her fingers over the smooth material. She tugged it on and quickly ran into the bathroom to wash up.

  Ten minutes later, she stood in the downstairs hallway with Alexander and Byron. Both men had a grim expression on their faces as they shared some kind of an unspoken message between them.

  “Want to clue me in?” she asked.

  Byron caught her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re up for this? You can wait here where it’s safe…”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  “You do realise Lucious will skin us if anything happens to you,” he added.

  Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let us bring her along. She will be safer with us than unguarded here.”

  “I don’t like this plan,” Byron said, opening the front door for them.

  Above them, darkness loomed like a bad omen. The moon, as red as the blood running through her veins, shimmered amidst the twinkling stars and painting the passing clouds scarlet.

  “Why is it called a blood moon?” she asked Alexander, and they got
into Byron’s car.

  “In the scriptures I’ve read, it is said the moon reflects the amount of sacrifices that will happen on a certain day. The redder it is, the more blood will be shed.”

  She swallowed and looked out the window. “Just how bad will tonight be?”

  Byron parked the car a few streets away from the Norwood Cemetery. The rest of the way, they hid in the shadows, darting between the houses of the sleeping humans. Her fingers traced the hilt of the Arcanae Mortum. She couldn’t shake the fear of what would happen to them if the Demon Gate was left permanently opened. Would these people suffer because of it?

  Byron led them to a side of a house overlooking the cemetery’s six-foot fence. He and Alexander shared another suspicious look before Byron grasped her waist. He jumped, landing on the rooftop with her.

  Alexander climbed the side wall of the house and cursed when his trouser leg caught on the gutter. He tugged on it and a ripping sound rippled the stillness of the night.

  “I should have left Armani at home,” Alexander grumbled and crouched next to them.

  Byron snorted. “If you’re going to die, die in style?”

  “Something like that,” Alexander replied.

  The two of them moved across the roof with soundless steps.

  “Wait there, Helena,” Alexander called over his shoulder.

  She scowled at him. “Why?”

  “You’re the only one with a heartbeat. Any closer and you would give us away.”

  “Oh…” She threw Alexander the demon blade, which he caught with ease. “Use it on the demon when the time is right.”

  Alexander stashed it behind his back. “The gun I gave you in the car, it’s loaded with silver. Try not to shoot yourself in the foot with it.”

  She arched a brow but, just in case, double-checked the safety.

  The two men jumped over the other side of the house and ran across the street. They scaled the fence, ducking into the shadows of the treeline of the cemetery.

  Beyond the graves that littered the grounds, Helena watched as Eliza, Vincent, Anna, Xi Yi, and about two dozen vampires trooped to the centre path. Her frown deepened. They weren’t headed for the gate. They stopped there, and Eliza barked orders. When she noticed that Lucious wasn’t among them, her heart sped up with anxiety.

  “Why did they stop?” she thought aloud.

  Next to her, Michael’s voice made her nearly fall over. “It is because the entire cemetery is the Blood Gate.”

  She pouted at her guardian. “Are you here to hinder us?”

  “I am here to keep you from doing something stupid, Helena. Go back to safety.”

  “I can’t. Not until we stop this!”

  “You are a mortal who’s playing a dangerous game. What if you die? Have you so little regard for your life?”

  Helena’s eye twitched. “You only see me as a shell for Lilia. Stop pretending you care.”

  “I’m not pretending. I have watched you grow up.”

  “Yet, in these past few months, you never cared to tell me it was your girlfriend taking a nap in my body.”

  He looked out into the distance. “She was the only woman I’ve ever loved. The gods took our happiness away.” His azure eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Wouldn’t you feel a little happy to see the one you love after four thousand years of isolation?”

  Helena bit her lip. She didn’t want to imagine the torment he underwent. For such a long time, he couldn’t see Lilia. If the same happened to her and Lucious, would she feel the same?

  Her attention returned to the cries coming from the cemetery. Eliza slashed the throats of the vampires kneeling on the grass. Blood ran down their exposed necks as they coughed up blood and tumbled to one side, one by one, like dominoes.

  Once ten men fell, the earth quaked, and Helena clung to the filthy tiles. Car alarms kicked in and a dark cloud formed above the cemetery. A wave of energy washed over the housing estates nearby, killing the remaining lights and silencing the cars. Vampires grouped together around the ritual’s epicentre as the blood of the slaughtered men seeped into the soil.

  Seeing Byron and Alexander shifting closer, she scowled. Byron was a werewolf. He, too, had a blasted heartbeat. She slapped her forehead at her stupidity and hurried to the edge of the rooftop. Peering over the side, she swallowed. The ground seemed to stretch away from her. The dark of the night consumed the path around the house and her hands started to shake. Little by little, she could feel her lungs closing. She clamped her hand around her throat, her tears dripping onto the mossy surface of the roof.

  “It’s dark…” she whimpered. “They might be here…”

  “Helena, I’m here,” Michael’s voice broke through her budding terror. “I’m always here.”

  She glanced at him. His handsome face held sincerity. Managing a stiff thanks, she grabbed the pipeline. Her feet dangled as she tried to find footing on the nearby windowsill. Once her shoes securely rested on it, she used the pipe to help her climb down.

  On the first floor, her shoe slipped. Heavy as a rock, she fell backwards. Her back hit the ground, knocking her breath out of her. She gasped for more air, and the pain in her back dulled. Sitting up, she tested if her bones were intact then scrambled to her full height.

  Helena jumped over the small metal fence around the garden and ran across the road. At the cemetery’s fence, she scaled it to the pounding of her heart. Landing on her feet, she ducked into the treeline where Alexander and Byron were hiding five minutes ago.

  The cemetery gave another tremor. At the centre of it, the ground opened up. The bodies of drained vampires fell in and a large crimson magical seal appeared beneath the Council members. Amidst it, Eliza stood tall and proud as the other members shot nervous glances her way. The vampires observing the scene, too, seemed on edge as they backed up a couple of steps.

  Eliza motioned for the other Council members to step out of the magical circle. Vincent was the last to leave. As he did, a blinding flash of red light shot into the sky, causing the black gathering of clouds to swirl. Rain descended on them, mixing with the dirt. The glowing circle then turned into a mirror-like portal.

  A huge claw inched towards Eliza and grasped her ankle. She looked at Anna with fear shining through the façade of calm the other vampires were witnessing. The demon’s claws melted into her, and she let out a high-pitched wail that shook the graves, instilling terror in everyone’s hearts.

  A shockwave of an explosion could be felt in the Council building. Lucious jumped up and marched to the door. He peered left and right, but none of the hounds guarded the prison.

  “Is anyone there?” he shouted, eager for an explanation.

  Another quake reverberated throughout the building. One of the hounds, Karl, ran up to the door and typed in the combination to let Lucious out.

  “We’re under attack. It’s the hunters!” Karl said.

  “How did they find out where the Council building was?”

  Karl tossed him a pistol and laughed. “They may be human, but they’re not complete idiots.”

  “Fair point.”

  Karl released the other prisoners, some of which were too weak to move around. Lucious lifted a starving female vampire, and Karl helped a man out of his cell. They aimed for the exit with no more words spared.

  At the lift, the doors slid open. Karl ushered the wounded in first. A second passed and the metal cage creaked. The support ropes snapped. With their mouths pressed into thin lines, Karl and Lucious witnessed their screams as the lift fell right in front of them. The emergency breaks activated two storeys below, stopping it from crashing.

  “Is there another way out?” Lucious asked.

  “Yeah, climbing up the shaft.”

  Lucious tucked the gun behind his back and scanned the shaft. He jumped to the far wall, grabbing the aluminium batten for support. Catching the next one above his head, he lifted his body. As they scaled the distance to the higher levels, gunfire rattled the hallwa
ys and tortured screeches of vampires and hunters alike ricocheted off the walls.

  “Get off on the ground floor,” Karl said.

  Lucious frowned. “Isn’t that where the hunters are most concentrated?”

  “Most have spread to the other floors already. It’s our best chance.”

  Arriving at the ground floor, Lucious forced open the heavy doors and lifted his body up. He readied his gun, in case they had company as he edged closer to the corner to check on the situation. No one was there. He looked back to Karl who smirked.

  “Why aren’t you with the elders at the cemetery?” Lucious asked.

  “Someone had to stay behind while the bigwigs went to play with the demon spawn.”

  “Is this funny to you?”

  Karl chuckled. “Of course it is. Word will spread through Europe like wildfire that Eliza destroyed the Council in a bid to save us. Her actions may be admirable, but for such a long-standing Councilwoman, she is playing with boys bigger than her.”

  Lucious listened out for heartbeats. Hearing none in their vicinity, they fleeted to the main entrance. There, silver chains were wound around the handles.

  “Here,” Karl said, taking his windbreaker off, “use this.”

  They wrapped the material around the silver to pull the rings apart. Before they could finish the job, they heard booted feet advancing to their position.

  The hound slid under the reception desk and motioned for Lucious to hide behind the wall.

  A group of five hunters rushed past with P90s in their hands and belts full of grenades. Lucious assumed they contained silver powder. He rushed the first man, snapping his neck and pulling the rings off the first two grenades.

  The remaining hunters shouted orders to each other and aimed their guns his way.

  He fleeted around the corner as a bullet grazed his thigh. Another lodged in his upper arm. Ignoring the burning sensations, he lifted his gun. As expected, an explosion erupted down the corridor. Wounded and concussed hunters were pushed against the walls and floor.