Templar Vampires 02 - The Daystar

by Lyons, Rene

  Tristan went to put a hand on his shoulder but Constantine stepped out of his reach. He grabbed his sword and shoved it roughly in the baldric strapped to his back.

  “Go easy, Constantine. It’s not your fault we haven’t found Lucian.”

  “Yes it is.” Furious, he turned on Lex. He snarled even though he knew he had no right to focus his anger on her.

  She backed away from him. “What’s wrong with you?”

  He took hold of her upper arms and bit back a roar when her power surged through him. “You. You’re what’s the matter.” He tossed her toward Tristan, who placed her behind him, putting himself between her and Constantine.

  “You’d better get a hold on yourself, Dragon.”

  “Keep her the fuck away from me.”

  His helplessness was killing him all over again. All he saw was Lucian alone in the dark. As long as Lex continued to consume his thoughts, he’d never find Lucian, and that was something he couldn’t let happen.

  When he went to leave, Tristan clamped a hand on his arm. Constantine let out a growl and pushed him away. Jesus Christ, if he didn’t get away Constantine was afraid he’d hurt Lex.

  “Dragon,” Tristan called his name in an unspoken warning.

  “Fuck off, Guardian.” Constantine snapped.

  Lex’s thoughts invaded his mind as he stomped up the stairs. He slammed the heel of his hand against his forehead again and again in a vain attempt to knock her voice out of his head. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy for him. As he stomped down the long corridor toward his chamber her thoughts continued to haunt him.

  “Get the fuck out of my head,” he ground out as he pushed open the door.

  Once in his room, he smashed his fist into the stone wall out of sheer frustration. Blood exploded from his knuckles when the skin opened. A few bones shattered as well. The pain was good. It helped him gain a small measure of control over himself.

  Needing to get as far from Lex as possible, Constantine grabbed his trench. He had to get someplace where he couldn’t smell honeysuckle and where her emotions and thoughts couldn’t play havoc on his sanity. He needed to regain his indifference, which had helped him get through the last seven hundred years.

  And he needed blood.

  Constantine pulled on the trench as stomped back down into the hall. He didn’t see Tristan or Lex. The faint sound of her weeping made him cringe. How the hell was it possible that the sound of Lex’s cries hurt his heart worse than Michael’s blade had? He stormed out of the hall and made his way to his car with the intent of driving Lex out of his mind.

  As he sped out of the courtyard like a bat out of hell, Lex’s soft cries followed him all the way to The Gate. In all of his life and his death, Constantine had never felt more like a monster than he did then.

  Chapter Thirteen

  By the time Raphael returned to Seacrest Castle, he couldn’t be more grateful to be home. After spending the day with Briana Kerr, he was glad to be back in the fold of the Templars. Though in all honesty, Raphael owed Briana big time. Because of her he wasn’t roasting in Hell right now.

  Six on one had been odds he wouldn’t have been able to fight his way out of, which was why when Briana arrived on the scene, he was grateful for her help at defeating the renegades who’d ambushed him at Shakers.

  He’d been about to leave the club when he noticed two humans giving him the hairy eyeball. Calling them on their shit, he realized too late that renegades had used them as patsies to get him outside alone. Once in the parking lot, six renegades greeted him—all eager to beat him to death in order to gain information on the Daystar.

  The pricks had been doing a damn good job of it when Briana had showed up like a beautiful angel of death. The two of them took out the renegades before going to her estate, perched atop a mountain that overlooked the Delaware River.

  Though Kerr had been a pleasant host, reserved, yet pleasant in her own way, it was good to be away from a stronghold belonging to a member of the Order of the Rose. Although, he had to admit, his perception of them was now drastically altered after his long conversation with the First.

  It seemed the Order had pulled a fast one on them all. The First wasn’t the bloodthirsty bitch the nocturnal world believed her to be. She had actually been—nice. Raphael hadn’t sensed any threat coming from her. True, he’d communicated with her via phone. Nevertheless, he’d sensed no hostility. Normally it would have eaten at him that he was indebted to the Order after one of their numbers had helped him out with the renegades last night. Yet after talking with the First, it left him less resentful to owe them anything.

  Raphael couldn’t believe the things the First had told him about the Daystar. She laid it all out and told it to him straight. Good God almighty, all hell was going to break loose once he relayed the information back to the family. Allie wasn’t going to take what he had to say about her sister’s fate well at all. Not that he could blame her. He hadn’t handled it well himself. Truth was, he liked Lex. She was a good kid and she didn’t deserve to have to face what was coming.

  As soon as he stepped into the hall, Raphael sensed the tension. Lex was perched on a chair near the hearth having a good cry. Tristan sat solemnly on the sofa with his back to the entrance. He cast a long and desperate look at Raphael from over his shoulder. Tristan was begging him for help in soothing Lex’s tears.

  Raphael just knew Constantine was the cause of those tears. Damn, but he wanted to beat the shit right out of Dragon for making Lex cry. “What did Asshole do now?” Raphael demanded as he crossed the hall.

  “Nothing,” Lex whispered brokenly.

  “The usual,” Tristan grunted.

  Raphael thought it was admirable that Lex was trying to stick up for Constantine. Her effort was wasted, however, since they’d all known the pissy bastard for over seven hundred years. Suffice it to say, if Lex was crying, there was no doubt it was over something Constantine had done.

  As much as Raphael wanted to offer Lex some small comfort, he didn’t dare touch her. The air around her was already charged with the Daystar’s power. The last thing he wanted was to be burned by it.

  “He had a vision, was his typical pleasant self and then stormed out of here a half an hour ago,” Tristan explained.

  Tristan was pissed, not that Raphael blamed him for his anger. They were all getting sick and tired of Constantine’s constant attitude lately. It went far beyond his normal ornery self and entered a whole new realm of nasty, which was damn near driving the rest of them mad.

  They all knew it was his frustration that had Constantine acting like more of a prick than usual. His attitude grated on all of their nerves, especially since they were all worn with worry over Lucian.

  When he failed to detect Sebastian and Allie, Raphael frowned. “Where are the lovebirds?”

  ”They had to go feed.” Tristan glanced at Lex, who grimaced in distaste at his announcement. “They should be back anon.”

  Raphael sat on the other chair opposite Lex. He knew Allie wouldn’t stay gone long. He directed a cutting glare at Tristan, avoiding Lex’s curious, and teary, stare.

  Raphael dreaded having to relate the information he’d learned from the First.

  “How was it at Kerr’s?”

  Lex looked at Tristan when he voiced that question. “Not what I was expecting.”

  When he said nothing more, Lex wiped her tears away and looked back at him. “What did the First say? Does she know how to fix me?”

  “You’re not broken,” Tristan declared in a low growl.

  Raphael ran his hands through his hair and blew out a heavy, breathless sigh. “I’d rather wait for everyone to get back before I go into it.”

  “And I’d rather you treat me like an adult and tell me what she said right now.”

  Raphael was taken aback by Lex’s sudden temper, although he understood it. Still, he didn’t want to have to tell her what he’d learned without Allie here.

  “Lex... ”


  She cut him off with a raise of her hand. “Start talking, Raphael, or I swear to God... ”

  Admitting defeat, Raphael leaned forward and looked desperately at Tristan for help. Tristan didn’t seem inclined to come to his defense. “Look, I’m going to be blunt here since there’s no way to sugarcoat this. From what the First told me, you’re not the Daystar. According to Druid lore, you’re what’s called a Hallowed. It’s the sacred vessel that holds the power of the Daystar.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  He shook his head and shifted in the chair. He wished Allie were here. He knew Lex would want her sister with her when she learned what it was the First had said. “You were born under something the First referred to as a Bloodmoon. It marks the birth of a Hallowed.”

  Raphael found it unnerving how calmly Lex sat there. He sensed nothing from her, not fear, not anger, not even curiosity. Her emotions were hidden behind the mask of calm she wore.

  Tristan glanced at him inquiringly. “Why haven’t they tried to make contact with her?”

  “They didn’t have to.” He looked back at Tristan. “They’ve been watching her since the day she was born.”

  That last bit he directed at Lex. Her expression was eerily unreadable. “This is all just so unbelievable.”

  “I know, boo, and I wish I could take it all away. We all do.”

  Tristan was quick to nod in agreement. “You’re part of us now and we’ll get through this together, Lex.”

  “Thanks, guys.” Her smile was small and forced as her fear radiated from her.

  “Did the First say what’s to be done to keep renegades from discovering Lex’s power?”

  Raphael shifted again. If he were capable of it, he’d be sweating with dread. As it was, his insides twisted at what other news he had to share. “Yes and no.”

  Tristan cocked an inquisitive brow when he said no more. “Stop being so cryptic and just say what needs to be said.”

  With a heavy heart, Raphael steeled himself for what needed to be said. “Come Halloween, the power of the Daystar is going to reach its full strength.”

  In the span of one heartbeat to the next, he watched helplessly as an array of emotions played out across Lex’s face as the implication of his statement sank in.

  She brought her hands to the mark of the Daystar, slid her eyes closed and took a deep breath. When she opened them and pinned him with her intense stare, all of her fear, hopelessness, and anger came at him in a rush.

  “And then what happens?”

  Raphael swallowed down the lump of dread in his throat. “There’s a chance you could be transformed into pure energy.”

  Lex went numb. For just one blessed moment her mind quieted and her body ceased to feel. A second later fear, cold and crippling, ripped through her and robbed her of breath. Tristan was on his feet and by her side when she choked on a breath. He touched her and hissed, yanking his hand from her as if he’d been burned.

  Once he was recovered from the effect of the raging energy, he stopped shaking the pain out of his hand and turned to Raphael. “How do we stop this?”

  “There’s a ritual the First can perform, but there’s no guarantee it will prevent the—event—from occurring.”

  The tremors that wracked her body were painful. Unshed tears filled her eyes as she put up a valiant fight to hold them back. Right now she needed to be strong. Raphael joined Tristan at her side, careful not to touch her. The way he made a point to hover close—but not too close—had her feeling like she had a disease.

  “It’s going to be all right.”

  Tristan tried to reassure her but she wasn’t buying his optimistic outlook. “No, Tristan. You’re wrong. It’s not going to be all right.” Without realizing what she was doing, she fisted her hand in her shirt and twisted it as if that alone would pull the power out of her. “I want this out of me. Oh God, please, take this out of me.”

  “Easy, Lex,” Raphael said to her, taking her shaking hands in his. He barely flinched when the intense heat of her flowed into him. “The First can stop it, sweetheart. We just have to get you to England.”

  “England!” She hadn’t meant to yell but couldn’t stop her voice from coming out in a hysterical screech. “You might as well dip me in blood and fling me at a pack of starving renegades.”

  “The Order has people to travel with you and protect you.”

  Lex looked to Raphael incredulously. “I have to go alone? Without you?”

  “If we could, we would, Lex. You know that.” The regret in Tristan’s voice stabbed at her.

  Defeated, Lex dragged in a deep, painful breath and struggled to hold herself together. She didn’t want to go to England without the Templars. If the worst happened and she either died or ended up a creature of pure energy like Raphael said, she didn’t want to meet such a fate alone. These beings, though damned, were her family now. The thought of going off to face her fate without them left her feeling more alone than ever she had.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t.” She choked back a scared sob. “I can’t do this alone.”

  “You have to be strong now, Lex. You have to find the strength to make it through this.”

  Couldn’t Tristan see she wasn’t strong? Allie was the strength. She was the one who had held them together through the years. “I don’t want to leave.”

  “If you don’t go, the power will overtake you. There will be nothing to hold it back. If you go to England and the First performs the rite, there is a good chance the power will be neutralized.”

  In other words, Raphael was telling her if she stayed here, come Halloween—her birthday—she’d be as good as dead. At least if she tried to make it to England and the First performed this ritual, she’d have a fighting chance at survival.

  When put like that, did she have a choice?

  At that moment the double doors of the entry banged open. A gust of cold air swept into the hall. Constantine came storming in, a scowl on his face and a curse on his lips

  “You’re not going to bloody England alone.”

  Tristan and Raphael jumped to their feet. They looked toward the doorway, which Constantine filled looking damn near fit to kill. Lex wiped her eyes, lest he see her tears. She tried to stop her body from trembling as he stomped over to her but it was a losing battle. She folded her hands in her lap and made a conscious effort to keep them from shaking. Bad enough she knew Constantine would sense her fear, he didn’t have to see it as well.

  “I thought you had to feed.”

  “Mind your business,” Constantine shot back at Tristan as he came into the hall and slammed the doors closed behind him.

  “You are my business, Dragon.” Tristan matched Constantine’s fierce frown with one of his own.

  Constantine came to stand in front of Tristan. “Leave off, Guardian. I’m only warning you once.”

  Lex pressed herself into the chair; terrified at the hostility coming off Constantine and the way Tristan wasn’t about to back down. The two looked like they were about to draw swords and start hacking off body parts.

  When Tristan sniffed at Constantine, Lex had only a second to wonder why when he let out a vicious growl that had her slipping from the chair and inching toward the stairs. Raphael caught her, hissed, but didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, he pressed her to his side.

  “What have you done, Constantine?” Tristan demanded.

  Constantine seemed unfazed by Tristan’s temper. “Get off your bloody moral high-horse, Tris. I know your past.”

  Tristan narrowed his eyes menacingly on Constantine. “I’ll let that one slide. But it’s your last freebie. Keep shooting your mouth off and you won’t like what comes of it.”

  “You threatening me?”

  “You bet your arse I am.”

  “Tris,” Raphael called, letting go of her hand. Lex continued to inch toward the stairs. All she wanted was to get to her room and to think in peace. “I think we have bigger problems here than whatever it
was Constantine did while he was out.” Then he looked at Constantine. “And you better watch your mouth when talking to Tristan. You of all people know bloody well what he sacrifices for us every goddamn night.”

  “Constantine?” Three sets of furious silver eyes locked on her. “I know you didn’t hurt anyone tonight.”

  Lex wasn’t sure how she knew that to be true, she just knew it was, even if Tristan and Raphael doubted him. Constantine moved away from Tristan, who stepped aside with a whispered warning that Lex failed to hear but Constantine cut with a nasty glare.

  Constantine pointedly ignored Raphael as he came toward her. “No. I didn’t.”